Samsung Mobile Display promises 10x increase in production next year, end to ... - 8 Sep 2010 at 5:44am - We already knew about Samsung's grand plans for expanding its display production in 2011, but now we also have a number to give us a sense of scale: 30 million. That's how many screens the new Mobile Display fab (set to go live in July) will be able to churn out in a month, a vastly superior rate than the current 3 million maximum. Lee Woo-Jong, the display business' marketing VP, tells us its estimates for AMOLED market demand have been revised upwards to 700 million units in 2015, with the new facility obviously being the key cog in making that growth happen. Intriguingly, he also notes that Super AMOLED -- one of the big attractions of the Galaxy S line of Samsung phones -- is not exclusive to Samsung's electronics arm, everyone can apparently use it. That directly contradicts what we heard from Sammy's mobile reps, but then this is hardly the first time that one part of Samsung doesn't know what the other is doing. Still, it's nice to at least dream of a S-AMOLED HTC HD7, no?Samsung Mobile Display promises 10x increase in production next year, end to AMOLED shortages originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Daily Tech | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments
Five Takes Each on Apple's iPod Touch, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle [Apple] - 8 Sep 2010 at 5:40am - #apple With the latest iPods shipping this week, you'll be wanting to know whether an upgrade is necessary—or whether to take the plunge into the wild world of iPoddery. So far, this is what the reviews are saying: More »
Translating Brain Waves Into Words - 8 Sep 2010 at 5:17am - cortex writes with an excerpt from the L.A. Times: "In a first step toward helping severely paralyzed people communicate more easily, Utah researchers have shown that it is possible to translate recorded brain waves into words, using a grid of electrodes placed directly on the brain. ... The device could benefit people who have been paralyzed by stroke, Lou Gehrig's disease or trauma and are 'locked in' — aware but unable to communicate except, perhaps, by blinking an eyelid or arduously moving a cursor to pick out letters or words from a list. ... Some researchers have been attempting to 'read' speech centers in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp. But such electrodes 'are so far away from the electrical activity that it gets blurred out,' [University of Utah bioengineer Bradley] Greger said. ... He and his colleagues instead use arrays of tiny microelectrodes that are placed in contact with the brain, but not implanted. In the current study, they used two arrays, each with 16 microelectrodes." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Keepin' it real fake: N-KIA E68 shows what an innovative Nokia handset might ... - 8 Sep 2010 at 5:09am - Yo Nokia, you can keep your E5 and its HD Voice fanciness, we want ourselves an N-KIA E68. Why, we hear the enraged Nokia acolyte ask, why would we defile Nokia's good name in such a manner? Mostly because this phone has one of the most fun and ingenious slider mechanisms we've seen yet. So what if we've got no idea what wannabe OS it's running and so what if it'll most likely fall apart on us a month into owning it? We still want one, dammit! Video after the break.
[Thanks, Derrty]Continue reading Keepin' it real fake: N-KIA E68 shows what an innovative Nokia handset might look like (video) Keepin' it real fake: N-KIA E68 shows what an innovative Nokia handset might look like (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 05:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Tudou | Email this | Comments
The great atomic bomb cake controversy of 1946 [Atomic Energy] - 8 Sep 2010 at 5:00am - #atomicenergy In 1946, a mushroom cloud-shaped cake was served at a Washington D.C. military party celebrating the task force that oversaw atomic tests in the Pacific post-World War II. The photo of this garish pastry caused a bizarre international fracas. More »
Xbox 360 250GB plus Kinect bundle priced at $399 in US, £300 in UK - 8 Sep 2010 at 4:27am - Microsoft has chosen the small hours of the night to announce pricing of its second Kinect bundle, which is set for launch along with the standalone and 4GB options on November 4 in the USA and November 10 across Europe. The new package throws in the 250GB slim version of the Xbox 360 to accompany the newfangled motion tracker and a copy of the utterly unmissable Kinect Adventures! (it has its own punctuation, it must be good). Pricing is a bit on the painful side, with Kotaku reporting a $399 figure for the US and Microsoft confirming to us a £300 sticker for this "special edition" bundle for the UK. Full press release follows after the break.Continue reading Xbox 360 250GB plus Kinect bundle priced at $399 in US, £300 in UK Xbox 360 250GB plus Kinect bundle priced at $399 in US, £300 in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink CrunchGear | Kotaku | Email this | Comments
New Xbox 360 Bundle Includes Kinect, 250GB Hard Drive [Microsoft] - 8 Sep 2010 at 4:02am - #microsoft Microsoft has tonight officially revealed a new Xbox 360 hardware bundle, almost a month to the day it was inadvertently leaked via some packaging shots. More »
Nokia N8 officially for sale last week of September, UK shops October 1st - 8 Sep 2010 at 3:56am - At last, an official date for Nokia's N8 flagship Symbian^3 handset. This one's been a long time coming, featuring the first of two major Symbian updates meant to bring Nokia's smartphone division in line with the competition. Look for it in the "last week of September" at Nokia's on-line shops for £429 SIM free, or free with £35 per month contract. Otherwise, it'll hit the UK high street shops on October 1st. See the full announcement after the break.Continue reading Nokia N8 officially for sale last week of September, UK shops October 1st Nokia N8 officially for sale last week of September, UK shops October 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Nokia N8 On Sale This Month at Their Online Store [Nokia] - 8 Sep 2010 at 3:53am - There's been much contention over the release date of Nokia's coming flagship phone, however the company has just stated the N8 will be available (in the UK, at least) for £429 SIM-free in the last week of this month, at their online store. From the 1st of October, Carphone Warehouse, O2, Orange, Phones4u, T-Mobile, Tesco Phone Shops, Three Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone will be selling it too. More »
