Olympus’ speedy autofocus system from the PEN E-P3 has been brought over, though with a speed boost, and there’s 9fps burst shooting in Single AF mode. 3D autofocus tracking can keep a fix on subjects as they move not only up and down in the frame, but further away or closer to the camera.

There’s the usual Full HD 1080i video capture (though not 1080p, it seems), together with ISO support up to 25,600 and weatherproofing of the body itself, which is ruggedized against water, sand and low temperatures. However Olympus has also given the E-M5 the world’s first 5-axis image stabilization system, which promises to smooth out horizontal shift, vertical shift, rotary motion, yaw and pitch even if the photographer is running. Operational during both still and video recording, it’s integrated into the camera body itself so that any lens can take advantage of it.

On the subject of lenses, Olympus has stuck with the Micro Four Thirds system and has prepared a duo of new options for the E-M5. The M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50 mm f3.5-6.3 EZ lens is dustproof and splashproof as well, and there’s a cheaper M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42 mm f3.5-5.6 II R lens option too. Other accessories include separate flashes for use with the powered hot-shoe, and a MMF-3 Four Thirds mount adapter.

On the back, there’s a tilting 3-inch OLED touchscreen, with touch shutter-release along with touch-focus and easier control over tone settings. Most users will be more excited by the EVF, however, which has a 120fps refresh rate, a 100-percent field of view, maximum 1.15x magnification and an eye point of 18mm. It can show not only a view of what the camera sees, but all the relevant exposure, Art Filter effects and other settings.

Retro design and high-tech functionality come at a cost, however. The Olympus OM-D E-M5 will be priced at $999.99 body-only when it arrives in April, in either black or silver, while a bundle with the black M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42 mm f3.5-5.6 II R lens will be $1,099.99. Expect to pay $1,299.99 for the E-M5 with the black M.ZUIKO Digital ED 12-50 mm f3.5-6.3 EZ lens.

This new feature in the game is not, as they say, a matter of adjusting the difficulty sliders to read “harder.” Instead there’s such items as resource planning, combat specializations, and actual skillfulness needed inside combat, including but not limited to actually aiming your gun. Choosing to go down a path in this adventure that doesn’t end up being suitable for you, a specific kind of gamer, will result in you being crushed because of it.

Irrational Games Creative Director Ken Levin assures us all that there will be a need to restart in this mode, because noone is safe: “there are game saves, and you’re gonna f***ing need them.” As Levin says, they want the most hardcore gamer types to get into this mode and love it:

“We want to give our oldest and most committed fans an option to go back to our roots. In 1999 Mode, gamers face more of the permanent consequences of their gameplay decisions. In BioShock Infinite, gamers will have to sweat out the results of their actions. In addition, 1999 Mode will demand that players pick specializations, and focus on them.” – Levine

Sounds like a devlish situation! A single specialty – that’s like real life, how dare they! Can’t wait to play this ultra-challenging monster soon!

[via Irrational Games]

All you need, in fact, is a suitable emulator to actually load the games: in effect, the Retrode 2 is simply a hub for game cartridges, rather than a console in its own right. It’s also possible to use the adapter as simply a standalone gamepad adapter, though you’ll need to supply your own gamepads.

The Retrode 2 is available for preorder now, priced at $85/€65, and with deliveries expected to kick off from January 23. You can grab it from StoneAgeGamer in the US. Meanwhile, Retrode says it’s working on N64 and Sega Master System plug-ins for future release, though there’s no specific dates at present.

[via Engadget]

Six concentric ranks of 24 squares are arrayed around an empty “no man’s land” and pieces move as normal, though there are “moats” between the rooks to prevent them from taking each other on the very first turn. The full set of slightly modified rules can be found here.

The curved lines overlaid onto the board are, in fact, trajectory lines to help you figure out how pieces move diagonally; because of the shape of the board, pieces like bishops can in fact circle all the way around and back to their origin point, assuming the path is clear. You can buy 3 Man Chess for $39.95 plus shipping.

Of course, what it doesn’t have is the catapults, gorillas, time machines and popes – among other things – of the Big Bang Theory’s own esoteric take on what chess for a trio might look like.

[via Joseph Lee]

Sony has said it doesn’t intend to cease sales of the Hi-MD MiniDiscs (HMD1GA) the MZ-RH1 uses until September 2012, each holding up to 1GB of data. However, the regular 80 minute MiniDiscs – with which the MZ-RH1 is backward compatible – will remain on sale beyond that point; they can normally hold 177MB, but can be extended to 305MB if used in the recorder’s Hi-MD mode.

The company blamed falling sales and the rising competition of flash memory drives as the key reasons for the MZ-RH1′s demise, though it’s fair to say the PMP had a decent shot at the market. Launched back in April 2006, it had high-end features like an OLED display, a premium headphone amp and support for recording from various analog and digital sources, making it popular among musicians and other A/V pros. Full product details are here, if you’re feeling sentimental.

[via AV Watch]

There’s also a USB Host port, for playing back MP3 or WMA audio files stored on external drives – that could be a simple thumbdrive PMP or an external HDD with thousands of tracks. An external audio input takes other sources, and there’s an FM radio as well as a guitar/microphone input for impromptu flashmob performances.

The amp has been upgraded to 40W and there’s a protective hatch to keep your iPhone safe. AC and DC power inputs are supported, and there’s a shoulder strap and remote along with a video output for the picture from your iPod. The JVC Kaboom! RV-NB70 is available now, priced at $299.95.

I would buy it for the looks alone. If we had digital media players in the 60′s, this retro design is what they would have looked like. The back of the device is black walnut wood and that cool engraving is done by hand. That is impressive enough; the design looks fantastic. The front of the device is brass colored and has buttons and a slider along with a little screen. The audiophiles out there will want to know what is on the inside though.

The player has the ability to play 24-bit/192 KHz WAV files. It has a CIRRUS Logic CS4398 DAC and CS8422 SRC for dynamic range up to 120dB with a signal-to-noise ratio of 108dB. The headphone jack also has power for high quality headphones with 13.3 mW and supports 6.3mm and 3.5mm headphone plugs. The price is not for the budget shopper though with an MSRP of $799.

[via Wired]

Priced at $99.99, ThinkGeek’s version of the iCADE will have the same retro “April Fools” graphics as the original prank. Bluetooth is used to hook up to your iPad, which slots into the screen section, giving you a proper arcade joystick and controls to use.

It’s all ideal for Atari’s “Greatest Hits” gaming collection, released into the App Store earlier this month. Later on, ThinkGeek intends to release an iCADE API so that developers can use the controls in their own titles. Best order quickly, though; the first batch has apparently already been sold, so anybody pre-ordering now will be getting units from the second batch.

