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With the money well all dried up and a monumental transition looming, Barack Obama’s transition team is urging Congress to take a second look at letting the cutover take place as planned on February 17th. According to a letter recently sent to Capital Hill, John Podesta, co-chair of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team, stated: “With coupons unavailable, support and education insufficient, and the most vulnerable Americans exposed, I urge you to consider a change to the legislatively-mandated analog cutoff date.” Quite frankly, this has the potential to be huge. When would it be rescheduled to? Would additional fundage be applied? How would broadcasters react? Obviously, we shouldn’t have to wait long to see how this all pans out.

[Thanks, Tommy]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Obama’s transition team urges Congress to postpone DTV cutover originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Darren Murph

snydeq writes “Sustainable IT’s Ted Samson raises questions regarding the purchasing of carbon offsets, a practice growing in popularity among tech companies such as Dell, Yahoo, and Google in an attempt to achieve ‘carbon neutrality.’ Essentially financial instruments, carbon offsets enable companies to invest money in sustainable endeavors in an attempt to counteract the carbon footprint they incur conducting their business. But as a recent article in the Wall Street Journal shows, measuring the value of these carbon offsets is tricky business, as some recipients of offsets say the results of their sustainable efforts would be achieved regardless of any one company’s investment. ‘The question of whether carbon offsets hold value just scratches the surface of the overall carbon-neutrality question,’ Samson writes. ‘For the time being, there isn′t even a consistent approach to measuring an organization’s carbon footprint in the first place. And if you don′t know how much CO2 you’re responsible for, how do you know how much offsetting is necessary to become neutral?’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by timothy

The Pogoplug USB to NAS adapter is really in a class of its won. Not only does it do the obvious — allow you to turn any USB hard drive into a NAS — but it is also has a built in web server. But no, they didn’t stop there, for $79 you also get (in our best Billy Maze voice) a web service accessible at Pogoplug.com that gives you the same convenient access to your files anywhere on the internet via either a web browser or the file manager of your choice. There is also a slick little iPhone app available for free.

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage, Networking

Pogoplug hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Ben Drawbaugh

Behold! The glory of Engadget’s CES Coverage, Day two: Watch phones, Android tablets, Vaio P’s, and press conferences by the fistful. Josh, Paul, and Nilay (who finally got his grubby mitts on a microphone) gather ’round the campfire to ponder the intricacies of the last day before the show floor opens up and the first “really real″ day of CES begins. (This was recorded last night before the Palm new-ness hit, we’ll be recording impressions about that and should have them up tomorrow).

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, Nilay Patel
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Beat It

02:55 - Cisco CES press conference
07:31 - Live from Steve Ballmer’s CES keynote
29:02 - Live from Sony’s CES press event
32:39 - Sony VAIO P hands-on
42:39 - GiiNii’s Movit Mini WiFi Android tablet hands-on
46:37 - LG’s GD910 wrist phone in action

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Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 125 - 01.08.2009: CES day two originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Trent Wolbe

Totally over the top and ridiculously expensive, Kodak′s 7.6-inch OLED picture frame is still a serious want. The image was every bit as beautiful as we expected but surprised us with the frame’s ability to playback HD video in such a fluid manner. The touch-controls along the bezel did what we wanted with little thought, albeit, with some lag. Not horrible but certainly annoying if we ever decide to hand Kodak $1,000 to take one home.

Filed under: CES, Displays

Kodak OLED picture frame hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Thomas Ricker

Also making the rounds this week is Sammy’s ST10, the 9 megapixel companion to the newly announced TL100. In addition to the rather ho-hum face detection we see so often these days, this claims to be the first camera with facial recognition: it keeps track of your favorite faces, prioritizing them when focusing in the future. Also included is a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, integrated Ṃ player, Digital Image Stabilization, Smart Scene Recognition and more. This bad boy will be available from February 2009, priced at £179 (roughly $270).

Filed under: CES, Digital Cameras

Samsung S⃚ combines digicam and PMP, practically snaps pics for you originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Joseph L. Flatley

digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/hardware/Palm_Pre_in_depth_impressions’;We just sat down with Palm for a more in-depth look at the device, and here are our takeaways. First off, the software and hardware they′re showing right now aren’t the final versions. They′re updating and tweaking as we speak, so some of the features haven’t been implemented yet. Our take? Check it all out after the break, along with video, a full spec rundown… and in case you’re wondering… it rhymes with Tree!

Continue reading Palm Pre in-depth impressions, video, and huge hands-on gallery

Filed under: Cellphones, CES

Palm Pre in-depth impressions, video, and huge hands-on gallery originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Not to be outdone by her sister Kris, Carly DeGraeve sent us this link to her latest electrified Monopoly board. It lights up the four props in the center of the board when you land on the appropriate squares. She used reed switches and magnets to complete the circuit.

