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Filed under: Peripherals

With movie studios sending around an increasing amount of digital footage before a film is even released, there are a growing number of opportunities for pirates to get their hands on that valuable content and do what pirates do best. We’ve already seen Dolby Laboratories subsidiary Cinea attempt to combat this problem by shipping secure DVDs and players to Academy Awards judges, and now the company has released a portable USB 2.0 video key called the SV510 that brings the same encryption technology to the dailies and rough cuts that need to be distributed throughout the filmmaking process. Once the desired footage has been encoded with Cinea’s S-VIEW encryption and watermarking technique, it can be safely sent on a DVD or via the Internet to recipients with an authorized SV510, who must plug the device into their PCs and enter a six to twelve digit code if they wish to view the content. This system ensures that even if a laptop and SV510 are both lost/stolen together, the encrypted video cannot be viewed without a password; and for heightened security, any of the Cinea peripherals can be remotely de-authorized by the content creators. The Windows version of this product is available immediately for $600 — a Mac edition will be shipping in October — along with a “management fee” of $20/month for the life of the device.

[Via über gizmo]

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Filed under: Robots

So it looks like firefighters may be the next unlucky professionals replaced by cheap robotic labor, at least if a snakebot built by the Foundation for Industrial and Scientific Research in Norway (SINTEF) ever makes it into mass production. Lovingly nicknamed Anna Konda (no explanation necessary), the Norwegian bot was assembled using 20 hydraulic motors powered by a regular fire hose, whose 100 bars of pressure give it enough strength to break through walls and even lift a car right up off the ground. Anna consists of ten segments containing angle sensors, two valves, and two motors each — rotating around orthogonal axes and wrapped in a tough steel exoskeleton — that are controlled by a computer to help her maneuver over numerous types of terrain. Besides providing support in dangerous situations like tunnel fires, SINTEF envisions future versions of Anna being used to locate and provide oxygen to earthquake victims or perform maintenance on underwater oil rigs. The good news for human firefighters is that at least a few of their traditional tasks still remain beyond the robosnake’s capabilities — well, until it’s able to climb a tree and rescue a stranded cat without breaking its neck, that is.

[Via Roland Piquepaille’s Technology Trends]

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Filed under: Robots, Transportation

It’s not often we’re sitting on a sophisticated 3D printer and four tons of material, but Lockheed Martin apparently wanted to see if they could “print” out a new plane from their Skunk Works facility in California. The result is the Polecat, a 91-foot wide, four-ton unmanned flying wing with the major claim to fame being that most of its internal structures were rapid prototyped on said 3D printers. Our broke selves still have to stick with printing out our airplanes in paper (though our folding techniques have significantly advanced since the Cold War), but it’s strange to think of a future where aircraft (and landcraft, and seacraft) aren’t built by people and machines, but instead are squirted out of tanks of polymer and sent on their merry little ways.

[Via Futurismic]

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Filed under: Portable Audio

If we didn’t know any better we might say LG’s new MFFM20 smacks of a little post-Rio-inspired design, spiced with a dash of Sony n’ Ilo. Wherever this 512MB or 1GB device got its asymmetrical design cues from, the little shiny OLEDtastic player supports PlaysForSure, and has a 20 hour battery life. Not much else to see here, as expected, but for those whose eyes it caught, know that it appears to be heading for Euro release before landing ashore in the US — that is, if it ever heads here.

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Filed under: Displays

So NEC’s got another pair of monitors, submitted here for your approval: the LCD1990FX, and its black counterpart, the LCD1990FXp. Oh, you know, they’re just your usual overpriced ultrathin-bezeled (7mm) EIZO-like professional studio monitors with the usual features; 178° viewing angles, 250cd/m2 brightness, 1500:1 contrast ratio, 20ms response time, DVI, VGA, and 19-inch 1280 x 1024 resolutions. In otherwords , probably not enough to justify that ¥102,900 ($880 US) price tag, but that bezel man, that bezel. If you ever wanted to build that grid of LCDs, this screen’s is your obvious choice.

[Via Far East Gizmos]

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

The rumor’s been churning so long now it’s starting to look legit — remember what happened with Dell and Alienware? It’s looking especially probable that Bloomberg’s got ahold of some inside information that says AMD is positioned to acquire ATI for 5.5 billion smackers. We know the big buyout rumor mongering is starting to sound redundant, but we’ll all find out one way or another come Monday (or this week, anyway) when either AMD and ATI ink the deal, or the two companies continue to go it alone in their respective blood-wars on Intel (and to a lesser extent, NVIDIA).