5. Commodore 64
Comodore 64 is back in business

4. Facebook Open Commute Project

3. Bluestacks is Android’s Parallels for Windows

2. Acer Iconia Tab A500
Acer Iconia Tab A500 gets priced & dated for US launch
ASUS Eee Pad Transformer vs Acer Iconia Tab A500

1. Google & Android News
Google: All Employees Responsible For Success Of Our Social Strategy
Google ups father of Android to Senior VP in executive shakeup
Android still open insists Google’s Andy Rubin; Anti-fragmentation rumors are FUD

Product Reviews:
T-Mobile Nokia C7 Astound

Columns:
Is Dual-Touch the Future of Phones and Tablets?
Why You Should Spend More on a TV and Less on Everything Else
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt: Rubin’s Android Fudge
For a gadget reviewer, I’m rubbish at advice
How Google can save Google TV

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This first video is a commercial from when it was first released. It’s about thirty seconds long and contains a number of short clips demoing the camera in action. The display you see is the accessory 4″ TV you could get with the camera.

This video is my favorite of the surprising number of PXL 2000 shot videos on Youtube. Eerie. I think this one demonstrates a lot of the motion blur and ghostliness.

This isn’t a video, but this guy, Bill Miller, took the PXL 2000 and upgraded it, restoring all of it’s functionality and adding in a number of other knobs and bells and whistles. Scroll down this page (same link) about halfway to find it. There is an auction up on ebay for his restored customized PXL 2000. It’s running around five bills.

I don’t recommend spending any money on one of these. But if you find one in your Old Aunt Bernice’s basement, have fun!

[via RetroThing]

“It looks just like the original Commodore 64, with even the old-style keyboard,” said Barry Altman, Commodore USA’s chief executive. “In fact, that keyboard was the biggest accomplishment of all, so far. The keys look like a piece of clay that you pushed a marble into — so it fits your fingertip.”

The price is exactly the same as the 1982 price: $595.

The original Commodore 64 had a whopping 64KB of memory. The new one has 4GB, which isn’t huge by today’s standards. I mean, you can get more than that on a tiny little SD card. But it isn’t as if this would be anyone’s primary computer.

Other specs:

• Ubuntu 10.04 LTS operating system on disk ready to install (is it a floppy disk??)
• Commodore OS 1.0, along with emulation functionality and classic game package, will be mailed to purchasers when available.

And more from Barry: “We expected our audience to be the nostalgia crowd, and that’s true, a lot of people buying them owned an original Commodore 64 back in the ’80s,” Altman said. “But we’re also finding that there are young kids who are geek geniuses who have iPhones and iPads and things like that and they’re looking at this thing and they’re into it. They’ve actually been a big part of our customer base so far too. It’s been a surprise.”

Here are some of the original commercials for your viewing pleasure. There was a PC/Apple rivalry back then, too:

And this one is complete with girls on waterslides, super cool music, and even hand motions:

So what do you think? Do you want one? Are you keeping up with the Commodore?

[via LA Times]

Details of the new Commodore started to surface again this week. The company has decided to go retro in a big way and has given the new machine the same skin as the old 80′s computer and I love it. The thing looks like the 80′s computer on the surface, but underneath it’s all modern. The new Commodore is cheaper than the original that sold for nearly $600 back in the day, at least in some of its new iterations.

The official price ranges from $250 to $900. Inside the beast are an Intel D525 processor, Intel NM10 chipset and ION 2 Graphics. The machine gets up to 4GB of RAM, Realtek 6-ch audio, and it has dual SATA 2 ports inside for storage. You can see from the pics that the thing has a CD drive and a memory card reader along with all the outputs we expect from a modern computer on the back. The machine has a heck of a price range and I don’t note options that would drive the price up $650.

Commodore CEO Barry Altman says that the response to the machine has been “completely dramatic.” I am not surprised, there are hoards of geeks that were in grade school like me when this thing came out that couldn’t hope to afford the $600 price tag in the 80′s that can certainly plunk down the loot this thing demands today.

[via NYT]

The core Atari Greatest Hits app is a free download, and then you have a choice of in-app purchases covering the 100 games. Twenty-five individual packs of four titles can be bought for $0.99 each, or you can have the lot for $14.99.

The full list of packs and individual titles is below, along with indications as to whether Atari has updated them to support Bluetooth multiplayer modes with other iOS device owners. There’s even original cabinet and box art.

[via TouchArcade]

Asteroid Pack
1. Asteroid
2. Asteroid Deluxe
3. Asteroids 2600
4. Canyon Bomber – Bluetooth Multiplayer
Battlezone Pack
1. Battlezone
2. Red Baron
3. Air-Sea Battle – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
4. Submarine Commander
Centipede Pack
1. Centipede
2. Millipede
3. Centipede 2600
4. Millipede 2600
Black Widow Pack
1. Black Widow
2. Space Duel – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
3. Desert Falcon
4. Space War
Crystal Castles Pack
1. Crystal Castles
2. Crystal Castls 2600
3. Surround – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
4. Maze Craze
Gravitar Pack
1. Gravitar
2. Gravitar 2600
3. Radar Lock
4. Demons to Diamonds – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Star Raiders Pack
1. Star Raiders
2. Liberator
3. Star Ship – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
4. Human Cannonball
Missile Command Pack
1. Missile Command
2. Missile Command 2600
3. Fun with Numbers
4. Flag Capture – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Lunar Lader Pack
1. Lunar Lander
2. Sky diver – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
3. Video Pinball
4. Code Breaker
Super Breakout Pack
1. Super Breakout
2. Breakout – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
3. Off – the – Wall
4. Circus Atari – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Tempest Pack
1. Tempest – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
2. Tempest 2600 – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
3. Outlaw
4. Atari Video Cube
Majar Havoc Pack
1. Major Havoc
2. Secret Quest
3. Sentinel
4. Yars Revenge – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Warlords Pack
1. Warlords – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
2. Warlords 2600
3. Combat – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
4. Combat 2 – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Adventure Pack
1. Adventure
2. Haunted House
3. Return to Haunted House
4. Save Mary
Tic-Tac-Toe Pack
1. 3d Tic-Tac-Toe
2. A game of concentration
3. Backgammon
4. Brain Games
Fatal Run Pack
1. Fatal Run
2. Dodge ‘Em
3. Night Driver
4. Street Racer – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Quadrun Pack
1. Quadrun
2. Slot Racers – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
3. Stellar Track
4. Math Gran Prix
Casino Pack
1. Casino – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
2. Slot Machine
3. Video Checkers
4. Video Chess
Sword Quest Pack
1. Swordquest Earthworld
2. Swordquest Fireworld
3. Swordquest Waterworld
4. Sprintmaster
Championship Soccer Pack
1. Championship Soccer – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
2. Golf
3. Double Dunk
4. Basketball
Football Pack
1. Football – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
2. Home Run
3. Miniature Golf
4. Bowling
Real Sports Basketball Pack
1. Realsports Basketball – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
2. Realsports Boxing – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
3. Realsports Tennis – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
4. Realsports Baseball – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Real Sports Football Pack
1. Realsports Football – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
2. Realsports Soccer – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
3. Realsports Vollyball – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
4. Video Olympics – BLUETOOTH MULTIPLAYER
Battlezone Pack
1. Battlezone 2600
2. Super Breakout 2600
3. Super Baseball
4. Super Football
Hangman Pack
1. Hangman
2. Black Jack
3. Steeplechase

