Sep/100
ECTunes adds sound to silent EVs, but only where and when you need it (video)
The debate rages on about the sound, or rather the lack of sound, coming from electric vehicles. Their relative quietude could make roadside-housing rather more tenable in the future, but, if you ask some people, will turn those cars into silent killers. We’ve seen some crude noisemakers attempt to make those cars a bit less lethal, but that just brings us back to the noise pollution issue again. ECTunes has what sounds like a solution that will better appeal to both camps: directional sound. The prototype Citroen pictured above emits tones only audible to those right in its path, straight ahead when traveling forward and behind it when in reverse, silencing altogether at 30mph when wind and tire noise is enough of a deterrent to those who can’t see oncoming traffic — or who simply choose not to. A solid, reasonable solution to the problem? Absolutely. Will it make those on both sides of those topic agree? Unlikely.
Continue reading ECTunes adds sound to silent EVs, but only where and when you need it (video)
ECTunes adds sound to silent EVs, but only where and when you need it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep/100
Eye-Fi starting up a developer program, will have some APIs open for business this fall
Pardon us as we coin the term “apportunity” to describe the upcoming developer program Eye-Fi has just announced. Developers will able to tie their apps / applications / sites into Eye-Fi features and services through the web, including accessing an Eye-Fi card for photos and video, changing settings on the card, and uploading to online sharing sites through Eye-Fi channels instead of directly connecting to each site. It all sounds very promising in a niche, people-who-use-WiFi-SD-cards sort of way, and we look forward to the results as Eye-Fi starts giving out API keys in phases, beginning this fall.
Eye-Fi starting up a developer program, will have some APIs open for business this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep/100
MIT app turns your Android phone into a supercomputer… of sorts
Oh, sure — a few people have called Google’s Nexus One a “superphone,” but suddenly, that nickname has taken on a whole new level of meaning. A team of talent from MIT has put its head down in order to concoct a new Android application that can come darn close to solving complex computational problems in just a fraction of the time that it’d take a bona fide supercomputer. The goal here is to let researchers and scientists convert to Google’s mobile OS, but if you aren’t falling for that one, it’s also designed to “let engineers perform complicated calculations in the field, and to better control systems for vehicles or robotic systems.” Of course, the models that are hosted on the phone do require a supercomputer to create, but once certain formulas are embedded, the app can then compute approximations in mere seconds rather than hours. Best of all, rbAPPmit is available for download as well speak in the source link below, but we’d probably wait for the (presumably thick) user guide to surface before diving in headfirst.
[Thanks, Alasdair]
MIT app turns your Android phone into a supercomputer… of sorts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep/100
Dell moves back up to #2 position in global PC sales, Acer slips to 3rd, HP still reigns supreme
Acer Chairman JT Wang is quick to say that he thinks that iPad sales are only going down from here, but maybe he should listen to that age-old idiom: people in fragile economies shouldn’t throw stones. According to iSuppli’s latest report on the global PC market, Acer slipped down to third place after losing 6.2 percent of its market share compared to last quarter. Dell, meanwhile, lost a relatively slim 1.2 percent of its share, bumping it back up to second place — a position it had previously given up to Acer. Meanwhile HP still sits on top, commanding 18.1 percent of the market share, though that too is down, 6.3 percent over last quarter. Still, all three are well up over last year, an encouraging sign in these supposedly troubling times.
Dell moves back up to #2 position in global PC sales, Acer slips to 3rd, HP still reigns supreme originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep/100
Apple’s Ping gains a million users in first two days
We’re still trying to figure out exactly what Apple’s new Ping social network is good for, but apparently quite a few people are curious about it: it’s already racked up a million users in its first two days. That’s just a third of the people who’ve downloaded iTunes 10, so we’re sure the numbers are will grow even faster as more people snag iTunes and the network effect starts to kick in — and things will get really crazy if Apple and Facebook ever work out their little tiff. Just remember: it’s a social network… for music.
Apple’s Ping gains a million users in first two days originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 19:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep/108
Honda Robot a Hit at Austrian Show
A research project’s been launched at an electronics fair in Austria to monitor interaction between humanoid robots and people. Honda’s ASIMO robot is at the hub – and it’s already been a hit with the crowds. (Sept. 3)
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Sep/100
Why did Apple take Facebook Connect out of Ping?
Apple certainly took its sweet time releasing iTunes 10 yesterday, and we’re beginning to think it’s because the company was making a last-second change to its new Ping social-network-for-music: the removal of Facebook Connect for finding friends. Seriously — although an option to find friends via Facebook was conspicuously present during Steve’s keynote demos, it’s not there anymore. Oddly, the option was there at the very beginning — several Engadget staffers definitely saw a Facebook button when they signed up for Ping last night, and there’s a whole thread on Apple’s support site of people who also saw it and are now wondering where it’s gone.
