| Chris Bangle, former BMW designer, bringing his deconstructivist ways to Samsung devices? Posted: 12 Mar 2011 09:21 AM PST That's the E65 7 Series up there, considered by many to be as ugly a car as they come. It's the product of one Chris Bangle, Chief Designer at BMW for most of the '90s and '00s, who strove to give cars a futuristic, deconstructivist design that didn't always find favor among car buyers who were still stuck in an orderly present. Now we actually are in the future and, well, that rear-end still isn't looking any better, but Bangle did pave the way for more dramatic stylings in modern cars. He stepped away from the auto industry two years ago and now we're hearing that he's moving on to a gig at Samsung. Interestingly, Sammy and BMW have had something of a relationship over the years. We saw newer 7 Series sprout support for the T*Omnia in 2009, and back in 2005 Samsung's Chief Marketing Officer told Bloomberg that the company needed to "become like a BMW." According to Korean paper JoongAng Ilbo, Bangle will be working on cellphones and netbooks, which we expect to feature dramatic flame surfacing along with Dame Edna indicator lights and oddly bulging posteriors. [Thanks, Tim] |
| Panasonic shows off solar-powered wireless charging table Posted: 12 Mar 2011 07:38 AM PST Why settle for a simple solar-powered table when you can have a table that's solar-powered and a wireless charger? While you can't get one just yet, Panasonic will apparently be selling this stylish bit of tech-laden furniture by the end of this year or early next year (in Japan, at least), which will let you charge your Qi-compliant devices simply by placing them on the table. It'll also be supplying the requisite battery packs for some of its phones at the same time, though there's few other specifics to be had at the moment. Of course, even if it does actually hit the market it'll still no doubt be out or reach for most -- there is always the DIY route for particularly industrious individuals out there, though. |
| Researchers create microscopic disposable camera to see up in your guts Posted: 12 Mar 2011 06:10 AM PST It's true, a team of researchers have created a one-cubic-millimeter throwaway camera, and if they have their way, it could be peeking inside you in the next year. The new tiny shooters, which sport a 250 x 250 pixel resolution, are created using a streamlined process in which the lens and sensor wafers are affixed before being cut into a series of 28,000 little cameras -- eliminating the need to mount and wire each one individually. This new mode of production cuts back on cost significantly, allowing physicians to throw away the little guys after routing around in your intestines. According to the camera's creators, their diminutive invention could make its way into your doctor's office as early as 2012. |
| Is your iPad 2 backlight bleeding? (video) Posted: 12 Mar 2011 04:33 AM PST Now that many of you have collected and used your second generation iPad tablets for a few hours, we're starting to see the inevitable reports of defects. Thus far, two issues have bubbled to the surface. The first issue -- yellow spots beneath the LCD glass -- is reminiscent of the same fresh-from-the-factory iPhone 4 issue that resolved itself just as soon as the bonding agent used for the LCD glass had time to evaporate. The second issue, which is being conflated with the first, is characterized by light bleeding through from the outer edges of the LCD panel. The bleeding is most noticeable when watching a dark scene in a movie or using an app with a black background as demonstrated in the picture above and video embedded after the break. For those affected, the issue can be minimized or exacerbated by adjusting the brightness in settings. So what say you dear reader, are you also a bleeder? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
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| Foursquare tries out an NFC-based check-in system at its HQ Posted: 12 Mar 2011 02:50 AM PST There's not exactly a lot of details on this one, but Business Insider discovered something of a surprise while touring Foursquare's New York headquarters for launch of Foursquare 3.0. It turns out that the company is already testing out an NFC-based check-in system at its HQ, which lets those with a suitable phone (such as a Nexus S) share their location simply by tapping it against a blue dot on the wall. Unfortunately, there's no indications on any plans to actually expand it beyond its own HQ, although you can bet that it's pretty high up on the list of inevitable things or the company. |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab's WiFi-only version rumored to cost $399, arrive on April 4th Posted: 12 Mar 2011 01:23 AM PST Shocking as it might be, we still haven't had a Galaxy Tab from Samsung that rocks nothing but the WiFis, though that seems about to finally change. The 3G-deprived 7-inch Tab, promised for Q1 2011, has slipped on its schedule a little and looks set to now hit retail in the first week of April, at the admittedly appealing price of $399. Now, we all know the tablet market of April 2011 is shaping up to be extremely rich on machines with high specs, large screens and inflated opinions of themselves, but there could still be a fine little niche for an affordable, well built slate, even if it does only run on Froyo. |
