FocuSoft Tech Blog

ZigBee adding IP capabilities to its wireless devices, Texas Instruments likey

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 07:34 AM PDT

We’ve seen ZigBee wireless functionality showing up in everything from remote controls to robots, but apparently that was all just the beginning. The Alliance has announced plans to expand its low-power standards to support Internet Protocol, a move that member-company Texas Instruments is apparently quite pleased about — perhaps seeing an opportunity to make up some of those declining sales in the mobile phone area.

IP connectivity in all sorts of random devices should open the door for plenty of exciting and new-fangled connectivity options, all of which can only mean one thing: dung beetle MMO.

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ZigBee adding IP capabilities to its wireless devices, Texas Instruments likey

Canon confirms line defect on G10, denies existence of fourth-dimensional UFOs

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 07:12 AM PDT

Streaky lines on your G10 photos? Don’t call MUFON, hit up your local Canon repair center. The company is acknowledging an issue that results in small, horizontal defects like that pictured above. Apparently such aberrations seem to appear at random, regardless of camera settings, but the affected units’ serial numbers are at least easy to pick out at the read link.

Not exactly good news for Canon, hot on the heels of the 50D vertical banding fix, but at least it isn’t attempting some sort of cover-up.

[Via Impress]

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Canon confirms line defect on G10, denies existence of fourth-dimensional UFOs

Mashimaro MP3 player: huge-headed rabbit

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 07:02 AM PDT

Perhaps if I were Korean I’d understand this a little better, but a rabbit with a hugely bloated cranium just isn’t the sort of thing I’d think to base an MP3 player on. Still, Mashimaro is vaunted as Korea’s answer to Hello Kitty, so I suppose there must be thousands of girls there desperate for this 54 x 38 x 38mm media player.

mashimaro pmp 1 480x375

The Mashimaro PMP weighs a scant 19g and has 2GB of onboard storage. The tiny ears light up (you mean those on your rabbit don’t?) and are also the 5-way controller. Around the back there’s a headphone jack and USB connector, and the whole thing is good for 9hrs of playback from the rechargeable battery.

If you’re in Korea, and you fancy a slice of Mashimaro, the PMP will set you back the equivalent of around $45. It’s available in white, sky blue or soft pink, and plays MP3, WMA, WMV, ASF, OGG, APE, WAV and ACT files.

[via OhGizmo!]

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Mashimaro MP3 player: huge-headed rabbit

HP launches their Elite Book 6930p

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 07:00 AM PDT

One of the most interesting points about this machine is the promise that the user will be able to get around twenty four hours worth of continued use on one charge of the battery, its completely unheard of that something like this even possible, but this is cool.

HP has managed to cram in a whole host of features into this fourteen inch display unit, but they have managed to increase the way that the data transfer system works. HP claim that the overall performance of the machine is going to be by around fifty seven per cent, in fact on this machine it can run at around six times as fast.

Source [Aving]

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HP launches their Elite Book 6930p

mypressi TWIST gives espresso addicts an easier way to indulge

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 06:53 AM PDT

You know the story — your daily craving for a shot of espresso hits right around 7:30AM local time, and if you don’t have it in your grasp by 0800 hours, you’re likely visiting the slammer for at least a day or two for barista battery. In a beautiful effort to keep addicts far away from prisons and ever closer to their productivity machines, Espressi has unveiled the mypressi TWIST, which is described as a truly portable espresso maker that delivers top-notch goods without the wait.

The secret to the one-pound device is the pneumatic engine that provides constant pressure throughout the extraction cycle, and we’re told that a single CO2 cartridge can provide around eight shots. It’ll hit American shores this fall for $129 — ’til then, it’s on you to keep a local shop on retainer.

[Via Single Serve Expresso]

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mypressi TWIST gives espresso addicts an easier way to indulge

Jeopardy! supercomputer being developed by IBM will surely kill us all

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 06:45 AM PDT

It looks like Jeopardy! contestants will be the latest in a long line of humans being replaced by computers if IBM has its way. Big Blue has developed a supercomputer named Watson that's apparently able to compete on the famous game show with human-like mental quickness as it pertains to answering questions.

The project's been in development for two years and the finished version will compete in "a human vs. machine competition on the renowned show" sometime in the future. Scientists from IBM Labs are quick to point out that Watson is much more than "Google on steroids" — good thing, too, because steroid use is probably illegal on most game shows. Except for The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune. Those guys will turn a blind eye if it means being able to spin those big wheels 'round and 'round, mesmerizing audiences in all corners of the earth.

As for Jeopardy!, I submit that IBM should house the Watson computer inside a lifelike robotic body and have everyone try to guess which contestant is the computer. Or who's to say Watson hasn't already appeared on the show numerous times? Whatever the case, it's quite clear that Watson will use all of its Jeopardy! winnings to fund an army of clone Watsons to eventually take over the world.

[via Gizmodo]

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Jeopardy! supercomputer being developed by IBM will surely kill us all

Seeqpod Knocked Down, Will It Ever Get Up?

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 06:45 AM PDT

Seeqpod, the ill-fated startup behind the kick-ass media search technology used by many music streaming and playlist services and social networking applications, appears to have cracked under the weight of litigation.

At the end of last month, we broke the news that the Emeryville, CA-based company filed a petition for Chapter 11 with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Northern District of California. Now it looks like the service, which many third-party developers use as the underlying foundation for their own offerings, has gone completely dark for the past couple of days.

Apparently, after going down Friday afternoon Seeqpod at one point claimed on its website that it was having server issues and that the service would be restored once the technical problems were solved, but the site went down again 45 minutes after the notice was published and has been unavailable since 10:30 PM EST Saturday night.

There's still no 100% certainty that Seeqpod has in fact permanently closed shop. In fact, MP3 Newswire in a post says it has been in touch with Seeqpod CEO Kasian Franks yesterday and that he reportedly stated the company is merely moving servers. Furthermore, MP3 Newswire quotes Franks as having said that the company is in acquisition talks with a "large media company that was a competitor to Apple".

This could of course be a well-considered strategy to let people know it's up for sale at all (which under the circumstances, would not be much of a surprise), hoping to squeeze a deal out of say, Sony or RealNetworks. In case this is all just talk and an acquisition never happens, things are not looking too good for Seeqpod, who despite the fact that it claims not to host any files on its own servers has become the target of multibillion dollar lawsuits by music labels like Warner Music, Capitol Records and EMI.

The company has raised $7 million from undisclosed angel investors to date.

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Seeqpod

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Seeqpod Knocked Down, Will It Ever Get Up?

Bionic Animal Legs Are Built For Theater and/or Enchanted Woodlands [Clips]

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 06:40 AM PDT

Human legs are just so bourgeois. You’ll never catch me wearing the last millennium’s leg fashions again.

These “digitigrade leg extensions” are the work of Seattle-based sculptor Kim Graham. Essentially a fancy pair of stilts, the legs mimic digitigrades (animals including horses that bear weight on their toes). Half this video demonstrates how the legs look on a human. The other half demonstrates how they look on a furry satyr.

Brb, gotta voluntarily vomit up this Kashi and coffee that I consumed about three moments too soon this morning. [Kim Graham via Super Punch]

Samsungs R522 laptop still not official, gets reviewed anyway

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 06:33 AM PDT

Waiting for official confirmation on that R522 that was spied a few weeks back? It doesn’t look like you’re going to get it, at least not yet, but that hasn’t stopped TrustedReviews from giving one a proper once-over regardless. The site’s 15.6-inch review unit sports a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T6400 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB disk — plenty of power in a fairly small and nicely styled package. Decent battery life, too, clocking nearly 3.5 hours under mixed use. However, cable-free connectivity options were somewhat less impressive, lacking 802.11N, Bluetooth, and any sort of cellular wireless.

So, a solid choice if you’re not looking for the latest in connectivity options or don’t mind toting along an external adapter. Prices are said to be between £550 and £600 ($800 to $875) with availability over there starting next month. Samsung’s still staying mum about a release on these shores.

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Samsungs R522 laptop still not official, gets reviewed anyway

Flip Ultra HD: Our Favorite Cheap Camcorder Goes HD [Flip Ultra Hd]

Posted: 27 Apr 2009 06:20 AM PDT

The most majorest problems with the Flip Mino HD are its squinty small screen and narrow lens, so seeing an HD rendition of our favorite cheap camcorder—the Flip Ultra HD—makes us happy.

Besides going HD—bringing it up to par with our other fave, Kodak’s ZI6—the Flip Ultra HD gets HDMI, a rare rainbow unicorn for these cheap pocket cams. It’s got two hours of record time, and removable rechargeable batteries. Gary walked out of Best Buy with the so-far-unannounced Flip Ultra HD for $200, which is high compared to Kodak’s upcoming $150 Z1x. Still, we can’t wait to get our hands on it. [Gaxonline via Engadget]

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Flip Ultra HD: Our Favorite Cheap Camcorder Goes HD [Flip Ultra Hd]