Men Free Blog

Using 3D cameras in order to let humans control interfaces by simply moving about is old hat, but for those sick and tired of being strapped to a mouse / keyboard in Second Life, take a glance at this. Hands Free 3D is a prototypical system that gives addicts members of the virtual realm the ability to walk, jump, fly and interact by simply gesturing in front of a PC-connected camera designed by 3DV Systems. Currently, it doesn’t seem like this solution is on the fast track to release or anything, but we have a sneaking suspicion they aren’t demoing this stuff for kicks and giggles. Peek the video right after the break.
source:engadget

Sony, you tease! You go and finally put the 80 GB PS3 / Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle up at SonyStyle, complete with a SKU and price point, but you’re not taking pre-orders? We just get to look at the thing? Can we touch it? Just for a second? We won’t tell. Anyway, as expected, the PS3 / MGS4 bundle will be available in June at $499.99 complete with a DUALSHOCK3 wireless controller. Let’s hope that “notify me” button says “add to cart” some time soon.

source:engadget

Now that the Ultreo toothbrush has made you a believer in the cleaning power of ultrasonic waves, why not pick up a cleaner sure to do the same for objects not located in close proximity to your incisors. The oh-so-sleek SWV-08AM megasonic cleaning apparatus is reportedly designed to “remove dirt and agrochemicals” from fruits, dishes, etc. with little to no detergent. There’s also an integrated P-Sediment filter to make sure the water coming out is ultra-pure, and those two large buttons determine whether the blasts are strong or soft. Honestly, we’re not exactly sure what this piece of kit will run you, but to our ears, it’s just screaming “pricey.”

source:engadget

Okay, so Jared Bouck’s kegerator-cooled PC doesn’t really sip on Hennessy, Bud Light or even Milwaukee’s Best, but it sure does a good job of pretending to be 21. Essentially, this here mod is more for show than anything, but when all’s said and done, you do have a liquid-cooled gaming rig and a nearby locale to stock your favorite beverages. After all, it’s common knowledge that you can’t stray too far to replenish your fluids during an all-night WoW raid, right? With $180, a bit of patience and some good old fashion work, you too can replace that vanilla cooling setup with one the boys are sure to swoon over.

source:engadget

It’s April 15th which means one thing: taxes PS3 firmware 2.30 is due. Right on cue, Sony made good on the new PlayStation Store and DTS-HD Master Audio sound reproduction sure to make audiophile-types lean in for a listen. The Store is acting a bit sluggish at the moment, something that’s likely to get sorted once the rolling update is completed. Nevertheless, users are claiming easier navigation and richer experience. So whatcha looking at — get out of here kid, there’s on-line updating to be done.
source:engadget

.There’s certainly no shortage of options out there for folks wanting a little assistance on their bike commute, but if you’re still on the fence, you may want to consider one of OHM Cycles’ new models, which includes the Urban XU450 and XU700 for less adventuresome folks, and the Sport XS700 and XS750 for those that like venture off-road occasionally. Each of those include “silent” BionX motors of various wattage, along with Molicel lithium-ion batteries that OHM says can be fully recharged in about three hours. You’ll also get a “command console” that displays all your vitals, and an integrated security system (complete with an alarm) that promises to keep those lazy bike thieves out there at bay. No word on prices for any of them just yet, but the bikes are apparently making their way to dealers this month, so you should be able to get a quote soon enough.
source:engadget

RFID clothing is far from revolutionary, but American Apparel is about to get everyone’s attention by placing tags on a smorgasbord of garments. The firm is setting out to implement RFID at the item-level, meaning that tags will eventually hit each article of clothing it produces. For starters, the advanced inventory system will be rolled out across each of its 17 metro New York locations, while plans are already in place to deploy the solution to another 120 North American outlets. The idea is to track individual pieces as they’re “tagged at the company’s manufacturing facility in Los Angeles, received in its retail stores, stored in the stock rooms at the stores, and then placed onto the sales floor and ultimately sold at the point-of-sale.” Of course, we wouldn’t expect the tags to follow you home or anything — too bad we can’t say the same for the company’s skeezy CEO, Dov Charney.
source:engadget

We both fear and heart our cuddly, skull crushing robotic overlords here at Engadget; that we can’t deny. Now meet the work of Nemo Gould, artist of post-consumer waste, liege, and robot supreme commander. His latest work entitled Little Big Man is on display at the San Jose Museum of Art for the new Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon show. The 8-foot tall Big Man is made from a vintage radio cabinet, street light poles, and of course, antlers among other human scrap and squander. Little Man sits at the heart of the beast and pulls the levers which drive the malice from within. Check the video clip after the break.

source:engadget

We haven’t heard much about Wibree lately, but the next-gen Bluetooth standard looks to be humming along nicely, with a name change to ULP (Ultra Low Power Bluetooth) and now a dual-mode chip from CSR that supports Bluetooth 2.1 and ULP on the same silicon. The chip consumes 10 times less power than a standard Bluetooth unit while connecting, and 50 times less power during data transfer, as it’s essentially a stripped down version of Bluetooth with way fewer frequencies to worry about. This dual-mode chips means we won’t have to leave the superior bandwidth of Bluetooth 2.1 behind. The chip should be available in the market sometime in 2008.

source:engadget

The fine folks at GPS review have gotten their hands on the new TomTom GO 930, a followup to the GO 720 — TomTom’s previous flagship device. As far as looks go, the 930 is pretty much a 720 in shiny black clothing, so the review concentrates on the new features included like Active Lane Guidance, static intersection images and IQ routes. Nothing’s going to blow you away if you already have a 720, but the lane guidance should help with that all-important “which lane should I get in?” conundrum, while IQ routes has significantly improved route time estimations. Intersection images were too few and far between to be much help, but overall this is a decent improvement to an already impressively-reviewed device.
source:engadget