ie8 fix

bang

Gadgettes 146: The Hot Topic Episode

Two months worth of Twilight talk has resulted in this homage that we lovingly refer to as "goth-lite." Take a walk on the dark side with the Gadgettes and special guest Natali Del Conte.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video)

EPISODE 146

Skull phone shows just how wild and crazy you are

Report: U.S. military developing robots that eat human flesh

Gory intercom system a savagely funny concept

Meet the black Wii

iKey's AK-39 wearable keyboard is about as weapon-like as it sounds

Sense and Sensibility and Sea MonstersRead more

103-inch plasma TV: A good reason to be rich?

As Americans, many of us believe we'll be rich one day. Seriously, many of us believe it's only a matter of time before our ship comes rolling in and we'll be jet-skiing with bikini-clad models like the best of the rich folk.

Now there's a new reason to hold out hope. Bang & Olufsen just launched the BeoVision 4-103. It's an $111,805, 584-pound, 103-inch plasma TV with a full HD resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. A TV that says to the world, "Look what a huge tool I am, that I would spend over $100K on an f*****g TV." I think that may actually be engraved somewhere on the system.

Not to say B&O isn't throwing in the bells and whistles to get the hard sell for this TV. Other than the ginormous screen, there are a couple of features included that sound really cool.

First off, this is quite possibly the first and only TV with a built-in minicamera that evaluates your television every 100 hours, then automatically adjusts the color balance. … Read more

iPhone gun app goes Bang!Bang!

iPhone users have been inundated with apps that make a variety of different realistic sounds--some rather innocent and others quite crass. Now, your iPhone can make realistic cops-and-robbers sounds, too, with Bang!Bang! (iTunes Link) for $1.99.

The app recreates the sounds of firing different firearms using "cinema quality effects sourced from Oscar-Winning Sound Designers," according to the developer. In our experience, the "gun" sounds so real that it might be dangerous to use the app in the wrong circumstances--say, in a corner store or a crowded theater.

Bang!Bang! requires you to hold your … Read more

Bang & Olufsen makes sweet, sweet music with Aston Martin

The Aston Martin DBS is a beautiful car, and sitting in one is a very special experience. Sitting in a DBS and listening to a Bang & Olufsen audio system takes that special experience and adds a choir of angels. The high-end Danish audio-components maker lends its expertise to Aston Martin with its Beosound DBS system, now coming as standard in the new DBS. At the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show we sat in the DBS as a Bang & Olufsen representative played a variety of music through the system.

The car spun around on its turntable as a drum-and-bass … Read more

Bang & Olufsen hangs up on cell phone biz

Apparently even Bang & Olufsen is feeling the effects of the sour economy. The Danish company, which has a built a reputation as a purveyor of high-end electronics, is exiting the cell phone business. The Financial Times reported Wednesday that besides phones, Bang & Olufsen will also stop making DVD players and recorders in an effort to concentrate on televisions and audio equipment.

Granted, it's not a huge loss to the cell phone world. The Bang & Olufsen Serene, which the company designed two years ago with Samsung, certainly had an intriguing design. But the phone faltered in functionality … Read more

Bang & Olufsen and Mercedes-AMG make beautiful music

Bang & Olufsen, a provider of high-quality audio and video products, has signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz Cars to develop a premium sound system for Mercedes' AMG performance division. This would make Mercedes AMG the third major automaker, behind Audi and Aston Martin, to partner with the audio components provider.

A few weeks ago, we saw (or rather, heard) what Bang & Olufsen can bring to a vehicle's audio experience when we test drove the Audi A8 L W12. We also heard the kind of sounds Mercedes AMG is making under the hood of its vehicles when we judged … Read more

B&O takes a different angle on TV sound

Leave it to Bang & Olufsen to break the mold once again, this time with a TV under-screen speaker. While other manufacturers toil away with boring rectangles and cylindrical designs, the B&O wizards have gone a completely different geometric route: a triangle.

The "BeoLab 10" is a center speaker designed to work with the "BeoVision 4" HDTV. Mounted beneath the plasma, according to Audio Junkies, it uses its "Acoustic Lens Technology" to disperse sound 180 degrees with twin amplifiers.

And never leaving anything to chance, B&O is also planning to … Read more

Crave: Keyboard pants with a zipper for your joystick!

It's all the latest from the Crave blog with Brian Tong and guest hostess Bonnie Cha. This week they talk about 'Mario Kart' for the Wii, shiny Pebble MP3 players, a dream come true for Panoramas, a touchless remote, and keyboard pants you won't want to be seen in.

B&O: Get your paws off our 'TouchLess' remote

Bang & Olufsen has always been driven by avant-garde designs, but its latest concept for a remote control may be crossing the line from innovation to science fiction. Apparently not satisfied with its previous efforts, no matter how bizarre they may be already, B&O is contemplating a model that requires no physical contact to operate. We're not kidding.

The aptly named "TouchLess" was inspired by germaphobic trends that are increasingly influencing product development, leading the company's design mavens to work on a device that would never be sullied by your bacteria-infested mitts. "Designed … Read more

Sandia's second crack at fuel-air stun grenade

It took 20 years, but here it is--again: the new and improved flash-bang grenade.

Sandia National Laboratories, which created the original Mk 141 flash-bang two decades ago, is having a second go at marketing a "fuel air" version of an old SWAT standby that it says is far safer for law enforcement and the military.

Traditional flash-bangs are basically big fire crackers--the "flash powder," a mixture of aluminum and potassium perchlorate dust, explodes quickly when ignited and produces an intensely bright light along with its huge bang. The body or canister is generally a steel tube … Read more