Remember that Robotic Garage that went haywire? Well now you can have your own, ready to disobey your every command. Harding Steel’s 110-volt residential garage lift needs only 9-feet of vertical clearance, hauls 12,000 pounds, and comes in different sizes for rides ranging from Civics to Cadillacs.– Brian Lam

Harding Steel Car Lift [via OhGizmo!]

Yamaha introduced its RX-V1700 (130 watts per channel) and the RX-V2700 (140 watts per channel ) 7.1 channel A/V receivers, both able to pass through and switch 1080p video via HDMI, as well as up-convert any composite, S-Video or component video signal to 1080p. Nothing new there so far, where there are plenty of receivers that can already handle that sweet HDMI high-definition video and audio format, including units from Pioneer, Onkyo, Denon, and JVC. But the fun with both of these receivers starts when you plug in the Yamaha YDS-10 iPod dock and crank your tunes, controlling them from the receiver.

The higher-end member of this pair is the RX-V2700 (pictured above), bringing Ethernet connectivity to the feature list, where it’s able to hook up with PCs on your network and stream their music files, or it can let you listen to Internet radio stations right in your home theater. Both expected to be available next month, the 130-watt-per-channel RX-V1700 will retail for $1,300 while the 140-watt-per-channel RX-V2700 will be $1,700. – Charlie White

Yamaha Site
from gizmodo

We’re thinking the Corvette counts as just one big gadget, and when we saw the first pictures of the 505hp Z06 model for 2007, we couldn’t resist sneaking you a peek. The newest version of America’s Sports Car doesn’t add a whole lot of new gizmotronics, with its main addition for the 2007 model year being OnStar, a subscription-based tracking and monitoring service that will call for help if your ‘Vette breaks down or is stolen.

Another minor piece of newness for the Z06 is the Atomic Orange Metallic color shown here, a similar hue the likes of which we’ve seen on other Corvettes preceding it. GM has also added better damping of outside noise, which, from personal experience we can tell you is pleasingly voluminous. Going 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds has to be a bit noisy, no?

A little piece of bad news is the new price for the Corvette Z06, whose base price was formerly $65,690, but now it’s risen by $4310 to a lofty $70,000. Oh, well, you get what you pay for. Of course, you can get the stock, non-Z06 Corvette for about $20K cheaper. Look for all the new Corvettes to hit the streets in October. – Charlie White

Atomic Punk: 2007 Corvette Z06 Gets New Color, Price Bump (More pics!) [Jalopnik]
From gizmodo

To make your own “Minty Mouse”, you’ll need one Altoids tin, an optical mouse, dremel tools, epoxy glue, a mini-hack saw, and around 4 hours of free time. Click source for more info.

[Source]
from techeblog

Ok, alright already, we get it, the Nikon D80‘s officially real. We’ve been waiting for this one for the last few weeks, but by now any real mystery about the device has surely gone up in smoke. So, what’ve we got? The D80 features a 10.2 megapixel (uh huh) DX format CCD, Nikon F lens mount, 3D Color Matrix Metering II, 11 area autofocus, 0.18 second bootup, 80ms shot response, and… apparently an SD slot? (from the release: “Images are processed instantly and recorded quickly to the inserted SD memory card.” (This is the first time we’ve seen an SD slot appear in a high end DSLR in, well, a while.) Then there’s also the 3fps rapid fire shots, and 2.5-inch LCD; elsewise, besides the bundled 18-135mm lens the body comes with, Nikon is releasing a AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens (and we thought Samsung had rough product names) for the D80, with a 4.3x zoom and Vibration Reduction II OIS. The lens is going to be available worldwide in October (if you have to ask how much, it’s probably not for you), but the camera’s due September, and will set you back $999 body alone, or $1299 for the body with that 18-135mm lens.

[Thanks, Blake & Trevor]

More info

The general consensus seems to be that the D80 is basically the D200 for nearly half the price. Going for around $999 street, the D80 packs in plenty of features derived — or just plain ripped — from the Nikon D200 and D2x, and uniquely stores the resulting images on that stash of SD and SDHC cards most everybody has these days. We’ll look forward to full reviews to get all the juicy performance details, but we’re sure that the 10.2 megapixel CCD and those speedy shutter times won’t go unrewarded.
[Thanks, Mike]

Read – PopPhoto
Read – DPReview
Read – Imaging Resource
Read – LetsGoDigital

from engadget

The S3 Pro DSLR from Fujifilm was always good for color gamut, but the new UVIR version takes it to a whole new level. Using special lens filters, the camera can capture Ultra-Violet and Infra-Red pics at its fine 12.3 megapixel resolution, perfect for forensic use, or just some fun in the dark. The system takes advantage of the S3 Pro’s 30 second B&W live CCD preview mode, allowing you to tune the camera to the specific wavelength of light, since the viewfinder doesn’t work with the UV or IR spectrum filters on. Focusing and exposure are all done manually due to the wide range of light spectrum you’ll be dealing with, so you’re not going to get much casual point-and-shoot use out of the unit, but with a $1,799 pricetag you probably already had that figured out. Should be out in September.

[Via DigiCamReview]
more info
from engadget

Not sure if everybody got the memo, but we’d like to remind you that today’s DSLR day here at Engadget: the Nikon D80 is out and about, the Fujifilm S3 Pro UVIR debuted, and now we have a leak on a new Canon DSLR: the 370D. Naturally we don’t have any firm information, but PCOnline is reporting the device to feature a 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 21 point autofocus, 7fps rapid fire, DIGIC II processing, CF and SD support (nice!), a 3-inch display, an ISO 800 setting (huh?), and what we’re really looking for in our next DSLR: “More delicate design of aircraft.” All in all, a worthy successor to the 30D 300D, it should seem; stay tuned for more details (or, more likely, more leaked pics).

[Thanks, Russell]
more info
from engadget

Update: Some readers have pointed it out it looks suspiciously similar to a black 300D — unfortunately the label is obscured. We’ve sent it along to our Chinese colleagues for inspection, we’ll let you know what they find.