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Today’s Show: Microsoft is weird and Best Buy is disgusting…pass it on.
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Designed by artist Francesca Lanzavecchia, NightMates are "soft anthropomorphic pillows and warming lamps" that are supposed to keep you company (and comfy) at night. They come in different sizes, depending on how much anthropomorphic love you need, but you might wanna stick with the smaller ones that are more like Glo-Worms—the full sized ones are more than a little creepy, like something that slithered off the cover of one of my roommate's NSFW manga collection to do wrong things to you while you sleep. [LightMate via BB via popgadget]
People keep finding photos in their new iPhones, and these keep getting weirder and weirder. This time, Giz reader Bryan Offenhauer claims that he found this funny shot of an anonymous guy next to a human-sized Gundam mecha:
I just upgraded to the iPhone 3G 16gb and found this handsome gentlemen had beat me to the punch on using my new phone's camera. It doesn't look like this picture was taken while at any sort of factory, but he looks mighty proud of his giant Gundam. Anyway I was just wondering if there are other people that have gotten phones with odd pictures already stored on them.
I can understand the factory tests, but this? Is Apple's attention to detail slipping at the factory level? Did they take the iPhone away from the assembly line, take the photo, and then return it? Maybe the workers are Foxcon are trying to mess up with our minds? Maybe Bryan is? Are Gundam-Men marriages allowed in China? Is this guy single? We demand answers. [Thanks Bryan]
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DARPA is investing in developing a new kind of helicopter, one with what they're calling a Disc-Rotor. What makes a Disc-Rotor Helicopter different than a boring old helicopter? Well, when the blades start spinning fast, they're retracted into a disc. This disc continues to rotate, and it acts as a "rotating circular wing." The benefit of such a system would be to provide " mobility and responsiveness for troop and cargo insertion, satisfy an ongoing military interest for higher speed VTOL and hover capable vehicles, be survivable and bridge the gap in helicopter escort and insertion missions." Ho-Kay! I don't get it, but it sure will be neat looking, so I guess I'm on board. [The Register]
Filed under: Blu-ray, Players, Others
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At $6,000, this OSIM uSpace full body massage chair better do what it says in addition to just looking all sci-fi and space Pac-Manish. According to the manufacturer, the chair fixes you using mood lighting, massage, and music. They say the uSpace has three different modes: "revitalize", "relax" or "balance" you.
They explain that using specific lighting colors, with something called "synchronized" music will activate certain areas of your brain, putting you in any of those states. I don't know if it works or not, but the idea of putting my head inside the mouth of space Pac-Man here only makes me anxious. [OSIM via Dvice]
It’s Friday, thoughts are turning to weekend retreats after a shorter than average week, thanks to the US holiday Monday.
So - we’ve seen and heard all the pre-Apple event rumours this week - some will turn out to be true, some will be, erm, less true, and at this stage in the game the anticipation is fun all by itself.
We came across this latest image which claims to show the case for the new iPod nano, and yes, it confirms the time has come to say ‘goodbye’ to the fat nano (which we liked). We’re not saying this is true or false, by the way. Taken from Swedish site, MacFeber, we turned to the stalwart Google Translate service for its unique description:
“Our Bothan-spies have had hold of some nice pictures of the some of the first iPod nano 4G case, which is scheduled be shipped.
“The new iPod nano is both elongated and slightly more rounded than usual can hereby be seen as confirmed.
“Jivo distributed so far as we know from TNS here in Sweden.”
These pixel drink coasters are made of paper and come in 50-unit packages for $8. Nothing special there until you notice that they have different shapes, which are not actually made at the factory: The coasters come in a single sheet, folded in 50 segments that you can cut in any way you want using the one-centimeter-long square perforations that divide each segment in 110 pixels. The results are beautiful, including an obligatory Space Invaders theme.
galleryPost('pixelcoasters', 3, '');
According to Technabob, the paper is special, which allows to resist the condensation and even get reused. [25togo via Technabob]
“Back in 1984, Japanese manga artist Mitsuru Sugaya wrote a fun comic book for kids about the birth of Apple. It was originally published as a two-part series in a popular manga compilation called Koro Koro Comics in May and June that year, but Sugaya published the story in its entirety on his blog on July 11th—iPhone launch day in Japan.