Infinite Mario With Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment - 8 Sep 2010 at 3:32am - bgweber writes "There's been a lot of discussion about whether games should adapt to the skills of players. However, most current techniques limit adaptation to parameter adjustment. But if the parameter adaptation is applied to procedural content generation, then new levels can be generated on-line in response to a player's skill. In this adaptation of Infinite Mario (with source [.JAR]), new levels are generated based on the performance of the player. What other gameplay mechanics are open for adaptation when games adapt to the skills of specific players?" Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Mophie's $80 Juice Pack Air ships to power-hungry iPhone 4 owners - 8 Sep 2010 at 3:29am - My, how far we've come. Believe it or not, Mophie's Juice Pack pack is in its seventh generation of product development, with the latest 'Air' supporting Apple's polarizing iPhone 4. For those unaware, these cases nearly double the battery life of the phone they're wrapped around, and better still, it acts as protection against drops and dropped calls. Fancy that! This little guy is said to provide up to six extra hours of 3G talk time, 36 hours of bonus audio playback or nine hours of video playback. It's shipping now, just like we said, to those willing to part ways with $79.95, and it's available in any color you want, so long as it's black.Continue reading Mophie's $80 Juice Pack Air ships to power-hungry iPhone 4 owners Mophie's $80 Juice Pack Air ships to power-hungry iPhone 4 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Mophie | Email this | Comments
Verizon sweetens Samsung Fascinate deal with Buy One Get One Free offer - 8 Sep 2010 at 2:31am - Yes, that fateful day is upon us, the Samsung Fascinate has made its debut on Verizon's online store pages, and it's arrived with a quite unusual (for a top tier handset) sweetener. When buying one Fascinate, you're given the option to obtain a second one for free. Well, the hardware would be free, you'd need two-year commitments on both phones with a minimum monthly data plan of $29.99 a piece, but it's still the nicest thing Verizon's done for us since it started throwing out free Pixi Pluses with purchases of Palm's webOS handsets. You should also bear in mind your initial outlay here is a quite lofty $400, with two separate $100 mail-in rebates bringing the cost down. So it's free in pecuniary terms, but probably not free of headaches.
[Thanks, Mike]Verizon sweetens Samsung Fascinate deal with Buy One Get One Free offer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Verizon | Email this | Comments
Dual-Core CPU Opens Door To 1080p On Smartphones - 8 Sep 2010 at 2:27am - An anonymous reader writes "Following Qualcomm, Samsung is also close to launching a new smartphone processor with two cores. Based on ARM architecture, the new Orion processor promises five times the graphics performance of current chips and to enable 1080p video recording and playback. Next year, it seems, dual-core smart phones will be all the rage. Apple, which is generally believed to have the most capable processor in the market today, may be under pressure to roll out a dual-core iPhone next year as well." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
India's $35 Android tablet reportedly on track for January launch - 8 Sep 2010 at 1:57am - It seemed like a bit of a stretch from the beginning, but it looks like India's $35 Android tablet is intent on proving the skeptics wrong -- the Indian government has just announced that it's awarded the manufacturing contract to HCL Technologies (makers of the once world's cheapest laptop), and that the first batch of tablets are slated to be available by January 10th. That initial run will reportedly only include the 7-inch model that we've been seeing all along, but there's also apparently 5-inch and 9-inch versions planned for launch at a later date. We also presume that the tablet is still hanging onto that $35 price tag (for university students, at least), but that key detail is curiously absent from this latest announcement.India's $35 Android tablet reportedly on track for January launch originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Technically Personal | Email this | Comments
Man Replaces Ex-Girlfriend With Silicone Clone [Sex Toys] - 8 Sep 2010 at 1:20am - #sextoys Some men buy sophisticated, ultra-realistic sex dolls choosing face models, body types, bust sizes, and even adding sensors that make them moan. This is the first time, however, that I've heard of a man cloning his ex-girlfriend in silicone. More »
Genius Ring Mouse slips around your finger, cues up Beyonce jams - 8 Sep 2010 at 1:02am - Genius quietly introduced the Ring Mouse back at Computex, but little was said about the curious critter up until last week. Our pals over at Engadget Spanish managed some alone time with the device at IFA, and while we can't imagine any long-term mouse user being able to grasp this (mentally, not physically) without first overcoming a steep learning curve, those more accustomed to cellphone optical pads may be in good shape. Put simply, the ring has an optical trackpad ("Opto Touch Wheel") and an embedded 2.4GHz wireless model; wearers use their thumb to navigate the cursor, while miniature left / right click buttons do exactly what you'd expect. There's still nary a word on price, but here's hoping that we can wrap our hands -- er, something -- around this in the not-too-distant future.
