10/19 Engadget

Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. Engadget Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen October 19, 2009 at 1:01 am Details are scarce, since the official launch won't happen until January 7 at CES next year, but Plastic Logic is looking to crash into the "pro" segment of the e-reader market (currently mostly occupied by the Kindle DX) with its upcoming QUE proReader. The unit uses E Ink Vizplex tech in a shatterproof, touchscreen display the size of a regular piece of paper at 8.5 x 11-inches, and has 3G wireless capabilities courtesy of AT&T and a business-centric ebook store at QUEreader.com which will be powered by Barnes & Noble. The device is "less than 1/3-inch thick," and can handle PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents, including tools for "interacting with and managing the content," which sounds beyond the scope of most e-readers on the market currently. We'll have to wait and see how useful the interface really is, and how much damage (if any) that touchscreen sensor does to readability, but a bit of diversification in the ebook space sounds like a good thing on paper. Full PR is after the break. Continue reading Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen Filed under: Handhelds Plastic Logic teases QUE proReader with 8.5 x 11-inch touchscreen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Dane-Elec comes clean with external USB 3.0 HDDs / SSDs October 19, 2009 at 1:01 am It's been almost an entire year since we heard a peep from the good lads and ladies at Dane-Elec, but those very individuals have today informed us that a few USB 3.0 drives are on the way from its labs. 'Course, we'd like to point out that it's being a little ambitious with that whole "world's first" thing, but given the youth of the format, we'll take all the competition (and excitement) we can get. The outfit's So SuperSpeed line of external drives will soon be taking on the US market, offering consumers up to 250MBps data transfers starting on December 11th. Sizes will range from 500GB to 2TB (in both 2.5- and 3.5-inch forms), and we're told that the SSD options (80GB and 160GB) will indeed be Intel-branded under the hood. Looking for prices? Sure you are -- they're just past the break. Continue reading Dane-Elec comes clean with external USB 3.0 HDDs / SSDs Filed under: Software Dane-Elec comes clean with external USB 3.0 HDDs / SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Ectaco jetBook Lite does everything it can to claim 'cheapest US e-reader' title, no matter the sacrifice October 18, 2009 at 11:31 pm Ectaco knows what you want, and that's an e-book reader that hits the $149 price mark, no matter what has to get cut in the process. The jetBook Lite, recently shown off at the Frankfurt Book Fair, is just such a handheld. Gone is any notion of electronic ink, opting instead for a 5-inch reflective TFT manufactured by Toshiba and usually implemented in pocket dictionaries. The other big sacrifice is an internal battery, instead going for a slot for four AA batteries that literally jut out of the back of the unit. Internal memory's just 100MB, but there is a SD slot for expansion, and there's language options for English, German, Spanish, Russian, and Polish. While the spokesperson singled out Barnes & Noble as where to buy the e-books from, we're not sure if that's an exclusivity agreement as much as it is just a suggestion. Lesen.net got some hands-on time with the device, who noted it's got some heft to it for its size, but is still quite pocketable. Still, for around $150 you can probably get yourself an older Kindle or Sony Reader instead, but don't let that stop you. See it for yourself in the video after the break. Continue reading Ectaco jetBook Lite does everything it can to claim 'cheapest US e-reader' title, no matter the sacrifice Filed under: Handhelds Ectaco jetBook Lite does everything it can to claim 'cheapest US e-reader' title, no matter the sacrifice originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Storm 2 hitting Verizon with 'MiFi capability?' October 18, 2009 at 9:54 pm We can't confirm this Verizon Infomanager screen at this point, but if true, when the BlackBerry Storm 2 launches on the network, one of the big touted features will be its MiFi capabilities for sharing 3G internet over WiFi. It'd be smart branding move, sure, but MiFi is also the name Novatel uses for its hardware, so either we're talking here about an application of some sort or it's just internal communications short-hand. Also mentioned here is an October 21st launch, although it's been noted by