In the [tag]Consumer Electronics Show[/tag] of this year, the new topic to discuss has been the battle between [tag]Blu-ray[/tag] and [tag]HD DVD[/tag]. As an alternative for this war, that some experts say it will end in a period of 2 years, when both formats get more popularity in the market, many companys like [tag]Toshiba[/tag] and [tag]Samsung[/tag], according to the rumours, are investigating about a hybrid player.

In this show, chip manufacturer Broadcom has revelead a video decoder chip that is able to read both Blu-ray and HD DVD.

Even though both formats have got into the market independently, sooner or later there will be a “power struggle”, and one of them -yes, only one- will take over the industry.

[Source: QJ]

The [tag]squid[/tag], that measured about 24 feet long (7 meters), was caught and filmed in the [tag]Ogasawara[/tag] Islands, south of [tag]Tokyo[/tag].

New [tag]Microsoft[/tag]’s [tag]Windows Vista[/tag] is coming in a bit more than two months. In the Windows Vista Team Blog, Microsoft has put a countdown for all Vista enthusiasts.

Actually, I registered into the RC2 beta, I downloaded it, I installed it in my PC and it worked perfectly. It worked faster than Windows XP, the interface was easier, and the amazing thing is the Voice Recognition engine. You can practically surf the internet without using the keyboard or the mouse.

For those of you who buy a Windows Vista Capable PC between October 26 and March 15, you may benefit from the Windows Vista Express Upgrade program, that is, free Windows Vista upgrade.

[Source: Windows Vista Team Blog]

I just read in Gizmodo the article of the [tag]Jura-Capresso[/tag] [tag]coffee[/tag] cup warmer, a $1000 machine that mantains warm up to 16 coffee cups and 24 espresso cups.

1000 bucks. I mean… if you don’t have the money, for sure that you won’t ask for loans to buy it… and if you do have the money… why to spend 10 bills of 100 bucks in a coffee warmer?

Good question. Here I post for you some reasons why you should buy this machine:

1. It’s expensive, and if the money rains in your house, you can afford it.
2. It’s expensive, and if you don’t have the money, you can always sell your kidneys, so… you can afford it.
3. Just for fun.
4. You can put your neighbour’s cat in it, and wait ’til it is ready to eat.
5. You can use it to store your gallery of traffic tickets.
6. Putting your broken iPod in it can be as frustrating as sick.
7. Buying it for your grandma, so her poker friends always have their cups warm at her parties.
8. You can buy it and then, dump it from a third floor… just to see what happens.
9. You are rich, bored, and enjoy buying stupid things.
10. Afterwards, you can sell it in eBay for 2000 bucks, and I am sure you will sell it.
11. Did I say it’s expensive?

So, are you convinced…? Hello?

Oh, they ran away again.

[Source: Gizmodo]

The new RTX Telecom [tag]DUALphone[/tag] 3088 is the first cordless telephone for Skype that does not require direct PC connection and lets you choose between normal telephone line and your [tag]Skype[/tag] line.

The $200 (159 euro) DUALphone contains built-in Skype software.

The cordless capability is provided by [tag]DECT[/tag] wireless technology, and the base station connects to the broadband router and the phone line. It features a color display and 10 hours of talk time as well as up to 140 hours in standby mode.

It is one of the best choices I have seen in a long time. Usually, they lack of something, but in this case, everything seems to be perfect.

I have the previous version of DUALphone, the 3055, which also supports both lines at the sime time (your Skype and the normal telephone line), but needs connection to your PC.

If you still want to get the old version, buy it now!

[Source: Yahoo News]

A US energy company, Eneco, has created a thermal chip that transforms heat into electricity. According to the company, the chip could be used as micro-fuel, but its capabilities will not be available until 2010.

In his website, as well as in QJ’s article, Eneco unveils the characteristics of the thermal chip:

• Energy density efficiencies far in excess of all other available technologies.
• Reduced weight and size to fit with the new portable power needs of consumer electronics.
• Semiconductor technology that allows for efficient manufacturing, high reliability, long life, and low maintenance.
• Ability to convert waste heat economically and directly into electric power without moving parts to wear or make noise.
• Readily scaleable from very small to very large applications without losing efficiency or cost effectiveness.

Well, it looks kinda futuristic, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine people sticking that thermal chip into their heads, to later use that heat into their cellphone battery. Who knows? 50 years ago, no one would have imagined that I would be, right now, writing about a minichip.

Sadly, the Eneco website looks sort of horrible. There is very little information and the website is not that of a company that just created the most revolutionary energy chip on Earth.

Do you believe it? Do you feel it?

[Sources: QJ, Eneco]

Robots are no longer sci-fi. Movies like Star Wars, I Robot, and Matrix show us a perspective from future in which humans and robots live together (though sometimes with not very happy endings). Nowadays, robots are a reality. Robots exist, and we are just a step away from talking with them, playing football with them… but also getting replace by them in society.

In a recent Popular Science article, there are the latest robots in industry and several interviews. The funny thing about these articles is not only that I love them, but also that every time I read them, my mind starts to imagine how the world will be in… let’s say… 50 years.

Will Isaac Asimov’s novels come true and we will leave in a society of spaceships, galactic empires, robots and artificial planets? Or maybe we will become primitives, and we will end up living in the trees, like koalas?

I believe in fate. Yes. Me. I am a person of science, of evidence, and definitely a person that doesn’t get fooled by “divine inspiritation”. However, as I said before, I truly believe that there are some things we can’t change. We have free will, yes, but some events escape our own decisitions.

And there, my dear readers, science doesn’t play a very important role.

[Source: PopSci]

You don’t know yet? You don’t have much time to decide what to buy for your family and friends this Christmas. Don’t worry, here are the two latest pieces of technology for Santa’s list!

1. Zune Digital Media Player

Zune is ready for Christmas and it comes with 30 GB for music, video and photos, incorporated wireless to connect to other zunes and share music with your friends, a 3-inch screen to watch videos in landscape or vertical mode.

Microsoft’s alternative to Apple is not only more attractive than iPod, but it also improves many of the limited defects of the Apple MP3. The screen is bigger, which means that you are gonna have “bigger” fun, and it comes with wireless connection and a very sophisticated design.

The competitor of Apple’s Music Store also comes at the same time than Zune and it’s called Zune Marketplace, and its star the Zune Pass, with unlimited access to millions of songs just for $14.99 a month.

Buy Zune now!

2. Sony Playstation 3

The new and revolutionary games machine from Sony is ready for this Christmas, and ready to show you that it is better than any other in the market. It comes with a 20 or 60 GB hard drive, true HDTV connection, the new Cell processor, and compatibility with games of Playstation and Playstation 2, as well as compatibility with Blu-Ray and Wifi.

If you have a PSP, this is the perfect “mothership” for your gaming device. They can connect between each other and you can stream movies and audio to your PSP from the PS3. If you don’t have the PSP, don’t worry! The gaming experience with Playstation 3 will make you doubt if we are alone in this planet.

Get your Playstation 3 now!