| Visualized: Schumacher's F1 racing Mercedes, exploded drawing style Posted: 12 Mar 2011 12:37 AM PST Even if you're not into race cars, well, you can appreciate the museum-quality beauty of this, can you not? Hit the source for more photos. |
| Xoom gets USB host functionality, no thanks to Motorola or Google Posted: 11 Mar 2011 10:39 PM PST The Xoom may have gotten a slight software update last night to prepare it for its long-awaited Flash playing capabilities, but some of the folks over at SlateDroid have an even more impressive -- though much less official -- update, bringing USB host functionality to Moto's slate. Tinkerer-extraordinaire roebeet is the man to thank, granting Xoom owners the ability to read media from USB drives, essentially giving you a limitless amount of storage -- provided you own the necessary microUSB OTG (on-the-go) cable and a rooted Xoom. If you've safely satisfied the pre-requisites, enabling the new-new is just a few file transfers and command line entries away. Full instructions available at the source link... if you dare. |
| How would you change Dell's Inspiron Duo? Posted: 11 Mar 2011 09:09 PM PST We aren't ones to knock a company for throwing convention to the wind, and frankly, we were downright excited to see how Dell's Inspiron Duo would revolutionize our mobile lives. During our own review, we found the design to be top-notch and the build quality to be world-class, but the sluggish performance, annoying software overlay and lackluster UI didn't exactly earn it any brownie points. Enough about us, though -- this is your time to shine. If you bit the bullet and picked one of these multifaceted laptops up, we're interested in hearing how you'd change things. Would you ditch the swiveling LCD? Would you prefer a dual-boot setup as found on the ViewPad 10? How's the hardware standing up over time? Would you have rather seen AMD's Fusion platform take the place of Intel's Atom? Speak out in comments below, won't you? |
| Twitter to developers: we want to own the pipes, water, and faucets, but feel free to make soap Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:54 PM PST An announcement by Ryan Sarver, a member of the platform team at Twitter, could spell bad news for makers of third-party apps that access the growing social network and new ones looking to get in on the action. In a move that will inevitably cause quite a ruckus among developers and tweeters alike, Twitter has essentially decided that no new apps should be developed "that mimic or reproduce the mainstream Twitter consumer client experience." He goes on to say that existing apps will continue to function, but that the bar will be raised in terms of quality and consistency. Specifically, he cites differences across apps in terminology for core functions like @-replying and trending topics as confusing to users and at the root of the change. According to Sarver, over 90 percent of Twitter users access the service through official Twitter apps, so for many the change won't be drastic. The company hopes developers will shift their focus to other areas of the ecosystem that "focus on areas outside the mainstream consumer client experience" such as publishing tools, curation, and social CRM (consumer relationship management). Still, it's incredibly interesting -- and frankly, disheartening -- to see a Web 2.0 company making such an un-Web 2.0 move. Of course, this could all be part of Twitter's plans to eventually monetize the service, but for now we'll have to take the company at its word, even if that means our choice of clients becomes a little less diverse in the future. |