P.S. - These guys are big, big fans.Genius Ring Mouse slips around your finger, cues up Beyonce jams originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Engadget Spanish | Email this | Comments
Safety Plug Concept Keeps Away Curious Kiddies' Fingers [Concept] - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:40am - #concept Childproofing is a pretty good idea for most new families. Children (and probably some adults) like to stick things in places they shouldn't go. This safety plug concept should eliminate that (for outlets at least). [Yanko Design] More »
Fiber lives on! How broadband decided Australia's election - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:15am - Australia's plan to run fiber-optic cable to 93 percent of the country's homes and provide minimum 100Mbps speeds (the rest of the country will get 12Mbps, delivered by wireless and next-generation satellite) was always ambitious, but even its most enthusiastic backers never expected that a national broadband plan would actually determine the country's next prime minister. But that's exactly what just happened. Australia has broken a two-and-a-half week deadlock resulting from its August 21 national elections. No party won an outright majority, and forming a coalition government proved tricky. Numerous issues were on the table, but one of the key differentiators between the parties was the future of the government-backed NBN Company?the entity that oversees construction and operation of the national broadband network. Read the comments on this post
Nikon's First Pro-Worthy Point-and-Shoot [Digital Cameras] - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:01am - #digitalcameras Oh, I've been waiting for this little camera for a long time: A pro-worthy Nikon point-and-shoot. After the bizarre melange of features in Nikon's last flagship camera—uh, ethernet jack?—the P7000 is nakedly all about performance. More »
?Nikon Coolpix S8100: A 1080p, 10x Zoom Point-and-Shoot That Actually Fits In... - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:01am - #digitalcameras Any point-and-shoot can fit in your bag, but not every point-and-shoot can fit in your pants. The super-slim Nikon S8100, however, doesn't sacrifice power for pocketability: it shoots 1080p video; and has 10x optical zoom and 10fps full-res high-speed shooting. More »
Nikon Coolpix S8100 gets 1080p video, S80 sprouts an OLED touchscreen - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:01am - In addition to the intriguing new Coolpix P7000, Nikon also announced the Coolpix S8100 (pictured above) and S80 tonight -- sure, they're not the dramatic new models, but they're certainly respectable updates to the S8000 and S70. The S8100 actually learned one trick from the P7000: it's dropped the megapixel count to 12.1 from the S8000's 14.2 in order to improve light sensitivity -- it can now hit ISO 3200 natively, which isn't bad for a tiny cam with a 10x zoom. It's also got a new 1080p movie mode and a faster 10fps burst mode -- although we're told it can only burst five frames at a time, so that's not nearly as interesting. It'll hit later this month in a few colors for $299.
The S80 goes the other way, boosting the megapixel count to 14.1 from the S70's 12.1, and upping the 3.5-inch touchscreen to OLED. The touchscreen enables all the same snazzy tricks as on the new S1100pj, including the ability to draw right on your pictures, and and the 720p movie mode and 5x optical zoom are unchanged. It'll hit this fall in all sorts of colors for $329. Honestly, we're still not entirely sold on touchscreen controls for cameras to begin with, and on top of that we're definitely concerned that OLED will make a touchscreen camera virtually useless in daylight, but we'll wait to see this thing in person before we rain too hard on this parade. Check a pic of the S80 along with both press releases after the break.Continue reading Nikon Coolpix S8100 gets 1080p video, S80 sprouts an OLED touchscreen Nikon Coolpix S8100 gets 1080p video, S80 sprouts an OLED touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Nikon Coolpix P7000 brings manual heat to the prosumer level - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:01am - Well well -- what's this? Look like all those rumors about Nikon licking its wounds and gunning hard for the high-end compact camera market were true: this hot little piece is the new Coolpix P7000, Nikon's answer to the Canon G11. Like we'd heard, it actually drops the megapixel count from the P6000, with a 10.1 megapixel CCD sensor that can hit ISO 6400 sensitivity natively and 12,800 when boosted behind a f/2.8-5.6 7.1x VR zoom lens and a three-inch 921,000-dot LCD display. It also has full manual controls for virtually every setting, an optical viewfinder and accessory hot shoe, RAW support, and a 720p/24 movie mode with VR and continuous autofocus that might actually be useful for more than just casual shooting because there's a mic jack. There's also the usual range of Coolpix automatic adjustments and modes, of course, but come on -- look at all those manual dials and buttons, people. It'll hit later this month for $499.99 -- we're definitely requesting a review unit to put this head to head with seemingly-similar G11 and others pro compacts like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, so stay tuned. PR after the break.Gallery: Nikon's Coolpix P7000 brings manual heat to the prosumer level Continue reading Nikon Coolpix P7000 brings manual heat to the prosumer level Nikon Coolpix P7000 brings manual heat to the prosumer level originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Nikon Coolpix S80 Point-and-Shoot: 14.1MP with a 3.5" OLED Touchscreen [... - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:00am - #digitalcameras The Nikon Coolpix S80 takes up where the S70 left off: bumping the megapixels up to 14.1 (from 12.1), upgrading the 3.5" touchscreen to OLED, and rounding some corners for a decidedly sleeker (like .7" thick sleek) look. More »
Willow Garage now selling the PR2 for $400k a pop - 8 Sep 2010 at 12:00am - While it was fun while it lasted, it was obvious that Willow Garage couldn't keep giving away its ultra-high-end development platform PR2 bots forever. After shipping 11 of the bots to research institutes, Willow Garage is now selling the PR2 to all comers -- as long as they've got 400 grand in their back pocket. We've covered the specs before (oodles of CPU power, two highly articulated pincer arms, and high-end vision systems), along with some of PR2's recent hijinks, and hopefully we see more of that sort of stuff now that the rugged, ready-for-adventure PR2 is on the market. If you can't scrap together all the cash, Willow Garage will also be offering a discount $280k version to people and institutions that can demonstrate "past performance and leadership" in open source robotics software -- a topic obviously near and dear to Willow Garage's heart with ROS, the OS that powers PR2 and is slowly spreading throughout much of the world of higher-end personal robotics.
