|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Well, lookie here! Seems that ThinkPad Tablet's getting more real by the hour. For what it's worth, Lenovo hasn't exactly done a laudatory job keeping its next major Honeycomb tablet under wraps, but flaunting it in public? Now that's just asking for it. According to ZTOP, the enterprise-centric Tablet will arrive within three to four weeks boasting Tegra 2 silicon, a 10.1-inch display (1280 x 800) and an optional folio / cover that might just steal the show. According to the report, it's a leather-wrapped case that contains a full-on keyboard and optical tracking sensor, presumably using a USB connector to make the magic happen. Think Clamcase, but tailored for Lenovo. There's no mention of a price on that one, but we're guessing it ain't gonna be tossed in gratis. Tap the source for one more look, and expect to hear more on the whole kit and kaboodle as July draws closer. ThinkPad Tablet shown off with keyboard-laden folio cover, could ship within a month originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 06:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  ZTOP | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | When you've had to deal out as many public apologies as Sony has had to perform over its protracted PSN hacking saga, the typical expectation is that someone somewhere will be getting fired or "reshuffled" into a new post. No firings at PlayStation headquarters, however our old pal Kaz Hirai is getting a new position as Sony Computer Entertainment Chairman, with Andrew House succeeding him in the CEO hot seat. Mr. House was previously Sony's PlayStation chief in Europe, so he's simply stepping up to be responsible for the company's global operations, but Kaz's new duties are less clearly defined. Both changes will go into effect on September 1st, a day after current Chairman Akira Sato retires, giving both Kaz and Andrew a little time to get accustomed to their new(ish) surroundings before tackling Sony's massively important PS Vita launch at the tail end of the year. Kaz Hirai to become Sony Computer Entertainment Chairman, leave Andrew House with tough CEO gig originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | After what we're guessing was a fruitful tie-up with Tron, the fine folks at Razer are back at a similar well; this time, the company's dishing out a limited run of gear that's been splashed with color and branding from the upcoming Michael Bay train wreck blockbuster, Transformers 3. Outside of being doused with red, yellow, silver and purple paint, the special edition DeathAdder mice ($69.99 a pop) are identical to the version already on the market. If that's just not enough, there's also a dual-sided Vespula mouse mat ($44.99) to commemorate the film, not to mention a foursome of colored laptop sleeves ($49.99 each) that'll make public your infatuation. Curiously absent? A handwritten letter of congratulations from Shia LaBeouf.Continue reading Razer trots out Transformers 3 Edition DeathAdder, Vespula and laptop case Razer trots out Transformers 3 Edition DeathAdder, Vespula and laptop case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Razer | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Look, Capitol Hill is a nice place to be, okay? There are interns eager to please, lobbyists keen to buy you dinner, why would you ever want to leave? Unfortunately for US Congressmen and women, the schleps who elected them insist on getting face time with their supposed representatives, which means a regular schedule of commuting getting in the way of some critically important foot massages and aromatherapy treatments. Never fear, though, Skype has come to the rescue. Microsoft's latest acquisition has scored a stamp of approval from the House of Representatives, permitting Congresspersons to use it to interact with constituents, attend virtual town hall meetings, and collaborate with other members of the House. All fun-making of lawmakers aside, this strikes us as a step in the right direction and Skype promises that it's done its homework on keeping communications secure. Let's hope so. Skype gets Congressional approval, will help Representatives stay in touch with the common people originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 03:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  ExtremeTech | Skype | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Still hanging on to those sweet site loaders hoping they'd be of use again someday? Perhaps the time has come -- for some ads and animations, that is. Google Labs has cooked up Swiffy, which takes an antediluvian SWF file and creates an HTML5 version that will run in most current browsers (Chrome and Safari, for example). The converted file is pretty close in size to the original; however, the company warns that the project is fresh out of the oven, so it won't convert your entire Flash library just yet. Even still, software that makes existing animations useful without starting from scratch? Sign us up! Check out the source link for the FAQs and some of Swiffy's handiwork, then test drive this bad boy yourself. Google unveils Swiffy: turns high maintenance Flash animations into HTML5 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Google Code | Swiffy | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It looks like the push to turn the inkjet printer into the next great manufacturer of solar cells has found another proponent in a team of engineers at Oregon State University. That group of resourceful researchers claims to have created the world's first "CIGS solar devices with inkjet printing," thus giving birth to a new production process that