Crackberry that the date's apparently been replaced with TBA. Without a doubt, we can confidently say we'll know for sure in the next, oh, 52 hours or so. [Thanks, Marc-Anthony S.] Read - Intranet snapshot Read - Launch date pulled Filed under: Cellphones Storm 2 hitting Verizon with 'MiFi capability?' originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Mysterious HTC Android phone spied, might lean the way of the Dragon October 18, 2009 at 8:52 pm In an almost perfect world, this spy shot would be of the rumored HTC Dragon, reminiscent of the HD2 with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and packing the latest version of Android / Sense UI -- in a more perfect world, this would all have been confirmed last week and in our hands today delivered via unicorn express, but that's obviously not happening. Still, there's something new and exciting about this device, but we're grasping at straws beyond the handful of pics The Unlockr managed to obtain, several more of which can found just beyond the read link. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Filed under: Cellphones Mysterious HTC Android phone spied, might lean the way of the Dragon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Forthcoming Xbox 360 update locks out 'unauthorized' memory units October 18, 2009 at 7:50 pm Using a less than official memory unit with your Xbox 360? Then you'll probably want to get your act together before diving into the upcoming preview program for the latest 360 update, as it will apparently lock out any "unauthorized" memory units as it adds all those nifty Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm features. That word comes straight from none other than Xbox Live's Major Neslon, who also warns anyone using said memory units that they'll basically be flat out of luck if they update before backing things up to an official storage device and then go looking for their saved games -- which, you know, would be a bit of a pain. [Via Joystiq] Filed under: Gaming Forthcoming Xbox 360 update locks out 'unauthorized' memory units originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments T-Mobile's Project Dark includes option for buying phones in monthly installments? October 18, 2009 at 5:59 pm Still no confirmation on any all-you-can-eat data plans, but Boy Genius Report has some convincing screens that seem to reveal some other precepts of T-Mobile's enigmatic (and purportedly company-saving) Project Dark. Two new plans have emerged, Even More and Even More Plus. The former is the traditional two-year contract, along with options to do data only and get a subsidized phone. Even More Plus doesn't require a contract, going month-to-monthly instead, and subsequently the phone is full price. However, what's gonna be interesting to see is the FlexPay option, which allows you to pay for a device in monthly installments instead of upfront, a plan we've seen before in markets like Germany and Japan. In the example above, a $400 G1 on the non-contractual Even More Plus plan is divvied out to an initial $170 payment and 19 subsequent installments of $12.10, or $33.33 over three months after the related upfront cost. It's no game-changer on its own, but it's certainly an intriguing prospect that's gonna make some (initially) cash-strapped individuals very happy to be able to walk out with a decent Android device. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Filed under: Cellphones T-Mobile's Project Dark includes option for buying phones in monthly installments? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments USB PC Prankster: guaranteed to freak out, enrage your cubicle mates October 18, 2009 at 4:33 pm Oh, brother. As we all know so well, the office can be a draining place. But devices such as these could make even the most burnt-out middle manager excited to clock in. The USB PC Prankster looks like a stock flash drive, but as you can clearly see above, a few toggle switches enable it to become quite the headache. Once plugged in, the unlucky PC that it's attached to will have its Caps Lock enabled and disabled at random, see garbled text splattered about quarterly reports and be victim to uncontrollable, erratic cursor movements. Thankfully, the drive will never activate the Enter key nor close or save documents, so you can rest assured that it's all in good fun. Turning your office up on its head costs just £19.99 ($33), but you'll have to wait a tick 'til it comes back in stock. [Via Switched] Filed under: Peripherals USB PC Prankster: guaranteed to freak out, enrage your cubicle mates originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order