Holy crap. Detectives are still interviewing a John Hopkins University student who fatally lacerated the upper body of a man breaking into his off-campus residence overnight. The suspect also suffered a nearly-severed hand, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The house is home to four undergrads who had already had a Sony PlayStation and two laptops stolen earlier on Monday.

So when one of the students heard noises at about 1am, he went to downstairs to investigate armed with the sword. He saw that the side door to their garage had been pried open, and inside, was lunged at by the suspect.

The guy probably didn’t deserve to die, but Police have confirmed he has priors for breaking and entering.

Self defense or too much force? It’s hard to say without being there. One things for sure: Don’t fuck with gamers. [Baltimore Sun] Thanks Joshua!

Who are these guys and what the heck are they doing driving alien-looking vehicles in the middle of the Arizona desert? I can tell you two things: One, looking at the cool gallery, I wish I was one of them.

And two, I hope the fridges on their backs are full of cold beer.

These guys are NASA’s Desert RATS, a team dedicated to test space vehicles like the Lunar Electric Rover or the Chariot, which will move astronauts across the Moon and Mars’ terrains in the Constellation missions. They are now in the Arizona desert demonstrating the feasibility of the vehicles and the future astronauts’ Extra-Vehicular Activities.

One of the many things they are testing is what you can see in the photo above: Suit Ports. The suit ports are located on the Lunar Electric Rover’s aft. The are designed to let astronauts get in and out their suits very quickly, using a rear-entry hatch. They are equipped with alignment guides and electromagnetic mechanisms to lock and unlock to the hatch, so astronauts only have to get in, unlock, go do their thing, and then just lock to the LER again, and get out of the suit as quickly as they got in. Neat. [NASA]

If they weren’t just a concept, you could spruce up that barren concrete wall with glowing stars, hearts, unicorns—pretty much everything awesome.

By NOTHING dESIGN GROUP, the concrete-constructed Brick Light can be interspersed with other blocks to create that starry atmosphere that you can pretend is girly…but we know your tastes.

The downfall, aside from questionable structural integrity, is that the Brick Light is a plug-in device. Replace its power source with rechargeable solar or a clean nuclear energy, however, and we’re on to something. [Vidafine via NOTCOT via DVICE]

While some may note the prominent placement of the NVIDIA Tegra, others will check the inside of the case. The inscription reads “For Our Princess” and serves as a tribute to a Zune team member who passed during development. [anythingbutipod]

Don’t say we didn’t tell you. Windows 7 is bringing the multitouch laptops and Fujitsu’s T5010 is jumping in the pool too. It can’t do four way touch like the ThinkPadT400s, but it will take two fingers no problem.

You will have to pick up the LifeBook T5010 with its new capacitive touchscreen with Vista until you can get it with Win 7 on October 22, but it will still support the same two finger gestures like zooming and panning. You just won’t get the touch pack fun in Vista. It will, however, come with a pen for writing on screen.

Fujitsu is touting that this convertible swings both ways. Uh yea, it can swing from tablet into a standard notebook with the “industry’s first bi-directional swivel hinge.”

Here is one thing we are learning quickly: multitouch lappies aren’t budget. Like Lenovo’s new multitouch, $1,800 ThinkPad x200T, this one starts at $1,759. [Fujitsu]

Fujitsu Adds “Touch” to Its Flagship LifeBook T5010 Convertible Tablet PC
Begins Rollout of New LifeBook Mobile PC Series Designed to Exploit Anticipated Windows 7 Features
Sunnyvale, CA, Sept. 15, 2009 ― Fujitsu gave mobile users in North America another reason to choose the LifeBook(R) T5010 convertible tablet PC today, announcing the convenience of multi touch input. The new dual digitizer’s touch screen function on the 13.3-inch display offers a new level of interaction by supporting two-finger touch for actions including panning, rotating, flicks and zooming. With seamless switching between pen and touch, users can change tasks on the fly, from casual surfing to detailed editing or writing.

The Windows Vista(R)-based LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet PC is the first in a line of new LifeBook platforms and form factors designed to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of Microsoft’s soon-to-be- launched Windows 7.