| BlackBerry PlayBook launch-date palooza: tablet to finally drop in mid-April? Posted: 11 Mar 2011 06:38 PM PST A round of leaks today has potentially pinpointed the second week of April as the launch window for RIM's slick seven-inch PlayBook. An email purportedly sent out by Sears up in Canada confirms earlier echoes, informing buyers that the device will up for grabs on April 10, with preorders possibly beginning as soon as tomorrow. On top of that, an image from Staples' backend sent to Crackberry pegs a 33-day count down to start on the 15th, which lines up nicely with another leaked shot denoting an "ad date" of April 17. We've also received an unconfirmed tip from a Sprint rep saying that the PlayBook would be landing on the 15th, along with an a smattering of cases and a... stylus? Finally, we've been sent shots of some PlayBook signage apparently on display in a Future Shop in Canada highlighting the device's multitasking capabilities, reminding us "it's whats on the inside that counts." Oddly, the same signage mistakenly attaches the Xoom moniker, though we'd imagine that's just a blunder on the retailer's part. Of course, all of this is still completely unconfirmed by RIM itself, so until we hear otherwise, anything could happen. Signage shot after the break, and other photo goodness available at the source links. |
| Windows Phone 7 Marketplace hits 10,000 apps, Microsoft WP7 updates still way outnumbered Posted: 11 Mar 2011 05:51 PM PST It's a milestone in the life of any OS: the day you reach that magical 10,000 app number. Windows Phone 7 is the latest kindred soul to achieve the feat, accomplishing the task in just over four and a half months -- that's faster than both the Android Marketplace and iTunes App Store. Microsoft's been adding around 1,000 apps a week since it hit 5k right before the New Year, and as of late that rate's been picking up. Congrats WP7 devs, you've officially issued more software updates than Microsoft itself. Your move Microsoft, we're still waiting for copy & paste. |
| Survey shows the many advantages of virtual offices (beyond the ability to work sans pants) Posted: 11 Mar 2011 04:49 PM PST Those of us who do almost all of our work from the comforts of our homes will not be surprised by what follows, but the rest of the world should take note. A new survey of directors of 600 small to medium sized business reveal that upper-management sees major benefits of so-called " virtual office" work environments. So what are those advantages? Well, no shockers here, chief among the perceived advantages are lowered costs, flexibility for employee (such as the ability to hire people in different geographic locations), and cutting down on pollution and commute times and costs. In fact, over half of businesses reported a cost savings of around $10,000 a month by using the "virtual" environment. So... welcome to our world, world! |
| iPad 2 shipping in two to three weeks Posted: 11 Mar 2011 03:45 PM PST If you've been dying to get your hands on an iPad 2, but didn't have the forethought or wherewithal to stand in line for one, then get ready to wait, because Apple's online store is showing delays of up two to three weeks for the slate. You can go ahead and order one now, but there's a chance you won't get your hands on the slab until April -- unless, of course, one of these guys is waiting in line to buy you a gift. |
| iFixit has an iPad 2, and they're ripping it apart (video) Posted: 11 Mar 2011 03:10 PM PST It only took a few short hours for iFixit to get its hands on an iPad 2 (the WiFi variety), and of course, they immediately started to tear it apart. It's a necessarily delicate task, but they're making progress as we speak, and here are the first things that jump out to us: there is much less open space inside the iPad 2 than the original model, and the battery is very large. There aren't any huge surprises in here internally yet, but it's got the 1GHz A5 CPU, 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of Toshiba TH58NVG7D2FLA89 NAND Flash. Like we said, they're still at it with this one, and we'll update as they do. Until then, hit up the source for all the photos. Update: And they're done! Head over to check out all the shots of the iPad 2 in its exposed form, but don't try it out on your own. The new glass adhesion makes it practically impossible to open this thing without shattering the screen, so the crew will be working hard for a better solution. Vid's after the break, though. |
| NASA and Ad Astra team up to test VASIMR plasma rocket in space Posted: 11 Mar 2011 02:48 PM PST Plasma propulsion may very well be our ticket to visit those little green men on Mars, which is why NASA is becoming besties with Ad Astra, makers of the VASIMR VX-200 plasma rocket. After successful terrestrial testing, the next step is to try out a VF-200 flight model in space -- and a new agreement gives NASA engineers access to VASIMR while letting Ad Astra leverage NASA's spacecraft expertise to get it into orbit. The plasma rocket was assumed to be destined for use on the International Space Station because it requires far less fuel than conventional boosters -- making it better suited than the propellant-hungry thrusters keeping the station in orbit today -- and can take advantage of the ISS's considerable electrical power (250kW) to fully test VASIMR's 200kW output. Plasma rockets produce sustained thrust, as opposed to the quick bursts of its chemical cousin, which makes it the preferred means of propulsion for space travel as well. NASA hasn't fully committed to either use -- but if Marvin and his fellow Red Planet denizens know what's good for them, they'll be watching VASIMR's development with great interest. |
