Whenever I use sticky tape, I find myself struggling to figure where it begins—mostly because I don’t use tape dispensers or fold back the end—but my struggle might be over thanks to this new tape concept. More »

Besides that Android tablet, Toshiba’s brought a whole slew LED-lit LCD televisions to IFA 2010. The REGZA WL Series is the company’s first range of 3DTVs, available in 40-, 46- and 55-inch sizes (pictured above) with LED backlighting, 7,000,000:1 contrast ratios, it 3D Resolution+ upscaling tech and one pair of active shutter glasses bundled with each one. They’re also DLNA enabled and ready for Windows 7, with the Toshiba Media Controller software making streaming content as easy as dragging and dropping a file. The rest of the lineup includes the high end VL series with LED backlighting, midrange REGZA 42SL738 42-inch HDTV and edge-lit SL738 series LCDs in smaller sizes from 9- to 32-inches. Check the press site or YouTube trailers embedded after the break for more details, and don’t be surprised to see the 200Hz motion technology, millimeter measurements, DVB-T tuners and BBC streaming while these are due in October across the pond, we’ll be keeping an eye out at CEDIA for US-bound variants.

Continue reading Toshiba goes all LED with new HDTVs at IFA 2010

I am working on brainstorming some different game ideas. I think I have decided to use cocos2d which is a sweet free engine that had a lot of the work already done for me so that I can focus on making the game pretty, challenging, fun etc. The game logic will be easier to focus on with the engine already built and running.  Read more here...

Long before ever daydreaming about dashing Jedi knights, I hugged my teddy and imagined he’d lead me on adventures through forests. Artist James Hance has captured both of those innocent stages of adolescence and combined them into wonderfully whimsical illustrations. More »

SKITTERBOT claims to be the fastest legged micro-robotic toy in the world. And from the video, which shows a swarm of these colorful $20 robo-cockroaches zipping around in a frenzy, I can imagine that might be correct. More »

This is how I imagine a trip into the brain of Hunter S. Thompson after eating a slice of Benoît Mandelbrot’s brain, sautéed with a bit of pepper, olive oil, and mescal shaves. Except there are no strippers running around. More »

I recently ordered and received the Apress – Beginning iPhone Games Development book. You can check it out here from Amazon. So far the book has blown my mind with tons of different concepts and approaches to different games. A lot of the book so far focuses on a game called Space Rocks! which is just like the old Asteroids game. The first few chapters have us make the game using Quartz/UIKit the later chapters have recreated the same project using OpenGL ES 1.1 but entirely in 2D (so far). The book does an awesome job of explaining the various aspects of game design including the all important game loop. Another great concept that is followed throughout the book is the MVC (Model View Controller) architecture. The book teaches you key concepts about what each part of your game should be doing and what it should not be doing. For example during a rendering phase you should not be updating the game, during the update phase you should not be rendering etc. I am not even half way through the book yet and already have a few ideas for different games. The only issue I am having is what engine I want to use should I stick with Quartz/UIKit or make the leap to OpenGL and a much more upgradable game? Well I am going to keep reading and keep working so like always Enjoy!

Google, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Amazon — when you hear these names, you usually think about how these tech giants all compete with one another. But what if they all teamed up for one cause? They’d be unstoppable, right? We’re about to find out.

All of these companies are currently sitting in the same boat about to storm the beaches. Which beaches? Those belonging to the the cable television providers in the U.S. It has only just begun, but the assault is underway.  Read more here...

On August 24th I posted about the $0.01 cases I had found from Default Case. I ordered one to try out and see how good it was for the cheap price. So far I LOVE the case. It feels like rubber, is durable like plastic, and just looks cool. The case fits perfectly over the phone giving you access to you volume buttons and silent switch. The top and bottom are uncovered to allow full access to the bottom and top of the phone which means any accessories you already have should work flawlessly. The cases have a nice feeling to them that allow you to grip them securely and still add very little to the size of the phone. I think one of the best things is that this case works perfectly with an Invisible Shield. The case just grips the metal lip on the band around the phone which leaves the screen perfectly open for a screen protector. One issue I had with the bands that wrap around the iPhone is that it would push my Invisible Shield off around the edges on the back of the phone. Since this case has the back covered and doesn’t interfere with the screen protector on the front this combination is providing perfect coverage and protection. You can check out my initial post about the cases here to see the pictures of the different cases currently available.  Read more here...

The first sonar images of the Titanic have been mapped and the ship’s debris field is much larger than scientists anticipated. Here’s what the dots in the sonar image is actually showing. More »

It’s no secret that social link sharing community Reddit isn’t singing the praises of its corporate parent Condé Nast, which acquired the company in 2006. Earlier today the two sparred over running ads in support of California’s Proposition 19, and Reddit has previously written about the shortage of resources that Condé Nast is willing to provide.  Now Ben Huh, founder and CEO of the Cheezburger network, is offering to take Reddit off Condé’s hands.

In a letter published by The Daily What (a part of the Cheezburger network), Huh writes that he’s offered to buy Reddit before privately, and he’s now making it public. From the post:  Read more here...

Computer Shopper makes the quad-core Mac Pro an Editors’ Choice, citing its speedy performance, easy upgradability, and new lower price. The reviewers write: “Creative professionals who need a machine with both muscle and good looks, and Mac fans who love to game, will find a lot to like in the new Mac Pro.”

Is America losing its edge? This was the rather depressing subject of this year’s Aspen Forum, the annual event put on by the DC-based Technology Policy Institute. Attracting speakers as illustrious as former HP CEO Carly Fiorina, Intel CEO Paul Otellini, Verizon EVP of Public Policy Tom Tauke, Intuit CEO Brad Smith, the author the National Broadband Plan Blair Levin and Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman, the event focused on the public policy side of technology, addressing the political challenges of making American technology companies more competitive in the 21st century global economy.  Read more here...

YCombinator-funded company Leftronic launches today, offering up software that makes it easy for companies to aggregate data in their ambient displays, i.e. a displays mounted on a wall. Founded by Lionel Jingles, Rajiv Ghanta and Jyotindra Vasudeo, the company is in the same space as Geckoboard and Panic Software.

While many companies will squander programming time and money building their own mediocre display software, Leftronic provides ready-made ways of visualizing various types of data aesthetically.

In terms of future plans, Leftronic wants to be the leader in ambient displays, which have become more prevalent due to cheap monitors and more data streams and are valuable because they reduce complexity and aid people in understanding sometimes confusing data.  Read more here...

Yesterday while checking out various websites I came across an ad from Default Case. They are working hard to build up a following for their products. They make iPhone 4 cases and they have about 8 different colors. The best thing about this company? They are using their entire advertising budget to subsidize the cost of the cases. The result? They are currently selling their cases for $0.01 (with $3.99 for shipping). This is a very good deal, even competitive with cases found on eBay. It looks like the entire business model for the company is based around the idea of building a strong following for its high quality cases and eventually selling them at $34.99 once they have proven their quality and reliability. It is nice to see a new company take a new approach to generating sales and this company is using most of its advertising money just to sell early adopters cheap cases. They also sell cases for the iPhone 3G and 3GS.  Read more here...