IR2BT Infrared-to-Bluetooth converter now on sale, PS3 owners rejoice

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment

Although the PlayStation 3 is quite the lovely Blu-ray player in most respects, one issue has nagged remote junkies from day one: the absence of IR. Now, however, the highly-anticipated IR2BT Infrared-to-Bluetooth converter is on the market, and sure enough, it promises to transmit “all 51 Sony Blu-ray remote codes including the PS button for Power On / Off.” The unit itself measures in at 4.5- x 3- x 1-inches, operates on a pair of AA cells or a mini-USB connector and doesn’t even require you to own a soldering iron. Ready to control your PS3 via a universal IR remote without getting a degree in electrical engineering? Hit up the read link and hand over your $55, bub.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Nokia Siemens rolling out EDGE Evolution in Q3: like EDGE with half the slow

Filed under: Cellphones

While we first got wind of a EDGE Evolution rollout from Ericsson, Nokia Siemens isn’t about to let one of those young upstart carrier equipment manufacturers steal its top-of-the-heap EDGE thunder, and has just announced the “launch” of its Dual Carrier EDGE software solution, marking the first steps of rolling out EDGE Evolution to the company’s radio portfolio. The software upgrade doubles current EDGE speeds to 592kbps, and will be available from Q3 2008 onwards. Nokia Siemens won’t stop there, though, EDGE is going to get another bump not too long after that to EGPRS 2, with download speeds of 1.2Mbps and uplink speeds up to 473kpbs. What’s unclear at the moment is what existing phones (iPhone, we’re looking at you) will be able to manage this with a firmware update, and which ones are going to be stuck in the past, but we’re hoping for a good bit of the former.

[Via GigaOM]

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What you need to pack the perfect picnic

Filed under: On the Blogs, Stores & Shopping

We had our first warm, spring-like day here in Philadelphia yesterday, and immediately my thoughts turned to picnics, grilling and all things having to do with dining alfresco. Lucky for all of us who are thinking about prepping for a season of outdoor eating, Mighty Goods has put together a Perfect Picnic Guide.

The list (with helpful links directly to the seller) includes specialty food products, picnic blankets, cool cups and plates, items in which to carry your packed meal (I’m a sucker for the traditional basket. Much to my chagrin, my mother preferred a more practical cooler all throughout my childhood) and drinks to keep you refreshed.

Anyone got any picnic tips, tricks or secrets? Shout them out in the comments.

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Topless image causes tension in Aishwariya’s sasural
  A site has published a topless photo of Aishwariya Rai Bachchan taken way back in 90s. Aishwariya Rai and other top models like Milind Soman, Madhu Sapre and Colleen Khan posed topless for the flick, which featured in a magazine. But the authenticity of the image is still to be verified as the models […]

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New ‘Hancock’ Photos and Website Launched

Filed under: Action, Comedy, Sony, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Images

Some new photos have emerged from Will Smith’s superhero caper Hancock over on DVD Forum. I picked this one as it was a nice bookend to those Iron Man ones. Everyone loves when superheroes throw cars! There hasn’t been much on this film since the teaser, so hopefully this means we’ll be getting a full trailer soon.

I did a double take when I first looked through these — I thought Jason Bateman was Dennis Quaid for a second. Is it just me? Probably. I do write these articles in the dark and my eyes are probably being destroyed. A viral site has also been launched, run by the titular hero himself. It seems not even superheroes are safe from fanboy snark. . .

Hancock is about a superhero in need of a major image overhaul and new enthusiasm for chasing bad guys. He hires Jason Bateman as his PR man, but just embroils himself in more of a mess when he falls for his wife, played by Charlize Theron. The teaser had some funny moments, and if done right, this film could be a sharp antidote to all the superhero goodness we’ll be getting this summer. Hancock opens on July 2nd, 2008.

[via Empire]

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AMD’s fastest Phenom X4 9850 desktop CPU tested, Intel points and giggles like brat

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Today’s benchmark day for AMD’s fastest desktop processor — the Phenom X4 9850. Free of the nasty TLB (Translation Lookaside Buffer) bug, the stage is now set for a head-to-head with Intel’s best. While it’s a significant step forward for AMD, the 9850 proc hardly compares with Intel’s best quad-core desktop CPUs. Nevertheless, as PCPer says, “any enthusiast or gamer looking for a ~$240 processor is going to have a fantastic experience with the 9850.” We’re just happy to see AMD back on track and ready to compete. Now get to it AMD, faster clock speeds and 45-nm processes please? Intel needs someone banging at the door to keep Moore’s Law from becoming Moore’s Recommendation.

