Developages - Development and Technology Blog

desmondhaynes sends along a posting from the TechWatch blog detailing the sale of Transmeta (most recently discussed here). Linus moved ten time-zones west, from Finland to Santa Clara, CA, to join Transmeta in March 1997, before this community existed. Here is our discussion of the announcement of the Crusoe processor from 2000. Our earliest discussion of Transmeta was the 13th Slashdot story. “Transmeta, once a sparkling startup that set out to beat Intel and AMD in mobile computing, announced that it will be acquired by Novafora. The company’s most famous employee, Linux inventor Linus Torvalds, kept the buzz and rumor mill about the company throughout its stealth phase alive and guaranteed a flashy technology announcement in early 2000. Almost nine years later Transmeta’s journey is over.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by kdawson

Filed under: Laptops

We heard the rumor now ASUS’ CEO, Jerry Shen, confirms in an interview with Laptop that ASUS will slap a touchscreen and Windows 7 into a new Eee PC sometime in the second half of 2009. A statement likely to make a few project managers at Microsoft uncomfortable as that cuts into the official early 2010 padding built into their Win7 Gantt charts. The touch-enabled Eee PC model(s) could come in the form of a convertible tablet although Shen wouldn’t specify — he only promised more details in Q1, presumably at CES. Unsurprisingly, ASUS has no plans to put Vista onto Eee PCs at all. Also noteworthy is the introduction of “more exciting” Eee PC rigs in Q1 and Q2 in prices ranging from $250 (yes, $250) to $700. Steadily inching closer to that ellusive $199 Eee PC.

Other interesting points from the interview:

• Eee Top all-in-one PC will be released at the end of this month
• EeeStick (and compatible games) is to be released soon as both an Eee PC bundle and as a separate accessory (depending upon country) priced somewhere between $50 and $100
• Two new “Eee products” (not Eee PCs if we read this correctly) will be announced in January
• Eee PC devices will be limited to 10-inch, and smaller displays — Shen describes the netbook as a platform to consume content whereas a laptop is for creating content
• ASUS is focused on improving battery life and startup times on future Eee PCs — adding more power, like dual-core Atoms, is not a priority

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Laptops

We heard the rumor now ASUS’ CEO, Jerry Shen, confirms in an interview with Laptop that ASUS will slap a touchscreen and Windows 7 into a new Eee PC sometime in the second half of 2009. A statement likely to make a few project managers at Microsoft uncomfortable as that cuts into the official early 2010 padding built into their Win7 Gantt charts. The touch-enabled Eee PC model(s) could come in the form of a convertible tablet although Shen wouldn’t specify — he only promised more details in Q1, presumably at CES. Unsurprisingly, ASUS has no plans to put Vista onto Eee PCs at all. Also noteworthy is the introduction of “more exciting” Eee PC rigs in Q1 and Q2 in prices ranging from $250 (yes, $250) to $700. Steadily inching closer to that ellusive $199 Eee PC.

Other interesting points from the interview:

• Eee Top all-in-one PC will be released at the end of this month
• EeeStick (and compatible games) is to be released soon as both an Eee PC bundle and as a separate accessory (depending upon country) priced somewhere between $50 and $100
• Two new “Eee products” (not Eee PCs if we read this correctly) will be announced in January
• Eee PC devices will be limited to 10-inch, and smaller displays — Shen describes the netbook as a platform to consume content whereas a laptop is for creating content
• ASUS is focused on improving battery life and startup times on future Eee PCs — adding more power, like dual-core Atoms, is not a priority

