It only launched a few weeks ago, but it looks like NVIDA could already be set to cut the price of its top-end GeForce GTX 280 graphics card -- a move that would be prompted, as you might have guessed, by AMD's cheaper but powerful Radeon HD 4800 series. According to HotHardware, that word comes from "multiple NVIDIA board partners," who say that the card could be dropping to as low as $499 (the same as AMD's competing card). One board partner reportedly added that the price "may be a little higher, or potentially even a little lower." Obviously, all of that is still up in the air until we hear from NVIDIA itself but, as HotHardware points out, it could certainly pay off to hold out a couple of weeks if you've been considering taking the plunge on one of these.
HP has already busted out a bundle of Puma-based laptops and tablets, but it looks like it's not done with AMD's latest platform just yet, with it now rolling out a pair of new Compaq laptops aimed at business users. Those include the 15.4-inch Compaq 6735b and the 14.1-inch 6535b, each of which will come loaded with your choice of AMD Turion X2, X2 Ultra, or Athlon X2 processors, along with ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics, support for up to 8GB of RAM (though only 2GB and 3GB options are configurable from HP), a max 160GB hard drive, and an optional second hard drive in place of the DVD burner if you so choose. You can also expect a WXGA resolution on each, with WSXGA+ also availabe on the 15.4-inch model and WXGA+ an option on the 14.1-inch (both have both BrightView and anti-glare options, as well). From the looks of it, you can get your hands on either one right now, with the base configuration for each setting you back $779.
Pentax's K200D has been out and about for a little while now, but if you're still undecided about taking the plunge on the mid-range DSLR, you may want to pay a visit to Photography Blog, which has just put the camera through its paces. On the whole, they seem to have come away pretty impressed with it, saying that it offers a "substantial number of improvements" over the previous K100D, which they say was already an excellent camera to begin with. In addition to the bump to 10-megapixels, the site seems to have been particularly impressed by the camera's new Sv shooting mode, "greatly improved battery life," and some new dust and water-resistant weatherproof sealing. On the downside, there's still no Live View mode, but considering the price (around $600 street), it seems like this one is a solid bet.
While some of the benefits of SSDs may be in question these days, it looks like those still itching to take the plunge on an SSD-equipped Macbook Air can now at least save a few bucks, as the premium add-on has just received a much needed price cut. At $599 for the upgrade option on the 1.6GHz model and $2,598 for the pre-configured 1.8GHz model, however, it still isn't exactly a no-brainer, especially considering some of the prices we're seeing now for larger drives. Slightly more palatable though, is the 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo upgrade option on the base model, which is now $100 cheaper at just $200.
While it's not nearly exciting as their Space Cycle (but really, what is?), the National Space Biomedical Research Institute's new brain scanner here looks to fill in a niche of its own nonetheless and, if the institute has its way, it could actually find its way into space. Described as a "brain breathalyzer," the device promises to monitor astronauts for signs of brain injury, depression and mental fatigue, which could allow mission control to determine if they're capable of carrying out a mission or not. That's done with the use of an optical scanner that sends weak pulses of near-infrared light into the brain, which gets reflected back to determine the amount of oxygen in the blood. While NASA isn't fully sold on the idea just yet, it apparently is interested enough to shell out $400,000 to further the development of the scanner, which it hopes will also eventually be able to monitor other vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate.
Nanowires being used for memory is hardly a new idea, but a group of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania seem confident that they've found a way to leapfrog the competition, and shake up storage devices as we know them. Unlike other nanowire-based memory methods, their system employs a non-binary form of nanowire memory, which makes it possible to store three bit values (0, 1, and 2) instead of the usual two (0 and 1) -- crazy talk, we know. That, the researchers say, allows for a "huge increase" in memory density, with fewer nanowires needed to store the same amount of information as a binary nanowire-based memory system, which'd also make the actual devices smaller. Of course, that's assuming any of this stuff actually gets out of the lab, which seems to be a long ways off at best.
Asahi Beer has experimented with robot bartenders in the past, but it looks to have really outdone itself with its new Mr. Asahi bot, which just made its public debut at Selfridges in the UK. Apparently, the robot was built in about 200 hours and spent a full six months fine-tuning its bartending skills, which includes being able to serve customers in less than two minutes. That's done with the aid of a discreetly-hidden PC that controls the compressed air and the robot's various switching mechanisms, not to mention its pleasant demeanor. Be sure to head on past the break for a video of the bot in action courtesy of Channel Flip.