reduces raw material waste by 90 percent. CIGS (an acronym for copper, indium, gallium, and selenium) is a highly absorbent and efficient compound, especially suited to creating thin-film solar cells. The team has used inkjet technology to pump out a CIGS ink with an efficiency of five percent, and a potential efficiency of 12 percent; apparently enough to produce a "commercially viable solar cell." Unfortunately, the group has yet to announce plans to bring the ink to our desktop printer -- so much for that backyard solar farm. Full PR after the break.Continue reading Oregon engineers roll out cheaper, less wasteful solar cells with inkjet printer Oregon engineers roll out cheaper, less wasteful solar cells with inkjet printer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 01:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Oregon State University | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We know what you're thinking -- you like the idea of Google Apps, but the Mountain View crew kind of creeps you out. Well, don't worry, Microsoft has your back. After making its beta debut last year, Office 365 is officially ready to spread its wings and offer its productivity web app wares to the business-minded masses. For $6 per-user, per-month small businesses get access to Microsoft Office Web Apps, Exchange, SharePoint and Lync video conferencing and can take advantage of the suite's integration with WP7 once Mango lands. Larger, enterprise plans start at $10 per user while adding support for desktop Office products and Lync VoIP solutions as you climb the pricing ladder. Really there's not much more to say except, check out the full PR after the break.Continue reading Office 365 ditches the beta tag, ready to take on Google Apps Office 365 ditches the beta tag, ready to take on Google Apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Microsoft | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Last time we saw the Xtreamer Prodigy, it was shaping up to be quite the slick little media streamer with a Realtek 1185 chipset running at 500MHz, a plethora of supported codecs, and a fancy flash-based GUI with Android underpinnings. In the months since, the Prodigy hit the gym and now packs Realtek's 1186 silicon clocked at 750MHz and HDMI 1.4 for pumping out video in three dee. There's also Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, and support for up to a 3TB HDD in its 3.5-inch bay, so you can source your videos from home or abroad with the greatest of ease. Currently up for pre-order, this digital media distributing dandy will cost €149 (that's $213 here in the States), but won't ship until September. Xtreamer's Prodigy media streamer gets upgraded internals, shoots 3D video to your screen for €149 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Xtreamer | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Here's a scenario: you'd love to see the latest blockbuster, but aren't willing to fork out a month's wages to do so. Cue MoviePass, a startup seeking to make life cheaper (fiscally, not emotionally) for repeat cinema moviegoers. The $50 subscription allows for "unlimited" cinema screenings, provided you're okay with a few caveats: 3D or IMAX screenings incur a $3 surcharge, and you'll be limited to one flick per day. Tickets must also be purchased on a partner website, netting you a coupon code that's exchanged for stubs in-theater. Not the most elegant solution, but the reliance on paper prevents folks from re-watching or double-dipping while inside. If that sounds just a bit too jovial for you, the company's also considering a chopped-down $30 plan, which would impose a four movie limit each month. It's launching as a trial this weekend in San Francisco, so if you've nothing better to do, give it a go and let us know how it works out. MoviePass wants to be Netflix, but for theaters originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 21:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | MoviePass | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If there was one thing, one thing, keeping humanity safe from total enslavement to the grind of World of Warcraft, it was the fact that you have to pay to play the game for longer than a couple of weeks. Well, now we're all doomed. Blizzard is replacing its 14-day WoW trial with a so-called Starter Edition of the massively multiplayer life usurper, which lets you reach level 20 without shelling out a penny. Of course, like any good gateway drug, this freebie is capped at the thoroughly insufficient 20 number and is sure to agitate folks into buying the full product. One small step for a software company, one giant leap forward for global obesity rates. Continue reading World of Warcraft Starter Edition lets you reach lvl 20 for free, Night Elf Mohawk still only available to Mr. T World of Warcraft Starter Edition lets you reach lvl 20 for free, Night Elf Mohawk still only available to Mr. T originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Joystiq | Battle.net | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's hard to argue with Google's track record. The company has scored a hit in nearly every space in which it's dabbled: search, email, ads, office software, etc. There's always been one glaring exception to this rule, however: social networking. The company hasn't made much of a dent in a world dominated by Facebook (and, once upon a time, MySpace and Friendster). For Google+, however, the company dove in with both feet, launching a multi-faceted service that brings a lot to the table with features like Circles, Hang Out, and Huddle. Is it enough to end the Google's streak? We take a deeper dive to find out. Continue