Canon EOS 40D owner hacks camera, records silent movie

camera

clipped from www.engadget.com This enterprising EOS 40D owner wants a DSLR that records video, too -- and he's taking action. This hack uses CHDK -- the free firmware enhancement for Canon PowerShot cameras -- and LiveView to capture video to the camera's CF Card. There are still a few issues: LiveView shuts down after a period of inactivity, video can't be transfered via USB, and unlike your $79 consumer grade camera, the EOS 40D won't record audio. But what's a little challenge in the face of a good camera mod? There's no word on file format, frame rate or resolution (though the camera's display weighs in at 320 x 240), but there are lots of other juicy details available once you hit the read link. And be sure to catch the video after the break.

Robot - Skype control and will remote control

clipped from www.robodance.com Skype Remote Control Support - Sneak Preview Nintendo Wii Remote Support - Sneak Preview! (01-05-2007) The next version of Robodance will have support for the Nintendo Wii Remote control!  I already have it working and I will release this version as soon as I test it fully and streamline a few things.  You can see a sneak preview of it being demonstrated fully in this YouTube video

i-SOBOT - weight lift humannoid robot

clipped from www.robotsrule.com Technical Details Sensors 2 gyroscopic sensors which are used to maintain i-Sobot’s balance   Battery Requirements The i-Sobot uses 3 rechargable AAA size NiMH batteries (Nickel Metal Hydride), which provide about a full hour of continuous play.   Brains i-Sobot contains 3 CPU chips which control the robot’s general processing, voice recognition, and servo control systems.   Servos  17 servos provide i-Sobot with a truly impressive skill level in general agility and physical movement   Height 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters)   Weight  0.75 pounds (350 grams)   Click Here To Buy i-SOBOT now

Rovio - Spy robot

robot

clipped from www.robotsrule.com

Spykee Robot - The Skype Robot

clipped from www.robotsrule.com

Minox nurtures the spy in all of us, dry martini not included

clipped from www.engadget.com Minox, we knew you wouldn't let us down. We've seen a few bland cameras released by you over the years, but it warms our hearts to see you haven't forgotten why we love you. This latest line of miniature cameras comes in three flavors: yuck, meh, and totally badass. The DC 1033 looks like every other camera known to man, with the slight improvement of being a mere 94 x 55 x 24mm with 10-megapixels of firepower. The DCC Leica M3 Gold Edition is nothing more than a rerelease of the silvery edition - tiny, cute, but no match for the classic 30s style DSC (Digital Spy Camera) -- 86 x 29 x 20mm, 5-megapixels -- to be showcased next week at Photokina in Germany.

Popular Mechanics offers preview of Singapore's TechX robot challenge

We haven't heard a whole lot about Singapore's DARPA-esque TechX robot challenge since it first kicked off early last year, but with the final round getting underway on Sunday, Popular Mechanics has now thankfully offered up a preview of what's in store. Among those set to compete is the so-called Uni-Seeker bot (pictured above) from Nanyang Technological University, which is a heavily modded incarnation of iRobot's ATRV Junior robot, and one of only six bots that managed to make it through all the qualifying rounds. Others include the considerably more intimidating AZROBOWAR Sharp Shooter, built completely from scratch, and a pair of robots built on iRobot's popular PackBot platform. From the looks of it, they'll each have their work cut out for them in the big event, with them required to start outside and navigate their way inside a building, then climb a flight of stairs, travel up an elevator, touch a few targets, and then exit the building again -- without any human intervention, and in less than an hour. That $700,000 prize should provide plenty of motivation, though.

clipped from www.engadget.com

Sony rounds out its iPod dock offerings with three new models

clipped from www.engadget.com We already caught sight of Sony's ZS-S4iP iPod dock / boombox when it turned up in Australia, but it looks like there's a few more Made for iPod devices where that one came from, with Sony now also debuting three more docks of various sorts. That includes the clock radio-style ICF-CD3iPSIL model pictured above, the HD Radio-packing XDR-S10HDiP (after the break), and the plain-old SRS-GU10IP (also after the break), which provides one big speaker and nothing else. From the looks of it, the XDR-S10HDiP and SRS-GU10UP are both available right now direct from Sony and will set you back $180 and $150, respectively, while the ICF-CD3iPSIL will only be available at the end of the month, though you can get a pre-order in now for $100.

Kaliho KU860 convertible UMPC is now ready to be re-badged

clipped from www.engadget.com It looks like you can only buy 'em by the truckload at the moment but, given the current state of things, we're guessing Kaliho won't have too much trouble attracting some interest in its new KU860 convertible UMPC, which packs all the expected specs in a decent enough package. That includes a 7-inch WXGA touchscreen, a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M processor, 1GB of RAM, a max 60GB hard drive, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and, perhaps most notably, built-in GPS. Unfortunately, there's no indication whatsoever of a price, but Kaliho is apparently more than happy to take your inquiry if you're looking to expand your burgeoning UMPC empire.

Toshiba's LED Pico Projector does its thing on video

clipped from www.engadget.com We've waited ages for a real-deal pico projector from Toshiba (or anyone reputable, quite frankly), and it's looking all the more likely that we'll be absolutely bombarded with them come CES 2009. At any rate, Toshiba is apparently close to putting the finishing touches on its LED Pico Projector, which weighs in at 100-grams and measures 10- x 4.5- x 1.7-centimeters in size. Outside of that, specifications are few and far between, but you can catch a video of its powers in the link below.

3M reveals MPro110 pocket projector: ships this month

clipped from www.engadget.com It's official: the age of the pico projector has arrived. And we're not talking the age of pico projector announcements, we're talking about launches. Just after Toshiba came clean with its LED Pico Projector, along comes 3M (of all companies) with one of its own. The MPro110 pocket beamer got handled by PopSci, and the results were pretty much as we'd expect. Decently bright, extraordinarily novel, but not exactly world-class. Brightness (the lack thereof, actually) was an issue, and a few movie scenes were deemed "indecipherable." Additionally, it has no built-in speaker, but for just $359, we suppose that's an omission we can live with. Best of all, this one's set to ship on September 30th. To America. Woo!

Voodoo Envy 133 unboxed on video, lookin' good and really thin

clipped from www.engadget.com Right, so Voodoo's succulent Envy 133 looks a lot better in high-res images than in some highly compressed, artifact-laden YouTube clip, but that's what your imagination is there for. For those still waiting for their freshly shipped machine to hit the doorstep, hop on past the break for an unboxing sure to make you even more impatient. Or just restrain yourself and experience it first-hand in a few days. Totally your call.