Despite cruelly long lines caused by tough security measures (and RFID-enabled tickets) at the Olympic opening ceremonies, the uncontrollable chaos expected at the entrance gates never came. However, a few reports coming out of Beijing suggest that the security wasn’t as good as it seemed and that the closing ceremonies could face even more challenges. In an effort to stop counterfeiters and make the opening and closing ceremonies secure, the Beijing committee included RFID chips with spectators’ passport information and home/e-mail addresses in each ticket. Before the Games, most security experts predicted one of two things would happen: Ticket lines would create a standstill at the gates, or hackers would ‘break’ into the tickets and steal personal information. (Read the full post about ‘RFID + Olympic Ceremonies= Oppressively long lines and One Security Hole’…)
by Nilay Patel, posted Aug 22nd 2008 at 5:34AM At this point we’ve seen a ton of Dell’s upcoming Inspiron 910 / Mini Inspiron, but until this thing hits the street for real it looks like our pal Mr. Blurrycam has a new favorite target. Here’s the 8.9-inch netbook testing Ubuntu somewhere, with a far less ugly keyboard than last time — maybe next time it’ll sprout some function keys. Two more, including a configuration screen, after the break. (Read the full post about ‘Dell Mini Inspiron caught running Ubuntu in the wild’…)
VIA has unveiled a bunch of entertainment robots at the Taipei International Robot Show that run on VIA’s very own EPIA Pico-ITX motherboard. All the robots on parade at the VIA booth are provided by PlayRobot. Hmmm, will Intel as well as other motherboard manufacturers concentrate on this niche market, or will it always remain an enthusiast segment? After all, the very fact that VIA is the main choice points toward the company’s commitment to extremely compact form factors, robust performance, extensive feature sets and extremely low power consumption. (Read the full post about ‘Entertainment Robots Running On VIA EPIA Pico-ITX Motherboards’…)
Want a Limited Edition Sidekick LX? If you’re Soulja Boy it’s as easy as this: Step 1: Get a Sidekick LX Step 2: Show off your big LCD TVs so everyone thinks you’re cool enough to get Limited Edition stuff Step 3: Get your Sidekick repainted by Colorware or snag a new Lens Frame. Step 4: Jump on sklxthemes.com and grab the Sidekick LX XBOX 360 Theme Step 5: Go into the Catalog and download Resident Evil for $6.99 Step 6: Make a video about how you’re the only one who has this and post it to the internets! Nice try Soulja Boy, we’re on to you. A Soulja Boy Limited Edition Sidekick LX would have been better. (Read the full post about ‘Soulja Boy and his Fake Sidekick LX XBOX 360 Limited Edition’…)
When I first reviewed the iphone 3G I couldn’t say enough good things about it. I even recommended that existing owners of the iPhone upgrade to it. After a little over a month of ownership, though, I’m contemplating getting rid of mine. My reasons are below.
Browser crash First off, it’s still plagued with a browser crashing issue that has been known since the first iPhone shipped. At random times the browser will just suddenly exit and take you back to the home screen. Why hasn’t this been fixed yet? It should be a simple software fix.
You really can’t fault Shuttle for polluting the environment needlessly with their latest effort - the X27. This new PC will consume just 23 watts of juice in idle mode and 36 watts when in use, making it fall under laptop territory instead of a standard desktop. The X27 computer will fit in comfortably under the nettop category as it is powered by Intel’s Atom processor. It will amble along at a mere 23 decibels, so you won’t have any trouble going to bed with the X27 running in your bedroom at night. There is no word on pricing, but it will arrive on North American shores this September along with a future release in the UK. (Read the full post about ‘Shuttle X27 Loves Mother Nature’…)
Digital photo frames are no longer a luxury these days, and most homes already have one if not more. Kodak caters to the budget-conscious crowd with the EasyShare P520 that comes with the following specifications :-
5″ LCD display
4:3 aspect ratio (forget about watching movies on this)
Touch-sensitive border controls
SD memory card slot
USB connectivity
The EasyShare P520 features swappable borders that allow you to customize it according to the way you want to, and it will ship later this September for $80.
Planar has a new DLP projector for the masses - the Viper, which offers 720p (forget about watching Blu-ray movies or playing other high definition games over the Xbox 360 and PS3 on this unless you’re willing to settle for less) resolution, but do bear in mind image quality consists of more than just pixel count. The Planar Viper will come with the following specifications :-
You ain’t seen nothing yet until you lay your eyes on the Musion Eyeliner Holographic Projection System. This is touted to be one of the most amazing holographic display systems around at this point in time, and it has been used in various situations such as teleconferencing, concerts and even a holographic multi-touch system. It has even been used for an orchestra concert in recent times, guaranteed to create gasps in the audience by projecting a mysterious looking ghost from thin air the moment an eerie sound is played by the orchestra. This optical illusion is achieved by placing a glass plate on stage to function as a projection screen. The intended image will be projected onto the glass to provide an illusion of a floating image.
