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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
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Filed under: Features, Robots
Ah, Pleo. The world's freshest, friendliest and most unpredictable robot dinosaur. At first glance, it's hard to imagine changing anything about this bundle of cuteness, but for the loyal souls that waited through agonizing months of delays and kept the faith when everyone else was crying vaporware, we're sure they've got a few pointers for improvement. Granted, those who fell head over heels for this creature as soon as the first press shot surfaced may simply be thrilled to finally have one roaming around the backyard, but for demanding fossil collector, those sentiments aren't enough to satisfy.
Now that the holiday rush is over and normalcy is slowly returning, we're giving those mettlesome early adopters a shot at tweaking this blast from the past. How could UGOBE have made this prehistoric monster a bit more enjoyable? Maybe toss in some WD-40 for those über-noisy gears? What about throwing in a digestive system to take care of those crumbs the kids drop at supper? Or maybe just blessing it with an IQ slightly higher than a loggerhead turtle? Truth be told, even we think there's plenty to love about Pleo, but as you've seen, we've been stumped by its actions on more than one occasion. Thankfully, Pleo's maker is already on the ball with regard to updates, but who's to say you can't toss in some input for upgrades yet to materialize? Go on, be honest with yourself -- just make sure your dino is sound asleep before crushing its feelings, okay? Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
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Filed under: Tablet PCs  It's been a hot minute since we've seen a new entrant in the long-standing Scribbler lineup from Electrovaya, so we're fairly stoked to see the SC4000 sneak up on us from behind the monster that is CES. This particular tablet is home to an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor, a fingerprint scanner, 1.3-megapixel camera, Windows Vista, integrated Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g WiFi, 60GB - 160GB hard drive and between 1GB and 4GB of RAM. You'll also enjoy the optional sunlight readable 12.1-inch XGA display, lightweight (3.3-pounds) design and ultrathin (0.85-inch) chassis. No word on a price just yet, but you can certainly phone up the firm's sales team for a quote if you're already sold.
[Via MobileWhack] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Gotta love those vague, suggestive statements Apple puts on its event banners before the big show. This year's Macworld Expo banners read "There's something in the air" -- but even if that something isn't a whole lot of new wireless / cellular gear, there's certainly no shortage of breathable hype.
[Photo courtesy of Andrew S.] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
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Filed under: CES, Features, Misc. Gadgets
Sure, it's been out for a little while, but considering how many Engadget editors play guitar (and the fact that Pete just started RCRD LBL), we figured we had to stop by Gibson's booth-bus complex and give the Robot Guitar a shot. The self-tuning axe actually weighs a little less than a regular Les Paul, even though it has gigantic motorized tuners and all that extra circuitry. To activate the system, you pull out a special tone knob and select one of the eight or so presets, and then simply strum until the lights flash blue three times. It's really fast, and undeniably cool, but for nine hundred extra bucks, we'll stick with our trusty TU-12. Video's after the break -- and make sure to check out the gallery for a shot of the weirdest thing we've seen in a while: eight dudes all plugged into Line6 Pods and headphones, rocking out quietly in a circle.
Continue reading Video: Hands-on with Gibson's Robot Guitar Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
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Filed under: Cellphones, CES
While wandering around the "International" wing of this year's CES, we stumbled upon a number of questionable (and familiar) items. One line of products that stood out, however, was a company offering a modular solution for adding GSM capability to a wide variety of devices. Using what appears to be a proprietary type of connector, the SIM-ready card can imbue an assortment of gadgets (phone, e-book reader, GPS... teddy bear) with GSM functionality. It's unclear whether this technology is being deployed overseas (or at all), and whether or not we'll see it Stateside (doubtful), but it does take a novel approach to cell-ing up your gear.
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 11 January 2008 |
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Filed under: CES, Handhelds
We got a chance to fondle the non-Menlow Amtek U560 / Aigo UMPC on the floor of this year's CES, and we've got the pictures to prove it. The XP-running portable had a solid build, though the mechanism for sliding the screen felt a bit janky, and the overall size is possibly more than you want, especially with all the Menlow hotness coming our way this year. Perhaps a gallery of photos might help? Yeah, we thought so.
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