Update: Oh, by the way, the 2.5GHz X4 9850 is now shipping.

Read — PC Perspective
Read — Hot Hardware
Read — X4 950 now available

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The “Why I Love Peet’s Coffee” contest

Filed under: Coffee, Coffee shops

Do you love Peet’s coffee? If you answered yes to this question and you can articulate why it is you feel so fondly towards Peet’s coffee, then you are well on your way to potentially winning a year’s supply of Peet’s. They are currently running a contest in which they are asking people to submit stories based on the theme, “Why I Love Peet’s Coffee.” It can be about an interesting experience you had while in the store or about someone you met while getting a cup of coffee.

The only irritating thing about this contest is that they want you to surrender email addresses from five friends along with your story, which makes the promotion feel a little less cool. However, if you’re willing to sell out five friends for a chance to win a year’s worth of coffee (I must add that Peet’s coffee is quite excellent), then you can find all the official rules and entry info here.

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New, Super Cool ‘Speed Racer’ Images

Filed under: Action, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Movie Marketing, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Images

As part of its latest issue, Entertainment Weekly has done up a whole spread on the upcoming live-action Speed Racer flick, directed by those nutty Wachowski Brothers. Not only are there a few new photos tossed into their gallery, but there’s also some great descriptions of the technology that went into creating the very surreal world. Some have said it looks “too much like a video game” — but then I have to wonder what you expected from a live-action Speed Racer film. When I watched the old cartoon, I thought it was as close to tripping on acid — sober — as a person could get. That’s what the movie looks like. Thus, in my opinion, job well done. (But don’t go tellin’ the kids that because this puppy is rated PG.)

Remember, the entire film was shot in front of a green screen — so the actors had to do, well, a lot of “acting.” I found this quote to be rather interesting: “Because the actors weren’t really racing, they were plopped instead into hydraulically-controlled cockpits that would bob and weave in real time along with what cars were supposed to be doing on screen. ‘We gave the directors a joystick that would allow them to simulate other cars bumping into them,’ says Leo (one of the effects supervisors). Freaky.

Check out a few more images after the jump, then head over to EW to see the rest. Speed Racer hits theaters on May 9.

Continue reading New, Super Cool ‘Speed Racer’ Images

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Interactive touch sensitive surface

Flux

Flux designed by Media Interaction Lab, is an interactive touch sensitive surface that can be used either as an interactive table and/or as a digital whiteboard. The surface is based on a rear-projection screen providing both multi-touch and multiple pen interaction with individual identification.

Flux’s application interface is automatically optimized for the intended use depending on its orientation. Flux can be used as a sketch board, a discussion table or a white-board. Transformation between different orientations is single handedly achieved easily and elegantly. Rear projection, in conjunction with FTIR and Anoto pen tracking allows multi user, multi modal interaction in every configuration.

Flux has the following novel features:

* transition between multiple hardware/user configurations
* Optimized user interface based on the configuration and hence intended use
* Breakthrough multi modal input possibilities with independent, simultaneous hand and pen tracking
* Completely separate, individual and simultaneous interaction facilitated with pen(user) recognition

The authors of Flux claim that the system provides unmatched flexibility and capability in setup, use and user input and that it will set the path for a new generation of interactive surfaces!

Posted by Cati Vaucelle @ Architectradure
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Apple patent apps reveal plans for iPhone as “lifestyle companion”

Filed under: Cellphones

While it doesn’t exactly come as much of a surprise, it seems that Apple has plenty more goodies in mind for the iPhone (and, presumably, the iPod touch), with a recent batch of no less than six patent applications revealing some of its plans to turn the device into what it describes as a “lifestyle companion.” In this case, that rather vague term refers to what is effectively an upgrade to the Nike+iPod system, with the iPhone’s accelerometer and other built-in capabilities also coming into play in addition to the usual external sensors. It doesn’t stop with workouts, however, with the patent applications also indicating plans for a diet coach of sorts, which could even make use of the iPhone’s camera to scan bar codes on products. Those components would also of course all work together, with the system able to suggest workouts based on your diet and physical condition and vice versa. Of course, these being patent applications, there’s no indication as to when we might actually see such a system, but it sure seems a good deal more likely than some of Apple’s other ideas.

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