Look, we don't know anything about World Cup bids. They probably have a lot to do with "infrastructure" and "taking turns" and stuff like that. But really, world? You couldn't pick Japan just this once? Japan's incredibly great 2022 World Cup bid involved projecting 3D holograms of the games live onto soccer football fields around the world, allowing folks that can't make it to Japan for the actual games to get a pretty great simulacrum, while standing next to people that look like them and are probably rooting for the same team. "I have to admit that the idea of this blows my mind away," said Japan's committee chief Kohzo Tashima. Did you get that, world? Japan was offering you 3D holographic full field broadcasts, and you just turned a cold shoulder. Congrats, Qatar, we hope you're happy with 2022, and we're sure you earned it based on whatever arbitrary metrics FIFA uses to select World Cup countries. But you'll never earn our hearts. Video of Japan's bid is after the break.
As folks who follow such things may be aware, there's been some dispute over the origin of Square's card reader technology more or less since the company (led by Twitter's Jack Dorsey) went public with it last year. That dispute has now gotten even more contentious, however, with Square and its chairman, James McKelvey, taking aim at REM Holdings and Robert Morley, who actually holds the patent to the technology. The key issue is that McKelvey is not listed as one of the inventors in the patent, despite claims that he was the one that actually conceived the idea in a "flash of inventive insight," and that he and Morley worked together to develop the idea (and later discussed obtaining patent protection with Jack Dorsey). And that's pretty much where things stand at the moment -- Square is requesting a court order to add McKelvey as a co-inventor on the patent, but there's no indication as to when or if that will happen.
After we reviewed the DropCam Echo a few weeks back and found ourselves generally unimpressed, we received an e-mail from someone at D-Link saying something to the effect of: "Dude, you have to try out our thing, because our thing is totally better than their thing and costs a heck of a lot less too." We took them up on that offer and, while unfortunately D-Link's thing has a much less catchy name, DCS-930L Wireless N Camera hardly rolling off the tongue, the sub-$100 device does indeed live up to its billing -- for the most part.
As advertised, the DCS-930L supports 802.11n, meaning you can set this sucker up anywhere your router's microwaves and your home's power grid can reach. Initial setup is painless and, thanks to an internal web server, viewing footage is easy. Just type the IP address that's assigned to your camera into your browser and there you are, streaming live and looking pleasantly surprised.
You'll need to set the cam up over Ethernet first, but after that you're cable and carefree. That's just like the DropCam Echo, which looks so much like this thing we'd swear they shared a womb at some point. At the very least an assembly line. The stand rotates 360 degrees and has indentations to let you screw it to the wall if you're so inclined, though an unfortunately short power cable means you'll probably need an extension cord if you'll be poking holes in plasterboard too far up the wall.
The camera has a single button, which resets it, and on the front there's one blinkety light that can blissfully be darkened.
Software
You may not actually need any software to use this camera. As mentioned it streams its video directly through its own little (password-protected) webpage when you're on a local network, which is a neat trick, and you can use the mydlink.com site to view things remotely. D-Link also provides an iPhone app that lets you view that footage elsewhere, but if you're on other platforms you'll have to find your own. On Android we used an app called Tiny DVR that had us viewing footage in minutes, though getting that footage accessible beyond your firewall could be a challenge if you're unfamiliar with the ways of dynamic IPs.
In fact you can use the camera with just about any IP cam software that you like, and there are some good ones out there, but D-Link thoughtfully includes a reasonably comprehensive option called D-ViewCam. It's ugly and about as intuitive to use as an old DOS partition manager, but it is effective. Through that app the camera can act like a DVR, archiving footage to a disk share to be viewed later. Unfortunately it's not in a standard format so you'll need to use the app to export the footage back out again, and for whatever reason we couldn't get it to export the audio, despite that audio being captured.
The camera can also be configured to look for motion and, when it's detected, e-mail a photo to you or even dump it on an FTP site. That means you're just a little scripting away from hosting an auto-updating, live view of your iguana lounging in its habitat -- or your My Little Cthulhu doll having some lunch.
Performance
The camera is VGA, so lower thy expectations. Even then it disappoints, with grainy images that are distorted and dull. Low-light performance is poor as well -- the sizeable profiles of our dogs easily disappeared into the shadows at night when a single light was left on. Finally, the lens isn't wide enough for our tastes. Given the resolution you can't make out much detail here anyway, so we'd just as soon have a big 'ol fisheye view.
Wrap-up
Ultimately this is indeed a decidedly better package than the DropCam Echo and, with no monthly fees and availability at around $80 if you shop around, it's a decidedly cheaper one too. It's slightly more difficult to configure and does not impress with its image quality, but the quality is certainly good enough to fulfill this camera's purpose and with its software you can do some impressive things. Just make sure you get your iguana's consent before you start beaming its private business for the world to see. We all know what happens when those things get mad.
Oh, sure, funny-ha-ha. There's an Engadget Podcast Bingo app available now, which lets you play a relevant game of bingo on your iPhone while you listen to Engadget, Engadget Mobile, or Engadget HD podcasts stored on your phone, or stream one live from your computer. It's full of funny jokes. But you know what the thing is about humor? Every humor thing has an element of truth in it. That's what makes it funny! But that's also what makes it hurt people's feelings. Sure, you might tap "Nilay Gets Fired" on your phone while chuckling quietly to yourself, but how do you think it makes Nilay feel? Or when someone accuses Chris of being "Paid by Apple," all Chris can think of is his poor upbringing where he didn't even have shoes to wear, and how he wishes someone would pay him for his mobile expertise. Or how when someone in chat says to somebody "can you be quiet for another 4 minutes" just because they want to fill in another bingo square. How do you think that makes that somebody, you know, theoretically, feel? How much psychic pain are you willing to cause? Go ahead, download the app, we don't mind. We're just robots, anyway.
Okay, so there's no actual way to phone up Sad Keanu Reeves and confirm that the Mercedes-Benz BIOME is indeed on sale in the "real world," but it should be. Revealed in The Matrix's own LA Auto Show, this here vehicle has a theoretical weight of just 875.5 pounds, but it's likely far too wide to cruise on this planet's existing roadway system. The vehicle was imagined by designers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, California, and it's said to be "fully integrated into the ecosystem, from the moment of its creation right through to the end of its service life." How so? It's grown "in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery," and just being totally frank here, we've no idea what that means. But hey, if M-B can figure out how to grow cars in Morpheus' backyard, who are we to question the reality of it?
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Mercedes-Benz BIOME: an Ultralight Vehicle at One with Nature
At this year's Los Angeles Design Challenge, the designers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, California, surprised everyone with a revolutionary vision. Taking their inspiration from nature, they designed a vehicle which is fully integrated into the ecosystem, from the moment of its creation right through to the end of its service life. The Mercedes-Benz BIOME grows in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery. Out on the road the car emits pure oxygen, and at the end of its lifespan it can be simply composted or used as building material.
