So NASA has developed these robots to basically do the work of humans. There was a previous version, which the R2 you see above (yes, “R2″) is a refinement of, and now as you can see he’s quite a performer. Is he doing a tango move there?
Check out this video. The money shot is at 3:30, where you can really see how gentle and precise the movements are.
How cool is this? It’s a joint operation with GM, since when you think about it, certain stages of car building and certain parts of space exploration are similar. Actually, I guess it’s kind of a stretch to put it like that. Really, it’s just nice for any hazardous operation in any industry to be handled by a robot with the same agility as a person.
Too bad it doesn’t have any legs, though — but at that point you’re pretty much just asking to be robo-strangled in your bed. Excellent, another addition to the Robocalypse tag. It’s been a while.
Short version: This camcorder is certainly small, and the swivel head can be handy, but the lack of digital zoom hurts, and the poor video quality, focus trouble, and low light performance pretty much sink this little bugger. Cute, though.
Features:
Swivel head for easy vanity shots
1080p resolution (720p at 30/60fps also available)
Built-in USB plug
360-degree lens accessory (extra)
MSRP: $169.99
Pros:
Very compact
Nice screen and layout
Swivel head works great
Cons:
Video quality pretty bad
No close focus
No zoom
Full review:
I saw this little Bloggie at CES and was impressed by its form factor. The swivel head and 360 lens accessory were unique and seemed practical. Plus, it’s 1080p and all that. We got one of the first to review and, well, I’m afraid it’s not all I wanted it to be. Sure, the swivel head works great, and the 360 adapter, while kind of janky, looked like a lot of fun when I saw it at CES, but the fact is that this lens and sensor simply can’t handle 1080p. I understand you’ve got to look like you’re on the cutting edge, thus 1080p on everything, but when the product suffers, that’s no good.
I compared it against my own Sanyo CG-10 for clarity and low light performance. The CG10 is last year’s 720p version of the new pistol-grip Sanyos, and really has more in common with this Bloggie’s big brother, but I felt that at least they could compare based on price and video quality.
It’s pretty easy to see that there is a huuuuge amount of motion blur in the Bloggie due to the small lens and necessities of a 1080p stream, although it’s difficult to tell since it’s been resized and re-encoded. For comparison, here are some stills from the Bloggie (left) and CG10 (right).
As you can see, neither one is going to win any awards for clarity or low light performance. To be honest, I expected better from both. The truth is, compact HD cameras are pretty terrible these days if you really want sharpness or color accuracy. You need a good lens, and even the Sanyo’s, which is probably twice as big as the Sony’s, can’t do much with medium- and low-light situations. So know that going in: these things, from whatever company you like, are HD in name only.
Image quality when there’s little movement is okay, but you still have a lot of compression, and as you can see in the video, action can get pretty choppy. I found there were few manual controls in the menus to, say, close the aperture a bit to increase the shutter speed.
The lack of an optical zoom is pretty weak, but many other pocket cams don’t have optical zoom either, so I can’t really ding it too much for that. Unfortunately, the fixed lens also can’t seem to focus well up close — you can see that when I go up close to the bookshelf in the video. That’s a problem for many common camcorder uses.
Conclusion:
I can’t recommend this thing, though I wouldn’t count out the Bloggie line entirely. There’s a version for $30 more that has optical zoom and a better lens, at the cost of some portability. I’d suggest that one over this without even seeing it, but we should have a review soon of it as well, so you’ll be sure then. In the meantime, stay away from the MHS-PM5/V — its useful features can’t outweigh its shortcomings.
I always wished that I was around when blimps, balloons, and other airships were the only method of air travel. The biggest problem with this rather romantic method of air travel was that there was only so much room in the passenger area that hung underneath the inflated area.
As a result, cruising by air could never be as huge as the sea cruise business. However, this Aircruise concept could easily change that.
This diamond-shaped airship runs on hydrogen fuel cells and has a speed of 90 miles per hour. Granted, it is pretty slow compared to a jetplane, but this method of travel is ten times better than First Class.
The plan is to fill the Aircruise with bars and lounges, but I can’t help but wonder how much you can actually put on there. I believe that another part of the plan is to give the Aircruise glass floors, so this trip is definitely not for the acrophobes who don’t want to “walk on air”.
I realize that the Aircruise is one of those aircrafts that will take years, possibly even decades, to develop, but I would love to go on its maiden voyage. Let’s hope that it wouldn’t end like the Titanic’s, or it will be a cross between the White Star ship and the Hindenberg.