As for the high price and its generally opaque business model, Willow Garage compares the current state of its industry to high end workstations in the 70s, back when researchers were spending more money and time figuring out what their computers could do than actually accomplishing anything with them. Willow Garage isn't planning on making any sort of killing in the business yet -- they'd just be happy to have the PR2 project at a self sustaining level -- but they're working toward what they see as the "next radical shift" in productivity, a personal robotics follow-up to the personal computer revolution. This is a future similar to the one Bill Gates was talking up back in 2006, but of course Willow Garage wants its open source ROS platform to be the "Microsoft" this time around. They certainly don't plan to corner the hardware market in the process, however: the company hopes the quasi-followup to the PR2 will actually be built by multiple companies. Gallery: Willow Garage PR2 press shots Willow Garage now selling the PR2 for $400k a pop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Willow Garage | Email this | Comments
Oracle Calls HP Lawsuit "Vindictive" and Damaging to Partnership [L... - 7 Sep 2010 at 11:23pm - #lawsuits Earlier we heard that HP is suing its former CEO, Mark Hurd, to protect trade secrets. Now we're hearing the harsh response coming from Hurd's new employer, Oracle: More »
Watch How Watches Work [Watches] - 7 Sep 2010 at 11:20pm - #watches How do those second hands keep ticking off the minutes, and minute hands the hours, and hours the days? The same way they have since long before this 1949 explanatory video was made: gears, springs, and so much more. More »
Mozilla Labs To Promote Open Web Gaming - 7 Sep 2010 at 11:10pm - An anonymous reader writes "Mozilla Labs has started an initiative to promote and develop gaming based on Open Web technologies. They write, 'We are excited to present to you the latest initiative from Mozilla Labs: Gaming. Mozilla Labs Gaming is all about games built, delivered and played on the Open Web and the browser. We want to explore the wider set of technologies which make immersive gaming on the Open Web possible. We invite the wider community to play with cool, new tech and aim to help establish the Open Web as the platform for gaming across all your Internet connected devices.' To that end Mozilla Labs will launch Game On 2010, a game development competition, at the end of September." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
All-optical quantum communication networks nearly realized, 'Answers to Life'... - 7 Sep 2010 at 11:04pm - Ready to get swept away into the wild, wild abyss known as quantum computing? If not, we're certain there's a less mentally taxing post above or below, but for those who answered the call, researchers at the University of California Santa Cruz have a doozie to share. A team of whiz kids at the institution have developed a minuscule optical device that's built into a silicon chip, and it's capable of reducing the speed of light by a factor of 1,200. If you're wondering why on Earth humans would be interested in doing such a thing, here's the long and short of it: the ability to control light pulses on an integrated chip-based platform "is a major step toward the realization of all-optical quantum communication networks, with potentially vast improvements in ultra-low-power performance." Today, data transmitted along optical fibers must still eventually be converted to electronic signals before they're finally understood, but the promise of an all-optical data processing system could obviously reduce inefficiencies and create communication networks that are far quicker and more robust. There's still no telling how far we are from this becoming a reality -- after all, we've been hearing similar since at least 2006 -- but at least these folks seem to be onto something good... even if it's all too familiar.All-optical quantum communication networks nearly realized, 'Answers to Life' airing at 9PM originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Physorg | University of California Santa Cruz | Email this | Comments
130-MPH Dining Table Makes Anything Fast Food [Records] - 7 Sep 2010 at 10:40pm - #records Because we're apparently running out of things to invent, a man named Perry Watkins has concocted a Queen Anne dining table that reached top speeds of 130mph in a recent track test. No word on how the soufflé fared. More »
Court OKs Warrantless Cell-Site Tracking [Privacy] - 7 Sep 2010 at 10:20pm - #privacy A federal appeals court said Tuesday the government may obtain cell-site information mobile phone carriers retain on their customers without a probable cause warrant under the Fourth Amendment. More »
Premier Chat 006: Kyle Wiens, cofounder of iFixit - 7 Sep 2010 at 10:12pm - Announcing another in our series of subscriber-only features: a live, moderated webchat with Kyle Wiens. Kyle is the cofounder of the extremely popular gadget repair site iFixit. iFixit started out providing tear-down guides, tools, and replacement parts for Apple products, but has since branched out to all manner of gadgets, from phones to video game consoles (read our profile of the company). iFixit's primary mission is to make the world a cleaner and better place by reducing gadget waste through educational tools like free and open repair guides in addition to providing access to hard-to-find tools and parts. This live chat is only available to Ars Premier subscribers and begins at 1pm CDT on Wednesday, September 8 (see it in your own timezone). The discussion will center on iFixit's mission of educating individuals on repairing their gadgets (rather than tossing them) and their adventures in dissecting the latest gadgetry. Read the comments on this post