reading Google+ invite received, we go hands-on Google+ invite received, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BlackBerry PlayBook enthusiasts will want to cuddle up with their favorite blanket and a carton of ice cream, as the 10-inch version of RIM's tablet may have been given the axe. N4BB reports that its development was recently cancelled to focus on an upcoming QNX-based "superphone," said to feature a 1.2GHz single-core processor (same as on the Bold Touch 9900) and a 4.3-inch HD-quality display. It's no secret that phones powered by this platform are on the roadmap, but scrapping a PlayBook project in its behalf could indicate the company's elevated desire to get it to market even sooner than originally planned. Anything less than two cores, however, will be an unpleasant surprise; company reps have stated that a QNX-powered handset won't hit the market without a dual-core CPU inside. The motive behind this change of heart appears to be battery life concerns with the existing PlayBook's chip. The report doesn't completely rule out the possibility of an extra core getting thrown in, but we're not holding our breath. While tragic, the scrapped product will make room for other projects -- the already-announced 7-inch LTE variant is reportedly targeted for an October launch -- but since this is all hearsay, let's hold off on the eulogy for now. RIM scraps 10-inch PlayBook to focus on QNX-powered superphone? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Electronista | N4BB | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 
Google has a lot of pictures of people. Google also indexes a lot of content written by people. Ponder those two facts for just a moment and you'll come upon the search giant's Next Big Thing: highlighting authorship. Now, with a little markup magic, Google can not only track you but track what you wrote online, tying it all together so that search results written by you pop up with a picture of you, linked back to your Google Profile. It's a great way to highlight who's up to what online but, if you're not into it, opting out is as easy as doing nothing. Don't add that markup and you're free to keep musing about Muse to your heart's content without those words ever corrupting future vanity searches. Right now the program is rolling out to a select few in a pilot program, but look for it to embrace more personalities in the coming months.Google starts highlighting content creators, will never forget that music blog you had in college originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Google Inside Search | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V been available for a little while now, but it's flown somewhat under the radar when it comes to in-depth reviews. Photography Blog's now chimed in with its take on the camera, however, which is not only thorough but effusive in its praise. According to the site, the HX100V is simply one of the best super-zoom cameras they've tested (30X, in this case), with it delivering some excellent still images and best-in-class 1080p video, along with some welcome added touches including an intuitive focus / zoom ring and built-in GPS (although the latter will lead to a 25 percent hit in battery life if you leave it on all the time). Some of the few drawbacks are a lack of a RAW shooting mode, and an LCD that folds out but doesn't rotate, but the site says those are pretty easy to forgive considering everything else you get for the $400 or so asking price. Hit the source link below for the full review. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX100V gets reviewed, deemed one of the best super-zooms around originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Photography Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Quick: What costs hundreds of dollars and dies after four hours? If your answer included anything portable and tech-based -- you guessed right. In fact, most of our magical and exciting gadgetry has less-than-stellar means of holding a charge, but a recent breakthrough by Sumitomo Electric Industries could change all that. Employing the same process used to create Celmet (a NiMH component), researchers at the R&D company managed to coax aluminum into being a bit more receptive. The resulting Aluminum-Celmet has a whopping 98 percent porosity rate, leaving the Li-ion gate wide-open for a flood of electrical juice. And unlike its nickel-based brother, this piece de porous non-resistance has a steep corrosive threshold that could soon help power a line of high-capacity, small form rechargeable batteries. Production is already underway at Osaka Works, with SEI hoping to speed adoption of these franken-batts into our mass consuming mitts. Technical-jargony PR release after the break.Continue reading SEI creates new porous Aluminum-Celmet, makes rechargeable batteries last longer SEI creates new porous Aluminum-Celmet, makes rechargeable batteries last longer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Tech-On! | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Smirking as you pull down borderline-criminal speeds on your Droid Charge? Ericsson's doing you (at least) one better. The Swedish company is pushing out-of-this-stratosphere speeds to its testing van using upcoming LTE-Advanced technology; it managed to hit download speeds that exceed our paltry LTE limit by a factor of ten -- that's 1Gbps, folks. Not only is Ericsson cranking up the speed, it's also endeavoring to make the new network more efficient by offering 8x8 MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output) functionality, which enables data to be retrieved and sent faster regardless of network congestion.