October 18, 2009 at 2:59 pm Since today really needs a good heap of news to somewhat balance out yesterday's glut, HP has updated its online store to give it an abundance of new and revised Windows 7 machines, including the Envy series (Beats edition and all), Pavilion dm3 with AMD Neo or Intel CULV chips, Core i7-packing dv6t/ dv7t / dv8t Quad editions, and the not-so-netbook CQ61. We're still not seeing the previously-leaked dm1 ultraportable anywhere, but the Mini 311 and a slightly updated Mini 110 are, with the option to jump from Windows XP to 7 for a cool $50 / $30 respectively. Most everything in the store, desktops and laptops, has been updated to at least include Windows 7 as the standard shipping OS, and while all claim free 2-day shipping, estimated shipping dates begin sometime the week after 7's Oct 22nd launch -- no early chances here, folks. Browse the read links and keep an eye on the shiny red "new" icons (no flashing GIFs, we're afraid) for the entire revised lineup. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Read - Desktop lineup Read - Laptop lineup Read - Envy series lineup Filed under: Desktops, Laptops HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Uruguay becomes first nation to provide a laptop for every primary school student October 18, 2009 at 1:29 pm Uruguay's been a huge fan of the One Laptop Per Child initiative for quite some time, and while we're still unsure if it's the entity's biggest customer, the aforesaid nation is certainly doing some serious business with Nicholas Negroponte and Company. After the first swath of youngsters received their green and white XOs back in May of 2007, the final smattering of kids have now joined the proud group of laptop-toting tots in the country's circuit of primary schools. You heard right -- every last pupil in Uruguay's primary school system now has a laptop and a growing love for Linux, and we're told that the whole thing cost the country less than five percent of its entire education budget. So, who's next? [Via Digg, image courtesy of oso] Filed under: Laptops Uruguay becomes first nation to provide a laptop for every primary school student originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Panasonic serves up latest prototype robots, dish washing servant included (video) October 18, 2009 at 12:11 pm Keeping those dreams alive by scrubbing dishes at your least favorite eatery? Best put those aspirations on the front burner, as Panasonic's got a mighty fine robot swooping in to take your place -- and for a whole lot less cash, to boot. At Panny's robotics laboratory in Osaka, the company recently showcased its latest gaggle of prototype robots designed to help humans take it easy more often. Among the usual suspects were a porter robot designed to help with heavy lifting, while the star of the show was undoubtedly the dish washing bot that wasn't afraid to get its metallic digits wet and soapy. As expected, an array of integrated sensors kept it from grabbing a wine glass too tightly, and its four fingers enabled it to do most everything a human washer could (sans the kvetching). Have a peek at these guys in action just past the break. [Via Impress] Continue reading Panasonic serves up latest prototype robots, dish washing servant included (video) Filed under: Household, Robots Panasonic serves up latest prototype robots, dish washing servant included (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Origin unveils 750GB and 1TB Data Locker encrypted external HDDs October 18, 2009 at 10:41 am Questionably christened the world's first 1TB portable hardware-encrypted hard drive, Origin Storage's extra-capacious Data Locker Secure Drive is certainly the one to get if you're paranoid about whatever it is you'd keep on such a large platter. Also available in 750GB, 500GB and 320GB models, the drives are secured by AES hardware encryption and a 6 to 18 digit PIN number which must be entered directly onto the device itself before the contents become accessible. Think James Bond, but for real. The USB-powered unit also packs rubber shoulders in case things get a little crazy between you and Mr. Data Thief, though we wouldn't try running this thing through the rain forest if at all possible. The 1TB edition will be available soon for £399 ($652), while the others are priced at £299 ($488), £239 ($390) and £180 ($294) from largest to smallest. [Via Slashgear] Filed under: Storage Origin unveils 750GB and 1TB Data Locker encrypted external HDDs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments AMD's Congo platform getting really official next month? October 