Sponsored

Engadget News

---

• So, what'd you get?
• Visualized: here's looking at you, fanboy!
• Toyota looks set to launch two new Prius models in Detroit, one's a mystery
• FCC proposes rules for NBC-Comcast deal
• Thrustmaster T500RS steering wheel unveiled: $599 of Gran Turismo perfection
• Google's 2010 holiday doodle: its 'most ambitious one yet'
• Reva's text-to-recharge electric car rolls to a standstill the US
• How would you change Nokia's N8?
• ASUS O!Play Mini player ditches the USB 3.0 but keeps the 1080p
• T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot shows up in FCC courtesy of ZTE
• HTC 7 Pro shows up on O2 Germany's site, promises January launch
• Skype well on the road to recovery, group video calls restored
• Nokia E7 hits Amazon: pay $679 and they'll ship it when they've got it
• The Engadget Podcast, live at 3PM EST!

So, what'd you get? Posted: 25 Dec 2010 07:55 AM PST Let's just call it what it is: the best Christmas ever. Why? Well, for starters, it's December 25th. Secondly, it's a Saturday in much of the world. How often does that happen? The technology outfits 'round the globe have managed to deliver a rather insane stack of wares to consider this year -- from terrifically desirable goods to rubbish that we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy's enemies -- and now it's our turn to pry into your business and find out what Santa Claus dumped (or didn't dump) under your tree overnight. Hit us up with your scores in comments below, and be sure to cast your vote as to whether or not the kid on the right is feigning excitement over his newfound laptop. Oh, the kid in the video just past the break -- that's probably useful information. When you're done, check out what people got jazzed about in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Visualized: here's looking at you, fanboy! Posted: 25 Dec 2010 05:39 AM PST Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to mock the above self-portrait without resorting to obvious jokes about the iPhone needing a bumper, the iPad lacking a camera of its own, or prefixing insults with the letter i. Come on, it's Christmas, let's be a little more like San Diego and keep it classy. For his part, David Polette, the author of this piece, admits to no Photoshop trickery whatsoever, having relied simply on his camera, Apple gadgets, and no small amount of patience to line things up just right. Android users, care to play along as well? [Thanks, David]

Toyota looks set to launch two new Prius models in Detroit, one's a mystery Posted: 25 Dec 2010 04:07 AM PST It's a sure-fire bet that Toyota will unveil its upright Prius MPV at the North American International Auto Show in a couple of weeks, a rather more roomy and practical version of the hybrid that really started it all. And, of course, the plug-in model we tested in October will be surely rocking the floor. Now we're hearing that another as of yet unreleased Prius will be on display, simply referred to as a "Prius concept vehicle." Concept cars of course range from the mundane to the insane, and knowing Toyota we're guessing this one will fall squarely into the former category. Just the same we're hoping for a tire-shredding, slalam-eating, RWD hybrid Prius Supra model. We'll be there in Detroit when the unveil happens and we'll be sure to bring some tissues to wipe away our tears of disappointment. Show full PR text Toyota to Reveal Prius Family of Vehicles at the North American International Auto Show TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 23, 2010 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., will stage the world premiere of the Prius family of vehicles at a press conference at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. In addition to the current third-generation Prius and Prius Plug-in vehicle (PHV), the first all-new addition to the Prius Family will debut along with a Prius concept vehicle. The press conference will be held on Monday, Jan. 10 at 1:05 p.m. EST in the Riverview Ballroom at Cobo Center. A live Webcast will be available at ToyotaNewsroom.com. A Prius Family Sneak Peak video featuring X Games champion skateboarder Bob Burnquist is available at YouTube.com/Toyota.

FCC proposes rules for NBC-Comcast deal Posted: 25 Dec 2010 02:15 AM PST As you can imagine, the thought of a marriage between a broadband / cable TV service provider and a content provider for television and movies has more than a few folks concerned, which is why it's taken a while for the FCC and its erstwhile chairman Julius "Caesar" Genachowski to draft the conditions under which it would let Comcast snatch up 51 percent of NBC Universal. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FCC wants to require that Comcast make any content owned by itself and NBCU available to competitors (including streaming video providers) "at reasonable, nondiscriminatory terms." Additionally, Comcast will be barred from prioritizing its own video streams above others or interfering with rival Internet traffic. Of course, without the actual announcement, it's hard to know what impact this will have on everyone involved (especially Hulu), although with any luck the actual proposal will see the light of day soon enough. Even then, it will need to be approved, which could happen early next year.

