2006 November - SlashGear

Archive for November, 2006

Retro Record Player burns your LPs

Chris Davies, Nov 29th 2006 Discuss [4]

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Trust Hammacher Schlemmer to take that USB turntable for converting your vinyl to mp3s (which has been doing the rounds recently, despite SlashGear covering it last August) and knock it into a cocked hat. "You don't need a PC" they cry, luxury voices dripping with derision, "all you need is our retro-styled LP-to-CD Recorder." And I suppose, in the correct (read:hideous) surroundings it would blend in. Capable of playing 33s, 45s and 78s, you can easily burn an entire record to CD or - making judicious use of the pause-record feature - make compilations from multiple vinyl (or just put both sides onto one disc). With an AM/FM radio for those times you can't be bothered playing DJ - oh, and with a remote control - now the PC-phobic can enjoy their old records in the car too. It's a wonderfully egalitarian society we live in, isn't it, although in this case equality costs $399.95. Read The Full Story

Big Max robot squares up for a fight

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [2]

If you're in the market for a shovel-handed robotics kit, then I think you could do worse than check out the Robovie-M V3, who also goes by the far-cuter name of "Big Max". With a sexy drilled-metal body available in blue or Paris-Hilton-gold, 22 joint angular sensors and 70 pre-programmed movements, Max stands almost 30cm tall and can, among other things, throw, punch, somersault, do handstands, side-step and play soccer (against other V3s, of course). Should he fall over in a clearly theatrical false-injury penalty grab, he can later right himself back to a standing position. Apparently suitable for both research projects and - far more interesting - battlebot duties, the V3 sells for $2,699. There are movies of him in action on the AudioCubes site linked below, and more V3 specifications after the cut. Read The Full Story

Fujifilm Photo Printer makes tiny snaps on the move

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

Sometimes, when I'm wandering the cold, dark streets in search of some food or another victim, I spot an obvious business opportunity - taking the photo of a happy group of revellers, perhaps, or documenting a road traffic incident. Of course, I never actually get round to emailing those photos off, never mind printing them and posting them via snail "are we nearly there yet?" mail. What I need, I hear you grumble, is Fujifilm's Pivi MP-300, a portable photo printer that not only fits into your (somewhat large) pocket but can connect via infrared and PictBridge USB to compatible digital cameras and cellphones to produce business card-sized snaps. Okay, so it's a mystery why they chose infrared and not Bluetooth - perhaps they're planning a special edition "Beam it in Blue" for next Christmas or something - but I can see this being a useful little gadget. Sadly it's Japan-only for now, and costs around $130. Fujifilm [via Pocket-lint]

Bring the garden indoors – rotting food has a place at your table

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

I'm the kind of mildly-psychotic obsessive compulsive who likes to make sure his hands are really clean, maybe a couple of dozen times a day. So the idea of a table filled with Red Wiggler composting worms, sowbugs and decomposing food sat in the middle of my kitchen fails to bring out the eco-sympathiser in me and instead makes me want to be a little bit sick in my mouth. Amy Youngs, an artist specialising in mixed-media and interactive work and who will find it is a cold day in Hell before I allow her into my house with a sack full of bugs, has put together plans for constructing your own composter-cum-webcam, allowing you to watching in glorious infra-red as your leftovers are reduced to worm-poo. The fresh compost is released from the bottom of the hanging fabric bag, and can be used to fertilise plants (such as those around the base) or the vegetable patch you'll have to grow come the New World Order and the ensuing skyrocketing price of food. Read The Full Story

LED Roulette Table ideal for clandestine gambling

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [1]

What is it about projected-on tables that makes me all of a quiver? Is it the potential to brighten up a dreary meal by superimposing a luscious feast over the top of it? Or could it be the prank potential of displaying a naughty little mouse running around the newspapers to scare the grandparents? Whatever it is, boy oh boy do I want one. Moritz Waldemeyer, a name familiar to anyone who knows him, is the man behind this LED projected roulette table, where people can place bets on an otherwise ordinary work-surface. Though currently just a prototype, there's obviously plenty of scope for underground gambling dens in places where such money-risking is illegal. As soon as you get raided, a simple yank of some circuit-breakers and you're running a classy, dimly-lit bistro with no sign of roulette beyond the stacks of chips. And you could just pretend to eat those, couldn't you. Moritz Waldemeyer [via CRAVE]

Robot Guards in Japan

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

While the rest of the world was stressing over nano-technology turning into a great green mess and consuming us like electrochemically charged yum-packs, Japanese security company ALSOK was busy developing a series of killer death robots guard robots to protect and serve. Now, for the paltry sum of $10,000 to $20,000, you can have a system incorporating several of these intimidating metal beasties, which will patrol your corridors (or bedroom) using four video cameras to monitor for security incursions and leaky pipes, reporting back to their human overlord at a central control point. Not wishing to be melodramatic, but I'm sure this spells painful death for us all. The robots are fitted with speech synthesisers and RFID card scanners, using semi-autonomous behavioural patterns to interact with and probably interrogate people they come into contact with. Yes, they look cute at first, but will they still be so appealing when you're backed up against a wall having "scan appropriate ID!" barked at you in a vocoder baritone? Read The Full Story

