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Antec Soundscience Virtual 3D Speakers Coming This Fall for $250

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:21:51 +0000

If your living room is usually being used to watch movies or play video games, then you know that having the best sound is critical to a fully enjoyable experience. There are plenty of options out there for speakers, especially if money is no worry and you have a system that can handle 5.1 or 7.1-channel experiences. But what if you just want a simulated 3D experience? An experience that doesn’t come with a huge price tag? Then you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer to get your hands on Antec’s Soundscience speakers.

Shown off over there in Europe today, at this year’s IFA show, this new speaker is of the 2.1-channel system variety. Antec says that, despite the limited channels, that the Soundscience speaker will deliver realistic 3D sounds, so you shouldn’t have to worry too much. The Soundscience features anodized aluminum satellite speakers, which can accept digital or analog input. And, if you want to use 3D only depending on what type of media your watching, there’s an external toggle that will let you choose between 2D and Antec’s very own 3D sound.

While Antec is confident that the speaker will be set to launch this year, they couldn’t give a precise date. They do say that it will be out some time this Fall. But the best part comes in the fact that it won’t cost an arm-and-a-leg to get your hands on the Soundscience. Only $250, and you can have all the simulated 3D sound you need.

[via Electronista]

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Google Music Available by Christmas This Year, Sources Say

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:07:25 +0000

Google’s answer to Apple’s iTunes is coming. Or, perhaps not an answer, but part of the conversation. When Google showed off the idea of Music at this year’s I/O conference, people were eagerly awaiting its official unveiling later in the year. Unfortunately, despite the fact it’s already September, we’re still waiting. But, if the sources speaking toReuters are indeed accurate, we don’t have much longer to wait at all, as this Christmas may indeed be a holiday to remember.

In the past, we had actually heard that Google was getting ready to launch Google Music in sync with their latest build for Android, or Android 3.0. And, with this new report from two separate sources, it looks like that is right on track. The sources also report that none other than Andy Rubin is at the head of the charge to get Google Music off the rack, and into the hands of consumers all over the world.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Rubin is currently having any luck. Despite the fact that no one, except a few at Google, really knows how long Google has been in talks with record labels about this endeavor, we can imagine that it’s been at least a little while now. And, as of this writing, it seems that they’ve been unable to sign any deals with record labels. Two out of the three sources that Reuters spoke to confirmed that Google intends to launch the music service by Christmas this year. It seems that Google will need to kick the talks into overdrive if they plan to launch Google Music with any kind of bang — other than their own implosion.

[via Reuters]

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Droid R2-D2 gets docked — not in a X-Wing

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:55:00 +0000

Verizon's teaser site for the Droid 2 R2-D2 edition has been teasing a series of locked spokes, accessible by all as soon as anyone in the community solves the "puzzle." We don't know exactly what the magic code was, but regardless, thanks to David H. yesterday, we've got a new gallery of devices pics and -- oh, lookie -- a special edition Droid R2-D2 dock. We don't see room for a hyperdrive anywhere, nor wings, photon torpedos, or a cockpit for future Jedis to blast orbital space stations. So, let's just call it a vacation home for astromechs needing a respite.

Droid R2-D2 gets docked -- not in a X-Wing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Billboard in Japan Can Determine Your Age and Gender, Recommend Soft Drink Based on Profile

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:48:34 +0000

It seems that Japan is taking these interactive billboards seriously. When the idea was first postulated, it seemed that only vending machines would be getting the makeover, and the interactiveness would be limited to simply getting directions and picking your favorite drink. But, now a 47-inch (the vending machines were “only” 46-inches) billboard in Shinagawa is showing us that the future is indeed already here.

As with many other demonstrations of technology and future tech, the movie Minority Report generally gets brought up. There was not only a lot of technology in that movie, most of it set in the future, but it showed what it may look like in the “real world,” as opposed to being completely ridiculous. We’ve already seen some aspects of the movie come to life, and now it seems that intelligent billboards is the next logical step. Researchers managed to team up and create a 47-inch billboard that utilizes not only a camera, but also sensors to judge a person that stands in front of it.

The camera and sensors then work together to formulate your profile: your age and gender, and then subsequently proffer you a soft drink, based on that profile. The General Manager of sales at an East Japan Railway subsidiary, Toshinari Sasagawa, said that now they can finally see what people are buying, all over the age range, instead of just making “educated guesses.” We’re not exactly sure that, say, a Coke is generally marginalized to one specific profile or age, but apparently that may be the case.

The 47-inch billboard will interact with you, based on your age and gender, too. And, considering it’s already making decisions simply based on your profile, we can see how this may become exactly like those Minority Report billboards, that recognize repeat customers, and start offering you what you may like, based on previous purchases. Doesn’t seem too far off, does it?

