Another optical wireless experiment shows us that LEDs will beam your future downloads
Beaming data with light is hardly a new thing, but lately we’ve seen a number of attempts at making it rather more usable and, more interesting, rather more speedy. We’re starting to get the feeling that those maybe/maybe not dangerous microwave-based systems have had their days numbered. The latest to beam bits with blinkenlights is a team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications in Germany, which will be showing its stuff at the always happenin’ Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition in two weeks. The team was able to use a commercial LED and get an impressive 230Mb/s transfer rate, which doesn’t compare to the gigabit Penn State managed or 500mb/s Siemens pulled off, but those were done using rather more specialized hardware (like the Siemens rig pictured above). It’s interesting stuff, and we’re looking forward to see the commercial applications for this tech, but we do have one nagging question: what if you want to surf in the dark?
Another optical wireless experiment shows us that LEDs will beam your future downloads originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video)
Lazy humans, your dream has come true: a robot that could carry food and drink from the kitchen straight to your couch-borne position without you having to get up. It’s the Toshiba Wheelie, a balancing bot that zips around on two wheels like an autonomous Segway, but with the added bonus of retractable runners on the front and back to keep it from toppling should it ever suffer an abrupt power failure. It sports stereo cameras on top and a laser range finder as well, enabling it to find its way around (or under) obstacles. The demonstration video below shows it propping a plate of steak and mixed veggies on its head before taking them for a ride around a demonstration space — impressive, but given it lacks the arms to pick up the plate in the first place we’re thinking this one’s usefulness is sadly rather limited. He also can’t talk, which means rhyming is right out, but he is kinda cute.
Continue reading Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video)
Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)
There are 2,073,600 pixels in a 1080p TV, yet Carnegie Mellon student Chloe Fan has blown our minds by showing that you only need 64 of them to have a little fun with Super Mario Bros. She wired an Arduino to an 8 x 8 LED matrix through a breadboard, then scaled the first level of the game down to a resolution that makes the 160 x 144 resolution Game Boy look positively high def. The controls are similarly simplified: one button to move Mario (the slightly more orange dot) right, and a second to jump. She also wired up a separate board to play the game’s theme song, as you can see in the embed below, but be aware: the video ends before the theme song does, meaning you’ll be humming it to yourself all day long.
Continue reading Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)
Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Eric Schmidt confirms Chrome OS is on schedule, on target
The last time we heard anything about the launch schedule for Google’s Chrome OS it was summer of last year. At that time we were told a rather vague “second half of 2010″ and, now that we’re entering the second quarter of the year, forgive us if we were starting to get a bit doubtful about that timeline. But, Google’s Eric Schmidt is here to assuage our fears, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and indicating the little OS is still on track for that same, rather vague release window. That we’re still not getting a more specific date makes us think we’re probably looking at a release toward the end of the second half of this year, but just the same it seems like you shouldn’t wipe that Chrome-powered netbook off your wishlist for this upcoming holiday season just yet.
Eric Schmidt confirms Chrome OS is on schedule, on target originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Ricoh GXR gets accessorized, is ready for the town — or the shooting range
When the Ricoh GXR hit the review circuit back in December it certainly intrigued but didn’t necessarily impress with its swappable lenses and sensors. However, now that we’re seeing all the various and wonderful things it can do with its toys, we’re more tempted than ever to give this little transformer a shot. Ricoh recently set up an exhibit to show the body dressed up as everything from a portrait shooter to a tripod-mounted sniper support, hanging off the end of a giant Kowa spotting scope — complete with what looks to be a red dot rifle sight on the side. Rather less excessive (and olive drab) were Ricoh’s own new lenses for the camera, a 27mm F2.5 and a 28-300mm F3.5-5.6, both due out before the end of the year and both looking impressively thin. No prices for either of these official models, but we’re guessing they’ll come in somewhere under the $2,500 Kowa pictured above.