18, 2009 at 9:14 am AMD's never been much for keeping to the roadmap, and it looks like the curious launch of its Congo platform is evidence of that very fact. If you'll recall, we actually saw a Congo-based netbook launch way back in June, and it was expected that a flood of other ultrathin machines would follow shortly thereafter. According to DigiTimes, the demand in the market just wasn't there (thanks, recession!), so everything was pushed back until November. Lo and behold, our Gregorian calendar has that very month on deck for next, and according to mythical sources at laptop makers, the platform should make its super-duper official debut within a matter of weeks. The dual-core Turion Neo X2 L625, Athlon Neo X2 L335/L325 and / or single-core Athlon Neo MV-40 should be front and center, and AMD is apt to announce progress on its Nile and Brazos platforms -- both of which should help carry the chip maker through the next two years. Look out Atom, you've got some delayed competition coming your way. Filed under: Laptops AMD's Congo platform getting really official next month? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Patriot's $130 Box Office 1080p media player streams on the cheap October 18, 2009 at 8:02 am Eying a Popcorn Hour device, are you? We know Patriot isn't exactly the first name you think of when pondering your next media streamer, but the $129.99 price tag affixed to the black box shown above definitely piqued our interest. Like most of its rivals, this one features a 2.5-inch HDD slot (though you'll need to bring your own drive, obviously), a trio of USB sockets, 10/100 Ethernet for content streaming, UPnP support, a rather decent file support list and a bundled remote. There's also an optional USB WiFi adapter for those not keen on running 80 feet of Ethernet cabling through their den, and while the GUI won't revolutionize your life, it certainly ain't bad given the low barrier to entry. Too bad it's still stuck in that painful-to-watch "pre-order" stage, huh? [Via thegadgetsite] Filed under: Home Entertainment Patriot's $130 Box Office 1080p media player streams on the cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 07:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Homemade pink Xbox 360 controller makes the ladies say 'heyyy!' October 18, 2009 at 6:44 am Not that we haven't seen pink Xbox 360 controllers before (including one from Microsoft itself), but this one just oozes class. Constructed by Flickr user 4apples for the lovely lady (ladies?) in his life, he took all the time one would expect a handsome young bloke to take by dissembling it, painting each piece in varying shades of pink and slapping it all back together. Have a look at the read link for the finished project, and naw, we won't tell your special someone if you decide to follow suit and call it an original. [Via technabob] Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals Homemade pink Xbox 360 controller makes the ladies say 'heyyy!' originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 05:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Gemei's 4.3-inch HD8800 PMP does 1080p out, other cool things for $122 October 18, 2009 at 4:57 am It's been a hot minute since we've seen a compelling new media player from the labs of Gemei, but the HD8800 ain't half bad. Offering up a 4.3-inch display with an 800 x 480 resolution, this touchscreen-based PMP packs 8GB of internal memory, a battery good for five hours of movie playback (or ten hours with audio), USB 2.0 connectivity, 3.5 millimeter headphone jack and support for more formats than you'll ever use. Oh, and then there's that handy video out feature, which can supposedly shoot out content at up to 1080p via HDMI. It's yours right now for a buck-twenty-two, but only heaven knows if that "JESSICA" wallpaper is changeable. [Via PMP Today] Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video Gemei's 4.3-inch HD8800 PMP does 1080p out, other cool things for $122 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 bundle nabs November 10th release date October 18, 2009 at 2:36 am Call it coincidence or call it fate, but precisely a week after Sony's extra-capacious 250GB PlayStation 3 Slim hits the States for $349.99, Microsoft's 250GB Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 bundle will arrive with a game and a pair of black wireless controllers for $399.99. Both Costco and Amazon have a November 10th ship date listed for the package, though oddly enough, neither site lists the machine as coming with a component cable. It's standard def or bust, y'all. [Thanks, Manoj] Read - Costo's listing Read - Amazon's listing Filed under: Gaming Xbox 360 Modern Warfare 2 bundle nabs November 10th release date originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments   This email was sent to norol14@gmail.com.  Create Your Account Don't want to receive this feed any longer? 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10/19 Engadget

Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. Engadget Mysterious HTC Android phone spied, might lean the way of the Dragon October 18, 2009 at 8:52 pm In an almost perfect world, this spy shot would be of the rumored HTC Dragon, reminiscent of the HD2 with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor and packing the latest version of Android / Sense UI -- in a more perfect world, this would all have been confirmed last week and in our hands today delivered via unicorn express, but that's obviously not happening. Still, there's something new and exciting about this device, but we're grasping at straws beyond the handful of pics The Unlockr managed to obtain, several more of which can found just beyond the read link. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Filed under: Cellphones Mysterious HTC Android phone spied, might lean the way of the Dragon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments T-Mobile's Project Dark includes option for buying phones in monthly installments? October 18, 2009 at 5:59 pm Still no confirmation on any all-you-can-eat data plans, but Boy Genius Report has some convincing screens that seem to reveal some other precepts of T-Mobile's enigmatic (and purportedly company-saving) Project Dark. Two new plans have emerged, Even More and Even More Plus. The former is the traditional two-year contract, along with options to do data only and get a subsidized phone. Even More Plus doesn't require a contract, going month-to-monthly instead, and subsequently the phone is full price. However, what's gonna be interesting to see is the FlexPay option, which allows you to pay for a device in monthly installments instead of upfront, a plan we've seen before in markets like Germany and Japan. In the example above, a $400 G1 on the non-contractual Even More Plus plan is divvied out to an initial $170 payment and 19 subsequent installments of $12.10, or $33.33 over three months after the related upfront cost. It's no game-changer on its own, but it's certainly an intriguing prospect that's gonna make some (initially) cash-strapped individuals very happy to be able to walk out with a decent Android device. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Filed under: Cellphones T-Mobile's Project Dark includes option for buying phones in monthly installments? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order October 18, 2009 at 2:59 pm Since today really needs a good heap of news to somewhat balance out yesterday's glut, HP has updated its online store to give it an abundance of new and revised Windows 7 machines, including the Envy series (Beats edition and all), Pavilion dm3 with AMD Neo or Intel CULV chips, Core i7-packing dv6t/ dv7t / dv8t Quad editions, and the not-so-netbook CQ61. We're still not seeing the previously-leaked dm1 ultraportable anywhere, but the Mini 311 and a slightly updated Mini 110 are, with the option to jump from Windows XP to 7 for a cool $50 / $30 respectively. Most everything in the store, desktops and laptops, has been updated to at least include Windows 7 as the standard shipping OS, and while all claim free 2-day shipping, estimated shipping dates begin sometime the week after 7's Oct 22nd launch -- no early chances here, folks. Browse the read links and keep an eye on the shiny red "new" icons (no flashing GIFs, we're afraid) for the entire revised lineup. Update: As a number of you have pointed, the Envy product page is a bit, well, sloppy. Typos and missing commas notwithstanding, it seems to biggest laugh is the cost of customization, i.e. $800 more to downgrade from a 500GB HDD to 320GB or 250GB (same price), or $900 more to downgrade from 6GB or 4GB of DDR3 memory. Yeah, it might be best to hold off on that one until HP get the kinks worked out. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!] Read - Desktop lineup Read - Laptop lineup Read - Envy series lineup Filed under: Desktops, Laptops HP Envy, dv8 Quad, Mini 311, and numerous other Windows 7 machines now available to order originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Oct 2009 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments   This email was sent to norol14@gmail.com.  Create Your Account Don't want to receive this feed any longer? Unsubscribe here.