"As the inventor of the motor car, we wanted to illustrate the vision of the perfect vehicle of the future, which is created and functions in complete symbiosis with nature. The Mercedes-Benz BIOME is a natural technology hybrid, and forms part of our earth's ecosystem. It grows and thrives like the leaves on a tree" according to Hubert Lee, Head of the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad. This year the competition had called for the creation of a vision of a safe and comfortable 2+2 compact car featuring good handling and a first-class design, and weighing only 1,000 lbs (around 454 kg/kerb weight).
Mercedes-Benz symbiosis – a partnership with nature The Mercedes-Benz BIOME symbiosis vehicle is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre and tips the scales at just 875.5 lbs (around 394 kg). This material is significantly lighter than metal or plastic, yet more robust than steel. BioFibre is grown from proprietary DNA in the Mercedes-Benz nursery, where it collects energy from the sun and stores it in a liquid chemical bond called BioNectar4534. As part of this process, the vehicle is created from two seeds: The interior of the BIOME grows from the DNA in the Mercedes star on the front of the vehicle, while the exterior grows from the star on the rear. To accommodate specific customer requirements, the Mercedes star is genetically engineered in each case, and the vehicle "grows" when the genetic code is combined with the seed capsule. The wheels are grown from four separate seeds.
The Mercedes-Benz BIOME is powered by BioNectar4534, which is stored in the BioFibre material of the chassis, interior, and wheels. In addition, Mercedes-Benz has developed a technology to equip trees with special receptors which can collect the excess solar energy and turn it into BioNectar4534. This creates a direct link with nature's energy sources and acts as an incentive to cover mobility energy requirements through more trees and at the same time maintain natural resources. Like plants, the Mercedes-Benz symbiosis vehicle also produces oxygen, thereby contributing to improving air quality. At the end of its service life, the Mercedes-Benz BIOME can be fully composted or used as building material. Thanks to the exclusive use of green technologies, the BIOME vehicle thus blends seamlessly into the ecosystem.
The "Knitted" smart 454 – Weight Watch Technologies from Germany
Stuttgart/Los Angeles – American West Coast zest for life meets German technology, design art, and granny's hand-knitted woollen socks. The designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Sindelfingen based their design for an unusual smart with four seats for this year's Los Angeles Design Challenge on these principles. The smart 454 is produced by "Smart Granny Robots" (SGR) using weight watch technologies (WWT). These incredible high-tech robots are equipped with huge knitting needles. Like our grandmothers used to knit, they knit the smart's tridion cell from carbon fibres. This knitting creates complex shapes and structures which enable the vehicle geometry to be optimised in terms of weight and strength. When empty, the visionary small car weighs in at just 454 kilogrammes.
For the Los Angeles Design Challenge international car design studios were invited to design a visionary car weighing 1,000 American pounds (approx. 454 kilogrammes). The four-seater small car had to be safe and comfortable, offer good handling performance and first-class design. Steffen Köhl, Head of Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design says: "As the prototype of the lightweight and environmentally friendly city car smart is predestined for this challenge. It met all the basic requirements. We just had to further optimise the lightweight construction coupled with a distinctive and individual design."
Lightweight design with different materials for an individual look
Every single component of the smart 454 is made of different materials to give it characteristic features and a specific look. Every part is manufactured with the precise materials necessary for a perfect balance between weight and function. The windows, fenders, and bumpers are made of recyclable, coloured plastic. The roof is made of thin yet highly durable recycled textile fabric in various printed and woven patterns. The WWT carbon fibre tyres with integrated suspension have an extremely lightweight design and rule out the risk of a flat tyre. The unique SGR technology is the best lightweight design technology for rims and enables truly unique rims to be produced. The smart 454 is driven by two 15 kW electric motors which are powered by a replaceable lithium-ion battery. The motors are housed between the rear wheels. In the interior the city runabout does not need an instrument panel at all. All functions are controlled and managed via an iPad, for example speedometer and battery charge indicator, navigation system, or air conditioning.
The modular "clip-on" design principle familiar from smart enables a sheer endless spectrum of customer wishes to be easily realised. Doors, roof, engine, and transmission are simple to exchange – for an individual look and driving fun and the best possible vehicle configuration for every occasion.
The Maybach eRikscha – The Luxury Model for Tomorrow's Urban Mobility
Maybach unveils its draft for an electrically driven luxury rickshaw at the Los Angeles Design Challenge Maybach DRS – "Den-Riki-Sha" – combining ultralight design with a uniquely luxurious exterior and interior The world's first naturally manufactured luxury vehicle
Stuttgart/Los Angeles. As it presents its draft design for an electrically powered luxury rickshaw, Stuttgart's Maybach Manufaktur automotive hand-finishing section is exploring radical new avenues for the urban mobility of tomorrow as part of the Los Angeles Design Challenge. The Maybach DRS – "Den-Riki-Sha" (= electrically driven rickshaw) – blends the very latest automotive technology, luxurious comfort, and the highest safety levels with the needs of an environmentally aware world and the traditional values of the classic "Jin-Riki-Sha" (human-powered rickshaw). The futuristic four-seater is created through metamorphosis from a DNA cocoon, making it the world's first naturally manufactured vehicle. The rickshaw was developed by the designers at the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Tokyo – participating in the Los Angeles Design Challenge for the first time.
The design competition had invited international automotive design studios to draw up their vision of a car that weighs 1,000 American pounds (around 454 kilogrammes) (kerb weight). The remit was to create a four-seater small car that is safe and comfortable, offering good handling and first-class design. "This was a major challenge – in particular for a brand such as Maybach, whose luxury has thus far manifested itself not least in the vehicles' size. This is why, when building the Maybach DRS, we combined the European concept of luxury with the Asian feel for optimum use of space, so we were able to create a vehicle which blends both in an intelligent manner. Thereby we have shortly undermatched the weight limit", explained Holger Hutzenlaub, who heads the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Tokyo.
The amalgamation of organic intelligence and biomechanical engineering artistry
Breathtaking looks, polished luxury, and technical brilliance characterise the ambitious development of the Maybach DRS. The design is reminiscent of a butterfly's cocoon, light and elegant as it floats between two oversized wheels. The rickshaw is made in a unique, natural production process. Through a complex and perfect metamorphosis a finished vehicle is developed from a DNA cocoon: Organic intelligence blends with advanced biomechanical engineering. The result is a futuristic combination of an ultralight structure and an unparalleled luxury exterior and interior – for a limited number of exclusive vehicles.