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Filed under: Gaming

We already know that NeuroSky is bringing us the mind-reading Mindset for your gaming pleasures, but we got a first-hand look at the device here at TGS. At first glance, the headset may appear to be just another white set of over-the-ear headphones, but a little boom that gets all cuddly with your forehead measures how well you are concentrating on in-game objects. While this may sound like a bunch of hoopla, keep in mind that mega-developer Square Enix is already on board with “Judecca,” a zombie thriller that forces you to concentrate your way into seeing your enemies. After holding up your hand, you then concentrate on a glyph that glows in direct relation to your ability to concentrate, opening up what’s called your Devil’s Eye. Once you’re in a zen-like state, you can see Judecca’s zombies and unleash some kill. You can also show your concentration skills enough to walk through walls, naturally. In our limited time trying the tech with Judecca, we were indeed able to induce some sort of concentrative state, even with the distractions of a giant Japanese gaming convention. As for how long we’d want to play something like this before switching to something involving, say, just pushing buttons and killing enemies, we’re not so sure. NeuroSky promises the device in Spring 2009 for a price somewhere between $50 and $80. Hit the break for a couple shots of the device and a very tense gamer.

Continue reading Brains-on with NeuroSky and Square Enix′s Judecca mind-control game

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Original post by Joshua Fruhlinger

Filed under: Transportation

While the rest of the world was in some kind of mass coma over the past year, China decided to have a hand at building the highly controversial Emdrive (electromagnetic drive) — an engine that uses microwaves to transform electrical energy into thrust, all in a comparably light-weight, efficient package. The end result could mean 41 day journeys to Mars, not to mention terrestrial vehicle propulsion and satellite applications. Perpetual motion malarkey you say? British scientist and originator of the concept, Roger Shawyer of Satellite Propulsion Research Ltd. (SPR), assures you it’s nothing of the kind, and Chinese Professor Yang Juan concurs. Research headed by Juan at Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) in Xi’an commenced in June 2007, and a thruster now being built based on Shawyer’s theories is scheduled for completion by the end of this year. Meanwhile in the US: cue the sound of crickets.

[Via Wired]

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Original post by Stephanie Patterson

Filed under: Storage

Nothing too special about Tosh’s latest USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive — just a good lookin’ 400GB unit that should slide into most average sized cargo pockets on the market today. The 6-ounce drive is available in “Electric Blue and Black” (pictured) as well as Carbon Grey, Hot Rod Red and Gecko Green, and while pricing has yet to be revealed, those looking to size it up can chew on these dimensions: 0.65- x 3.19- x 5.0-inches. Not too shabby, huh?

[Via Electronista]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

Iomega went out of its way to make sure you really, really understood that this here external hard drive would go nicely with your MacBook Air, but we’d prefer to see it as something that could slip right into just about any traveler’s briefcase. The anodized aluminum shell measures in at just 0.63-inches thick, weighs 7-ounces and packs a 320GB 2.5-inch hard drive within. Additionally, the unit comes formatted with Apple’s HFS+ file system, features the company’s own Drop Guard design to protect it from falls of up to 1.3-meters (and not a nanometer more), and gets all the juice it needs from a spare (or only, in the MBA’s case) USB 2.0 port. It’ll be available across the globe next month for $149.99.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

Addonics is good for providing über-secure storage options, and this one does a fine job of keeping that legacy alive. The Ruby Cipher hard drive kit shows lots of love to any 2.5-inch SATA drive that you’ve got laying around, and once you slip it in there, you can rest assured that only you (and maybe your ghost) will see what files are within. The enclosure itself comes with inbuilt eSATA / SATA connectors, and there’s also a SATA direct bridge to “isolate the SATA hard drive power and data connectors from the wears and tears incurred in some other removable SATA hard drive systems.” Of course, you’ll also find 256-bit AES hardware encryption, with a bundled flash key included to unlock the doors to your deepest, darkest secrets. Shame there’s no price listed, but you know this level of security won’t run you cheap.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

Nice going, WD! Just days after rolling out your 500GB laptop drive (and by “rolling out,” we mean “shipping), you’ve already found the courage to add a few half-terabyte units to your My Passport lines. Starting today, consumers can snap up the My Passport Elite or My Passport Essential in a 500GB flavor, both of which still weigh in at under 7-ounces and are available now. Prices? Try $199.99 for the 500GB Essential, $219.99 for the 500GB Elite.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