"The year before I wrote this, I went to Silicon Valley and stopped by Apple HQ," he writes.
Kudos to BoingBoing for this one.
The Apple II Story on Sugaya's blog (Japanese)
The professional bullshit artists and dumbass fleecers over at Monster have devised another way to remove money from the wallets of the ignorant: cleaning sprays.
They've released five different sprays for five different types of devices: a camera spray, a cell phone spray, an iPhone spray (Buchanan posits that this one is made of pure angel tears), a GPS spray and a laptop spray. Yes, Monster wants you to think that your GPS and your cellphone need separate sprays, lest your phone is destroyed by the magical chemicals that can only clean a surface that displays driving directions. While yes, perhaps laptop screens need a different spray than the glass iPhone, this is a bit beyond overkill.
Each bottle of these precious fluids cost $10, which is a pretty sizable markup seeing that they just took a bunch of Windex, watered it down and put it into tiny bottles with different colored labels on it. [CrunchGear]
Scuba Steve, 7" figurine, seems like a nice enough guy. His round face and charming monocle seem perfect for children's parties and lending an extra hand in bathroom sterilization. But then you read his description and see that "if a shark won’t listen to reason, then Scuba Steve pulls their teeth out (but still lets the shark live.)" And you realize, yeah, that Scuba Steve really is a great guy. $350. [Slobot via Gizmo Watch]
Confession: I actually very much enjoyed the new Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft ad. Yes, I found it funny and entertaining—the moment when Gates grins like a conspiratorial child revealing that his budget shoes were actual "leather" cracked me up. No, there wasn't much any substance, but who cares? If nothing else, it's positive branding and a fun way to kill commercial time otherwise filled with ads for new citrus-scented patio cleaners.
Anyway, an internal Microsoft memo explaining the ads to employees confirms what most of us suspected as Seinfeld compared PCs to some sort of chocolaty dessert—the first commercial was just an "icebreaker."
This first set of ads features Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go. At that time, I’ll be back to share more information about our plans to further strengthen the bond between consumers and Windows–one of the most amazing products, businesses and brands of all time, and, with the right tenacity, passion and agility from all of us, a story that has many great chapters to come.
For the full memo, head on over to the link. [All Things Digital]
But, that's apparently not good enough for the band, who complained and had its label, Sony BMG, and its publisher Universal Music Publishing send cease-and-desist letters to the campaign. On what legal basis? They don't seem to have an answer for that. The whole thing is kind of silly. There's almost certainly no legal leg to stand on here, but it's surprising that the RNC wouldn't check first, given how others, like Browne, have reacted and the fact that the press would almost certainly cover the story (as they are). So, while there may be no legal basis for the complaints, it still is surprising that the RNC and/or the McCain/Palin campaign wouldn't bother to first check with the band to see if the members would be upset about the usage.
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Put simply, CEDIA is a trade show that trains its attendees to prep a home for MTV Cribs. Simple as that. So as a result, the audiophile gear on display is a sight (and an expenditure) to behold. Especially if your Cribs client prefers speakers that cost more than some small countries' GDPs in their champagne room to better reproduce the low-end punch of his John Mayer SACDs.
We didn't give a single one of these speakers any kind of field test, and we're not going to pretend for a second that that matters. Thankfully, you and I are not the folks who have to view these speakers as anything more than absolutely beautiful monuments to silly rich audio fetishists. So let's ogle: take the Sonnance "Threewheeler" donught-y Bluetooth outdoor speaker shown above as only the beginning. It costs $21,000.
Plenty more where that came from in our captioned gallery: galleryPost("cediaspeakers", 20, "");
Samsung is already the world's largest maker of flash memory chips—seriously, their chips are in like everything—but it told regulators today that it's thinking about picking up ailing industry giant SanDisk.