Quantum Chess Kills Computers [Chess] - 7 Sep 2010 at 10:00pm - #chess An undergraduate computer science student has created a "quantum chess" game that stumps computers' ability to search all possible outcomes of possible moves by having chess pieces mimic particles that are subject to quantum mechanics. More »
Calling all developers! FCC releases APIs for key databases - 7 Sep 2010 at 9:55pm - Perhaps you've been burning to build an online feature around some interesting government data source; if so, the Federal Communications Commission just made the task simpler. The agency has released the Application Programming Interface (API) specs for four of its big repositories of information: its consumer broadband test, broadband provider database, license owner storehouse, and latitude/longitude to county converter. "We want the FCC's Web presence to be larger than a single Web site," FCC Geographic Information Officer Michael Byrne posted on Tuesday. "We want the developer community to run with these APIs to make mash-ups and data calls connecting FCC data assets to other sources for creative and useful applications to the public." Although the Commission has done a fine job of making its public filings much more accessible, that's only the tip of the vast data iceberg which is the FCC. The biggest challenge is figuring out where this juicy stuff actually resides at fcc.gov. Read the comments on this post
XWave Headset Lets You Control iPhone Apps With Your BRAIN [MindControl] - 7 Sep 2010 at 9:20pm - #mindcontrol You could argue that the iPhone's biggest UI leap was turning the user's finger into a stylus. Now, with the PLX XWave headest, you can turn your BRAIN into the stylus. Or your finger? My head hurts already. More »
Microsoft investigates public IE CSS XSS flaw; Twitter, Hotmail vulnerable - 7 Sep 2010 at 9:10pm - Late last week, a security flaw in Internet Explorer 8 was publicly disclosed to the Full Disclosure mailing list. The flaw allows attackers to steal private information from online services such as web mail and Twitter, allowing attackers to, for example, delete e-mails or send tweets from their victims' accounts. The post was made by Google employee Chris Evans. He stated that the reason for going public was to try to persuade Microsoft to fix the problem—the new flaw is a variant on an older attack, and the details of the flaw were made public in a paper authored by Carnegie Mellon students that Evans reviewed. While the other major browser vendors have made fixes to their browsers to prevent attack—Chrome 4.0.249.78, Safari 4.0.5, and most recently Firefox 3.6.7 and 3.5.11 all include protection against the flaw—Microsoft has thus far failed to update Internet Explorer to provide protection. Read the comments on this post
iPod touch review (2010) - 7 Sep 2010 at 9:01pm - At Apple's last event, Steve Jobs called the iPod touch the company's "most popular iPod," and it's easy to understand why. In just a few short years, the iPhone-with-no-phone has kept in lockstep with Cupertino's halo device, benefitting from the same kind of constant hardware and software updating that has helped turned the iPhone into an iconic gadget. The touch has been right alongside the iPhone's meteoric rise in popularity, becoming the go-to second-pocket slab for millions. There are good reasons, too. Apple boasts about gaming on the device -- claiming it beats out both Nintendo's and Sony's offerings in sales... combined. While we can't concede that the device is a dedicated game console, it most definitely games. And it's still an iPod, an internet device, and a thousand other things thanks to Apple's vastly populous App Store. Now the player has once again reaped the rewards of iPhone updates, boasting a new Retina Display, the A4 CPU, two cameras which allow for FaceTime calling and 720p video recording, and all the new features of the company's latest mobile operating system, iOS 4.1. But despite all of the plusses, we still have to ask: is the little do-everything box still worth the premium price tag? We took a deep dive on the latest model and have the verdict, so read on to find out.
Gallery: iPod touch (2010) hands-on Continue reading iPod touch review (2010) iPod touch review (2010) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
iPod nano review (2010) - 7 Sep 2010 at 9:00pm - Apple's sixth generation of the iPod nano is essentially the first complete rethinking the product has had since its debut in 2005. The previous form factor -- slim and light with a decently sized display and clickwheel -- has been all but abandoned. The new design is a complete departure; a full touchscreen device that brings to mind something more like a large, living postage stamp than a portable music player. Along with the radical hardware redesign, Apple has infused the media player with a brand new operating system as well -- an interface that looks and plays more like iOS than iPod. We've spent the past week or so knocking the nano around to see if it's worth your hard-earned dollars, and we've got the answers inside -- so read on for our full review.
