Sang Na

(Credit:
Brian Bennett)

When I first caught wind of the Meizu MX, I have to say I was skeptical. That’s because Meizu is known in gadget circles, and especially to iOS fanboys, as that evil Chinese company which copies Apple designs to create its own Android handsets.

Meizu MX hands on (Photos)

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Serious Android adherents though, the sort who spent time loitering in dark corners of the Internet and seedy tech forums like XDA Developers (a great resource by the way), have a different view of Meizu. To these bold folk, Meizu is a daring champion of innovation whose mission it is to prove what that Apple does is nothing special. In fact, Android phones can to much more than iPhones, … [Read more]

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Full post on Crave: gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff. – CNET

Motorola just released a brief video that cryptically hints at a new wireless power solution the company may announce at CES 2012.

The short titled “Stay Unplugged with Motorola” simply shows a sad cartoon-faced AC adapter shedding a lone, mournful tear. Why could Mr. Power Cord be so glum? Perhaps it’s because his old handset friends have outgrown their relationship and no longer visit often. Apparently once Motorola’s gadget set upgraded to newfangled wireless charging technology, it’s been a dark, dark world, at least for AC Power man here.

For me, the selfish end user, life in this sparkling new era of inductive charging is just dandy. I can drop my various devices onto multiple living room surfaces, tabletops, and coffee tables, and gadgets fill up on electrons seamlessly and effortlessly. Of course, Motorola may be planning something completely different and more mundane, like advanced battery performance for its mobile products.

Whatever is up the company’s sleeve, with a PR stunt like this it’s clear the CES 2012 marketing machine is primed and ready. Check back soon for more details.

[Read more]

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Radical Entertainment announced today a pre-order bonus for Prototype 2, available to customers who lay down their cash in advance at GameStop. In exchange for your consumer confidence, you’ll get a code to unlock the “Butt Kicker” power, an enhancement of the Bio-Bomb ability. Where the Bio-Bomb merely lets you throw an enemy which you have pumped full of explosive goodness, the Butt Kicker allows you to punt that enemy and rain devastation on your enemies.

I liked Prototype quite a bit. Some parts felt a little cookie-cutter and I can’t say that I developed any significant attachment to Alex Mercer or the devastated Manhattan he conquered, but it was fun for what it was and had some really interesting ideas. So while I’m not chomping at the bit for more, it’s certainly welcome.

Full post on Destructoid

Japan's Cyberdyne is renting its HAL power suit to physiotherapy centers.

(Credit:
Cyberdyne )

Japan is preparing to spend about 1.1 billion yen ($14 million) on a five-year project to develop rescue robots that can be used in disasters like the quake and tsunamis that slammed the country in March.

The machines will come in three types: exoskeleton suits to boost human strength, robots that can rescue people from rubble, and robots that can search for people in water, according to a Nikkei Business Daily article.

Although similar devices have been developed in Japan, such as Tmsuk’s two-armed Enryu debris mover, few have made it past the prototype stage and to see real use outside of robot exhibitions.

While Japan is renowned for its robotics expertise and was home to about one-third of global industrial robots as of the end of 2009, it lacks military-grade machines and failed to marshal any significant robot response to the March catastrophe.

An international effort to use foreign-built ROVs to find victims off the coast of northern Japan didn’t turn up any bodies. … [Read more]

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Full post on Crave: gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff. – CNET