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Sunday, January 30, 2011

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Homebuilt UAV hunts down hydrogen balloons, fires firework flames (video)

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 10:29 AM PST


Augmented reality is swell, don't get us wrong, but it's no substitute for the real thing -- especially when that thing is a badass tricopter equipped with a jury-rigged firework cannon to rain down miniature hell. Swedish R/C enthusiasts built this first-person flying contraption to carry out a single mission -- destroy a series of hydrogen-filled balloons -- which will hopefully be hard-coded into future automatons too. After all, balloons could serve as an excellent distraction when they inevitably come for you. Still, there's no need to worry quite yet, so kick back and enjoy the video above while you contemplate humanity's end.

The Engadget Show returns tonight at 6PM ET with Steve Wozniak!

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 10:00 AM PST

Cancel your dinner plans, because tonight at 6:00PM ET, the inimitable co-founder of Apple Steve Wozniak will be joining us for the first Engadget Show of 2011! It will be a night to remember as Woz joins us for an evening of frank, eye-opening, and all-around awesome conversation. We'll be streaming live at 6:00PM from Cooper Union's Rose Auditorium and we've got about 200 seats available on a first-come, first-served basis if you want to join us in person. We'll also have music from the talented Zen Albatross and the usual crazy giveaways. Trust us when we say that this episode is going to be epic.

REMINDER: The Show will be taking place in a lovely new venue, the Rose Auditorium in Cooper Union's New Academic Building (i.e. not the TimesCenter), located in Manhattan at 41 Cooper Square. Seating is extremely limited, so get there early!

Tickets are -- as always -- free to anyone who would like to attend, but seating is limited, and tickets will be first come, first served... so get there early! Here's the updated info on our new ticketing policy that you need to know:
  • There is no admission fee -- tickets are completely free
  • The event is all ages
  • Ticketing will begin at the Cooper Union New Academic Building at 2:00PM tonight, Sunday, January 30th, doors will open for seating at 5:15PM, and the show begins at 6:00PM
  • We now have assigned seating, so the first people to get their tickets will get priority seating. This also means that once you get a ticket, your seat is guaranteed -- you won't have to get back in line to get a good seat.
  • You cannot collect tickets for friends or family -- anyone who would like to come must be present to get a ticket
  • Seating capacity is limited (only about 200 seats in the theatre), and once we're full, we're full
  • The venue is located at 41 Cooper Square New York, NY 10003 (map after the break)
  • The show length is around an hour
Unfortunately, we won't be running the usual text-to-win sweepstakes for this episode (we know it sucks, but it's out of our hands), so if you want a seat you'll have to show up in person. If you're a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget [dot] com, and we'll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget [dot] com.


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Enspert Identity Tab E201 rings up at $350 with Froyo, Gmail and Android Market

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 08:26 AM PST

Enspert blindsided us at CES 2011 with a pair of quality Android tablets, and here's another surprise -- next month, the company's Identity Tab E201 will apparently ship 100% Google-certified. Importer Dynamism is taking preorders on February 1st for the 7-inch Android 2.2 tablet, which comes with both Gmail and Android Market on board, though admittedly for a somewhat larger outlay than we originally heard. $350 is what you'll pay for the 800 x 480 slate, which sports a 1GHz Hummingbird processor and PowerVR SGX540 graphics, 8GB storage and 512MB RAM, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, a full compliment of sensors and an SD card slot. Just a month ago we'd have called this quite the deal, but come February 1st you may want to wait -- after all, Google's busy bees may show off the fruits of their labors the very next day.

Chrysler shows off Ram plug-in hybrid electric truck, won't sell it to you

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 06:09 AM PST

There's already a few hybrid trucks on the market (most notably from GM), but true plug-in hybrid electric trucks are another matter altogether. Chrysler now looks set to change that, however -- at least in a small way -- with its new Ram plug-in hybrid that's set to roll out to fleet operators this summer. It was just unveiled at the Washington D.C. Auto Show, and it pairs a 12 kWh battery pack from Canadian battery-maker Electrovaya with Chrysler's own 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine, which Electrovaya says will allow for up to 20 miles of driving on electricity only. Unfortunately, there's no word on any plans to actually make the truck available to individual consumers, but Chrysler does seem to at least be optimistic about hybrid trucks in general, with a company spokesman noting that half-ton pickups are naturally much better at carrying a battery pack than a car, and that trucks work better as hybrid vehicle platforms.
Show full PR text
Ram Plug-in Hybrid Electric Truck Equipped with Electrovaya Battery Showcased at Washington D.C. Auto Show

TORONTO, Jan. 27 /PRNewswire/ - Electrovaya Inc. (TSX: EFL) today announced that Chrysler's Ram Truck Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), equipped with Electrovaya's 12 kWh Lithium Ion SuperPolymer® Battery System, is being showcased in public for the first time at the Washington D.C. Auto Show Jan. 27- Feb. 6.