Thrustmaster T500RS steering wheel unveiled: $599 of Gran Turismo perfection Posted: 25 Dec 2010 12:02 AM PST First the tease, now the payoff. Thrustmaster has officially announced the full specs and price for its T500RS steering wheel and pedal set, otherwise known as the official driving simulator for Gran Turismo 5. The T500RS purportedly lets "users truly feel the emotions experienced by drivers on real racing circuits," though whether this includes feelings of unquenchable anger from being put into the wall at Daytona is unclear. A contactless magnetic sensor system known as HallEffect AccuRate Technology gives gamers sixteen-bit precision input that represents a significant upgrade over the twelve-bit version in the Ferrari Wireless GT Cockpit 430 Scuderia Edition. Additionally, 1080 degree wheel rotation gives drivers a half-turn more than Logitech's Driving Force GT, and the system comes with fully adjustable pedals configurable for floor mounted (F1-style) and suspended (GT-style) positions. Slated for a late December or mid January release, depending on your location, the T500RS has a hefty list price of $599.99 MSRP, but how else will you find out what a Bugatti Veyron really handles like on the 'ring? GranTurismo Thrustmaster T500RS Show full PR text Thrustmaster Announces the T500 RS for PlayStation®3 Officially Licensed by Sony Computer Entertainment and Gran Turismo®5 Get ready to go far...very far... Preview at CES Las Vegas 2011 North Hall, Grand Lobby, Lower Level Thrustmaster Booth # 5015 & 5018 New York, NY - (December 23, 2010) - Thrustmaster, the innovative PC and console accessory brand, is pleased to unveil today the T500 RS wheel and pedal set specially designed for Gran Turismo 5: a racing assembly that lets gamers live the most realistic, powerful driving experience, with no compromises. The T500 RS is a real driving simulator, combining power and precision. Thrustmaster has drawn from more than 20 years of expertise in racing wheels, with a single goal: to develop a wheel and pedal set that allows users to go as far as possible in the GT5 experience. The designers have taken into account the expectations of the most demanding gamers, while also adhering to the technical choices of the developers of this new opus in the benchmark car racing series. The T500 RS's dual official GT5 and PlayStation® licenses are the result of this unique positioning, as Kazunori Yamauchi, CEO of Polyphony Digital and Senior Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., explains: "The goal that I set for the Thrustmaster team was to design for me the most precise wheel ever developed, without any latency – to accurately reproduce the sensations of GT5, and let users truly feel the emotions experienced by drivers on real racing circuits." An Infinite Number of Driving Styles Size and Dimensions: Completely optimized for GT5, the T500 RS meets the demand for absolute realism. The first thing users will notice when setting it up is its weight: 4.6kg for the wheel, and 7.3kg for the pedal set. Another instantly visible feature is the omnipresent use of metal – for the gearshift levers, the wheel's central spokes section (30cm in diameter) and the pedal set. This has required a mechanical design with no compromises. Wheel and Gear levers: Ergonomics was at the heart of the wheel's development, with an eye on optimizing game play, performance and driving sensations. The sequential gearlevers mounted on the base feature large 17cm levers that are constantly accessible without letting go of the wheel. The wheel itself offers a remarkable 1080° rotation. These 3 full turns are also adjustable, thanks to a motorized stop, allowing the gamer choose the maximum degree of rotation according to the type of racing circuit and the car being driven. Metal Pedal Set: The spacing and height of the 100% metal pedal set is also fully adjustable and accommodate individual driving preferences by offering 2 positions: "floor-mounted" F1 style, or "suspended" GT style. The brake pedal has been given extra attention, with reinforced and adjustable resistance that lets users perfectly tailor their braking with near surgical precision, and which includes a removable mod. A textured foot rest, also crafted entirely of metal, completes the pedal set. Gamers will notice that having 3 pedals at their disposal not only enhances the level of realism, but it also gives them a taste of what's to come with the addition of an independent gear stick, which will also be available from Thrustmaster in the coming months. More Power and Precision to Push the Limits of Racing Force Feedback Racing Simulator: The T500 RS is a true racing simulator designed for the most die-hard racing fans: its power is unmatched, with Force Feedback effects relayed via a 65W industrial motor, providing 150mNm at 3000 RPM. The Force Feedback mechanism is vigorous, fast-acting and extremely responsive. While the power is potent, the integrated large dual-belt system ensures backlash-free and smooth behavior. Totally Precise Wheel: Fans of even the most intense racing experience know that power alone does not allow them to achieve the best performance. With this in mind, the T500 RS provides total precision which never decreases over time. The T500 RS employs the same technology developed for the world's latest benchmark flight stick, the HOTAS WARTHOG™. The magnetic sensor-based H.E.A.R.T HallEffect AccuRate Technology™ is incorporated into the wheel's steering mechanism. As a result the wheel is super-precise with 16-bit resolution and 65536 values on its steering axis. With this wheel and pedal set, users will go farther than ever before in the thrill of the ultimate GT5 experience. Get ready for an extraordinary ride... The T500 RS will be available late December / mid January, depending on the territory, at a suggested retail price of $599.99. For more information on the T500RS, follow us on Facebook: Thrustmaster T500 RS. Check out all of our products at http://www.thrustmaster.com