Just to make things even more confusing, Kara Swisher at All Things D got two very different statements from Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller at the event yesterday: Schiller was enthusiastic about finding friends via Facebook, while Jobs said Zuckerberg and co. were demanding “onerous terms” that Apple refused. We’re assuming Jobs was talking about something deeper than just finding friends via Connect, but it’s still all very strange — and as it stands, finding friends on Ping right now requires a fair bit of guesswork and searching, so we’re hoping this all gets sorted soon. Check the video of Phil Schiller talking about Facebook and Ping after the break, as well as a snap of it (sort of) working from last night.
Update: We can’t confirm this, but we’ve just gotten a tip saying the problem is primarily on Facebook’s end — the service is currently denying requests from Ping, and the resulting errors apparently caused enough other problems for Apple to pull the plug on the connection entirely until it’s fixed. That certainly would explain why Ping has seemed buggy and slow from the outset, but we’re still waiting for some official explanation of what’s going on.
Continue reading Why did Apple take Facebook Connect out of Ping?
Why did Apple take Facebook Connect out of Ping? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep/100
Boxee Box priced at $199, Avner Ronen says it’ll give users ‘freedom to watch what you want’
Well, what’s this? Our homey Avner Ronen from Boxee just posted up a little response to Apple’s $99 next-gen Apple TV announcement, and he’s letting it slip that the much-anticipated Boxee Box will be $100 more than Apple’s device, or $199. Avner says Boxee has a “different view of what people want in their living rooms,” and that while his device might be more expensive, it’ll let you watch anything you can watch on your computer on your TV in 1080p — the ATV is still limited to 720p. We certainly know a lot of passionate Boxee fans who agree — now all Avner’s got to do is ship the damn thing and let this play out in the actual market.
P.S.- Yes, we will cover almost anything that includes a YouTube embed of “Rudie Can’t Fail.” Well played, Mr. Ronen. Well played indeed.
Boxee Box priced at $199, Avner Ronen says it’ll give users ‘freedom to watch what you want’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug/100
Corsair sails into gaming headset waters with noise-isolating HS1 cans
For some people, the association of Corsair and quality PC components is so strong that they’d buy anything that bears the triple sail logo. It makes perfect sense, therefore, for the company that made its name by producing memory sticks to diversify its portfolio even further, this time into gaming headsets, with the introduction of the HS1. It’s a USB headset offering multichannel audio via 50mm drivers, a noise-isolating closed design, noise-cancelling and articulating mic, and inline volume and microphone mute controls. Aside from the larger than usual drivers, we’re not seeing anything particularly unique here, but that ethereal quality component is rarely apparent on black and white fact sheets. Availability is said to be immediate, though our quick pricing investigation threw up only a UK pre-order for £84 ($129). So yeah, Corsair’s certainly pricing the HS1 as a premium product.
[Thanks, Mark S.]
Continue reading Corsair sails into gaming headset waters with noise-isolating HS1 cans
Corsair sails into gaming headset waters with noise-isolating HS1 cans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug/100
Apple reportedly in talks with networks for 99 cent TV show rentals
We’ve already heard rumors that Apple was working to convince networks to offer 99 cent TV show rentals on iTunes — and possibly on a forthcoming Apple TV / iTV as well — and it looks like things might now be starting to firm up a bit. According to Bloomberg, “three people familiar with the plan” say that Apple is now in “advanced talks” with News Corp about offering Fox TV show rentals for 99 cents apiece, and it’s reportedly talking with CBS and ABC-parent company Disney as well, although the state of those talks apparently aren’t as clear. No mention of streaming-only episodes this time around, but those same people familiar with the matter do say that the episodes would only be viewable for 48 hours.
Apple reportedly in talks with networks for 99 cent TV show rentals originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug/100
Microsoft details Vejle, the new Xbox 360’s system-on-chip architecture
There aren’t many unresolved mysteries with Microsoft’s new console by this point — apart from perhaps why it wasn’t named the Stealthbox, like we were suggesting — but one thing that hasn’t been covered in excruciating detail yet is the new 360’s splicing of the CPU and GPU into the same chip. Microsoft has remedied that today, informing us that the 45nm system-on-chip (codenamed Vejle; sorry, Valhalla fans) inside the refreshed Xbox makes do with a relatively minimal 372 million transistors, requiring only 40 percent of the power and less than 50 percent of the die space of its 2005 ancestor. A somewhat bemusing addition, noted by Ars, is the FSB Replacement sector you see in the image above. It’s designed to induce lag in the system so that the Vejle chip doesn’t run faster than the old stuff, something Microsoft couldn’t allow to happen. Facepalm away, good people, facepalm away.
Microsoft details Vejle, the new Xbox 360’s system-on-chip architecture originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug/100
Dish Network launching DishOnline.com this week, streaming ’several cable networks’ to subscribers
Dish Network subscribers, get ready to join the 21st century. Your content provider of choice is said to be peeling the “beta” stickers from its DishOnline.com service this week, opening up online and on-demand streaming of content to its subscribers. At least 15 channels will be streaming live over the internets, including all the major networks and extras like Syfy and Comedy Central, though selection appears to be somewhat limited at this time. The site will also provide remote DVR scheduling and let SlingLoaded users stream recorded content straight from their device — which, of course, they could already do. The service goes live sometime within the next few days, and of course will only be available to Dish subscribers, you lucky people you.
