Pentax’s Optio WG-1 GPS point-and-shoot satisfied geotaggers out of the box, but owners of its K-5, K-r and 645D DSLRs have had to make do with third-party taggers like the PhotoTrackr or Eye-Fi. The new hotshoe-mounted O-GPS1 module fixes that oversight by recording latitude, longitude, altitude, Coordinated Universal Time and shooting angle. Everyday snappers might find an extra hotshoe attachment cumbersome, but astro-photography enthusiasts could well be enticed by the device’s interesting “ASTROTRACER” function. This helps you take clearer photos of celestial bodies by using the in-built sensors to calculate a star’s movement and then employing the camera’s shake reduction system to compensate. Sounds clever, but be advised: this module is only for Pentax DSLRs — and only for very specific models at that. You’ll get full functionality with the K-5 and K-r cameras, and geotagging (no ASTROTRACER) with the 645D. Oh, and you’ll need to make sure your camera’s firmware is up-to-date. Peer carefully through that lens and you’ll see the O-GPS1 heading for a July landing, priced at 0.

[Thanks, Iddo]

Pentax releases O-GPS1 add-on for DSLRs, appeals to astronomy nuts originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The common wiper blade design is so successful that it has spread around the planet like wild fire but regardless of where they are seen they are nearly all assembled the same way. Most factories producing wiper blade get there components from other contractors which are delivered and stored on the premises. These are all then transferred as required down to the factory floor and assembly line where cheap labour is used to make giant profits. The first wiper blade design was operated by hand from inside the cars cab, times have now changed and today’s type of wiper blade rely on electricity. Two huge parts from sub contractors are therefore needed in order to construct a fully active wiper blades machine. These parts are an electric motor, a worm gear and a linkage system or technique to lock all these components together.

The linkage system is the component which converts motion of the electric motor into the action of the windscreen wipers across the screen. The worm gear is a strangely named device but gets its label from its form which looks like a straight bar which is threaded along its length by a helical structure. This worm gear comes with it the feature to multiply the output or torque of the electric motor by massive amounts and at the same time decreasing the output by a huge amount. It is this component which renders the whole windscreen wipers housing possible converting the output of the electric motor into stuff practical to power the windscreen wipers. This part is converted to the linkage system which translated the windscreen wipers back and fourth in a chastened motion over the wind screen glass. When the windscreen wipers reaches it’s lowest altitude a simple electronic device senses this and shuts off the power to the replacement wiper blades.

In this way the wipers are always reduced in the down position away from the windscreen so as not to block the driver’s precious vision. A cam shaft is then fixed to the worm gear and this cog turns in time with the output of the electronic motor and the worm gear. The cam turns and is attached to a shaft with is basically a long stick and as the cog or cam shaft rotates the long stick or rod is actuated forward and back. This rod is then fixed to another which actuates the wipers machine on the passenger side as well as the driver’s side. The wipers technique itself has a few options, one it can be operated in tandem as described above or alternatively just a lone wipers can be placed in the centre of the wind screen. The result of this approach will then undergo some form of quality control testing by a skilled professional who will make sure they are operating in recommended parameters. These if successful can then be boxed up and sent to retail outlets and car makers, the waster from this enterprise can often be sold on again as scrap which is nice news for the environment. Currently in this writers opinion the best featured wipers today are made from silicone and can be bought online for large discounts.

Car GPS Units

GPS Systems or GPS units are amazing electronic guidance and tracking devices for assisting you in finding your way whether by land or sea. GPS stands for global positioning system and was created initially for use for the military. There are several types of GPS units available today by some of the top names in the GPS systems industry. With a quick search on the internet you can find cheap GPS systems for less and in the best instances with free shipping as well. Top brand names such as Garmin, Lowrance, Magellan, Bushnell, Furuno and more just to name a few.

An Auto GPS unit is a system that assist travelers in a number of ways. It can map out the shortest route from a given starting point to an ending point and provide detailed instructions on how to get there without ever worrying about being lost. Auto GPS units can give consumers directions both visually and audibly as well depending on the unit chosen and will get them to the finishing point with turn by turn direction. Some of the best auto GPS units will even tell you which lane that you need to be in for an upcoming exit with a feature called lane assist so that you can be sure to be in the right lane for your exit and can prepare for it ahead of time safely.