The vehicle frame consists of carbon fibres and organic composite materials, whilst the doors and windows are made of injection-moulded polycarbonate and the panoramic roof of flexible organic composite materials. The Maybach DRS is powered by two 20 kW electric motors which are positioned in the wheel hubs and are self-balancing. The energy required is produced by a lithium-ion battery in the tail end. An on-board computer ensures optimum control, communicating with the metropolis's transport infrastructure, and thus guaranteeing a smooth, luxurious ride through the city. In order to increase the vehicle's range, the human/electric hybrid also allows additional pedal force, which is produced by the driver.
Totally true to the grand Maybach tradition of luxurious mobility, the Maybach DRS – "Den-Riki-Sha" – is carrying forward this heritage, paying homage to the roads of tomorrow.
Los Angeles Design Challenge The Los Angeles Design Challenge is part of the Design Los Angeles conference, taking place from 17 to 18 November 2010 as part of the Los Angeles Auto Show. The winner of the competition will be announced on 18 November 2010.
Oh, noble Wii Speak, you promised to make taunting newbs and chiding teammates so much more of a social affair. Now you're being relegated to the cemetery of console accessories that simply never caught on. Nintendo has confirmed Wii Speak is only available now at "limited retail locations" ahead of an apparent discontinuation, and that while "additional shipments can be made if consumer demand increases," that doesn't sound particularly likely to us. If you'd like to pay your respects, visiting hours will be all weekend ahead of the final ceremony taking place on Monday between the Power Glove and Zapper plots.
Is Sigma announcing an EVIL (as in Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens, not malevolent) camera today? Digital Photography Review forum member Ryan Shine seems to think so, and says it's "here" in China. As if to prove his point, we've got a trio of pictures for the mirrorless shooter. Hey, don't say we didn't warn you -- and if it doesn't become official soon, at least there's pictures to enjoy.
Update: We tracked down the source and turns out this is just an enthusiast's modded Sigma DP1, which has been given a Leica M mount. Quite a daring mod, if we may say so.
You may have already gathered that we're fans of the Jawbone Jambox -- seeing as how it appears in our Holiday Gift Guide -- but does a miniature portable speaker, even one that pumps out 85 decibels, deserve a $200 price? How about that battery life? We've spent weeks now with the little Bluetooth speaker that could, throwing it at every scenario in sight, and after the break you'll find a full review with all the upsides and downsides.
Shortly after we posted our original hands-on, we were informed that the Jambox concept isn't remotely new -- it's quite literally an evolution of the Soundmatters foxL v2 with a Jawbone cherry on top. Part of that is Aliph's trademark noise cancellation technology, but another part is pure industrial design, as the Jambox joins its Jawbone brethren in springing from the mind of Yves Behar. It's a coffee table conversation piece if we've ever seen one, as the six-inch-long Jambox is not obviously a speaker at first sight -- merely a small rectangular box completely enveloped by a delightfully textured one-piece mesh grille, with solid chunks of rubber at top and bottom. When light hits it from just the right angles, however, you can just make out a pair of drivers inside. At about the size of two Nintendo Wii Remotes stacked together, it's not something you'd fit in an average purse, but you could definitely pop it into a shoulder bag, backpack, or a large jeans pocket.
The top plays host to three tactile buttons made of solid rubber, two of which are simplistic enough to leave little question about what they control -- the minus symbol lowers volume, the plus symbol raises it, and the circle is the standard multifunction key you'll find on many a Bluetooth headset. Holding down the plus key raises the volume one step at a time, while holding down the minus immediately mutes. Tapping the circle connects the Jambox to a pre-paired phone or reports the unit's current battery life if already paired; holding it down activates any additional MyTALK software you've installed, such as voice dialing. (Read more about MyTALK here.) On the left, you've got a three-way power switch, which (when held in the top position) activates pairing mode, a 3.5mm auxiliary stereo minijack to connect directly to alternative audio inputs, and a micro-USB port for charging and software updates.
Jawbone made much out of the rigidity of its glass-infused polycarbonate structure and stainless steel grille during an early briefing, and sure enough they make for a rock-solid product here, pleasantly weighty and well-protected from accidental damage. We dropped it twice from four feet onto hard linoleum and noticed neither ding nor audible difference, and pressing lightly on the grille (as a curious child might) didn't dent it in. The Jambox also managed to vibrate itself off a shelf and onto our MacBook Pro's finicky trackpad. Not only did the rubberized Jambox survive unscathed, it also "fixed" the occassionally unresponsive trackpad without causing any cosmetic damage to the MBP's unibody construction. The rubber edges protrude enough for protection and allowed us to set the unit on its back to generate a touch more bass, and also add plenty of grip if you feel like pumping a Jambox-filled fist.
Performance... as a speaker
When you switch on the Jambox for the first time, it leaves a first impression like nothing else: the device roars to life with a deep, guttural rumble that you can feel in your bones. (When you turn it off, it fades away like life in a video game.) The booming intro isn't necessarily representative of the speaker's overall performance -- more on that in a sec -- but it never ceased to surprise how much sheer sound the Jambox produces at max volume.
We ran the Jambox through a gauntlet of tests, ranging from smartphone Pandora sessions all the way through movies, games and carefully ripped lossless audio pulled direct from a discrete PC sound card, and the verdict was clear: the Jambox isn't a magical treasure chest of audiophile bliss, but it is a pretty potent portable speaker that sounds great. Clear mids made our favorite singer-songwriters sound fantastic, while booming lows brought out the best in the synthetic squawks and explosions in our games, and the highs... well, at lower volumes, they were pretty good too, but you'll also hear plenty of distortion with the box cranked up.
The problem -- but also part of the cool factor, don't get us wrong -- is that the Jambox's audio is a very localized, directional phenomenon. Even a stiff, airtight enclosure and moving-wall radiator won't help it override the laws of physics. Even at its best, it sounds like your favorite band is trapped in a tiny box, their sound attempting to escape. The bass has fantastic oomph and the audio plenty of clarity and depth when you're holding the Jambox in your hand, pointed at your face, but it won't fill a large party room (or function terribly well outdoors, as we learned camping out for Black Friday) and still sound like something worth listening to -- and the close-set speakers don't provide much stereo separation to speak of, either. If your social get-together is a bit smaller and less audiophile-centric, though, the battery life may last you all the way through. From a full charge, we were able to stream Pandora over Bluetooth at maximum volume (a worst-case scenario) for five full hours before the box gave up the ghost, and managed well over sixteen hours in mixed testing with a variety of sources and settings.
...as a speakerphone
We wish that we could say the Jambox was a Jawbone Icon that you can share, but that's sadly not the case. It's definitely got some serious noise canceling algorithms in there -- we placed it next to a running faucet without a caller realizing -- but we have to wonder if they filter out too much, as even with little to no noise in the background folks kept asking us to speak up. They complained our volume was too low and our words often got cut off with the unit sitting on a nearby table, and only volume improved when we brought the unit up to our face. (Things were worse still with the Jambox facing away from us -- don't expect to use it in your workplace conference room.) When we switched to a Jawbone Icon under the exact same circumstances, callers had no trouble at all, so we have to chalk this one up as a Jambox fault.