Watching this video makes my brain hurt. All I can hear are the cacophonous beeps and blips from four different Mario games going on all at the same time. My eyes keep snapping back and forth between the virtual screens and it’s very difficult to keep up with what’s going on in any single game. It’s a chaotic sight, but watching it you can discern the differences between the control systems from game to game. I don’t recommend turning up the volume too loud, it’s a little overwhelming, but awesome.

It’s a relatively long clip, running 13:27 on youtube. You don’t really need to watch the whole thing to get what’s going on. If you want to check out a demonstration of how synced up the author had to be, flip to about ten minutes in and watch him defeat the final bosses of all three games simultaneously. That’s it, now watch the video.

[via Wired]

Stop before you go tearing through your Mom’s attic looking for your old console. He mentions that you need to pick up a special bit to open up your old NES cartridges and take out the old spittle covered guts. Then you need your trusty Dremel (you have a dremel right?) to carve a flash drive sized slot out of the cart. After grinding out the plastic from inside the cart and from within the NES itself, he glued down one of those USB extension cables to the inside bit.

We’re all chuckling about this amusing little hack. Mr. amungus also released a quick demo video to go along with the guide. Check it out below.

Check out the whole guide on Instructables here.

The name of the game might not roll off the tongue, but the game is interesting. You don’t get a controller as you expect to control the game play; you get a pair of microphones. One player has the mic that controls the thrust of the jetpack by blowing into the mic.

The other player controls the firing of the laser weapon by… wait for it… saying pewpewpew. The game is a left to right scrolling type in a 2D world with vectorized obstacles you have to shoot and fly over or under.

Via Geekosystem

Video demo after the cut

The setup is running the Moog Little Phatty analog synth, Spectrasonics’ Omnisphere software synth, and the new Omni TR iPad app. All of the pieces fit together into a gorgeous, hand-crafted curly maple cabinet, complete with twin keyboards.

The Moog OMG-1 is intended to be a performance instrument, not something hidden away in a studio, and it’ll actually be given away as a prize to one lucky winner. The competition kicks off on March 15, with more details to be announced by Spectrasonics

[via Wired; video via SynthMe]

Press Release:

Sneak Peek: Spectrasonics Contest to Benefit Bob Moog Foundation

Bob Moog Foundation Gives Sneak-Peak of Spectrasonics Benefit

Custom Hardware Synth Created by Eric Persing Revealed as Grand Prize

NAMM – Anaheim, CA — January 13, 2011 — The Bob Moog Foundation gave a special presentation at NAMM, announcing a unique collaboration with Eric Persing of Spectrasonics on a fund-raising contest to benefit the foundation. Details of the contest are to be revealed when it begins on March 15th. During the presentation, Persing unveiled the Grand Prize for the benefit contest — a stunning, one-of-a-kind custom “OMG-1” hardware synthesizer he created that integrates the worlds of analog synthesis, computers, software synthesis and the latest multi-touch surfaces into one extraordinary instrument.

The OMG-1 was designed by Persing as a live performance instrument and is not a commercial product — it’s truly one-of-a-kind. The state of the art dual manual OMG-1 combines a Moog Little Phatty® analog synthesizer, Spectrasonics’ flagship Omnisphere® software synthesizer, a powerful internal Apple Mac Mini computer, dual Apple iPads®, dual iPods®, and Spectrasonics’ brand-new Omni TR™ iPad app — all integrated into a beautiful, hand-crafted curly maple cabinet created by American artisan Daniel Auon.

During the special sneak-preview presentation, Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, and Eric Persing talked about their collaboration and Eric gave a live performance with the OMG-1.

“I’ll never forget the first time I played a Minimoog when I was a little kid…it truly changed my life!” says Eric Persing, Founder and Creative Director of Spectrasonics, a leading music software company, “So it’s a privilege after all these years to give back to the foundation honoring my hero Bob Moog and keeping the spirit and history of his inventions alive for the next generation. I had a blast designing the OMG-1 with Dan and I can’t wait to see who wins it!”

Michelle Moog-Koussa added, “The Bob Moog Foundation is grateful to Eric Persing for creating and sharing this one-of-a-kind innovative instrument. The foundation’s mission is to ignite creativity at the intersection of music, science, history and innovation. It is fitting that Eric’s OMG-1 does just that. His instrument represents the contemporary convergence of analog and digital, hardware and software. I think Bob would applaud Eric’s efforts to transcend boundaries in order to create an instrument with new and unique capabilities.”

Complete details about this exciting benefit will be announced by Spectrasonics when the contest begins on March 15th, 2011 (www.spectrasonics.net).

There are eight game modes and teamplay combinations, along with a total of 80 achievements. There’s no shortage of detail, either; among the changes made in 4.1 are resizings of the PPK bullet casings, which players had complained were slightly too small in the previous beta. Unfortunately for those with a particular fondness for the GoldenEye story mode, GoldenEye: Source is multiplayer-only. You can find the download torrent here.

[via Slashdot]

1. Weird Science

Why has there never been a sequel or remake for Weird Science? By far John Hughes’ geekiest movie, Weird Science was one of my favorite pseudo-sci-fi movies of the 80s. Gary and Wyatt (Anthony Michael Hall and, uh, that other guy) use a computer to “create” a perfect woman. They end up with Kelly LeBrock, who was pretty close at the time. But instead of simply using her for nefarious, sexual purposes, she actually tries to teach them how to be more confident and endearing to women. Only in an 80s John Hughes movie would two losers create a supermodel who helps them land serious relationships.

Bill Paxton does an awesome job as Chet, Wyatt’s bully of an older brother, and Robert Downey, Jr. even shows up for a bit-part in this 1985 classic. Perhaps Al Pacino’s clunker “S1mOne” took this concept to its next level, creating a character who was entirely virtual, but I always liked the somewhat Frankenstein conceit of Weird Science.

