Samsung Screen Resists Merciless Hammering Without a Scratch

Color me impressed. Watch as this guy relentlessly beats this new Samsung flexible screen with a mallet. Amazingly, the 2.8-inch active matrix OLED—only 0.01 ounces, and 20 micrometers thick—keeps running happily, without a single scratch.

via Gizmodo

Zune HD a major sellout?

Engadget - Let it be known: we liked the Zune HD before it was popular, before all the poseurs jumped on the bandwagon with their tight-fitting jeans and their hairstyles. If various stores on the internet are to be believed, the Zune HD is selling out in a pretty big way. Amazon is listing a 1-2 month wait for the 16GB model and a 1-3 week wait for the 32GB, Best Buy has the player listed as "backordered," and New Egg shows "sold out." Microsoft's own store doesn't seem to be having these stocking problems, but we suppose that's to be expected.

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Xbox 360 802.11n adapter spotted in Gears of War 2 box, longs for the comfort of your living room

Joystiq - To be more specific -- and much less acronymic -- it appears that the super speedy Xbox 360 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter has been spotted on a promotional flier inside the Italian version of the Gears of War 2 Game of the Year edition. Italian gaming site Mondobox.com (translation) posted an image of the leaflet, which you can see above. Assuming it's authentic, it seems to indicate that both the original 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n adapter will continue to exist in the same market. And that, hopefully, indicates a price drop on the ridiculously overpriced original adapter.

We've contacted Microsoft about the peripheral and will update this post with new information if and when we receive it.

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A computer in a keyboard... the Asus Eee Keyboard

GIZMODO - The sleek device has a 5-inch touchscreen and Ultra Wideband HDMI (with receiver) to connect to your TV.

The Eee Keyboard's netbook-like specs include a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 16- or 32GB solid-state hard disk, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and HDMI.

The official confirmation backs up DigiTimes' "industry sources" who not only claimed that October looked likely, but estimated the price should be around $400-$500. Asus didn't elaborate on cost, but fingers-crossed that it can keep things that low. And with Windows 7 debuting on October 22, hopefully the Eee Keyboard will ditch XP altogether

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here is the video:

Normal People Can Now Install CableCARD Tuners On Windows 7 PCs

GIZMODO - Finally. Microsoft and CableLabs are finally opened the door to have regular people add in CableCARD tuners by themselves, after they've purchased the PC and set it up. This is good news.

What it means to you, theoretically, is that you should be able to go out and buy CableCARD tuners and add them to your Windows 7 machines to turn any old machine you have lying around into an HTPC. Also, they've raised the limit to four tuners per "tuner type", so you can have four digital cable channels simultaneously without any kind of special setup.

There is also a new Firmware update for ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuners to mark copy-freely content—the content you can move around your network and portable devices.

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Foldable, Carbon Fiber Bike Is Sleek, Useful High Wheeler

Gizmodo - This weird thing is a 1.2kW electric motor powered, carbon fiber foldable bike called the YikeBike. It's real, unfolds in 15 seconds, and aims to solve the eternal problem of urban mobility, and probably become Woz's favorite new toy.

Folded, the YikeBike only takes 6 x 23.6 x 23.6 inches (150 x 600 x 600 millimeters) and weighs 22 pounds (10 kilograms), so it can be easily carried around. And while its pneumatic wheels may follow an old high wheeler configuration, according to the manufacturer, this thing is designed to be easy to maneuver, and it's equipped with electronic brakes with built-in anti-skid system.

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MORE PICTURES AND VIDEOS HERE

Zune HD (xYz) positioned to take on Apple, Sony, Nintendo and Google?

Engadget - Sounding too good to be true, the cats at Teamxbox have posted a lengthy piece quoting multiple sources from Redmond and Santa Clara who anonymously spill the beans on what the Zune HD is and isn't. The "digital entertainment handheld," dubbed unanimously as product "xYz" by said sources to emphasize its purpose of bridging the Xbox and Zune platforms, is not a phone (that's Project Pink) but a converged "mashup" of devices like the Sony Mylo, PSP, and iPod touch. The emphasis of the device is not the hardware but the software, services, and entertainment experience if offers while remaingly primarily "a portable game console and media player." It's said to link into Microsoft's Skybox computing services for mobiles and blur the lines between Xbox Live and the Zune and Sky Marketplaces. Even the Xbox 360's NXE interface will be making its way onto the new Microsoft handheld. As Teamxbox summarizes:

Buy a song, a movie or a TV show on your Xbox, play the content later on the handheld or the other way around. Play an Xbox Live Arcade game either on your Xbox or in this handheld.

