If you’re the type who likes to regale your guests with silly viral video clips on the big screen in the living room — and who doesn’t? — this next item is for you. Vimeo has just launched its “couch mode” full-screen viewing mode. Like YouTube’s Leanback mode, it features a simplified UI with just the options you’d want while couch-surfing: in this case a More Info screen toggle and a Watch Later queue. Less clutter means more time to watch eight year old rappers and bad local comedians. Sounds like a winner to us! Currently only available to Chrome and Safari users, with support for other browsers on its way. Get a closer look at the info screen after the break. Continue reading Vimeo launches Couch Mode, full screen browsing for the TV Vimeo launches Couch Mode, full screen browsing for the TV originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Considering that you’re an avid viewer of The Ben Heck Show , we’re assuming this is old news to you and yours. On the off-chance that you missed the last episode, we’re here to rope you back into reality. Embedded past the break is a video filled with love, laughter and legitimate instructions on building your very own Portal t-shirt. According to Benjamin, the system consists of a front-mounted LCD, pocket-mounted battery pack and rear-mounted camera, and naturally, it’s being released just prior to Halloween. You now know exactly what you have to do. Continue reading Latest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal Shirt Latest Ben Heck Show helps you build your very own Portal Shirt originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Been holding off on an iPad until you could put just the right two-line message on the back of it? Well, today’s your day, as Apple is now finally offering free engraving for both the 3G and WiFi models just as it does with iPods — and conveniently just in time for the holidays. That will change the shipping time from 24 hours to one to three business days, however, so make that message count. Apple now offering free iPad engraving originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sony is sending its cassette tape Walkman into retirement in Japan as demand for a music player that was ground-breaking in its day dwindles to a tiny niche in the era of digital technology. (Oct. 26)
Continue reading …China’s Shanghai-Hangzhou rail line opens, hits record breaking speed of 262mph
October 26, 2010 No Comment
High speed railways, particularly in Asia, have been soaring at around 200 miles per hour for quite some time now, but given just how much pride the Chinese have in their own rail system , it’s no shock to hear the entire nation gloating about a new speed record. Of course, we’re pretty partial to records ourselves, so we’ll happily open up a round of applause when a bullet train hits 262 miles per hour without imploding. The newfangled Shanghai-Hangzhou connection (which connects Hongqiao and Hangzhou) has gone into service today, with most riders treated to a top speed of only 220 miles per hour. Officials have already stated that they’re hoping to improve speeds to over 312 miles per hour, with other nations reportedly anxious to get ahold of their technology. Oh, and if you’re curious about details, the CRH380 train covers 126 miles in just 45 minutes, with seats starting as low as $12. China’s Shanghai-Hangzhou rail line opens, hits record breaking speed of 262mph originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Keio University developing ‘olfactory printer,’ AromaRama due for a resurgence
October 26, 2010 No Comment
We’re not entirely sure why people keep trying to bring back Smell-O-Vision, although Keio University’s success in printing scents using a modified printer gives us hope that this sort of thing might someday be somewhat feasible — and useful. It works by using an off-the-shelf Canon printer that’s been given a ” scent jet,” Kenichi Okada told New Scientist . “We are using the ink-jet printer’s ability to eject tiny pulses of material to achieve precise control.” The scent dissipates quickly, after one or two human breaths. And while specific scents can be printed, there is as of yet no way to build a general purpose device. According to the University of Glasgow’s Stephen Brewster: “We don’t yet know how to synthesize all the scents we want. There is no red-green-blue for smell — there are thousands of components needed.” That’s OK with us. In our experience, it’s usually better that people keep their smells to themselves. Keio University developing ‘olfactory printer,’ AromaRama due for a resurgence originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BlackBerry PlayBook demoed courtesy of RIM’s Mike Lazaridis and Adobe’s Kevin Lynch
October 26, 2010 No Comment
