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Eyes-on with LG's NB41 Blu-ray NAS

Engadget - 1 hour 3 min ago

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Sure, it's just network attached storage, but somehow, someway, LG's dressed its NB41 Blu-ray burnin'' NAS with just enough sex, just enough appeal to coax this helpless editor into risking security's ire just to grab a few pre-IFA snaps. It's bigger than we expected -- mini-tower PC big -- but we guess those four 1TB disks need plenty of ventilation. Just check that reflection in the mirror for a sense of scale.

Gallery: Eyes-on with LG's NB41 Blu-ray NAS

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LG injects 7000-series HDTVs with Bluetooth at IFA

Engadget - 1 hour 39 min ago

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Even though it's in nearly every phone available, only a few flat panels with integrated wireless networking have surfaced so far, and now LG's packing Bluetooth into its already highly anticipated "infinite black" PG7000 plasma and Scarlet LG7000 LCD models. Pricetags are still in the air, but LG says these flatscreens will hit worldwide starting with Europe in September.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Power Grid Can't Handle Wind Farms

Slashdot - 1 hour 58 min ago

DesScorp writes "The Times reports on the problems of adding wind farms to the power grid. Because of the grid's old design, it can't handle the various spikes that wind farms sometimes have, and there's no efficient way to currently move massive amounts of that power from one section of the country to the other. Further complicating things is the fact that under current laws, power grid regulation is a state matter, and the Federal government has comparatively little authority over it right now. Critics are calling for federal authority over the grid, and massive new construction of "superhighways" to share the wind power wealth nationally. Quoting the article, 'The dirty secret of clean energy is that while generating it is getting easier, moving it to market is not.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Two-inch-square Space Cube computer gets shown off

Engadget - 2 hours 10 min ago

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The two-inch-square Space Cube computer has apparently been making the rounds in Japan for some time now, but PC Pro has finally managed to sneak one into the UK and, thankfully for us, they've decided to share. This one packs a 300MHz NEC VR5701 processor, 64MB of RAM, a 1GB CompactFlash card, and a special version of Red Hat Linux, along with a single USB port, VGA out, built-in Ethernet and, most importantly for its target market, a SpaceWire port, which is used by the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency. Unfortunately for hobbyists that may have gotten their hopes up, while the price was initially estimated to be a reasonable $325, it now looks like it could be demanding upwards of £1,500 (or over $2,700) but the time it's officially released outside of Japan, although it seems like it will at least actually be sold to the general public.

[Via Slashdot]
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Peak's Starpex wooden guitar controller gets the hands-on treatment

Engadget - 2 hours 45 min ago

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While there's likely nothing that will convince most folks of the merits of a full-size, $180 wooden guitar controller, those still on the fence about this particular piece of excess may be interested to know that the good people of PS3 Fanboy recently got their hands on one, and they've now offered up some initial impressions. As you might expect, they found it to definitely be a hefty device, but far from an unwieldy one, with the buttons as familiar as even and the strum bar in particular a significant improvement over other Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars. Peak also doesn't look to have cut any corners when it comes to the little details, with even the strap made of a thick fabric that makes it more comfortable to wear.
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Digital Storage To Survive a 25-Year Dirt Nap?

Slashdot - 2 hours 55 min ago

AlHunt writes "I've been tasked with finding a way to bury digitally stored photographs in a small underground time capsule to be opened in 25 years. It looks like we'll be using a steel vessel, welded closed. I've thought of CDs, DVDs, a hard drive, or a thumb drive — but they all have drawbacks, not the least of which is outdated technology 25 years from now. Maybe I'll put a CD and a CD-ROM drive in the capsule and hope that the IDE interface is still around in 25 years? Ideas and feedback will be appreciated."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

MSI rolls out EX300, EX400 laptops

Engadget - 3 hours 16 min ago

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While it may seem like MSI has nothing but the Wind on its mind these days, the company is, in fact, still in the general laptop business, and its just let loose a pair of decidedly ordinary new models to prove it. From the looks of it, the "athletic and fashionable" EX300 (pictured above) is the slightly more interesting of the pair, with it sporting a 13.3-inch WXGA display, an unspecified Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450 graphics, a max 320GB hard drive, up to 4GB of RAM, and a Blu-ray drive, among other standard fare. The EX400, on the other hand, opts for a slightly less portable 14.1-inch display and some more traditional styling, along with some virtually identical specs to its more "athletic" counterpart. No word on a price for either of 'em just yet, unfortunately, nor is there any indication of a release 'round these parts.

