All 4 Toys

Scientists discover method for rapid charging Li-ion batteries

Admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:30:14 +0000

Huzzah! Yet another discovery for us to add to our ever-expanding list of “awesome things that’ll never actually happen!” Ibrahim Abou Hamad and colleagues from Mississippi State University have reportedly devised a method of charging batteries that could hasten the process rather significantly, and better still, it could provide “an increase in battery power densities” as well. The only problem? Lithium-ion batteries have been disappointing tech users for years, and so long as Energizer and Duracell are calling the shots, we kind of doubt a lot will be done to improve the longevity of ‘em. Skepticism aside, the new method involves some fancy black magic surrounding molecular dynamics simulations, and researchers have found a way to boost charging time by “simulating the intercalation of lithium ions into the battery’s graphite anode.” We know we just went way over your heads on a Friday afternoon, but if techobabble’s your thing, all you can handle is right there in the Source link.

Scientists discover method for rapid charging Li-ion batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayStation Move will offer limited four player support

Admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:30:16 +0000

So you do your research, you read up on everything important about the PS3’s new Move controller, and you consider yourself well prepared for a future of wild merrymaking and multiplayer gaming parties. And then you find out you can’t use four full sets of controllers with your console. As it turns out, the PS3’s Bluetooth module is only fit to address up to seven wireless devices at a time, which poses something of a puzzler when you consider that you need a pair of Move controllers (or a Move plus a sub-controller) to get your money’s worth and four times two is, well, a number greater than seven. Perturbed by this, Gizmodo contacted Sony for an official response and the news gets even worse:

Four PlayStation Move controllers can connect to a PS3 at one time (or two PlayStation Move Controllers and 2 PlayStation Move sub-controllers).

That basically means you can have the full Move experience with only one friend, or you can share out the wands and have that tiny bit less fun with a quartet. Not a problem for the misanthropes out there — or most people really — but an important limitation to be aware of, nonetheless.

PlayStation Move will offer limited four player support originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung YP-R1 And Samsung YP-R0 PMP To Available In The US Soon

Admin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:30:16 +0000

Samsung is going to release a couple of portable media players in the U.S from April, the Samsung R1 and Samsung R0, each PMPs will be available in 8GB and 16GB storage capacities. Both PMPs incorporating the Samsungs Digital Natural Sound Engine (DNSe) 3.0 sound enhancement technology and supports a range of popular formats including DivX, XviD, H.264 and WMV. The only difference is that the R1 packs a 2.4-inch LCD touchscreen display with an user-friendly drag and drop feature, Bluetooth connectivity, FM tuner, and a rechargeable battery that provides up to 50 hours of audio playback or 4 hours of video. As for the R0 is a premium device with a stylish design, convenient user interface and exceptional multimedia capabilities. It features 2.6 TFT LCD screen with Drag & Drop functionality, MicroSD memory slot, Black, Silver or Pink of colors, and offers up to 6 hours of video playback.

Pricing :

R1 (8GB) $149.99
R1 (16GB) $179.99
R0 (8GB) $99.99
R0 (16GB) $129.99

[ Via ITechnews ]

DARPA looking to develop iPhone and Android apps, App Store

Admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:30:16 +0000

Sure, in the past we’ve got a hearty chuckle out of initiatives that involved Redfly terminals and Clippy variants, but the question remains: how can we get cutting-edge tech into the hands of soldiers faster? We’ve recently come across some RFIs for DARPA projects aimed at developing apps and an App Store for Android and the iPhone OS, with two in particular — Mobile Apps for the Military (DARPA-SN-10-27), and Transformative Apps (DARPA-BAA-10-41) — catching our eye. The agency is calling for apps for battlefield, humanitarian, and disaster recovery missions, including command and control, mission planning, surveillance, reconnaissance, and language translation. Of course, if you start taking commercial smartphones out to the field there’s the small matter of network coverage — if you thought that getting a reliable connection in midtown Manhattan was an issue, what about downtown Kabul? Looks like DARPA also has plans for a military that brings its own towers with them, light-weight mobile base stations that could create a “secure mobile tactical network … compatible with commercial smartphones.” What do you think? Looking to help your country out, make a bit of money, or maybe a little of both? Check the links below to start your lucrative career as a military contractor. And tell ‘em Engadget sent you.

