Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals

Alas, here we are, 2008 drawing quickly to a close, and yet we still live in a world where the only viable portable fuel cell system is available exclusively to the US Army (unless you can make due with one lowly watt). Panasonic says we have another four years to wait, planning for a 2012 releasing of device powerful enough to run a notebook yet small enough to fit inside a battery compartment. The company estimates up to 5 hours of power could be had from 50cc of “highly concentrated″ methanol, and of course you′d always be just a squirt away from a full charge — the same sort of promises we’ve heard again and again about this tech. Four years may seem like a long way off, but it’s surely more realistic than the release dates we’ve seen on some earlier prototypes.

Update: A few 200cc, 20-hour prototypes displayed after the break.

[Warning: reg required on read link]

Continue reading Panasonic talks up 2012’s hottest fuel cell tech

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Tim Stevens

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Wireless

Fresh off an extensive corporate decaffeination downsizing and a scaling back of its foray into music sales, it’s a fair question to ask: just how ironclad is Starbucks′ commitment to rolling out iTunes WiFi Music Store integration across its entire chain? We just happened to notice that the Starbucks page on Apple’s site is now stone-cold gone, redirecting to the standard iTunes 8 stuff. You might say “no big deal, Apple’s just playing down an agreement that’s now been in place for a full year,” but there’s some other weirdness, too — the company’s iTunes WiFi Music Store at Starbucks FAQ, for example, still references the dead link. The partnership was kinda ill-conceived to begin with; getting access to the store meant hooking up to AT&T WiFi, which you wouldn’t normally have configured unless you actually had an AT&T WiFi account. We haven’t heard any official word here that the deal is in danger, but really, would anyone be welling up if it fell apart?

Read&nbsp|&nbspPermalink | Email this&nbsp|&nbspComments

Original post by Chris Ziegler

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Here you have latest pinhole camera by artist, Wayne Martin Belger — a good boy raised on a steady diet of crucifixion imagery and the scorched-earth wrath of divinity. This work entitled Third Eye, a study of “the beauty of decay,” uses precious metals like titanium and silver to expose the memory of time onto the film sheering the 150 year old skull of a 13 year old girl. Sample image posted after the break for those who dare.

[Via Make: and Art Diabolique]

Continue reading Third Eye pinhole camera exposes the dead, mocks the living

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Displays, Wireless

What’s better than a (cheap) XEL-1? How’s about a wireless, battery-powered XEL-1? Sony has recently shown off a completely cordless OLED TV with the same ultrathin chassis as used in the aforementioned 11-incher. Bulking things up a bit is the integrated HDTV tuner, and of course, it’s wall-mountable for midgets who live in a Little Tikes playhouse. Unfortunately, there’s no real mention of specs (aside from the whole “3-millimeter thin″ part), and even worse, there’s no telling how long we’ll have to wait before we see it hit shelves (let alone grow to a size that’s actually useful). Anywho, tap the read link for a plethora of images.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming, Wireless, Networking

Nintendo just announced a 5,800 Yen (about $54 US) WiFi router, built to take that pesky wired Ethernet internet and blast it across your home in a palatable WiFi fashion for use by your Wii or DS. Just like every other router ever. Only this one is cheap, cute and built by Nintendo, so watch out Linksys / Netgear / everybody. The “Nintendo WiFI Network Adapter,” meant to supplement 2005’s WiFi USB Connector, looks to be Japan-only at the moment, and is due for a September 18th release.

Read | Permalink | Email this&nbsp|&nbspComments

Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Giving mere mortals the power to monitor their own health at home isn’t a shocking revelation, but LifeSource’s new Wellness Connected family takes in-home status checking to another plateau. Three products in the line are being announced: the Wireless Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, Wireless Precision Scale, and Wireless Activity Monitor. The trifecta utilizes FitLinxx’s proprietary wireless technology in order to link together and provide users with information on blood pressure, weight, and “activity” that can be logged and analyzed on a typical computer. Regrettably, no pricing information was mentioned, but we get the sense that this trio won’t be coming without a noticeable premium.

[Via medGadget]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Directly rewarding efforts with results, now that’s the way to get someone moving. As we’ve seen time and time again, providing a clear, undiluted motivator is a perfect way to make fitness a top priority in life, and that’s exactly what Takara Tomy is hoping to achieve with its pocket-friendly Jinsei Game of Life pedometer. Essentially, this device is a portable version of the famed Game of Life board game, but users are purportedly not allowed to take a turn unless they take 300 steps first. Additionally, two players can take on one another via the “communication mode,” but there’s a good chance the most chiseled among you will take home the gold regardless of luck. Out this month in Japan for &yen3,675 ($34).