Read - MSI EX300
Read - MSI EX400

[Via Far East Gizmos]
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Sony intros TA-DA5400ES and TA-DA3400ES AV receivers

Engadget - 3 hours 47 min ago

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We thought we had seen all of Sony's 2008 ES lineup, but boy were we distinctly incorrect. Sony Japan has today revealed a trio of newcomers, two of which we've never seen before. The TA-DA5400ES packs a 120-watt x 7 channel internal amplifier, six HDMI inputs (and 2 outputs), six optical audio jacks and three sets of component inputs (among others). As for the STR-DA3400ES, the wattage steps down to 100-watts per channel and the port selection isn't nearly as robust; the STR-DG820 is already available in the States, making us believe this one's just an overseas re-release. Anywho, feel free to check out the full specifications in the read link below, and you can look for these to land (at least in Japan) this November.

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

Andy Hertzfeld Shares His Thoughts on 25 Years of the Mac

Slashdot - 3 hours 51 min ago

blackbearnh writes "It may make you feel very, very old, but the Macintosh will be turning 25 in January. As we approach this momentous anniversary, O'Reilly News had a talk with Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original Macintosh designers, about the long and storied history of the Mac. Hertzfeld, who tells the story of the Mac in his book A Revolution in the Valley, shares his thoughts about how the Mac has aged over time, how life might have been different if Steve Jobs had stayed on at Apple, and the differences between working for Apple, and for Google (his current employer.)" Read on below for a bit of what Hertzfeld had to say.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Garmin's new nüvi 7x5 and 2x5 navigators live and in person

Engadget - 4 hours 17 min ago

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We got a brief glimpse at Garmin's new nüvi navigators, the 7x5 Series and 2x5 Series. Since we weren't on the road, the 755T treated us to 3D views of the IFA building we were chilling at, spinning at a blistering 10 fps. The Lane Assist also does what it says on the box, giving you a crystal clear look at your next merge. The 265T was considerably less dramatic, and both units show a considerable amount of boredom on the industrial design front. Garmin clearly knows what it's about when it comes to navigation devices, but we could use a bit more spice with those maps to keep us coming back.

Gallery: Garmin's new nuvi 7x5 and 2x5 navigators live and in person

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A Qik Hit: Netscape cofounder invests in video startup

Ars Technica - 4 hours 32 min ago

Portfolio reports: Netscape cofounder Marc Andreessen sees the next battle—in the palm of your hand.

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Full Immersion Cooling Comes To Desktop PCs

Slashdot - 4 hours 39 min ago

mr_sifter writes "After three years of research and around £100,000 of R&D costs, UK-based Armari has unveiled its XCP prototype. It's a full immersion liquid cooled PC which supports standard ATX components. Unlike conventional liquid cooled PCs, the components are all easy to swap in and out as they're swimming in liquid, rather than under waterblocks. It also looks amazing, pumping around 70KG of electrically inert cooling fluid (salvaged from an old Cray) around its military grade perspex shell."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LVIII: NVIDIA CEO doesn't know what Larrabee is, doesn't care

Engadget - 4 hours 45 min ago

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NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang just can't resist throwing more jabs at Intel, distracting the inaugural NVISION crowd from Battlestar Galactica star Tricia Helfer with the claim that "Larrabee hasn't shipped so you don't know what it is and I don't know what it is." The fact that we do know what it is -- a next-gen hybrid CPU / GPU -- shouldn't be a concern according to Huang, because "By the time it does ship, Nvidia's technology will be so far advanced it won't matter." Besides stuffing Usain Bolt-type speed into a GPU the company will keep busy working on its WinMo smartphone hardware, and software for the not-exactly-Atom-killing VIA Nano, but forget about that rumored x86-compatible hardware 'cuz, as Jen-Hsun reminds us, "the Internet doesn't run on x86." For a company that lacks innovation, is "a joke," and at least four years behind, Intel must be doing something right, because the competition can't keep its name out of their mouths.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SEMA Preview: Hurst/HEMI Challenger packed with 500+hp for Vegas trip

Autoblog - 5 hours 8 min ago

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Hurst is no stranger to offering up special edition Mopars. The 1970 Chrysler 300 Hurst packed a 440ci "TNT" V8 with 375 horsepower, as well as a fiberglass hood and trunk, Satin Tan leather interior, and a Spinnaker-White paint scheme with gold trim. Ok, that was nearly 40 years ago, but Hurst is still going strong and planning to renew its Mopar connection with a limited edition Dodge Challenger that will make its debut at SEMA this year. The Hurst Challenger will be available in four trim levels and include features like a supercharger system good for 500 horsepower, 5-spoke Hurst alloy wheels, and a "Pistol-Grip" Hurst shifter. Pricing will start at a $10,000 premium over the stock Challenger and could go as high as $20,000 for the top level model. Follow the jump for the press release from Hurst.