It's been a good long while since we've heard anything about South Korea's planned "ubiquitous city," Songdo, but it looks like the mammoth effort is finally beginning to take shape, as evidenced by the BBC's recent trip to the $200 billion development. According to the BBC, the city is now scheduled for completion in 2015, as opposed to 2014, but the first few developments will apparently be open for business as soon as 2009. Somewhat disconcertingly for South Korea, however, is the complete lack of any blue chip companies that have signed up for a piece of the action as of yet, despite the promised incentives that come from the city being located in the Incheon Free Enterprise Zone (IFEZ). The folks behind the development seem confident that companies will eventually come flocking to the city though, with its central location between China and Japan, and its blanket of technology, including WiFi and RFID, promising to work in its favor.
It looks like wind power is about to get a bit more stylish with the outspokenPhilippe Starck now wading into things with his "Democratic Ecology" personal wind turbine. The turbine first made its debut at the recent Greenenergy Design show in Milan and, according to Inhabitat, it's now on track for an actual release in September of this year, thanks to a little assistance from Pramac. If all goes as planned, the turbine will set you back about €400 (or just over $600), and provide anywhere from 20% to 60% of the energy need to power an average home, although you'll presumably need some additional equipment to go along with the turbine.
Casio sure seems to be confident in its new transmissive LCD panel, so confident that it apparently thinks it can make it with a name like "Blanview." The big innovation here, Casio says, is that it's managed to develop a new system that pulls outside light into the LCD panel to make the transmissive LCD usable outdoors without backlighting, eliminating the need for so-called "semi-transmissive" LCD panels that are more commonly used today. What's more, it says this new method also increases the transmittance of the panel by about 30% and cut its power consumption for outdoor use by upwards of 50% compared to current panels. Unlike some other promised LCD technology, it also seems like this one is actually fast approaching commercializtion, with sample panels ranging in size from 2.7- to 6.5-inches set to begin shipping this month.
While a spinning LED globe or an LED-adorned Roomba is all well and good for a few kicks, if you really want to turn your living room into a light show you may want to consider something like Brilldea's LED Painter system, which can apparently be put to use in a whole host of different applications, including the LED windows pictured above. At the heart of the system is a 16 channel RGB LED controller, which lets you connect up to 48 independent LEDs, and gives you the ability to daisy chain multiple boards together if you really want to blow things out. As you can see in the video after the break, the effects possible are fairly impressive, even if they're a bit lacking in the subtlety department.
It may not create drinking water from anything like Dean Kamen's wonder machine, but this new so-called Klimatic Base 1 AirWater Machine does its share of inventive (but not entirely unique) water purifying nonetheless, with it promising to pull drinkable water out of the air. That's done, as you might have guessed, with the aid of an apparently standard dehumidifier, which gets paired with several filters and a UV light chamber that the company says will eliminate any bacterial content that might be in the water. You'll apparently even be able to get both hot and cold water from the dispenser. There's no word on price or availability just yet, unfortunately, and we wouldn't recommend trying to rig up your own with a Brita filter and the dehumidifier in your basement in the meantime either.
It looks like those wanting to add a workstation to their computing arsenal now have a relatively inexpensive option to consider from HP, which has just rolled out some new additions to its xw4550 series that start at a mere $599. That'll get you a 2.0GHz AMD Opteron 1212 processor, along with 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, a DVD burner, and NVIDIA Quadro FX 290 graphics with 256 MB of RAM. If you've got a bit more cash to throw around, you can max that out to a 2.8GHz Opteron 1220, 4GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and NVIDIA Quadro FX 570 graphics for $1,349, with a couple of options available in between, all of which come with Vista Business as standard with XP Professional pre-installed.
As if ASUS's Eee PC line wasn't already crowded enough, the company has now seen fit to debut a new Eee PC 904 HD model in addition to the three other 900-series units that made themselves known only yesterday. Contrary to what you may suspect, however, this particular model doesn't boast a full HD resolution, but rather a standard hard drive in place of a solid state option. Otherwise, it seems you can expect the same 8.9-inch display in 10-inch size casing as the regular 904, although there's unfortunately no word on the size of that hard drive, or any other specs for that matter. ASUS did confirm that it'd be the cheapest model in the new range though, with it coming in at £250 (or just under $500, and no doubt less minus the VAT and whatnot).
Uniross has already done its part to make batteries slightly more environmentally-friendly, and it now looks like the company is giving a boost to the other end of the equation as well, with it introducing a new range of eco-minded battery chargers. That includes a £40 ($80) solar charger with a USB adapter (pictured above), as well as a £50 (or $100) wind power charger (also above), which comes complete with a bike mount and an integrated lithium ion battery, as well as a USB adapter and ports to charge your cellphone or handheld game console. Those get complemented by a couple of more standard devices, including a 15-minute battery charger, the NOMAD "portable power hub" with a USB adaptor, and a travel clock charger, which packs an alarm clock and promises to charge batteries in less than three hours. Look for the whole lot to be available in August, with those last few setting you back £35, £20, and £30, respectively (or about $70, $40, and $60).