At the moment, we have no way to authenticate any of this beyond what we've brought to the table already. Honestly, having had our hopes crushed by a tepid reaction to market trends from Microsoft in the past makes it difficult to believe all these seemingly fanboi fantasy claims of specs and convergence. However, if true, if Microsoft finally breaks free from the rigid silos of its own making and delivers an integrated living room, gaming, and portable media experience along with a stable Windows 7 computing environment... well, wait this just can't be happening.

Apple Rumored to Bring Tablet and iPhone Lite to Verizon Soon

Verizon Wireless is in talks with Apple to distribute two new iPhone-like devices, BusinessWeek has learned. Apple has created prototypes of the devices, and discussions reaching back a half-year have involved Apple CEO Steve Jobs, according to two people familiar with the matter.

One device is a smaller, less expensive calling device described by a person who has seen it as an "iPhone lite." The other is a media pad that would let users listen to music, view photos, and watch high-definition videos, the person says. It would place calls over a Wi-Fi connection. One of these devices may be introduced as early as this summer, one person says.

Until now, AT&T (T) has been the only carrier of Apple's iPhone in the U.S., adding more than 7 million subscribers as a result of the arrangement; the company has said it's in talks with Apple to extend the partnership, due to end as soon as next year. An agreement to distribute Apple communication devices via Verizon Wireless may cost AT&T some of the business it has gained as the sole Apple carrier. Even if Verizon Wireless and Apple fail to strike a deal, talks between them increase pressure on AT&T to accept partnership terms favorable to Apple.

Source: Gizmodo

Bluetooth 3.0 is Official, and it's Fast

WIRED.com - The Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) has officially announced the spec for the third version of the wireless data transfer protocol, and its fast. And we mean really fast.

Bluetooth v.3 uses the 802.11 wireless protocol, pairing a Bluetooth radio with a Wi-Fi radio. Everything works as it does now, more or less, but when higher bandwidth is needed the Wi-Fi kicks in (it remains off the rest of the time to save power). So how fast is it? The SIG says that it can run at around 24Mbps, fast enough to send video and keep, say, an iPod synced wirelessly.

It may even be possible to do this with today’s devices. As long as the hardware includes both Wi-Fi and a current Bluetooth radio, the two could work in concert to act as BT3. This means that something like a laptop computer or an iPhone could, theoretically, be upgraded.

When will we start seeing new 3.0 devices? As soon as nine months, but more likely a year.

Planet-Hunting Space Telescope Readies for Launch

WIRED - When humans look into outer space and its amazing distant realms, sometimes all we really want to find is someplace like home.

Another planet like Earth, that is. Soon, a new NASA telescope mission called Kepler may finally make that happen.

Set to launch March 5 from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the $550 million Kepler telescope is designed to detect extrasolar planets that are the same size as Earth, orbiting around stars the same size as the sun, at a range similar to Earth's distance from the sun, and with orbits of about one year, like ours.

"The whole mission was designed around this goal," said Kepler co-investigator William Cochran, an astronomer at McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin. "If we find no Earth-like planets, then we can say with great confidence that Earths like ours are rare."

Although more than 300 exoplanets have been discovered around other stars, none have been quite as small as Earth, and even the ones that come close don't usually orbit in what's called the habitable zone — the range in which temperatures would be favorable for life.

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Rehydr8 Water Filter Puts Brita To Shame

The word "awesome" is not used very often to describe a water filter, but the description is apt when referring to the Rehydr8 concept.

Apparently, the filter would use the magic of thermoacoustic refrigeration—a process that relies on sound waves and an environmentally safe gas like helium to generate cooling. Furthermore, each bottle features a built-in, powerless thermometer to display the temperature and ensure that you are getting a perfectly chilled container of water.