How NOT to Fix Your Xbox 360

Benjamin Nied, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

Here at Slashgear, we advocate safe gaming protocol in every aspect your life. If your Xbox 360 is flashing three red lights, you're better off taking it to an Xbox service center in order to avoid, ya know, voiding the warranty. But if you're the adventurous type, you can try what these guys did; when faced with the triad of red flashers, these guys simply take their misbehaving console and start smacking it around. Again, there are better ways to fix your system, but if this suits your fancy, here's the how-to. Enjoy! [youtube cIARuzFOExc] [via Gizmodo]

Canon Selphy Photo Printer packs ink & paper into one

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

Those video-loving minxes at Hottech have been flexing their filmographic muscles again and have come up with a review of the Canon Selphy ES1. The latest photo printer from imaging specialists Canon, the Selphy ES1 differs from ostensibly similar offerings currently on the market by not only having an odd name but also (and perhaps more important) using special, pre-packed sets of both ink and paper. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyym5BUYfXY Connecting direct to a camera via PictBridge standard on most semi-recent digital models, or by slotting in a memory card, you can edit images using the LCD screen and apparently straightforward controls. We're not just talking red-eye reduction - if you've ever wanted to treat a loved one with a calendar made up of twelve photos of your wriggling buttocks then here's the photo printer for you: the ES1 has a variety of in-built presets, a calendar being just one of them. Read The Full Story

Zeroshock Backpack stops your notebook from bouncing

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

Even though I know I should be more gentle, sometimes I do slightly mistreat my computer. Not by making it dance for me on hot coals, no, but by shoving it into my bag or heaving it around the desk without the due care that the little darling deserves. Perhaps I should replace my trusty man-bag with one of Elecom's new Zeroshock backpacks - it uses their impact protection system to keep everything as safely supported as the contents of a football player's jockstrap, only without the unpleasant chafing. Pictured is the model for a 15.4-inch notebook, though others are available should you only have a small one (or, conversely, a huge one). There are also built-in pockets for your cellphone or DAP, as is the usual case with these sort of things. Read The Full Story

Logitech Z10 Speakers reviewed – 60W Monoliths

Chris Davies, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

They may be listening to Rage Against The Machine, but the guys over at Everything USB certainly weren't angry at the Logitech Z10 Interactive Speaker System - in fact, if you're looking for a high-quality, bass-rich and geekily cool set of stereo speakers then they'll happily recommend them to you. The Z10 are not only capable of pumping out a stylish 60W of sound via a USB connection, but have a customisable LCD display and oh-so-fashionable touch sensitive controls to do clever, music related stuff like surf internet radio stations (or store them to up to four presets), or useful, computer related stuff like show processor and memory load. Was it all good? Well, while they'll work with any music source (via the 3.5mm aux in), if you want the fancy screen you'll need to be running a Windows PC. They're also pretty big for computer speakers, at around 10-inches tall and an almost 4.7-inch square footprint. Still, unless you're working in a tiny, tiny cubicle with your MacBook these will be easily out-classed by the quality. Check out their review to find out the full details. Read The Full Story

Pocket Photo Album: Pictures in Small Frame

Karn Suriyasasin, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [0]

What you see might not be what it is. Though it may look like an egg, this little guy is actually a pocket photo album: a digital storage that is ready to go with you everywhere. This tiny little device has built-in internal memory and a supplied Lithium rechargeable battery. Just install the supplied album management software and connect the Pocket Photo Album to your computer using USB cable, you can share up to 56 pictures with your friends and family through the Pocket Photo Album’s 1.1 inch TFT LCD screen. Its weigh is less than 2 ounces. To be honest, I see no point of doing so. But if you love something small, this Pocket Photo Album can be yours for a price of £34.95 (Approx. $70.00)

Pocket photo album - a pocket full of pictures [via shinyshiny.tv]

Blackmagic Design: Intensity HDMI Card

Karn Suriyasasin, Nov 28th 2006 Discuss [4]

Looking for the latest HDMI technology for your Macs or PCs? Blackmagic has introduced Intensity, an HDMI I/O card for Windows or Mac OS X computers. Experience a true HDMI Digital Connections. You can playback or edit using big-screen HDMI television and video projectors, or capture uncompressed quality from HD or HDV cameras. With Intensity, you can switch between HD and SD video standards including HDTV 1080i/59.94, 1080i/50, 720p/59.94, 720p/60, 720p/50, NTSC and PAL. There are two audio channels allowed sound to pass through at the same time. You can also perform live mixing of two HDV cameras using a pair of Intensity cards and Blackmagic’s On-Air 2.0 software. Experience the Intensity today for the price of $249. Blackmagic Intensity HDMI I/O card [via electronista]