Hawt Gadgets

Japan gets official on plans and details for world’s fastest maglev

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We'd already heard about Central Japan Railway Company's not-so-near-term intentions to deploy a speedy new maglev system in the country, but it looks like it's just now getting official with things, and it's still promising to have it up and running no sooner than 2025. By then, there should be 180 miles of track stretching from Tokyo to central Japan, which'll accommodate a maglev train capable of topping out at 310 miles per hour, apparently making it the world's fastest. That, as you might have guessed, comes at a fairly hefty cost -- $44.7 billion, to be specific -- which makes some similar, but decidedly less speedy systems pale in comparison. As The Register points out, however, while Japan's train will be the fastest maglev system, it won't quite keep up with the fastest conventional trains around, or whatever else might be around in the year 2025.

[Photo courtesy of FYS]

 

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Predictions for 2008?

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Engadgetdamus bids you greetings. With MMVII in the can, we can only direct our ponderations to what fantastical gadgets and events await in the new year. We beseech you, foretell the year's events and present your predictions. Will Android be an out of the gate success, or a slow starter? Will Microsoft without Bill Gates be worse (or better) off? Will Vonage see Jan. 1, 2009? And will we all have multi-touch DisplayPort monitors by then? Will consumers turn on Apple? Will Palm give up the ghost? Can we finally dump our spinning-disk drives in favor of SSDs? Only your latent Engadgetdamus knows what will transpire in MMVIII -- let him speak.

See also predictions for 2005, 2006, and 2007.

 

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Did you apply for your TV converter box coupons yet?

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If you’re anything like us, your only New Year’s resolution for this particular ride around the sun is to sign up for a converter box coupon in preparation for the 2009 digital TV transition — even if, also like us, your only remaining analog set is gathering dust next to your laserdisc player in the basement. Still, a bargain is a bargain, so $40 off a product or products that we don’t really need was more than enough motivation to race over to the official sign-up page only minutes after it went live. You, of course, still have a good 13 months to pick up one of these digital-to-analog converters from LG or friends, but since you’re probably not in very good shape to do much else today, why not make the most of your incapacitation and hit the Read link to fill out your application.

[Thanks for the reminder, Travis C.]

 

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Engadget’s top posts, 2007

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Indeed it was a banner year here at Engadget -- completely thanks to you, of course. Google may have its Zeitgeist, but we figured we could at least cap things off with a few lists of the most well-read posts of 2007 (and a few stats, to boot). Also, don't forget to check out the lists at Engadget Mobile and Engadget HD! See you in 2008!

Top 20 most trafficked posts of 2007 (in order)
  1. Live from Macworld 2007: Steve Jobs keynote
  2. Steve Jobs live -- Apple's "The beat goes on" special event
  3. Live from Apple's summer Mac product press conference
  4. The Apple iPhone
  5. Steve Jobs live from WWDC 2007
  6. Xbox 360 Elite: new, black limited edition Xbox with HDMI and 120GB drive
  7. iPhone unlocked: AT&T loses iPhone exclusivity, August 24, 2007, 12:00PM EDT
  8. iPhone review
  9. The second Xbox 360 revealed: codename Zephyr
  10. Nokia's iPhone -- no, seriously
  11. Live from Apple's "Mum is no longer the word" event in London
  12. Apple keynote: live from NAB 2007
  13. Is this the new iMac keyboard?
  14. iPhone & LG KE850: separated at birth?
  15. The Wii Laptop!
  16. Apple's iPod touch gets official
  17. The Motorola RAZR 2
  18. LG's KE850 PRADA official: iPhone says, wha?
  19. Leopard vs. Vista: feature chart showdown
  20. Xbox 360 Elite vs. classic: the test
Man, people really seem to like Apple. Click on for more.

Continue reading Engadget's top posts, 2007

 

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LG & Mark Levinson launching two home theater systems at CES

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We didn't have to wait long to hear more about Mark Levinson's partnership with LG, resulting in two new home theater systems to launch at CES 2008. No longer limited to audiophiles searching eBay auctions for discontinued equipment, the AP3133 and LHT888 promise a high end AV experience at "astonishing" -- albeit TBA -- prices. The AP3133 HTIB puts LG's Super Blu BH200 dual-format player at the heart of a 7.1-channel system with 150 watts x 7 ICEpower output, multi-input HDMI switching, Burr-Brown PCM and Audessey Auto Room Multi EQ adjustment. The LHT888 fulfills our needs for a champagne-glass styled HT system, with each speaker in a tapered, integrated pedestal, to math the 1080p upscaling, DivX / MP3 / JPEG / DVD playing 700W 5.1-channel receiver. Prices (and pics) are due at LG's press conference January 6th.