[via Wall Street Journal]

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iSAVE External Air Bags for Cars Meant to Keep Pedestrians Safe

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:26:02 +0000

We can’t say for sure, but there must be a lot of cars hitting a lot of walking people in Japan, because they have a very, very “healthy” fascination with keeping cars from hitting them. Or, in this case, if they are going to hit them, they might as well hit them without much damage to their face (or rest of their body). Though, depending on how fast the car is going, we’re not sure airbags on the outside of the frame will do much to save anyone.

The exterior air bags are actually specially crafted car body panels, and they are the design project from many researchers, and was the idea of several companies based out of Hiroshima, as well as the local university. iSAVE is designed to rapidly deflate the airbags upon collision, just like the airbags you have in your car right now. There’s only one car in the world right now equipped with iSAVE, and it’s just a prototype right now. And, while it may be a good idea enough to put it on every car out there, it seems that the researchers are claiming it only works with electric cars.

The researchers plan on having iSAVE fully commercialized by 2011. Until then, though, they plan to sell upwards of 50 units for 3-wheeled vehicles. Pricing on four-wheeled cars was revealed though: $17,800. So, it’s not a cheap option, but if you know that you aren’t all that safe about staying in your lane (or not on a sidewalk), maybe you should think about getting yourself a new (electric) car next year. Obviously, sound isn’t good enough to keep those pedestrians safe.

[via CrunchGear]

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Coolermaster’s Choiix Boom Boom Portable Speaker Unveiled, Offers Acceptable Sound

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:13:01 +0000

As far as portable speakers go, it’s good to know that while the expensive ones are still getting attention, the little guys out there are still producing attractive options for not a lot of cash. That’s exactly where Coolermaster’s Choiix Boom Boom portable speaker comes in. When compared to, say, iHome’s brand new (upcoming) offering, this little speaker definitely seems like something we could sink our teeth into, given the fact that the price tag isn’t going to kill the pocketbook.

The company doesn’t beat around the bush when trying to sell this little, portable speaker. They go as far as to say that it will provide you with high volume, and a high quality acceptable sound. We figure that “acceptable sound” is probably supposed to sound better than it really does, but that will more than likely be the part that hangs with potential customers. Acceptable sound is just . . . acceptable.

The slimmed size, along with its lightweight profile means that you’ll be able to take the speaker with you wherever you go, whenever you want. It’s power comes from the USB connector that you’ll plug into your laptop, which is probably exactly what you’ll be utilizing with the speaker. So, as long as your laptop is good to go, your external speaker will bleat out the tunes. The Choiix Boomb Boom portable speaker is due in the UK by mid-September, and should cost £16.95. See? We told you it was cheap.

[via TechRadar]

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Huawei Ideos U8150, S7 tablet & Hx concept hands-on [Video]

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:29:27 +0000

Huawei are another company going in for Android in a big way, already behind several of the operator-branded budget smartphones on the market and hoping to follow up that success with the new Ideos U8150, a Froyo 2.2 smartphone with what’s tipped to be a roughly $150 unsubsidized price tag. As well as playing with the U8150 at IFA 2010 today, we also grabbed a fleeting moment with the Ideos S7 tablet and a (non-functional) Huawei prototype for their idea of a potential gaming MID.

Video demos after the cut

The U8150 is largely what you’d expect from a budget Android smartphone – a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, 3.2-megapixel camera and relatively bulky chassis – though there are some moderately unusual features. The touchscreen is capacitive, not resistive, and there’s 3G mobile hotspot functionality for up to eight WiFi-connected devices. Build quality is fair, too, with only the D-pad being a little less than responsive, and there was no apparent sluggishness despite the absence of a cutting-edge 1GHz processor.

Huawei Ideos U8150 hands-on:

As for the Ideos S7, unfortunately that had no network connection and so we couldn’t really put the internet tablet through its paces. However, responsiveness of the homescreen alone was mixed, with navigation tabs sometimes requiring two or three taps in order to respond. Had Huawei managed to get the S7 to the market back when it was first announced in May, they could have stood a chance, but with Froyo rivals like the ViewSonic ViewPad 7 and the larger Toshiba Folio 100 fast approaching, it’s hard to see how the Ideos S7 could carve a niche.

Huawei Ideos S7 Tablet hands-on:

Finally, Huawei were showing the Hx, a concept “media terminal” which would supposedly have a modular gamepad/keypad/kickstand attachment. Seeing as it was non-functional, Huawei didn’t have to actually worry about fitting in all the necessary components – it’s as slim and slick as any concept design – but we’d like to see the company turn some of the budget imagination shown in the U8150 to a working model with a similarly low price.