P.S. -For what it’s worth, the WSJ also thinks the deal’s about to go down.

[Thanks, Ben]

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We know you’ve been watching closely all week, but there’s more going on out there in the world of Engadget than just what we’re writing about here in the States. Check it out, this is Engadget around the world.

Engadget Japanese

• USB Self Destruction Button now available
• DoCoMo “Sound Leaf” Bone conduction headset
• hTc Z will be available on July 31
• Squid USB hub from Buffalo

Engadget Spanish

• Things to do with your PC after it dies
• iDrops to fix the iScratches in your iPods
• Be afraid flying Draculas, here is the mosquito vacuum
• A heat test between a MacBook and a Dell
• Visual Exercise: Find the phones

Engadget Chinese

• LG intro new 4 LCD
• Dopod first 3G smartphone:Dopod 595
• China old phone with new features
• Dopod shell smartphone S300 review [1, 2, 3]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Since its inception, the Slingbox has been a tough pill for some broadcasters to swallow, and while many were screaming injustice, Sling Media declared its flagship product a model of fair use. Apparently some of the accusations have prompted changes, as Sling’s latest firmware upgrade adds encryption to the Slingbox’s video streams, contrary to its previously encryption-free process. Presumably in reaction to the demands of content owners and the media industry, this encryption should at least appease those who don’t want any streamed content to end up being illegally distributed. But the alteration has caused at least one piece of add-on timeshifting software to become defunct. The At-Large Recorder (previously the Replay SlingCorder) from Applian Technologies had allowed users to record their streamed data directly onto a computer, but now cannot function due to the added layer of encryption, causing its CEO to rail against the decision, saying, “They basically added a feature that nobody asked for, for reasons that they’re not willing to discuss, and it happens to break our product too.” A spokesperson for Sling claimed that encryption had been in the works for awhile, and the timing here is “completely coincidental,” despite Sling’s previous run-in with Applian, where they obliged the software company change the name of its Replay SlingCorder product. While the upgrade was likely a defensive move to appease an ever-wary content industry, Sling has stifled some extended functionality with the update; exactly how much choice Sling was left regarding the matter when facing the mighty media regulators we may never know, but for the time being there is a number of Applian customers not too stoked by Sling’s decision.

[Via Techdirt]

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Filed under: Wireless

Ever wonder if you’d object to currency, clothing, or even your body getting embedded with an RFID chip? The idea isn’t that far-fetched, and it’s just a matter of time before something you own is tagged. Joining a growing list of RFID-shielders, Vrije University’s Andrew Tanenbaum, an anti-RFID advocate, is pressing forward with a team of researchers in Amsterdam to finalize a palm-sized device that would block incoming RFID searches and alert the user that they just about got violated. The RFID Guardian is powered by a 550MHz XScale processor (as found in many PDAs) with 64MB of RAM and runs on the eCos open source OS. The mechanics are pretty complex, but the short of it is the Guardian uses “standard authentication algorithms from cryptography” to recognize RFID readers and to accomplish its two primary objectives: tag spoofing and tag jamming, both of which prevent your RFID tagged object from being identified. The likelihood of mainstream adoption of the device is probably slim, but if your paranoia gets the best of you the RFID Guardian can keep the digital violators at bay. There’s currently no estimated price as finalized specs have yet to be determined, but just to get a better idea of its design, peep a picture of the prototype after the break.

[Via Personal Tech Pipeline]

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Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

We tend to field a lot of inside information here at Engadget HQ, but we’ve gotten not one, but two bits from separate, trustworthy insiders that Apple’s not satisfied merely vending Audible’s books-on-digital-audio solution. With the iRex iLiad and Sony PRS-500 Portable Reader both right around the corner, is it possible the next iPod might catch the eBook bug? We’d say the possibility is very real, since according to a source at a major publishing house, they were just ordered to archive all their manuscripts — every single one — and send them over to Apple’s Cupertino HQ. A separate trusted source let us know that the next iPod will have a substantial amount of screen real estate (as we’d all suspected), as well as a book reading mode that pumps up the contrast and drops into monochrome for easy reading. It’s no e-ink, sure, but a widescreen iPod would be well suited for the purpose, and according to our source, the books you’d buy (presumably through iTunes) won’t have an expiration — kind of like Apple-bought music, as well, but contradictory to the movie rental scheme we’ve heard rumored. Could they please just rename it the iTunes Music, Movies, and Book Store and get it over with already?

