The NTT DoCoMo prototype phone shown in the video above has an embedded DLP projector, presumably using an LED light source in order to project a respectable 20- to 25-in. video image on the wall a few feet away. The downside, as you can hear from the dude asking questions (AOL Switched’s Tom Samiljan if I’m not mistaken) is that the phone is massive, or at least small but strapped to a real brick of a projector. I guess we’re supposed to admire the image, and wait for the actual mini-projector technology to catch up. [TechPertPanel - YouTube]
Everybody has a digital pic frame these days. Even at 32 inches, they impress no one. So keep your eyes out for the next trend, which we humbly advocate could be non-digital photo frames. Making a brief appearance around the turn of the century, these frames accepted one analog picture but were able to run without a source of power (AC adapter or solar) indefinitely. Now if only scientists could learn to harness this non-digital technology elsewhere, we just might have a fighting chance of breaking our dependence on foreign oil. Strong thesis, I know. But it’s cool; the environment is sort of my thing. Wink. [I love blocks via DVICE]
Nokia has one of the best browser-based advertising toys we’ve seen in a long time. You can design your own outlandish headphone concept with a smooth, easy to use 3D interface. The ideal will be chosen for real (probably also conceptual) fabrication, but we’re wondering…WHY IN THE WORLD CAN’T WE ACTUALLY BUY HEADPHONES THAT ARE THIS AWESOME??
Nokia, or anyone else, give us a headphone customization device that’s both this absurd and robust, throw a $150 pricetag on the end product and we have the ability to promise you’ll bank. Because there’s got to be slave labor somewhere on this planet that can glue orange cups and organ pipes on a carbon headband for 10 cents an hour. [Nokia via bbGadgets]
As we move towards battery and hydrogen cell breakthroughs that could wean us off our addiction to oil, here’s at least one engine design from yesteryear that ought to be analyzed a bit more. The free-piston engine, first invented in 1920, are cheap to build and roughly twice as efficient as current gas engines.
Unlike its conventional counterpart, free-piston engines don’t have a mechanical connect between the piston and a crankshaft. Instead, magnets at the center of the piston’s rod move past metal coils to create an electrical current. The engine’s configuration grants it to combust fuel quicker, improving efficiency, emissions and easily optimized for different fuels.
The bad news: they’re hard to control (variations in combustion cycles can cause poor performance) and they’re incredibly loud (the swift explosions need to be muffled somehow). But automakers, such as GM and Volvo, are already investigating putting the engines in future automobiles. Lets hope their forays into this don’t take as long as their exploration of fuel cell options. [Technology Review via Treehugger]
This is the Electro DeLorean, a fully electric retrofit of the 1981 iconic Back to the Future automobile. It’s also a absolutely wasted opportunity: If there’s a DeLorean version that needed a lightning hook system, this is the one. Still, you can add it yourself, because it is for sale on eBay for $100,000 right now, including the obligatory flux capacitator prop. According to the seller, this is the “fastest and longest range electric DeLorean” you can purchase, capable of doing 88MPH:
YouThis is a 1981 DeLorean, DMC-12 that was converted to run on electric power. It uses no gasoline what so ever. The stock V6 has been removed and replaced by a powerful electric motor. This vehicle is quicker than a stock DeLorean and its top speed is over 88MPH.
This amazing vehicle is powered by 13 12 volt 100 amp-hour deep cycle Deka 9A31 Intimidator AGM batteries. The famous Zila Z1K - HV motor controller supplies up to 1000 amps of current to the series wound WarP 9 electric motor.
The electric DeLorean can travel up to 40 miles on a charge and it takes only 2 - 3 hours to recharge when the on board charger, a ManzinitaMicro PFC-20b is plugged into 220 volts AC or 8 hours when plugged into 110 volts AC.
Why put your very pricey aquarium out in the living room where everyone can see it? That’s just silly. What you should do is stick it in the backroom so you can admire it while you’re sitting on the toilet or brushing your teeth. That makes much more sense! Especially for $4,700, which is how much this ridiculous aquarium sink costs. You can open it up on either side under the soap dish, which, if it’s anything like my lavatory sink, will be coated with dried soap, toothpaste and spittle just waiting to fall in and kill your poor unsuspecting aquatic life. [Home Click via Popgadget]
This day Nintendo unveiled their follow-up to the crazy-successful DS Lite, the DSi. Its form factor is much unchanged, but the new version has a larger screen, SD card slot, 3MP camera and access to an upcoming downloads store.
But the battery life is significantly lower and it’s no longer backwards compatible with GBA titles. Unlike when the original DS transition to the DS Lite, major compromises will have to be made by gamers looking to upgrade. So, we want to know…
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PlayOn, a program we checked out a couple months ago that streams Hulu, ESPN, YouTube and CBS streaming from a Windows PC to a PS3, Xbox 360 or HP MediaSmart Television, just released its promised update that’ll let you stream Netflix to your PS3 or 360 (though the latter will soon be pointless). It’s still in public beta, so it’s free for the first 60 days, after that it’s $30—which, after they get all of the bugs worked out, is a small price to pay for Netflix and Hulu on your Television, though I wouldn’t be surprised if native Netflix comes to the PS3 eventually. [PlayOn via Zatznotfunny]
Future NFL Hall of Famer Kevin Mitnick was on WBAI’s Off the Hook radio show last night, and he explained his travel horror when going from Bogotá to Atlanta. An MP3 version of the show was just posted to 2600’s Web site, which you can find here. Mr. Mitnick explains (in excruciating detail) what happened […]
Future NFL Hall of Famer Kevin Mitnick was on WBAI’s Off the Hook radio show last night, and he explained his travel horror when going from Bogotá to Atlanta. An MP3 version of the show was just posted to 2600’s Web site, which you can find here.
Mr. Mitnick explains (in excruciating detail) what happened to him while he was detained. Pretty interesting, especially if you’re familiar with all the guys on the show.
Lesson to take away: you’re not required to reveal your laptop’s password to security agents. Of course, 99 percent of us will, because who wants to upset Johnny Law?
Everybody has a digital pic frame these days. Even at 
Nokia has one of the best browser-based advertising toys we’ve seen in 
As we move towards battery and hydrogen cell breakthroughs that could wean us off our addiction to oil, here’s at least one engine design from yesteryear that ought to be analyzed a bit more. The free-piston engine, first invented in 1920, are cheap to build and roughly twice as efficient as current gas engines.
This is the Electro DeLorean, a fully electric retrofit of the 1981 iconic Back to the Future automobile. It’s also a absolutely wasted opportunity: If there’s a DeLorean version that needed a lightning hook system, this is the one. Still, you can add it yourself, because it is for sale on eBay for $100,000 right now, including the obligatory flux capacitator prop. According to the seller, this is the “fastest and longest range electric DeLorean” you can purchase, capable of doing 88MPH:
Why put your very pricey aquarium out in the living room where everyone can see it? That’s just silly. What you should do is stick it in the backroom so you can admire it while you’re sitting on the toilet or brushing your teeth. That makes much more sense! Especially for $4,700, which is how much this ridiculous aquarium sink costs. You can open it up on either side under the soap dish, which, if it’s anything like my lavatory sink, will be coated with dried soap, toothpaste and spittle just waiting to fall in and kill your poor unsuspecting aquatic life. [
This day Nintendo unveiled their follow-up to the crazy-successful DS Lite, the DSi. Its form factor is much unchanged, but the new version has a larger screen, SD card slot, 3MP camera and access to an upcoming downloads store.
PlayOn, a program we checked out 
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