We’ve seen a fair share of VCR hacking in our day, but this momentum scroll wheel built from an old VCR head by Instructables community member Osgeld sets a new bar for jerry-rigging dead technology . Apparently the project arose from a desire to find a 21st century-approved use for the circular part that was gathering dust after being stripped from a spare Sony VHS player. The result is a bulky, yet useful, scroll wheel that can easily be set into motion and sustained via its own inertia to keep spinning for long periods. That feature could prove useful to anyone saddled with a mountain of video editing work, or even you lazy folk just hoping to flick less while reading the web. Unfortunately, a quick glance at Osgeld’s DIY tool and part lists indicate you’ll need to do quite a bit more than ransack a tape player to get this job done right. But then, when do the good things in life ever come easy? VCR head gets Frankenstiened into a beefy momentum scroll wheel originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 01:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …ZScape 3D holographic prints take maps to the next dimension, sans spectacles
December 8, 2010 No Comment
As the video above shows, Zebra Imaging’s so called ZScape prints pull off some pretty amazing 3D visual effects despite being based on old school hologram technology. These prints are made using a variety of 3D data sources — think AutoCad and the like — that are then rendered as thousands of holographic elements by recording laser light onto a single film-based material. The resulting images are easily viewed without glasses or spinning mirrors , and just require a run-of-the-mill halogen or LED light source to reveal 360-degree, full color representations — akin to what a physical model might look like. Fancier versions can also be made using overlays and layering techniques to show more information. To date, over 8,000 ZScapes have already been developed for the US military, but surprisingly their prices range between $1,500 for a 12- x 18-inch version to $3,500 for the largest 2- x 3-foot size, making them relatively obtainable for those not on Defense Department tabs. If the video of Seattle pulling an Inception above didn’t impress you enough, be sure to check another embedded video after the break. Continue reading ZScape 3D holographic prints take maps to the next dimension, sans spectacles ZScape 3D holographic prints take maps to the next dimension, sans spectacles originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Blockbuster Express kiosks test $2.99 per night new release rentals, Redbox looks unimpressed
December 8, 2010 No Comment
28 days . It’s more than an unappreciated flick from the turn of the millennium, it’s also driving the executives at Redbox, Netflix and a smattering of other unorthodox rental companies mad. Movie studios have been hellbent on keeping their new release DVDs and Blu-ray Discs out of instant-rent hands for 28 days after release , noting that dollar-per-night rentals could drastically reduce DVD / BD sales in the all-important launch window. Now, however, it seems that at least a couple of ‘em are willing to bend. Starting this week in four major cities (Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix and San Francisco, for those curious) DVDs for Warner Bros.’ ” Inception ” and 20th Century Fox’s “Knight and Day” are being slipped into NCR’s Blockbuster Express kiosks. The catch? It’ll be $2.99 per night to rent either of them, a nearly threefold increase in the nightly rate that Redbox charges. Additional details on the trial are few and far betwixt, but it’s safe to say that Redbox isn’t any closer to nabbing fresh flicks sooner, and unless you’re down with a 3x price hike, neither are you. Blockbuster Express kiosks test $2.99 per night new release rentals, Redbox looks unimpressed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Screen grabs: ReWalk helps Glee’s Artie Abrams put his best foot forward
December 8, 2010 No Comment
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com . Sure, in real life it’s a $100,000-plus piece of machinery, but for West McKinley High School’s glee club, the ReWalk is a chance for one of its quieter stars to get a chance to use his legs again (and not just in a dream sequence like from season one’s “Dream On”). But hey, that’s Hollywood for ya. Or maybe it’s a Christmas miracle — with lots of singing! Yeah, that’s the ticket. A shame they didn’t break out into “Domo Arigato (Mr. Cybernetic Enhancement-o),” though. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Screen grabs: ReWalk helps Glee’s Artie Abrams put his best foot forward originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google: Chrome OS laptops won’t dual boot with Windows, live customer support for Cr-48 owners
December 8, 2010 No Comment
We know there’s a lot to digest after Google’s Chrome OS event today , but following the shindig we caught a few minutes with Google VP of Product Management Sundar Pichai. While he wouldn’t answer our questions about upcoming Chrome OS laptops — you know, the ones coming from partners such as Acer and Samsung in mid-2011 — he did tell us that those Atom-powered laptops won’t dual boot Windows. In fact, he told us that “certified” Chrome OS laptops won’t support dual boot environments at all. Of course, the Cr-48 has a root feature so it will likely be able to run Windows (assuming there’s enough flash storage), but it’s clear that major manufacturers won’t be shipping laptops with Google and Microsoft operating systems living side by side. With that said, we asked Sundar about one of the major concerns we’ve had about Chrome OS: customer support. (Some