[Via CScout Japan]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Wearables

The latest word on effective cardio exercise is that you should go for short, intense intervals rather than waste hours on the Stairmaster. Shorter workouts, you say? Good with us, but what about the gear to go with all that? The Airun Plus shoe is designed for the HIIT exerciser who wants to track his BMI and caloric burn rates all the while controlling shoe weight. The built-in Smart Technology controller records BMI and calorie burn results while the weighted insoles can be added or removed based on your needs. Weight and speed information comes from a sensor in the right shoe, while the entire kick is designed with shock absorption and safety in mind. Ready to buy? If you’re serious about your body, these things will run you &pound112.50 ($224) and they come all the way from England.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Remember those cool Nike high-tops that Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future? The ones that laced themselves and you wished you had a pair just like them? If so, listen up: Nike is releasing the Marty McFly 2015’s as the Nike Hyperdunks. They won’t lace themselves, unfortunately, but will be made of Nike’s super light-weight materials. They’ll be shilled by Kobe Bryant in black, and we’ll be surprised if the Back to the Future roots of these shoes will be shown the light in order to keep the cool young’ns interested, but we all know the truth behind these bitchin’ kicks. Hoverboard sold separately.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger

Filed under: Robots

Just think — Zappos has been shipping out shoes .9284 minutes after you order them for years with mere humans running the show. Now, your new kicks will likely be at your doorstep moments after you think of ordering them. Said e-tailer has just completed implementation of Kiva Systems’ Mobile Fulfillment System, which will see “a fleet of Kiva’s mobile robotic drive units and inventory storage pods” hit the company’s Shepherdsville, Kentucky facility. The move is being made to keep its distribution system in tip-top shape even with the addition of new products outside of just footwear, and unless some of those mechs grow a mind of their own, we’d say things should pan out just fine.

[Via CNET]

Read | Permalink | Email this&nbsp|&nbspComments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Wearables

Personally, we’d prefer slipping our feet into the WiFi-detecting Nike Dunks if given a choice, but it’s hard to argue with the smooth factor bundled with the highly customized kicks shown above. Dubbed Illuminated Confusion, the shoes feature a pattern print with “neon green light-up lateral sides that either blink or glow.” The lighting on each shoe gets powered by a single AAA cell, and you’ll even get a free “custom box″ with you order. And considering the $400 price tag and two to three week wait time, we wouldn’t expect anything less. Vid after the jump.

Continue reading Custom Illuminated Confusion Nikes light up the streets, your life

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Move over Mvix, there’s a new vaquero in town, and it goes by Movie Cowboy. Comically titled as such by manufacturer Digital Cowboy, this portable HD multimedia hard drive comes ready to accept whatever 2.5-inch SATA drive you want to toss within, and after you′ve loaded it up with material via the USB port, you can slam it down in the bundled cradle for big screen enjoyment. Said dock boasts stereo / coaxial digital / Toslink audio outputs along with component / composite / HDMI video outs. The media player itself supports a respectable quantity of file formats, including WMV, DivX HD, MPEˇ/2/4, XviD, ISO, IFO, VOB, AAC, WMA, MP3 and OGG. Not that we really see this thing heading Stateside anytime soon, but those in Japan can pick one up in the coming weeks for ¥24,800 ($237). Shot of the rear is waiting after the jump.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Continue reading Movie Cowboy stores your HD media, outputs on-the-go

Read | Permalink&nbsp|&nbspEmail this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

If you absolutely can′t stand life without a widescreen PMP one more moment, Yoto just might have you covered. Sure, the M300 looks like a lot of other “all screen” media players out there, but can those other models handle AVI, DIVX, MPEG4, RM, XVID, RMVB, FLV, MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE, JPEG, GIF, and BMP files? Do they have 400 x 240 WQVGA screens? Are they made by Yoto? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, you′re not talking about the Yoto M300 — and you′re hurting our feelings. You might pause at the apparent compatibility issues (Windows 2000 and Windows XP only?), and maybe this doesn’t actually have a touchscreen, and sure, it was never really cleared of those murder charges… you know on second thought, maybe this isn’t such a good investment.

[Via PMP Today]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Curious designs and solar-powered wares seem to go hand in hand, but honestly, the PowerCube 600 is going to be hard to top. In what appears to be a ginormous (and inexplicably uncomfortable) recliner, the creators have managed to shove enough solar panels in this foldable, “portable” generator to crank out 600-watts of power. You’ll also find 3,500-watts of continuous inverter output, 2,400 amp hours of battery storage and a rugged / watertight case. Even when closed up, this beast measures 72- x 124- x 50-inches, and while it technically is a mobile solution, 2,000-pounds isn’t exactly what you want to lug around each time you feel like hosting a LAN party in Zzyzx, California. Forget the fact that you′ll need to phone up Reluminati in order to acquire a price — just think of the shipping!

[Via MAKE]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Automating Etch A Sketch units to pull off all sorts of mesmerizing tricks is certainly not new, but angelabuilds’ beautifully created Etch A Sketch clock truly is a notch above the rest. Reportedly, it was built upon the Arduino platform and obviously references a few other EAS masterpieces, but we really can’t think of a better wall clock for the true geek. Click on through to check out a video of the unit drawing 11:41 and moving on to 11:42 — seriously, watching the seconds tick away has never been more riveting.

[Via MAKE, thanks Nick]

Continue reading Etch A Sketch clock automatically draws, redraws time

&nbsp

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Original post by Darren Murph