Electrovaya was selected by Chrysler as a key supplier partner for the RAM Plug-in Hybrid development, which was initiated last year as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act DOE Vehicle Electrification Program. The RAM Truck is one of Chrysler's top selling vehicles and the Plug-in Hybrid Electric version (powered by both battery and gasoline) is a full-size truck with Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions capability and is able to travel up to 20 miles on electricity only. Delivery of the PHEV Ram trucks is expected to begin this summer.

"Electrovaya's battery system not only provides exceptional performance from a high energy and power perspective, but boasts a clean manufacturing process that will appeal to environmentally conscious consumers," notes Bruce Coventry, Vice President of Operations at Electrovaya. "The superior energy density of the Electrovaya technology also allows for a small battery footprint in the vehicle while delivering high performance."

Electrovaya's 12 kWh Lithium Ion SuperPolymer® Battery System features the company's proprietary battery technology, battery management system and complete mechanical, thermal, electrical and electronic subsystems. Electrovaya's battery technology is manufactured in North America and is uniquely distinguished by its clean, non-toxic manufacturing process supported by over 150 patents.

About Electrovaya:
Electrovaya Inc. (TSX:EFL) designs, develops and manufactures proprietary Lithium Ion SuperPolymer® batteries, battery systems, and battery-related products for the clean electric transportation, Utility Scale Energy Storage and smart grid power, consumer and healthcare markets. The Company's mission is to accelerate clean transportation as a commercial reality with its advanced power system for all classes of zero-emission electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The Company's other mission is to deliver Utility Scale Energy Storage Systems for the highest efficiency in electricity storage, whether the electricity is generated from intermittent wind and solar power or from other sources. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Ontario, Canada, Electrovaya has production facilities in Canada as well as in the US, and customers around the globe. To learn more about how Electrovaya is powering mobility, please explore www.electrovaya.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements that relate to, among other things, the Company's objectives, goals, strategies, intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations and estimates, and can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "likely", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "objective" and "continue" (or the negative thereof) and words and expressions of similar import. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include but are not limited to: general business and economic conditions (including but not limited to currency rates and creditworthiness of customers); Company liquidity and capital resources, including the availability of additional capital resources to fund its activities; level of competition; changes in laws and regulations; legal and regulatory proceedings; the ability to adapt products and services to the changing market; the ability to attract and retain key executives; and the ability to execute strategic plans. Additional information about material factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations and about material factors or assumptions applied in making forward-looking statements may be found in the Company's most recent annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis under "Risk and Uncertainties", as well as in other public disclosure documents filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the forward-looking statements contained in this document, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Electrovaya Inc.

Android Honeycomb port for Nook Color gets graphics acceleration, first demo video

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 03:53 AM PST

Can't wait until February 2nd to see more of Android 3.0 in action? That's not a problem, as today we've got a whole 129 seconds of video showing Google's latest mobile software doing its thing on the Nook Color. The OS was ported to B&N's tablet on Friday, when we were promised further work would be taking place over the weekend to enable hardware acceleration of the GUI, and what do you know, that goal has been achieved with plenty of Sunday to spare! Most core functionality is still not available, but the delicious Honeycomb interface is very much in effect. Jump past the break for the eye candy feast.

[Thanks, Jules]

Sanho announces new HyperDrive line-up, still enough storage for your Frank Zappa discography

Posted: 30 Jan 2011 02:06 AM PST


Surely you remember Sanho's HyperDrive lineup -- ya know, the only portable HDD that plays nicely with the iPad? Well, if you don't dig the $249 entry level price, you're in luck. The company just announced a bunch of new HDDs for you to take with you and your iPad on that road trip you've had planned for years. As we saw at CES, the new drives no longer sport the QVGA color display or the CF and SD card slots -- instead, the black case has two mini USB ports and a power socket. The HyperDrive doesn't come with the traditional AC adapter but instead a USB-to-DC cable and the user-replaceable battery will allow up to 40GB of transfers on a single charge. And if you're wondering why there's two USB ports, we really couldn't tell you. Perhaps if you choose the right port while connected to your PC and enter the Konami code, unicorns and fairy dust will pop out of your screen -- wishful thinking, we know. The HyperDrives ship in March (pre-ordering is available now) with prices starting at $99 for a bring-your-own-drive housing, 1TB for $349 and various sizes in-between. So, if your photo/video library is worth accessing at all times, well, props to you. Press release is after the break.
Show full PR text
Sanho Announces 2nd Iteration Of HyperDrive iPad-compatible Hard Drive

