At Macworld 2008, Apple just announced Time Capsule, a full Airport Extreme base station with 802.11n wireless and four Ethernet ports, plus server grade hard drives to back up all of the Leopard Macs in the house. Did we call this or what? OK, minus the leopard spots, that is. Yes, all signs suggested that something like this would happen, but little did we know it would come with such a reasonable price tag: 500GB for $300; 1TB for $500. Click here for our Time Capsule hands-on at Macworld, or jump for details, plus the official press release: The Bare Facts: • After setup, all Macs on network are automatically backed up wirelessly and constantly. (Read the full post about ‘Apple Time Capsule Server for Wireless Time Machine Backups [Macworld]’…)

Looks like the next step in robotics has been achieved, with scientists from the US and Japan successfully developing a humanoid robot that can be controlled over the Internet using a monkey’s brain activity. This development could see paralyzed people walk again by controlling exoskeletons using their minds, somewhat like how the fictional Professor Xavier used his telepathic powers to move about in his Shi’iar exoskeleton way back in the “Fatal Attractions” storyline. It will take years for this technology to be made available to humans, but progress has been impressive. According to the team of scientists, it takes around 250ms for the brain to create a signal and for the leg to move - I think a 2.5 second lag is a minimal tradeoff for someone to regain mobility. (Read the full post about ‘Monkey brain controls robot over the Net’…)

If the MacBook Air is the mother of all slimline notebooks, then these two must be her offspring: you may have to ferry them around a lot if you watch DVDs or use wired surfing while you’re on the road. While the Superdrive is a slot-loading 8x number in an aluminium jacket, and weighing just over a pound, the ethernet adapter looks to be a standard Apple white, and gives you that RJ-45 connector for 10/100BASE-T support that everyone’s talking about. (Read the full post about ‘Meet MacBook Air’s Kids: Ethernet and SuperDrive Peripherals [Peripherals]’…)

While Philips have launched built-in ambient lighting with their line of flat panel TVs quite some time back, Illuminaire allows you to get ambient lighting with just about any brand of flatscreen TVs without breaking the bank (too much). These lights claim to reduce eye strain whenever you clock up the hours in front of the TV, but you get to choose from 16 models of lights for screens that range anywhere from 17″ to 60″. These lighting wands can also change color, so you will have to choose between a full color spectrum or just a single color option (blue and white). Bar lights cost anywhere from £20 to £60, while entire lighting systems retail between £50 and £170. (Read the full post about ‘Illuminaire adds ambient lighting’…)

Sony has just announced its new range of B4000 Bravia LCD displays in Europe, going against the grain that “bigger is better” with this line that focuses more on transportability, style and practicality. You get 20″ and 23″ LCD TVs that make them more suitable for use in the kitchen or small bedroom (let’s face it, anyone with a large master bedroom will probably prefer something at least 42″ in size, so kids will have to make do with the 23 incher). You get Pearl White and Glossy Mocha colors to choose from. Shared features include a couple of HDMI ports, an integrated tuner and HD Ready technology. No idea on how much these cost though, but they shouldn’t be too expensive.

(Read the full post about ‘B4000 Bravia series from Sony’…)

How does the MacBook Air compare in size to two of the smallest laptops on the planet?The MacBook vs The Sony Vaio TZ seriesand the Asus Eee PC . Clearly, the MacBook Air is a truly svelte little number.

[Via]

Tags: wireless, consumer technology, cameras, computers

OK, so the MacBook Air sounds pretty light, but here we have the Belinea s.book 1 from VIA Technologies and Maxdata that tips the scales at less than 1 kg. Released for the German market, it will be far from powerful compared to the MacBook Air, but the specifications sure sound ideal for day-to-day use such as checking email, Web browsing and playing Web-based games. Powered by a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV processor, the Belinea s.book 1 is now available at qualified specialist dealers in Germany. They certainly look good for use in events such as CES where walking with a less compact laptop is a killer on one’s back. According to Slashgear, the Belinea s.book 1 would retail in the region of $1,200.

(Read the full post about ‘Belinea s.book 1 mini-notebook’…)

Meet High-End Computing Terascale Resource (HECToR), a colossal machine newly hailed as the fastest supercomputer in the UK and also one of the most powerful in all of Europe.

Cased in 60 cabinets inside the University of Edinburgh, this £113 ($221 US) million monster is as powerful as 12,000 desktop computers combined and can run 63 million calculations per second.

In case you’re wondering about the usefulness of this ultra-fast supercomputer aside from bragging rights around world, then you must know that scientists are very excited to maximize its power in several research projects including combustion engines, new medicines, superconductors, ocean currents, climate change, atomic physics, cosmology and other “increasingly complex computer simulations”.

(Read the full post about ‘UK unleashes its fastest supercomputer’…)

Asustek Computer and Advantech has teamed up to form Advansus, and the offspring of their efforts has resulted in a mini-ITX modular open frame panel computer known as the FPM610. The FPM610 comes with a 15″ color TFT LCD display as well as a variety of selections from Intel’s processor menu, ranging from Intel Core 2 Duo to Celeron M. There will be a quartet of FPM610 versions based on Intel’s 945GME, 915GME, 910GMLE or 852GM motherboards. Shared features include :-

• LVDS and DVI dual view display support
• 5.1 channel audio
• 5W audio amplifier
• Gigabit Ethernet

Tags: tech, Hi-fi, TV, computers

Yesterday at MacWorld Convention 2008, Steve Jobs has presented the new MacBook Air — the world’s thinnest notebook. The press had been intrigued with the catchline, “There’s something in the air,” leading many to speculate that an ultra-small ultra-thin device would be announced this year. Indeed, Apple has unveiled the MacBook Air, a 3-pound notebook that’s less than one-inch in thickness. The notebook has a tapering thickness, measuring 0.76 to 0.16 inch — that’s a lot thinner than the Toshiba Portege R500-S5002, which is lighter than the Air by 0.6 pounds but is still one-inch thick. The MacBook Air is a “green” device, boasting an aluminum casing and a 13.3-in. (Read the full post about ‘The MacBook Air’…)