This movie was created before cloning, stem cells, and most genetic research had reached the popular zeitgeist, and well before digital effects were the norm. I’d love to see this movie reimagined for modern times. Get Andy Samberg and, uh, some other guy to play the lead roles. Avoid the temptation to do some gender bending with the plot. It worked when two guys created a supermodel woman. Seeing two geeky girls create their ideal man with Ryan Reynolds (wait, did that guy really win an award for sexiest man?) teaching them how to appeal to men would be creepy.

2. Electric Dreams

In Electric Dreams, Miles buys his first computer, complete with a home automation kit. Of course, home automation never actually caught on, so even today we don’t control our blender or our lights from our computers, but in 1984, this seemed entirely plausible. In any case, one night Miles spills champagne into his computer, and it comes to life. Then, as all artificial intelligences must, it starts giving him advice on how to woo women. I’m sensing a theme in 80s tech movies. Apparently, early prognosticators knew that technology would be most useful for dating first, productivity second.

At first, the computer helps Miles hit on his neighbor, played by Virginia Madsen, but soon the computer decides it must have this pretty cellist for itself, and hilarity ensues. It starts to rebel and wreak havoc on Miles’ life, even putting him in physical danger.

This movie came out not only before Facebook and eHarmony, but also before we had microchips in our refrigerators or DVRs. Of course, today’s version might have the computer devilishly causing Miles to miss the finale to Lost, but I’d take a look into the near future and give the computer control over Miles’ social networks, his phones, maybe even an electric car or two. Hilarity ensues, indeed.

3. Runaway

Did you know Magnum P.I. once made a movie? And the evil villain was Gene Simmons from Kiss? It’s true, and that movie was Michael Crichton’s 1984 sci-fi thriller Runaway. Runaway is about a cop from the near future who chases down evil robots. No, it’s not Blade Runner. These aren’t evil humanoid robots, they’re more like robot spiders, or robotic bullets.

In a way, Runaway still resonates today. Most of the robots Selleck’s character tackles are industrial. A crop harvesting robot. A construction robot. But things get cooler when Selleck uncovers a maniacal genius who is creating evil robots that can hunt and kill people.

Sounds like a plot for this decade if I ever saw one. We’re running wars and factories with evil robots already. And none of the robots in Runaway could fly, they could only creep around on tiny legs. Plus, I never understood why Tom Selleck couldn’t hold down a lucrative career in movies that didn’t involve babies and Steve Guttenberg.

4. Deadly Friend

In 1986, Wes Craven directed a horror movie about a nerdy kid who lives with his own robot. He befriends a cute girl next door, and she becomes one of his only friends. Then, a series of accidents disrupts his life. His robot is smashed by a horrible neighbor, and his friend is accidentally killed by an abusive father. So, he does what any of us would do. He plucks the robotic brain from his toy and implants it into the corpse of his dead friend.

It’s sort of a Monkey’s Paw story for the digital age. Of course she comes back, but she’s more mechanical monster than girl next door. Hilarity ensues. Oh, wait, not hilarity. Horror. She starts killing people.

This week, a college professor implanted a camera into his own head. That’s not a movie plot, that’s the life some idiot is now living. If that doesn’t scream for a Wes Craven horror adaptation (pun intended), I don’t know what does. This movie needs some nanotechnology, some cool digital effects and just the right bit of irony and social commentary that Wes Craven can bring to the table.

5. War Games

Again, how have we not revisited War Games? This movie is not only a classic, it’s even more timely today than it was in 1983. Remember when you could hack into NORAD with a 1200 baud audio modem? Neither do I, but it sure looked cool.

In War Games, Matthew Broderick hacks in to impress a girl (Ally Sheedy, no less), but then an artificial intelligence takes things too far and tries to start a Global Thermo Nuclear War. Today, more bits of our military are computerized and robot controlled than ever. Hacking is now part of the government war effort, and the largest document leak in U.S. history might have come from a disgruntled soldier. Time to dust off the old WOPR, I say.

I would make this one a real sequel, in the vein of the recent Wall Street sequel. Surely, Matthew Broderick’s David went to jail for his crimes. Let’s start when he gets out and becomes a consultant for the pentagon. He creates his own artificial intelligence, perhaps named for the girl who decided to date guys in college instead of waiting for him to be released. Maybe even flip the tables and have the computer try to stop David from rearranging her Netflix queue or screwing up the daylight savings time on her iPhone alarm clock.

Bonus: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

At its heart, Ferris Bueller is a movie about a hacker. His sister got a car for her birthday, he got a computer. So, he uses the computer and a synthesizer to convince his mother he’s sleeping. He hacks into the school to give himself more available sick days. He changes grades. He eventually tries to hack his friend’s Ferrari to roll back the odometer. Hilarity ensues.

I’d love to see this again for a modern age. Today, the hackers always learn a lesson in the end. There is always a price to pay. In Ferris Bueller, it was the authority figures who learned a lesson. His sister learned that being so uptight was keeping her from living her life. His friend learned to confront his father. His principal learned not to keep child porn on his computer. Everybody learns a lesson except Ferris, who simply wants to have a good time. That’s the sort of movie we need to reintroduce. That’s the lesson from the 1980s that we need to relearn today.

Video demo after the cut

Since LEDs aren’t going to heat up the wax, there’s a separate heating plate for that; all the lighting has to do is make it pretty. A button on the base allows you to lock the color-shifting into one particular hue, and the whole thing is hand-crafted.

Rather confusingly – considering Mathmos sell lighting products that cover all of the shades – there are two versions of the Smart Astro, one cycling through blues to purples, and the other from greens to yellows. There’s no single model that does both. They’re limited edition and Mathmos itself is already sold out; Firebox has some of both color, at time of writing, priced at £84.99 ($133) apiece.

From the description, the Apple-1 has been tinkered with somewhat by its original owner; there’s apparently a “breadboard area with slightly later connector, with later soldering, wires and electrical tape” on the back. However, you’re still getting the 6502 microprocessor, printed circuit board with 4 rows A-D and columns 1-18, three capacitors, heatsink, a cassette board connector, 8K bytes of RAM, a keyboard interface and video terminal.

It also comes with the original packaging and instructions, and even the shipping box Woz and Jobs bundled it up with. If it sells for Christie’s estimate, that’s a considerable increase over the unusual $666.66 selling price Wozniak first decided on for the computer.