Wrap-up
So if the Jambox isn't going to replace a good pair of headphones, loudspeakers or speakerphone, what good is it for you? Why, it's the perfect way to augment anything you'd share that doesn't have decent speakers of its own. Plugged into a bedroom TV, connected to an iPad or typical laptop -- or any phone you'd care to name -- there is absolutely no comparison between the Jambox and the drivers these devices ship with. And if someone doubts the potency of your purchase, you won't have to belabor the point -- just casually hand them the Jambox and let them feel for themselves.
Have you ever heard that Aaliyah song where Timbaland's all "it's been a long time (time), we shouldn'ta left you (left you) without a dope beat to step to (step to)?" That's how we feel now, or it's how we felt yesterday, and now this is a new beat to step to, but it's a whole entire Engadget Podcast to step to.
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Wondering just how well a tablet would do if picked up and marketed by all four major carriers in America? We're still waiting for the breakdown within our borders, but there's hardly a doubt that the unprecedented carrier arrangement has helped Samsung shatter its estimates on Galaxy Tab sales. Purportedly, the outfit has just passed the one million mark in global sales of the 7-inch Android tablet, but Information Week is quick to point out that Sammy's not clear on whether that's units in the sales channel or units in the hands of consumers. Either way, one million's nothing to scoff at, particularly when you consider that only 600,000 had been sold as of November 22nd. The firm's now hoping to move 1.5 million of 'em by the year's end, and while that's still well short of the estimated seven million iPads that have been sold to date, it's a sales rate that we're sure no one at Samsung is kvetching about.
Update: CNETheard from a Samsung representative that the company hasn't officially announced the sales figure here, but hopefully we'll get some clarification soon. It's possible that the PR team simply isn't ready to dish out the number in official fashion yet. We'll keep you posted.
Update II: So, it's just what we expected -- the numbers are real, but Samsung wasn't quite ready to come clean with 'em. According to Kim Titus, Director of Public Relations for Samsung Mobile, the company has "sold one million Galaxy Tabs globally." Good on 'em!
After going through some rough times with its RedEye mini dongle and doing right by replacing them, ThinkFlood appears to be running full beam ahead once more. Specifically, the company has announced that RedEye owners will soon have the ability to setup and control their remote systems straight from their PC or mobile browser. On the mobile front, apparently the web app will even work on Android and BlackBerry devices, despite being optimized for Safari on iOS -- hinting that non iPhone owners could possibly let their phones control more than their social lives soon. Setup wise, the web version also allows users to automatically align and move multiple buttons at once, plus assign commands to over 70+ keyboard shortcuts. Combined with the ability to make adjustments using a mouse on a computer's larger screen, tweaking custom RedEye remote layouts just got infinitely easier -- you hear that Harmony? The iOS app 2.0 update is also now available as a free 'Plus' download in the iTunes store, and finally supports the iPad's lovely screen in either orientation. In a sense, it's further substantiating the tablet's new career path as a jumbo-buttoned geezer remote of the future, but hey -- no gripes here.
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ThinkFlood's RedEye Universal Remote Control Now Compatible With Your Web Browser
ThinkFlood's RedEye Application Gets Major Updates That Expand the Compatibility of RedEye Units to Include Access From PC and Mobile Browsers
WALTHAM, MA--(Marketwire - December 2, 2010) - ThinkFlood (http://thinkflood.com/), maker of RedEye universal remote controls, announced that (Wi-Fi) RedEye owners will soon be able to setup and manage their RedEye systems using any Web browser connected to their home network.
"The networked power of RedEye Wi-Fi systems becomes more apparent in this new version," said ThinkFlood founder, Matt Eagar. "No longer are our Wi-Fi customers limited to iOS, as they can configure and control RedEye from both PCs and other mobile platforms."
The RedEye browser app gives (Wi-Fi) RedEye customers the ability to use any PC browser to control their RedEye systems and edit activity layouts. With RedEye app version 2.0, custom layouts are even easier to configure with the ability to select and move multiple buttons at once, align edges automatically and more.
RedEye customers may also run the application from a variety of mobile Web browsers -- such as those included with Android and BlackBerry operating systems. ThinkFlood developers say that while the RedEye browser app performs well in tests using non-iOS mobile browsers, version 2.0 is not specifically optimized for them.
ThinkFlood (Wi-Fi) RedEye customers may choose from nearly 70 different keyboard shortcuts to easily control their home entertainment devices when accessing their universal remote control system from a PC.
"Our goal from the start has been to make the RedEye a truly 'universal' universal remote control system," said Eagar. "Our customers should be able to use RedEye from whatever device they have at hand, whether it's an iPhone or a laptop."
The updated RedEye application for RedEye universal remote control systems will be available during the first week of December 2010 as a free download from iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/app/redeye/id315598320?mt=8).
About ThinkFlood:
ThinkFlood designs and develops remote control hardware and software. Its RedEye line (http://thinkflood.com/products) of universal remote control products for mobile phones, MP3 players and tablets offers features and functionality previously available only in remotes priced several times as much. ThinkFlood is a privately held company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Oh boy. We'd actually passed over reports that the HTC HD7 suffers from a "death grip" issue this past week, since we think it's been well-proven that you can get almost any phone to drop some signal if you hold it exactly right, but apparently the furor's gotten loud enough to merit an official HTC reponse. Here's the statement, sent to Computer Weekly:
Quality in industrial design is of key importance to HTC. To ensure the best possible signal strength, antennas are placed in the area least likely to be covered by a person's face or hands while the phone is in use. However, it is inevitable that a phone's signal strength will weaken a little when covered in its entirety by a user's palm or fingers. We test all of our phones extensively and are confident that under normal circumstances reception strength and performance will be more than sufficient for the operation of the phone when network coverage is also adequate.
Yes, that sounds almost exactly like what Apple said during its iPhone 4 Antennagate press conference, but that makes sense -- we wouldn't honestly expect HTC to say anything else, even though John Gruber points out that the company told the Wall Street Journal that Apple's reception problems were "certainly not common" in July. But we do find it extremely interesting that the HD7 is clearly based on the HTC HD2, a handset which came out over a year ago and suffered from reports of similar reception issues. (In fact, a post at xda-developers in June noted that the HD2 has the same death grip issue as the iPhone 4.) Whatever the case, much of the problem seems to stem from the fact that the HD2 / HD7 antenna is located at the bottom of the phone where it's most likely to be covered by a user's hand, so it looks like the ultimate answer for HD7 owners is a familiar one: you're holding it wrong. Video after the break.
