Ariel Waldman contributes Movie Gadget Friday, where she highlights the lovable and lame gadgets from the world of cinema.

On our last episode of Movie Gadget Friday, we rode around the robotics-dependent world of Runaway. Traversing from robots-gone-wrong to “wire-tripping”-technology-junkies, this week jacks-in to the cyberpunk streets of LA in Strange Days. While lacking in computer gadgetry, there is no shortage of leather pants, grunge metal, huge cell phones and random rioting in this 1995 film. Keeping true to the times, we can’t get over how even the murderer commits crimes while managing to sport a fanny pack.

SQUID Receptor Rig

Short for Super-conducting Quantum Interference Device, the SQUID receptor rig consists of a two-part system: a lightweight, flexible mesh of electrodes and a recorder. The technology had originally been developed for the feds to replace body wires, but has since leaked onto the black market. The SQUID acts as a magnetic field measurement tool on a micro level. By placing the electrodes over your head and activating the recorder, your first-person audio-visual-sensory experience is recorded wirelessly, direct from the cerebral cortex onto a TDK 60-minute MiniDisc. The rig can also be hacked using a signal splitter and simstim attachment – allowing someone else to experience your experience in real-time. Optional accessories for the rig include a fanny pack for closely storing the recorder and various wigs for concealing your otherwise obvious surveillance of others.

Unfortunately, there appears to be no way to directly upload these recordings to the net, leaving room for inefficient, in-person, illegal “playback” dealings of MiniDiscs similar to buying and selling drugs. From sex to committing crimes, clients to the self-proclaimed “switchboard of souls” dealers are able to jack-in to a variety of illicit activities without leaving their home. More after the break.

Continue reading Movie Gadget Friday: Strange Days

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Movie Gadget Friday: Strange Days originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we wait for all the carriers to get on board with nixing their endless, unhelpful voicemail pre-beep messages, we’ve already got instructions from Sprint on how to disable it for your own particular voicemail box on that network.

It’s pretty easy:

1. Call your voicemail
2. At the menu, press 3 for personal options
3. Press 2 for greeting
4. Press 1 to change the greeting
5. To enable / disable the instructions, press 3

Trust us, we did some serious searching for similar instructions on the other major carriers, but had no luck. If you know of anything, let us know!

Update: Thanks to some helpful comments we’ve got instructions for AT&T and Verizon for lopping off bits of the message, and, in Verizon’s case, speeding up the talking. Check ‘em out after the break. Consider yourselves upgraded to orange, guys!

Continue reading Take Back the Beep: how to disable voicemail instructions on Sprint (updated!)

Filed under: Cellphones

Take Back the Beep: how to disable voicemail instructions on Sprint (updated!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone OS 3.0.1 update released, fixes SMS vulnerability originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We've seen plenty from the folks at Onkyo in the past, but until now their iPod accessories have been rather few and far between. That said, we gotta say that this here ND-S1 iPod dock looks pretty, pretty good. Obviously designed with the home entertainment crowd in mind, this guy features optical / coax digital output, composite a/v outs, and supports 16bit audio playback (up to 48kHz). Also on hand are a USB connection for syncing with iTunes and a remote control. Compatible with your iPod classic / nano / touch (sorry iPhone users), you can expect to see this hit the streets sometime this fall. There's no word yet on price, but you can get a closer look after the break.

[Via AV Watch]

Continue reading Onkyo ND-S1 iPod dock feaures digital audio, composite video, and leaves iPhone owners out of luck

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Onkyo ND-S1 iPod dock feaures digital audio, composite video, and leaves iPhone owners out of luck originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some might say that the phone you’re peering at above is the most un-Nokia-like Nokia device produced in quite some time (if not ever), but remember, this one was custom made for US consumers and AT&T’s audience — something that’s not true for too many Espoo-sourced handsets. Once known as the Mako, Nokia’s Surge (or 6790 in international speak) is certainly unorthodox in design, though the actual specs list is fairly familiar. We get the feeling that Nokia was aiming to hit a very specific niche with this device, somewhere in-between the text-happy handsets adored by tweens and the smartphone desired by Mr. Suit. Care to see if we think Nokia accomplished said goal? Then head on over to Engadget Mobile for the rest!

Filed under: Cellphones

Engadget Mobile reviews Nokia’s Surge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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