10/18 Engadget

Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. Engadget Dell's $2,000 Adamo XPS launching October 22 with heat-sensing opener October 18, 2009 at 12:57 am Dell has been teasing its ultrathin Adamo XPS for months now, but all that goofing off will come to a solemn end next Thursday. On the same day that we sit down with Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer (and a little OS by the name of Windows 7 hits store shelves), Dell will also fully reveal the planet's slimmest laptop. The 0.39-inch Adamo XPS will cost $2,000, and while the nitty-gritty details are still under wraps, a new Business Week article notes that it'll boast a "heat-sensing strip on the lip that, when swiped with a finger, glows white and automatically opens the aluminum lid." The glamorous machine is part of a larger effort within the Round Rock powerhouse to revitalize itself and get people talking once again, and while this particular slab will obviously not be a high volume product, it could very well get a few more eyes pointed in its direction. Call us crazy, but we're guessing next week is going to be a wee bit zany. [Via Pasta Tech] Filed under: Laptops Dell's $2,000 Adamo XPS launching October 22 with heat-sensing opener originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Verizon's anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: 'Droid Does' October 17, 2009 at 11:04 pm We knew Verizon Wireless would soon be throwing caution to the wind in an effort to sway uncommitted smartphone buyers towards Big Red, and it looks like the November-bound Motorola Droid will be VZW's anti-iPhone. The spot, which launched tonight and can be view in its entirety after the break, is a 30 second clip that begins by mocking Apple's cutesy music and iconic font typically seen in iPhone plugs. It reels off a number of things that the iPhone can't do, and then abruptly goes into full-on tease mode by flashing glimpses of a robot-controlled future and a tagline that simply states: "Droid Does." No shots of the actual Motorola Droid (or Sholes, as it was known in the past) are shown, but a dedicated teaser portal has already been erected; through that, we're told that the phone will boast Android 2.0 and a 5 megapixel camera. At this point, we'd say the gloves are definitely off -- AT&T, have anything to say for yourself, or is the iPhone doing just fine on its own? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Verizon's anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: 'Droid Does' Filed under: Cellphones Verizon's anti-iPhone gets its first commercial: 'Droid Does' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth October 17, 2009 at 10:11 pm Call us crazy, but we're guessing one Gero Miesenböck of the University of Oxford has been watching just a wee bit too much Fringe. Gero here, along with a few of his over-anxious colleagues, has seemingly figured out a way to actually write memories onto a fruit fly's brain using only a laser pen and three-fourths of a Ouija board. We know what you're thinking, and we're thinking the same. But all terrifying thoughts aside, what if boffins could burn memories of hard lessons learned into our minds without us having to suffer through them first? You know, like upgrading to Snow Leopard. Filed under: Science Mad scientists figure out how to write memories to brains, take over Earth originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Nokia's 5230 inches closer to release, gets spied along the way October 17, 2009 at 8:38 pm Nokia's 5230 isn't apt to blow any minds with the likes of the HD2, Droid and XPERIA X3 on the horizon, but for those perfectly content with a touchscreen-based Symbian S60 5th Edition handset, this one sure looks purty. After dipping its toes in the FCC's expansive database just last month, a crop of new in the wild shots have surfaced to show off its 3.2-inch display (640 x 360), 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR module and variety of colorful backs. Hit the read link for more pixels if you're so inclined, and feel free to take the "January 2010" release date in with a dose of NaCl. [Thanks, Daniel] Filed under: Cellphones Nokia's 5230 inches closer to release, gets spied along the way originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 19:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments MSI retools Wind Box DE200 and DC200, puts 'em up for pre-order October 17, 2009 at 7:03 pm Well, what do you know? Last we saw MSI's Wind Box DE200, it was sittin' pretty at a booth at CeBIT. Evidently it has seen quite the makeover since that debut, with the latest imagery showing it (alongside the DC200) with far edgier enclosures. We have to say we dig the new digs, but we're most excited about the US pricing and pre-order pages. Both units are still (under)powered by a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, and predictably, both feature 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and Windows XP Home running the show. No firm release date has been nailed down for the US market, but Amazon has 'em both up for pre-order right now at $249.99 (DC200) / $299.99 (DE200). [Via iTechNews] Read - MSI press release Read - Wind Box DC200 pre-order page Read - Wind Box DE200 pre-order page Filed under: Desktops MSI retools Wind Box DE200 and DC200, puts 'em up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Caption contest: Palm strikes a pose in Spain October 17, 2009 at 5:38 pm There are three things in this crazy world that scare the living daylights out of us: poor battery life, scratched screens, and seven-foot tall she-bots wielding Pres like concealed weapons. This, it seems, was the nightmarish scenario facing Madrid as it launched Palm's first webOS-based phone this week. Chris: "I'm being treated well, but please, it's imperative that you buy this phone as expediently as possible." Richard Lai: "My other toy is the Pre." Ross: "It says if we don't do exactly as it commands, the Spiders from Mars will return and destroy us all." Darren: "Geordi La Forge and I are like this." Josh T.: "So far they have treated me well, but I fear that could change at any moment. If you comply with their demand for 300 pairs of leather pants, they say I will be released unharmed." Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds Caption contest: Palm strikes a pose in Spain originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Pixel Qi e-ink / LCD hybrid display to debut on tablet next month? October 17, 2009 at 4:11 pm It's been far, far too long (read: four months) since we've heard a peep from the gentle souls over at Pixel Qi, but it looks like the long, heart-wrenching wait for the hybrid display that's bound to revolutionize Western civilization is nearing an end. According to the startup's CEO herself, Mary Lou Jepsen, the primetime-ready 3Qi display should make its glorious debut on an undisclosed tablet to be announced next month. For those out of the loop, this transflective display contains both e-ink and LCD properties, one for outdoor reading scenarios and the other for multimedia viewing. The amazing part is that toggling between the two is as simple as flipping a switch, which obviously means great things for battery life on whatever device it's shoved into. We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more, but do us a favor and cross your fingers for good luck. Toes too, por favor. [Thanks, Tom] Filed under: Displays Pixel Qi e-ink / LCD hybrid display to debut on tablet next month? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Verizon asks 'if the iDoesn't, what does?' October 17, 2009 at 3:01 pm The "there's a map for that" ad was a pretty aggressive way to broadside AT&T and the iPhone, but it looks like Verizon's just getting warmed up. We're hearing that the carrier will be kicking off a major new campaign this evening during the Yankees-Angels game that'll feature "a very different look and a whole new attitude," calling out the "iDevice" (their words, not ours) for all the things it can't do. That's a bold offensive for a carrier that historically has lacked breadth and depth in its smartphone lineup, but with the big new Android releases coming down the pike, this might be perfect timing -- and a strong implication that we can seriously put those endless Verizon iPhone rumors to bed for a little while. Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds Verizon asks 'if the iDoesn't, what does?' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's Squirrel project revealed... as the Square iPhone Payment System October 17, 2009 at 1:54 pm Remember the Square iPhone Payment System we told you about back in August? If you'll recall, the device -- which involves an iPhone app and associated dongle -- enables an iPhone or iPod touch to become a kind of mini credit card reader, allowing payments to be taken on the spot, no matter where you are or how big (or small) the transaction may be. When we'd first reported the device, word on the street was that it was only being alpha tested around New York City, and there wasn't much else to say. Now, we may have a little more insight on just where this device is headed, and who's behind the project. Jack Dorsey, the man who all but built Twitter in a matter of two weeks, has been working on a half-secret start-up project since around May. His new venture -- dubbed, funnily enough, Squirrel -- is based around the concept of using the iPhone as... yep, a portable, personal cash register; essentially the exact device which Square has created. And that's no accident. In the images we ran of the Square system, you can see a domain name on a receipt: squareup.com. Squareup.com is the domain of the Square System (obviously), and a casual investigation into the site's WHOIS profile reveals registrant info that points to an office in San Francisco, and a contact email address which reads... billing@paybysquirrel.com. Square, squirrel, square... are you getting it? So the cat, er, squirrel appears to be out of the bag. Now the question is whether or not Dorsey and co. can turn this fairly obscure piece of tech into the kind of firestorm which Twitter has become -- and who knows, maybe there'll even be a business model this time. [Thanks, Little Birdie] Filed under: Cellphones Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's Squirrel project revealed... as the Square iPhone Payment System originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Verizon confirms: Palm Pre hitting Big Red "early next year" October 17, 2009 at 12:41 pm Oftentimes