Google's 2010 holiday doodle: its 'most ambitious one yet' Posted: 24 Dec 2010 10:11 PM PST Taken a look at Google's homepage recently? If not, we'd recommend you do so, STAT. The image you see here will only be an active doodle -- a name given to Google's "special" logos used to commemorate certain events and holidays -- for a few more hours. According to a lengthy report over at the Wall Street Journal, the Holiday 2010 Doodle is El Goog's "most ambitious one yet," taking five artists some 250 hours to create. Google estimates that it has crafted some 900 doodles since 1998, with a whopping 270 of 'em running in 2010. This particular one relies on 17 interactive portraits of holiday scenes from around the globe, and it took the team a number of months to finally whip up a finished product that everyone was stoked on. We'd encourage you to click around on it to discover what the tiles actually mean, and if you're hungry to learn about the shockingly interesting backstory that surrounds it, the source link has a URL with your name on it.

Reva's text-to-recharge electric car rolls to a standstill the US Posted: 24 Dec 2010 08:15 PM PST Remember the electric car with the ingenious hook of a reserve battery that can only be accessed in the case of an emergency by texting or calling the car's manufacturer? Well, it appears that the project is having a bit of trouble getting off the ground in the US, though it shockingly doesn't have anything to do with that flagship feature. As the story goes, upstart Bannon Automotive signed a deal with the car's manufacturer, India-based Reva Electric Car Company, that gave it the exclusive license to manufacture and sell the car in the US, but Bannon is now alleging that Reva broke its agreements and says it's been left with no choice but to take legal action. Ill-conceived feature aside, the stakes in the lawsuit are fairly high, as Bannon Automotive was actually formed with the sole intention of bringing the Reva electric car to the US, and it had hoped to bring as many as 250 jobs to Onondaga County, New York.

How would you change Nokia's N8? Posted: 24 Dec 2010 06:02 PM PST There's no need to tell you that a lot was (and still is, in a way) riding on Nokia's N8. It was said to be the outfit's first dead-serious smartphone to rival the giants of today, and it was also Nokia's first chance to truly reveal Symbian^3 to the world. We've already churned out our two pennies on the matter, but for those of you who bought in, now's the time to get really real. Are you satisfied with where Nokia's going with the N8? Do you seriously see a long and lively future when looking at Symbian^3? If someone (read: UPS) accidentally delivered the keys to the Finnish kingdom to you, how would you go about tweaking and / or reshaping the N8? Would you have selected a different operating system? Added a few more hardware buttons? Thrown in a different processor? Made it available on your carrier of choice? Let us know down in comments below, and keep it sensible -- it's Christmas Eve and all.