Gallery: 2009 Hurst Dodge Challenger SRT8


[Source: Hurst via Edmunds.com]

Continue reading SEMA Preview: Hurst/HEMI Challenger packed with 500+hp for Vegas trip

 

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Garmin's Nuvifone teases its way through another trade show

Engadget - 5 hours 17 min ago

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Oh, Nuvifone, how you disappoint us. Over here at IFA we just managed to get a Garmin rep to whip out his Nuvifone prototype for a quick look, but sadly, almost a year after the device was first announced, there really wasn't anything new to see. We still aren't allowed to take video of the interface, or really see much of the phone other than the home screen, and when the rep tried to show us how the Nuvifone kicks the iPhone's ass in navigation, the Nuvi promptly crashed -- so at least those two have that in common. Not that we should be surprised, Garmin mentioned last month that the phone had been delayed into 2009, but we're quickly running out of patience, as well as any scrap of remaining hope for this thing to actually matter when it does arrive. Peep the gallery for a little bit of iPhone 3G versus action.

Gallery: Garmin's Nuvifone teases its way through another trade show

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IFA Berlin: yeah, we're here

Engadget - 5 hours 22 min ago


Come now, you didn't think we'd let something like IFA pass by without shipping a few editors off to Berlin did you? We're on the ground and taking names in the best ninja gear we could sew with $5 worth of felt and tin foil. But hey, it's not the costume that keeps you coming back, it's the content. So stay tuned.Permalink | Email this | Comments

Mozilla Labs' "Ubiquity" Helps Automate Web Interactions

Slashdot - 5 hours 27 min ago

Martin writes "Mozilla Labs have released a prototype version of the Firefox add-on Ubiquity. It is basically Launchy (the application launcher) for Firefox with the difference that Ubiquity makes use of web APIs and the Firefox browser. The official website contains examples, a command list, information about creating your own commands and of course the Ubiquity extension that is compatible with Firefox 3.x. Ubiquity can pull and send data to various services like Twitter, display, find and embed Google Maps, perform searches, write emails, add entries to the calendar, digg stories and more."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Ford to meet with dealers about future products, try to close stores

Autoblog - 5 hours 35 min ago

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2008 has been a historically woeful year for the auto market, but Ford dealers have been in the crosshairs of a sales decline for over a decade. That brutal reality, along with financial incentives of up to $700,000 or more from the Blue Oval, has lead to the closure of over 500 dealers since mid-2006, and over 150 so far in 2008. To close still more dealers while giving remaining stores a heads-up of future happenings, Ford is embarking on a series of meetings with Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers. Among the topics of discussion will be future products, product volume and market conditions.

Though Ford isn't stating publicly how many dealerships it wishes to close, the Blue Oval is hoping to have enough departures to make the remaining dealerships healthy. Ford would like to see Ford brand dealers with 1,500 sales per month and Lincoln Mercury dealers with 600 sales per month, which is far higher than what Ford's 3,900 stores are averaging now. To help entice dealers to hang up their plaid sport coats, Ford will be offering cash incentives, but Ford Market Representation Director David Kelleher is hinting that those deals won't last long.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd, Photo by Scott Olson/Getty]

 

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Samsung goes after low-cost laptop market with new SATA II SSDs

Engadget - 5 hours 41 min ago

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We have a strange feeling there's more marketing hoopla here than anything else, but whatever the case, Samsung sure feels like its newest line of SSDs will work just great within low-cost laptops. The outfit has begun to sample "low-density, higher-performance solid state drives that are only 30-percent of the size of 2.5-inch SSDs and highly cost-efficient to manufacture." The MLC-based drives only come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB flavors, and read / write performance ranges from 90MB/sec to 70MB/sec, respectively. Mass production is scheduled to crank up next month, and while you'd expect SSDs aimed at netbooks to boast remarkably low price tags, Sammy doesn't even bother spilling those beans.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hot Wheels kicks off U.S. tour to celebrate 40 years

Autoblog - 6 hours 6 min ago

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Mattel created the Hot Wheels brand back in 1968, and the lives of several Autoblog writers (and readers as well) were changed forever. We're now halfway through the toy line's 40th birthday year, and, coincidentally, halfway through its Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary Road Trip.

Fans can see life-size editions of some of the most famous Hot Wheels cars, get autographs from Hot Wheels designers and, while supplies last, get a free 40th Anniversary Edition Custom Otto. You'll also be able to see that bejeweled monstrosity we told you about a few months ago that Mattel says is the most expensive Hot Wheels car ever made.

Earlier this month, the tour made stops in El Segundo, California; Wendover, Utah (pictured above); and Speed, Kansas. But there are still three chances for fans to catch the rolling birthday party. This Saturday, the Hall of Fame Museum at Indy will play host. Next Monday, the celebration is at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan and on Sept. 5, the trip ends at the Grand Prix Festival of Watkins Glen.

[Source: Hemmings Auto Blogs]

 

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