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Engadget Podcast 187 - 03.13.2010
How many SDK’s does it take to screw in a light bulb? You won’t find the answer in this week’s leaky edition of the Engadget Podcast Show, but you will get an exclusive chance to peer into the future of Paul Miller’s voiceover career
TomTom iPhone app hits 1.3, gains real-time traffic and Google local search
Here lately, Navigon has been crushing it on the iPhone GPS front. Every couple of weeks, it seems that MobileNavigator is getting yet another fantastic update, all while TomTom’s lackluster offering hangs back in the land of complacency
Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video)
Lazy humans, your dream has come true: a robot that could carry food and drink from the kitchen straight to your couch-borne position without you having to get up.
Stihl’s autumn calendar automatically rips through to tomorrow
Unless they’re incredibly quiet or potentially explosive , you won’t find us waxing poetic (or even prosaic) about leaf blowers.
Sony unveils 3DTV release dates and pricing for Japan
Kicking off an expected repeat flood of 3DTV info over the next few days (Samsung and Panasonic both have events scheduled over the next couple of days) Sony has revealed pricing and shipping information for its new televisions and related accessories in Japan. The new sets share that sweet/ominous monolithic style of the already available NX800 series (also announced today in Japan, along with fellow 2D-only HX700 LCD and DVR-packing BX30H televisions,) with the edge-lit LED LX900 bringing the entire 3D package. With IR emitter built in and two pairs of RealD active shutter glasses, all you’ll need to add is a source to the 60-, 51-, 46- and 40-inch models, ranging in price from ?580,000 ($6,444) to ?290,000 ($3,222.) Even if the TDG-BR100 / TDG-BR50 3D glasses (also available as an accessory for ?12,000 ($133) or so) aren’t on your face this WiFi-connected abyss of entertainment will look back into you, using face tracking to detect if someone is sitting too close and warn them to move back, as well as dimming and eventually turning off the screen if you leave the room or simply looked away from the TV for an extended period.
Olympus Pen E-PL1 spins up a review cycle
Olympus’ E-PL1 is a camera on a mission — it not only shrinks the entry-level price tag for Micro Four Thirds cameras to $600 , it retains the same 12.3 megapixel sensor, image processor, autofocus and metering systems of its elder, the E-P1 , while introducing its own advantages that even the pricier E-P2 doesn’t offer (hello, integrated flash!). With a 720p movie mode, a 14-42mm kit lens, and access to the growing catalog of Micro Four Thirds glass, it really looks like a guaranteed win for the company, but it’s always good to run it through a few tests to make sure. While it sports a body rather richer in plastic than its senior siblings, we’re told the E-PL1 still feels robust in the hand, and its control scheme is commended for being accessible to novices and including a dedicated video recording button