News Highlights
• NEW optional dual digitizer (active digitizer/capacitive touch)
with two-finger support for gestures including zoom, rotate, and flicks; stylus support for inking, editing/annotating files
• Converts from tablet into a standard notebook with keyboard
input using the industry’s first bi-directional swivel hinge
• Weighs approximately 4.5 pounds in weight-saver configuration
• 13.3-inch mercury-free WXGA bright LED backlight LCD with wide
viewing angles
• Modular bay, which supports an optical drive or optional second
battery
• Optional mobile broadband support on select models (AT&T
integrated broadband connect and Verizon Wireless mobile broadband built in)
• Enterprise manageability support with Intel active management
technology
• Optional Microsoft(R) Windows 7 Professional, Vista Business,
XP Downgrade
• Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor technology
• Full-size, spill-resistant keyboard with touchpad
• Optional integrated webcam and (standard) dual digital
microphones
• Full suite of security features: dedicated SmartCard slot,
integrated fingerprint sensor, security panel, BIOS and hard drive password protection, embedded TPM 1.2, Computrace(R) BIOS agent.
• Priced starting at $1,759 (1) with an active digitizer and
priced starting at $1,859 with a dual digitizer option. Users can choose from a recommended configuration, or they can customize their LifeBook T5010 convertible tablet PC using the Fujitsu Configure To Order (CTO) program. Available immediately through the Fujitsu website and select retailers/e-tailers(2).

Seagate woke up and smelled the coffee, adding a much needed 1080p HDMI output port, Ethernet connectivity, and Dolby Digital and DTS 2.0 to their FreeAgent Theater HD Media Player. The new FreeAgent Theater+ also gets new video codecs.

The list of supported formats now include MPEG-1 MPEG-2 (VOB/ISO), MPEG-4 (DivX(R)/Xvid formats), DivX HD, Xvid HD, AVI, MOV, MKV, RMVB, AVC HD, H.264, WMV9, VC-1, M2TS, and TS/TP/M2T. On the audio front it includes AAC, MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS, ASF, FLAC, WMA, LPCM, ADPCM, WAV and OGG. It can also display JPEG files up to 20 megapixels, BMP, GIF, PNG and TIFF.

The FreeAgent Theater+ also includes two additional USB ports to add more hard drives, and Seagate says that they will have a USB Wireless Adapter in October, to integrate the device in 802.11n Wi-Fi networks. The audio output also uses the obligatory optical S/PDIF port.

You can get it now for $150—without hard drive—and $290 with 500GB. The Wi-Fi adapter will come later for $70. OK, Seagate, now that you smelled the coffee, bring me a cuppa and a bagel, please.

Seagate’s New FreeAgent Theater+(TM) HD Media Player Enhances the Enjoyment of Digital Home Movies and Photos

Bring Your Digital Media to Life with True HD and Dolby(R) Digital Surround Sound Technology
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Seagate (Nasdaq: STX), the worldwide leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions, today unveiled its new FreeAgent Theater+(TM) [Plus] HD media player, the next generation home theater solution designed to instantly and easily connect your digital media library to your home entertainment system.

The FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player leverages a docking system unique to Seagate FreeAgent Go(TM) portable drives and accessories, providing a quick and easy way to connect your external hard drive to your television or home entertainment center. After loading the drive with your favorite movies, videos, music and pictures from the home PC, simply slide it into the FreeAgent Theater+ dock to get instant access to your digital media library. With the FreeAgent Theater+ player, you can just sit back, relax, point, click and enjoy as digitally captured memories and your favorite movies come to life in 1080p HD video, DTS(TM) 2.0 + Digital Out, or Dolby Digital technology. The interface is easily navigated with the included remote control, and you can choose from video, photos or music with the up/down arrows on the remote to make your selection.

The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player includes two additional USB ports for connecting other USB attached storage devices. Also incorporated into FreeAgent Theater+ is an Ethernet port for network connectivity, which allows access to digital media through your home network. Seagate intends to launch a USB Wireless Adapter in October to enable this same access with 802.11n wireless connectivity to a home network. Enjoy it all, with the included new and improved remote control, from the comfort of your couch.

“There is so much media that is now being captured and created through various methods and stored on the PC, yet the computer is not the ideal way to enjoy these photos and videos,” said Terry Cunningham, senior vice president, Seagate Branded Solutions. “The FreeAgent Theater provides the easiest way to view and enjoy video and photos on your HDTV. Simply load up a Seagate FreeAgent Go(TM) hard drive and drop it into the FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player dock. It’s a behavior we’ve all been familiar with for years with VHS and DVDs, but now with digital HD enjoyment.”

The new FreeAgent Theater+(TM) HD media player solution includes:

HDMI with 1080p HD video playback for high-definition content viewing
Dolby(R) Digital and DTS(TM) 2.0 + Digital Out audio support surround sound where available.
Unique docking system eliminates fumbling with cables and connections
Ethernet connection for accessing shared content on your network or streaming of content from the Internet
The optional wireless connectivity feature, expected to be available in October, will allow you to access stored content on any networked computer in the home at your fingertips
Two additional USB ports and one front-mounted port for digital cameras and additional storage devices
Simple sync software for PC and Mac(R) computers
Intuitive user interface with DVD-style navigation
Support for Windows(R) XP, Windows Vista(R), Windows(R) 7, and Mac OS(R) X operating systems, as well as NTFS, FAT, FAT32, HFS+ file support
Component video and Composite video support
Optical S/PDIF audio and Stereo RCA sound options
The software included with FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player is a rich media-specific synchronization application that enables the automatic transfer and organization of all photo, music, video and movie files stored on your computer.