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Filed under: Digital Cameras, Robots

Perhaps worried that their bid proposal for insect cyborgs will never pan out, the wacky minds at DARPA are now looking at the humble maple tree to provide inspiration for their future fleet of tiny surveillance drones. The agency has just awarded Lockheed Martin a 10-month contract to develop maple seed-shaped UAVs known as remote-controlled nano air vehicles (or NAVs, for short) that can be deployed from a hovercraft and whirl around urban battlefields snapping pictures and confusing enemies who have never seen a maple tree. DARPA is stipulating that the single-blade NAVs be equipped with a self-stabilizing wireless camera, yet weigh only 0.07 ounces and be capable of traveling 1,100 feet with the help of an onboard chemical rocket. Seems like a lot to ask from such a minuscule device, but the $1.7 million DARPA is shelling out will probably be enough of an incentive for Lockheed to get the job done.

[Via Boing Boing]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

It’s not really clear why the old CableCARD hasn’t taken off as expected — consumers blame their cable providers, who blame the card manufacturers, who blame device makers — but nonetheless, the technology is far from dead, and now it looks like those long-awaited multi-stream CARDS could be available before the end of the year. CableLabs recently announced that Motorola’s “M-Card” has joined Scientific Atlanta’s offering in finally earning the organization’s coveted “qualified” status, paving the way for such great functionality as picture-in-picture on compatible TVs and multi-channel recording for properly-equipped DVRs. Although the M-Card does improve upon current-gen CableCARDs by delivering access to more than one channel at a time, it is still classified as a version 1.0 device, and therefore won’t allow the bi-directional communication necessary for on-demand or pay-per-view goodness. Still, this development is good news for consumers, as it should lead to increased demand for the cards, which will hopefully serve as a kick in the pants for the weak link in the CableCARD chain, whoever it is.

[Via HDBeat]

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$5, Elite 825B Headphones
$29, MGE ATX 450W Power Supply
$112, AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3700+
$199, Seagate 500GB W/ Ultra USB 2.0/FireWire Enclosure & ISS
$1,179, TOSHIBA Tecra A7-S712 Intel Core Duo T2400

More deals at Uberbargain.com

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Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio

The intriguing Sima Products Hitch (USB-101) perked a lot of ears when it debuted at this year’s CES, and this USB middleman has now been tested by iLounge, and certified to tackle all your USB On-The-Go needs. The most obvious attraction here is the unadulterated ability to transfer files (music, pictures, whatever) from iPod to iPod, a not-so-straightforward process usually requires at least a computer and a semi-technical guru to run the show. iLounge asserted that the no-nonsense approach to copying files from any USB device — be it a hard drive, DAP, digital camera, memory card reader, etc. — to another USB device by using its intuitive on-screen guide was fairly painless. It was deemed an answer to countless requests, but as with most newcomers, it isn’t without flaw. Possibly the biggest shortcoming is its inability to work natively with HFS-formatted iPods (sorry Mac users), while it’s also relatively slow (6 seconds for a 4MB song), and occasionally had trouble moving entire iPod databases using default settings. You can even power the Hitch with the built-in battery, but don’t expect to flip too much data without resorting to the AC adapter. While Sima Products has a potential hit on its hands, the biggest turn-off is probably its price: at $150, only the heaviest of users would likely find value here. If you want to know everything about the Hitch and then some, be sure to hit the Read link for iLounge’s in-depth review.

[Via TUAW]

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Filed under: Portable Audio

What do you get when you cross an iPod Shuffle with Nokia’s 7280 fashion phone? (Hint: it’s not Transcend’s T.Sonic 310, but good guess). Why, Apacer’s upcoming Audio Steno AU522 DAP, of course. This fairly-stylish little number comes in capacities ranging from 256MB to 2GB, supports MP3, WMA, and WAV files, and includes a memory card slot for boosting storage by another gig. A built-in USB connector allows you to use the AU522 as a flash drive or reader for all those MMCmicro cards you have lying around, and you can also record directly from the FM tuner and share your music with a friend thanks to dual headphone jacks. The two-color, 128 x 64 OLED screen is another nice touch, though it probably contributes to the player’s mere eight hours of battery life. No word so far on either pricing or availability, but if you really have a desire to snatch one of these up, we’re confident that you’ll be able to make it happen.