Still haven't found that case you've been looking for? At last, the promise land. Designer Tjeerd Veenhoven has crafted a partly nifty, partly hilarious new wind-powered iPhone charger / case, appropriately dubbed iFan. In theory, at least, this here case would wrap your iPhone up for protection and then catch wind gusts from wherever, in turn rejuvenating your phone as you talked and walked. There's even a bicycle attachment mockup for those who'd rather place it on their handlebars and kick things up a notch. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether the process can be reversed (i.e. if the blades can be turned into a battery-powered cooling machine when you're at full capacity), nor a hard on-sale date. But hey, at least there's no jailbreak requirement.
There's no reason that a USB 3.0 device can't be quick enough to serve up an app, though most apps get finicky if you try to run them from removable storage on more than one computer. SuperTalent is trying to make that a little easier by bundling Ceedo Personal with its new USB 3.0 Express RAM Cache thumb drives. Ceedo effectively lets you install and run apps in a sandbox that can be moved from one machine to another, with the idea here being of course that you'd deploy that sandbox on your blazing new thumb drive and run those apps with wild abandon, as demonstrated in the video below. The drives start at $59 for 16GB then go up to $119 for 32GB and $209 for the 64GB model, but if you want the Ceedo bundles you'll need to pay $20 more for each. That is, at least, half what the software costs on its own.
We're aware of a few third-party products that pull off this trick by connecting to your cellphone via Bluetooth, but Verizon's throwing weight behind its own system called Home Phone Connect that'll connect your home phone into its wireless network. The system -- which seems to be available only to residents of New York and Connecticut at the moment -- includes some sort of base station that connects to Verizon's network on one end and your existing landline on the other; T-Mobile's now-defunct @Home service was similar, but used your internet connection to route the calls rather than the cellular airwaves. Subscribers pay $9.99 to add the landline to a Verizon family plan or $19.99 to grant it unlimited domestic minutes, which seems poised to cut into Verizon's legacy landline business just as much (if not more) than the unique Hub unit that got killed off a while back. Hard to say when (or even if) Home Phone Connect will go national, but these trials are often set up to test the pricing model just as much as they are the underlying technology -- so the question becomes, would you pay $10 more on your Verizon Wireless bill to use your old-school Slimline?
We're not sure that fighting fire with fire actually works outside of the metaphorical realm, but don't let us tell the FTC how to do its thing. The federal body, which recently told Google "it's all good" after the company apologized for stealing people's private infos, is now asking for social networking sites and browser developers to create a sort of "do not track" cookie system. If this cookie was present the sites would not capture a user's browsing habits and not deliver customized ads, a cookie that would be created and enabled by a simple browser button. As of now the FTC is not mandating anything, but did deliver this passive-aggressive threat:
With respect to 'do not track,' we are giving companies a little time, but we'd like to see them work a lot faster in making consumer choice a lot easier.
So there you have it: start playing nice, companies, or the FTC might possibly do something. Meanwhile, we might possibly eat the cute looking gingerbread man in the middle up there. He sure looks tasty.
Sure, the PS3 is what's hip and happening for Sony game fans, but unless you picked up one of the first generation (chubby) units you have questionable support for the greatest generation of games: those that released for the PS2. But, don't fret noble gamer, and don't lament about trading that console in for $15 store credit a few years back. Just buy a new TV! Sony's KDL-22PX300 LCD has a rather hunky base that conceals a fully working PlayStation 2. That console is fully backwards compatible with O.G. PlayStation games and naturally also plays DVDs but, if that isn't enough pixels for you, four HDMI ports await the clumsy probes of cables from sources that can better handle the ways of its 720p panel. The set can also serve up video from Sony's Bravia service over Ethernet or an optional wireless dongle. It's priced at £200 in the UK, which is just a tick over $300 and, honestly, not too bad a deal. No word on an American release, but it'll need a SCART-ectomy before that happens.
Do not adjust your browsers, that really is a Pentax product adorned with a generous helping of the three primary colors and a mech's head attached to its flash hotshoe. Why? In response to customer demand, of course. It'd seem people were so enamored with the way the K-x got abused restyled that they wanted more of that Korejanai magic, and Pentax is kindly obliging them with a limited run of 100 "robotized" K-r sets. The internal specs are unchanged from the original, but you do get a new 35mm prime lens with a wide F2.4 aperture to play with. Pre-orders costing ¥99,800 ($1,187) will start on December 24th for a delivery in early January. Yup, just in time for you to be the coolest blogger at CES.
PhoneSuit's no stranger to the reload-and-refuel arena, and just months after ushering out the Primo Battery Cube, along comes this: the Primo Power Core. For all intents and purposes, this is an iPhone-sized battery pack, and it just so happens to be fully capable of charging your iPhone or iPod touch. Unlike the vast majority of alternatives, however, this 8200mAh pack can also rejuvenate an iPad, not to mention a wealth of Android smartphones, your mom's BlackBerry, a couple of unnamed netbooks (yeah, seriously!) and practically any other handheld gadget that can be juiced via USB. The company throws in a cornucopia of tips for a range of "popular" devices, though high-drain devices like netbooks will need to make use of the 12V port. There's an external LED charge meter to keep you abreast of how much power remains, and it can be headed to a stocking near you in exchange for $99.95.
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Introducing the Primo Power Core from PhoneSuit
The Primo Power Core is your personal, portable, pocket-sized power plant. Featuring an impressive 8200mAh capacity battery in a lightweight package, the Primo has enough power to fully charge most mobile devices multiple times on a single charge. The Primo Power Core features automatic Amp switching technology to ensure that your iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Android tablet or Smartphone are charging at the fastest rates possible (up to 2.1A output). Power just about anything portable! Use it to extend the time you can watch movies, listen to music, surf the web and play your favorite video games. Never be out of power again with the Primo Power Core from PhoneSuit.
Advanced Battery Technology
The Primo Power Core utilizes high density lithium-ion battery cells to deliver 8200mAh of power in a compact size. To put the 8200mAh capacity into perspective, that's enough to fully charge an iPhone 4 or Android Smartphone up to four or five times (depending on the device) or fully charge the iPad once. Our quality battery cells last for many hundreds of full charges and hold no memory. An integrated power switch allows you to put the Primo in standby mode and prolong its power storage. The Primo's versatility will never leave you without the power you need.
Universal Compatibility
The Primo Power Core is compatible with most Smartphones, Tablets, Netbooks and mobile devices. It can charge virtually any device via it's USB out port. Included are cables and tips for the most popular mobile devices. The Primo usually works perfectly fine with your device's original USB charging cable as well. For higher powered products such as Netbook computers, the Core features a separate 12 Volt out port. The Primo can make sure all of your favorite devices are fully charged and at your command.
Apple Certified Compatibility
The Primo Power Core is "Made for iPod, iPhone, iPad" Apple certified. Use the Primo with nearly all your Apple devices including iPad's, iPhone's and iPod's. The Primo Power Core is one of the only Battery packs which support Apples high input 2.1 Amp charging technology for the iPad. Get your devices charged and ready faster with the Primo Power Core!
