Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

If you’re a lazy ass consumer (the very best kind), bent on pulling a device out of the box, plugging it into a wall, and never messing with another bit of “setup” again, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, most folks never lift a finger to calibrate their displays, plug better speakers in, or place those speakers in actually advantageous spots. To that end, Mitsubishi is debuting its new LT-46149 and LT-52149 LCDs with integrated 16-speaker sound projectors. Similar to the sound bars offered up by many home audio manufacturers, the “Integrated Sound Projector” (iSP) is designed to bounce sound off walls and around the room to give the illusion of surround sound. The perk of TV integration is an simple to use room configuration on-screen tool to specify your room’s dimensions, couch placement and preferred sweet spot size. At the end of the day, your sound is all coming from one spot, so directionality isn’t going to quite match a for-realsie surround sound setup, and the system we listened to was a little sharp in the high end, but it’s certainly a one-of-a-kind and appealing offering from Mitsu to the everyman Television watcher. The TV itself is CableCard ready, can support sound over HDMI and PCM inputs, and offers Mitsu’s 120Hz film dejuddering — that rather awkwardly makes your favorite films look like they were shot by a TV news crew. The 46-inch and 52-inch LCDs will sell for $3,299 and $3,699, respectively.

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By Andrew Liszewski

I know a lot of people must really enjoy roller coasters, otherwise amusement parks wouldn’t be spending millions of dollars on the latest and greatest designs. But the faster/taller/twistier a coaster gets, the longer the line usually gets. So what if everyone could have their very own roller coaster and never have to wait in line again? That’s kind of the idea behind the Evento BuzzBall concept. It features a single seat inside a massive outer ball that’s able to spin and roll independently of the ball itself, providing a similar experience to being on a roller coaster.

A pair of electric motors is used to power the BuzzBall, so you don’t need a steep hill to like it, just a massive open space. Each motor is controlled by a separate throttle which will either cause the chair to spin inside the ball or work together to push the ball forward. However, once the BuzzBall is in motion and the pilot decides to turn, their seat inside the ball will rotate against the direction of travel resulting in spins, somersaults, corkscrews, barrel rolls and other nausea inducing motions. And just remember, if you do happen to vomit inside the BuzzBall, it’s coming along on the ride with you.

While the BuzzBall’s not officially available for sale at the moment, it does appear that Evento has each intention of eventually bringing it to the market.

[ BuzzBall ] VIA [ Born Rich ]

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By Jonathan Kimak

DXG has come up with the DXG-567V, a High Definition digital video camera that is just over 4 inches long and comes in four different colors (red, blue, black and pink). It records 720p using H.264 Video Compression (using the MOV format) and also has a built-in retractable USB cord and a web-upload feature that makes it easy to upload your videos to sites like YouTube.

The price is fairly good too, just $179 US.  But of course with the low price comes some serious sacrifices, like no optical zoom. Instead it has a measly 2X digital zoom, along with the extra-low flash memory of 32MB (it can take SD cards) and a 2 inch display on the back.

It seems rather crazy to have a High Definition Camera with 2X digital zoom. But hey, you’ll have the best looking blurry home movies on the block.

[ DXG USA ] VIA [ Electronista ]

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By David Ponce

So yeah, I know, this concerns a paid campaign by Microsoft. But, you guys should know I was not specifically asked to talk about it here at all. It’s not part of the deal. It just happens that this campaign is a little different, and really sort of interesting. If you visit the I’m Talkathon page, you’ll notice the blog is getting some traction, with some articles getting over 70 comments. The reason (IMHO), is that it actually has some solid production values. The videos the guys are making are really funny, and the entire thing is playing out like some sort of bloggy soap.

It turns out that the business behind it is as follows: if you IM with Windows Live Messenger (”IM”… “I’M”… get it?) or Windows Live Hotmail in a specific fashion (more here [link to video]), Microsoft will be giving to the charities we mentioned in our previous article. The more you use them, the more they give. What with Bill Gates leaving the company today and seemingly moving into full time philanthropy… this campaign sort of makes sense. Sure, in the end they’re trying to get you to use Microsoft products, but at least they’re giving back in the process.

Next up, I’m going to try and hunt down that Parker’s hair stylist. That ‘do is rockin…

[ I’m Talkathon Page ]

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By Jonathan Kimak

Designer Haishu Zhang has created a good listener, a little device called “Sweety” that will listen to you, no matter what you say and shows you calming graphic patterns while you do it. There’s not a lot of info out there on exactly how the thing works, what purpose it serves other than listening to you or even why someone thought this was worth creating.

