Crave

(Credit: Crave Asia)

Most of us are familiar with haptics on touch-screen phones. The feedback technology uses vibrating pulses to replace the tactility of, for example, pressing a physical button. At the recent computer graphics event Siggraph Asia 2009, a team of researchers from Japan's University of Tsukuba demonstrated what they can do with haptics by letting users "feel" a remote object.

The prototype system comprises a laser range finder, computer, and haptics generator. By placing the device on a glass casing (we are very familiar with this as many companies like to put their prototype devices in a see-no-touch environment) and using the laser to measure the distance from the panel to the actual object, the user can "feel" the latter via the pulses that are generated.

According to the literature (PDF), the reaction force is determined by the distance between the handheld device and the actual object. Users supposedly can feel details such as texture when the magnification factor is increased. The researchers say the system can be used for educating viewers valuable exhibits and inspection of engineering products. We just want to get one of these before we attend another mega-scale event like CES.

(Source: Crave Asia)

Along with Beeker and Fozzie Bear, Animal ranks among my favorite Muppets characters. So it's great not only to see him starring in his own iPhone game, but to report that the game's a blast.

At first blush, The Muppets Animal Drummer from Disney looks like something out of Rock Band: you've got five drums that light up and change colors (and occasionally catch fire); combo bonuses and power-ups that appear as you progress; and Animal himself (itself?) banging away center-stage.

A little bit Rock Band, a little bit Simon, The Muppets Animal Drummer is all fun.

(Credit: Disney)

However, the gameplay's a bit different: Animal bangs out a series of beats using different parts of the drum set and different intervals. Your job is to play back the lick (by tapping the drums) using the exact same phrasing.

It starts off pretty easy, but quickly gets challenging (especially for rhythm-deprived individuals like myself). Even so, I find this a lot more fun than, say, Tap Tap Revenge or Rock Band, both of which reach a level of "impossible" that makes me lose all interest.

Here, you can improve your performance with practice--no superhuman levels of dexterity required.

There's also a Free Play mode that lets you drum along with any of the game's handful of songs (some of which must be unlocked by doing well in Classic mode) or songs in your iPod library. Younger kids in particular will have lots of fun with this, as it's really just noise on top of noise.

Whatever mode you choose, you'll enjoy snippets of Animal's voice along the way--icing on the cake.

And sweet cake it is. Animal Drummer may have built-in kid appeal (assuming kids these days even know who the Muppets are), but it's also plenty of fun for older players who enjoy music- and rhythm-centric games. At $1.99, I can highly recommend it.

Once Monster dipped its toes into the headphone market, there was no stopping the cable manufacturer from releasing a bevy of earphones on the unsuspecting masses. From in-ear to on-ear to over-the-ear, you shouldn't have trouble finding a pair of undeniably stylish Monster headphones to suit your needs.

The latest offering is the Beats by Dr. Dre Solo, an on-ear model that features ControlTalk, which is essentially fancy terminology for an inline mic and integrated controls for the iPod. This $200 set offers all the bass we expected from the first two Dr. Dre headphones in a slick, compact package. Unfortunately, while the low end is satisfyingly ear-shaking, it also tends to muddy up the overall sound space.

Read the Beats by Dr. Dre Solo review.

Beats by Dr. Dre Solo Headphones (photos)

The more Verizon and AT&T trade unseasonal greetings over their respective 3G networks, the more collateral damage seems to be inflicted on the iPhone. Yes, Verizon has itself made jokes about the iPhone being a "misfit toy". However, on Saturday, Seth Meyers of "Saturday Night Live" dedicated 16 seconds of his Weekend Update to a joke about, yes, truly, the iPhone.

Here is the precise text: "It was reported this week that Google would soon launch its own cell phone as a challenge to the iPhone. Also a challenge to the iPhone? Making phone calls." Cue much laughter.

Before Apple devotees could regain their breath, the 16-second clip soared around the Web as if it were new evidence of global warming. More than 140,000 people viewed it on YouTube before NBC Universal mentioned that it, um, owned the rights to the clip.

I have therefore embedded the whole of Saturday night's live extravaganza, which I obtained from NBC's own site. The 16-second iPhone bombshell hits just after the 37-minute mark.

I know many will be distressed that Meyers makes no mention of AT&T. Save for some folks at AT&T, where they are still allegedly mulling what to do about the company's sponsorship of alleged serial sexter, Tiger Woods.