[Via MP3 Player Guide]

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So you’ve got the latest WiFi-capable smartphone and a Nintendo DS Lite with you, and you’re itching for some gaming session with a little email on the side. How are you going to find the nearest WiFi hotspot in order to get going? That task is made simple with this $18.95 pen that comes with a built-in WiFi finder. Just press a button on the barrel of the pen to detect WiFi signals within an area of a 50 feet radius. The strength of the WiFi signal is denoted by the Green, Yellow, and Red LEDs on the pen. Of course, did we mention that it functions as a normal pen by just twisting it open?

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We have had more than our fair share of weird looking USB flash drives, and Imation decided to take the softer approach with its new range of USB flash drives that come in a plush animal form that just screams of cute, especially when there is a red heart plastered at the side of the animal. Judging by the pictures on the product page, there are 3 designs to choose from - man’s best friend, a crocodile, and its river nemesis, the hippo. The USB port is located where their tongues are supposed to be at. This makes a great present for the fairer sex, but the 128MB of built-in memory is insufficient for today’s needs.

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The Minos DMP3 media player is a compact and attractive device that is able to handle MPEG 4 videos, photos, MP3s, and more. Other features include a voice recorder and AV recording capabilities. Not only that, it doubles up as a portable USB storage device as well. Pity about the 128MB memory capacity - that is barely enough to store more than a few albums’ worth of music, let alone video. Thankfully, Minox has included an SD memory card slot that can handle SD cards up to a maximum of 1GB in size. Audio recordings are encoded into MP3 format directly. More features after the jump.

• MPEG4-Video (recording and playback)
• MP3/WMA-Player (recording and playback)
• Digital voice recorder
• SD/MMC card reader
• USB memory stick
• Internal stereo speaker
• Built-in-microphone
• Built-in 128 MB flash memory
• Optional: SD/MMC card up to 2 GB
• LCD display: 2,5’’ LTPS TFT LCD, 960×240 pixels, 262 K color
• 2 in 1 MiniUSB (USB 2.0, Power In)
• 4 in 1 earphone jack (video-out, earphone jack, external microphone, AV in)
• Video out / video in: TV out (NTSC/PAL) / AV in (NTSC/PAL)
• Video recorder 640 x 480 (VGA), max. 30 fps / 320 x 240
• Resolution: (QVGA), max. 30 fps
• Audio-Quality: 2 modes: CD quality, radio quality
• Picture print out: Support DPOF
• Image playback 2 modes: Single / Index (preview)
• Support copying or transferring files between SD card and internal memory
• Supports copying or disarranging files between SD/MMC card and internal memory
• Format support: JPEG, ASF, WAV, MP3, WMA
• Language support: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish
• Battery: Rechargeable Li-Ion battery (3,7 V / 1.000 mA)
• Power supply: 5 V DC adapter / via USB cable
• Dimensions: 90 x 68 x 16 mm
• Weight is approximately 69 g (excluding battery)

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Do you actually believe that the Wow-pen is actually a mouse that works vertically? Although it is not the first in the industry, a vertical mouse is still a rare sight at any rate. The Wow-pen aims to relieve most symptoms that are associated with carpal tunnel syndrome that is often connected to the use of a normal mouse. This is achieved by relocating some of the controls, including moving the scroll wheel to the side of the mouse. The Wow-pen also ships with handwriting recognition capabilities that works perfectly in tandem with the WoW-electronic whiteboard software. The device comes with a 400/800dpi resolution and can be connected via USB or PS/2.

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The phallic looking NW-S20x series from Sony is a metal, water-resistant flash-based MP3 player that will appeal to those who lead an active sports life. There will be two models released initially in the form of the NW-S203F and the NW-S205F. The former will come with 1GB of storage space, while the latter packs double the amount at 2GB. The screen size is nothing to shout about though, offering just a tiny 1-line OLED screen that could prove disconcerting as you cannot get all the particular information regarding a song in a single line. Playback is controlled via a knob. Other features include an FM tuner, pedometer, stopwatch, and on-the-go playlists. Battery life is rated at 18 hours.

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The Artec T14A Mini USB 2.0 Digital TV Tuner is the perfect gift for somebody who is head over heels in love with High-Definition TV quality programming and yet are traveling from one place to another constantly. The T14A holds the distinction of being the first and smallest USB digital TV receiver in the world for the ATSC standard that is being used state side. It doesn’t require any batteries to work - just plug it into your USB port and you’re good to go. The T14A ships with Windows XP Media Center Edition drivers and costs $89.

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