Of course, these test results are taking advantage of 60MHz available bandwidth, as opposed to the global max of 20MHz and the US standard of 10 . If we'd like to see speeds of such magnitude, we'll have to come across more spectrum somewhere, and soon; Ericsson hopes to have the first phases of LTE-Advanced ready to bump up our network speeds by 2013. At that point, "faux G" will take on a whole new meaning, won't it? Full PR and video after the break.Continue reading Ericsson takes LTE-Advanced next-level, notches 1Gbps downloads in testing Ericsson takes LTE-Advanced next-level, notches 1Gbps downloads in testing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PhoneScoop | Ericsson | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Nikon engaged in a bit of conceptual product show-and-not-as-much-tell at the French Cité des sciences et de l'industrie exhibit, Hello Demain (Hello Tomorrow). The four prototype cameras on display ranged from the clearly defined -- a fully customizable SLR that swaps the lens, grip and LCD screen at your whimsy -- to the mysterious webcam dongle-ish i-Ball of unknown purpose, to a mundane six-inch screener. But the real étoile of this forward-facing soirée is that Multi-Ball cam -- guaranteed to be a panoramic morning-after hit (or cause for much hungover consternation). While these concepts reside proudly in the province of tomorrowland, it's only a matter of time before they digitally immortalize your precious visage. Check the source for additional protoplastic photographic proof. Nikon shows off concept cameras in France, says hello to tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Slashgear | Nikon Hub | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SureFire first announced its blindingly UB3T Invictus torch back in 2010, but it took until now for the company to get its 800-lumen flashlight out the door. As a point of comparison, the massive (almost as good a weapon as light) six D battery MagLite only spits out about 160 lumens -- so, yeah, the Invictus is pretty dang bright. Of course, pumping out that much illumination takes quite a toll on the three 123A cells inside its military-grade aluminum body. At maximum brightness the UB3T lasts just 1.7 hours, though, at the lowest 2-lumen setting it can keep (dimly) lighting your path for up to 150 hours. Unfortunately, you'll need to shell out $695 for the privilege of owning one, which seems a bit pricey when compared to the $150, 4,100 lumen Torch -- after all, you can't cook breakfast with the Invictus. SureFire's UB3T Invictus flashlight is super-bright, not quite incendiary originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink OhGizmo! | SureFire | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
The Engadget Show is back! Last time it was gaming, this time we go for something with a bit more variety. The show starts with Tim and Brian taking a quick look over some of the month's biggest gadgets, like the Samsung Chromebook Series 5, the HTC EVO 3D, and a pair of new readers: the Barnes & Noble Nook WiFi and the Kobo eReader Touch Edition.
After that it's sledgehammer time, where Brian and Terrence work through some pent-up frustrations by beating the silicon out of a series of durable gadgets, all captured in delicious slow motion. Some survived, some did not. Then, we all learn a lesson as Rick Karr stops by to talk about the (sorry) state of US broadband compared to the rest of the world.
Next, we take it to the streets to ask you what your most important gadgets are before being joined in the studio by the Engadget founder Peter Rojas and Editor Emeritus Ryan Block, the duo behind GDGT, to talk about the gadgets that most affected them in their time at the site and beyond, also taking some questions from eager audience members about, well, gadgety things. Finally, we all get carried deep into the aural environment of Chrome Canyon.
It's a tech-heavy, action-packed show this week that you won't want to miss. So what are you waiting for? Watch it now! The video stream is above, or download the show in HD below!
Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Special guests: Terrence O'Brien, Rick Karr, Peter Rojas, Ryan Block
Producer: Guy Streit
Director: Michelle Stahl
Executive Producers: Joshua Fruhlinger and Michael Rubens
Music and visuals by: Chrome Canyon
Taped live at AOL Studios
Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 022 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 022 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 022 (Small)
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[iPad RSS] Get the Engadget Show in iPad-friendly adaptive format.The Engadget Show - 022: Gadgets get smashed, Rick Karr talks broadband, Peter Rojas and Ryan Block tell us what moved them originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Forget that math music nerd debate, there's no controversy here -- only the sweet, sweet sounds of cascading gamma rays. Working with Nuclear Safety and Training Group, KTH and nuclear physicists from AlbaNova University Centre's KSU, Swedish art collective Kollektivet Livet pieced together interactive software that mutates ionizing radiation into polarizing music. Incorporating all 3,175 known isotopes, the Radioactive Orchestra allows users to tweak decay rate and scale resulting in a personalized, hipster head-boppin glitch-hop track. We admit this sounds like old Bjork (doesn't all bloopy music?), but it's pretty nifty considering this is the sound of environmental decay. The project also has a more noble intent -- one aimed at swapping your radioactive fears for PC-acceptance. We're not sure this is going to get the unseen 'terror' onto anyone's Facebook Like list, but it will provide a good thirty minute distraction. Headphone nutters should plug-in for the full video after the break.
