Lightning photographed by superfast X-ray camera, Nikola Tesla nods with approval
December 28, 2010 No Comment
You know, we could just leave you with the image above and be done here, but its backstory is almost as cool. Researchers at the Florida Institute of Technology have built a 1,500-pound X-ray camera that can shoot ten million frames a second and then pointed it at a nearby flash of lightning to try and learn more about it. How did they know where the lightning would strike? Well, in true scientific fashion, they caused it themselves! This was done by shooting rockets into thunderstorms, with attached wires directing the flow of energy down into their target zone. The imagery produced from the X-ray sensor is actually extremely low-res — a 30-pixel hexagonal grid is all you get — but it’s enough to show that X-ray radiation is concentrated at the tip of the lightning bolt. What good that knowledge will do for the world, we don’t know, but we’re sure it’ll provide nice fodder for the next round of superhero empowerment stories. Lightning photographed by superfast X-ray camera, Nikola Tesla nods with approval originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Schiit Audio reveals gorgeous six-watt Lyr headphone amplifier, dares you to touch 11
December 28, 2010 No Comment
Just kidding. In fact, Schiit Audio won’t be responsible if you do wind it to 11 and blow the ear tips right off of your favorite canalphones. The drop-dead sexy box that you’re peering at above is the Lyr, a hybrid (tube-MOSFET) headphone amplifier that claims to have zero feedback and more power than most headphones will ever have use for. This guy’s pumping out six solid watts into 32 ohms, while loads of rivals are dabbling in milliwatts . It’s relying on JJ ECC88 tubes for the input stage and touts less than 0.1 percent THD, and it’ll be produced in the US of A using components that were also primarily sourced from American suppliers. It’s expected to start shipping in March of 2011, but those already sold on it can commit $449 to a pre-order. And before you ask — yes, the company name is hilarious. Ha. Ha. Continue reading Schiit Audio reveals gorgeous six-watt Lyr headphone amplifier, dares you to touch 11 Schiit Audio reveals gorgeous six-watt Lyr headphone amplifier, dares you to touch 11 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 06:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Samsung’s obsession with making the world’s thinnest Blu-ray player hasn’t abated and the company’s now announced plans to slim things down even further with a 23mm-thick unit to be unveiled at CES 2011. What we know of it so far is that it’ll be able to both play back native 3D content and convert 2D to “quasi-3D,” it’ll come encased in a metallic, wall-mountable chassis, and it’ll feature the now familiar trimmings of YouTube, Facebook and Twitter integration. Pricing and availability are obviously still under wraps, but CES is next week, you can wait that long, can’t you? Samsung readies 23mm-thick 3D Blu-ray player for CES unveiling originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 05:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …CCTV cameras help solve ‘six crimes a day’ in London, says Metropolitan Police
December 28, 2010 No Comment
Been questioning the value of having omnipresent surveillance cameras tracking your every move? Well, if you’re an outlaw, you still won’t like them, but for the rest of us law-abiding types, London’s Metropolitan Police has a comforting stat to share: almost six crimes a day are being resolved with the help of CCTV footage. It’s being used primarily to aid the identification of perps on the run, and the number of suspects identified as a result has gone up to 2,512 this year. There is a bright light for criminals, however, as the Met admits digital recordings aren’t kept around as long as VHS ones used to be, meaning that if you slip the dragnet once, you’ll probably be alright. So good news for everyone! CCTV cameras help solve ‘six crimes a day’ in London, says Metropolitan Police originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Seems like all these CES vendors have wised up to the fact that announcing their new products amidst a maelstrom of new product announcements tends to be slightly counterproductive. So, naturally, they’re spending their December carefully teasing out little pre-release details. It’s ASUS’ turn today, who clearly isn’t content just telling us about its Eee Pad / Slate / Tablet / Chopping Board and has decided to dish out some candid hardware shots. What we see above is a USB 3.0 port embedded within a very slinky keyboard panel, which itself seems attached to a touchscreen display (with Android buttons !) up top. It’s looking more like a tablet PC (presumably with a pivoting screen) than a tablet , which is corroborated by other images at the source link. Two devices are included in this teaser picture set, with the other looking like it has a slider keyboard (see it after the break) — none of it is definitive just yet, but it makes for a good guessing game to fill the time until the big show kicks off in Vegas next week. Continue reading ASUS teases Eee Pad and Eee Slate ahead of CES launch ASUS teases Eee Pad and Eee Slate ahead of CES launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG Xnote P210 claims ‘world’s thinnest bezel’ title, our undying appreciation