Is it an absurdly eco-friendly and elaborate way to replicate what could be done cheaply with a simple pitcher filter and some cubes of ice? Yes, yes it is. But it sure looks like the kind of water cooler that I would like to gossip around at work.

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Solar Tree: A stunning new green concept to replace solar rooftops!

Solar Tree is one such green option for a future filled with solar goodness that is being brought to you for the first time exclusively by Ecofriend. Designed to replace the traditional solar roof, it makes solar energy a lot more profitable and sustainable for use!

Designed by Gurdeep Sandhu who has sent in this fine gadget, the Solar Tree is something that is far more flexible and for more efficient that the traditional solar roof. With its adjustable and movable solar ‘wings’ the entire structure will always give you maximum solar energy. It is almost like solar panels that manoeuvre like a birds wings and adjust to the angle and intensity of the sun to produce maximum solar energy. It is also easily accessible for repairs and also reduces the damages as it can just fold up at night.

Sources: Ecofriend / Gizmodo

Sony report it's 4th Quarter Profits... down just 95%

Sony said Thursday its net profit plunged 95 percent in the October-December quarter, as the holiday shopping season provided no respite for the struggling electronics giant and tepid sales of TVs, digital cameras and cell phones hit its bottom line.

The Japanese manufacturing icon said its usually dependable electronics division posted its first-ever operating loss in the fiscal third quarter. It also reiterated its forecast for a net loss of 150 billion yen ($1.67 billion) for the full fiscal year through March — its first loss in 14 years.

Yes, they pulled in 10.4 billion yen during the 4th quarter compared to 200.2 billion yen the previous year. These dismal figures reflect a downright-disastrous holiday season for Sony, with TVs and PS3s not exactly flying off the shelves. It's your fault, really. I mean, if you'd been spending money on Sony products, none of this would have happened.

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Toto's Intelligence Toilet II Smartly Measures The Temperature Of Your Pee, Among Other Things

It's a weigh-scale, a BMI, blood sugar and blood pressure monitor, is networked to your PC and yes, features "urine temperature measurement and analysis".

It's the sequel to the original Intelligence Toilet, which has been tracking and graphing the health of the 10,000 or so lucky souls who have purchased one since 2005, according to Toto. Like the original, the Intelligence Toilet II takes all kinds of readings from your urine, which are then organized into Wii Fit style charts and graphs on your PC via Wi-Fi. It's unclear what all is new aside from the aforementioned temperature monitoring, which can help women keep track of their menstruation cycles, but if you're going to import a crazy Japanese toilet, this is clearly the one.

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Yves Rossy cruzó el Canal de la Mancha

Yves Rossy, más conocido como FusionMan, cruzó hoy el Canal de la Mancha “a bordo” de un ala impulsada por turbinas (conocida como JetWing, un ingenio volador creado él mismo). Luego de lanzarse de un avión a 2.500 kilómetros de altura, durante 12 minutos sobrevoló el canal, a una velocidad de 190 kilómetros por hora, completando con éxito su objetivo. Fueron 37 kilómetros de puro vuelo a chorro, hasta que cruzó el famoso canal.

El ala del JetWing, con un peso de 55 kilogramos incluyendo las cuatro turbinas llenas de combustible, está hecha de un compuesto de carbono ligero. Yves llevó un traje especial, un paracaídas y un casco, con el cual manejaba la dirección del vehículo.

Fuente de la información

Video relacionado:

Mujer biónica percibe sensaciones en su brazo artificial

Claudia Mitchell se hizo famosa, al menos en la comunidad científica, unos dos años después de sufrir el terrible accidente de moto que le costó uno de sus brazos. Es que un grupo de científicos logró restablecer el sentido del tacto a través de su brazo artificial mediante una compleja y experimental operación. En ese momento, se vivió el caso de Claudia como un gran un paso hacia la posibilidad de crear extremidades sensibles, aunque sus médicos no sabían qué tan sensible podría ser ese brazo.

La cirugía a la que fue sometida la paciente consistió en reconducir hacia el pecho los nervios que quedaron de la extremidad perdida. De esa forma, si se aplicaba presión sobre su pecho, Claudia podía percibir el brazo y la mano que había perdido. Luego de un periodo más o menos largo de adaptación, comenzó a identificar incluso en qué zona de la mano robótica la estaban tocando. Este tipo de operación se hizo conocida con el nombre de "targeted reinnervation" (restauración nerviosa localizada, en español).

A fines del 2006 estos resultados se publicaron en la revista de la Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, la sorpresa estaba aún por venir. Hace algunos meses, Claudia estaba tomando un baño caliente y de repente sintió el calor del agua en el miembro faltante. Por supuesto, es imposible que la prótesis por sí misma desarrolle ese tipo de habilidad de forma espontánea. Sin embargo, la paciente asegura que puede determinar la temperatura mediante su nuevo brazo.

El cerebro de Mitchell recibe, a través de los nervios implantados en su tórax, las señales originadas en su brazo protésico. Lo que Claudia percibe son mensajes sensoriales provenientes de la red nerviosa encargada del dispositivo e implantada debajo de su piel. Algo que no estaba, ni remotamente, previsto por los creadores de la prótesis. Ahora, doctores y científicos responsables de la operación original se encuentran investigando cómo hacer para sacar el máximo provecho de este revolucionario (e inesperado) descubrimiento. Si logran reproducir el efecto que se ha producido en Claudia Mitchell, estarán en condiciones de desarrollar prótesis capaces de sentir y procesar sensaciones tales como el calor, la presión o el dolor, proporcionando una vida mucho mejor a las personas que han sufrido amputaciones.

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La NASA desarrollará reactor nuclear en la Luna

Varios son los países que han vuelto a poner la colonización de la Luna (y, más tarde, Marte) dentro de sus planes a mediano plazo. La NASA, pionera en este tipo de viaje, no es la excepción. Una de las cuestiones que se deben resolver para que una misión de larga duración desembarque con éxito sobre nuestro satélite es la provisión constante y fiable de energía eléctrica, algo indispensable para brindar a los astronautas las condiciones ambientales necesarias para vivir. Además, todos los equipos de comunicaciones, proceso de datos y también los destinados a la construcción de una hipotética base Lunar, deben ser provistos de energía.

La elección obvia para generar electricidad en el espacio es la energía solar. Es barata, disponible en abundancia, y se trata de una tecnología bien conocida. Sin embargo, casi todos los vehículos espaciales, sobre todo los que están destinados a misiones largas o en lugares alejados del Sol (como las sondas Viking) también se apoyan en sistemas de alimentación basados en energía nuclear. Este tipo de “pila” permite la provisión de electricidad durante tiempos prolongados y no depende de un gran panel que debe ser orientado constantemente hacia nuestra estrella.

La NASA ha puesto en manos de dos empresas la construcción de sistemas de este tipo. Concretamente, se trata de Sunpower y Barber Nichols, ambas con experiencia en el área. El prototipo que están desarrollando utilizaría la tecnología de fisión nuclear, y proporcionaría unos 40 kw. de energía eléctrica. Para que tengas una idea, esta cantidad de electricidad es suficiente para alimentar ocho viviendas en la Tierra. El pequeño reactor funciona igual que las grandes centrales nucleares terrestres: una masa de uranio genera calor, que luego se convierte en electricidad.

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Mira en vivo el inicio del Large Hadron Collider

Hacer click en este enlace para ver en vivo el inicio del LHC (Large Hadron Collider). NOTA: se recomienda conexión a internet con muy alto ancho de banda.

El mundo se acabará el miércoles...

Bueno, más o menos. Los actuales experimentos que provocarían "micro agujeros negros" no tendrán lugar al menos hasta dentro de un mes (y posiblemente no acabarán con más vidas que las de unos protones desprevenidos), pero como ya sabrás, el Gran Colisionador de Hadrones se pone en marcha mañana.

Tras un test, se lanzarán protones en direcciones opuestas a casi la velocidad de la luz y tras ello, se espera la madre de todas las explosiones. Como ya estaréis enterados, hay muchos iluminados diciendo que esto será el Apocalipsis

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Dispensador de condones... ya no tienen excusas los nerds.