Driverless vehicles to race at Robotic Grand Prix

Filed under: Transportation

Your favorite driverless vehicles from the DARPA Urban Challenge are getting set to tackle yet another task -- speed racing. Yep, Junior, Boss (pictured) and Ben will all be greasing their gears in an attempt to outrun the others around one lap of the 1.97-mile, 11-turn circuit, all without smashing into walls or hailing a motorist to take over. Unfortunately, all three won't be on the track at the same time -- which ensures that no green / red shell ejections will have an effect on the outcome -- but those interested in seeing this in person can head on down to Long Beach on April 20th.

[Via CNET, image courtesy of PaulStamatiou]

 

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Toshiba introduces 17.1-inch Satellite L350 Series

Filed under: Laptops

Certainly not the first 17-inch Satellite to emerge from Toshiba's lair, the L350 Series is aimed squarely at the budget set who still have a thing for screen real estate. The entire family packs a WXGA+ (1,440 x 900) resolution TruBrite panel, Vista Home, a dual-layer DVD writer, integrated WiFi and a built-in webcam with microphone. Based on model, you can also get up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 200GB hard drive, GMA X3100 or ATI Radeon X1250 graphics set, three Sleep-and-Charge USB ports and your choice of an Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 or AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 CPU. If you haven't already pieced it together, it's not the specs list that's impressive here -- it's the $749.99 starting price tag. You get what you pay for, you know.

 

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Intel breaks Wind with first Atom-based ultra-portables in the wild

Filed under: Laptops

There you have it, the first laptop we've seen running Intel's long awaited Atom processors. We're pretty sure that's MSI's Wind PC on display in Shanghai for Intel's Developer Forum. Of course, we've already seen Atom listed as the CPU in the G10IL and new 8.9-inch Eee PC among others. But there's nothing like seeing the genuine article running on Intel's newest silicon. If you're a fan of the Eee PC form factor then you'll be stoked by what looks like a truck-load of 7- to 9-inch ultra-portables on way. Click the read link to see a few more.

 

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Pictures emerge of impending PlayStation Store redesign

Filed under: Gaming

It's no big secret that Sony is gearing up to redesign the PlayStation Store for users in Europe and the US, but with just days to go until the hard hats are donned, we figured it prudent to pass along the latest tidbits surrounding the change. Apparently the refacing will start on April 3rd and finish up in around a fortnight, but until the job is finished, "no additional downloadable content will be posted." Of course, existing content will remain available, and chances are you'll appreciate the updates when all is said and done, but we know how tough it'll be to not log on weekly and eagerly sniff for all new material. Hit up the via for lots of pictures -- we're told it'll help the sting.

[Via PS3Fanboy, thanks Kiwi616]

 

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VW Camper Van portable record player

You might have seen these back in the 70’s (if you’re old enough) or most probably in the 90’s on those old ISP videos, but incase you are unfamiliar, this little van is actually the world’s smallest portable record player. No joke! The van (officially licensed by Volkswagen btw) actually drives around your record and [...]

Intel briefly demonstrates clamshell MID on video

Filed under: Handhelds

Whoa boy, what have we here? A dramatically short video over at jkkmobile shows off a mysterious new Intel MID, which we presume was captured in Shanghai at the Intel Developer Forum. Unfortunately, there's absolutely zero information on this piece outside of what you see in video posted after the jump, but the sleek clamshell design already has our attention. Judging by the Day Zero news bullets over on Intel's site, we know the firm's aiming to unveil "smaller form factors with improved power efficiency," and judging by the looks of this one, it certainly fits the bill. We'll keep you posted if more details emerge.

Continue reading Intel briefly demonstrates clamshell MID on video

 

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Epson pops Penryn in 13.3-inch NA801 laptop

Filed under: Laptops

For those wondering when you'd see an all new Endeavor from Epson (yes, all six of you), the time has finally come. Astonishingly enough, the outfit's latest 13.3-incher actually isn't half bad, and comes equipped with such niceties as a WXGA panel, your choice of Windows XP / Vista, Intel's 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T8100, NVIDIA's 256MB GeForce 8600M GT, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, between 80GB and 250GB of HDD space, a dual-layer DVD burner and integrated Bluetooth. You'll also find gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, an ExpressCard slot, a multicard reader and a battery good for around 3.4-hours on a full charge. Reportedly, the 4.4-pound NA801 is set to ship later this month and start at ¥149,940 ($1,503), but you can drive that figure right on up if you're the CTO type.

[Via Impress]

 

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