Given all the pressure Tesla Motors is facing trying to earn a profit, launch an IPO and build the Model S, you’d think CEO Elon Musk would be singularly focused on running the company.
You’d be wrong.
Yesterday we told you the feds, who have loaned Tesla $465 million to build the Model S sedan, are all but keeping Musk chained to his desk until well after the Model S sedan rolls off the line. That might be a good idea because Musk “does not devote his full time and attention to Tesla,” the company writes in the paperwork it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of its initial public offering.
Daily Finance found that tidbit sifting through the paperwork and included it in a piece that covers a lot of the same ground we’ve already explored — namely, Tesla’s shaky finances and the fact it is killing its only product next year and won’t have anything to sell until 2012 at the earliest.
It makes sense that Musk wouldn’t be there 24-7. He is, after all, also running Space-X and Solar City. And no one will deny the guy isn’t fanatical about the work he’s doing at Tesla. Musk believes he’s on a mission to save the world, or at least the transportation sector, from petroleum. (He also wants to make a lot of money, of course.) And you can’t say he doesn’t have a firm hand on the tiller at Tesla — Musk is famous for micro-managing.
Still, it isn’t as if there isn’t a lot of work to be done. Tesla hasn’t finalized the design of the Model S, nor has it settled on the location for the factory that will build it — let alone started tooling that factory. Suppliers must be lined up and contracts finalized. And the car still has to go through the federal testing and certification process. Tesla says all of this will be done and the car in production within two years.
Building a car is not easy and it is not cheap. Automakers typically invest three to five years and hundreds of millions of dollars bringing a car from blueprint to showroom. General Motors — a company that, despite its bankruptcy, has vastly more resources than Tesla — is running flat out trying to get the Chevrolet Volt done by December. Getting that car built has taken three years and more than $1 billion when you add up the development costs of the car and related facilities like the battery factory.
Tesla has shown an ability to get things done under the gun, and it has a habit of confounding its critics. But if it is going to get the Model S built by 2012 as promised, Musk might want to devote his full time and attention to the job at hand.
Photo of Musk at the Model S unveiling: Jim Merithew / Wired.com
The world’s worst manager, Jeff Zucker, who just so happens to be the president of NBC Universal, was on Capitol Hill today trying to persuade lawmakers to allow the proposed merger with Comcast go through. Interesting to note his take on Boxee’s relationship with Hulu, which, you’ll recall, has been something of a mess. Boxee adds Hulu compatibility, Hulu breaks said compatibility, Boxee re-works its code so that Hulu works again, Hulu breaks compatibility again, etc. And on and on and on.
Anyhow, here’s the relevant exchange, as carefully jotted down by Boxee’s point guards :
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA): What about Boxee? Mr. Zucker you probably are in a better position to answer that. Did Hulu block the Boxee users from access to the Hulu programs?
Zucker (NBC): This was a decision made by the Hulu management to, uh, what Boxee was doing was illegally taking the content that was on Hulu without any business deal. And, you know, all, all the, we have several distributors, actually many distributors of the Hulu content that we have legal distribution deals with so we don’t preclude distribution deals. What we preclude are those who illegally take that content.
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA): “Well would you have negotiations with Boxee upon request?”
Zucker (NBC): “We have always said that we’re open to negotiations.
This is truly dramatic stuff, congressmen going back and forth over the fate of such items as “Chuck” and “The Biggest Loser.”
Anyhow, Boxee’s aforementioned point guards would like to point out the obvious, that whenever someone visits Hulu via Boxee, they’re doing so in the same manner as you would if you were to type www.hulu.com into Firefox or Internet Explorer. Boxee isn’t working any voodoo here—certainly isn’t “hacking” anything—when viewing Hulu.
The same principle applies when you use Plex on Mac OS X: you’re merely accessing the feed, so to speak, that Hulu provides. There’s no chicanery going on.
My guess is that this is all about money, and that the relevant parties haven’t agreed upon a dollar amount yet. I mean, it’s ludicrious to charge people to view Hulu on Boxee—again, there’s no charge when you type in www.hulu.com into you Firefox address bar—since you’re seeing the same content, ads and all, but this is the world we live in.
I wonder: would NBC want money from me if I were to connect my laptop to my TV, then watch Hulu in plain ol’ Firefox? I mean, what’s the difference, besides navigating a prettier UI to get to Hulu?
We’ve discussed mind-controlled technology before, such as the Star Wars Force Trainer. A Toronto-based company named Interaxon has used mind control technology for how you really want to use it: to turn on the lights.