The only thing I can think of for it’s use is that it’s essentially an advanced stress ball that you can squeeze to relieve stress and talk to when you’re feeling lonely. So unlike the crazy people that talk and sing to their plants you could go one step further and talk to an inanimate object. Of course talking to Sweety because you are lonely seems like it would just alienate you further from humanity.

Of course there is a cheaper alternative to talking to an ounce of rubber, namely talking to real people, even if it’s over the internet and contains a lot of frownicons.

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By Andrew Liszewski

Perpetual Kid is supposedly now selling a 7 1/4 inch Bigfoot action figure with “intricate articulation” that lets you pose it just like frame 352 of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film. While I’m a bit skeptical, I don’t think I’m in a position to conclude whether the Bigfoot figure is real or not. But I have heard the locals claim that it also features stamps on the bottom of its feet, and comes with an ink pad so you can leave mysterious footprints all over your desk.

You can get it here for just $11.99, but to be perfectly honest I’m starting to think the Bigfoot Action Figure is really just a G.I. Joe figure in a miniature gorilla suit.

[ Bigfoot Action Figure… Possibly ]

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By Andrew Liszewski

Researchers at the University of Southern California’s ICT Graphics Lab have created a new type of holographic display that can generate simultaneous 3D views for multiple observers without the need for special glasses. The setup also happens to be relatively inexpensive since it’s built around a specially altered off-the-shelf DLP projector that works with a spinning mirror.

The system works by projecting high-speed video onto a rapidly spinning mirror. As the mirror turns, it reflects a different and accurate image to each potential viewer. Our rendering algorithm can recreate both virtual and real scenes with correct occlusion, horizontal and vertical perspective, and shading.

What that means is that the projected hologram is updated about 200 times a second to adjust for the height and distance of the viewers so that the object being displayed always appears to stay in one place, no matter where you move. And besides all the hardware and software innovation that went into this holographic display, I have to give the researchers at the ITC Graphics Lab credit for going with the 1980’s wireframe TIE Fighter model which ensures their research and website will get plenty of free publicity. I’ve also included a video of the display in action after the jump.

[ ICT Graphics Lab - Rendering for an Interactive 360º Light Field Display ] VIA [ Wired Gadget Lab ]

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By Andrew Liszewski

It seems the guy responsible for the highest popping toaster in the world has a preoccupation with the world’s blankiest blank. He also created what he claims to be the fastest clock in the world because it displays the time down to a millionth of a second. But if you check out the video I’ve included below, I’m not sure if ‘display’ is the best term to use since the last few digits on the clock are nothing but a blur.

Thankfully Freddie thought to include a button that’ll freeze the display at the current time (the current time as of when you push the button) if you need to set your considerably less accurate watch or VCR. While it’s just a prototype at this point, as a freelancer who occasionally charges by the hour, I’m hoping that one day I’ll be able to pick one up and provide my clients with a ridiculously accurate invoice.

[ The Fastest Clock In The World ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

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Filed under: Ask Engadget, Home Entertainment, Storage, Networking

So we’ve asked you which HD media streamer you prefer. And we’ve done the same for NAS drives. But what if you’re the type that’s looking for the best of both worlds? Take it away, Stuart:

“We have a laptop and a desktop, with plans to add another computer in the near future. I’d like something that can primarily provide a large (1TB+) storage repository that can be accessed via our network, as well as have space for data backups and media streaming capabilities. I’ve read articles on Drobo and Windows Home Server-based devices, but after a certain point my brain just starts to get overloaded. Which solution out there would be best for me? I’m trying to stay below $700 if possible.”

We think your task is pretty clear cut here, reader. Which home server out there is a notch above the rest? Would you recommend a pre-built device or a homegrown solution? After giving this one a whirl, toss your own inquiry over to ask at engadget dawt com - your very words may grace this space next week.

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By Luke Anderson

I don’t exactly do much golfing (unless you count putt-putt that is), though when I do happen to wander out on a course, I tend to find my ball in the rough. Those things are hard enough to hit when they’re sitting on perfectly trimmed grass, let alone in the thick wild parts of the course. I know that the rules say that you hit it where it lies, but I don’t recall hearing anything about altering the area around the ball.

This cool Big Daddy Driver is actually a weed whacker disguised as a golf club. This allows you to neatly trim the area around your ball, and thus have a better chance at a decent shot. It will set you back $50 and runs on six AA batteries. I just want to see the look on people’s faces both when you use it, and when they happen upon a strange patch of neatly trimmed grass.

[ Big Daddy Driver ] VIA [ Dvice ]

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