[via Bits]

It’s what’s known as “retro-chic” and it’s made out of 100% natural cleavage silicon, washable and with a single button which extends to click your iPhone’s home button. It’s simple, it’s brilliant, and best of all, it doesn’t cost a billion bucks. It’s right out there now at around $32.60, in a variety of colors: black, gray (called brown), green, and white. Check em out over at Strapya World.

[Via Strapya World]

Since it’s a standard dock connector you can hook up your iPhone, iPod touch or general iPod; you could even slot in your iPad, if you can get it to balance properly.  The PlayStation version is $29.99, while the Nintendo version is $25.99; stocks are pretty low right now, so buy soon if you want to buy at all.

[via CrunchGear]

What initially look like molded buttons are in fact the various ports, controls and game cartridge slots for all the different models.  A bank of switches along the inside of one leg can be used to individually toggle power to each (as well as turn on the projector) and there’s an integrated speaker system too.

[via BoingBoing and via Fort90]

Fujifilm envisage the X100 slotting in-between regular compacts and DSLRs, and so the Hybrid Viewfinder borrows the best of both.  It can work in both optical and electronic modes, as well as overlaying digital information – such as shutter speed and other settings – over a purely optical view, meaning you may not ever need to turn on the 2.8-inch LCD.

There’s also the company’s latest EXR Processor, real leather cladding and an ISO range of 200 to 6400, along with 5fps burst shooting and an SD/SDXC card slot.  More specs in this PDF.  Unfortunately, while the FinePix X100 will be making its debut this week, it won’t actually be hitting shelves until early 2011.  No word on how much it’ll cost, either, which is usually an ominous sign.

Press Release:

FUJIFILM announces development of Digital Camera FinePix X100

September 20, 2010

PHOTOKINA 2010, COLOGNE, GERMANY, September 20, 2010 – FUJIFILM Corporation is pleased to announce the new FinePix X100, a high-grade digital compact camera featuring an APS-C CMOS sensor, a Fujinon 23mm fixed focal length lens and a newly developed Hybrid Viewfinder, due for commercial release in early 2011.
The FinePix X100 is aimed at the professional photographer or keen enthusiast looking for exceptional quality pictures from a compact camera. It is designed to appeal to the millions of DSLR users who need a slim back-up camera for high quality in-fill shots when the use of a bigger SLR system is either inconvenient or impractical. Or, of course, it can be used as a professional’s only top-end camera, if size and versatility are the primary considerations.
Fujifilm has closely studied the current line-up of professional cameras and feels that there is a strong need for a compact high-quality (APS-C based) camera as a counterpoint to an SLR. Using the experience of working with generations of photographers using famous emulsions like Velvia, Provia, Astia etc., Fujifilm engineers distilled this knowledge into months of careful study to create the perfect compact-sized professional camera.
The priority for this model is picture quality, so it was decided to make the highest quality possible lens and sensor combination, built from the ground-up. The lens chosen is a fixed, prime F2 lens, made by Fujinon, manufactured to perfectly match the APS-C custom sensor. Added to this is the newly-developed EXR Processor, which combines all the latest image processing technology Fujifilm has technology built up over the years.
Other cameras on the market look to fill the need for the ultimate ‘compact’ professional camera, but the Fujifilm development team believe that, having listened to the marketplace, the FinePix X100 offers a number of technical developments that will set this camera apart from other contenders. The main technologies employed in this camera are as follows:
Hybrid Viewfinder (New Development)

The Hybrid Viewfinder on the FinePix X100 combines the window-type “bright frame” optical viewfinder found in high-end film cameras such as 35mm or medium-format cameras, and the electronic viewfinder system incorporated in fixed single lens or mirrorless digital cameras. By using integrating a prism for the 1,440,000 dot LCD panel image on the viewing screen in the reverse-Galilean optical finder, the Hybrid Viewfinder can show both the shooting frame and a variety of shooting data. Of course, it can also be used as a high-quality electronic viewfinder to compose or playback shots. With this ability to instantly switch between optical and electronic viewfinder images with simple “one touch” control. The new Hybrid Viewfinder offers users expanded freedom in the composition and enjoyment of photography in a range of challenging shooting conditions.
While digital compact cameras have become ever slimmer and more compact in recent years, composing and viewing shots on large, higher resolution LCD panels on the back of the camera has become the mainstream practice for today’s users. On the other hand, shooting with an optical viewfinder is the standard practice for conventional film cameras and the preferred method for large numbers of digital camera owners. Many prefer the finder to be as close as possible to the eye so the user can focus attention exclusively on photo composition to get a clear view of the subject without distraction.
While traditionalists prefer the clear, sharp view of an ‘optical’ finder, modern electronic displays, giving data like shutter speed, aperture, white balance, exposure correction and sensitivity can aid the photographer tremendously. The new Hybrid Viewfinder on the FinePix X100 aims to give the user the ‘best of both worlds’.

Conceptual diagram
Further specifications for the Hybrid Viewfinder are as follows:
The reverse Galilean optical finder with a 0.5x magnification features all-glass elements made from high-refractive index glass and demonstrates low chromatic aberration and distortion.
In optical viewfinder mode, the brightness of both the “bright frame” and text data is automatically adjusted according to the brightness of scene area, ensuring that shooting information is always easily and clearly viewable.
Displayed shooting data is constantly updated according to changes in shutter speed, exposure, sensitivity and other settings.
In electronic viewfinder mode, the photographer can preview the picture or playback the result with the “through the sensor” image review. Available with one-touch switching ease, this capability enables the user to preview and confirm exposure settings, depth-of-field effects, white balance, and macro shots.
12.3 Megapixel APS-C CMOS Sensor

The FinePix X100 features a custom CMOS high-performance sensor, internally optimized and developed exclusively for this model.
Optimization of the angle-of-incidence in conjunction with the specially developed lens maximizes light gathering efficiency extending to the perimeter of the sensor for a sharper image with exceptional clarity.

View larger image
When shooting HD movies, the combination of the large-sized sensor and the large aperture F2 lens, lets users shoot a soft out-of-focus touch (bokeh) – a capability not available in conventional compact cameras.
The ideal combination of a fixed focal length lens, high-sensitivity sensor (approx. 10 times the sensitivity of a conventional compact*1) and a high-performance image processor captures exceptionally high-quality images over the entire sensitivity range from low to high ISO settings.
The high-speed CMOS sensor read-out and the EXR Processor’s enhanced focusing system contributes to the high-speed AF performance, while the combination of the optical viewfinder and extremely low shutter time lag enhance the pleasure of every shot.
*1 Comparison with other FinePix compact camera models.
23mm F2 Fujinon (Aspherical) Lens

The newly-developed lens offers a focal length of 23mm (135 equivalent: 35mm) and a widest aperture of F2. Made from molded glass, the lens contains 8 elements in 6 groups.
The adoption of the non-collapsible lens structure with minimized lens length not only contributes to the compact size but also eliminates telescoping of the lens when the power is on. It’s ready to start shooting the moment you turn it on.
Exploiting the merits of fixed focal length lens, this lens delivers sharp resolution of the total image from the center to the corners. In addition, the lens features not only the large F2 aperture value, but also an optical architecture that maintains a high degree of resolution even when closed by 1 to 2 stops.

