Archive for the ‘Gizmodo’ Category
Amazon Now Owns the Concept of One-Click Online Checkouts [Patents]
March 10th, 2010
In this walkthrough, you’ll see that not only can you set recordings from your iPhone, but you can do so over the multiple DVRs that you may have in your house. (Note: so far, this function is only available in select areas.) Meanwhile, everyone receives new push notifications reminding you to watch or record your favorite shows…which admittedly sounds a bit useless in the DVR era.
If you’re watching the clip, skip about 20 seconds in to get to the meat of it. (Not that Scott the Comcast guy doesn’t seem very nice.) [iTunes via Comcast Blog]
Posted in 
CNET thinks they’ve snagged a photo of Apple CEO Steve Jobs schmoozing at the Academy Awards. Does this mean the iPad’s going to make a last-minute appearance in those outlandish $85,000 gift bags? Updated: It’s him.
Is it him? Supposedly he’s next to the woman in the white dress. It’d make sense, given the Up/Pixar connection (FYI, it’s “up” for an award…), as well as all the negotiating he’s surely been doing behind the scenes in regards to movies and TV shows on the iPad. But it’s probably just for Up. Probably.
In any event, is anyone even watching tonight? [CNET]
Update: Macrumors has a pic from an “attendant” dancer/director John M Chu at the Oscars:
Thunder 30 Amplifier is Still Orange, Gets Louder [Amps]
March 7th, 2010
Most amplifiers are black. Inconspicuous. But not Orange. The designers saw legions of muted amplifiers on the market in 1968 and went, well, really orange. As for this new Thunder 30, it may be just as loud as the color.
Musically inclined folks will appreciate the amp’s four EL84 class A 30 watt-pumpin’ power valves. Completely new to the Thunder 30 line are a twin channel setup and an FX loop. Further customization is available, as you shredders out there can opt for head alone or front loaded 1×12. That’s all Greek to me, but you musicians out there can get hot and bothered, or bored, at your leisure.
Unsurprisingly, a company called Orange Amplifiers deals primarily in orange amplifiers, and has since about 1968. This new model aside, the rest of their line is, yes, still very orange. [Orange Amplifiers via CrunchGear]
Point: As my fellow Jalopnik readers would agree, the thought of an au-to-MO-bile running on some coffee beans is equally laughable and insulting. Counterpoint: As my fellow coffee drinkers would agree, this is an utter disgrace to our holy bean.
Countercounterpoint: Carpuccino? Really?
A while ago we read that coffee-based biofuels were feasible. Knowing the internet as we do, we figured it was only a matter of time before somebody took that novel possibility and turned it into an absurd reality. We were right! The Carpuccino, a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco modified to run on ground coffee, will drive 210 miles between Manchester and London in the coming weeks.
The trip will require over 150 pounds of coffee, with the car getting a mileage of roughly 1.4 miles per pound. The vehicle can hit speeds of 60mph, though the trip could take as long as ten hours, as the car has to stop every 60 miles to clean out its coffee filters (seriously).
The joke on wheels was built by the BBC1 show Bang Goes The Theory as a reminder that unconventional fuels can power vehicles. Sidebar: the Carpuccino’s trip will cost up to 50 times as much as it would if it were running on gas.
All that being said, I think we can agree to set aside whatever qualms we may have with the Carpuccino in light of its similarities, aesthetic and otherwise, to Doc Brown’s Mr. Fusion-equipped DeLorean from Back to the Future II.
Espresso? Where we’re going we don’t need espresso. [Daily Mail via Green Diary]
If you’re sick—literally or figuratively—of 3D now, just wait until the end of the month. HD Guru has Best Buy’s schedule for rolling out 3D capable HDTVs and Blu-ray players, and they’re coming your way soon.
The Guru claims that sales and demonstrations of 3D gear will commence at 200 Best Buy locations on March 10—as in, like, Wednesday. According to his sources, that initial blast will feature Panasonic’s 50″ TC-P50VT20 plasma 3D HDTV—we’ve heard it will retail for around $3500—in tandem with their DMP-BD350 3D Blu-ray player.
On March 21, apparently, Samsung will join the fray, showing and schilling their LED 3D HDTVs—the 46″ UN-46C7000 and the 55″ UN-55C7000—along with the awesome-looking BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player at 900 Best Buy locations. TechRadar checked out this package earlier this week and said that if you decide to take the plunge, you won’t be sorry you purchased it.
We’ve heard for a while now that Monsters vs. Aliens will be the first 3D Blu-ray movie available, and HD Guru reports that it will be available as part of a promotional package with Samsung’s gear on the 21st. [HD Guru]
Televisions Are Born In Places Like This [Image Cache]
March 6th, 2010
This man is tightening a mold in a Samsung factory in Kaluga, Russia. Inside that mold is a portion of what will soon be a television. Let’s take a tour of the rest of the factory.
Samsung opened this particular factory in 2008 and its been putting out products ever since. Aside from quality inspections, it appears that from the moment components arrive in gigantic sacks from Korea nearly everything is automated in this factory—from hot plastic being piped into molds to microcircuits being produced to the little logos being stamped onto panels. Humans mostly oversee the production and yes, occasionally tighten molds. Guess we’re still needed for something. [English Russia]