Gallery: iPod nano (2010) hands-on
Continue reading iPod nano review (2010) iPod nano review (2010) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Equinox Clock Looks Like a Colorful Dyson Air Multiplier [DIY] - 7 Sep 2010 at 8:40pm - #diy The Equinox Clock is an Arduino based creation that lets you tell time day or night with a rainbow-hued ring of LEDs illuminating your wall. Its hollow circular shape looks a lot like that bladeless fan, the Dyson Air Multiplier. More »
Feature: The death and rebirth of Duke Nukem Forever: a history - 7 Sep 2010 at 8:35pm - Duke Nukem Forever was announced in 1997, after its predecessor, Duke Nukem 3D, had rocked the PC market with a hero who liked kicking ass, hanging out with strippers, and murdering alien police officers that were, literally, pigs. It was inappropriate, raunchy, and amazing. It was also one of the games that gave 3D Realms the success that brought its destruction. Duke Nukem Forever began life as a completely self-funded game; its developer wanted nothing less than perfection, and would chase every update in technology in order to deliver it. The game saw monumental delays, suffered the slings and arrows of a gaming world that was first angry and then tolerant of its favorite whipping boy, had its home taken away, and has since risen from the dead. Is the public still interested in Duke Nukem? Hell yes it is. This is the story of the gaming industry's favorite joke, and how Duke may finally have the last laugh. Read the comments on this post
The State of Mapping APIs, 5 Years On - 7 Sep 2010 at 8:24pm - macslocum writes "Map APIs took off in 2005, and during the ensuing years the whole notion of maps has changed. Where once they were slick add-ons, map functionality is now a necessary — and expected — tool. In this piece, Adam DuVander looks at the current state of mapping and he explains how mobile devices, third-party services and ease of use are shaping the map development world." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Larry Ellison on HP's Mark Hurd lawsuit: 'virtually impossible for Oracle and... - 7 Sep 2010 at 8:20pm - Uh, wow. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison just released a statement in response to HP suing former CEO Mark Hurd for taking a position as Oracle's co-president, and well, just read it:
Oracle has long viewed HP as an important partner," said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. "By filing this vindictive lawsuit against Oracle and Mark Hurd, the HP board is acting with utter disregard for that partnership, our joint customers, and their own shareholders and employees. The HP Board is making it virtually impossible for Oracle and HP to continue to cooperate and work together in the IT marketplace. Yeah. Homeboy isn't playing around. Of course, HP's entire lawsuit hinges on the court agreeing that HP and Oracle are actually direct competitors in the enterprise space, and, as the lawsuit points out, Oracle itself has filed SEC reports saying its hardware and software products "compete directly" with HP and other companies, so perhaps this is all more sound than fury, but at this point we wouldn't count on a quick settlement putting all this to bed anytime soon.
P.S.- We told you Larry Ellison would say something bonkers again.Continue reading Larry Ellison on HP's Mark Hurd lawsuit: 'virtually impossible for Oracle and HP to continue to cooperate and work together' Larry Ellison on HP's Mark Hurd lawsuit: 'virtually impossible for Oracle and HP to continue to cooperate and work together' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Spoof Survivorman, Win Prizes [Contest] - 7 Sep 2010 at 8:00pm - #contest Can you out survive Les "Survivorman" Stroud? Fortunately you don't need to! Stroud's "Spooferman" contest site is giving away Leathermans, tents, GoPro cameras, and Sony editing software for the best five-minute "Fire Starting" spoof video. Be safe! [Spooferman] More »
Smallest Manned Electric Plane Flies - 7 Sep 2010 at 7:27pm - garymortimer writes "EADs have successfully flown an electrified Cri-Cri aircraft. The Cri-cri (short for cricket) is the smallest twin-engined manned aircraft in the world, designed in the early 1970s by French aeronautical engineer Michel Colomban, the Cri-cri aircraft is the world's smallest twin-engine . At only 4.9 m (16.1 ft) wingspan and 3.9 m (12.8 ft) length, it is a single-seater, making an impression of a dwarf velomobile with wings at close range. After its manned flight trials the airframe will be configured for autonomous flight. Obviously once the pilot is removed payload increases dramatically and the airframe itself has been approved for manned flight so certifying it for UAV flight should be simpler." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Courier App Easily Uploads Your Files To Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and More ... - 7 Sep 2010 at 7:20pm - #software If you're frequently uploading videos and photos to Flickr, YouTUbe, Vimeo, Twitpic or Facebook, you know that it's slightly annoying to have to log into each service, search your files and go through their uploader. Courier solves all this for you. More »
Swiss researchers show off brain-controlled, AI-augmented wheelchair - 7 Sep 2010 at 7:11pm - They're far from the first to try their hand at a brain-controlled wheelchair, but some researchers at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (or EPFL) in Switzerland seem to have pulled off a few new tricks with their latest project. Like some similar systems, this one relies on EEG readings to detect specific brain patterns, but it backs that up with some artificial intelligence that the researchers say allows for "shared control" of the wheelchair. That latter component is aided by a pair of cameras and some image processing software that allows the wheelchair to avoid obstacles, but it doesn't stop there -- the software is also able to distinguish between different types of objects. According to the researchers, that could let it go around a cabinet but pull up underneath a desk, for instance, or potentially even recognize the person's own desk and avoid others. Head on past the break to check it out in action.Continue reading Swiss researchers show off brain-controlled, AI-augmented wheelchair Swiss researchers show off brain-controlled, AI-augmented wheelchair originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | EPFL | Email this | Comments
XWave lets you control your iPhone with your noodle, levitate if you're lucky - 7 Sep 2010 at 6:46pm - In the early, chaotic, primordial years of the mobile phone era, you had to press real, actual "buttons" to get things done. Almost barbaric to think about now, isn't it? As society advanced and we gradually became a more civilized species, buttons gave way to touchscreens and voice control, mercifully giving the atrophied sausages we call "arms" and "fingers" a bit of respite every time we needed to surf through cyberspace, place a phone call, or send a text message. Now, it seems the evolution of Homo sapiens is reaching its inevitable final stage with the release of the PLX XWave, headgear that plugs into your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and -- after a bit of training -- lets you control the device with your mind alone. As you might expect, the headset makes use of the NeuroSky technology that we've seen several times through the years and will be made available with a number of apps upon its release next month including a game, dedicated training app, a music controller (which will let you compare brainwaves with other XWave users, interestingly), and an "Om Meditation Timer." If none of those titles have captured your imagination, you'll be able to write your own apps with the device's SDK; needless to say, we'll be patiently waiting for the levitation app depicted here. Orders are online now for $100 with delivery in October.Continue reading XWave lets you control your iPhone with your noodle, levitate if you're lucky XWave lets you control your iPhone with your noodle, levitate if you're lucky originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | PLX | Email this | Comments
Imprisoned War Reporter Tweets Status From Captor's Cellphone [Sos] - 7 Sep 2010 at 6:40pm - #sos Japanese reporter Kosuke Tsuneoka disappeared on April 1st of this year in Afghanistan, leaving no clues as to his whereabouts. Then, five months later, he tweeted that he was imprisoned but alive—by filching his captor's cellphone. More »
They Finally Found Out We Like Our Computers - 7 Sep 2010 at 6:31pm - I'm Not There (1956) writes "Sociologist Clifford Nass is talking about how people think of their computers as something like human beings. In one of his experiments, Nass found that people are more willing to 'help' computers when the computer helped them previously: 'When people were then asked to help optimize the screen resolution on a computer where the program had been "helpful," they were much more likely to do so than with the less helpful version.' He also found that people evaluating software's performance were more forgiving if the evaluation was done on the same computer the software was tested on. Nass has recently published the book The Man Who Lied to His Laptop, in which he 'uses our interactions with machines to investigate how human relationships could be improved.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.