FinePix X100 Lens Structure

MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) Curve
The lens uses a 9-blade aperture diaphragm. A large F2 aperture and high-quality optics let users take beautiful photos with a soft out-of-focus (bokeh) effect.
The lens enables macro shooting as close as 10 cm.
Featuring a built-in ND filter (equivalent f-stop reduction of 3), the lens can enhance depth-of-field even in bright shooting conditions by enabling the aperture to be kept wide open. Shutter speed can also be reduced to capture waterfalls, or any shot where intentional blur is required.
EXR Processor (Newly Developed)

When combined with the high-performance lens and high-sensitivity sensor, the newly developed EXR Processor achieves the highest definition, sensitivity and wide dynamic range image quality of any digital camera produced by Fujifilm.
Throughout development of the processor, Fujifilm has re-examined every aspect from response to the circuit structure, and achieved a significant leap in signal processing performance for a more responsive and faithful reproduction of the image.
The graphical interface (style and rendering of the LCD information) has been upgraded in the newly developed LSI to enhance the user experience and to improve the clarity of the information presented.
Design

Inspired by the beauty and form of classic cameras from the past, the FinePix X100 combines all the latest technical digital innovations in a beautiful, traditional chassis which oozes class and prestige.
The ergonomics of the design offer the perfect balance between compact convenience and user-friendly operation.
The camera controls have been carefully thought out to give the photographer simple and speedy access to aperture, shutter speed, ISO etc, to allow maximum creative expression with minimum hassle. Custom modes can also be used for a one-touch change in settings.
The upper control deck/bottom surface has been cast from magnesium alloy (semi-solid metal casting) to contribute to a high-precision camera body with high rigidity.
All dials on the upper control deck are fabricated from metal. Adoption of traditional ’manual‘ dials lets the user confirm the position of the settings without turning on the power.
Premium quality is evident in every detail. The chassis has been finished with high-quality leather accents and is a delight to use and a pleasure to hold.

This initial install is based on pre-built binaries, and apparently runs with some noticeable lag thanks to the Tungsten C’s minimal RAM.  Grinberg is hoping to speed things up by building his own ROM; currently the Palm is dual-booting, with the Android install on an SD card and loaded using a custom PalmOS app.

Unfortunately, while the Tungsten C doesn’t exactly have modern specs, the list of things that the Android install can actually use is even shorter.  There’s no WiFi, Bluetooth or sound support right now, but he’s hoping to fix that with future versions.

[via Gear Diary]

Scott Dual Cassette Deck

For my thirteenth birthday, back in 1988, my father bought me a real stereo system. It was an upgrade from my older boom box, and it included my first CD player. There was a receiver, a CD player and a dual cassette deck. Of course, CDs would become much more important to me over time, but for more than a decade, the cassette deck got most of my attention.

Like many folks my age, but not many folks younger, I was a mix-tape fanatic. I made mix tapes for every road trip and every special occasion. I made them as keepsakes for friends, and gifts to woo women. I once tasked myself with creating a collection of 24 hours worth of mix tapes. To create the set, I catalogued every interesting song in my possession on index cards, then checked them off one at a time as they were used in my set. 24 hours of mix tapes, no repeats. Most of my taping was from CD to cassette, but some was deck-to-deck dubbing. Even so, I rarely dubbed at high-speed.

Some people miss LP records. Some people miss CDs, and lament the failure of hi-fidelity audio formats, like SACD, to truly catch on. Some people, rightfully so, miss albums, and wonder if the album concept is slowly fading as singles and compilations become the norm. Me? I miss mix tapes.

When I made a 90-minute mix tape on cassette, I listened to 90 minutes of music. I didn’t just pick titles from a list and press the “Burn” button. I listened to a song while it recorded to tape. Then, near the end of the song, I started thinking of what would be a perfect next track. What would be unexpected? What could I hear a hundred times and always enjoy? As a good DJ will tell you, you can’t create a mix without listening to the music and how it all flows together.

When I was in grad school, I got my first CD burner. It didn’t speed the process much, because I wasn’t using compressed music files at the time. So, a 700MB CD required that much space on my then-2GB hard disk drive. I didn’t have storage for a collection of ripped digital music files, so every time I created a new mix CD, I had to copy then burn. It probably took 30 minutes or so to create a 70-minute disk. Still, something was lost. I had stopped listening to the music.

I don’t remember the last mix CD I ever made, but I do remember the first one I didn’t make. I had a long distance friend in High School, but we lost touch for a couple years in college. We used to trade mix tapes often. She introduced me to Led Zeppelin. I introduced her to Les Miserables. We both dove into “Achtung Baby” at the same time. My mix tapes were epic. I’m talking about a diverse mix of genres and tempos, some nice classics and a few new tunes on every tape. Dramatic irony and clever use of cover tunes. Her mix tapes were pretty good, too.

We started talking again after she had a major surgery and she sent a blast e-mail from the hospital. She forgot to remove me from her blast e-mail list. I called her, and we reconnected. Our rekindled friendship didn’t last. I asked her if she wanted a mix. She said she did, with loads of songs, to make up for lost time. By then, I was on my way to a collection of thousands of digital files. I started to imagine CDs, box sets, even.

But there was no art in it. It was just a collection of tunes I liked. There was no narrative, no flow. Looking at the five hours of music I could have burned for her, it was like looking through a photo album of a trip to Italy, instead of actually taking the trip myself. I dropped the issue; she never brought it up again. The mix tape, as a concept, was over.

Casio SK-1 Keyboard

There were better sampling keyboards on the market at the same time for less money. Yamaha made a keyboard that seemed to do more, maybe sound better, but I picked the Casio SK-1. It was a wise choice. Not because the Casio SK-1 was a better keyboard, but because I had used it before. I knew I wanted it because a friend brought one to camp the past summer, and I had a chance to play around on it. I was familiar, comfortable, and happy with that keyboard.

The salesperson tried to argue with me. I was probably 11 years old at the time, and he argued that my $100 would be better spent on a Yamaha. My father took my side. If I was familiar with it, it was a better choice.

