From the category archives:
Universal Studios has announced plans to add a series of iPhone and iPod touch-enabled features on its upcoming Blu-ray releases.
These will enable access to exclusive interactive content through the mobile devices – starting with the Blu-ray release of the box-office smash Fast & Furious on July 28th.
Continue reading Universal Adds iPhone/iPod Features to Blu-ray Titles
Originally appeared on HDTV.biz-news.com :: Latest HDTV Business News on 23/07/2009
Vivitek has signalled its intention to penetrate the US home-theater projector market with the unveiling of its latest FullHD 1080p home-theater projector.
The H1080FD FullHD model, which is based on Texas Instruments’ S450 chip/light-engine design, will go on sale in August for a price of USD $999.
Continue reading Vivitek Targets US With $999 1080p DLP Projector
Originally appeared on HDTV.biz-news.com :: Latest HDTV Business News on 23/07/2009
If you knew anything about me, you’d know that I should probably have stock in Coca Cola since I drink so much of the stuff. I know, I know, worst thing for me. But it’s the one vice I allow myself. Considering a can of Diet Coke can run you over a buck these days, the cost can not only add up, but it’s one of the largest profit margins there is in the snack world next to popcorn. So, how can you lower your costs and still get your soda pop fix? Look no further than SodaStream.
The SodaStream Soda Maker kits can reduce the cost of soft drinks to about a quarter a can, and it uses ordinary tap water to do it in less than a minute. The kit comes with six different flavors to reproduce your favorite drinks and a carbonator which injects carbon dioxide through the jet soda maker into the mix to give your drink that fizz. Also included are 2 reusable bottles (even BPA free) and a 3 year warranty.
Hat Tip – The Grid
Jay Leno is more than just a former host of the tonight show, or even a stand up comic. Jay is a car nut, and his has quite an impressive collection of automobiles from sports cars to trucks, to even tank like vehicles which are hybrids. But Jay also has some very old original automobiles with engines that have no replacement parts. And when one recently went down for good, it looked as if one of his cars would never run again. Then he got the idea to use a computer and 3D printer to make his own replacement parts. And it worked.
The part was a slide, or “D” vale from his 1907 White Steamer engine which had been used so much, that the metal had become porous, leaking oil and steam everywhere. Knowing that welding up any holes wouldn’t only do further damage, Leno and his mechanics used the NextEngine 3D scanner and Dimension 3D printer to scan the original part, make the necessary repairs digitally, and then simply reprint the part back. The Dimension 3D printer printed an exact copy of the part in plastic, which was then used to create a mold to recast the part back in it’s original form.
This 3D printer costs $15,000 and makes parts from plastic. But prices are starting to drop.
But parts aren’t the only thing. The printer means that obsolete tools used to work on the engines can also be fabricated digitally in the same fashion. These tools aren’t cheap, with the NextEngine scanner costing around $3K and the 3D printer running $15K. But it’s easy to envision services where it can be done far cheaper until the prices drop for every day use.
So, as time creates wider gaps between technology and real world use, gadgets like 3D scanners and printers are certain to close that gap to keep them running and in prime shape!
Hat Tip – Red Ferret
I always appreciate the awesome designs that are completely mind blowing. However, sometimes it’s nice to show a little appreciation for the simpler designs. After all, they are the ones you’re more likely to see hitting the stores and making your day to day life a little bit more convenient on a regular basis. Yes, the over the top designs have their purpose, but so do the everyday ones. This clock definitely falls under the simpler designs, but it would make things a little easier. Hang it on the wall and then you can write down quick notes for you or your loved ones.
It would thankfully make it possible to have less items cluttering up your wall space. With this you’d just need this instead of a clock was well as a message board. It’d be great for anything from your kitchen to having it hung within your office to remind you of meetings. Sadly this is of course still a design, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one make it to stores.
Source: Gizmodiva
For those of you with a his and hers type bathroom, this toothbrush sanitizer would be the perfect fit. There are several different types of toothbrush sanitizers out there, you just have to find the right one for your bathroom. If there are only two of you that use the bathroom, then this one would work out great. It sanitizes two toothbrushes at once, but no more than that.
