Glasses

Xbox 360 to get Internet Explorer with Windows 8 release

It's official, users will soon be able to surf the Web on their Xbox 360. Microsoft announced today that the Internet Explorer browser will be included with a new update to the Xbox 360 dashboard. The update will come with the release of Windows 8 on October 26.

"Starting today Internet Explorer will begin being rolled out on Xbox LIVE and will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold members," Internet Explorer's General Manager Ryan Gavin wrote in a blog post today. "IE on Xbox enables you to view content on the web on your TV … Read more

'Star Wars' glasses: Use the four eyes, Luke!

There are some places where it's not appropriate to wear a Wampa skin "Star Wars" dress covered in fake blood, but you still want to express your fandom through fashion. That's when you whip out your surprisingly subtle Darth Vader glasses.

Japanese company Aigan has introduced a collection of officially licensed "Star Wars" eyeglasses. Choose the Force with Luke Skywalker or R2-D2 styles. Go for the Dark Side with Darth Vader or Stormtrooper models. Can't decide which side you're on? No problem. There's a Boba Fett pair, too.… Read more

New patent hints at Google Glass wristwatch

If the idea of a heads-up display inside your eyeglasses still seems strange, what about one for your wristwatch?

A patent issued yesterday revealed a new frontier for the Google Glass project: the humble wrist. A wristwatch design filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office shows a timepiece with a clear touch screen that flips up from the base of the watch to serve as a secondary display.

Images filed with the patent show the display being used to offer directions, product information and e-mail notifications.

Patents don't always -- or even often -- become products. But … Read more

Retro-cool sunglasses put pixels on your face

If you used to build with toy bricks and play 8-bit video games, check out these $250 Hal Pixel sunglasses from Protos, with aesthetics inspired by Lego (or perhaps Minecraft terrain).

Fortunately, the glasses don't crumble easily like those Lego sets my friends would accidentally step on. … Read more

The 404 1,127: Where we eat our utility bill (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Google Glass makes catwalk debut at New York Fashion Week.

- The Fifth Element inspired: Remote-controlled roaches to the rescue.

- Odd "digital rituals" we perform to make technology serve us.

- Will putting a car remote under your chin increase its range?

Bathroom break video: Pong traffic light in Germany.

Video voice mail: Matt is now the ultimate trucker.

Episode 1,127 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  

Toys 'R' Us takes on tablets with Tabeo

This Monday tech news roundup doesn't want to grow up:

Toys "R" Us has created it's own tablet designed for kids, called Tabeo. It goes on sale in stores Oct. 21 for $150, but the store is now taking preorders online. This kid-safe tablet comes with 50 apps pre-installed for games, education, reading -- even apps for cooking and editing photos. And there's 7,000 more apps available in an app store. It comes with 4GB of memory, but is expandable with a memory card slot. And Toys 'R' Us won't be sharing this … Read more

What a sight: Google Glasses adorn models at NY fashion event

Google Glass has officially hit the fashion runway.

Google's smart eyeware was seen on the faces of several models at a Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) event yesterday that kicked off New York Fashion Week. The show marked a collaboration between Google and von Furstenberg that teamed up technology with the latest fashions, and the first time the high-tech specs made a public appearance at a non-Google event.

"I am so excited to introduce Glass to the fashion world and use this revolutionary technology to give everyone a unique perspective into fashion," von Furstenberg said in a statement.… Read more

Judge tosses lawsuit over cracked iPhone 4 glass

A lawsuit against Apple over the durability of the iPhone 4's glass was tossed out by a federal judge in California this week.

In an order this past Tuesday (PDF), U.S. District Judge Edward Davila dismissed a case filed by Betsalel Williamson on January 2011, which sought class-action status and accused Apple of breaching its warranty by charging for broken glass.

Williamson filed the complaint after damaging his 2-day-old iPhone 4, which dropped off the arm of a chair. Williamson pointed to claims made by Apple, including its industrial design chief Sir Jonathan Ive, that the glass on … Read more

Apple Glasses and the OUYA/OnLive deal

Does Apple have some glasses of its own? We're about to find out:

Is Apple finally readying a game controller? The company released the patent information for one it filed back in March that shows what looks exactly like a PlayStation 3 DualShock controller communicating with an iPhone. The controller will work with iPads and Apple TV as well using NFC communication. Now don't go throwing out your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 just yet. There's no way to know if this will actually ever see the light of day because there have been plenty of Apple … Read more