(Credit: Montage by Leonard Goh/CNET Asia)

NASA has placed an order with Nikon for 11 units of its highest-end dSLR, the D3S, and 7 AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8G ED lenses to bring to space for documentation efforts. Interestingly, none of these cameras or optics will require any modifications, which attests to the ruggedness and versatility of the company's shooters.

The dSLRs will be brought to the International Space Station, where they will join a host of other Nikon products such as the D2X, lenses, and other Speedlight external flash units.

This is the second consumer camera brand we know of this year to enter the vast expanse of space, with Olympus sending the E-3 beyond the stratosphere earlier this year with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.

(Source: Crave Asia via 1001 Noisy Cameras)

(Credit: Intel)

It's an exciting and interesting morning for Netbook fans, as full official details and even system reviews of new Netbooks bearing Intel's next-generation Atom processors have emerged.

However, does the timing annoy you?

While we've known new Atom Netbooks were around the corner for months now, the announcement hits just three days before Christmas Eve and after the last weekend of holiday shopping. Does the new Atom make you want a new Netbook or regret getting one this holiday? On the other hand, do the modest gains from the new Atoms make you want an ultralow-voltage thin-and-light with a faster processor instead, or a next-gen smartphone/smartbook/tablet that could do HD video just as well?

Or does it simply not matter to you? Early reviews indicate that the new Atom N450's gains are mild, and mainly assist the battery life of Netbooks to go even longer between charges than they already do.

Sound off--we'd love to hear your thoughts as consumers.

DSLR67

(Credit: Sunpak)

One of the more recent additions to Sunpak's lineup of flashes is the DSLR67 LED ring light, a low-cost, easy-to-use LED ring light for macro work with an SLR. It's simple to use: just turn it on and shoot. Although it won't put out as much light as a traditional strobe ring light, it only costs about $50, less than a strobe ring light. It's meant for when you need to add a little light to small subjects.

The DSLR67 fits most lenses with a filter size up to 67mm. The ring light mount slides into the hot shoe, then you adjust the flexible arm so the ring light aligns at the front of the lens. Its flexible arm allows for almost unlimited movement, even off to the side of center of the lens. It has an effective light coverage distance of 2 inches to 20 inches. The ring light takes three AAA batteries and weighs 4.2 ounces without them.

There are 12 LED lights spaced out ... Read more

This TV tuner-DVR in a box is a steal at $29.99 shipped.

(Credit: Meritline)

For several years I've relied on free over-the-air digital signals to bring high-definition TV into my house. And I've paired those signals with Windows Media Center for free DVR goodness.

The key bit of hardware in that equation is a TV tuner, and right now Meritline has the deal to beat: a Mygica U6012 Hybrid USB TV tuner for $29.99 shipped.

Because this is a "hybrid" tuner, it can pull in the aforementioned over-the-air HD signals (aka ATSC), Clear QAM (digital signals delivered via cable), or analog channels (aka NTSC, also delivered via cable).

Notice I said "or." I think many people mistakenly believe a tuner like this lets them view all of these sources simultaneously (and some of the negative reviews reflect that), but that's not the case.

What you can do, however, at least with software like Windows Media Center, is connect multiple tuners. Thus, you could have one devoted to, say, analog cable, ... Read more

HACK THE PLANET

(Credit: Flickr: Lavandalo)

While you're enjoying the holiday break, check out this very special prerecorded Yuletide episode dedicated to the most inaccurate cyberpunk movie ever to tumble out of Hollywood. Of course, we're talking about "Hackers," the cult classic film that first phreaked its way into our hearts way back in 1995.

Oh my.

Directed by Iain Softley and starring Jonny Lee Miller, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, and Fisher Stevens, "Hackers" tells the story of Dade Murphy, aka "Crash Override," a curious kid obsessed with breaking into virtual environments with his laptop computer. After suffering a brutal punishment banning him from using a computer until his 18th birthday, Crash is forced to dust off the keyboard when his new friends discover a "truly heinous" plot to capsize a large ocean tanker.

There's a lot to be said about this movie, but the mass appeal of it is the fantasy world that the hackers call their playground. And however ridiculously inaccurate, it gave kids a visual representation of the mythical cybernetic universe. Oh, and also Angelina Jolie.

There's tons of "Hackers" trivia, bloopers, quotes, and favorite scenes in this episode, so go rent the movie and download the show!