Interaxon (see video after the jump) is having a special display of this technology for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Their display allows visitors to control lights at Niagara Falls (seen above) as well as Ottawa’s Parliament building and the CN Tower.
Visitors will have to wear a headset to measure the brain’s alpha waves and beta waves. Alpha waves are associated with relaxation, and beta waves are related to concentration. As the visitor concentrates or relaxes, his or her mental signals are transmitted over the Internet to change the light patterns.
Each monument has a different type of light pattern. For example, the display at the Parliament building covers the structure with glowing snowflakes. Visitors can control the intensity of lights that travel up and down the CN Tower, as well as the “radome” that spins at the top of the deck. For Niagara, visitors can change the color of the seven lights that illuminate the Horseshoe Falls.
If you watch the video below, then you can see that Interaxon is very interested in using thought control for all kinds of applications. I’m looking forward to seeing what they are planning for the future.
So why shouldn’t Jaguar build an electric car too? Or, more specifically, a range-extended EV.
According to the chaps at Autocar UK, Jag is working on an all-electric version of the new XJ (pictured). Jaguar built it “in reaction to the emergence of zero-carbon zones in cities across the globe.” Well that sounds like a pretty healthy response to the question on inner-city pollution to us. Whether there’s a market for electric cats that will only be tooled around in major cosmopolitan areas such as London, Paris and the like remains to be seen.
Even General Motors has noticed the rumored Jag and added fuel to fire with details a 145 kilowatt (194 horsepower) electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. Autocar elaborated, noting the electric cranks out 295 pound-feet of torque. It goes on the say the pack will be charged by a 35 kilowatt (47 horsepower) 1.2-liter three-cylinder generator Lotus designed specifically for self-charging electric vehicles.
The numbers (still only rumors at this point) are pretty stupendous: A range of 600 miles, combined fuel economy of 57mpg, CO2 emissions of less than 120 grams per kilometer and a top speed of 112 mph. OK, that last number isn’t so stupendous. That said, the performance and handling is said to be very Jaguar-esque, Autocar notes, “because of the bulk that’s removed from car when you strip out the conventional drivetrain.”
Keep in mind Jaguar’s corporate sibling is Range Rover. Many expect future Range Rover models will be based on the same floor and crash structures as the new X351-series XJ. If that turns out to be true, then the same EV technology underpinning the XJ could appear in Range Rover’s SUVs.
I’m not usually a fan of three handers but this is an exception. The face is clean and the watch is nice and thick. The watch was designed in San Francisco and Jeff added a 2895-2 movement to the Tyndall (an automatic, shown above, that costs $1,395.)
While they might be a little pricey you get a 40mm watch with Swiss ETA movement and some design chops for that money. Definitely worth a second look.
Spawn Labs has put out a new device called the HD-720, a device that can give a gamer the ability to play their Xbox 360, Xbox, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, and Gamecube console video games (no support for Wii, apparently) from a network-connected computer, just like sitting in front of their console-connected computer.
Whoa, hold up. Are you saying that someone has invented a device that allows me to play console games on a computer? All I can say is: it’s about time. Hit the jump to find out what the Spawn HD-720 can do.
* When at home, if someone else is watching the TV to which the game console is attached, the gamer can go to a different room in the house and play from a computer across their home network.
* When at home, a gamer can play a game on their console and TV, while one or more friends play together in the same multi-player game session from their homes on a computer across the Internet.
* When traveling, gamers can play games anywhere with a broadband Internet connection.
* When at home, a gamer can invite friends to watch live game play, in real-time across the Internet.
* Whether at home or on the road, the gamer can capture video clips of a game play session to watch and share with others.
You realize what this means, don’t you? It means if my wife wants to watch Grey’s Anatomy, and I just want to get my game on, then I can just go to my computer and play while she watches Mc-stinkin’-Dreamy.
Also, I can invite my friend to play with me from his computer from a distance. He doesn’t even have to come over to play anymore. I can also capture video footage of my gameplay as an added bonus.
The Spawn HD-720 is available now for $199.95, with additional external Spawn Gamepad Adapters for other remote players for $39.95 each.
Apple iPod nano 8 GB Black
Pod nano now has a built-in video camera that lets you spontaneously shoot video wherever you are. And that’s just the beginning. It has a dramatic, polished anodized aluminum finish and a larger screen. The new Genius Mixes feature acts as your personal DJ, automatically searching your iTunes library, then making mixes you’ll love. Take iPod nano anywhere and the new Pedometer counts your steps. Also making its debut: a built-in FM radio with two amazing features–iTunes Tagging and Live Pause. So the world’s most popular music player now has more to play with.
List Price: $149.99
Price: $133.99
Rechargeable Spy Sunglasses MP3 Player with Hidden Camera Camcorder
idden Camera + Video Recorder + MP3 Player + Micro SD/TF card reader + Sun Glasses – 1.3 mega pixels pinhole CMOS camera for clear digital recording – Built in 4GB memory for as long as 200 min video recording – Effective range: more than 15 meters, 60 degrees
Price:$250.00
Pirate Ship Electric RC Boat
Designed for pools, ponds and small lakes, this Pirate Ship runs on 27/40 MHz and looks just like a real pirate ship with skull and crossbones sails! Put a smile on your face and a patch on your eye and get ready for a Pirate adventure!
Price: $63.99 Silverlit Flying Dutchman Pirate Ship Electric RC Boat
Invicta Men’s Subaqua Collection Noma III Chronograph Black Ion-Plated and Rubber Watch
High-quality, precise Swiss-Quartz Movement; Durable flame-fusion crystal; Brushed and polished black ion-plated stainless steel case; Black rubber strap; Chronograph functions with 60 second, 30 minute and 1/10 of a second subdials; Date function; Black and gold tone grid dial with luminous hands; unidirectional outer bezel; Tachymeter on inner bezel; Limited edition.
List Price: $1,995.00
Price: $399.99 Invicta Men’s Subaqua Collection Noma III Chronograph Black Ion-Plated and Rubber Watch #6043
The Giant Knife
Features all 85 tools currently produced by Wenger including: Phiilips/flat screwdrivers, plain & comboedge blades, needlenose & adjustable pliers w/wire crimper/cutter, saws, hex keys, laser pointer, allen wrenches, files, scissors, can opener, cigar cut.
List Price: $1,680.95
Price: $1,400.00
Sale: $999.00 Wenger – The Giant Knife
To create the floating effect, the PanTouch Clear frames feature an eye-catching 800 x 600 high-resolution display that appears to be floating in the surrounding glass.
List Price: $129.99
Price: $109.00
If you have a ton of Blu-ray discs, they start to pile up and don’t always make it back into the case. That’s where a Blu-Ray disc changer can come in handy, allowing you to keep them all in one place and have them ready.
A company called S1Digital has announced a new Blu-ray changer that will hold 100 of your favorite movies within. It has an unoriginal product name, dubbed simply “the 100 Disc Blu-ray Changer”. The system is designed to be connected to a digital media center that runs Windows 7 or Vista and it even ships with My Movies software.
You can browse all the films in the collection and view cover art automatically downloaded to the server for each movie. The device also allows the archiving of CDs and plain DVD movies. It connects to your PC via a USB 2.0 port. It’s shipping now for $1,500.
Are you tired of all the negative backlash from last week’s iPad announcement … or still tired from all of the hype leading up to the announcement? Probably some of both. Well, as Dan noted, Steve Jobs took an unwise swing at netbooks in his pitch, so naturally we now have a nice list from PC Magazine of things that make netbooks better than the iPad. Of course, since the iPad isn’t shipping, nor are the specs even final, such stuff is largely a useless exercise in … well, something. But it is still good fun to look at these lists!
The Mantys might just be the future of golf carts. It looks like a one person scooter with a spot to hold your golf clubs in front of you but it’s controlled in much the same way that Segways are. You lean in to turn and stop the Mantys. The cart can hold enough charge to go 36 holes at a top speed of 12.5 MPH. They run a little over $3000 and should be available this Spring.
The only issue I see is that there’s no spot to carry along your buddies or your cooler. Your friends can get their own scooter but the cooler, well you’re going to need a backpack cooler to bring along your cold beverages.
Here’s a quick video of the Mantys in action (sorry no direct link to video, if you don’t see the video in your email or reader click through to the post to see it):
ATI just released a new, super entry level graphics card that should placate, well, not hardcore gamers, but most regular people. It’s the Radeon 5450. Like other 5000 series cards, it works with Eyefinity, meaning that you can spread the image across several screens, as this image swiped from Tom’s Hardware shows.
The card supports DirectX 11, don’t expect to run Crysis at 1920×1200. (It does run the game at lower resolutions, though.) I don’t even know why I wrote this, since the card isn’t aimed at gamers. You want to game, get yourself a Radeon 5850 or 5970. (I’m unfamiliar with Nvidia’s naming schemes.)
Turns out the card isn’t too shabby at all if you’re looking to build a home theater PC. The 5450 works wonders for that, pushing 1080p video just fine.
I don’t know, it’s an everyday card for everyday people at an everyday price: $50.