Ricoh GXR gets accessorized, is ready for the town — or the shooting range originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ricoh GXR gets acessorized, is ready for the town — or the shooting range
When the Ricoh GXR hit the review circuit back in December it certainly intrigued but didn’t necessarily impress with its swappable lenses and sensors. However, now that we’re seeing all the various and wonderful things it can do with its toys, we’re more tempted than ever to give this little transformer a shot. Ricoh recently set up an exhibit to show the body dressed up as everything from a portrait shooter to a tripod-mounted sniper support, hanging off the end of a giant Kowa spotting scope — complete with what looks to be a red dot rifle sight on the side. Rather less excessive (and olive drab) were Ricoh’s own new lenses for the camera, a 27mm F2.5 and a 28-300mm F3.5-5.6, both due out before the end of the year and both looking impressively thin. No prices for either of these official models, but we’re guessing they’ll come in somewhere under the $2,500 Kowa pictured above.
Ricoh GXR gets acessorized, is ready for the town — or the shooting range originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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$92 MD500 Android tablet from Hott actually looks pretty cool
At this point we really need another tablet like we need another hole in the head, but when this one could cost around $100 and still look quite good, well, it’s worth talking about. It’s the Hott MD500, an Android device with a 4.8-inch, 800 x 480 screen and plenty of OS customizations to make it rather more media-friendly, including the ability to “play every codec” according to the guy doing the demonstration. We’ll believe that when we see it, but it is shown playing a 720p clip from the cinematic masterpiece Tokyo Drift without too much trouble. The somewhat iPhone-esque design looks very nice and is much smaller than a comparable Archos 5. The price is $92 to distributors without any flash memory and, since you can get a 4GB microSD card for a few bucks these days (even a legit one), we wouldn’t be surprised if these sell for $115 or $120. Whether they’ll ever hit retail in the US is, of course, another question. Video demonstration is embedded below if you want to hear the hype, just try not to lose your breakfast every time this is enthusiastically called an iPad killer.
Continue reading $92 MD500 Android tablet from Hott actually looks pretty cool
$92 MD500 Android tablet from Hott actually looks pretty cool originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Opera Mini 5 on Android mini review
digg_url = ‘http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/11/opera-mini-5-on-android-mini-review/’; Opera’s Mini 5 beta finally hit Android in the wee hours of this morning and, while writing about what it looks like is nice, we thought a little walk-through to demonstrate the impressive speed of the thing was worthwhile. So we have a short video for you below, with a comparison against the stock Android browser, plus some impressions of just how it is to use. So, click on through, won’t you?
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Opera Mini 5 on Android mini review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How the Terminator’s .45 Longslide with laser sighting came to be (video)
While Arnie’s one-handed reloads on his Winchester 1887 may make that shotgun the most iconic weapon of Terminator 2, his laser-sighted .45 Longslide was definitely king in the first. Laser sights are something you can buy in any gun shop today, but back in 1984 they were extremely rare — and expensive. The one for the movie was custom made by SureFire, a company that specializes in tactical flashlights. Lasers at the time were helium neon, requiring a whopping 10,000 volts to power on and a constant 1,000 volts to stay bright. To manage this on a shoestring budget in the ’80s the weapon had a wire running up Arnie’s sleeve to a battery inside his jacket and a switch he had to activate with his other hand. (A non-functional prop was used for close-ups.) Crude, but effective, and, most importantly, cheap — SureFire representatives received only a T-shirt and some other assorted movie swag. Now, what kind of weapon could we get for a box of Engadget shirts…
Continue reading How the Terminator’s .45 Longslide with laser sighting came to be (video)
How the Terminator’s .45 Longslide with laser sighting came to be (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Combustible carbon nanotubes give off electricity, make really tiny fires (video)
Need a more efficient heat sink? Try a carbon nanotube. Artificial muscle? Nanotubes. Space Ladder? Self-cleaning windows? Incredibly small bowl of soup? You get the picture. What can’t carbon nanotubes do? We’re not sure just yet, but even power generation is not beyond their grasp. Apparently when you coat the wee straws in butane and light one end on fire it creates a thermal wave, propelling electrons along to create a current. It’s not a lot of current on a single smoldering tube, but scale things up and the potential is said to be 100 times greater than an equivalent weight lithium-ion battery. Of course, you don’t have to light a LiOn cell on fire to get the juice out of it (usually), but we’re guessing scientists will create a way to make that happen in a safe, controlled manner. Until then, check out one burning in super slow-motion after the break, and remember: only you can prevent nanofires.
Continue reading Combustible carbon nanotubes give off electricity, make really tiny fires (video)
Combustible carbon nanotubes give off electricity, make really tiny fires (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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