ACLU sues over warrantless border laptop searches - 7 Sep 2010 at 6:30pm - An Obama administration policy allowing US border officials to seize and search laptops, smart phones and other electronic devices for any reason was challenged as unconstitutional in federal court Tuesday. Citing the government's own figures, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers claim about 6,500 persons had their electronic devices searched along the U.S. border since October 2008. In one instance, according to the lawsuit filed in New York, a computer laptop was seized from a New York man at the Canadian border and not returned for 11 days. The lawsuit seeks no monetary damages, but asks the court to order an end to the searches. Read the comments on this post
Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too) - 7 Sep 2010 at 6:23pm - We thought that our homemade Theremin was difficult to control, but this one is in a different league altogether! The, ahem, brainchild of Apples In Stereo's Robert Schneider, the Teletron takes a Mattel Mindflex game and uses it as a control voltage source for... well, any piece of musical equipment that has a CV input. In the video below, the musician / producer plugs it into a Moog analog synth and increases / decreases the pitch solely with his mind. At least the thing doesn't give you an electric shock when you hit the wrong note! But enough jabberjaw out of us -- see / hear it in action (and get some instructions, if you'd like to build your own) after the break.Continue reading Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too) Apples In Stereo man controls his Moog... with his mind! (and you can too) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Boing Boing | | Email this | Comments
Splitsider, For Those Who Like Comedy [Adam Frucci] - 7 Sep 2010 at 6:22pm - #adamfrucci Now everyone can finally see what Adam Frucci's been up to since he left us: Starting a comedy blog. It's one of the few sites that I know of that is focused on the whole culture of comedy, rather than just focusing on the product of comedy—if you know what I mean. Being a guy whose experience in performing comedy as well as watching it, Frucci will take you through upcoming comedy shows, internet videos and general behind-the-scenes comedy info that you're not likely to find in one place. Also, he's got a podcast in the works too. More »
A gravity-defying coffee cup for math lovers [Nerd Aesthetics] - 7 Sep 2010 at 6:00pm - #nerdaesthetics There's no better way to enjoy your coffee than with this "zero gravity" cup, which stays balanced at a perfect angle when at rest. Plus, it includes a graph that demonstrates the exact trajectory of love. More »
Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview: what were you expecting? - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:58pm - Despite the downright sexy hardware, it was no surprise that the Toshiba AC100 (which has just been launched in the UK) didn't review very well: Android just isn't ready to give an enjoyable smartbook experience. Our hands-on experience with the laptop at IFA did nothing to disabuse us of this notion. Again, the hardware is pretty great, a nice order of magnitude thinner and lighter than most Atom netbooks, and despite the razor thin build, Toshiba still managed to put a pretty great keyboard and trackpad in here. Unfortunately, the software just isn't good. In fact, it isn't even "alright," since Toshiba has put a bunch of customizations on top of stock Android 2.1, including the same lame launcher we just saw on the Folio, and two extra browsers. We appreciate the effort, but if you're not prepared to go all-in, Samsung-style, recent history has shown that it's better to just leave well enough alone. Check out a quick video walkthrough after the break. Gallery: Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview Continue reading Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview: what were you expecting? Toshiba AC100 smartbook preview: what were you expecting? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Journalist Tricked Captors Into Twitter Access - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:52pm - itwbennett writes "Kosuke Tsuneoka, a Japanese freelance journalist held captive in Afghanistan since April 1, was released over the weekend. His freedom came a day after he sent two Twitter messages from a captor's phone. 'i am still allive [sic], but in jail,' read a message sent at 1:15 p.m. GMT on Friday. It was followed a few minutes later with a second message, also in English, that read, 'here is archi in kunduz. in the jail of commander lativ.' The message referred to the Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz where he was being held. On Tuesday, speaking in Tokyo, Tsuneoka revealed how he managed to convince his captors to give him access to the Internet. 'He asked me if I knew how to use it, so I had a look and explained it to him,' said Tsuneoka. 'I called the customer care number and activated the phone,' he said." Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google invites Yahoo users to log into services via OpenID - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:49pm - Yahoo users can now use their Yahoo logins to sign up for Google services thanks to OpenID, with other providers coming soon. Google announced Tuesday that it was implementing the OpenID standard for its login process in hopes of making things easier for Internet users who have too many logins to keep track of, though whether users will actually use it remains to be seen. For those who aren't already familiar, OpenID is a (somewhat slow-moving) movement aimed at establishing a safe, secure, and standards-based single sign-on framework for use across the Internet. The initiative allows people to sign in and access multiple websites with a single username. This sounds great in theory, but in practice, OpenID has been slow to catch on with the masses because of its confusing implementation. Service providers can't just all start using one magical OpenID login for all users?they must choose first to be either a provider or a relying party, or both. An OpenID provider allows others to use their logins (as Yahoo is in this case), but doesn't necessarily accept OpenID logins from other domains. Similarly, an OpenID relying party can accept logins from an OpenID provider, but doesn't necessarily accept all OpenID logins?they might accept only one, or just a few, or a handful, and they don't all accept the same ones. So, parties like MySpace, Windows Live, and Yahoo are all OpenID providers, while Google is now an OpenID relying party. And for now, Google will only accept Yahoo logins, but that may change sometime in the future. "[W]e plan to use it in the future with other email providers that add support for this usage of OpenID and related standards like OAuth, such as in the Microsoft Live Identity APIs" Google Internet Identity Team member Tzvika Barenholz wrote in a blog post. In the meantime, the majority of 'Net users remain essentially clueless about OpenID, what it is, and how to use it. Google will undoubtedly help spread awareness among the public by allowing (admittedly quite popular) Yahoo domains as logins, but widespread adoption likely remains a far-away dream for OpenID fans. Read the comments on this post
Exclusive: HP's Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:38pm - Well, thar she blows -- we just got this shot of the HP's seven-inch Zeen Android tablet that's shipping with the leaked PhotoSmart eStation C510 printer system just straight chilling in the wilds of China. Apparently this unit is a little bit closer to final than the one our other tipsters have been playing with -- and unfortunately, the stock Android homescreen has been totally removed in favor of the TouchSmart UI. As we'd guessed, there's also no Gmail app or Market access, although there is a homegrown email client and a fair bit of integration with Yahoo services like Mail and Messenger. Facebook is also preloaded, and the screenshot shows apps for 60 Minutes, MSNBC, and Dreamworks, so it looks like there'll be some video action going on -- and that Barnes & Noble logo all but confirms the Nook compatibility our previous tipsters had mentioned. There's also a printing app and that Coupons app, which we're guessing... prints coupons, but maybe HP's trying to surprise us.
We're told the software is better than on earlier Zeen units and that the previously-bad touchscreen has been improved, but that there's still work to be done before the projected late September launch. Don't get your hopes up about snagging this one without a printer, though -- we're told the solo SKU has been canceled, and only the $399 bundle with the Zeus printer will be available. Makes sense -- we're guessing it's all webOS for HP from here on out. One more pic after the break.Continue reading Exclusive: HP's Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild Exclusive: HP's Zeen C510 Android tablet in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
NASA: Two Asteriods (sic) Passing Near Earth, No Worries [Blockquote] - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:20pm - #blockquote NASA tweet, just now: "Asteriods (sic) passing Earth near moon tomorrow morning..no worries." Well, I hope the guys who calculated the trajectory of the two asteroids passing "within the distance of the moon to Earth" didn't make any typos. More »
Tech Sector Slow To Hire - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:12pm - Iftekhar25 writes "The NY Times is running an article about soaring unemployment rates for IT in the US (6 percent) despite a tech sector that is thirsting for engineering talent. Quoting: 'The chief hurdles to more robust technology hiring appear to be increasing automation and the addition of highly skilled labor overseas. The result is a mismatch of skill levels here at home: not enough workers with the cutting-edge skills coveted by tech firms, and too many people with abilities that can be duplicated offshore at lower cost. That's a familiar situation to many out-of-work software engineers, whose skills start depreciating almost as soon as they are laid off, given the dynamism of the industry.'" Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Toshiba's CEVO-Engine is Cell on steroids, with an ultra-bright LED LCD to bu... - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:01pm - Toshiba will be happy to tell you that its upcoming CEVO-Engine, which launches early next year in a "sub-€5,000" TV designed by former B&O-fave design firm Jacob Jensen Design, is the best thing ever, but it takes some work to figure out just exactly why that's the case. We did some digging, subjected our eyeballs to the display's brilliance, and have our full thoughts on the new tech after the break. Gallery: Toshiba LED TV 55ZL1 Gallery: Toshiba 55LZ1 preview Continue reading Toshiba's CEVO-Engine is Cell on steroids, with an ultra-bright LED LCD to burn your eyeballs into submission Toshiba's CEVO-Engine is Cell on steroids, with an ultra-bright LED LCD to burn your eyeballs into submission originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Samsung Fascinate Lightning Review: When Greedy Carriers Ruin Decent Phones [... - 7 Sep 2010 at 5:00pm - #review Samsung's Galaxy S phones, like the Fascinate on Verizon, represent everything that's good—and bad—about Android. More »
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