January 2009
82 posts
John Herrman wrote Meet Ken, The Amazing Dancing... →
There are the snobby, deluded audiophiles who troll internet forums all day arguing about the merits of acoustic cryocoolers and adaptive spectral perceptual entropy coding, and then there’s Ken….
John Herrman wrote Samsung Memory Breakthrough... →
There’s almost no way to describe this tech without boring you all to death, so before I do here’s the important part: basically, 32GB DDR3 consumer RAM sticks are now possible.
The breakthrough…
John Herrman wrote Microsoft Patents Shows... →
The Register stumbled across a patent for the “Smart Interface System for Mobile Communication Devices”, a smartphone extension dock that lets you easily plop your phone onto your home network and…
John Herrman wrote 'Top Secret' Zumba... →
In this video, the BBC takes us inside the top secret headquarters of IA Technology, where the former ejector seat company is working on the “world’s first fully accurate voice recognition phone,”…
John Herrman wrote Samsung Memory Breakthrough... →
There’s almost no way to describe this tech without boring you all to death, so before I do here’s the important part: basically, 32GB DDR3 consumer RAM sticks are now possible.
The breakthrough…
John Herrman wrote The Inevitable Rise of Internet... →
“Engineers now predict the day will come when we get all our newspapers and magazines by home computer,” the narrator says with a hint of sarcasm, continuing, “but that’s a few years off.”…
John Herrman wrote Scientists Demo Living,... →
Berkeley University scientists demoed a remote-control Rhinoceros beetle at a conference this week, repeatedly flying the cyborgian creature into observers’ faces while screaming “WE ARE GODS! WE…
John Herrman wrote Bizarre LoveTrainer Headset... →
The unbelievably awkward LoveTrainer sex instruction headset was weird, sure. But fake? This morning we got an email from the alleged creator—”World Renowned Sex Doctor” Itami—aaaaand he’s never…
John Herrman wrote Opera Mini For Android Leaves... →
Opera Mini’s final release addresses most of the problems we found in our beta test, and is available now in the ‘Communications’ category of the Android Market.
Changes for this release: 1. added…
John Herrman wrote Firefox Mobile Headed for... →
Adorably-mascotted Firefox Mobile ‘Fennec’ is on its way to an early February release for the Windows Mobile-powered HTC Touch Pro, according to a post on the project’s developer wiki.
The quote…
John Herrman wrote LoveTrainer Headset Coaches You... →
“The foreplay, will now begin!”
John Herrman wrote Acer Joining the Smartphone... →
Acer has confirmed that they will announce ‘smartphones’ at the Mobile World Congress on February 16th. Unfortunately that’s as detailed as they feel like getting right now. [PocketLint]
John Herrman wrote Nikon D700 Also Hacked to... →
Inspired by the success of the Canon Liveview DSLR video hack, Olivier Giroux repeated the trick for his Nikon D700. As in the case of the Canons, it works. But only sort of. The limitation are…
John Herrman wrote Waterproof Panasonic Lumix... →
Built by a company with some experience at making things that aren’t flimsy, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 is a waterproof, dustproof and shockproof point-and-shoot camera for the outdoorsy and/or…
John Herrman wrote Tokyo's E-Paper Disaster Signs... →
While we’re still fawning over tiny e-paper displays in e-book readers, the Japanese government is installing panels in Tokyo to aide evacuation in disaster situations—a very good idea, as it turns…
John Herrman wrote Japanese Doctors Using Wii Fit... →
Nintendo has partnered with NEC, Panasonic and Hitachi to put together a system that actual doctors will use to check up on actual patients, using a Wii Fit. The add-on is a special channel for the…
John Herrman wrote Congressman Wants All... →
Representative Pete King of New York has introduced a bill to Congress that would require all new cameraphones to have shutter sounds. Why? For the children!
