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Engadget

Scientists get death threats over Large Hadron Collider

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Really people, enough is enough. Death threats? Seriously? According to a fresh report from the Telegraph, gurus working on the mysterious Large Hadron Collider are receiving all sorts of strange messages, e-mails and faxes as the go-live date (this Wednesday, supposedly) draws ever closer. For those curious about why some folks are up in arms over this thing, we’ll simply point you to this very informational rap video; for those opposed to nerdy hip-hop, let’s just say its primary goal is to “seek out new particles including the long-awaited Higgs boson responsible for making things weigh what they do and the possible source of gravity called dark matter.” Somehow or another, the paranoid among us think that carrying out those tasks will rip the world wide open or leave you stuck in 1990 with nothing in your CD player but Ice Ice Baby. Okay, so maybe that last scenario is worth getting worked up about.

[Via TGDaily]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

PSP and 360 Chatpad are a match hacked in heaven

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Some dedicated hackers have finally managed to get the PSP and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Chatpad typing. There are still a few kinks to smooth out, but the hard part seems over, with l0rdnic0 managing a tiny bit of soldiering using a PSP remote cable and some software from the Open Keyboard Project. It’s all still pretty nerdy at the moment, and we’re still miffed at that Logic 3 getting cancelled way back when, but we suppose this will have to do.

Continue reading PSP and 360 Chatpad are a match hacked in heaven

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Touching tale of heartbreak promotes Lenovo S10, rends our hearts in twain

Filed under: Laptops

While we’ve been dealing with short-form ad fare in the States, China’s gone all artsy on us, with Lenovo releasing a short film to promote its S9 / S10 netbook. We won’t ruin the plot for you — the dialogue is all in Chinese, so it’s not like we could — but suffice it to say that the Lenovo S10 and unrequited love play major roles.

[Thanks, Patrick]

Continue reading Touching tale of heartbreak promotes Lenovo S10, rends our hearts in twain

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Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet is now up for grabs

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

You know you want one. Sure, Archos isn’t tops when it comes to sexy, but there’s enough technical doohickery in these new Archos 5 “Internet Media Tablets” to keep you busy for a while — and they’re now shipping. C’mon, live a little. It’s only $350 for 60GB of fun, $400 for 120GB and $450 for 250GB. They’re practically giving these things away.

[Thanks, Pierre B.]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mitsubishi’s 65-inch LaserVue priced at CEDIA: $6,999

Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Mitsubishi has been trickling out details for its mysterious LaserVue HDTV for months now, but at long last, we finally know the most pertinent piece. Reportedly, the 65-inch set — which was seen lookin’ mighty fine on the CEDIA floor, by the way — will retail for $6,999 when it ships to Select Diamond retailers at the end of this month. The forthcoming 73-inch version doesn’t have a price / release date just yet, but given the way we’ve found things out about its smaller sibling, we can’t say we’re shocked in the least.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Modder shoves VIA EPIA-based PC into 15-inch LCD, calls her i-EPIA

Filed under: Desktops

Okay, so maybe those all-in-one PCs have their positives, but seriously, who really looks forward to paying good money for something that’s so impossible to upgrade? Tim Schellekens sure doesn’t, and rather than biting the bullet, he chose to snap up one of VIA’s EPIA motherboards, an old school 15-inch LCD and a bit of fiberglass. The four pages waiting for you in the read link detail the transformation, and while we personally wouldn’t have gone to such extremes (buying two monitors to get one?) just to craft our own web surfing desktop, we definitely admire the dedication. Behold, i-EPIA.

[Thanks, Ewan]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

D90 unboxed in semi-secretive fashion

Filed under: Digital Cameras

If one thing’s clear, this D90 thingy is ready to go. We just got our second set of in-store pictures (thanks, Best Buy!), but these ones include the camera itself, rid of its pesky packaging. Street date is apparently tomorrow, with that $1,299 price standing firm.

Gallery: D90 unboxed in semi-secretive fashion

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Crapgadget: pathetic peripherals on parade

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Seriously, our hands are trembling at the mere thought of having to actually use any of these shameful peripherals. A camera that takes the good with the (mostly) bad? A star-shaped mouse guaranteed to accelerate the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome by 409%? A USB fan that blatantly lies about purifying the hot air coming from that clogged up tower of yours? All present and accounted for, sir, and that’s not even the half of ‘em. We have all ideas you too would want to keep your digits far, far away from any of the disasters linked below, but give the list a look and let us know which one you think is the most pitiful of all.