history here — we’ve heard from a few laptop manufacturers that Google’s lack of customer service for the computer OS is a major issue and a legitimate reservation). Sundar said that it’s a valid concern, but that the OS is incredibly simple and that Google doesn’t expect to have many confused or troubled customers when it’s ready for primetime. Nevertheless, Google will provide live support for those that receive a Cr-48 and help with any and all issues. No word on if that aid will continue past this limited pilot program, but we’re sure there will be more much more to come on all of this next year. Google: Chrome OS laptops won’t dual boot with Windows, live customer support for Cr-48 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Wondering about the state of Spotify in the United States? You’re not the only one, and Spotify CEO and co-found Daniel Ek was once again asked that key question at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference today. His response? The company does indeed still plan to launch the music streaming service in the US, but it can’t say when it will happen — he did confirm, however, that it will cost $10 a month. Ek further explained that the reason for the delay is due to the nature of the service, which requires “complex deals” with recording companies — there apparently wasn’t any mention of any other potential complicating factors . Spotify still planning to launch in the US… sometime originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG invents imaginary 1GHz processor requirement to say Optimus One won’t get Gingerbread
December 8, 2010 No Comment
So here’s the story: dude asks LG’s US mobile team on Facebook when the Optimus One — the basis for the various Optimus devices that have launched recently on American carriers — will be getting Android 2.3 . LG responds saying that “the minimum requirements for Gingerbread require 1 GHz processor,” hence, no update’s in the cards. Well, Android engineer Romain Guy took to Twitter to drop some knowledge, saying “there’s no hard minimum processor requirement for Gingerbread… trust me, if there were I’d know.” In other words, whoever’s manning the ship on LG’s Facebook account is under sorely underinformed or showed some awful judgment in choosing a lie to justify keeping the Optimus off the upgrade path. Sure, we can understand why LG wouldn’t want to temper excitement for a still-new smartphone line by telling buyers their phones won’t be receiving the next version of the platform, but the least they could’ve done is formulated a reasonable excuse, no? LG invents imaginary 1GHz processor requirement to say Optimus One won’t get Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …RIM’s Mike Lazaridis: QNX coming to BlackBerry phones when dual-core processors are ready
December 8, 2010 No Comment
Unfortunately, the crazy rumors that Google’s Nexus S would ship with a dual-core Orion processor didn’t pan out, which means we’re still waiting for a smartphone to ship with honest-to-goodness multicore silicon of any sort; it’s still unclear just how soon we’re going to see that wild dream come to fruition, but RIM’s Mike Lazaridis is talking like he wants to take the lead in making it happen. At D:Dive Into Mobile this evening , Waterloo’s outspoken co-CEO went on record that they’ll be taking the PlayBook’s QNX platform to smartphones just “as soon as [he has] dual core baseband CPUs,” though power consumption remains a limiting factor. At any rate, RIM seems to be fully acknowledging now both that QNX is a little too beefy for today’s smartphones and that BlackBerry OS isn’t quite beefy enough, which leaves these guys in a bit of a pinch until the dual-core revolution takes hold. RIM’s Mike Lazaridis: QNX coming to BlackBerry phones when dual-core processors are ready originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Phenom II X6 1100T review roundup: AMD’s fastest desktop processor to date
December 8, 2010 No Comment
When it comes to GPU and CPU releases, there are quantum leaps , and then there are baby steps. Based on the web’s collective views on AMD’s newest slab of silicon — the Phenom II X6 1100T — it seems as if this chip is a better example of the latter. According to TechSpot , the device “does little to improve upon the performance of AMD’s hexa-core CPU series, [but] it does help improve the value of these high-end desktop processors by making the 1090T BE model even cheaper.” By and large, that sentiment was mirrored throughout. Hot Hardware found that while it was easily “the fastest desktop processor released from AMD to date,” it still couldn’t topple Intel’s (admittedly more expensive) six-core chips in terms of performance. But of course, AMD rarely competes strictly on benchmarks — the 1100T lists for just $265, making it one of the more affordable desktop CPU options for this level of oomph. Those really looking for a bargain could snap up the now-deflated 1090T or 1075T, and while the bulk of the reviews below focus primarily on today’s new flagship, the 3.4GHz Phenom II X2 565 Black Edition ($115) and 3.3GHz Athlon II X3 455 ($87) are also touched on. Read – AnandTech Read – Hot Hardware Read – TechSpot Read – HardOCP Read – Firing Squad Read – Hexus Read – Legit Reviews Read – PC Perspective Phenom II X6 1100T review roundup: AMD’s fastest desktop processor to date originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’re starting right now… and Mike has the playbook. Continue reading Mike Lazaridis live at D: Dive Into Mobile (with the PlayBook!) Mike Lazaridis live at D: Dive Into Mobile (with the PlayBook!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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