Users Can Directly Use iPad To Browse And Transfer Up To 1TB Of Video And Photo Content

01.28.2011– MACWORLD 2011 SAN FRANCISCO, California - Sanho Corporation (Booth 710) today announce the second iteration of their popular HyperDrive Hard Drive for iPad, the only hard drive in the market that can connect directly to the iPad via the Apple Camera Connection Kit. This new version allows users to directly use their iPads to browse and transfer up to 1TB of video and photo content without the need for computers, additional apps or a jailbroken ipad.

Finished in a slim enclosure, the HyperDrive looks exactly like any portable USB hard drive except that it has 2 mini USB ports, one for connecting to the computer to function as a normal USB hard drive and the other to connect to the iPad via the Apple Camera Connection Kit.

Using the Apple Camera Connection Kit, the iPad is able to connect to SD cards and self-powered USB devices. However there is a size limitation of 32GB, making it impossible for larger USB hard drives to connect to the iPad. HyperDrive iPad Hard Drive overcomes this limit with its unique patent pending ability to turn individual file folders into virtual 32GB drives on the fly that is readable by the iPad. While the HyperDrive is bus powered when connected to the computer, it has an internal 1600mAh battery to power its connection to the iPad.

Users can first transfer their entire movie and photo library from their computer to the HyperDrive via USB. Once that is done, users will have up to 1TB of media accessible to the iPad anytime.

To transfer media from the HyperDrive to the iPad, users just need to connect the HyperDrive to the iPad via a USB cable and the Apple Camera Connection Kit. The HyperDrive hard drive folder contents will appear on the iPad screen and users can navigate the folders to search for videos and photos to download to the iPad.

"HyperDrive iPad Hard Drive lets you carry your entire HD movie and photo library with your iPad," says Daniel Chin, President of Sanho Corporation. "HyperDrive is as compact as your portable USB hard drive and yet at capacities up to 1TB, can hold more data than your laptop," he added. "The iPad is the perfect media player but its capacities are limited and it requires a computer and iTunes to transfer media to the iPad," he continued. "HyperDrive releases the iPad from this restriction and truly turns it into a media consuming device," he concludes.

Features

- Connects to the iPad to transfer photos, movies and other media
- Connect HyperDrive as a USB hard drive to the computer
- Support multiple partitioned hard drive formats

Price and Availability

The new HyperDrive Hard Drive for iPad ships in March 2011 and is available for pre-order now at the following manufacturer's suggested retail price (0GB: $99, 320GB:$199, 500GB:$249, 640GB:$299, 750GB:$349, 1TB: $399). It is available at http://www.hyperdrive.com/ipad

For more information and press quality images, please visit http://www.hyperdrive.com/ipad

Mark Zuckerberg meets the fake Mark Zuckerbergs on Saturday Night Live (video)

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 11:38 PM PST

Mark Zuckerberg, the man who invented poking and the subject of a major motion picture in 2010 just met his nemeses on the set of Saturday Night Live. No, not the Winklevoss twins, we're talking Jesse Eisenberg, the man nominated for an Academy Award after playing Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Toss in Andy Samberg and we've got a comically uncomfortable situation from Web 2.0's very personification of awkward. All hail the Zuck Bergs!

Olympus XZ-1 reviewed: $499 for sweet simplicity

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 10:02 PM PST

We had a feeling the Olympus XZ-1 would be a winner, and Digital Photography Review seems to think so, too -- it called the 10 megapixel, full-manual point and shoot "the best photographers' compact currently available" at the end of a thorough review. Most of the praise was heaped on that F1.8-2.5 Zuiko lens, providing an "unbeaten combination of range and brightness" whose potent, detailed low-light performance was practically enough to cancel out the publication's worries about the lack of a adjustable noise reduction setting. Though the publication admitted that the camera lacked the customization of certain Micro Four Thirds cousins, it didn't miss most of the advanced controls, preferring the streamlined menus and manual dials for easy access to common adjustments. (Battery charging over USB and a dedicated movie button were also deemed nice touches.) In fact, the only major ding DPReview had for Olympus was the complete omission of auto exposure and autofocus locks for focus-and-recompose shooting, but if you're willing to snap shots using Olympus's 11 AF points and aren't looking to tote a set of expensive interchangeable lenses around, this might be the one. Dive into our source link to find out for sure.