ASUS O!Play Mini player ditches the USB 3.0 but keeps the 1080p Posted: 24 Dec 2010 04:03 PM PST The O!Play HD2 may be the first media device to support USB 3.0, but we're guessing that hasn't exactly inspired too many of you to run out and buy the things -- assuming you can actually find one for sale. Maybe a slimmer, shaplier form factor would do the trick. That's the new O!Play Mini, a much more petite entry into the series that makes do with a single USB 2.0 connector along with an SD/MMC/MS/XD card reader up front. Around back are optical audio and an HDMI 1.3 connector, through which it will pump 1080p video and up to 7.1 audio in Dolby Digital AC3, DTS 2.0+, even TrueHD and DTS-HD, plus a variety of other formats. There are also RCA outputs if you prefer your digital steam in audio. File format support looks pretty legendary, including all the usuals plus less commonly supported extensions like MKV, MTS, OGG, and FLAC, even RighTxT subtitles. No word on price or availability yet, but with the HD2 clocking in at $129.99 we wouldn't be surprised to see this slotting in somewhere under $100.

T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot shows up in FCC courtesy of ZTE Posted: 24 Dec 2010 02:31 PM PST Remember those rumors earlier this week that T-Mobile was finally getting ready to launch a mobile hotspot or two? Seeing how Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint have all done it, it certainly makes sense -- especially with this newfangled 21Mbps HSPA+ network T-Mobile's got going on -- and sure enough, we've now got concrete evidence of a unit in the FCC's database. The MF61 from Chinese manufacturer ZTE is pretty clearly labeled "T-Mobile 4G Mobile Hotspot" inside... so yeah, there's your smoking gun. Confidentiality prevents us from seeing the user's manual or a photo of the thing, but from what little we can see, looks like we'll end up with a rounded unit not unlike the variant of the Novatel MiFi on AT&T and a number of European carriers. Really, though, doesn't matter what it looks like -- as long as it fits in a pocket and blasts high-speed data to a handful of WiFi connected devices of our choosing, that's all we need.

HTC 7 Pro shows up on O2 Germany's site, promises January launch Posted: 24 Dec 2010 01:07 PM PST HTC had pegged "early next year" for the 7 Pro's launch in Europe, and when you think about it, January is just about as "early" as you can get. O2's boys and girls in Germany have thrown up a teaser page for the QWERTY-equipped Windows Phone 7 handset, saying it's expected to be available next month -- a promising sign, indeed. Granted, launch dates can always slip, but considering how desperately the world needs some more landscape QWERTY options for WP7, we'd bet it's one of HTC's top priorities to get this thing pushed. [Thanks, Jens]

Skype well on the road to recovery, group video calls restored Posted: 24 Dec 2010 12:05 PM PST We almost got to see what Christmas was like before Skype, and it wasn't pleasant. Of course, VOIP and videoconferencing will never replace Grandma Pat's pizzelles, but the technology sure does make pre-holiday planning a lot easier. For its part, Skype hasn't gone into too much detail regarding the nature of its most recent outage (something about "mega-supernodes"), although as of this writing group video calling appears to be back and CEO Tony Bates has announced that customers will be compensated for the interruption of service with free and pay-as-you-go customers receiving credit for a free 30-minute SkypeOut call to landlines, while paid subscribers will get a free week of service. Keep an eye out on the Skype Blog for further updates, and we'll keep our fingers crossed that this year we won't have to learn what New Year's Eve is like without Chatroulette. As for Skype itself, with the way they've been courting enterprise customers they'll just be happy if this doesn't do too much damage to their impending IPO.

Nokia E7 hits Amazon: pay $679 and they'll ship it when they've got it Posted: 24 Dec 2010 11:03 AM PST You'll probably be waiting a few weeks at the very least -- but if you want to put in your order early, Amazon's US site is more than happy to take your name for Nokia's latest QWERTY monster. The E7 is running a stout $679 -- and that's not through a third party, that's Amazon's direct price for an official American version of the phone with a full manufacturer warranty. Feels pricey to us, but Amazon's pricing tends to fluctuate fairly regularly, so we wouldn't be at all surprised to see this fall a bit by the time the phone actually ships -- and if Espoo announces the rumored MeeGo-powered N9 by the time the E7's available, they might need to discount it a whole lot. [Thanks, adgg]

The Engadget Podcast, live at 3PM EST! Posted: 24 Dec 2010 10:20 AM PST It's Christmas Eve, a.k.a. "the holidays," and we're here to kick back with our best cup of hot chocolate (marshmallow-crowned, naturally) and talk about what's really important in life: technology. Check out the stream and the live chat after the break. 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: It's over, but we'll have the regular podcast post ready for you tomorrow, wrapped up nicely in a Christmas bow.

You are subscribed to email updates from Engadget News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610