Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

MSI Wind gets official pricing and availability for the US: $399

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/289691396/

Filed under: Laptops

We already knew most of the details on the MSI Wind, but the Atom-based ultraportable just got official US pricing and availability today -- and just like we hoped, it got a little cheaper on the trip over. Although there'll be both 8.9-inch and 10-inch versions worldwide, we're only getting the 10-inch in both XP and Linux flavors, starting June 3rd. The SuSE version will feature that 1.6GHz Atom, 512MB of RAM, 80GB hard drive, and a 3-cell battery rated at 2.5 hours of use for $399, while the XP edition will come in at $549 with 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth, and a larger 6-cell battery good for 5.5 hours. There's also apparently going to be a $500 "base" XP edition, but details on that are pretty sparse at the moment. Looks like ASUS had better get that Atom-based Eee 900 out by June as planned if it wants to keep up, eh?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Superpowerful small wind turbines light up the night

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/289708034/

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We've seem some impressive wind power tech, but a new breed of small, high-power wind turbines could potentially bring efficient wind power home. Developed by an inventor named Doug Selsam, the new turbines have rotors just 14-18 inches in diameter, but can produce 200 watts in a 20MPH wind, and much more than that at higher wind speeds. The trick is using high-strength carbon-fiber materials that allow several rotors to be hooked up as one -- in strong winds a thirteen-rotor system can produce enough juice to blow out a bank of car headlights "like flashbulbs." That's pretty impressive -- especially since the system is light and balanced enough to be held up with one hand. No word on when or how we might see these hit the public, but we can see some pretty sweet applications -- laptops in the park, anyone?

[Thanks, Yocheved]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Herbalicious Furniture

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/289541662/

Design student Elliot Mariess needed to come up with something new and off kilter for his degree so naturally he envisioned any space should and could have an aromatic herb garden. This simple looking dresser is more than meets the eye - inside is a whole garden living off a low wattage bulb. Not only do you get fresh herbs, but it naturally filters the air, keeps stank off your clothes, and makes us all look like green thumbs.

Designer: Elliott Mariess

Elliott Mariess

Monday, May 12, 2008

Sumitomo set to produce 40-inch OLED panels in 2009

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/288251205/

Filed under: HDTV

Not that there was any doubt that OLED is on its way to larger sizes (hasn't it been since like 2005?), but Japanese firm Sumitomo Chemical announced its plans to produce 40-inch OLED panels for HDTVs some time in 2009, meaning Sumitomo-based TVs could hit the market in 2009 or 2010. Samsung's old-skool 40-inch OLED HDTV prototype shown above for scale.

[Via OLED-Info]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Eye-Fi launches Eye-Fi Home, Share, and geotagging Explore

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/288469937/

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless, Storage

Eye-Fi's expanding from a single card to a family of three tonight. All are the same 2GB as before, but now we've got the new flagship Eye-Fi Explore ($129), which includes geotagging courtesy of Skyhook (the same WiFi-based location system that helps the iPod touch and iPhone find their way). Then you've got the Eye-Fi Share ($99) -- basically the same card we used to know simply as the Eye-Fi -- and finally the Eye-Fi Home ($79), which appears to only be able to upload photos through desktop software using your home network. Expect 'em all on sale come June 6th.

Gallery: Eye-Fi launches Eye-Fi Home, Share, and geotagging Explore