Electrified Monopoly - Steampunk Inspired

More:
How To - Make a secret stash box
Kris and Carly dress like cake!

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Original post by Gareth Branwyn

I’ve often considered Electro-Harmonix the coolest mainstream manufacturer of effects pedals and this new product is further proof. The Voice Box is both a vocoder and harmonizer unit with mic and instrument inputs. Along with built in reverb, tone control, and phantom power this unit provides “gender” changing options. From the product page -

The harmony processor creates 2- to 4-part harmonies directly from your vocals, in the same key as your accompanying instrument. Studio-quality reverb lets you independently add depth to your dry and harmony vocals.

The focused 256-band articulate vocoder, designed by the same EMS genius who made vocoding famous, features adjustable harmonic enhancement and controllable formant shift.

• Harmonically matches any electric instrument you plug into it

• Professional quality pitch shifting algorithm produces realistic harmonies
• The Low & High Harmony independently produces two harmony notes: 3rd and 5th
• 9 accessible programmable presets
• Natural Glissando
• Gender Bender knob allows for male/female formant modification
• Built-In Mic Pre with Phantom Power & Gain Switch
• Balanced XLR Line Output: Interface directly with any mixing board or A/D converter
• US96DC-200BI power supply included

This device seems prime for experimentation(ie - input swapping, etc), and @ around 200USD seems quite a value. Check out the “user generated videos″ tab on EH’s site for my examples of what the box can do - Voice Box | Vocal Harmony Machine/Vocoder
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Original post by Collin Cunningham

These new BUGModules from BUG Labs aren’t much to look at, but just holding them in your hands really gets your gears going about what new kinds of custom gadgets you could come up with. The new modules are really ones that open up the possibilities and make us think, “what if I want to use more than four modules?” The usefulness of the wireless adapters like WiFi and 3G go without saying, but the possibilities of having a projector in your pocket with sound could really lead to something. And last but not least, who wouldn’t want the Swiss Army Knife of input and output on their custom gadget?

Filed under: CES, Peripherals, Wireless

New BUGModules hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Ben Drawbaugh

An anonymous reader writes “SD cards with a theoretical maximum capacity of 2TB are in development by Panasonic and the SD Association, it has been announced. The technology is called ‘Secure Digital Extended Capacity’, or ‘SDXC’, and Panasonic has announced it will soon show off a 64GB SDXC card. Using the new technology, read/write speeds are set to hit 300MBps. SanDisk and Sony are using the same standard to develop Extended Capacity cards in Sony’s Memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick Micro range. SDXC utilises Microsoft’s new exFAT file system — AKA ‘FAT 64′ — which first appeared in Windows Vista SP1, and has a theoretical file size limit of 16 exbibytes.” Reader xlotlu adds a note about the “proprietary exFAT file system, which is available for licensing under NDA. There are currently no specific patents on exFAT, but its legal status is uncertain since it’s based on FAT. The FAT patents have been previously upheld in court.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by timothy

Working up a sweat from those late night World of Warcraft sessions? Yens Electric’s USB Negative Ion Generator can’t help your social life, but it might be able to do something about the smell.

This USB-powered device can neutralize smells. It also helps remove dust and dirt from the air, and, according to the company, “neutraliz[es] positive ions, defer[ring] human fatigue.

The little box outputs more than two million ions per cubed centimeter.

Original post by Brian Heater

Want high-def video output from your PC but don’t have a built-in HDMI out? No problem. Altona′s new AT-HDPIX can turn your computer’s USB into an HDMI port.

The little box is Mac and Windows compatible, outputting video at a maximum of 1600 x 1200 or 720p. It devotes the entire bandwidth of the USB port for video, pulling audio from your 3.5mm stereo jack. Audio is embedded with video and then both are transferred to your HTV over an HDMI cable.

The box is available now for $179.

Original post by Brian Heater

CES isn’t exactly know for its humidifier selection–one company called SPT was showcasing a fairly wide selection of the things on the showroom floor today, however. This little pink one caught my eye–maybe it was the water bottle jutting out of it, or perhaps it was the deluge of steam pouring forth.

Either way, the Personal Ultrasonic Humidifier is a cool little device. It weights about 1.4 pounds and can output about 120cc of humidity per hour. The mist flow is also adjustable. The coolest part, of course, is the fact that it takes water bottles instead of a standard water tank, making this an ideal humidifier for taking on the road.

The Personal Ultrasonic Humidifier is available now for around $50.

Original post by Brian Heater

Another trend at this year’s CES? YouTube camcorders, of course. Illinois-based Cobra Digital has come out with their own entry into the field. The DVC950 looks a lot like a slimmer version of the original Flip, but manages to pack in a lot of features that that camera was missing–for a much lower price point.

Like the Flip, the DV𐥮 has a retractable USB arm, making for easy uploads to site like YouTube. The camera also has an SD card slot, and a swiveling 1.5-inch screen for those among us (read: teenagers) who like to shoot videos of themselves. The camera doesn’t have a built-in battery, however, and requires two AA batteries.

The camera ships with software, a USB cable, and a 256MB SD card. The DVC950 carries an MSRP of around $60.

Original post by Brian Heater

Honestly, who couldn′t use a little bit of night vision? iGen makes a slew of night vision devices, aimed largely at hunters. The iGen NV 20/20 is the company’s first night vision device (and, according to them, the world’s only) that also takes still images.

The iGen NV 20/20 has adjustable light amplification up to 10,000x and a frame rate that varies from 2 to 30 frames per second. The display has variable brightness and offers color output option. The camera also features composite video out.

Most interest here, of course, is the image capture. The NV 20/20 has a built-in SD card slot and can take black and white photos in the JPEG or TIFF

Original post by Brian Heater

DTV Interactive’s Storm is a TV tuner that’s roughly the size of a standard USB Flash drive. The device, which weighs 25 grams, brings mobile TV to your PC, anywhere in the U.S.

The mobile TV receiver is compliant with the ATSC-M/H standard and decodes video at 24KHz, with a frame size of 320 by 240. The dongle also has a large antennae that extends from its back for improved signal reception.

The Storm has a USB 2.0 interface and is compatible with Windows XP.

For PCMag’s full CES coverage, go to http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,2235882,00.asp.

Original post by Brian Heater

Celebrate the end of another work day with these bargains. Check out Gearlog’s deals for Thursday:

1. MacMall is having crazy sales in honor of the Macworld expo. There are 196 Macworld Expo Sale Deals on a variety of products, such as software, phones, HDTVs, games, and other accessories. Check it out, the sale ends at 11:59 P.M. PST, January 12.

2. OK, so Circuit City’s New Year’s Resolution sale might have ended yesterday–but it’s now having a 3-day sale ending on Januayr 10. Save 25 percent on digital cameras, up to 30 percent on camcorders, up to 50 percent on memory cards, get a free game with the purchase of a PSP, save up to 50 percent on Wii accessories, and up to 15 percent on HDTVs. [Via Bargainist.com]

3. Get the Motorola Unlocked C155 GSM 850/1900 phone from Sellout.Woot for just $24.99 today. Unlocked cell phone works with any cellphones SIM cards. It’s a pretty basic phone, but for the price of a week’s worth of lattes, you can’t go wrong.

Original post by Jennifer Bergen

gregg writes “Six weeks before the nation’s television stations are scheduled to convert to digital transmission, the Obama administration is asking Congress to consider a delay. In the most significant sign to date of concern about the impending digital TV transition, the Obama transition team co-chair John Podesta said the government funds to support the change are ‘woefully inadequate’ and said that the digital switch date, Feb. 17, should be ‘reconsidered and extended.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Original post by timothy

In a surprising turn, boutique PC maker Velocity Micro–known mostly for its premium customizable laptops and powerful multimedia machines–announced two affordable lightweight notebooks at CES yesterday. The NoteMagix M10 is the manufacturer’s entrée into the netbook market, and the NoteMagix M5 is a touchscreen handheld PC. So far Velocity Micro has released only a limited amount of information on specs for these two systems, but here’s what we have so far, after the jump.

The NoteMagix M10 is right on trend with a 10.1-inch screen, and it weighs in at just 2.6 pounds. Also, similar to many of the newer netbooks, it runs Windows XP (as opposed to a custom Linux build, like the EeePCs and OLPCs). According to Velocity Micro, the system’s 4-cell lithium ion battery should last for more than 5 hours. Features include Wi-Fi and an integrated webcam.

While some might argue that handheld PCs are being eclipsed by netbooks nowadays, Velocity Micro’s still betting on the category with the NoteMagix M5. This slate tablet features a 4.8-inch touchscreen and a slide-out full keyboard. It’s the more connected of Velocity Micro’s new offerings, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 3G capabilities. The manufacturer also promises 5 hours of battery life for this system.

The NoteMagix M10 will go for $379. The NoteMagix M5 will be less than $500, but Velocity Micro hasn’t disclosed any more specific pricing information. The company said that both systems should be available for purchase this spring.

Post by Nicole Price Fasig

For PCMag’s full CES coverage, go to http://www.pcmag.com/categorҼ/0,2806,2235882,00.asp.

Original post by Gearlog

We’ve just posted a PDF excerpt from our first Craft book, Syuzi Pakhchyan’s Fashioning Technology. The book covers everything you need to know to get started making wearable electronics, smart toys, furniture, and home decor. It’s a very cool book that gives you the skills and inspiration to make some amazing things. Here’s a taste of the Sewing Soft Circuits section (there’s much more in the PDF):

Electronic textiles are dramatically redefining the way circuits look and feel. The increasing availability of raw conductive materials such as inks, threads, and textiles opens a new world of possibilities to experiment with, to better help you craft electronics into fabric. Circuits can now be hand- or machine-sewn, woven, embroidered, inked, or knit; they can be lightweight, flexible, and even three-dimensional. But don’t throw your etchant solution and copper boards away quite yet, as it is difficult and time-consuming to sew complex circuitry by hand. For most projects, you will want to combine traditional printed circuit boards (PCBs) with soft circuits, controls, and switches. The following section introduces basic techniques on how to integrate electronics into textiles to get you started experimenting with soft circuits.

Conductive threads and textiles come with varying surface resistivity. Surface resistivity, typically measured in ohms per square, is the resistance of a material to the flow of electric current between opposite sides of its surface. In materials with low electrical resistance, electrons easily flow through or across the surface of the material. Generally, you will want to work with threads and textiles with low surface resistivity.

NOTE: There is a variety of conductive threads and textiles on the market that isn’t very conductive, meaning that they have high surface resistivity. Before purchasing any conductive thread or textile, it is important to check the product’s specifications to determine its surface resistivity.

Follow this link to download a PDF with a longer excerpt from Fashioning Technology’s Sewing Soft Circuits technical primer, including these sections:

• Bookbinder’s Knot
• Sewing by Machine
• Sewing Components with Long Leads (LEDs, Resistors, and Capacitors)
• Sewing Integrated Circuit (IC) Chips
• Sewing Components with Wires

Buy Fashioning Technology by Syuzi Pakhchyan in the Maker Shed today!

This book demonstrates how to blend sewing and assembly techniques with traditional electronics to assemble simple circuits using conductive thread, solder joints for snaps, and switches for buttons. With the sewing machine as a viable substitute for the soldering iron, you can craft a new generation of objects that are interactive, quirky, and fashion-conscious.

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Original post by Brian Jepson

Nyle posted this multitrack recording featuring sounds from a homemade Zinc oscillator circuit -

An electronic sound composition is made entirely of sounds produced using zinc negetive resistance audio oscillator circuits. No vacuum tubes or transistors were used to generate the sounds.

Several tracks of the zinc oscillator sounds were recorded one at a time. Some of the sounds were enhanced with the addition of reverb.

The morse code parts were sent in real time by manually keying a J-38 straight key. Yes, I can send that fast with a straight key by using a somewhat unusual technique that I developed.

Interesting research - check out further documentation of his experiments here - SparkBangBuzz [via Matrixsynth]

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Original post by Collin Cunningham

We’ve gotten Palm on the record saying that there’s a WCDMA (read: UMTS world 3G) version of the Pre in the works, though we don’t know when or where. That means that the AT&Ts, T-Mobiles, and Vodafones of the world will get a shot at this baby. Suggestion, Palm: “soon” and “everywhere.”

Filed under: Cellphones, CES, Handhelds

There will be a GSM-friendly 3G Palm Pre originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Chris Ziegler

It’s been in so many movies and TV shows that you probably think it already exists, but open-air hand-gestured controlled TVs are a thing of the future–the near future that is. Canesta, the “pioneer in low-cost, single-chip based 3D sensors,” announced today at CES that it has collaborated with Hitachi to create the first prototype of a TV that can be controlled by just the wave of a hand–no remote needed!

The prototype uses Canesta’s 3D sensor for gesture recognition. Visitors at the Hitachi booth at CES will be able to control the TV up to 3 meters away with just their hand gestures. For example, you can turn on the TV with a rapid wave, and change the channel with a circular motion. The new technology can also tell the difference between gestures using one hand and gestures with two hands.

In the case of this Hitachi prototype, an independent Canesta sensor sends a stream of 3D information at 30 frames per second to the TV’s microcontroller. There, gesture-recognition software translates the moving depth maps into gestures, and those gestures into commands for the set.

“We believe that it is only a matter of time until gestural interfaces are found in virtually every living room,” said Hiroyuki Mizukami, chief technology officer of the Hitachi Consumer Business Group.

For PCMag’s full CES coverage, go to http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,2235882,00.asp.

Original post by Jennifer Bergen

Let’s just say this straight out: the white Pentax K2000 is one of the hottest DSLRs we′ve ever seen. It’s seriously lustworthy. Considering how great the reviews have been, we′d say it’s definitely worthy of a spot on your list if you’re in the market. Pentax’s less-interesting P70 and E70 were also out — they look nice enough, for being pretty ordinary. Check it all in the gallery!

Filed under: CES, Digital Cameras

Hands-on with Pentax’s new lineup, including the white Pentax K2000 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Original post by Nilay Patel