The bill states that “Congress finds…
John Herrman wrote OS X iWork Trojan Revamped,... →
The nasty OS X trojan from last week has resurfaced, and this time hits software pirates where it hurts the most: in Photoshop. The trojan has been retooled a bit too, presumably to foil the fixes…
John Herrman wrote OS X iLife Trojan Revamped,... →
The nasty OS X trojan from last week has resurfaced, and this time hits software pirates where it hurts the most: in the Photoshop. The trojan has been retooled a bit too, presumably to foil the…
John Herrman wrote Yuen’To Music Ball is Great for... →
Clearly a product of the deep-sea geothermal vent creature school of cuteness, the Yuen’To Music Ball is an adorable, albeit expensive, powered portable speaker.
Unlike most products in this…
John Herrman wrote Canon Liveview DSLRs Messily... →
Because video recording on DSLRs is the Next Big Thing, I think, some 5D Mk II-envying Russian folks have extended the capability to Canon’s cheaper liveview-equipped DSLRs. But, unfortunately, there…
John Herrman wrote Multitouch Implemented on G1... →
Whether for fear of patent infringement or as the result of a colossal lapse in judgment, Android didn’t ship with multitouch. No worries—the hardware was ready, and the third-party developers…
John Herrman wrote Palm Responds to Apple's Legal... →
You could see some litigious intent in Tim Cook’s recent statements regarding competition, but they weren’t direct threats to Palm, or about the Pre. That didn’t stop Palm from taking them that…
John Herrman wrote T-43 Security Robot Bags... →
Aside from being the first known predecessor to the inevitable T-800, the Alacom/tmsuk T-34 security bot doesn’t seem that formidable. But pay no mind to its Hoover-esque appearance—the T-34 will…
John Herrman wrote 1,474 Megapixel Inauguration... →
We’ve all seen the iconic imagery of the day again and again: the nervous smile as the oath went haywire, the rapt crowds, Aretha’s hat. But what about everything else? It’s all in here.
Containing…
John Herrman wrote Lenovo 'Ad' Does Great... →
This video, in short: an creepy guy tells a ridiculous story involving a lusty lady and a Lenovo W700ds. He brags about his second screen, then makes a joke about his presumably large genitals….
John Herrman wrote Resin-Encrusted Tablecloth is... →
This crocheted tablecloth two a notable quirks: it’s board-stiff, and doesn’t actually need a table.
Although it did begin its life as a regular tablecloth, after being soaked in some sort of resin…
John Herrman wrote iShelf Brings Cover Flow to... →
Designer Li Jianye’s real-life Cover Flow shelf is just like the actual Cover Flow, except for the fact that it can’t move, only holds five albums and doesn’t let you play music. In other worlds,…
John Herrman wrote White MacBooks Upgraded, Nearly... →
Despite all the fanfare about the new, upgraded unibody MacBooks, the old (polybody?) MacBooks are still on sale for $999. Thankfully, Apple has updated the base specs on our sad, white friend.
The…
John Herrman wrote Terry Pratchett Battles... →
Legendary author Sir Terry Pratchett might have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the real world, but his prototype anti-dementia helmet looks like the stuff of science fiction.
Designed by Dr…
John Herrman wrote CBS's 'Worst Week' Mistakes... →
‘Worst Week’ is apparently some kind of adapted British show about a guy whose life sucks, or something. I don’t know. All I do know is that this guy’s iPhone is not an iPhone.
To add insult to…
John Herrman wrote Metal 'Portraits' Make an... →
Sculptor Brian Cox has made a hobby out of turning people’s faces into a real-life, stainless steel Rubin vase illusions. Novelty gifts, as a whole, now have a new standard for, well, novelty.
John Herrman wrote Flight Simulation of the Hudson... →
The BBC commissioned a flight-sim reproduction of the last week’s near-miraculous US Airways incident. So, in case you were wondering, this is what it looks like to pilot a commercial jet onto a…
John Herrman wrote Michael Arrington's Minimalist... →
Six months ago, startup pimp Michael Arrington of TechCrunch put out a call for help on a hardware project, specifically a $200 minimalist web tablet. Lo and behold, his team has made it! Well, one.
