Gadgets Future

by Darren Murph, posted May 19th 2008 at 4:19PM
Whatever the DS can do, Wii can do better, right? Apparently Dave agrees with said mantra, as he has converted a Wii Guitar Hero axe into a full-fledged MIDI controller. As in, there’s a 5-pin jack down there and everything. In its current state, you can play two octaves of an eight note scale at time, alter the keys / octaves, change tonal modes, use the whammy bar to bend the pitch and blow the minds of electrical engineering buds you still see on a regular basis. Granted, this mod isn’t exactly for the faint of heart, but feel free to hit the read link if you’re hacker enough to handle it.

[Via MAKE]

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets, Gaming

It’s the summer movie season and sequels are always big at the box office, so why not try another shot at some kind of Microsoft-Yahoo blockbuster?

In a move seemingly designed to keep technology reporters and bloggers chained to their laptops over the weekend, Microsoft announced Sunday that it was “considering and has raised with Yahoo! an alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo! but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo!” That was confirmed in a separate press release from Yahoo! which said the company “continues to consider a number of value maximizing strategic alternatives…we remain open to pursuing any transaction which is in the best interest of our stockholders.”

Translation: thanks for the push, Carl Icahn. We’ll take it from here.

Several tech reporters with access to sources within the negotiations say this time, Microsoft wants to either buy outright or partner with Yahoo’s search division and related advertising services. Jerry Yang’s company can keep mail, messaging, news; many Yahoo! fans have said on various blogs that the company had lost its focus on those business segments while trying to take on Google in online ads.

Not wanting to sound like a broken MP3 file, but it will again come down to whether Yang and his fellow original Yahoos can get past their emotions and Microsoft’s reputation within the tech industry. A looming Yahoo! proxy fight courtesy of Icahn could possibly be squelched by an expected Google-Yahoo! search ad deal, but maybe this alternative could chase Icahn away while placating angry Yahoo! shareholders still seething over the first failed attempt at a Microsoft deal.

All of that inside-the-boardroom intrigue is fodder for cable business network junkies. What about the average websurfing consumer who was worried that a complete Microsoft takeover would ruin Yahoo! and its features and services? What do you think about this possible sequel to the Big Tech Deal that Didn’t Happen?

Read [Microsoft.com] Read [Yahoo!]

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by Donald Melanson, posted May 19th 2008 at 3:48PM We’ve already seen how quick on his feet Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer can be, and it looks like the big man finally had to put those fleet-footed skills to good use, as he was recently forced to duck for cover under a barrage of (three) eggs during a speech he was giving at a Hungarian University. Apparently, the disgruntled egg-tosser was angry with Ballmer for “stealing billions in Hungarian taxpayer money,” which he demanded that Ballmer give back “right now.” Head on past the break for a video of the thoroughly awkward encounter.

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Filed under: Misc. gadgets

If you’re a regular golfer and hate lugging around your own clubs just because you’re too cheap to hire a caddy, then perhaps the Shadow Caddy ought to make up for your over-exercise on the greens. This unique device can trail you around the course without the need for a remote control, and is definitely more affordable than hiring a human caddy since it is fully autonomous. The Shadow Caddy is seemingly telepathic, thanks to a transmitter you wear with multiple on-board processors and a collision detection system on the Shadow Caddy itself. It has “Follow-Me” and “Park” modes which are pretty self-explanatory. Fully functional in all weather conditions, this is a pretty sound idea although other golfers might find it more than a tad distractive.

What you’re looking at is the required FCC label for the next Sidekick. What we’re assuming is the Sidekick Gekko/Aspen is now up on the FCC site as a device manufactured by Sharp named PV210. It’s always nice to see a device confirmed by the FCC because that means their is actually a physical device in the hands of someone. Even with the recent excitement of T-Mobile launching their 3G network, the PV210 is not a 3G device, it’s just good old GSM-850 and PCS1900. Beyond that all we can gather from the FCC docs is that it still uses a microSD card, which means support for music, (probably) videos, themes, and more. Oh, and it has a removable battery, no big surprise there.