Technical Specifications

The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player now supports even more Audio/Video and sound formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (VOB/ISO), MPEG-4 (DivX(R)/Xvid formats), DivX HD, Xvid HD, AVI, MOV, MKV, RMVB, AVC HD, H.264, WMV9, VC-1, M2TS, TS/TP/M2T, JPEG files up to 20 megapixels, BMP, GIF, PNG and TIFF. Audio formats supported include 5.1 channel surround sound, where available, and popular digital audio formats including: AAC, MP3, Dolby Digital, DTS, ASF, FLAC, WMA, LPCM, ADPCM, WAV and OGG. The FreeAgent Theater+ player also offers support for SAMI (smi), SRT and SUB subtitles. To download and transfer content to a Seagate FreeAgent Go portable drive using a Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operated PC, a 256MB RAM and an available USB port is required. Mac computer users must be running Mac OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5.6 or later and have an available USB port. FreeAgent Theater connects to any TV with composite, component video or HDMI connection and stereo, optical S/PDIF or HDMI audio connection

Pricing and Availability

The Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD media player is available immediately via Seagate.com and other online retailers. It comes as a stand-alone unit for use with any USB storage device for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $149.99, or bundled with a 500GB FreeAgent Go drive for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $289.99. The FreeAgent Theater+ Wireless Adapter is expected to be available in October as a separate accessory through Seagate.com for $69.99.

A little over-dramatic, right? Just like Sony Ericsson’s puffed-up claim to change how we listen to music…forever, on September 21st. A new Walkman-phone? Separately, Canon says its September 29 event will be “one of the most important in its history.”

The events are in no way related. I mention them together simply to serve as two very recent examples of extreme PR blow-hardness. Seriously lame.

Or not? Who knows, maybe they’ll surprise me. I’ll be very happy if Canon turns out the 1D Mark IV digital SLR.

Canon’s product launch will be done by its Swedish office, and the invite below is roughly translated as:

During this fall, Canon will make one of its largest and most important launches in the company’s history and we hope you can attend. During a luncheon, you are invited to listen to CEO Jouko Tuouminen, Marketing presiden Monica Forsberg and trend analyst Magnus Lindkvist, talking about tomorrows trends and factors of success in the continually more digitalized everyday life.

Sony Ericsson will be Webcasting its shindig, and you can register here: [Sony Ericsson via Mobile Phone Helpdesk via Engadget | Canon Rumors]

If you want to stream 1080p TV shows and movies from the Zune/video store this fall, your 360 needs to be hard wired to your router, or on an 802.11n network. Knowing this, Microsoft is readying an official 802.11n adapter.

We also just found out that the Zune HD will soon be able to wirelessly stream stored video to an Xbox 360. Problem is, the Zune HD only has 802.11b/g—notorious for spluttering HD content. While Microsoft’s “Smooth Streaming” technology should be great for standard-def, I’m kinda skeptical about the HD side of things.

But anyway, an official 802.11n adapter for the 360? Sounds good to me. It’s hit the FCC, and we’ll let you know pricing/availability when Microsoft fills us in. [FCC]

Have you noticed all the Zune HD unboxing galleries around the Interwebs right now? While it hits stores today, no one’s been able to completely review it yet—Microsoft has only just posted the required Zune 4.0 software online.

We’re working on the full review as I type this, but while you wait:
• Zune HD Hands On: Photos and Video Tour
• Zune HD TV Interface Walkthrough
• Microsoft Says No Zune HD Outside the U.S (For Now)

New features in the Zune 4.0 software include quickplay, smart DJ, mini mode, mixview, and the Zune Marketplace with apps and games. Microsoft says it plans Twitter and Facebook apps later this year, and some of the first 3D games for the Nvidia Tegra-powered player will be Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, and Audiosurf Tilt. (Meanwhile, older Zunes can update to software 3.2)

And as you can see below, Xbox 360 streaming is on the way… [Zune.net and PRNewsWire]

I know, another tablet rumor right? But stay with me on this one. Taiwan Economic News’ “industry sources” say it’s real, and will have a 9.6-inch touchscreen, HSPDA, a P.A SEMI processor, “long lasting battery” and cost $800 to $1000…

The new report gets more specific than previous rumors by breaking down which Taiwanese component manufacturers will handle production. They include current iPhone screen-maker, Wintek (display), and Dynapack (said to be gearing up to produce more than 300,000 batteries a month).

The supply chain is expected to start delivery to Apple in December.

Playing hypotheticals: Are you excited enough for a tablet that you’d pay that much money for no keyboard? [Taiwan Economic News via Tabletage via Engadget]