Gadgets Club

See this wall of colorful squares? It’s actually a concept design consisting of a bunch of small triangular panels which can be spun ’round on whim to change the way your room looks. Or to spell out naughty things.

Ok, so the concept photos only spell out “S-E-X” which won’t make too many people giggle and blush, but just imagine the potential ways you could satisfy your inner decorating perv. And even without that silliness, it’s still a pretty neat thought that you could completely change the look of a room without having to reach for the pain buckets. [Yanko Design]

Nothing says “I love you” quite like intergalactic frenemies walking hand in hand. Illustrator James Stowe appears to agree, having made a different Valentine’s Day card for each Star Wars episode. And not a Jar Jar in sight!

My favorite might be Greedo and Han, but they’re all pretty terrific. And what a relief to not to see Luke and Leia sharing a card. Or Leia and Jabba, for that matter.

It doesn’t look as though you can purchase these, but you can always print them out for that special someone. And if he or she’s a real fan, you’re almost guaranteed a little Wookiee.

[Art by Stowe via Neatorama]

NVIDIA pursuing external graphics accelerators for laptops? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA pursuing external graphics accelerators for laptops? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After upgrading to Windows 7, some users saw a new warning message suggesting that they need to replace their laptops’ batteries. Some screamed “bug,” some shouted “conspiracy,’ but Microsoft denies that anything’s wrong.

In an entry on Microsoft’s MSDN blog, Windows division President Steven Sinofsky explains that the warning message is a new feature in Windows 7 and that’s why some users are seeing it for the first time on laptops which appeared to run just fine under a different OS:

To the very best of the collective ecosystem knowledge, Windows 7 is correctly warning batteries that are in fact failing and Windows 7 is neither incorrectly reporting on battery status nor in any way whatsoever causing batteries to reach this state. In every case we have been able to identify the battery being reported on was in fact in need of recommended replacement.

He continues to say that this has all the “appearance of Windows 7 ‘causing’ the change in performance, but in reality all Windows 7 did was report what was already the case.”

It’s not their OS, it’s your laptop’s lousy battery. Or at least that’s the story we’re sticking with for now. [MSDN Blog via CNET]

For a 20% savings, more than 50% cable and satellite subscribers are likely to jump ship to save money. But Telco TV (services like AT&T U-verse) have a much, much more loyal following. Anecdotally, would you agree? [Multiplayblog via engadgetHD]

For a 20% savings, more than 50% cable and satellite subscribers are likely to jump ship to save money. But Telco TV (services like AT&T U-verse) have a much, much more loyal following. Anecdotally, would you agree? [Multiplayblog via engadgetHD]

Black Hawk Safety Net, an online hacker training resource with 12,000 paying members and another 170,000 free members, was brought down recently by Chinese authorities.

Only three operators of the site were arrested, while the official site itself, 3800hk.com, was put out of commission when the company’s 9 servers were seized. The site provided resources on hacking techniques and trojan software.

Black Hawk Safety net had been attributed with a 2007 attack on—wait for it—an internet cafe that put dozens—dozens—of poor souls out of internet access for 60 hours. [Yahoo via PopSci] [Image]

Netflix Watch Instantly fans could be due for a big upgrade, as CNET has heard the company will roll out 1080p and 5.1 surround sound later this year. No word on timing or any other details, but this could mean its moving to version 3 of Microsoft’s Silverlight streaming platform with its additional tweaks for adaptive streaming and hardware graphics acceleration. Also unknown is how much bandwidth would be necessary, but considering Microsoft already uses very similar technology for its 1080p Instant On videos on Zune Marketplace through the Xbox 360 while only requiring 3 Mbps and VUDU HDX 1080p videos only state a minimum of 4500 Kbps, a massive jump in available bandwidth might not be necessary if you already get clear 720p video. The last big hurdle? How much content will be available that way, Gizmodo points out only about 6 percent of current offerings stream in HD we’ll be watching carefully if the pace picks up going forward.

1080p, 5.1 surround sound coming to Netflix Watch Instantly in 2010? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In today’s Remainders: tricks of all sorts. Wisair cuts some cords with their wireless display adapters; Netflix warns the FCC of potential loopholes in the Comcast/NBC merger; the inimitable BrussPup plays with our heads (and ping pong balls); and more.

Air Ball
I’m all for eliminating cords and wires whenever possible, so I was excited to hear that Wisair’s wireless display adapters were coming to Macs by the end of March in products from at least four OEMs. My excitement evaporated when I looked at InFocus’s Wisair setup, which incorporates a display, speakers, mouse and keyboard into one unsightly package. If you’re looking to get rid of wires for aesthetic reasons, like me, you’ll share my hope that some of the other Wisair-based systems will be a little sleeker and a little more flexible. Because making me use your keyboard, mouse, display, and speakers isn’t removing clutter from my desk, it’s adding it. [Engadget]

Tech TV
It seems that with each passing year the Super Bowl’s commercials get a little less exciting. Or maybe it’s me getting a little more cynical. Either way—Parisian Love aside—seeing high profile, memorable tech commercials during football’s big game is increasingly uncommon. Thankfully, Computer World offers a trip down memory lane, collecting the ten most memorable Super Bowl tech ads of all time, starting all the way back with Xerox’s “Monks” spot from 1976 and continuing up through today. There’s no sudsy Megan Fox, but maybe that’s a good thing. [Computer World]

To Xfinity and Beyond
Netflix is understandably worried about the impending Comcast / NBC merger. In a recent FCC filing, they warned that if net neutrality policies aren’t strengthened and enforced, Comcast could effectively use a loophole to promote NBC content on its own streaming services and keep that content off of others. And they have good reason to worry: as physical disc-dealing loses ground to streaming services, Netflix will have to keep up with companies who own the content and the means of providing it to stay in the game. [Washington Post]

Pup Pong
BrussPup, not content simply to blow our minds with his painters tape anamorphic illusions, posted “iBall” last night, a tech-trick of a slightly different variety. With some very careful timing, he plays a video of a ping pong ball back across four different displays, making look like he’s dumping the ball from device to device. Pretty neat. Also, keep an eye out for pieces of the glowing Nintendo controller illusion that are still up in his hallway. That’s dedication. Or maybe laziness. [BrussPup on YouTube]