RIM has now uploaded the full video of its PlayBook’s brief stint in the limelight during Adobe MAX yesterday, where Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch and none other than Mr. BlackBerry himself, RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis, take the “professional tablet” through its very first public test drive on the keynote stage. The duo run through an MRI scan viewing app — presumably in an attempt to woo the lucrative medical market — along with the PlayBook’s Air-based video player and browser-embedded Flash player, both of which seem to work pretty well. We also get a quick look at the tablet’s multitasking cards, where we see that apps continue to function even from within their card views; it looks pretty nice, but at a glance, it doesn’t do any tricks webOS wasn’t pulling off a year ago. Interestingly, the edited video has a number of cuts — some seem like harmless attempts to cut out boring parts, but there are a couple suspicious ones where we suspect something unsavory happened on the PlayBook or it ran just a little slower than RIM would’ve liked (of course, with the PlayBook’s release still months out, they’ve got plenty of time to tighten that up while they wait for developers to submit their wares in exchange for a free PlayBook of their own ). At the end, Lazaridis expertly skirts Lynch’s question of when exactly the device will be released… and he didn’t even need a seasoned PR rep standing next to him to deflect it! Follow the break for the full demo. Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook demoed courtesy of RIM’s Mike Lazaridis and Adobe’s Kevin Lynch BlackBerry PlayBook demoed courtesy of RIM’s Mike Lazaridis and Adobe’s Kevin Lynch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We live in a world full of fabulous idle distractions — a million TV channels, videogames at our fingertips, the world’s greatest literature just a few menu selections away. Yet still we’re stuck cleaning the same floors more or less the same way our forefathers did, despite the fact that they had a lot less fun stuff they could be doing instead. The $249 Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner is another attempt to free us from that burdensome task and, like the Neato XV-11 we recently reviewed , it is quite clinical and comprehensive in the way that it does things. However, while this one is likewise a heck of a lot smarter than a Roomba , for some it’ll be of rather more limited usefulness. Why? Read on to find out. Gallery: Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner Continue reading Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner review Mint Automatic Floor Cleaner review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Rock Lock protects your guitar from theft, runs at least one roadie out of a job
October 26, 2010 No Comment
Let’s set the scene: you let that last Bm chord ring out, the crowd roars in the background, the fog fades and the lights go down. A drip of sweat falls from your brow and lands softly on the pick guard of your shiny new Fender. A smile graces your face, you slowly remove your weapon of choice from around your body and slam it down whimsically on your guitar stand. Exit stage right. Meanwhile, you’re munching on a week-old Honey Bun and some prankster from that mosh pit on the left is making off with your six string. Tragedy. In order to keep this awful, awful scenario from happening to you, The Rock Lock Company was born. Chris Goulet turned a bright idea into a product you can buy, with this here buckle simply snapping around your guitar neck, looping around something immobile and locking into place. Of course, you’ll need a tech to remove it prior to rolling out for your first song, but it’s probably worth the $49.99 asking price for all those other moments. Hit the source link to get your pre-order in, but only if you enjoy free shipping as a bonus. Gallery: Rock Lock guitar security tool Rock Lock protects your guitar from theft, runs at least one roadie out of a job originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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And now we’re at a crossroads. Apple is about to start hitting the wireless media streaming game hard with AirPlay and an armada of third party manufacturers. Meanwhile, Sonos is improving its already impressive streaming ecosystem with a now-shipping Sonos Wireless Dock (WD100) for your iPod or iPhone that can stream your device’s music digitally to any of your Sonos ZonePlayers. It’s not that bad a buy at $119, especially if you already have a big investment in Sonos. Plus, Sonos has plenty of other perks (like great support for online streaming music services) that it would be happy to point out to you. Still, we can’t help but wonder what this sort of product will look like in an AirPlay-contoured market, say, one year from now. Continue reading Sonos Wireless Dock for iPod and iPhone is out now for $119 Sonos Wireless Dock for iPod and iPhone is out now for $119 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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