DARPA looking to develop iPhone and Android apps, App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer DJM-2000 digital mixer sports multitouch screen, per-frequency mixing delight

Admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:30:14 +0000

Ready to graduate from DJ Hero? Got a house payment handy? Then Pioneer would like to show you the way to the pros. Say hello to the DJM-2000, a four-channel digital mixer built around a 5.8-inch multitouch screen and sporting enough knobs, buttons and sliders for a NASA launch sequence. Designed to play nice with the matching CDJ-2000 players Pioneer released last year, the unit features an integrated audio effects suite with six dedicated processors and several intriguing modes for multitouch music control. While the mixer has the traditional crossfade slider that allows DJs to assign a certain percentage of the output to channels on the left and right, the DJM-2000 debuts with “frequency mix,” a mode that lets DJs assign within seven narrow frequency bands as well by manipulating virtual sliders on the touchscreen, and a “sidechain remix” mode that uses the screen to apply custom effects in real time. Yeah, it’s not as wild as some other touchscreen DJ rigs we’ve seen, but at least this one’s for sale: Pioneer says the mixer will retail for $3000 this June. Droolworthy video demonstrations after the break.

Continue reading Pioneer DJM-2000 digital mixer sports multitouch screen, per-frequency mixing delight

Pioneer DJM-2000 digital mixer sports multitouch screen, per-frequency mixing delight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentax 645D Medium Format Digital SLR Camera

Admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:30:13 +0000

Pentax just rolled out their 645D medium format DSLR camera, where it will holds a title as the company first digital version 645 medium format camera system, featuring a 40-megapixel sensor, 44 x 33 CCD sensor, 921k pixel 3-inch LCD, Dual SD/SDHC memory card slots, and compatible with existing 645 system lenses. The camera will be powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which can capture approximately 800 images when fully charged. The Pentax 645D is scheduled to available in Japan from May 2010 and will purportedly retail at 850,000 (about $9,400).

[ Via Dpreview ]

Martin Jetpack priced at $86,000, mere mortals will soon be able to buy one too

Admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:30:12 +0000

Tired of the limited legroom, bad food, and worse movies you have to put up with during a flight? Well, it’s time to bust out your company credit card and get yourself a Martin Jetpack, which has just become the first commercially available jetpack. Driven by a pair of washing machine-sized fans strapped to your back, this personal transporter will give you a pretty cool 30 minutes of flight time and comes with a bunch of redundancy systems to ensure any mistakes don’t turn fatal. The rotors are built out of a carbon / Kevlar composite and are powered by a two-liter V4 two-stroke engine capable of delivering 200hp (or 150kW). Good old gasoline is the fuel of choice here and private individuals are expected to be offered the chance to fulfill every geek and geekette’s dream later this year. Just make sure you have $86,000 lying around to fund it.

Martin Jetpack priced at $86,000, mere mortals will soon be able to buy one too originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony signs up all six major studios for HD movies on PlayStation Network

Admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:30:12 +0000

Well, it looks like Sony has a little treat for PS3 users now that they’re able to turn their consoles back on — it’s just announced that it has signed up all six major studios to deliver HD movies on the PlayStation Network (the first company to do so, as Sony is happy to point out). That includes 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and, of course, Sony Pictures Entertainment, which combined have an initial slate of 19 HD movies available to buy or rent — including “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Star Trek,” “District 9,” “Inglourious Basterds,” and “The Wizard of Oz,” to name a few. Those are only available in the US at the moment, but Sony says it plans to also roll them out to the U.K., France, Germany, and Spain “soon.”

Sony signs up all six major studios for HD movies on PlayStation Network originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Onyko TX-SR608 3D/HDMI 4.1 Receiver

Admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:30:12 +0000

Onyko presents the TX-SR608 receiver, where it feature HDMI 1.4 capability, offering six inputs with repeater as well as single HDMI output that ability to passing 3D video, and upscale to 1080p. Set to available on April for $599, the Onkyo TX-SR608 also decoded all HD audio formats utilize the 192kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown DACs. It has Dual subwoofer outputs as well as 7 x 160W output.

The new TX-SR608 7.2-channel THX-Select2 Plus certified receiver has new power amplifier section that uses three-stage inverted Darlington output topology, and a power boost from 90 to 100 watts. Audyssey DSX dimensional sound processing has been added to its predecessor’s Dolby PLIIz capabilities. Additionally, all video sources, including those using the new PC input, and regardless of source resolution, can be upscaled to big and beautiful 1080p via HDMI and Faroudja DCDi Cinema. The TX-SR608 will also include a front HDMI input, a feature first introduced by Onkyo in 2009. The TX-SR608 will be available in April at an MSRP of $599.

[ Via Gizmodo ]

The iPad introduction video, as captioned by Google

Admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:30:12 +0000

Hey remember that feel-good iPad introduction video with the Ben Folds cover of “Just Like Heaven” Apple posted on launch day? Yeah, well you’re going to remember the hell out of it once you watch it with Google’s auto-transcription enabled on YouTube. Trust us, you owe yourself these few moments of absurdity.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Gallery: The iPad introduction video, as captioned by Google

The iPad introduction video, as captioned by Google originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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