| Xbox 360 IPTV rumors ride again with 'Project Orapa' Posted: 11 Mar 2011 01:48 PM PST Just because Microsoft's Mediaroom IPTV service is finally supported on the Xbox 360 after years and years of expectations (as seen above) doesn't mean the rumor mill stops, with rumors surfacing of a "Project Orapa" that reportedly combines Xbox Live, Kinect and IPTV service all in one. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley has heard from tipsters that it's related to the previously rumored Ventura multimedia project and will let subscribers to Mediaroom powered IPTV services like U-Verse use Kinect's gesture and voice recognition like ESPN3 already does to control their TV experience while Xbox users would get "more content." We should find out how much of this is reality and how it ties into previous rumors pretty quickly, since it's apparently going to be in testing this month, and available by the upcoming holiday season. |
| Smithsonian captures 201,000 wild photos with automated cameras Posted: 11 Mar 2011 01:31 PM PST We have this big, fang-filled, claw-sharpened big cat all up in our grill thanks to the researchers at the Smithsonian, who have created a new database filled with over 201,000 pictures of elusive animals in their natural habitats. These candid shots were made possible with motion-activated automated cameras scattered around the world, and feature over 200 species of birds and mammals, and here's most impressive part -- these photos are au naturel. That's right... there's no editing here, these are untouched raw shots straight from the rain forests of places like Peru and China -- which allow us to see these magnificent creatures as scientists do. If you want more info or desire to check out these wild photos, hop over to the source link or check out the gallery below. |
| AT&T says it's testing HSUPA on Atrix 4G, will turn it on eventually Posted: 11 Mar 2011 01:04 PM PST A communique from a "Customer Appeals Manager" at AT&T in response to a Better Business Bureau complaint regarding slow uploads on the Atrix 4G has surfaced over on xda-developers, and it looks to more or less confirm what we've suspected: the hardware's totally capable of pushing HSUPA speeds, it's just being held back for the moment. The rep says that the carrier's currently "performing the testing and preparations necessary to ensure that, when [they] turn this feature on, you will continue to have a world class experience," which would suggest that there might be some lingering network concerns. AT&T's in the midst of a backhaul upgrade as part of its HSPA+ based "4G" network, so it might merely be a matter of waiting for that to go through before flipping the switch. [Thanks, Shift3r] |
| T-Mobile's rumored 10GB data plan goes up a few dollars Posted: 11 Mar 2011 12:32 PM PST It looks like those new webConnect plans from T-Mobile are still slated to go live this Sunday, but TmoNews -- which reported the original rumor -- has circled back with a minor bummer: the biggest of the plans has gone up a few dollars per month. There's no information on why the carrier has opted to suck a few more dollars out of your bank account, but the good news is that it's not too bad -- it's just another $5 (now $84.99) or another $4 (up to $67.99) if you're pairing it with a voice plan. Of course, both the 5GB and 10GB plans are overage-free -- it's just a question of how far you want to go before you start getting throttled. |
| Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot... implanted in an eye Posted: 11 Mar 2011 12:10 PM PST If the notion of a tiny robot swimming around in your eye leaves you a bit uneasy then, well, you might want to stop right here. For the rest of you, though, you may be interested in some new tests now being conducted by Michael Kummer and his team of researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in Zurich, Switzerland. What you're looking at above is a pig's eye, and the tiny black spec near the top is a microbot that's able to roam around the eye with the aid of an electromagnetic system. While things are still obviously very early, the researchers say the microbots could eventually be used to precisely deliver drugs in humans, and treat issues like macular degeneration. Head on past the break for the video.