John Herrman wrote $5,000 Paper House is the... →
Swiss Company Wall AG has a perfect solution for third-world shanty towns, semi-permanent refugee camps and approximately 7.2% of adult Americans: paper houses!
This isn’t mere papercraft—the…
John Herrman wrote Michael Arrington's Minimalist... →
Six months ago, startup pimp Michael Arrington of TechCrunch put out a call for help on a hardware project, specifically a $200 minimalist web tablet. Lo and behold, his team has made it! Well, one.
John Herrman wrote iControlPad Thumbed on Video,... →
The iControlPad bore many signs of vaporware: desirability, no official authorization and a low budget. We now know that there’s at least one working version, and that promises of production aren’t,…
John Herrman wrote TOFU Robot Has More Soul,... →
You heard it here first folks! The future of robotics is furry, smooth, and extremely sassy. [BoingBoing Gadgets, FastCompany]
John Herrman wrote Peek Email Device+Lifetime... →
The proudly specific Peek email/texting device is on sale today for an all-inclusive $300, which covers lifetime service (normally $20 and month) and the handset (normally $100). Not bad for Time’s…
John Herrman wrote TOFU Robot Has More Soul,... →
You heard it here first folks! The future of robotics is furry, smooth, and extremely sassy. [BoingBoing Gadgets]
John Herrman wrote Java-based Bolt Joining the... →
Bitstream is working on a mobile browser called Bolt, based on WebKit and compatible with pretty much any J2ME-compatible handset (read: almost everything). CrackBerry ran it through its paces, and…
John Herrman wrote Could the Palm Pre's Weakness... →
Pre Central has confirmed that the Palm Pre’s battery will be identical in size to the Centro’s, meaning that it will likely be limited to a modest 1150mAh-1350mAh of capacity.
Given the large,…
John Herrman wrote Google Video Finally Falls to... →
YouTube stablemate Google Video, which tragicomically never made it out of beta, is no longer accepting uploads. Plus, other no-name Google services are dying. Goodbye! [Google Blog via NoWhereElse]
John Herrman wrote Buffalo Draft N Wireless Dongle... →
Buffalo Electronics is claiming that their WLI-UC-GN Wi-Fi dongle is the smallest Draft N 2.0 adapter in the world. Is it? Who knows. But it’s definitely tiny, and surprisingly cheap.
At 33mm by…
John Herrman wrote Next Intel Atom's Biggest... →
Some details have emerged about Intel’s Atom N280 processor, the successor to the wildly popular N270 that drove last year’s netbook craze. In short, it’s not looking like much of an update.
John Herrman wrote Palm Pre May Be a Best Buy... →
WebOS Arena (jeez, that didn’t take long) is reporting that the Palm Pre will be exclusive to Best Buy Mobile (and Sprint stores, obviously) for its first two months, citing a “credible…
John Herrman wrote Apple Approves New Browsers in... →
In the last day, Apple has started approving quite a few “new” browsers in the app store, seeming to contradict their long-standing “duplication of functionality” prohibition. The catch? They’re all…
John Herrman wrote Pioneer Stops Making New... →
Pioneer is ceasing production of their three remaining LaserDisc players, marking the end of major manufacture for players of the giant, shiny, long-obsolete format.
Pioneer had continued to build…
John Herrman wrote Obama's BlackBerry May Be... →
Obama’s maneuvering to keep his beloved BlackBerry is far from over, but it’s worth noting one possible outcome: that the Prez may be stuck with one of the NSA’s approved WinMo handsets.
CNET has…
John Herrman wrote Microsoft Denies Reports That... →
Steve Ballmer’s recent statements about the Zune seemed to imply that it didn’t have much of a future as a hardware product. Microsoft has responded to such suspicions: “Poppycock! Codswallop!…