a picture shouts a thousand words. Other times it belts out precisely a dozen. Straight from Verizon Wireless' official Twitter account comes this, a confirmation that the Palm Pre we knew was coming to Big Red, well, is coming to Big Red. If you can hold off through the tempting holiday rush, you'll find Palm's first-ever webOS device on VZW "early next year." Huzzah! [Via Boy Genius Report] Filed under: Cellphones Verizon confirms: Palm Pre hitting Big Red "early next year" originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments First electromagnetic 'black hole' built on earth, nobody raps about it October 17, 2009 at 11:24 am An electromagnetic black hole -- which sucks in the light surrounding it -- has been built at Southeast University in Nanjing, China for the first time. The device works like cosmological black holes in that it has gravity which is intense enough to bend the surrounding space-time, causing any matter in the neighborhood to spiral inward and create the hole itself. The earth-built 'black hole' for microwave frequencies is constructed of 60 annular strips of meta-materials (yes, that's the stuff of invisibility cloaks). Each strip is an intricately etched circuit board which seamlessly and smoothly connects to the strips next to it, creating both a shell and absorber section to the device. When an electromagnetic wave hits the device, it is trapped and guided through the shell region toward the core, where it is absorbed. The device, which was created by Tie Jun Cui and Qiang Cheng, converts that absorbed light into heat, meaning that future possible applications could include new ways of harvesting solar energy. Hit the read link for a fuller description of this truly bad dude. Filed under: Science First electromagnetic 'black hole' built on earth, nobody raps about it originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Garmin's nuvi 1450 GPS makes small, quiet blip on retail map October 17, 2009 at 9:26 am It's not that Garmin doesn't love the nuvi 1450 -- we're sure it loves each and every one one of its GPS units equally in their own special way or somesuch -- but it did release the device without so much as a press release or other typical fanfare. Bummer, but the 5-inch, 480 x 272 resolution touchscreen has now been unearthed and doesn't look too bad for its $449.99 price tag. Battery lasts up to three hours without charge and includes optional cityXplorer software for public transit listings and ecoRoute for fuel-conscious drivers. Available now if you're itching to take it with you on the next road trip. [Via Slashgear] Filed under: GPS Garmin's nuvi 1450 GPS makes small, quiet blip on retail map originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments PSP Go is $200 at Fry's this weekend... err, '$249.99 before $50 savings' October 17, 2009 at 7:31 am You could also say it's just the square root of 39,996, or maybe the circumference of a circle that's 63.66 units in diameter, but that's just plain silly. Alternatively, you could just save $30 and buy the chunkier model that still plays UMDs. [Via Joystiq] Filed under: Gaming PSP Go is $200 at Fry's this weekend... err, '$249.99 before $50 savings' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments 2010 Olympic medals include material from recycled circuit boards October 17, 2009 at 4:47 am The just-unveiled medals for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver certainly break with a few conventions in terms of appearance, but it looks like they also contain a few surprises that aren't immediately apparent -- namely, they're all made at least partly from recycled circuit boards. Of course, the circuit boards have also been recycled beyond recognition, but each of the medals do apparently sport a one of a kind design, not to mention some considerable heft (weighing between 500 and 576 grams apiece). Sure, it's not enough to make a dent in the e-waste problem, but it's a heckuva way to kick start a trend. [Via Technabob] Filed under: Misc. Gadgets 2010 Olympic medals include material from recycled circuit boards originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments LG GD900 Crystal makes a very portable fish tank, PETA magnet October 17, 2009 at 2:42 am Remember the good old days with your virtual pets on your keyring? Well, how about an injection of life that actually roams around inside your phone? Some dude in China had this exact idea -- probably inspired by the waterproof LG GD900 Crystal in a fish tank -- and popped open the hollow keypad of his own Crystal, slapped in two unfortunate little neon tetras, squeezed in some water and snap! There's no mention on how long the poor things can survive in there for, but chances are PETA will be after your backside well before something goes wrong. We also went through the warranty paperwork, and honestly, we think this gentleman might be in a fishy area here. Video of the mod after the break, if you dare. Continue reading LG GD900 Crystal makes a very portable fish tank, PETA magnet Filed under: Cellphones LG GD900 Crystal makes a very portable fish tank, PETA magnet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments   This email was sent to norol14@gmail.com.  Create Your Account Don't want to receive this feed any longer? Unsubscribe here.