 

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Final contest reminder: two round trip tickets on JetBlue departs tomorrow night

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It's (still) New Year's Eve out here in the States, meaning in a few more hours you'll not only see what it's like to live in the future (i.e. 2008), but you'll also lose your last chance to enter to win two round trip tickets on JetBlue (and some noise canceling headphones, to boot). Check out the rules, and to the young'ns out there, remember: if someone tells you that you're going to a "key party" tonight, we recommend you politely bow out.

 

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How-to build your own wireless, autonomous hovercraft

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So to be clear right off the bat, this is not the type of hovercraft that you might commute to work or class in, but rather a small RC version more suitable for transporting babies or adorable pets. That being said, Instructables user bradpowers has posted step-by-step guide for the ambitious modder to build his or her very own remotely-controlled or autonomous 'craft, from constructing the frame to assembling the lift and propulsion systems to setting up the onboard PIC. Definitely not a project for the easily distracted, however, a successful build will surely make you the delight of neighborhood children for blocks in every direction. Check out a video of the little guy in action after the break.

Continue reading How-to build your own wireless, autonomous hovercraft

 

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Mega Drive Portable gets rebadged, available to order

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It looks like that Mega Drive Portable we caught sight of a couple of months back is no longer exclusive to retro-happy gamers in Brazil, as a suspiciously similar-looking device has recently turned up for order at Play-Asia.com. As with the TecToy version, this one from AtGames is apparently officially licensed by Sega, and includes the very same line-up of twenty Genesis titles, including Golden Axe and Altered Beast, among other games with decidedly less hacking and slashing. Best of all, this incarnation the handheld is also a good deal cheaper than the TecToy, with it setting you back just $40. According to some early buyers, however, it seems that the emulation isn't entirely faithful to the originals, but at that price it's hard to complain too much.

[Via technabob]

 

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DIY time lapse intervalometer saves dough, improves creativity

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We know you've had plenty of time to recreate that shutter release hack, and if you found yourself impressed with the results, you're bound to adore this one. Eagleapex has struck again with yet another swank camera mod, this time giving DSLR owners an easy (and affordable) method for handling time lapse photography. Granted, this creation isn't the simplest to build, and there's still a few notable limitations that keep it from supreme greatness -- namely the inaccurate interval setting and the occasionally problematic short output pulse -- but neither of those quirks are ones that pros can't remedy when concocting their own. Check out a video of the results after the jump, and don't ever say that watching ice melt is a bore.

Continue reading DIY time lapse intervalometer saves dough, improves creativity

 

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Crapgadget: mammoth iPod touch knockoff

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Although we don't encourage you to lower your standards in 2008 like so many already have, our eyes did rest upon a couple of janky devices that you might want to take a gander at before the year's through. Just don't look too long, they might make you blind -- or somehow willing to shell out some cash. Which, we cannot say. Crapgadget signing off for 2007.

Read - The most massive iPod touch knockoff you ever did see. Ok, so it's probably not that big, and just suffered from a crappy image editor. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Read - Yeah, it's a mango talking clock, so what?
Read - "State of the art" Versus Scoreboard / boombox. Righteous garbage.
Read - TakeTV goes the way of SDHC in the TV Card Player
Read - USB egg cluster (huh?)

 

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Vonage, Nortel call a truce — no cash changing hands

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Although the press release issued to announce the settlement between Vonage and AT&T earlier this month is still the shortest we've seen in all of 2007, we're pretty certain the one doled out to trumpet the truce between Vonage and Nortel is holding down the two-spot. In just five wee sentences, we learn that the two have agreed in principle to end the litigation pending between 'em, and though no cash will be changing hands, the agreement does involve a limited cross license to three patents per firm. Way to put the past behind before entering into the new year, we say.

 

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FCC gives broadcasters more flexibility in 2009 digital TV cutover

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Just a few months back, the FCC approved a set of rules for the 2009 digital TV transition, but now the entity is apparently okaying even more guidelines that will give US broadcasters "more flexibility in making the switch to digital television from traditional analog signals." More specifically, the new rules would allow some stations to make a "phased transition" to digital broadcasting, and furthermore, these stations will also "be allowed to reduce or terminate their analog service before the February 17, 2009 deadline for the transition if doing so is necessary to achieve their transition." According to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the new rules are being enacted in order to "provide broadcasters the flexibility they need while at the same time ensuring that any disruption to over-the-air viewers is minimized to the fullest extent possible." Still, even those affected by the cutover will have ample time to pick up a converter box, and considering that some stations may now start the switch before February of '09, acting soon is looking better all the time.

 

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