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iHome Shows Off Portable Speaker with Apple’s AirPlay Built-In

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:15:31 +0000

A company like iHome is probably supposed to showcase something that Apple shows off only days before. The company makes a killing off creating some of the best accessories for Apple’s line-up of mobile media devices, so why shouldn’t they showcase a brand new portable speaker, featuring Apple’s just-announced AirPlay feature?

This is the first speaker to feature the wireless media feature. The new feature will be made ready by the release of iOS 4.2, which is set to hit the iPad, and other iDevices, in November this year. As you can tell from the picture, it’s not a complicated piece of equipment. A single-piece design, the speaker is specifically manufactured to accept audio input over a WiFi connection. What you’ll also notice is that the iHome speaker doesn’t have a dock of any kind. It’s meant to proactively promote the WiFi streaming, from your iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone.

It also has a built-in battery, so that means that at particular points in the day, like when you’re not charging it some how, it will be completely wireless. That’s probably where that “portable” aspect comes from. Unfortunately, iHome isn’t saying when the speaker will be released, or how much it will cost. They do say that it will be ready to buy by the holidays, though, so that’s good. It probably won’t be the cheapest speaker out there, but if you’re looking for that wireless home, this is one step towards that goal.

[via iPodnn]

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Archos 28, 32 and 43 hands-on [Video]

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:07:05 +0000

Though Archos’ larger internet tablets grabbed our attention first, we spent some time playing with the French company’s three smaller models too: the Archos 28, 32 and 43. Ranging in size from 2.8-inches QVGA, through 3.2-inches WQVGA, to 4.3-inches FWVGA, the three palm-sized tablets are Archos’ attempt at hybrid PMP/MIDs, hitting price points from $99.99 to $149.99 to $199.

All three support a broad range of video codecs (AVI, MP4, MOV, 3GP, MPG, PS, TS, VOB, MKV, FLV, RM, RMVB, ASF, WMV) and will run Android 2.2 Froyo when they launch in the next couple of months (Archos’ demo units were loaded with a 2.1 test build). The Archos 28 and 32 both use an 800MHz ARM Cortex A8 processor and the 43 gets a 1GHz version; all have WiFi b/g/n plus USB Host and Bluetooth 2.1. None have Android Market access, instead using Archos’ own AppsLib download store.

The baby of the bunch, the Archos 28, has 4GB or 8GB of flash storage, and feels a lot like a cheap Android smartphone. The display is pixelated and, despite the long list of codecs, the PMP lends itself more to audio playback. Responsiveness is fair, and Archos’ new media app looks good, but we can’t see buyers picking this over a comparably priced iPod.

As for the Archos 32, that’s got 8GB of storage as standard and comes with a 720p-capable camera. The bigger display is low-resolution for its size, however, which undermines browsing and video playback, and makes for a tricky typing experience with the onscreen keyboard.

Archos 43 hands-on:

Of the three, the Archos 43 is the most successful, though the company’s choice of a resistive rather than capacitive touchscreen may lose them sales in comparison to the iPod touch. Still, you get a bigger display than the iPod, larger than most smartphones in fact, and the functionality is packed in too: 720p video recording and playback (with a camera on the back), an HDMI output, up to 16GB of storage (with a microSD slot) and the same processor as in the bigger Archos 70 and 101. That keeps things moving swiftly, and it’s actually a decent browsing experience (and will be improved with Froyo and its Flash Player 10.1 support).

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Stealth Rugged USB Keyboard Features Optical Trackball Mouse, Costs $695

MobiG — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:04:03 +0000

Stealth isn’t a stranger to the tech community, so when they go ahead and introduce something like their brand new rugged keyboard, we hope that they’re not immediately scoffed at and ignored. Even if it is pretty thick, and, well, rugged. Luckily for those who are curious enough to check it out, the new USB keyboard does feature plenty of features, and a very unique optical trackball mouse, right up there near the right corner.

First, we do have to say that that trackball looks like a crystal ball. Now that we’ve got that off our chest, we can move on to the other features. First and foremost, and what you’ll probably notice right off the bat, is the fact that the keyboard is perfectly housed within a nice, stainless steel package. The other thing you’ll notice, are those red keys. They happen to be NVIS-compliant red adjustable backlighting.

But, what about the protection specifications, right? How “rugged” is this “rugged” USB keyboard? Well, it’s NEMA 4, 4X, and IP65 specified, which means (at least in the latter part) that the keyboard will be able to handle dust, and water being ejected at it in powerful jets. We’re not exactly sure when you’ll have your keyboard around powerful jets of water, but hey, at least it will be protected. The keyboard is available right now if you’re interested, and it will cost you $695. Not cheap, is it?

[via Stealth]

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