Archive for February, 2008
February 29, 2008
Filed under: Networking
Sure, the researchers at Alcatel-Lucent have already sent data 50 miles at 25.6Tbps, but it looks like now they’re going for distance rather than speed: the company announced yesterday that it’s now pumped bits over a 1584-mile long link at 16.4Tbps. Sure, that’s slightly slower than the record, but being able to firehose bits at distances like that is even more impressive, if you ask us (you didn’t). The core tech is essentially the same as used in the earlier speed record: bundling several 100Gbps optical signals at different wavelengths into one multiplexed transmission, shooting it down fiber, and splitting it up at the end. This latest test used 164 different channels and updated transmitters and multiplexers to hit the record — which is fine and all, but guys, if you’re using that old school 25.6Tbps gear anymore we know a few people who are interested.
[Via Slashdot]
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February 29, 2008
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
iriver unveiled a whole bunch of hotness at this year’s CES, so you’ll have to pick your next player from them wisely… lest you end up buying the whole lot. That said, we’re not sure the E100 would be our first choice, but it’s certainly no slouch in the looks or specs departments, and it’s hitting the market well before most of those fancier players. There’s a 2.4-inch QVGA display, built-in stereo speakers and a microSD slot to supplement the included memory. Audio codec support includes FLAC, MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG, while you can manage MPEG-4, WMV9 and XVID for video. There’s also a mic, FM radio and line-in for acquiring audio. The E100 is available now, with prices starting at €79.00 ($119 US) for a 2GB player, and ramping on up to €129.00 ($194 US) for the 8GB.
[Via Generation MP3]
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February 29, 2008
Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs
Sure enough, that 100 quid laptop we heard about early last week is already making the rounds, as the BBC caught up with the ONE at The Education Show in Birmingham, England. Granted, this thing is far from stylish (okay, so it’s downright ugly), but it’s hard to expect too much more given the ultra-low price tag. Satisfy your curiosity by checking out a minute long clip of the unit in action — go on, it’s right there in the read link.
[Thanks, KC]
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February 28, 2008
ThinkGeek has rolled out the ModoPocket MicroTripod - allowing you to balance your camera in just about any situation without having to lug around an extra large tripod. This works best for impromptu shots when you want to place your camera on an uneven surface, and weighing a mere 50 grams and 6mm thin when folded, it is a snap to carry around in your camera bag. $29.99 is the asking price for the ModoPocket MicroTripod.
Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones
February 28, 2008
Filed under: Peripherals
[Via Technabob]
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February 28, 2008
Filed under: Cellphones
Phew, we were starting to worry we’d get through the week without someone suing Apple. This time it’s a patent lawsuit by a Massachusetts man named Romek Figa, who claims to have patented a caller ID system infringed by the iPhone. Figa’s patent, which was granted in 1990 and references two-line LCD screens and external caller ID equipment, describes a way to associate incoming numbers with stored contact names, and he’s looking to halt sales of the iPhone and have Apple pony up some hefty damages and license his patent, which the company has thus far declined to do. We wonder why. We also wonder why Figa hasn’t sued Nokia, Microsoft, HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson, since, you know, all those companies make phones with caller ID as well, but maybe that’s coming next — he could probably end up simply owning Moto’s flailing phone division, if his lawyers play their cards right.
[Via AppleInsider]
Disclaimer: Nilay is a lawyer, but he’s not your lawyer, and none of this is legal advice or analysis.
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February 28, 2008
Here’s a live image of the upcoming Softbank 920SC, where the main drawcard would be its 5 megapixel AF camera and xenon flash. The Softbank 920SC is one of the increasingly growing number of phones which have been successfully unlocked and can be used outside of Japan. Currently, it retails for US$440 in Hong Kong, so if you want to bring one home to impress the equally geeky missus, I guess it wouldn’t hurt taking a trip to that part of the world and hunt one down.
Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones
February 27, 2008
Filed under: Household, Robots
We want one. Scratch that: We need one. Check out this ridiculously awesome kitchen-cleaning robot called the Readybot — if this is what the future of robot enslavement looks like, sign us up. The creators, part of a homebrew group called the Readybot Robot Challenge, are dedicated to finding a breakthrough application for consumer robotics, and team leader Tom Benson says the answer is simple: “We think people want a robot that can clean the kitchen.” Uh, yeah. The dishwasher sized Readybot prototype can currently do a little less than half of your common kitchen chores, but Benson says it’ll eventually get to 80 percent — which is about 100 percent more than we’re currently doing. Fall in love with the video after the break.
Continue reading Readybot cleans your kitchen, might be single best thing ever invented
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February 27, 2008
There’s displays made for digital signage, and then there’s Samsung’s SyncMaster 820DXn. Put simply, there’s no commercial screen we’d rather have sitting in our living room, and while we doubt many would go for it, the specs here are pretty impressive. Outside of the expansive 82-inch 1,920 x 1,080 resolution S-PVA panel, you’ll find 178-degree viewing angles, a 5,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, “ultra-high” brightness levels, eight-millisecond response time and the firm’s own DNIe PRO image enhancement technology. It also includes built-in fans for extended usage along with an integrated PC consisting of an 1.8GHz Athlon64 X2 3400+ CPU, 4GB of flash storage, 512MB of DDR2 RAM, an ATI graphics set and Windows XP to boot. Granted, this thing was designed with luring customers in mind, and given the lofty $76,999 price tag, we don’t expect it to do much else.
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February 27, 2008
Moon Estates. Eclectic online gift shop where you can do things like sponsor a random act of kindness (i.e. they’ll leave up to £20 in cash in random public spots for random people to find, along with a note) or adopt a reindeer or even name your own box of chocolates. Worth remembering […]
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