[Thanks, Alexander]Continue reading Everything around you is decaying, and this is what it sounds like (video) Everything around you is decaying, and this is what it sounds like (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | The Radioactive Orchestra, Kollektivet Livet | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Intel didn't provide much indication of a release timeframe when it first teased its tablet-minded Cloverview platform back in April, but it's now finally starting to dish a few more details (though still not many specifics, unfortunately). Speaking with This is my next, Intel's Director of Product and Technology Media Relations, Bill Kircos, said that the chipmaker is looking to deliver a "nice one-two chip-software punch," and roll out the Cloverview platform and accompanying Clover Trail processor around the same time as Windows 8 -- possibly before, but seemingly no later. Of course, exactly when Windows 8 itself will launch still remains a bit of a mystery, although ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley notes that the latest rumor of a release to manufacturing in April of next year is not so crazy, and that "April sounds better than July."Intel says Cloverview platform will launch in time for Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | This is my next | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | This image purporting to be the current concept design for 3M's upcoming ereader looks awfully familiar. In fact, the similarities to the txtr reader we saw a couple of years back are pretty uncanny -- and they're likely more than skin deep, seeing as how 3M has been investing in the company. There's a decent chance, however, that the device will hit the market looking a bit different -- and hopefully with a few other changes on-board, since the txtr reader is now a bit ancient. One thing does seem fairly likely: the device will probably play nicely with 3M's recently announced Cloud Library lending service. You didn't expect 3M to let other companies have all the fun, did you? 3M reader concept looks familiar, begs you not to judge an ebook by its cover originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | The Digital Reader | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  If we were more musically inclined we might write a ballad singing the praises of graphene -- the magical material that can be used in everything from super-fast CPUs to ultra-efficient solar panels. Sadly, the truth is, we're bloggers and not rock stars for a reason, so we'll just entertain ourselves with the Royal Society's Summer Science exhibition on the carbon nano-structure instead. From July 5th through 10th the London-based science center will run a major hands-on exhibit where participants will get a chance to see graphene under a microscope and create their own single layers of of the stuff with nothing more than a pencil and some scotch tape. If getting to the Trafalgar Square-adjacent academy is out of the question, you can always fire up the promotional and educational Graphene Games, which you can download for both Android and iOS at the more coverage links.The Royal Society wants kids to make graphene, puts the miracle material in games originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Royal Society, Graphene.org | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 
If you have kids and own a tablet, chances are you've passed it to the back seat on occasion, asking your five-year-old to help you navigate to the beach, or to beat an otherwise hopeless level in Angry Birds. Now, you can reward them with a tablet of their own. Available in green and pink, the $100 LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer includes a 5-inch, 480 x 272-pixel (16:9) touchscreen, 2GB of built-in storage, and a durable housing -- but your 5-9 year old isn't going to get caught up on specs. They will take notice to the built-in camera (with video capture), microphone, stylus, and accelerometer, however -- all of which enable custom kid-friendly apps and educational games, including Disney Animation Studio, an interactive reader, and compatibility with over 100 downloadable apps and LeapFrog cartridges, which range in price from $5 to $25.
We're certainly far outside LeapPad's target demographic, but we did have a chance to go hands-on with the device earlier today, and felt that the tablet was solidly built, with a well-rounded feature set and sufficient expandability options -- for a kids toy, of course. Games and apps took advantage of the Pad's features, such as Roly Poly Picnic, which uses the accelerometer to navigate through a maze, spelling out simple, three-letter words along the way (like all apps and games, Picnic is adjustable based on your little one's age and skill level). There's also a video player (currently limited to 4:3 content), photo, and video capture apps. Shipping August 15th, the device doesn't have a ton of horsepower under the hood -- a 400MHz processor means apps won't launch with the speed and grace of an iPad 2 -- but for a $100 toy, the LeapPad will do just fine. PR and hands-on video are after the break.Continue reading LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video) LeapFrog LeapPad Explorer tablet hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | LeapFrog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Our first encounter with Nokia's N9 may have been eleven different kinds of awesome, but we knew it was a mere scratch of the high-grade polycarbonate surface. One of the core pieces of functionality we didn't get the chance to address back then was the camera, and after Nokia decided to toot that horn recently -- saying, among other things, that it's the "fastest image-capturing phone" yet -- we decided we had to go back for a second go-around.
In terms of performance, Nokia's camera application definitely lives up to the company's own hype, with nearly instant captures and an equally brisk return to a state of readiness for more image-taking. When shooting video, we noted that audio recording starts slightly later than video, leaving the first half second or so without sound. This isn't an uncommon issue and can be seen in our video sample after the break. This is also a good time to mention that the N9s we tested with today were all prototype units, so don't pre-judge Nokia's final retail hardware on the basis of what you see here. Unless your premature judgment is positive, we get the feeling Nokia wouldn't mind that.
So anyhow, we took a walk around the company's offices, escorted by a group of unarmed but surely lethal Finnish ninjas, taking shots of the surrounding cityscape as we went. The results show the N9 picking up a ton of detail and controlling noise admirably, while a few impromptu ThinkPad hands-on photos convinced us it can do a pretty stellar job with closeups as well. With a name like N9, however, it was obvious which phone we needed to compare Nokia's lone wolf MeeGo handset to, so out came our trusty N8 with its world-beating 12 megapixel sensor. Alas, in spite of having an F2.2 aperture on the N9, Nokia hasn't managed to replicate the heroics of its earlier device: the N8 shows its advantage in consistently picking out better color balance and in also being sharper throughout the frame. It makes the N9's images appear as if they were shot through a haze, though we hasten to reiterate that that should be considered a strength of the older phone rather than a major failure of the new one. Additionally, the N9 suffers from the typically narrow dynamic range of smartphone camera sensors, which is the cause of the consistently blown-out sky in our gallery images. Still, taking the quick software operation and consistently detailed imagery on offer from the N9, we'd say Nokia is on to a winner here.