Read - Mouse pad / USB hub / mic
Read - USB Whack It
Read - Yang Ying Camera
Read - Star Mouse
Read - Key-shaped USB key
Read - Totally original touchscreen MP3 player
Read - USB fan with super-secret germ killing powers

View Poll

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Windows Gurus to infiltrate retail stores, tell you why Vista rules

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

In case you missed the completely baffling Gates / Seinfeld ad, here’s the skinny: Microsoft is getting serious about polishing the tarnished Vista brand (it’s words, not ours). According to new reports, that aforementioned spot is just the beginning of Redmond’s costly push to “change consumers’ perception of Windows,” and soon you’ll be seeing Microsoft Gurus in your favorite B&M locations. These so-called experts will be there to “explain the benefits of Windows,” but we’re not sure if they’ll only be around to answer inquiries or if they’ll be actively approaching you in an uncomfortable attempt to talk about Aero and ReadyBoost. We’re hearing that some 155 representatives will be deployed before the year’s end at stores like Best Buy and Circuit City, so at least you now know where not to shop if you’re terrified of confrontation.

[Via Electronista, image courtesy of StarBulletin]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sony’s A900 DSLR caught in the wild

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Apparently, not only is Sony’s fancy new full-frame DSLR — the A900 — showing up in ad leaks all across the interblogs, but it’s been caught with its lens cover down in real life. An eagle-eyed forum poster managed to snag shots of what appear to be the camera in action, taken in Belgium this August doing what it does best… snapping pictures. There’s not much more to say, but this should thoroughly wet your whistle for the model’s forthcoming introduction, which we can only imagine will be happening sometime around the upcoming Photokina.

[Via Digital Photography Review; Thanks, Douglas]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Intel hoping to get Larrabee within next-gen Xbox?

Filed under: Gaming

Quite honestly, there’s absolutely zero proof that Intel and Microsoft are yapping it up in regard to Larrabee, but considering just how logical it sounds, we couldn’t help but pass along the latest whispers surrounding the two. According to those fabled “industry insiders,” The Inquirer has it that Intel is currently on bended knee asking Microsoft to integrate Larrabee into the next-generation Xbox. If it were to land such a deal, developers would — in essence — be forced to develop for Larrabee given the need for console titles, which could then make things all the easier for Intel on the PC side. Like we said, this is all speculatory for now, but so long as the dots continue to connect, we’ll at least give this one a fighting chance at materializing.

[Via Joystiq]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Supposed iPod nano 4G really unboxed

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

There you have it, more supposed iPod nano 4G love, unboxed and wearing a distinctive iPod nano 2G lime-colored coat. Must be cold in the house that fruit built from all these leaks.

Update: As noted in the comments, that 2G-style coloring is matched with an old-style squeeze-connector iPod cable, making this leak, at least, highly suspect.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Microsoft job posting hints at cross-platform Zune environment?

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Gaming, Laptops, Portable Audio, Portable Video

We’ve heard Microsoft make vague references for some time about a Zune-like experience involving non-Zune devices (Windows Mobile phones, Xboxen), and it looks like they may be making real moves in that direction. A recent job posting from Redmond for a “Software Development Engineer in Test” calls on someone who “dream[s] about having a mobile phone based entertainment experience powered by a unified entertainment service across devices such as Zune, Xbox and PC.” Someone, the ad reads, who will, “create a ‘Connected Entertainment’ experience, realized through the Zune service, that spans multiple devices such as Zune, Xbox, PC and Mobile phones.” Sure, it’s not exactly a bold-faced advertisement for a cross-platform Zune environment — but it’s pretty damn close.

[Thanks, Ryan]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wakamaru robot to help / freak out UNIQLO SoHo shoppers

Filed under: Robots

Shopping robots aren’t totally unheard of from a global perspective, but we certainly haven’t seen too many out and about in NY boutiques. Reportedly, that’s about to change — UNIQLO SoHo will soon be home to Mitsubishi’s Wakamaru, a humanoid that can look you in the eye, communicate on a very basic level and somehow help you decide between this dress or that other one over there. Word on the street has it arriving sometime next week, so if any of you regulars happen to see it, let us know just how convincing it is / isn’t.

[Via TokyoMango]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Energy Ball wind turbine captures energy for the home

Filed under: Household

As much as we prefer a good old-fashioned bird-killin’ three blade wind turbine, apparently they cause a bit too much vibration and disturbance for regular home use. That’s where the Energy Ball comes in, with its spherical shape that captures wind less obtrusively and yet more efficiently. At least that’s what we’re told, we’re a bit short on details. We do know that it’s in the prototype stages and was designed by Swedish company Home Energy, who claims their smallest Energy Ball can provide about 15% of the necessary energy to power the average Swedish home.

[Via Inhabitat]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments