Filed under: Portable Audio
Good news for folks waiting patiently for a DAP that allows them to carry a complete Linux desktop in their pocket, as TurboLinux has announced that its Wizpy device will go on sale to most of the world sometime this month. Users in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, India, and Singapore can expect the final unit to include a 1.7-inch color OLED display, text viewer, FM radio, and play nice with Ogg, MP3, WMA, XviD, MPEG4, and JPEG formats. Although the aforementioned countries should receive shipments sometime this month, a non-English language version should ship to other countries in late 2007 or early 2008. Interestingly, it sounds like the 2GB flavor will only be available to Japanese customers, while the other locales will have to be happy with a 4GB iteration that will cost around $278.
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Filed under: Cellphones
Take this one with a grain of salt, but we have it from a source that works in television who tells us that Apple’s next round of iPhone commercials (three different spots) have been submitted for airtime, and at least one prominently features the magic number: release date on June 29th. (For the record, we’ve already heard rumors about it being on the 11th, 15th, 20th, and just about every other date in June.) That’s all well and good, but there are some bits that make this especially sticky. Namely, these commercials are supposed to begin running next week — that’s before WWDC, when we were all hoping Steve would announce the iPhone date; however, the iPhone commercial(s) which actually feature the date might air after June 11th, so maybe that part is still alright. Also, the date of June 29th — while still technically “late June” — lands on Friday, and Apple is known for launching most of its products on Tuesdays. So hey, if it turns out to be June 29th, great — but if not, don’t say we didn’t warn ya.
Update: Looks like we’re looking at a confirmation on the iPhone launch date!
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Filed under: Laptops, Wearables
K-locks and thick cables are well and good — when they work, and when you’re tethered to some relatively immobile object. But when your laptop’s in your bag (which it is most of the time when you’re on the go), you might want something a little sturdier than a plastic zipper and some nylon fabric. Enter Pacsafe’s latest computer bags, which boast what’s claimed to be “tamperproof” zippers and a middle-layer of “eXomesh” anti-slash wire mesh, and stainless steel wire for fastening your entire bag to that same relatively immobile object. Prices range start at $90 for the MetroSafe 300 up to $180 for the DaySafe 200. Be wary, though, we have a feeling Marc Weber Tobias may make short work of these things.
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Filed under: Robots
Imagine if someone, somewhere managed to find the exact formula for producing the most perfectly awful example of the uncanny valley (say, for a horror movie or something). Now, accept the fact that this organization is the Japanese Science and Technology Agency, and that they managed to produce the most disturbing machine you’ve ever seen, without even realizing it. The 33 kilogram CB2 is literally beyond words in its freakiness, not only in its nailing of the uncanny valley, but in its description. Apparently it emulates “the physical ability of a 1- or 2-year-old toddler, can turn over and stand up with assistance,” has 51 compressed air-powered actuators, and has 200 tactile sensors in its “skin.” It sends so many shivers up our spine to think of the CB2′s lifeless putty coating as “skin” that it’s a wonder we’re even able to continue typing. Seriously, just so that we can stop and move onto something else a little more human (heck, even a motherboard feels homely next to this), go check out the video after the break of the horrifying little thing writhing about on the floor.
[Via Tokyo Times; thanks Dave]
Continue reading CB2 Child Robot is possibly the most disturbing machine ever built
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Filed under: Desktops
The Pico-ITX motherboard standard truly lives up to its name as the smallest regular commercial motherboard that money can buy. It’s not hard to imagine why people would want a motherboard as small as VIA’s PX10000: its low power requirements (the guys at Mini-ITX.com couldn’t get it to draw more than 16 Watts under full load) and miniscule size (less than 4 inches long) make it perfect for really small enclosures. Unfortunately if you were hoping to make this into a high definition mini-media box to sit under the TV, you’ll be disappointed. The 1GHz CPU isn’t capable of running any popular video formats at an acceptable rate above 1024×768, so you’ll have to stick with standard definition, if at all. VIA isn’t particularly helpful when it comes to getting the motherboard to play nicely with Linux either, and haven’t provided a central depository for Linux compatible drivers. There’s also a lack of enclosures for the Pico-ITX motherboard size, where there’s a Catch 22 situation of manufacturers unwilling to create cases for a limited market, and consumers unwilling to buy motherboards without a decent array of cases. Until these problems are sorted, the Pixo-ITX platform and this particular motherboard will fail to appeal to the general market: as if that was ever the target in the first place.
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