Continue reading Nokia N9 camera: sample images and video Nokia N9 camera: sample images and video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Llano-based PCs are still trickling their way into the market, but if you're the enterprising type you can just up and build your own. Gigabyte just announced a family of seven A75 series of motherboards, all of which are compatible with AMD's spankin' new Fusion A6 and A8 chips and A75 chipsets. To recap, the Fusion A-Series combines a discrete-class Radeon HD GPU and either a dual- or quad-core CPU on the same die, though all of the A6 and A8 models are quad-core. These 35- and 45-watt chips are also stereoscopic 3D-capable and support USB 3.0, DirectX11, OpenCL / OpenGL, and both 1600MHz DDR3 memory and lower-power 1333MHz DDR3L memory. As for the motherboards, they allow for 108dB audio with 7.1 surround sound, and you can use Gigabyte's Easy Tune 6 utility to realize Fusion's promise of overclocking. They also use the company's DualBIOS technology to prevent failure to do BIOS corruption, while each USB port has its own fuse to prevent port failure. Hit the source link for information on where to buy, and mosy on past the break for the full PR and a short demo video.Continue reading Gigabyte intros Llano-compatible A75 motherboards for the DIY set (video) Gigabyte intros Llano-compatible A75 motherboards for the DIY set (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Gigabyte | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We don't know what your daily grind is like, but we're constantly warding off the ever-present threat of industrial espionage. For whatever reason, here's something we've yet to try: the ordinary household biscuit tin. Word has is that the thin, metal baked goods holder is great for keeping the eyes of potential saboteurs away from your secret-storing mobile devices. AFP is reporting that executives at a German chemical company have begun carrying their phones around in the boxes to protect them from the sorts of electromagnetic radiation used to steal valuable information from the handsets. No word on how many of the devices involved are running Gingerbread or similar pastry-based operating systems. Biscuit tins: your greatest defense against industrial espionage? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Textually | AFP | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As far as most of us are concerned, if we're going to pay a lot for a phone -- you know, like, $350 on contract -- it had better come with the works. We're talking a qHD display, dual-core processor, 8 megapixel camera with 1080p recording, NFC, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and a 4G radio, to boot. If you're someone who buys things made by Tag Heuer, you've got different priorities. The company just introduced the Link Phone, a darling clunker of a handset festooned with steel, 18K rose gold, or titanium, topped off with leather, alligator, rubber, and diamond accents -- a medley that'll set you back no less than €4,700 ($6,712). What's that you say? You want specs? The Link, named after the Swiss outfit's storied watch line, runs Android 2.2 -- a clear step up from its feature phone predecessor. Other ho-hum features include the 3.5-inch (800 x 480) display, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, 256MB internal memory, an 8GB memory card, 1400 mAh battery, and EDGE / HSUPA connectivity. Tag Heuer also says the phone will be particularly durable, though it's coming up short on specifics. Somehow, though, we don't think it'll survive when we accidentally drop it in our gold-plated toilet.
Continue reading Tag Heuer outs $6,700 Link Phone for those who like alligator skin with their Froyo (video) Tag Heuer outs $6,700 Link Phone for those who like alligator skin with their Froyo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | aBlogToRead | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  You'd need only a smartphone app to pinpoint every pothole on your block, but to map out more severe structural damage, you'd probably need more sophisticated equipment -- which is where Topcon's IP-S2 Lite comes in. Unveiled at last week's 3D & Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo, this road condition evaluation system is comprised of a 360-degree camera, GPS and an inclinometer. After using its camera to capture images at 16 frames per second, the IP-S2 analyzes the properties of every shot and uses this information to create 3D video footage. The contraption can also measure the height, distance and surface area of any given frame, allowing engineers to insert computer-generated images into the video (as pictured above) and to construct more accurate maps of disaster-stricken regions. In the wake of this year's devastating earthquake, for example, Japan's Geospatial Information Authority used this technology to map coastal areas of the Miyagi Prefecture, giving officials and rescue workers a better idea of the damage inflicted upon the region. You can find out more about the IP-S2 in the video after the break. [Thanks, Don] Continue reading Topcon's IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video) Topcon's IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | DigInfo TV | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Google's legal woes are piling up in a hurry. French search engine 1PlusV is suing El Goog over alleged anti-competitive practices, less than a week after the Federal Trade Commission opened a formal inquiry into similar accusations levied stateside. The suit, set to be filed in a Paris court this week, claims that Google uses its market dominance to bury rival search results while unfairly promoting those for its own services. According to 1PlusV, Google "black-listed" 30 of its vertical search engines between 2007 and 2010, making it difficult for the firm to compete. The company is also complaining about having to adopt Mountain View's technology in order to use AdSense and, in total, is seeking €295 million (about $418 million) in damages -- the largest damage claim Google has ever faced in Europe. 1PlusV operates the legal search group EJustice.fr and, along with Microsoft, helped spur an EU antitrust probe against Google last year. The company says its forthcoming lawsuit represents the "logical" next step in its ongoing antitrust crusade, while Google issued a brief statement, saying it "look[s] forward to explaining this." Google to face €295 million French lawsuit over alleged anti-competitive practices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | BBC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We know you're going to be shocked -- shocked! -- to hear this, but NVIDIA's gone and refreshed its high-end line of GeForce GTX cards. The GTX 580M takes the place of the GTX 485M, and NVIDIA's bragging that it's the "fastest notebook GPU ever," capable of besting the Radeon HD 6970M's tesselation performance by a factor of six. The new GTX 570M, meanwhile, promises a 20 percent speed boost over the last-generation 470M. Both 40-nanometer cards support DirectX11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus, SLI, and 3DTV Play. As for battery life, NVIDIA's saying that when coupled with its Optimus graphics switching technology, the 580M can last through five hours of Facebook, but last we checked, that's not why y'all are shelling out thousands for beastly gaming rigs. You can find the 580M in the Alienware M17X and M18X (pictured) starting today, though you might have to wait a week or so for them to ship. Meanwhile, the 570M is shipping in the MSI GT780R as you read this, and you'll also find the 580M in a pair of 3D-capable Clevo laptops: the P170HM3 and the SLI-equipped P270WN. Handy chart full 'o technical details after the break. Continue reading NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R NVIDIA announces GeForce GTX 580M and 570M, availability in the Alienware M18x and MSI GT780R originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | You may have noticed that Steve Jobs isn't nitpicking anymore over how Google measures the number of Android activations. It probably has something to do with the fact that, no matter how you slice it, at this point Android's growth is outpacing that of the iOS. In fact, according to Andy Rubin, 500,000 new Android devices are activated every day, and that number is continuing to grow. Heck, as of December that number was only 300,000 -- that's a 60-percent increase in just over seven months. At this rate there will be more Android phones than people in just a few short years. There might not be enough food and potable water to sustain the Earth's ever growing population, but at least everyone will be able to tweet about it.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Andy Rubin: over 500,000 Android activations a day, and growing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Andy Rubin (Twitter) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Now that we've seen Sony's new VAIO Z in its luscious press shots, it's time to face reality and lay our itchy hands on this 13-inch ultraportable laptop, along with its eccentric expansion dock that packs both a Blu-ray drive and an AMD Radeon HD 6650M graphics chip (with 1GB of video RAM). Just as we were told by our little birdie, said dock is connected to the notebook via Light Peak -- a first for Sony -- but there's a catch: Sony's only implementing the architecture and not the connector, so for the time being, this sweet high speed connection is only compatible with the docking unit and nothing else. Anyhow, here's a quick recap: what we have here is a 1.18kg feather-light machine packing a 256GB SSD and 1.3 megapixel webcam, plus a matte LCD display with resolution at 1600 x 900 or an optional 1920 x 1080. Oh yes, for an extra cost, you get some sweet full HD action at just 13 inches. This upgraded display performed well in the relatively dark confines of the press event, but how it fares under direct sunlight remains to be seen. Read on for more hands-on impression. Continue reading Sony's new VAIO Z ultraportable laptop with Power Media Dock hands-on Sony's new VAIO Z ultraportable laptop with Power Media Dock hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 07:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sure, you could have fired up Fring to make four-way video calls from your iPad 2 this whole time, but you'd have saddled with an iPhone-sized interface on your 9.7-inch IPS screen. And, as we say around the Engadget compound -- tablet optimized or get the frack