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Filed under: Household

No, your eyes don’t deceive: it’s a Lego safe. Apparently Lego’s computer-equipped Mindstorms NXT can be used for something more practical than launching robots into space (great as that was), and believe it or not, this box is actually kind of secure. Five double digit codes protect your valuables, and the dial goes both ways, so there’s a left and right entry for each number — hence, over 305 billion possible combinations. Moving the safe will trip motion sensors and set off an alarm, and bars inside strengthen the structure, so while master diamond thieves won’t be deterred, surreptitious little siblings might. Video after the break, and check the right nav through the read link to dig up building instructions.

[Via Digg]

Lego safe is made from robot parts, will guard your mint condish Robocop figurines just nicely originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Household

Few devices receive as much attention to re-design as the mousetrap and alarm clock. Regarding the latter, Anupam Patahak, a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Michigan, takes a natural light approach with his Rise and Shine Alarm Shades. At a predefined time, the modified alarm clock silently (or noisily) kicks off a servo to wind open the shades. Nothing like the deep, battleship gray skies of mid-western suburbia to rouse a young mind from sleep. Video after the break.

[Via Hack A Day]

Continue reading Video: Rise and Shine alarm hack is sheers genius

Video: Rise and Shine alarm hack is sheers genius originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

If you were this close to snapping up a new Zune after Microsoft pushed out its 3.1 software update, boy, are you glad you held off. At least, if you’ve been eying a Zune of the flash-based variety. Beginning today, the US Zunes are coming a little more in line with their Canadian brethren by falling from $129 to $99 (4GB), $149 to $139 (8GB) and $199 to $179 (16GB). The Car Pack / Dock Pack are also seeing a $10 decrease while the Home / AV pack is being reduced $20. You already purchased two in the time it took to read this, didn’t you?

Microsoft ratchets down pricing on flash-based Zunes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

We asked how you would change the Zune 3.0 software and Microsoft responded — by upgrading Texas Hold ‘Em. In addition to adding a multiplayer mode and some new single player difficulty levels to the venerable card game, the 3.1 update (out today) should find Zune Social easier to navigate, and a new “like minded listeners” feature lets you compare your music tastes to other users on the service. Additionally, the update promises an overall increase in stability and performance for the Zune PC app and the device firmware, including improved play count reporting and content synchronization. Rounding out this embarassment of riches, the new software packs in freebies of Checkers, Sudoku and Space Battle. What are you still doing here, Zuneophiles? Hit the read link!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Zune 3.1 update out today - now featuring Sudoku! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops

We just got the official announcement of Celio’s REDFLY C8N a few hours ago, and Laptop magazine’s already had a chance to touch it and make a video! Their initial impressions? That $20 REDFLY Media Cable you have to buy to hook the C8N up to your phone is a tangled mess! This is exciting stuff, folks — that is if you are just dying to shell out $299 for a buddy for your Windows Mobile device. Check out the terrifically brief video of the terminal after the break.

Continue reading Celio’s REDFLY C8N hands-on and video not terribly exciting

Celio’s REDFLY C8N hands-on and video not terribly exciting originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

In an obvious attempt to seduce impressionable teenage gamers into their armed forces the Republic of Korea will begin development of their own totally badass science fiction battle uniform early next year. In addition to a whopping 95% increase in awesomeness, the uniforms will feature a number of other technical enhancements, including a multifunction helmet with video transmitter, GPS display and voice recognition, a backpack with command / control and friendly-or-foe identification systems, a BDU that offers protection from nuclear, biological and chemical attacks, and the laser-guided, multi-function XK11 assault rifle, which shoots both standard NATO 5.56mm rounds and 20mm grenades. Did the future just get way cooler, or way scarier? Or both? We’re not sure. But you can check that gun out yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading South Korea to develop new high-tech battle uniform - Halo fans approve wholeheartedly

South Korea to develop new high-tech battle uniform - Halo fans approve wholeheartedly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Edinburgh’s own The Medical Phone is just about set to unleash the mobile for the true argonaut in the iCEphone. The Windows Mobile-powered “Swiss Army knife of mobiles” is dubbed a micro-notebook by its manufacturer, and while we’re hesitant to go along with that, we can’t deny the utility here. Sporting a Jacob’s Ladder-style hinge and a full QWERTY keyboard, the unit features three independent panels, a 3-inch 400 x 240 resolution touchscreen, a mouse / tracker pad, dual SIM card slots, HSDPA support, quad-band GSM connectivity, GPS, a 3.1-megapixel camera, WiFi and a 532MHz Freescale iMX31 CPU. We’re told that the phone is just weeks / months away from a release in Thailand, and it should be hitting the UK sometime in the March - April time frame for around $1,000. Bonus video coverage after the break.

Continue reading WinMo-powered iCEphone comes to life, looks scary

WinMo-powered iCEphone comes to life, looks scary originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Been cursing your iPhone 3G’s disappointing battery life? Don’t have the heart to saddle the thing with that big ol’ Juice Pack? The Power Slider by Incase promises to double your phone’s power for up to 5 hours talk time on the 3G network (10 hours on 2G), increase your audio playback time to 26 hours, and increase your video playback time to 7 hours. If that wasn’t enough, the iPhone can be left in the case while you sync it — saving wear and tear on the case and on your phone. While the Slider isn’t as svelte as your raw, naked iPhone, at the very least it manages to keep roughly the same shape (even if it does fatten it up quite a bit). No pricing yet, should be available starting November 28.

Incase Power Slider for iPhone 3G doubles the juice, lets you sync originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

The folks at Photography Blog offered a few first impressions about Canon’s PowerShot SX10 IS when they first got their hands on it a couple of months back but, as is their nature, they’ve now followed things up with a decidedly more thorough review of what they describe as a “sturdy plastic brick of a camera.” Among other things, they were apparently especially impressed with the SX10’s “bigger and better” lens, which they say is a marked improvement over the one on the S5, and they were happy to find that both the tilt-and-swivel LCD and dedicated record button for video stuck around for this incarnation. On the downside, you’ll have to do without HD video recording or RAW still shots and, while the overall ease of use is improved compared to the S5, those moving up from a point-and-shoot will still face a bit of a learning curve. There’s also the small matter of the camera’s price which, at $400, places it somewhat uncomfortably between some higher-end point-and-shoots and some entry-level DSLRs. Hit up the link below for some more details and, of course, plenty of sample shots.

Canon PowerShot SX10 IS gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video

It sure is tough for iPod docks to stand out from the pack these days, but it looks like Logic3 has found one fairly unique way to get its new i-Station Rotate unit noticed, with it packing a rotating mechanism that will let you adjust your iPod or iPhone to suit your screen format. Other than that, it looks to be a fairly standard speaker dock, with it boasting a whopping 10W of total output power, a video output for some larger screen viewing, a 3.5mm line-in jack to accommodate your non-Apple devices, a remote control, and accommodations for four AA batteries to let you take it on the road. You won’t be able to get your hands on this one until January, however, when it’ll set you back $130.

Logic3 intros i-Station Rotate iPod / iPhone dock originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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