The confidentiality on the filed documents expires on August 16th, so unless the FCC screws up then we won’t be seeing the FCC filed pictures of the device until after the rumored July release date. We’ll just have to find some other way to get pictures of the device in the wild. But this date means we’ll definitely be seeing a new Sidekick by August!

FCC Docs

NYU graduate student Drew Burrows would love to be in a relationship, but he just doesn’t have time for one. (That’s what he tells himself, at least.) Apparently, however, he found the time to engineer a virtual girlfriend as a solution for his loneliness. Burrows and his "girlfriend" made their relationship public at a recent Tisch School of Arts show.

But restrain your excitement, single introverts: Burrows’ virtual girlfriend isn’t someone you can touch or do naughty things with (yet); she’s a two-dimensional projection, and fully clothed. The fun part is she’s an infrared-sensitive light projection — a technology Burrows lovingly calls INBED — meaning she reacts to your moves! Lie down and she’ll snuggle up next to you. Curl up on your side and she’ll spoon. Do you see what this is probably going to lead to? (If you’re thinking futuristic teddy bears, you’re wrong.)

Weird Science! NYU Student Invents Virtual Girlfriend [NY Magazine]

Photo courtesy Drew Burrows

When you have amassed a large collection of gadgets that you can’t live without, you begin to figure out ways to cut back on what you need to carry. One way is to weed out the unnecessary gadgets, but you quickly realize that each and every one of them is vital to your everyday life. Your other option is to find convergence devices that serve more than one function. Here’s a Bluetooth headset that packs a little something extra.

One thing to note is that I don’t actually enjoy Bluetooth headsets, and I absolutely loath people that talk on them. They can look straight at you, say something, then be dumbfounded when you think that they were speaking to you. Anyway, enough of my rant. The Bluetrek Bizz is for people that always carry a headset and a flashdrive with them. The earpiece comes off to reveal a USB connector for the flash drive. Storage space is determined by the microSD card that you put into the device. You can pick one up for just $55.

Source: Crave

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Alltel has just added a new colored version of the HTC Touch to its lineup, the new shade is burgundy and it is currently available. Aside from the new color, the features and pricing both remain the same as the original gray coloring. The Touch offers TouchFLO, a 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth and runs on Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional, it was also recently updated to add Rev. A EVDO support. The burgundy, or original gray Touch will set you back $129.99, which comes after a mix of instant and mail-in-rebates along with a 2-year agreement.

Product [Alltel]

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by Darren Murph, posted May 18th 2008 at 5:31PM
Although DISH Network’s previous quarter wasn’t anything to write home about, it sounds like the satcaster (EchoStar, technically) isn’t going to allow its set-top line to grow stale in the process. During the recent Team Summit in Nashville, Tennessee, DISH’s CEO Charlie Ergen reiterated that it would be beaming out “more than 100 national HD channels” by the end of 2008, and he also made mention that the EchoStar 11 satellite would lift off in July. Most interesting, however, was all the talk about the new STBs. The forthcoming ViP 722 will be the first HD DVR from the outfit with loads of Sling technology built in — not too shocking considering the recent acquisition. Additionally, the box is said to feature an all new interface and the ability to browse to (select) websites, double as a SlingCatcher and even handle Clip & Sling duties. There’s plenty more where this came from, so be sure and hit the read link when you’ve got some spare time for reading.

[Via GizmoLovers]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Verizon is going to release the highly anticipated Samsung Glyde SCH-U940 cell phone for their distribution network. This GPS-enabled handset is available at Verizon’s retail store for $249 including 24-months of services agreement after a $50 mail-in rebate. Works on CDMA Dual-band 800 / 1900MHz network with 3G support, the Glyde features a slide-out QWERTY text keyboard, a 2.78-inch touchscreen display in 240 x 440-pixels resolution, music player (supports MP3, AAC+, eAAC+, and Real formats), a 2 megapixel auto-focus camera with video recording capability, 150MB flash memory, EVDO data, memory card slot, stereo Bluetooth, and a standard 2.5mm headset jack.
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