December 28, 2010 No Comment
If there’s one thing we appreciate more than pixel density , it’s slim bezels . LG, a traditional enemy of unsightly frames , is today staking its claim for having the world’s thinnest bezel on a laptop with the new Xnote P210. This 12.5-inch machine is said to fit within the footprint of an 11.6-incher, but before you start throwing insults like “netbook” around the place, do take note it has a dual-core Core i5-470UM processor inside — capable of running between 1.33GHz and 1.86GHz — 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB HDD. The LED-backlit display’s resolution isn’t specified beyond a note saying it’s “HD,” while Windows 7 Home Premium is the predictable OS of choice. Look for the P210 to hit Korea in February for around 1.3 million won (about $1,135), but don’t hold your breath on it coming Stateside for anything other than a flying trade show visit. Continue reading LG Xnote P210 claims ‘world’s thinnest bezel’ title, our undying appreciation LG Xnote P210 claims ‘world’s thinnest bezel’ title, our undying appreciation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint adheres to its roadmap, turns on WiMAX in San Francisco Bay Area
December 28, 2010 No Comment
Technically speaking, it’s not actually the 28th of December in the Bay Area yet, but Sprint’s already out in front with its announcement that WiMAX connectivity has been activated in and around the city of San Francisco. We were promised this development exactly three weeks ago, back when Los Angeles and Washington DC were first familiarizing themselves with the glorious new speed, and today the Bay Area, which also includes San Jose, Palo Alto and Oakland, adds to a total of 71 metropolitan markets that have been lit up with Sprint’s finest wireless offering. Guess Verizon had better start fast and keep running if it wants to keep up, eh? Continue reading Sprint adheres to its roadmap, turns on WiMAX in San Francisco Bay Area Sprint adheres to its roadmap, turns on WiMAX in San Francisco Bay Area originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 02:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Arduino, iPod touch turns an LCD into a browser-based sketch pad (video)
December 28, 2010 No Comment
Of all the Arduino projects we’ve seen ’round here, this is certainly one of them! Using nothing but a Graphics LCD, an Arduino, and a WebSocket server he wrote using Python / Tornado, this young engineer created a system that allows him to connect to the server with his iPod touch (or any browser, we suppose — although he’s apparently only tested this with Chrome on his desktop PC) and draw a design on the web browser. In turn, his movements are recreated on the LCD. Pretty mean feat, if you ask us. If you’d like to marvel at his code — or even try it out for yourself — hit up the source link. If not, be sure to at least check out the thing in action. Video after the break. Continue reading Arduino, iPod touch turns an LCD into a browser-based sketch pad (video) Arduino, iPod touch turns an LCD into a browser-based sketch pad (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BMW Connected app hits iOS App Store, ‘Apps’ function hitting vehicles next year
December 28, 2010 No Comment
Like son, like father? Evidently that’s exactly how things are playing out, with papa BMW following the footsteps of MINI in the run-up to 2011. Just days after the MINI Connected app found itself situated in the App Store, a BMW Connected app has done likewise. The software itself is free to download, but you’ll need a 6NR-equipped Bimmer to take advantage. From what we can gather, you’ll have to fork out €150 or so for the Apps option, but sadly, there are two costly prerequisites to that: a €3,800 navigation option and a €400 USB interface. In other words, we get the impression that existing BMW owners are out of luck. If you’ve got the magic concoction (available from March 2011), you’ll be able to access web radio stations, hear your Twitter and Facebook updates aloud and control your music via the iDrive setup. That is, until iOS 4.3 goes and breaks compatibility with everything, forever. Joy, joy. BMW Connected app hits iOS App Store, ‘Apps’ function hitting vehicles next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’re still a ways off from living our dream iPod nano watch scenarios , but here’s a small step in the right direction. As the story goes, on a flight home James Whelton booted up an iPod nano with a modified SpringBoard plist file that “removed” an app from the screens and replaced it with a blank space. What does this mean? Not much at this point, but it could provide a pathway to further hacking, jailbreaking, and yes, writing and installing those dream apps that make this a great wrist accessory. Video proof after the break. Continue reading iPod nano hack nixes an app, can’t add your own yet iPod nano hack nixes an app, can’t add your own yet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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