Part of the reason, no doubt, is that Sammy pays SanDisk up to $500 million a year in royalties thanks to its massive portfolio of flash memory patents. And of course, there's simply the old fashioned desire to tighten its already Hulk-like grip on the market, though one analyst says a buyout could shove Samsung's marketshare high enough to make the anti-trust police take notice.
If it goes through, it would probably push up the price of flash memory (which is at rock bottom and precisely why SanDisk's life sucks right now), though it's debatable whether that would be passed on to you in the price gadgets from say, Apple or Microsoft . [Marketwatch, Image]
Shaw Wu of American Technology Research has chimed in with his predictions for next week's special Apple event on September 9 - warning it could be "underwhelming".
"We continue to believe that MacBook Pro and MacBook are due for refreshes with more radical redesigns, but won't likely be unveiled at this event as the focus appears to be on its non-Mac businesses," he also observed.
Not so underwhelming to matter a great deal - at least, not to Wu, who chose to maintain his Buy rating and 6-12 month price target of $220. We considered rewriting this release with our own special slant, but figured you may want it straight - here's what Wu writes...
Low Expectations for a Break-Through Announcement:
While there is always room for surprise, it seems this event may be somewhat underwhelming vs. previous expectations and events. Over the past several days, AAPL shares have pulled back as expectations have likely come down.
Likely iPod Centric:
The “Let's Rock” invitation and our recent supply chain checks suggest this will likely be an iPod-centric event. This may be viewed as disappointing as some were hoping to see new Macs. We think radical changes in the iPod portfolio are less likely given the great success and extensive refinement iPod has already undergone. We anticipate a modestly redesigned 4th generation iPod nano and slimmer 2nd generation iPod touch with lower price points and higher storage capacities. The future of the 6th generation iPod classic is unclear as our checks indicate build plans have been more modest as it has become more a niche product.
New Macs Not Likely At This Event:
We continue to believe that MacBook Pro and MacBook are due for refreshes with more radical redesigns, but won't likely be unveiled at this event. We are picking up that MacBook Air could see a minor refresh and potential price cut to increase its value proposition. Checks indicate that build plans have slowed somewhat from earlier robust levels with customers opting for MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Potential Wildcards:
We believe wildcards on new products are:
1) an advanced AppleTV with DVR and TV tuner capabilities and/or
2) new touch form factors (iPod-Mac hybrid) with larger screens.
Conclusion:
While AAPL shares will likely remain volatile given market sentiment, we view current levels as a buying opportunity for longer-term investors. AAPL remains one of the best positioned large-cap technology companies. We see upside to $220 based on 32.5x our CY09 EPS of $6.73.
Event Likely Less Surprising But There Is Always Room for the Unexpected:
Heading into this event, our concern is that it could end up being one of the less surprising ones simply because AAPL product expectations are always high (given its strong track record and world-class R&D) and radical changes in its iPod business are likely more difficult to achieve given the great success and extensive refinement it already has. Nonetheless, there is always the likelihood for the unexpected and we think there are two potential wildcards including an advanced AppleTV with DVR and TV tuner capabilities and new touch form factors with larger screen (iPod-Mac hybrid).
New iPods Most Likely:
Our recent supply chain checks indicate that this event will most likely usher in new iPods, including a modestly redesigned 4th generation iPod nano and slimmer 2nd generation iPod touch with lower price points and higher storage capacities. The fate of its 6th generation iPod Classic is unclear as build plans have been more modest. We think this product remains attractive to those users who value high-capacity storage (80 and 160 GB), but the “old” design and cannibalization by iPod touch limit its appeal.
New Macs Not Likely At This Event:
We continue to believe that MacBook Pro and MacBook are due for refreshes with more radical redesigns, but won't likely be unveiled at this event as the focus appears to be on its non-Mac businesses. In addition, we are picking up that MacBook Air could see a minor refresh and potential price cut to increase its value proposition as build plans have slowed from earlier robust levels as customers have opted for MacBook or MacBook Pro instead.
Lower iPod Price Points Make A Lot of Sense.