Years later I’d ask a camera guru which camera I should buy. I don’t remember who the guru was exactly, and I know the advice wasn’t original, but it was the best buying advice I ever heard. He told me that the best camera to own is the one I’ll actually use. I could get the one that was smallest, the one with the best quality imaging, the one with the longest zoom lens. But if I didn’t like the camera enough to take pictures, what’s the point?

I love that advice. I am a proponent of the idea that the emotional component of a buying decision, even in a supposedly pragmatic or analytical decision like a technology purchase, is just as important, perhaps more so, than the logical component.

So, what makes the Casio SK-1 special? It was the first sampling keyboard I’d ever tried. I had no piano ability, but I liked fooling around on a portable keyboard, especially the newer ones with funky beats and automatic chords. The Casio SK-1 included a microphone so you could record a sound, or your own voice, and the keyboard would play it back on a polyphonic scale. You could play a song melody or chords using a recorded sound.

Sure, as an 11 year old, I spent the first year playing burps and fart noises. Then I got creative. The keyboard was small, and I took it everywhere. It showed up in camp skits and singalongs, at youth group slumber parties, and late at night in my dorm room. It sang harmony on folk songs, and it provided sound effects on skit night. I had plenty of toys, but the Casio SK-1 was the first piece of tech gear that opened my eyes to new creative possibilities.

I bought it not because it made sense, but because it made me happy.

Part two of Philip’s “5 Gadgets” column will be published tomorrow

Treo – I first used a preproduction Treo at the end of the 2001 and wrote my first review in the January of 2002. It wasn’t the first device to merge a Palm OS handheld with a phone but it was arguably the first device that did it well enough to be used on a regular basis. Treo bucked the trend at the time by eschewing multimedia features; there was neither movie-clip playback nor MP3 audio support. Rather, it targeted business users, merging voice and data with personal information management functions and it did it well. Other devices of the era tried to integrate these functions, but they failed because they tried to add either telephony features to PDAs or organizer features to phones and neither approach worked well. Treo was the first device that successfully merged features in harmony, producing a sum that was greater than its parts.

Things that we take advantage today were part of the Treo experience. Flip it open and your speed-dial list was ready to be used. Tap a few keys and you could instantly find the contact you wished to call. All the familiar Palm applications including an e-mail client, Handspring’s Blazer Web browser and an SMS application were present. Take a look at the iPhone’s dialer and you’ll see the direct descendent of the work Handspring did a decade ago. Treo no longer defines state of the art but most devices that are state of the art today would not be here without Handspring’s efforts and the smartphone you might dread to leave behind is the direct heir to the original Treo.

TiVo – It quietly changed television – and how many of us watch TV today? – but it took a lot to get the mass market to understand the value. We called it the TiVo paradox. It was how you explained something that so many users appreciated and were excited about, but that still sold in relatively few numbers. So what’s the reason for the TiVo paradox? TiVo’s by themselves were not “killer applications”. In fact, there’s a multitude of features in TiVo that are totally contextual, that at a given moment in time BECOME the killer app. Want to pause TV when the phone rings? That was the killer app at that moment. Recording a show using an EPG to simply search for it? That was the killer app at that moment. Skipping commercials when you watch recorded content? That was the killer app at that moment.

Contextual functionality ONLY comes together when you get to see the whole, not a piece or part. When you see only pieces, you just get a very expensive VCR not a DVR. And that’s the moniker TiVo was stuck with for many years, an expensive VCR. The reality is that TiVo and later DVRs totally changed the way many of use consume TV and it’s quickly become on the of those indispensable phenomena.

GPS – Whether it was integrated into your vehicle at the turn of the century at a cost of thousands of dollars or an external unit that might have cost only a few hundred, the GPS totally changed the way many of us drive. Whether we took to the streets with a gas station map, or later Mapquest directions, the GPS forever changed how we got from point a to point b. Today, a full functioned GPS might be well under a $100 purchase and if you’re using a phone from Nokia or Google, that feature has now trended down to free. Like watching a TV with no DVR, I find it hard to drive a car with no navigation system but I discover that GPS has come indeed at a price. Once upon a time, if I drove to a new place (with directions) I found that I could easily get back there anytime in the future. The route was now part of my repertoire. With the GPS assisted driving, not so much anymore. I find that I’m paying more attention only to where the next turn is and not the route as a whole. I may be getting to where I’m going better than ever before but I feel less smarter about it overall.

Kodak DC120 digital camera – It wasn’t the first digital camera. Both Apple, Casio and others had models in the market well before Kodak. But the DC120 was a very special camera in 1997. It was the first consumer 1MP digital camera priced below $1,000. It was no paragon of style with a binocular look and a 3X zoom lens, but also had an optical viewfinder and a color LCD. Crossing the magic 1MP threshold at that price meant for the first time consumers could begin to take photographs and print them out with near film-like quality at sizes up to 5×7. The DC120 wouldn’t hold itself well to the most of the cameras integrated into today’s phones but it helped start a revolution for consumers that ultimately paved the way from analog to digital.

iPod –The first MP3 players I used changed the way I listened to music under certain circumstances. Going to the gym, for example, with a Creative RIO was a fantastic experience that let you take a solid workout’s worth of music in a device a fraction of the size of a cassette player. It was the iPod, though, that helped me rediscover music. When the iPod came out, I felt intuitively that there was more to this product than met the eye. Among the first research projects I did in 2002 at Jupiter Research was to understand what about the iPod was special.

It turned out the iPod balanced three critical features for users: battery life/form factor/sync and capacity. It didn’t have the “best” of those features but it had the best balance of them. Mapping into what was the average size of a consumer’s digital music collection of the era, fitting easily into a pocket and able to sync 1,000 songs in minutes not hours (or days) separated the iPod from the pack. There’s of course much more to this story but the bottom line is iPod brought digital music to the masses and personally helped me rediscover music I’d already owned and neglected.

Those are the five archetypical gadgets that make up the digital world that I value most. While none of them would likely be good enough to use by today’s standards, they each set the tone for a revolution in their space. What are the five gadgets that matter most to you, whose modern equivalents you’d be loath to give up?

Video demo after the cut

It’s all part of a project called “Ping Pong Game with Physical boundaries on an architectural wall” which is a pretty dry way of saying “hey, the ball bounces off the stairs!”  The VR glove itself consists of an Arduino, 3-axis accelerometer and a gyroscope, which then interfaces with custom software driving the Pong game and the projector.

Moving your hands moves the Pong paddle, and the software has been preset with the more distinctive elements of the physical environment so as to take them into account in the gameplay.  It’s not quite the disc game in Tron yet, but throw in a few more projectors and some lycra costumes and you wouldn’t be far off.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/13428642[/vimeo]

[Thanks Andy!]