Durable Construction
The Primo Power Core is built with solid construction and design in mind. Safely store the Primo in your bag or luggage and use when needed. It's the perfect travel companion for those long journeys.
Battery Charge Meter
The Primo Power Core features an attractive LED battery charge meter to display the battery cells remaining charge. Simply turn on the Core and it will display the battery status in three convenient indicators. When recharging the Primo, the meter easily lets you know when it's finished charging by blinking the three indicators.
Compatibility list
The Primo Power Core is compatible with a large number of devices including iPad, iPhone, iPod, Blackberry, Android Smartphones, Android Tablets, Samsung, HTC, Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG, Palm, Bluetooth headsets, GPS, eReaders and more.
Primo Warranty
PhoneSuit stands by the quality of its products. We provide a one year repair or replacement warranty on the Primo Power Core. If there are any manufacturing defects with your Primo, you may send it in for repair up to 1 year from the purchase date.
No matter how many we see, we never cease to be amazed by some of the KIRFs out there. Take this Droid X, for instance, which doesn't even bother with a name like "Motorolo Foid X," and even goes so far as to include some legitimate-looking Verizon branding to back up its nearly spot-on appearance. The real kicker, however, is that the KIRFers behind the device have decided to ditch Android in favor of Windows Mobile 6.5 for reasons unknown to us. Don't believe us? Check it out in action in the video after the break, and look for the device itself to set you back around $244.
Did you find the 262mph record that China scooped up only two months ago impressive? Well, add another 40mph to that number as today Xinhua News has revealed China's claim to the new speed record for unmodified commercial trains. The new line presently being tested between Beijing and Shanghai has delivered a mind-warping 302mph (486kph) top speed, which is projected to help cut down travel times between the two cities in half, down to a mere five hours. As with the Shanghai-Hangzhou connection that held the record previously, speeds with actual passengers on board will probably be limited to more moderate levels when this connections opens up in 2012, but the Chinese government's goal is still that magical 312mph (500kph) mark -- at this pace, they should be there by Tuesday.
And so it goes. Samsung Electronics' Chairman, aka The Notorious Lee Kun-hee, has just seen his son Lee Jae-yong promoted to the position of president of the chaebol kingdom. Lee previously served as executive VP in the flagship arm of the Samsung Group conglomerate. As if that wasn't enough nepotism, Lee's little sis was promoted to the position of president of Everland, a Samsung-owned theme park / resort operator. Naturally, Samsung stock closed at a record high on the news.
Fan of the original 1,500mAh Mophie Juice pack for the iPhone 4? Sure, we certainly were when we reviewed it a few months back. So let us introduce you to the new Mophie Juice Pack Plus featuring a bigger 2,000mAh battery that more than doubles the life of Apple's non-removable iPhone 4 battery. Unfortunately, the extra oomph bumps the price from $79.95 to $99.95 and adds another 1mm of bulk to the pack -- not that a minor size bump should matter too much when you're already strapping your svelte phone to a battery sled. It's available now in black with yellow, Engadget Mobile magenta, and classic Engadget cyan coming soon.
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mophie Announces juice pack plus for iPhone 4
New innovation in juice pack line provides enhanced power and protection
Santa Ana, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2010) – mophie™ today announced the availability of the juice pack plus, an enhanced capacity iPhone 4 battery case that will more than double the time iPhone users have to rock, talk and surf. The plus is mophie's second rechargeable external battery case designed for the iPhone 4, and has a 2,000 mAh battery capacity, the largest of any juice pack case produced to date.
In keeping with mophie's award-winning juice pack design, the juice pack plus is ultra-thin and light-weight, providing protection and now even more power for the iPhone 4 while adding only 1 mm of thickness when compared to the original juice pack air design. The juice pack plus boasts a 2,000 mAh charging capacity, offering iPhone 4 power users with more than double the battery life on-the-go, and features enhanced design elements including a dual injected rubber grip for extra hold.
"The juice pack plus provides the most battery capacity we've put into a juice pack battery case, yet it only adds 1 mm of thickness," said Susan Schedel, vice president of sales and marketing for mophie. "The plus is an example of how mophie is constantly working to evolve the juice pack line and provide Apple users with choices and added functionality, while maintaining a smart and sleek design that is expected from iPhone users."
The juice pack plus for iPhone 4 is now available for purchase on www.mophie.com for $99.95, and will soon be available in AT&T stores nationwide. Key features and benefits include:
More than Doubles Battery Life – 2,000 mAh capacity, advanced battery technology delivers an incredible amount of "juice" in a small form factor, more than doubling battery life while only adding 1 mm of thickness. Users will experience: - Up to 8 additional hours talk time on 3G; 16 hours 2G - Up to 7 additional hours internet use on 3G; 11 hours WiFi - Up to 44 hours additional audio playback - Up to 11 hours video playback
Acoustic Sound Enhancement – The juice pack plus design acts as a virtual speaker box, redirecting sound from the bottom of the iPhone 4 to the front, resulting in a richer, fuller sound quality.
Choice of Color – The juice pack plus is available initially in black, but will soon come in three other colors, allowing you to choose the case that matches your style, including cyan, magenta, yellow and black.
Pass-through USB – Included USB cable enables you to simultaneously charge and sync your iPhone 4 to iTunes without having to remove it from the juice pack plus.
Standby/Charging Switch: Features a simple toggle switch that allows for standby and charging mode so you only have to use the juice pack plus battery when you need it.
Efficient Electronics – Embedded electronics results in no signal interference with the iPhone 4. 4 Light LED Battery Status Indicator – An integrated LED status indicator tells you exactly how much "juice" is left and also displays how much time remains during the charging process.
The mophie juice pack plus is now available in black at mophie.com for $99.95-cyan, magenta, and yellow versions will be coming in the near future. For additional information regarding the mophie juice pack line of products, please visit http://www.mophie.com
We did say it'd take an Act of Congress to lower the volume on televisual commercials and, shockingly enough, that's exactly what we've got now. The House of Representatives has given its nod of approval to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act, which, having already cleared the Senate, is now on its way to President Obama's desk for final validation. Once signed into effect, the new legislation will require that all advertisers modulate their volume down so it's no higher than that of the program you're watching, and it'll be the FCC's duty to ensure that they all adhere to the new rule. A year's leniency will be allowed for all those who struggle with figuring out how to turn it down from 11, but after that we should all be able to watch the dying medium that is live television without dreading the commercial breaks.
Holiday spirit over in Best Buy land must mean "getting rid of old stock by discounting it." The Droid Incredible and Xperia X10 are among the handsets to be featured in the big retailer's December mobile sale, which will involve offering up four free phones each day (one for each carrier) at a price of $0 upfront and subject to the usual two-year agreement. LG's Optimus T and Optimus S will also get their moment in the spotlight this month, though the discount there isn't exactly massive when you consider that the S started life costing $50 on contract. Speaking of S-branded Android phones, wasn't it Best Buy that first leaked out the next Nexus? Now that'd be a holiday offer worth talking about.
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Best Buy® Announces Unprecedented Specials: Free Smart Phones Through December
New campaign offers customers the choice of free smart phones across all four major carriers
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Best Buy Mobile, the mobile specialty retail unit of Best Buy Co. Inc (NYSE:BBY), today announced that it is giving consumers another reason to celebrate – a holiday event featuring free smart phones. Every day in December, Best Buy Mobile will feature a minimum of four free smart phones (one from each carrier) in all Best Buy stores, in all Best Buy Mobile specialty stores and online at www.BestBuy.com/FreeSmartPhones.
Based on the overwhelming success and customer feedback from the Free Phone Fridays campaign in October, Best Buy will feature FREE smart phones every day during the remainder of the holiday shopping season. Examples of smart phones featured include:
Droid Incredible by HTC (Verizon) Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 (AT&T) LG Optimus S (Sprint) LG Optimus T (T-Mobile)
"We were excited by the amount of consumer interest we received around our 'Free Phone Fridays' promotion in October, so we wanted to do it again only bigger," said Shawn Score, president of Best Buy Mobile. "People want smart phones and we couldn't think of a better way to end the year for our customers than to offer free devices every day in December."
The free phones require new or upgrade activation with two-year agreement and minimum quantities will vary by store. There are no price matches and the offer is not valid on prior purchases.
Former Israeli electronics and defense engineers wouldn't be the first group of people we'd peg to leap into the robot massager biz, but that's exactly who's behind the Wheeme from DreamBots inc. According to the firm's about page, the Wheeme was developed to meet "the increasing demand for smart products that offer the natural feeling of caressing, relaxation, falling asleep and even just tickling." True to those goals, the device works by moving slowly across a person's body to provide a gentle massage using its soft silicone rubber "fingerettes" (a.k.a wheels). Special tilt sensor technology ensures it won't fall off or lose grip while motoring either -- making the Wheeme a master at its trade -- at least for customers lying down. Officially this rover will start shipping in the spring of 2011, but pre-ordering the device which costs $49 plus shipping will guarantee you don't miss out on any of the drive by goodness. To view the Wheeme going to work while narrowly avoiding crashes, check out the embedded video after the break.
The majority of augmented reality applications these days may be visual ones, but that's hardly the only type of augmented reality possible, as fully evidenced by this so-called TagCandy device built by Yasuaki Kakehi of Keio University. As you can see above, it consists of a rather large base that accommodates a regular lollipop, which not only makes it easy to hold the candy, but uses bone-conduction technology to produce different sounds ranging from fizzy soda to fireworks. Of course, it is just a concept, and still something of a work in progress -- future possibilities apparently include the ability to detect biting in addition to sucking, and the ability to buy and share different "sensations" on the internet. Head on past the break to check it out on video.
The Capricans in Denver, Colorado should can consider themselves blessed by the Gods. An 8-inch tall Centurion was spotted near Coors Field park, prompting one citizen to notify the police. You probably know what happened next: adjacent 20th street was closed causing rush hour traffic to pile up, and two hours later, after being unable to determine at the time if it was safe, the bomb squad remotely detonated the little Centurion. Move along, nothing to see here. It's not like they walk among us in human form or anything. Yet.
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Ozair, who is no longer down with forking out monthly for a subpar DVR experience. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
"With the unveiling of (pricey) Google TV, what are the other, cheaper alternatives to setting up HDTV via a cable box rather than renting out Optimum / Cablevision's outdated and laggy set-top box? TiVo? Any other standalone DVRs? Something I'm not considering?"
For those of you who've purchased a standalone DVR + CableCARD setup (or possibly even an HTPC + CableCARD setup), how are you enjoying it? Let this fellow know your optimal arrangement down in comments below -- make it quick, it's not like he can afford to miss this year's burning of the Yule Log in HD.
It took half a score to actually get real, but did you know that it takes but two minutes to construct a 2011 Chevrolet Volt? Okay, we lied -- one minute, fifty-five seconds. Hit play below to enter what Kenny Loggins would describe as "The Danger Zone."
The case of 28-year old CSU student Matthew Crippen has come and gone. Arrested last year on Digital Millennium Copyright Act violations -- specifically, for modding Xbox 360s to enable them to play pirated games -- federal prosecutor Allen Chiu announced on the third day of trial that the government was dropping its case against him "based on fairness and justice." It's not a complete surprise: according to Wired, on the previous day (Wednesday), an undercover agent testifying against Crippen claimed the defendant used a pirated game to test a modded console in his presence. That detail, required for the prosecution's case (the use of pirated software), was never mentioned in any of the previous reports or sworn declarations, so once the judge dismissed it as evidence, the case against Crippen hit a snag. Source link's got the full, very interesting tale, but if you're patient, there's always a chance one of the Law and Orders will pick up the story in the years to come.
There are no apps just yet, but Google's Chrome browser is now reportedly updated to support the impending Web Store launch. Version 8.0.552.215 -- just call it '8,' for short -- also provides a built-in PDF viewer and over 800 claimed bug fixes. Download's a no-brainer if you're rocking the current stable release. And if you look at the code close enough, you might spot a Chrome OS release date. Okay, no, not really.
Did you update your free copy of AVG 2011 today, in the hopes of evading a nasty bug? In a set of mildly familiar circumstances, the antivirus company has inadvertently unleashed an even nastier one. Users running 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and AVG 2011 are reporting a STOP error after a mandatory antivirus update this morning, which is keeping some from booting their machines into Windows at all. The buggy update has since been pulled and there are a couple ways to preemptively keep it from happening if you're staring at the message above, but if you've already been stung, you're looking at some quality time with a recovery disc or repair partition to fix your Windows boot files. Find all the solutions, including the preemptive ones, at our source link below.
The ultraslim, metallic, chiclet-styled obsession all began back in mid-2007, but a revised iMac in March of 2009 delivered something else: a chopped-down version of the Apple Keyboard. If you'll recall, that one dropped the numeric keypad and gained two peripheral USB sockets, making it one of the more compact desktop keyboards on the market. Just shy of its second birthday, it seems as if the supply chain overlords in Cupertino have seen fit to discontinue it, though a number of e-tailers still seem to have stock for the moment. If you're dead-set on snagging one (we know, stocking's aren't that long), Amazon can make your day for $46.99, but we'd probably pony up the extra $3 necessary to bring one home with a number pad on the right.