If you′ll recall, a slew of prohibitively expensive SSDs were pit against one another last summer in a battle royale of pricey HDD replacements. Fast forward a year and change, and the barrier to entry for one of these heralded devices has dropped significantly. That being the case, we’ve a feeling HotHardware’s latest shootout will be a whole lot more relevant for the average joe / jane. The aforementioned test simultaneously reviews the OCZ Core Series 64GB MLC, OCZ 64GB Standard SLC, Super Talent MasterDrive MX 64GB MLC and the Mtron MSP 7500 32GB SLC. Interestingly, the writeup didn′t conclude with a medal ceremony, but rather, it elaborated on the merits of each and where it would likely fit best. You know what that means — time to bust out the spectacles and get to readin′. Chop chop!

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Storage

We’ve been around this stuff long enough to know that hard drives just keep getting bigger with time, but if you were eager to know exactly when a 1TB unit would be prepped and ready for your notebook, try 2010. According to those infamous “undisclosed sources,” both Western Digital (which started shipping a 500-gigger today) and Fujitsu are looking to pump out 750GB 2.5-inch HDDs by mid-2009 and 1TB variants in 2010. Keep the faith, brethren.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

According to our main homeboys / homegirls at GameDaily, Microsoft has confirmed that it’s dropping the price of that big, delicious Xbox 360 hard drive from the dizzingly high $179 to a totally thrifty $149. According to a Redmond rep: “We reduced the price of the Xbox 360 120 GB Hard Drive to $149 in conjunction with the recent Xbox 360 console price drop. We believe this offers consumers even greater value when selecting accessories that meet their individual gaming and entertainment needs.” Hey, no need to explain — we like things to be cheaper.

[Via Joystiq]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Peripherals

It’s not all BlueTrack hysteria for Microsoft today — the company’s hardware division also took the wraps off that Arc Mouse we spotted back in July and the new Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000. The two-part wireless Arc Mouse isn’t just pure fashion — the folding design allows it to flip closed for easy storage and portability, and unfolds to full size when in use. Sadly, it doesn’t get the hot new BlueTrack tech, but uses a traditional optical sensor instead — but the 2.4GHz connection provides a 30-foot range. The Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000 is your basic travel optical mouse, but it’ll get six months out of one AA battery. Both of these should be out this month — the Arc Mouse will come in black and red for $60, while the Mobile Mouse 3000 will come in black and white for $30 — there’ll be some colorful special editions in Target as well. Check the Mobile Mouse 3000 after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft Arc Mouse unfolds into view along with the Wireless Mobile Mouse 3000

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Cellphones

All but the most affluent among us have likely purged the pricey Meridiist from our memories, but if you’ve ever wondered what exactly a £2,650 ($5,162) cellphone looks like (and really, who hasn’t?), you’ll definitely want to check this out. The fine folks over at Stuff were able to point their camera at TAG Heuer’s exquisite handset ever-so-briefly, and while the images tell half the story, the folks handling it told the other. The chunky phone reportedly reeked of unnecessary luxury and was built solidly, but we didn’t get the impression that they were champing at the bit to call this a bargain. At any rate, there are a few more shots where this one came from (that would be the read link, for the uninitiated).

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Wireless

For better or worse, targeted advertising isn’t going anywhere. Seemingly, it’s not getting any more discrete, either. NEC’s Digital Signage Solution combines a camera, a large display and a FeliCa contactless IC card reader / writer in order to dole out advertisements that cater to certain demographics. The system includes the innate ability to determine “gender, generation and other attributes” of a person in order to serve up advertisements that will cause him / her to spend some dough. From there, the individual can scan their phone in order to access related content on their mobile internet browser. That’s all and fine and dandy we suppose, but how on Earth do you convince busy citizens to stop by and have a look at an otherwise uninteresting flat-panel?

[Image courtesy of NEC]

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Original post by Darren Murph