Archive for January 6th, 2008
[CES 2008] With its sensor-based navigation, this flying toy can detect and avoid obstacles, allowing lazy users to switch from the Remote Control mode to the Auto-Pilot mode. With the Dogfight accessory you can start a war with other FlyTech Bladestars, do not worry, it is made of “high-flex’ materials and designed to be crash resistant. It recharges directly from the remote controller. Wowee’s website. Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones
06
01
2008
ChatterBots: hilarious comments on your daily computer activitiesPosted by: in Technology news
[CES 2008] Our virtual daily activities can be a bit boring sometimes, especially when it comes to handling zillions of emails before a major event… WoWee is coming with a fun solution to cheer up our digital lives: each ChatterBot has its own personality, and when connected to a computer (Mac/PC) via USB comments, jokes and dialog based on the user’s email, calendar, applications, web browsing, and instant messaging activity. The ChatterBot responses can be customized using the software and users can trigger specific comments by typing keywords or by using the on-screen interface. It can be used as a standalone speaker to listen from an MP3 player. Features
Permalink | Comment | Uberbargain | Uberphones Filed under: Cellphones, CES 
Wow, look at what Palm and Vodafone are bringing us now via the good people at Boy Genius Report, the Palm Wanda. Terrible name (please tell us it’s just a codename!) aside, the specs are looking pretty decent with triband GSM and HSDPA covered as well as GPS for your navigational needs. The sheet also lists a “BURY” hardwire kit for car use and Windows Mobile 6.1 as the OS of choice. Launch is currently set for the September 2008 timeframe with the price set at roughly $350 — though, of course that’s a contract price.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Filed under: Cellphones, CES, HDTV  Quartics, the company behind the PC-on-TV solutions peddled by D-Link and others showed its latest spin on the technology, Mobile2Display. We checked out a demo allowing Windows Mobile 5 or 6 based phones to send video wirelessly to a TV, with no problems about codecs or formatting, the picture upscaled through Quartics’ device to high resolution. Look out for these coming from your cell phone manufacturer in the second quarter of this year. Next up? Adding the ability to send video from the TV back to the phone, Slingbox-style. Gallery: Quartics Mobile2Display
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds  Palm’s not the only company bringing some new Windows Mobile kit to Vodafone this year — Boy Genius Report’s scoopage of Voda’s ‘08 lineup includes a new HP, too. The “Silver” (a codename, we assume) should put the kinda sad iPAQ 510 out of business and appears to take a page straight outta the Pearl’s book, right down to the WiFi, GPS, and SureType keyboard (which is surprisingly actually identified as “SureType,” a RIM trademark). Unlike the Pearl, though, this sucker rocks Windows Mobile 6 Standard and HSDPA — a whopping 7.2Mbps of it. Look for it in July for about £250 ($494).
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06
01
2008
Universal Snags a Release Date for Neil Marshall’s ‘Doomsday’Posted by: in Hollywood newsFiled under: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Universal
Starring Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Malcolm McDowell, Adrian Lester and the mega-cool Sean Pertwee, Doomsday goes a little like this: “Authorities brutally quarantine a country as it succumbs to fear and chaos when a virus strikes. The literal walling-off works for three decades - until the dreaded Reaper virus violently resurfaces in a major city. An elite group of specialists, captained by Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra), is urgently dispatched into the still-quarantined country to retrieve a cure by any means necessary. Shut off from the rest of the world, the unit must battle through a landscape that has become a waking nightmare.” Sold! Done! Yes, I’d like to see that movie NOW please, thanks very much! But alas, we must wait until March 14 to enjoy the end of the world, and it looks like Universal chose a very solid release date for the action thriller. Also opening on that date is a family flick (Horton Hears a Who), an awful-looking Karate Kid retread (Never Back Down), and a cop drama (Pride and Glory) — which means an R-rated action-fest could do pretty well that weekend. I’m not all that interested in the box office numbers, really. I just want to see Neil Marshall maintain his perfect record. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds  Okay, next up from Boy Genius Report’s Vodafone breakdown comes the Nokia “Liam,” the phone we just saw in the wild being called the E71. No word from this slide whether the E71 name is gonna stick, but Liam is pretty obviously a codename so it’ll pick up an “E” number of one sort or another by the time it launches in the second quarter. Looks like all the features we’d heard so far are holding strong: HSDPA, 3.2 megapixel cam, WiFi, GPS, video call support, and pretty much all the S60 you can handle. No word from this slide whether US 3G’s in the mix, but we’re crossing our fingers.
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06
01
2008
Will Spielberg and Lucas Continue the Indiana Jones Franchise?Posted by: in Hollywood newsFiled under: Action, RumorMonger, Fandom, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Remakes and Sequels
Remember that Vanity Fair story from last week? The one with all the pics, and the quotes from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford? Well the author of that story, Jim Windolf, is back now apologizing to his editors and the readers for not pressing Spielberg harder on the issue of whether he plans to continue the Indy franchise following this May’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Windolf isn’t the first one to raise this question, as last year rumors began floating around with regards to the contracts Ford and co-star Shia LaBeouf signed for Indy 4. At the time, it was speculated that both Ford and LaBeouf agreed to appear in at least three more Indiana Jones films after Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Shortly after that rumor surfaced, Lucasfilm jumped to deny the whole thing, calling it “idle chatter.” But Windolf, in a follow-up story that’s way longer than it needs to be, takes a nothing quote from Spielberg and spins it into something much larger. Whether Vanity Fair was saving this second article for another day (and more additional traffic) or if Windolf really did get hammered for not asking about sequels — we do not know — but we do know that nothing earth shattering is included here. In case you’re interested, here’s the key paragraph of Windolf’s story: “When I asked him why he hadn’t gone forward with the “Indy IV” script written by writer-director Frank Darabont, he said, “In this case George [Lucas] was passionate that this was not the story he wanted to tell at this point in the Indiana Jones saga …” Noting that he had used the magic phrase “at this point,” I followed up by asking him, “Is that leaving room open for another one?” To which Spielberg replied, “Oh, I don’t know. I haven’t even thought about that. I’m still in the cutting room. I can’t even think beyond the next cut.” Windolf goes on to talk about whether LaBeouf could successfully continue the franchise — whether he’s a big enough name right now — and blah blah. Like I said, this has all been covered. And until we see the kid operate in that leather jacket and slicked back hair, there’s no way we can really form an accurate opinion. [Thanks Pat for the heads up] Filed under: Books, Cookbook of the Day
While it isn’t exactly a cookbook, it is a book that contain many wonderful, delicious sounding recipes. This volume contains recipes for Mulligatawny Soup, Rosemary Walnuts, instructions on how to roast a turkey, a section exalting the beauty of pears and a Happy Winter Fudge Cake (I think that just about any fudge cake has the power to make many winters far more happy). I haven’t been doing this with every Cookbook of the Day post, but after the jump you’ll find the recipe for the Happy Winter Fudge Cake (because it just sounds so good). Continue reading More Home Cooking, Cookbook of the Day Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments |
Normally the arrival of a new release date wouldn’t warrant an entire blog post of its own … but then again most movies aren’t hardcore post-apocalyptic action-adventures from the guy who directed Dog Soldiers and The Descent. Yes, genre fans, .jpg)