The Foleo comes preinstalled with just about every app Ixle could find for it which, considering it never actually saw a commercial release, adds up to quite a list.  Not only is there a web browser but Office document editors and viewers, games, financial apps and more.

Right now – with around two and a half days left to run – the Foleo is up to $52 but hasn’t met its reserve.  Considering their rarity this could be quite an interesting conversation starter, as long as you only really start conversations with fellow geeks; you also don’t have to be using a Palm smartphone with it, since the browser will work happily over WiFi.

Update: And it’s sold, for the Buy It Now price of $750!

As before, you can load a single player game by clicking on Insert Coin and using the arrow keys to move PAC-MAN.  If you’ve a touchscreen device, like a smartphone or even an iPad, you can control it by tapping and swiping the screen.  Hit Insert Coin a second time, meanwhile, and you can load a two-player game with Mrs PAC-MAN, controlling her with the WASD keys.

To start play, hit the “Insert Coin” button (where “I’m feeling lucky” normally is to be found) and then use the arrow keys to move Pac-Man about.  Hit the button again and you get Mrs Pac-Man too, controlled by the WASD keys.

Best of all, the Pac-Man logo isn’t coded in Flash so it’s playable on your iPhone, your iPad and on other smartphone browsers that don’t support the Adobe technology.  We’ve tried it on an iPad and a Google Nexus One, and you can control Pac-Man by tapping the screen to change direction.  Google say it’ll be available for play for the next 48hrs.

“We would like to make a real version of the iCade, however there are some technical hurdles that might stand in the way. Apple would probably not approve a MAME based emulator app for the iPad, so we would have to write some code hooks that other developers could use to integrate into their existing game code to support the iCade. This would limit the games available for the iCade. We would have to ensure enough games would be available for the product otherwise it wouldn’t be very marketable. I think we would almost certainly want to improve the ergonomics of the iCade as well. The joystick is really too close to the screen and the angle that you would play at is a bit uncomfortable. However… these are potentially solvable problems. I can’t say at this time for sure whether we will try to make a real version of the iCade or not… but it’s a possibility” Ty Liotta, senior merchandiser, ThinkGeek

Among the potential issues are the ergonomics of the joystick and buttons, which ThinkGeek reckon are currently too close to the iPad screen, and the difficulty in getting a MAME retro game emulator through Apple’s App Store approval.  Previous attempts by other developers to do similar things have met with rejection, mainly down to Apple’s ban on “interpretive code” such as using third-party game ROMs.

That means that ThinkGeek would be left with the more official third-party accessory protocols Apple have in place, though considering with the last significant updates to iPhone OS the company did add improved peripheral support, that’s might not be such an issue.  Devices like the iControlPad use a similar system, albeit for mobile gaming rather than desktop.

According to ThinkGeek’s faux description, the iCade cabinet would be used with the company’s own retro gaming app, expected to hit the App Store on April 3rd.  That would include a MAME emulator, though you’d have to find the game ROMs yourself.  Otherwise there’s a 10W PSU to keep things charged up, a 2.1 speaker system, and authentic arcade-quality controls.

If they really could deliver all that for $149.99 we reckon ThinkGeek could actually have a surprise hit on their hands; only the game ROM licensing issues might come back to haunt them.  Still, it wouldn’t be the first time a fake product from the company would end up getting manufactured: that happened to the Tauntaun sleeping bag, their Personal Soundtrack Shirt and 8-Bit Tie.

There’s also a rather tongue-in-cheek switch that flips the display from color through black & white and sepia modes.  It’s a little small, yes, but it would make the ideal accompaniment to your favorite retro games console.

Unfortunately you’ll need to head over to Korea to pick up the LG Serie 1 Retro Classic TV.  It’s available in orange (14SR1EB) and in dark brown (14SR1DB), priced at 249,000 KRW ($216).

[via technabob]

“As a major global business, Panasonic keeps all of its operations under constant review. However, there are no current plans to discontinue the Technics brand and the production of Technics turntables” Panasonic statement

It seems the SL-1200 and SL-1210 are safe for now, then.  In fact, with recent Nielsen Soundscan figures showing that more than 2.1 million vinyl records had been sold in 2009 – an increase of over 35-percent from 2008 – it seems the format still has plenty of life in it.  Though vinyl only accounted for less than 1-percent of total album sales this year, the figures are still the highest since Nielsen began tracking the format in 1991.

Called the Chumbophone, as far as we can tell the various brass horns, controls and other appendages are all decorative rather than functional.  The only real controls are the power button, the front panel key and the chumby’s 3.5-inch 320 x 240 touchscreen, which is still enough to browse various web widgets, control music – either streaming or local – and do everything else that makes chumby so appealing.

Of course, custom cases don’t generally come cheap, and the Chumbophone is no different.  Asking price is $375, while buying a bare-bones chumby kit of your own would regularly set you back $139.  It’s up to you whether you reckon $236 is reasonable for all the wood, brass and hard-work that’s gone into making it.

Video demo after the cut

Built into the knob board is a mercury switch used to trigger the screen-clear action.  As with the original toy, shaking the laptop harder clears the screen faster and more completely; of course, in the original there was less chance of hard-drive damage after particularly vigorous shaking.

Project builder Michael has released the source code for the Arduino, and so if you’re tempted you could build one yourself.  Using a Tablet PC or an old UMPC would mean you could create something that looked more like a proper Etch-a-Sketch, too.

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/7367464[/vimeo]

[via MAKE]

What makes the Digital Harinezum special is not its 2-megapixel sensor and microSD card slot, but its ethos of putting some of the surprise back into photography.  There’s an LCD display but you can’t use it to preview snaps; instead you have to frame stills and video using the flip-up plastic viewfinder window, only getting to see your results after the event.  Superheadz say they “put a lot of emphasis on this ‘unseen’ and ‘unknown’ factor” and that “uncertainty in the pictures [is] the most interesting thing in analog photography”.

Stills, then, are blurred, dreamy and color-saturated, while video clips are unusually textured and – as if you’ve recorded them on an 8mm analog camcorder – completely audio-free.  There are a few example shots in the gallery below.

While the styling might be 80s, the specifications aren’t.  The Q10 has a 3-inch WQVGA (400 x 240) display, can support up to 32GB memory cards and has a battery good for up to 20hrs audio playback or 8hrs of video.  There’s also an FM radio, voice-recorder and TV output.

Supported file types include AVI, WMV, ASF, RM, RMVB, DAP, MPEG, MP4, VOB, 3GP, MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, OGG and FLAC, which should keep most people happy.  We’ll even forgive them the iPod-aping headphones in the press shots.

[via Generation MP3]