The Red One ultrahigh-definition camera gave us the next bit of proof of its viability, with the Red Digital Cinema company releasing its first official demo footage on the company's website. It's not the full 4K footage allegedly shot by the Red One and shown at the IBC convention in Amsterdam last month, but this is the first officially-released video from the company's Mysterium image sensor.
It's a slow-downloading 100MB file, and it's just 1K resolution—hardly even high-def yet—but still, it's something. Looks like those burglars really didn't get their hands on the good stuff last week.
Anyway, if Red Digital Cinema can actually deliver this 4K camera for $17.5K, I'm pumped. – Charlie White
Product Page [Red Digital Cinema, via DV Guru]
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Toshiba was showing off a video player at CEATEC in Japan that's a hybrid DVD and personal media player (PMP), and it also supports the DivX video codec and 1seg digital TV.
If you're not familiar with 1seg, it's an HD mobile digital video broadcasting service in Japan that was officially launched in April of this year, and uses the H.264 video codec.
Although this Toshiba unit does have a widescreen, there was no info available about its resolution, nor was there any word about its ship date and availability. But if it can't handle at least 720p, well, that would be just dumb. – Charlie White
CEATEC - Toshiba 1Seg DVD-PMP player [Akihabara News]
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James Dyson, billionaire inventor of expensive vacuum cleaners, has time on his hands to worry about bathroom bacteria, so he created the Dyson Airblade, a supercharged hand dryer that pumps room-temperature air through a tiny slot at 400mph. Dyson claims the device uses a "windshield-wiper" effect, drying both hands in 10 seconds. Since it doesn't use any hot air, he says it uses 83% less energy. Must be noisy, though. To go on sale in the UK next month, Dyson's reverse vacuum cleaner for hand drying will cost £549 (around $1027), and will also be available for lease.
This might be a great device for those of us who really don't want to touch anything in a public bathroom, and don't much like standing around for 30 seconds at a noisy hot air blower waiting for the hands to dry. – Charlie White
Dyson goes 400mph in toilet [The Sun]
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Logitech's diNovo Edge keyboard looks like it belongs in a museum of modern art, what with its glossy finish and illuminated keys. Due this November, the keyboard's letters and numbers are blank until activated, at which point they light up, revealing the letter or number. Fancy techno-art cannot be constrained with wires, so the Bluetooth is not only appreciated, but pretty much expected. One of the more unique features on the keyboard is the inclusion of a touch disc, which frees users from having to stretch six inches and reach for the mouse.
The diNovo Edge comes with a stand that doubles as a recharging dock of sorts. It should be available in the U.S. this November for a retail price of $199.99. – Nicholas Deleon
Logitech Introduces DiNovo Edge Bluetooth Keyboard [Geekzone]
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Sony's pushing Blu-ray down consumers throats whether they like it or not and this is all the more apparent with these Blu-ray recorders with built-in hard drives. There's two models, the BDZ-V9 (pictured here) and the BDZ-V7, sport a 500GB and 250GB hard drive, respectively, for storing content for later burning onto a Blu-ray disc. The recorders aren't compatible with 50GB Blu-ray discs, so get used to using the boring 25GB discs. They can, however, record up to two different programs simultaneously.
Both models fully support 1080p high definition recording and can be controlled with a DoCoMo cellphone. The higher end BDZ-V9 hits Japan on December 8 for around $2,550 while the BDZ-V7 hits at the same time for around $2,120. – Nicholas Deleon
Press Release (in Japanese) [Sony via Newlaunches]
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UK music and movie download service, Wippit, has added a few new tracks to its catalogue – 2.4m of them.
The truckload of DRM-free MP3s are coming thanks to some deals with other publishers, including CD Baby, DRA, The Orchard and VUT. Wippit focuses on independent-style bands so don’t expect to find the evil spawn of Louis Walsh or Simon Cowell, but do expect to find stuff by The White Stripes, Green Day, Snoop Dogg, and Coldplay. You can pay by the track, £4.99 a month or £50 a year for unlimited downloads.
You’re no one these days without a download service which is why dance empire, Ministry of Sound has also kicked off a download service with 60,000 dance-oriented tracks to choose from. Thankfully, the downloads are also DRM-free. -Martin Lynch
Via Pocket-Lint
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From flavours to ravers, condoms are again perched at the dawn of a new age. Ukrainian scientist, Grigoriy Chausovsky has invented a condom that plays tunes as you have sex.
The faster you fiddle, the faster and louder the tunes get. How is this so? The condom has been designed with a tiny loudspeaker and motion sensor built into the upper cuff. The tones produced by the condom depends on the sexual position chosen. According to the mad scientist himself:
“As the sex becomes more passionate, it registers the increased speed of the movements and plays the melody faster and louder.”
He also promises that there’s no chance of getting an electric shock either. Like how certain notebooks with batteries from a certain battery maker never explode into a ball of flame.
The cost of making your flute whistle will set you back just 20 per cent more than regulars condoms. All he needs now is some, seed capital.-Martin Lynch
Via SBS
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CRT, rear-projection, LCD, plasma – are you ready for another kind of TV? Do you want one? Well, while your cash is always welcome to TV makers, your opinion is not. Canon and Toshiba have allied to manufacture SED TVs, which are even skinnier than LCDs and consume a whole lot less power.
SED stands for surface-conduction electron-emitter display and both companies are pinning a lot of their future success on them taking off. The technology has been knocking about for a while but this is the first concrete deal that will actually see them hit the market en masse.
That said, the first models will not arrive until the end of next year with Canon and Toshiba hoping they’ll be a big seller for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Of course, now that LCD and plasma prices are plummeting due to increased production, will SEDs be able to compete on price? Right now, not a chance. Read a decent piece about SEDs here. -Martin Lynch
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Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