You've seen so many Kinect hacks by now that you probably think you know them all -- but wait, have you seen one that makes you look like Predator when he's busy predatorizing the populace? Or one that lets you reenact your favorite Metal Gear Solid scenes with Snake's camo turned on? Yup, a Japanese coder by the name of Takayuki Fukatsu has exploited the versatile openFrameworks to give Kinect a mode where it tracks your movement and position, but turns the dull details of your visage into an almost perfectly transparent outline. Of course, you're not actually transparent, it looks to be just the system skinning an image of the background onto the contours of your body in real time, but man, it sure is cool to look at. You can do so for yourself with the video after the break.
That's right, we're back! It's been a long two weeks without you, but we'll be live at 6:30PM EST just totally chilling out. And occasionally talking about gadgets. See you then!
P.S. And don't forget that Ustream has Android and iPhone clients as well, if you're out and about and you can't join in on the Flash-based fun below.
Update: And it's over! Don't worry if you missed that endless joyride, the regular podcast post will be up tomorrow.
Technically speaking, Polaroid returned to instant photography earlier this year with the introduction of the 300, but we all know that thing was forgotten as soon as it was revealed. The famed camera outfit -- despite being a shell of its former self -- just dropped a luscious teaser into our inbox to let us know about an exclusive event it'll be hosting at CES 2011 next month. The image you see above is severely distorted, but we did so to give you a better idea of what's truly to come -- unless that's an outrageously shaped projector, we're guessing it's some sort of next generation instant camera. The slot on the bottom definitely helped push us over the edge, but if you'd rather cover the whole thing in mystique and guess for yourself, the un-doctored (er, unmutilated) teaser is just after the break. Oh, and we'll be bringing you the blow-by-blow on what this thing really is on January 6th, hopefully with Outkast blaring in the background.
Considering Sprint's heavy investment in Clearwire -- and the fact that it shares its WiMAX network with the company -- you can understand why it might be a little weary of letting other carriers in on the spectrum. That said, a Goldman Sachs analyst that apparently met with Sprint execs this week has said that they "have encouraged" a wholesale spectrum deal that would bring cash in from T-Mobile USA -- a company that has yet to settle on a next-gen network strategy beyond HSPA+ -- though it would ultimately depend on the price. Considering Clearwire's somewhat bleak financial picture, it seems likely that Sprint's looking at this as a do-or-die situation -- it isn't necessarily interested in dumping cash into the company by itself ad nauseam, but if it allows the company to falter, that could have unsavory consequences on Sprint's own 4G ambitions. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
Verizon didn't make any mention of it during it's big announcement yesterday, but PC Magazine's Sascha Seagan has confirmed with the carrier that it will indeed be offering its 4G LTE service off-contract as well. That will actually come in at the same rates as the on-contract pricing -- $50 for 5GB or $80 for 10GB, plus a $10 per GB overage -- but you'll have to shell out a full $249.99 for the modem, as opposed to just $99.99 on a two-year contract (after a $50 mail-in rebate).
First the 2018 World Cup and now this. An Intel press event in Moscow was reportedly the site of some new MeeGo device reveals. Mail.ru's Anton Spiridonov was on hand and managed to spot Intel Atom-based phone the Hi/Lo Vibrant (we haven't heard of the company, either) and a tablet of some sort, both equipped with the Linux-based OS. Not much else is known save for what appears to be a 5 megapixel camera labeled as such on the back. More pics below.
Wondering just how well a tablet would do if picked up and marketed by all four major carriers in America? We're still waiting for the breakdown within our borders, but there's hardly a doubt that the unprecedented carrier arrangement has helped Samsung shatter its estimates on Galaxy Tab sales. Purportedly, the outfit has just passed the one million mark in global sales of the 7-inch Android tablet, but Information Week is quick to point out that Sammy's not clear on whether that's units in the sales channel or units in the hands of consumers. Either way, one million's nothing to scoff at, particularly when you consider that only 600,000 had been sold as of November 22nd. The firm's now hoping to move 1.5 million of 'em by the year's end, and while that's still well short of the estimated seven million iPads that have been sold to date, it's a sales rate that we're sure no one at Samsung is kvetching about.
We're aware of a few third-party products that pull off this trick by connecting to your cellphone via Bluetooth, but Verizon's throwing weight behind its own system called Home Phone Connect that'll connect your home phone into its wireless network. The system -- which seems to be available only to residents of New York and Connecticut at the moment -- includes some sort of base station that connects to Verizon's network on one end and your existing landline on the other; T-Mobile's now-defunct @Home service was similar, but used your internet connection to route the calls rather than the cellular airwaves. Subscribers pay $9.99 to add the landline to a Verizon family plan or $19.99 to grant it unlimited domestic minutes, which seems poised to cut into Verizon's legacy landline business just as much (if not more) than the unique Hub unit that got killed off a while back. Hard to say when (or even if) Home Phone Connect will go national, but these trials are often set up to test the pricing model just as much as they are the underlying technology -- so the question becomes, would you pay $10 more on your Verizon Wireless bill to use your old-school Slimline?
PhoneSuit's no stranger to the reload-and-refuel arena, and just months after ushering out the Primo Battery Cube, along comes this: the Primo Power Core. For all intents and purposes, this is an iPhone-sized battery pack, and it just so happens to be fully capable of charging your iPhone or iPod touch. Unlike the vast majority of alternatives, however, this 8200mAh pack can also rejuvenate an iPad, not to mention a wealth of Android smartphones, your mom's BlackBerry, a couple of unnamed netbooks (yeah, seriously!) and practically any other handheld gadget that can be juiced via USB. The company throws in a cornucopia of tips for a range of "popular" devices, though high-drain devices like netbooks will need to make use of the 12V port. There's an external LED charge meter to keep you abreast of how much power remains, and it can be headed to a stocking near you in exchange for $99.95. 
The Capricans in Denver, Colorado should can consider themselves blessed by the Gods. An 8-inch tall Centurion was spotted near Coors Field park, prompting one citizen to notify the police. You probably know what happened next: adjacent 20th street was closed causing rush hour traffic to pile up, and two hours later, after being unable to determine at the time if it was safe, the bomb squad remotely detonated the little Centurion. Move along, nothing to see here. It's not like they walk among us in human form or anything. Yet.
Considering Sprint's heavy investment in Clearwire -- and the fact that it shares its WiMAX network with the company -- you can understand why it might be a little weary of letting other carriers in on the spectrum. That said, a Goldman Sachs analyst that apparently met with Sprint execs this week has said that they "have encouraged" a wholesale spectrum deal that would bring cash in from T-Mobile USA -- a company that has yet to settle on a next-gen network strategy beyond HSPA+ -- though it would ultimately depend on the price. Considering Clearwire's somewhat bleak financial picture, it seems likely that Sprint's looking at this as a do-or-die situation -- it isn't necessarily interested in dumping cash into the company by itself ad nauseam, but if it allows the company to falter, that could have unsavory consequences on Sprint's own 4G ambitions. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.
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