It also of course stores them away inside of a protective area. Which means no germs will get on your toothbrush from laying out on the bathroom counter top. That’s especially nice if you’re aware of how many germs get tossed into the air every single time someone flushes the toilet. The UV technology will destroy up to 99.9% of germs that it comes in contact with. The sanitizer runs on batteries, although they don’t state what type. You can purchase it for $39.95 through Amazon, which isn’t really too bad of a price.
Source: GadgetGrid
I?ve reported on Digital Foci products before, and they are a company that does not disappoint when it comes to their digital photo frames. The Digital Foci Photo Book is no exception to that rule.
The Photo Book PBK-080 harkens back to the days when people stored their photos in quality albums. It has a leather-like case that magnetically seals, and, once fully charged, the user is free to download his or her photos through memory cards or by USB flash drives to internal memory.
The downloading was quite simple as it recognized my photo folders from my thumb drive right away, and they copied and pasted into the Photo Book for permanent storage. There is about 4GB worth of storage on the device itself, and it can even do video.
I found that the Photo book arranged my photos in a very classy way, and even had music. I?m not certain how to change the music, but I was able to do some pretty cool slideshows that looked very good on its 8-inch screen.
In short, the Photo Book from Digital Foci is the perfect gift for anyone in the family who is into collecting old photos or scrapbooking. It is also a very professional tool for those who want to make business presentations as well. You should be able to purchase it at the Digital Foci site for about $189.00
I’ve never really had a ton of USB items that needed plugged in, but even with as few as I have, it can be extremely frustrating when you run out of ports. Then you get an extra hub and of course, that one fills up eventually. So although you may not really need 10 different USB ports, you’re just giving yourself the option to have a lot plugged in at once. It’s always better to have too many USB ports rather than too few.
The Elecom Compact 10 Port USB Hub would definitely leave plenty of breathing room to grow. Which would be especially nice for those that have a family computer. You could leave more plugged in and not have to worry about anyone fighting over who gets to use the spare port to charge their camera or iPod. The USB Hub comes in three different colors, you can purchase it in either black, silver or white. You can find it for ¥ 9,500.00 or about $101 from Geek Stuff 4 U, which might be a little more than some are willing to spend just for a little extra convenience.
Source: GeekyGadgets
I?m not certain how this pedal-powered monorail system got to be called the Shweeb, but I don?t really care. And you got to admit, it is a very cool invention for something that rhymes with ?dweeb?.
I mean, who wouldn?t want to travel in a transparent monorail car that moves not by machine, but by the user?s command? So go ahead and make those phone calls and text messages while you are behind the wheel. All you have to worry about is the car in front of you, and you can stop anytime. By the way, the Shweeb ?car? moves faster than an ordinary bike.
Just to let you know, there is no plans to implement the Shweeb as a new system of mass transit. I?m sure a lot of you are going ?Awww? right now, and that is completely understandable, because it sure looks like a lot of fun.
Still, single riders on one rail? That would never work in big cities. Can you imagine the traffic if someone died in mid-pedaling? Better to use moving sidewalks and plastic air tubes like on cartoons such as The Jetsons and Futurama.
However, if you want to ride the Shweeb, all you need to do is go to the Agroventures Adventure Park in Rotorua, New Zealand. It will cost about $30 to go on this three-lap ride, though.
I thought that Samsung was cool with its New Touchscreen Vending Machine. Little did I know that design company Bsquare was working on a Soda Fountain that is far more advanced.
Bsquare?s soda dispenser is also a touchscreen, but this one is designed to give the user over 100 flavors. Some of these flavors are ones that I have never heard of here in the U.S., like Raspberry Coca-Cola and Grape Vault. See a video for it after the jump.
If you have ever worked at a restaurant with a soda fountain, then you know the necessity of changing out the carbonated water and sweeteners. I remember when I was working at a pizza restaurant, and I had to haul a huge canister of Coke syrup when we ran out of Coca-Cola. The Bsquare soda fountain doesn?t use that technology, as it uses ?highly concentrated flavor cartridges with microdosing technology?. I’m sure that would have saved me a lot of labor back then.
One of the best parts of Bsquare?s soda dispenser is that it is connected to the net. That means restaurants can order more supplies as needed from the soda fountain itself, and they can download new ?recipes? of cola as they come.
Well, this is definitely something that will be seen in restaurants of the future, but what if I want a Pepsi?