out. OK, we don't really say that, but everything is better when it's designed for the screen you intend to use it on. So, we're very pleased to tell you that Fring has been updated with proper iPad support (cue cheers). Basically there's no reason to use Facetime now, with its lame single-caller and WiFi only limitations. Hit up the source link if you're in the group video chatting mood. Fring optimizes its four-way video calling app for smiley iPad 2 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink SlashGear | Fring | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Tired of the ho hum amenities within your luxury SUV? Us too. Luckily for affluent drivers in Taiwan, the THINK+ in-car computer situated within the comfy confines of the LUXGEN7 MPV offers plenty of innovation. First, the vehicle boasts an anti-theft seat feature that pinches the driver's seat up against the steering wheel -- some would call it old-fashioned frustration, but we'll just stick with "brilliant." Moving right along, an intelligent powered tailgate can be configured as a means to prevent collisions in tight spaces. The whip also has four visual assistance systems that include 360 degree surveillance, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and a night vision enhancement system. At a price comparable to other luxury SUVs on the US market (around $25,800 to $35,400), there's just one convenience missing that Taipei's taxis seem to already have: unchecked television access. Continue reading Taiwan's revised LUXGEN7 SUV offers THINK+ computer, defends itself from thieves Taiwan's revised LUXGEN7 SUV offers THINK+ computer, defends itself from thieves originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Autoblog | Luxgen | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As far as sports go, the one where you drive cars around in circles several times is likely not one of the most energy efficient. With that in mind, it's nice to see locations like Northern California's Infineon Raceway working toward sustainability, announcing this week the installation of more than 1,600 solar panels. The panels, manufactured by Panasonic, will provide around 41-percent of the Infineon's energy usage. Also on its list of earth-friendly features: a solar-powered billboard and 3,000 sheep, which take care of a lot of the lawn mowing on the grounds and apparently aren't of the electric variety. Continue reading California raceway gets 1,600 solar panels, flaunts green track status California raceway gets 1,600 solar panels, flaunts green track status originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 05:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Inhabitat | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Say hello to your new online friend, wdyl.com. An eagle-eyed TechCrunch tipster spotted this freshly launched Google portal, whose purpose it seems to be to gather up all of the company's multifarious web services under one umbrella. A Google search for Google products, in other words. Punching in a topic brings up its popularity in Google Trends, lets you set up Google Alerts, plan related events in Google Calendar, email someone in Gmail, or hit up Picasa, YouTube or Google News with the same query. You get the picture. It hasn't yet been made official and hitting up the site without the "www." prefix throws up a bad URL error at the moment, but it's there and seemingly fully functional. Give it a try and let us know which search terms bring up the most humorous results. What do you love, asks Google with a new portal to its many web services originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TechCrunch | What do you love? | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | You probably wouldn't pay $6 for an iPhone app that lets you browse through car models and pump stereo exhaust sounds directly to your drums. But a $6 Aston Martin Experience app that also displays speed and Gs as you film your drive from behind the wheel of a 2011 Rapide? We might be in love. The British automaker's latest app can do all of the above, and also includes a list of "top roads" -- most of which are in Europe. Our friends at Autoblog paired the app with a loaner Rapide (and we thought playing with cell phones was cool), driving up California's Aston-approved Pacific Coast Highway. The reviewers may have spent more time focusing on the car than the app, but when you're driving a $200,000, 477 horsepower aluminum beast for the first time, the iPhone easily becomes an afterthought. Aston claims that the Experience can be had with any other car, but if you're looking to get the experience, be prepared to spent a little more than six bucks. Aston Martin Experience could be the ultimate iPhone accessory, but you're gonna want the car originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Autoblog | Apple | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Remember the unmodified Nissan Leaf that dared to take on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb? No, it didn't win the electric vehicle class, but it did have the honor of playing second fiddle to a new paladin. By pairing the motor they used to set last year's EV record with a new high-performance cooling system, Team Yokohama managed to shave nearly a minute off of their previous record-setting time, completing the course in 12 minutes and 20 seconds. The Leaf? It leisurely drifted through the finish line at 14 minutes, 33 seconds. Not the quickest way to the top, but let's be fair -- if it's a choice between being comfortable or being king of the hill, we'll stretch our legs, thanks. Yokohama EV sets new Pikes Peak Hill Climb record, leaves Leaf blowing in the wind originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink EVWORLD | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Well, we'd seen plenty of pictures of T-Mobile's new myTouch 4G Slide over the past couple of weeks, and now it's official. T-mo's newest handset packs a 1.2 GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor and a 3.7-inch WVGA super LCD screen with some tasty Gingerbread slathered in Sense 3.0. There's also an 8-megapixel shooter that does low-light photos with a wide-aperture lens capable of f2.2 -- just like that new Nokia N9 that has us all hot and bothered. The camera also has burst mode for snapping rapid fire photos, HDR picture taking capabilities, and does 1080p videos, too. It's slated for a July release, so there isn't much longer to wait until we can indulge our inner Ansel Adams. Unfortunately, T-Mobile isn't telling how much it'll cost, but there's a video and plenty of other details in the PR after the break. Continue reading T-Mobile announces myTouch 4G Slide, aims to take smartphone photography to new heights T-Mobile announces myTouch 4G Slide, aims to take smartphone photography to new heights originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
Rick Karr is a journalist and frequent contributor to 