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| Twenty pilot programs to bring off-campus broadband to low-income school districts Posted: 11 Mar 2011 11:47 AM PST The FCC announced on Wednesday the approval of a plan that will ramp up twenty pilot programs in fourteen states. The program -- called Learning On-the-Go -- will bring wireless broadband connections to students off campus. The devices will include mobile phones and laptops, enabling students to have internet connections when they're not at school. Starting in the 2011-2012 school year, 35,000 elementary and secondary school students will be impacted in Colorado, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, Ohio, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Louisiana, Alabama, California, New Mexico and Iowa. The total cost of the program is estimated to be $9 million, but it'll certainly be paid back in all those Facebook visits during off-school hours, right? Hit up the source link for the full document (warning: it's a PDF). |
| iPad 2 line watch: the few, the proud, the soaking wet (updating) Posted: 11 Mar 2011 10:30 AM PST Last night you couldn't walk down the street in New York City without becoming seriously soaked and breaking your umbrella, but you didn't really think that would stop those crazy Apple fans, did you? Oh yes, the iPad 2 lines are in full effect in NYC and around the country -- we're hearing there are already close to 150 at The Cube in Midtown Manhattan and scores of others in line in Austin, Fort Lauderdale, Palo Alto and more. And with reports of online orders not shipping for 2 to 3 weeks now, we're assuming those queues are only going to grow in the next few hours. It is, of course, our time-honored tradition to bring you photos of those incredibly brave line-sitters, and we'll be doing just that this afternoon and evening. We'll be heading out to grab some shots of our own soon and bring you the smiles and tears, but until then hit the break for a few we've been sent so far. Oh, and good luck everyone!  We're still getting some line pictures. This one is from NorthPark, Dallas at around 8:00PM CST. Thanks, Randall!
3:31 PM PST: Palo Alto line-goers use umbrellas because it's too sunny... not like we're jealous or anything.
6:06 PM EST: We're about to pack up here in NYC -- even though the view from inside is pretty nice. Here are a few more pictures of some happy new iPad 2 owners.
3:30PM CST: Mall of America Apple Store, Bloomington, MN. Thanks, Branden!
5:40 PM EST: Man, are they selling a lot of these! One woman's credit card was just declined, but don't worry... she had another!
5:36PM EST: We finally got some WiFi here at the 5th Ave. store. Lots of happy people with new iPad 2s! So many smiles.
Buffalo, NY. Thanks, Austin!
1:00PM PST: Alderwood Mall Apple Store, Lynnwood, WA. The first ten in line are Canadians, come to the US to get the iPad 2 early. Thanks, Michael! 4:54 EST: We just popped over to The Cube here in NYC. Just a few minutes now until they open the doors. So much cheering from those guys and gals in the blue shirts!
Reston, VA. The man in the red blanket has allegedly been camped out since 3AM! Thanks, Anup!
4:09PM EST: Target in Westbury, NY. An object lesson in how to dodge the Apple Store lines!
 2:30 CST: Mall of Louisiana Apple Store, Baton Rouge, LA. Thanks, Josh!  3:15PM EST - Briarwood Mall, Ann Arbor, Michigan. +10 for the Engadget t-shirt! Thanks, @jsteinerman!
Salem, NH. Thanks, Raphael! King of Prussia, PA. Thanks, Jared!
Baybrook Apple Store in Houston, TX. Thanks, anonymous!
Park City Apple Store in Lancaster, PA. Thanks, @EdGrohl!
Some video from The Cube. