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Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video)

Lazy humans, your dream has come true: a robot that could carry food and drink from the kitchen straight to your couch-borne position without you having to get up. It’s the Toshiba Wheelie, a balancing bot that zips around on two wheels like an autonomous Segway, but with the added bonus of retractable runners on the front and back to keep it from toppling should it ever suffer an abrupt power failure. It sports stereo cameras on top and a laser range finder as well, enabling it to find its way around (or under) obstacles. The demonstration video below shows it propping a plate of steak and mixed veggies on its head before taking them for a ride around a demonstration space — impressive, but given it lacks the arms to pick up the plate in the first place we’re thinking this one’s usefulness is sadly rather limited. He also can’t talk, which means rhyming is right out, but he is kinda cute.

Continue reading Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video)

Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How the Terminator’s .45 Longslide with laser sighting came to be (video)

While Arnie’s one-handed reloads on his Winchester 1887 may make that shotgun the most iconic weapon of Terminator 2, his laser-sighted .45 Longslide was definitely king in the first. Laser sights are something you can buy in any gun shop today, but back in 1984 they were extremely rare — and expensive. The one for the movie was custom made by SureFire, a company that specializes in tactical flashlights. Lasers at the time were helium neon, requiring a whopping 10,000 volts to power on and a constant 1,000 volts to stay bright. To manage this on a shoestring budget in the ’80s the weapon had a wire running up Arnie’s sleeve to a battery inside his jacket and a switch he had to activate with his other hand. (A non-functional prop was used for close-ups.) Crude, but effective, and, most importantly, cheap — SureFire representatives received only a T-shirt and some other assorted movie swag. Now, what kind of weapon could we get for a box of Engadget shirts…

Continue reading How the Terminator’s .45 Longslide with laser sighting came to be (video)

How the Terminator’s .45 Longslide with laser sighting came to be (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HDI CEO admits that smaller laser 3D HDTVs could become a reality, 103-incher coming in June

We’ve been waiting on Woz’s favorite 3D display ever to ship for quite some time, and as of now, no delays have been seen. According to a new interview with HDI CEO Ingemar Jansson, the June ship date for its 103-inch, laser-based monster is still on track, with a $10,000 price tag being placed on it when ordered “in volume.” Frankly, there’s not much here that we haven’t already heard about the new face of 1080p 3D in the home; what is new, however, is the mention that smaller versions could very well be on the horizon. Regardless of whether you’re man or woman enough to admit it, a 103-inch set is far too large for the vast majority of homes, so a 46-inch iteration — which was mentioned specifically in the dialog — could be a perfect alternative. There was no time table or estimated price given for the smaller version(s), but you can bet we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more. Oh, and if you don’t think an HDTV upstart can give Sony, Sharp and Samsung a run for their money, there’s a “Mr. Vizio” in the back room that would like to have a word with you.

HDI CEO admits that smaller laser 3D HDTVs could become a reality, 103-incher coming in June originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microvision Show WX laser pico projector

Microvision has announced its Show WX laser pico projector which can be found over its web store – as long as you’re living Stateside. The Show WX standard edition is not cheap though, retailing for $549 a pop as it ships on March 24th later this month. Features of the Show WX include an 848 x 480 resolution, 10 lumens of brightness, a small and lightweight body, alongside the advantage of it being a laser projector. For those who want something more special, there is a limited edition Show WX available as well, where booting it up will reveal a personalized splash screen that bears the name of its owner. Pricing for the limited edition model has been determined at $999.

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Microvision’s Show WX laser pico projector available to buy today, will ship March 24

Okay, so maybe Microvision is a little late with the release of its pocketable Show WX pico projector, but we’d rather have a truly useful projector late than a useless one on time. This laser-based beaut will offer you infinite focus — something we can vouch for having tried out the same technology integrated in a rifle — which essentially means that no matter how much you twist or jerk the projector around, or how distant your projected surface is, the picture will remain in focus. An 848 x 480 resolution image can be scaled from less than six inches all the way up to 200, though you’re most likely to stick with anything up to 30 in order to make the most of the 10 lumens brightness on offer. The contrast ratio is rated as being greater than 5,000:1 while the battery will last you up to two hours on a charge. The wallet damage is $549 for the standard edition, but the limited edition teased above jumps all the way to $999, for which you’ll get a personalized splash screen, LE insignia, a certificate of authenticity, a VGA dock and some other trinkets. Come on, it has lasers inside, it was never gonna be cheap!

Microvision’s Show WX laser pico projector available to buy today, will ship March 24 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Street Headphones Allow You To Customize Text On The Headband

Here’s a rather interesting headphone design, the Street Headphone. It has a laser sintered polyamide outer shell, which is made using the rapid manufacturing process. With that in place, customers are able to personalize the own outer shell of the headphones, and have something custom etched on it, be it lyrics, your name, or whatever you feel like. The only downside is that these headphones will cost you a good €833 ($1,140), which is more than what most people will pay for a pair of headphones. Of course, if you’re really into customization, then you’re probably prepared to pay the price.

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Richard Solo offers flashlight and laser pointer in one device

Richard Solo is back with a brand new backup battery for your iPhone 3G/3GS or iPod touch, where this one not only offers a lifeline when you are in the middle of nowhere, it also sports a flashlight for you to find your way around at night as well as a laser pointer just in case you want to make a presentation in the middle of nowhere (or target an animal while you’re on a hunt). The charger holds enough juice for one full charge and a wee bit more, where the $70 price point comes with a USB charger, USB car charger and wall charger as well.

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Mini wireless keyboard with touchpad and laser pointer

The promises Brando makes about the “Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard” make it sound like a hug wrapped in hot chocolate wrapped in a puppy. There’s the “dazzling bright LED” backlighting, the world’s first touchpad that can be used in both the horizontal and vertical positions complete with advanced “capacitive sensing technology, comparable to a real notebook touchpad,” and the “innovative design of the navigation keys” that’ll make you “feel the thrill” of being able to play games wirelessly.

Limited Edition Oakley Nokia N97 For The Winter Olympics

If you’re an Oakley and Nokia fan, you’ll be drooling over what they’ve come up with. Both companies have collaborated to churn out 200 limited edition phones for Oakley sponsored Olympians at the Vancouver Olympics. Pictured here is a Nokia N97 that’s been given the Oakley treatment, with the Oakley Thunderbird (the specially designed logo for the Vancouver Olympics) laser etched onto the back of the phone. The phone itself is loaded with exclusive Oakley team videos & photos. If you’ve managed to stop drooling, a video of it being unboxed is available after the jump.

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Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard is perfect for your HTPC, not your Wii (video)

For HTPC owners looking for the perfect couch-borne computer keyboard, this Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard looks like Natuzzi nirvana, packing QWERTY (with function keys) and a touchpad all in a package that should fall to the hand more comfortably than that Scientific Atlanta remote your cable company has saddled you with. There’s even a laser pointer, making it a snap to indicate strange shapes and symbols seen on Lost episodes — or to taunt the cats when an episode’s fifteenth plot twist leaves you disinterested. We’re not sure exactly what Brando means when it says the thing has “iPhone style,” but despite that we’re liking it, and the $92 $49 price isn’t completely outrageous. YouTube video review embedded after the break for the doubters.

Update: A few bargain-hunting commenters pointed out that this is available for $48.99 over at TomTop. That’s savings you can count on, folks!

Continue reading Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard is perfect for your HTPC, not your Wii (video)

Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard is perfect for your HTPC, not your Wii (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microring transmissions are sure to resonate with people who hate wires

You’ve probably seen sketches like the one above promising you complete cable independence since what, 1996? We’re not about to tell you this is the one technology that finally delivers on that utopian dream, but it’s surely one of the zanier attempts at it. By converting “ultra fast laser pulses” into radio frequency waves, the researchers claim they’ve overcome a significant hurdle to making wireless communications ubiquitous — signal interference. The rapid (each laser burst lasts a mere 100 femtoseconds), pulsing nature of their approach purportedly makes their signal extremely robust, while intended operation at around 60GHz means their microring transmitters (diagram after the break) will be able to operate within spectrum space that does not require a license — neither from the FCC nor internationally. Applications for the microrings would include things like HDTV broadcasts and piping data into vehicles, although we won’t be seeing anything happening on the commercial front for at least another five years. Typical. If you just can’t wait that long, a few Japanese companies you may have heard of are preparing their own 60GHz wireless devices for the second half of this year.

Continue reading Microring transmissions are sure to resonate with people who hate wires

Microring transmissions are sure to resonate with people who hate wires originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard

Our friends over at Brando have come up with the Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard, and you can tell that this is really, really mini by the image above. After all, it fits right into the palm of your own hand, but you won’t get the whole works here – only 69 keys are available for your fingers to fondle. Ideal for travelers, this keyboard comes with a backlight for you to finish up your work in bed while your partner is sleeping without missing a letter. It works wirelessly via the 2.4GHz radio frequency, and comes with a laser pointer to boot.

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