Tag Archives: fire

Amazon unveils new e-Reader lineup: Kindle, Kindle Touch & Kindle Fire

On Friday Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduced the e-tailer’s brand new e-Reader lineup: the $79 Kindle, the $99 Kindle Touch, and the Kindle Fire at $199.

The latest generation base Kindle is lighter, smaller, faster, and cheaper than ever. It features a new design that is 30 percent lighter than its predecessor at 5.98 ounces, 18 percent smaller, and it turns pages 10 percent faster. Its still got a 6-inch electronic ink display. The device has four buttons on its front: back, on-screen keyboard, menu, home, and a directional pad. On either side are buttons for page-turning. But there’s no physical keyboard and no touch. There’s a reason why it’s being sold at such a low price–this Kindle is the definition of bare bones. If all you need to do is read (and you don’t mind using a directional pad to navigate through menus) this is the e-Reader for you. The Kindle is available for purchase today.

An extra $20 will get you the Kindle Touch, a slightly upgraded version of the e-Reader that boasts a touch display. You won’t find any buttons or a physical keyboard on this bad boy; the user interface is solely based on touch. Like the base model, this Kindle is  lighter and smaller than before and it has an “extra-long battery life.” The Kindle Touch (also available with 3G built-in for $149) is now available to preorder, and it releases November 21.

And finally there’s the Kindle Fire, what Amazon describes as a “new class of Kindle.” It’s a tablet, really. So I betcha want to hear specs? The 14.6 ounce Fire packs a 7-inch LCD multitouch display with IPS and Gorilla Glass strength, 1GHz TI OMAP dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. Does that number seem low to you? Worry not! Amazon promises you’ll never have to think about storage space since you can save virtually all of your content in the cloud via the Amazon Cloud storage that’s connected to your Amazon account. All Amazon digital content is automatically backed up for free. Movies, TV shows, music, magazines and newspapers, Android apps and games, and of course books can be purchased and downloaded right on the device. Though the Fire runs on Google’s OS, Amazon has tweaked Android so much that it’s totally unrecognizable. In other words, it’s an experience you’ll only get on this device. One feature users will be privy to is the Fire-exclusive web browser called “Amazon Silk.” The company describes it as a “split browser” architecture that makes for a faster web browsing experience. And just like its E-reader brethren, the tablet uses Amazon’s Whispersync technology to automatically sync your Kindle library, last page read, bookmarks, notes, and highlights across a variety of devices. The Kindle Fire will sell for a low $199 when it hits the market on November 15.

Inspect the devices in the galleries hanging above. Read through the beefy press release after the break. Continue reading Amazon unveils new e-Reader lineup: Kindle, Kindle Touch & Kindle Fire

FireHero–it’s what it sounds like

A fellow by the name of Chris Marion modified a Guitar Hero controller to interface with valves attached to a propane tank.  In his words:

I thought of using a microcontroller to sync the fire to the beat of music – now that would be pretty cool, and the patterns would always be different, so it wouldn’t get as boring as fast. Then I thought of the game Guitar Hero, which uses five frets, and I had my idea! Simply interface a Guitar Hero controller to a microcontroller that would power some relays which would in turn fire off solenoid valves on five individual fire poofers! Now this could be cool; a large fire “sculpture” that is playable by anybody.

Head over to Chris’ website to follow his instructions if you suddenly feel the urge to construct your own FireHero.  For Version 2 he’s planning to introduce color-changing flames, Star Power (“which would boost flame height or fire off additional fireballs”), and play “Through the Fire and Flames.”  But for now, enjoy his inventiveness in the video above.  After listening to AC/DC on fire, hop after the break to watch Motley Crue’s “Kickstart My Heart” in action.

[Via Gizmodo; ChrisMarion] Continue reading FireHero–it’s what it sounds like

Man animates fire at will

Over the course of two weeks YouTuber brusspup utilized the power of stop-motion to create this fascinating fire animation.  Stop-motion involves snapping pictures at rapid rates to capture the illusion of movement; when the individual shots are placed together in post-editing they can be played in a continuous sequence, and this results in a video (of pictures).  I cannot imagine the amount of time and patience it took to make all this happen!

Fireplace + HDTV integration

Helex’s “I-Vision” integrates the two main focal points of your living room–a fireplace and a flat-screen television.  The HDTV is covered with a glass panel and completely disappears above the gas-powered fireplace when it’s turned off.  This fireplace-HDTV hybrid holds a modern, sleek look that can turn any ordinary living room into a technological marvel.  And now it’s on my list of things to install into my future home.  Additional shot after the break.

[Via Bornrich; Gizmodo]

Continue reading Fireplace + HDTV integration

360 degrees fireplace warms every angle

TURN fireplace, designed by Schweiger & Viererbl.

TURN is the answer for open living. This fireplace can be rotated round 360 degrees and can also be locked in position at set increments. The cosy view of the fire can now be enjoyed from every conceivable angle. This means that fireplace planning is no longer tied to the living room environment and offers the desired scope for change. In its form, the horizontally located fireplace communicates the lightness of the free-floating fire. The requirement for heat takes centre stage. TURN is always involved.

[Via Gizmodo; Conmoto]