by Nilay Patel, posted May 30th 2008 at 1:54AM
MSI’s been making a lot of noise with the Wind lately, but we’d heard the company was going to be bringing personal navigators and PMPs to the US back at CES, and it looks like the first one has hit the FCC — say hello to the MS-5654. As always, the gov’s photographers don’t exactly bring out the inner beauty of the device, but there’s enough to see that the unit features a 4.3-inch, 480 x 272 touchscreen, a 372MHz Centrality processor running Windows CE 5.0, 1GB or 2GB of internal storage with SD expansion, and the usual basic PMP features. Of course, there’s no pricing or availability info, but if you’re into detailed RF reports, heaven is just beyond the read link.

[Thanks, jkkmobile]

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Sony Ericsson could actually be plotting to take over the Nintendo Wii’s role - at least in the realm of cell phones. It will be preparing itself for this role by turning the cell phone’s camera into a motion-controlling sensor after inking a deal with GestureTek of California which will see the latter’s software available in Sony Ericsson handsets later this September. If the name GestureTek rings a bell, that’s because it is the similar technology used in Sony’s EyeToy device for the PS2. Which is better - implement such a software solution or rely on a built-in accelerometer as found in the Apple iphone and LG Secret?

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The Nano Air Vehicle could be the smallest UAV in the world, since it does away with a propeller and engine in favor of moving wings instead. So far, AreoVironment has been endowed with over more than half a million dollars from DARPA and given half a year to demonstrate its diminutive UAV to the military. I think this will probably be used to function as a spying device in place of sending an actual double agent. Hopefully the enemy doesn’t catch on and continueu thinking that this is some sort of weird insect instead.

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Waterbomb Slingshot
'Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war(ter)'. The Water Bomb Slingshot - be afraid, be very afraid.

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by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted May 29th 2008 at 10:02PMFans of high-def audio rejoice: The first Blu-ray recording has been released. Fans of anything other than Divertimento, hold your horses: The first release is from Thondheimsolistene, an orchestra from Norway. “Divertimenti”, as it is called, will be released by the 2L label in full HD audio glory along with a SACD track for those not on the Blu-ray bandwagon just yet. Formats include 2.0 LPCM, 5.1 LPCM, 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, 5.1 Dolby True HD, 5.1 Dolby Digital at 48KHz, and it has been confirmed to work just fine on the PS3.

[Via MiC]

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by Nilay Patel, posted May 29th 2008 at 11:44PM
We’ve seen a couple robotic efforts to explore the Arctic and the Antarctic, but they’ve all been remotely-operated — unlike the SnoMote, a new bot being developed at the Georgia Tech that can navigate itself around ice and snow. Packs of the mini-snowmobile-based SnoMotes can negotiate with each other and “bid” on locations to investigate, and navigate by classifying microscopic fissures in the icy terrain. The bots haven’t made it to the Antarctic yet, but they’re apparently handling simulations quite well, and the plan is for teams of 40 to 50 of the $10,000 machines to wander the ice collecting data points for climate change models. Sure sure — and the next thing you know, the Antarctic is the flashpoint of the revolution. Good plan, guys.

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With summer being just around the corner, it makes perfect sense to get some sort of backyard toys for the kids to have their fair share of fun as school grinds to a halt.

Rising 10 1/2′ into the air, this is the backyard inflatable water park with a tunnel slide that passes beneath a larger traditional slide, both of which are constantly irrigated by built-in sprinklers and have splash pools at the end of each, making it ideal for summer fun. An included 960-watt electric air blower plugs into AC and inflates the park easily and quickly, keeping it resilient and firm. The 0.3 mm-thick PVC shell will withstand years of play, and resists mold and fading. Eight 18″-long stakes firmly secure the park to the ground; four additional stakes keep the air blower and air hose rigidly fixed in one place. Four water bags affix to the side of the slide to provide further stabilization. The sprinklers attach to one garden hose, requiring no additional configuration.

Unfortunately for us adults, we’ll have to head off to a water park if we want to relive our childhood moments on this, as the $499.95 toy is meant for kids aged between 5 to 12 years old only.

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That sound you hear may be the death knell for the set-top box/dust magnet in your home entertainment center. Sony and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association have announced an agreement that will place the cable companies’ technologies inside future Sony TV models. This will allow consumers to dial up ALL their cable channels, access video-on-demand and use interactive services without having to find a place for a steaming-hot cable box near the TV.

The nation’s largest cable companies - Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, Cablevision and Bright House - are on board, and the pressure is now on Samsung, LG and other big-screen makers to follow Sony’s lead. The NCTA says they’re welcome to do so.

You may be happy about one or two less cables cluttering up the space behind your TV, but you also may be concerned about any cable cards you’ve received from your local provider, or that handy digital video recorder in your current rented set-top box. The NCTA is being a little stingy with full details on the agreement but is assuring customers that cable cards will still work and video recording will still be offered. But in what form? The NCTA says Tivos will work with the new TV’s; but will some of the new Sony models also have built-in hard drives for recording? Will the cable companies still be offering separate DVRs for rent?

We also don’t know when to expect the new TVs to hit the big-box stores. But it’s clearly a digital coup for Sony, a victory for space-conscious consumers and validation of the cable companies’ strategy of building out services like VOD. Let’s just hope they don’t use this as validation for yet another rate hike.

Read [Associated Press via Wired News]

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by Darren Murph, posted May 29th 2008 at 6:30PMDon’t worry, we’ll get to you mid- and high-enders soon enough, but we’ve got a feeling this week’s Ask Engadget question will appeal to the masses. Granted, we’ve shot this inquiry out before, but a lot has happened in the DSLR realm in 3.5 long years, wouldn’t you agree?

“Summer’s coming up, and that means vacation time. I want to get an entry-level DSLR in order to best capture some of my upcoming adventures, and while I’d like to keep the cost low, I’m not against spending a bit of cash to get a really solid setup. What camera (and maybe even what lens) would your readers recommend for a newcomer?”

Go easy on the guy — he even admitted that he’s fresh to the game — but don’t hold back on explaining your answers in order to really give a good idea of why one camera is a better pick versus another. Right after that, send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com — but make it good, alright?

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by Darren Murph, posted May 29th 2008 at 10:10AM
Okay, so this isn’t the finalized SKU or anything (it’s an “early sample,” if you must know), but it’s close enough to the real deal to warrant a dissection. The model shown here came sporting a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB Seagate hard drive and built-in gigabit Ethernet / WiFi / Bluetooth. Best of all, you’ll see more than flashes of EBOX PCB when you step into the read link below — you’ll get a lengthy list of initial impressions too (hint: it’s rather impressive). Go on, get!

[Thanks, Charlie]

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