Switched On: A suite segment for PlayStation games

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 07:00 PM PST

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

One thing that has set Sony apart from its home console rivals has been the extended lifecycles of its hardware. Riding the momentum of a massive install base, both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2 each kept selling strong nearly a decade after their debut, and years after their respective successors were introduced. In fact, as late as 2009, Audiovox began offering a PS2 integrated into an aftermarket ovehead car video system with a 10" screen. Sony could pursue this strategy in home consoles because the PS2 was the runaway unit volume leader of its generation. Not so with the PSP.

When Sony introduced the PlayStation Portable, it entered a portable console market with fierce, entrenched competition from the incumbent Nintendo, and the powerful widescreen handheld was outsold by the Nintendo DS and its later derivatives. Sony couldn't attain the market share it needed to steamroll existing competition.

With Sony's announcements this week, however, the PlayStation purveyors seem to have found a way to take their one-two punch on the road with a strategy that takes the PSP and segments its evolution.

Sony's beastly next-generation portable, with advanced components such as a 5" OLED display, quad-core processor, and optional 3G modem, calls out to the enthusiasts in more ways than one. Its premium components attract the diehard gamers, even as they likely push the NGP price north of $249 -- the price of the Nintendo 3DS and the original North American PSP -- such that those enthusiasts may be the only ones to afford the system at launch.

Simultaneously, Sony is expanding its gaming footprint with the release of PlayStation Suite. Whereas NGP is clearly highly optimized hardware for gaming, PlayStation Suite is "hardware-neutral" and will run on multiple Android smartphones (and perhaps eventually other Android devices like Sony's own Internet TVs powered by Google TV). While PlayStation Suite will start out with aging PSone titles rather than newer PSP fare, it nonetheless extends the PlayStation legacy in the mobile realm while offering Sony a rival platform to the Xbox Live integration within Windows Phone 7 and perhaps Apple's Game Center.

But not a perfect one. Those mobile Xbox Live games and iOS titles are not only integrated into online social networks that include such features as friend lists and achievements absent from PSone games, but are also – like virtually all mobile apps -- optimized for a modern touch experience. And while Sony can tap into the sprawling and rapidly growing market for Android handsets (and possibly the emerging one for Android tablets), its own sister Sony Ericsson group has so far captured only a small fraction of it. Finally, PlayStation Suite titles will need to compete with the teeming masses of smartphone games that aren't part of either network.

On the other hand, unlike in the home console market, where the software dollars poured forth from consumers who had already bought Sony hardware, PlayStation Suite has a different opportunity here. It can drive exposure to the PlayStation software and brand on a device where Sony might have no other presence. Should consumers like what they see and get hooked by the Sony-exclusive franchises on offer, it could lead right back to interest in Sony's high-end hardware.
Ross Rubin is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.

Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio T750 laptop has a lid that changes color on both sides

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 05:05 PM PST

Toshiba Dynabook Qosmio T750 laptop has a display that changes color on both sides
It's been a long time since we used a laptop that had a monochromatic display -- it was a giant white block of a thing that is not missed -- but flip around just about every laptop we use today and you find a backside that stubbornly refuses to change color no matter the light that hits it. Is that a problem? Not really, we think it's quite fine since we're not often staring at that bit, but for Toshiba such tedium simply won't do, so it's introducing the Dynabook Qosmio T750 with a color-shifting lid. Turn it in the light and it shifts and shimmers, just like the chameleon paint tuners have been using on custom rides for decades. Here, though, we're told it's done with multiple layers of film, no paint at all. Oh, the inside? A 2.66GHz Intel Core i5-480M, 4GB of DDR 3 memory, and a 15.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display that's LED backlit -- which is also capable of displaying multiple colors, in case you're interested.

Zipcar adds the plug-in Prius PHEV to its fleet, probably not changing name to Zapcar

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 03:29 PM PST

Zipcar adds plug-in Prius to its fleet, probably not changing name to Zapcar
Would you like a plug-in Prius, the sort that we spent a few days with last year, back when the seasons were changing and there was only a hint of this killer winter to come? Well, too bad, because you still can't buy them. But Zipcar can, apparently, adding eight of the things to its fleet, and they're available now in Boston, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon. Given the company has 8,000 total cars available your chances of securing one of these particular Priuses (Prii?) is slim, but if you score, know that they charge in just three hours on a 110 outlet, and half that if you're wired for 220, so no fancy-pants charging station is required for use.

