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Sonos Launches The Sonos Sub (Woofer, Not Sandwich)

admin — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:26:27 +0000

Sonos has just gone really deep (get it?) with their new Sonos Sub, a wireless subwoofer that connects to any Sonos system and adds just a bit more oomph to the musical proceedings. The sub costs $699 and offers (according to the press release) “thick layers of bottomless sound that let you hear and feel the weight of every chord, kick, splash and roll.” The woofer connects with the AMP, ZonePlayer 120, ZonePlayer 100, the PLAY:5, and PLAY:3. It doesn’t work with the CONNECT/ZP90/ZP80. The Sub will launch on June 19. via Sonos Blog

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Crazy 2,800 piece Lego Land Rover includes working everything

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:38:58 +0000

When I was a kid my Lego creations were usually pretty sad, but I expect that this Spanish Lego fan named Sheepo made awesome ones.

Kickstarter: Meet CordLite, The Light-Up iPhone Cable For Night Owls

admin — Sun, 20 May 2012 15:14:07 +0000

My set ritual before going to bed each night is as follows — turn out the lights, plug in my iPhone, take off my glasses and attempt vainly to nod off. Step two in that process can be a bit of a crapshoot in the dark, but the folks at Scrap Pile Labs have recently kicked off a new Kickstarter campaign for a product called the CordLite that just may come in handy. As the name sort of implies, the CordLite is a dock connector cable for iDevices that, well, lights up thanks to a pair of forward-facing LEDs. It’s a very simple concept, but the thoughtful execution is what make this project worth keeping an eye on. Perhaps the niftiest thing about the CordLite is how you actually fire up those lights — the dock connector’s aluminum body is entirely touch-sensitive, so the lights engage whenever someone goes to plug in the cable. Meanwhile, a pair of …

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How about a completely silent, $2,000 bicycle

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:50:51 +0000

Sure, there have been stealthy bikes around here in the past , but the BMC UC01 City Bike takes it to a new level: a carbon belt drive replaces the chain, rendering the bike completely silent to match its black paint job.

DIY Doorbell Will Send Pictures Of Your Guests To Your iPhone

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:41:09 +0000

Say you’re a misanthrope and you’re afraid of humans. What to do? Well, you could cower in the dark when people ring your doorbell or you could laugh derisively at their smug faces in the screen of your iPhone. I’m going for the derisive laughter. This DIY Arduino project involves a simple circuit, a webcam, and a few API calls to PushingBox to enable a truly enjoyable derisive experience. The system works by pushing images grabbed by the webcam through PushingBox to an app like Prowl or Pushme.to . When the doorbell is pressed, it sends a serial signal to the Arduino board which in turn notifies the various services. The webcam picture then gets sent over to you so you can decide whether to let whoever is outside in. It’s probably a little more complex than it needs to be, but if you’re totally into watching the world pass you by it’s a great solution and a fun weekend project. Project Page

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Samsung’s new ’smart cameras’ make sharing photos super simple

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:49:57 +0000

If you’re up to snuff on your Samsung history, you’ll know that the Korean electronics giant is very keen on slapping the word “Smart” in front of all of its products. From Smart TVs to Smart Touch Remotes to Smart Home appliances including a smartphone-controllable washer and dryer, Samsung’s got the connected goods.

The only product that hasn’t gone to school and come back enlightened is the camera. This year, Samsung’s rolling out the smartness to all of its compact-system-cameras (better known as CSC or mirrorless cameras with lens systems). What that means is all of its flagship CSCs have built-in Wi-Fi and the ability and the ability to instantly share photos and videos to popular social networks. How well does the feature work? I went and found out for you.

This Won’t End Well: Toyota Connects With Nintendo DS For In-Car Navigation Interface

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:21:20 +0000

For some inexplicable reason, Nintendo and Toyota have teamed up to turn the Nintendo DS into a navigational remote control, thereby allowing drivers (although I hope passengers do most of the fiddling) to set their routes using their game consoles. The service, called Kuruma de DS lets you see map and destination info as well as tour information as you drive through town. The service slightly gamifies the experience by adding a POI saving option. The compatible Toyota Smart Navi system costs about $3,000 while the game itself costs $92 – quite a bit of cash to simulate the map screens in Super Mario World. The DS connects to the car via Bluetooth and includes quiz games and delightful Mii characters who show you around town. via 4gamer via Kotaku

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Out-of-this-world Space Shuttle food truck lands on eBay

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:09:05 +0000

Imagine this food truck orbiting your office building at lunchtime, looking for a place to dock and to dispense rocket fuel. Our giggling could go on and on but let’s bring this down to Earth: the owners of this fully functioning Space Shuttle food truck have put the vehicle on eBay and it can be yours for $150,000.

Makers Wanted: Are You A Hardware Start-Up? Talk To Us

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:15:02 +0000

We’re about to launch a new video series called Makers here at TechCrunch and we’d love to hear from any and all hardware based startups. I want to hear about robots, toys, and railguns. I want to hear about new distilling methods, winemakers, and electric vehicles. I want to hear about anything that whirrs, chops, grates, goes, or crashes into a fireball. Over the next few months Jordan Crook, Josh Zelman, and I will try to cover every hardware startup we come across. If you think you’re worthy of inclusion, please drop us a line at john@techcrunch.com with the subject line “MAKER WANTED.” Describe your product and maybe send a photo of your facility? Are you building in the US or Europe? Asia or Mexico? Let us know. We’re accepting submissions for the next few weeks, so there is plenty of time. Just let us know where you are and what’s up and we’ll try to do the rest.

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Video: Space Shuttle Enterprise detached from 747 carrier aircraft

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:14:35 +0000

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you’re putting an old friend to rest. We’ve seen photos of the Enterprise flying into New York City for its final rest at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and now there’s a time-lapse video of it getting detached from the giant Boeing 747 Carrier Aircraft.