In this tough macroeconomic environment, we believe price cuts make a lot of sense to re-accelerate iPod sales, particularly iPod touch, which is somewhat mispriced (outside of its recent back-to-school promotion) at $299 (8 GB), $399 (16 GB), and $499 (32 GB) price points given the lower $199 (8 GB) and $299 (16 GB) price points of the 3G iPhone with 2-year service plans. We believe AAPL should be able to absorb lower price points without impacting its margins materially given very favorable component pricing trends.
Competitive Advantages Intact:
We believe AAPL's key competitive advantages remain its 1) strong brand loyal customer base; 2) vertically and horizontally integrated hardware, software and service model (iPod + iTunes, Mac, Apple TV, and iPhone); 3) proprietary interface technologies (clickwheel and multi-touch); and 4) unique and pleasant customer experience with its Apple stores.
Macro headwinds are becoming more apparent:
We continue to see AAPL as the best play on digital media in the home and a large beneficiary of the shift to mobile computing. In two of its three big franchises, Mac and iPhone, penetration is very low and starting in the higher-income demographics. The disturbance in the macroeconomic environment is within lower-income demographics and financial institutions with exposure and impact to overall liquidity. This could certainly spread, but we believe AAPL’s business will remain strong in the near- to medium-term. Enough high-end consumers are still buying tech, though commodities inflation could pressure future margins.
Comments?
We've been following this for a little while to let some meat stick on the skeletal rumors, and it's finally feeling substantial enough—though definitely still a rumor—to throw your way. It looks like Nikon's got a 41-megapixel medium format (MX) sensor up its sleeve, which is most likely for a digital rangefinder. Nikon itself teases something BIG for the Wedding & Portrait Photographer International convention in Feb. in the pages of Rangefinder magazine. Finally, Nikon Watch has a tip (albeit unsubstantiated) that the MX format sensor is 48x48mm and in fact 48MP, and will go inside of a digital rangefinder that's "not to [sic] dissimilar to the older film Mamiya 6 camera philosophy." There's more.
Obviously, a new format means you'll need new glass. But, the tipster says that the rangefinder will be able to use DX and FX lenses with a mount adapter, giving you crop factor of 1.5 for the DX, 1 for the FX and 0.5 for MX lenses. When shooting with FX,you'll be able to rotate the sensor crop from landscape to portrait instead of having to turn the whole camera, and somehow you'll still get to shoot the full square resolution. And yes, this thing will have live view. Given Nikon's penchant to leak like the Titanic, we'll know more about this puppy soon, no doubt. [Nikon Rumors, Nikon Watch - Thanks Peter!]
According to the Wall Street Journal, Dell is restructuring their production in a massive overhaul that will send the entire manufacturing process overseas. According to one insider's account, most or all of Dell's factories, which are based in the US, will be sold off in 18 months.
Dell has long used their own factories to assemble computers after a consumer places an order—a technique Dell pioneered to cut inventory costs and boost profits. Currently, the company relies on Asian computer parts assembled in Dell US factories—the "two touch" process. The planned transition, which has already been made for some laptops, will move all production to foreign contract manufacturers—something we already see from companies like HP and Apple.
So the only question that remains is whether or not there will be interested buyers in Dell's $2.6 billion in production plants. Because if Dell is backing out of the game, it's gotta be a tough sell to anyone. [WSJ]
Filed under: Displays, Other formats, Others
Continue reading SIM2 tag-teams with Entertainment Experience to bring you movies on hard drives
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280 North's JavaScript port of Objective-C and Cocoa are now available for your web app development and/or hacking pleasure, no French press required.
The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Lisa Katayama at Boing Boing has found a manga gem from the 80s: the story of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, from the moment Woz started to get interested in gadgets until the Apple II was created and launched. Into space apparently. Truth is that I don't have a clue of Japanese, so that's probably why I find it funny, thinking about what the hell they are saying, and why on Earth there's an space octopus involved in this whole thing—I just like to imagine that's related to Jobs' experiences with LSD. [Otaden via Boing Boing]