A handheld GPS unit has the capability to supply the user with a great amount of data and comes in a small portable package that is easy to use. For campers, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts. The handheld GPS unit is a very portable and easy to use naviational device. If camping, campers can always be assured of knowing where they are and how to return to there starting point no matter how far there adventures may take them from base camp. Handheld GPS units come in multiple types, there are hand held devices for biking enthusiasts and athletes that can tell you things such as speed, altitude, distance and more. Other GPS units can be well used by golfers to assist them in there game and can give them exact yardage for there next shot.

Handheld GPS marine units can safely assist fisherman, vessels, sailors and others for easy navigation in open waters whether fresh water or saltwater. For the best of both worlds, a larger version such as a chartplotter and fishfinder combo can assist you with fishing and full naviational ability as well. If some just want to either utiilize just a fishfinder they can or if they want to use just a chart plotter for navigation, they can do that as well with a unit that performs the specific function there looking for. Cheap GPS systems come in multiple types of units, depending on your personal needs you are sure to be able to find a great product and price on the one that’s right for you.

What do you get when you combine the new Dell Latitude E6410 with a semi-rugged frame? Obviously this ATG model. Yeah, I know, lame joke but I don’t have time to to think of a more clever intro so deal with it.

The Latitude E6410 ATG is basically that. It has the same Core i5 and Core i7 options, the same available hard drives, RAM, webcam and WXGA screen as the non-G.I. Joe model. The only options it doesn’t seem to have is the discrete NVIDIA graphics and optional WXGA+ screen. This model even comes with Dell’s Latitude ON instant on OS. So yeah, this model is just like the standard version.

But this tough guy has been certified to the military standard 810G for shock, vibration, temperature, humidity, and altitude — it looks the part, too. Inside is Dell’s Tri-Metal case, fast-response free-fall-sensor on the hard drive and reinforced display for additional insurance.

The base Core i5, 1GB of RAM model runs $2,114. However, if you happen to have a company credit card handy, you can easily spec one out that includes a Core i7, 8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD, mobile broadband, and a Blu-ray drive for just under $5k. You’ll have to wait a bit for this one even though Dell is now accepting orders. The product page says it won’t ship until 4/23 so you’ll have a good amount of time coming up with an excuse why you spent your boss’s slush fund on a semi-rugged notebook.

Wow, these Zeal Optics “Transcend” goggles feature built-in GPS, speed data, altitude information, temperature, and a whole lot of other stuff for $350.

Everything’s controlled by three buttons on the side of the goggles and displayed non-obtrusively in your line of sight. They’re available for pre-order now with a target ship date of October 1st. Current features include: GPS, speed, altitude, virtual odometer, stopwatch, temperature, time, anti fog, and a helmet compatible design.

If you watch the demo video here, you’ll also see that Zeal is planning to roll out some really cool features later on: trail maps, caller ID, text message display, buddy tracking, online data sharing (statistics, etc.), mountain traffic reports, camera and recording features, virtual run previews, lift line information, music controls, emergency calling, and more.

Very cool stuff. The SPX spherical polarized version sells for $350 and there’s a version that adds “SPPX xtreme low light spherical photochromatic” coating for $450. That seems mighty inexpensive, which leads me to believe that maybe — just maybe — all these fancy updates coming out are going to cost money. A la carte, style. An app store for goggles, if you will.

Transcend [Zeal Optics via Red Ferret]

By Evan Ackerman

We saw renderings of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip2 and its mothership, White Knight 2, back in January. This week, the finish craft were both officially unveiled at the future location of the as yet unfinished Spaceport America in New Mexico, and Virgin Galactic says they’ll be heading to space several times a day as early as 2011.

Each spaceflight will last about 2.5 hours round trip. White Knight 2 carries SpaceShip2 up to an altitude of 52,000 feet, at which point SS2 separates and fires its rocket to accelerate at mach 3 to an altitude of about 70 miles. 5 minutes of glorious views and weightlessness ensues, after which the passengers hopefully survive the crushing g-forces (maxing out at 6 gs for 20 seconds) and glide back to a safe landing. The cost of all this? $200,000.

Oh, and here’s a little nugget of awesome for you: the first two spacecraft are reportedly named Enterprise and Voyager.

[ Virgin Galactic ]