Dish Network launching DishOnline.com this week, streaming ’several cable networks’ to subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug/105
French Company Creates Robot With ‘Feelings’
‘Nao’ mimics emotions of people
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Aug/100
RIM’s Lazaridis: if goverments can’t deal with the internet, ‘they should shut it off’
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis has made some pretty bold statements in the past, but he may just have topped himself in responding to the recent issue of countries banning or threatening to ban BlackBerrys — to which you can now add Indonesia to the list. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal in what’s described as a “fiery” interview, Lazaridis said that “this is about the Internet,” and that “everything on the Internet is encrypted. This not a BlackBerry-only issue,” before adding that if “they can’t deal with the Internet, they should shut it off.” But that’s not all. Lazaridis further went on to saying that “we’re going to continue to work with them to make sure they understand the reality of the Internet,” noting that “a lot of these people don’t have Ph.Ds, and they don’t have a degree in computer science.” Despite those statements, however, Lazaridis seems confident that the situation will get sorted out, saying that it “will get resolved if there is a chance for rational discussion.”
RIM’s Lazaridis: if goverments can’t deal with the internet, ‘they should shut it off’ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug/100
Intel and GE form healthcare joint venture, sluggish Atom-powered home servants on the way
Okay, so maybe we’re only half-kidding about the prospective of having home health robots that can barely multitask, but we’re hoping that Intel and GE at least have the heart to equip any domicile servants with a Core i3 or stronger. If you haven’t heard, the two aforesaid companies have joined hands this week to create a 50/50 joint venture, one that’ll result in the creation of a new healthcare company “focused on telehealth and independent living.” Financial terms aren’t being disclosed, but the goal is pretty simple: “to use technology to bring more effective healthcare into millions of homes and to improve the lives of seniors and people with chronic conditions.” It’s a bit unclear at this point what all the duo will be creating, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see medical tablets, Core i7 980X-based “medical monitoring PCs” and Moorestown-powered “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” neck pieces surface in the near future.
Intel and GE form healthcare joint venture, sluggish Atom-powered home servants on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 06:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Aug/100
Haier’s heat-exchanging Power Pad promises to make long, hot showers a little more efficient
Major appliances are major energy drains, and if you have a traditional, tank-based hot water heater it can be a major factor in your monthly utilities bills. Haier’s Power Pad promises to make those things have less of an impact on people’s finances — at least when it comes to showers. It’s a heat exchanger that you stand on whilst washing that man right out of your hair, water running off your toned body and through the vanes in the Pad, warming the cold water that’s pumped through it. That water is then deposited into the hot water tank, which now has a little less work to do. Haier is hoping to get this to market in China within the next two months for ¥4,000 (about $600) and, by that time, boost its efficiency to 30 percent. That’s still 10 percent lower than the EcoDrain we spied last year, but we have a more practical concern: what happens when that thing gets clogged with hair and various bathing products? It doesn’t look particularly easy to clean.
Haier’s heat-exchanging Power Pad promises to make long, hot showers a little more efficient originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul/100
Apple – iPhone 4 – TV Ad – FaceTime
People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With the tap of a button, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe, or watch your best friend laugh at your stories — iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 over Wi-Fi. No other phone makes staying in touch this much fun.
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Jul/100
Leviton partners with Coulomb Technologies, makes EV charging stations plug-and-play
Home wiring may not be the hottest of topics, but get it wrong and, well, things can certainly get exciting. As electric vehicles become more commonplace, more and more people are going to start looking into what it will take to get more current running to their cars — nobody’s going to want to wait around for a 110V trickle charge. Leviton is a big name in home wiring and automation circles and has launched the Evr-Green sub-brand. One of its first products will be a pre-wiring kit for Level 2 charging stations, like GE’s WattStation. Level 2 chargers offer 240V and, with the Evr-Green pre-wiring kit, will be basically plug and play. The kits are said to cost around $200 — though naturally that won’t include the cost of installation for the kit itself.
Leviton partners with Coulomb Technologies, makes EV charging stations plug-and-play originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul/1025
Robot – Miley Cyrus – Full Song
Download link: www.mediafire.com Miley Cyrus’ new song “Robot” from her new album “Can’t Be Tamed”!
Jul/100
T-Mobile’s HSPA+ blankets 85 million Americans in warm ‘4G’ comfort
The 4G wars are really getting fierce, and we love the smell of bandwidth in the morning. The latest volley comes from T-Mobile, taking this opportunity to let us all know that its HSPA+ network is more pervasive than any other 4G offering in the nation, currently covering 85 million people in the States and growing to 185 million by 2011. Of course, HSPA+ isn’t true 4G in that it’s (theoretically) slower than LTE and WiMAX, a point that AT&T is surely still grumbling about. But, sometimes you have to go to war with the network you have, not the network you might want or wish to have at a later time.
Continue reading T-Mobile’s HSPA+ blankets 85 million Americans in warm ‘4G’ comfort
T-Mobile’s HSPA+ blankets 85 million Americans in warm ‘4G’ comfort originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 07:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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