WeSC Karmatech concept makes your shoes more social with RFID

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 02:02 PM PST

We've been seeing more and more shoes infused with different sorts of technology in recent years, but none quite like this WeSC Karmatech concept developed by some students at Sweden's Hyper Island "digital school." Described as a "social take on Nike+," the shoes apparently wouldn't have an accelerometer but they do pack an RFID chip that allows the wearer to interact with their surroundings -- automatically check in at a location and share it on Facebook or Twitter, for instance, or get access to exclusive deals or special events. Of course, it is just a concept, but the students note that it would be relatively cheap to implement (at least on the shoe end of the equation), as the RFID tags themselves only cost a few cents. Kinda gives a new meaning to "sneakernet," doesn't it? Head on past the break for the video.

Intel's mSATA SSD 310 reviewed: a pint-size performer through and through

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 12:50 PM PST

The forecast for speedy, razor-thin laptops is looking pretty sunny right about now, because it seems Intel's SSD 310 truly does bring the power of a full-sized solid state drive on a tiny little board. Storage Review and The SSD Review thoroughly benchmarked the tiny 80GB mSATA module this week, and found it performs even better than advertised -- easily tearing through 200MB / sec reads and 70 MB / sec writes -- which put it slightly behind Intel's legendary X25-M series but well ahead of the company's X25-V boot drives. While we're still not seeing Sandforce speeds from Intel's tried-and-true controller and 34nm silicon and they might not make Toshiba's Blade run for the hills, we can't wait to test it out in some new Lenovo ThinkPads when they integrate the SSD 310 later this year. Oh, by the way, that big green board up above isn't the drive. It's actually the tiny one on top.

Amazon rolling out Netflix-like unlimited video streaming for Prime subscribers?

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 11:41 AM PST

Rumors of Amazon either purchasing Netflix or launching a competing option have been circling and now one of our readers says he's seeing an unlimited video streaming section to complement the current Amazon VOD options. That's a nice bonus for the $79 / year package that currently adds a few free shipping bonuses and it would be cheaper on a yearly basis than Netflix's Watch Instantly ($95.88.) As seen above and in the gallery, it consists of "unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows" with selections that mirror the Watch Instantly catalog closely. Resolution is apparently limited to a "pretty solid" 480p SD, but there's no word on audio or subtitle options. We'll wait to hear if anyone else is seeing a similar page before assuming a wide rollout, but it certainly appears that there could finally be a viable competitor to the Netflix juggernaut.

Update: We weren't able to pull up the option on any of our Prime-enabled accounts and from the comments it doesn't appear any of you were either. According to our tipster, the option has disappeared from his page as well. One other interesting note came from commenter vfiz, who found that several variations of the primeinstantvideos.com domain name were registered by Amazon-owned DPReview January 5.
Amazon.com unlimited video streaming menus

[Thanks, Pavel]

PS3 firmware 3.56 hacked in less than a day, Sony's lawyers look confused (update)

Posted: 29 Jan 2011 10:35 AM PST

Sony's taken some strong steps against PS3 cracking in the past week -- not only has it taken to the courts and won a temporary restraining order against Geohot and fail0verflow for cracking the console, but it also released firmware 3.56, which locked things down again. Unfortunately, that restraining order doesn't mean anyone else has to stop a-crackin', and wouldn't you know it: 3.56 was cracked open in less than a day by KaKaRoToKS, who was behind one of the first 3.55 custom firmwares. Now that the 3.56 signing keys are out, we'd guess updated custom firmware is soon to come -- and we'd bet Sony's lawsuit will just inspire an entirely new wave of people to jailbreak once those hit the scene. Way to put that genie back in the bottle, Sony.

Update: We're hearing that new custom firmware isn't on the table quite yet, because Sony changed most of the locks, and is reportedly actually storing the all-important ECDSA private key with random-number cryptography this time around. Be warned: if you upgrade to 3.56, there's no easy way back down. In related news, Github complied with a DMCA takedown notice to remove KaKaRoToKS's repositories, so you'll have to head on over to Gitorious (at our more coverage link) to get at the fail0verflow tools.

[Thanks, Tomi R]
at 11:48 AM

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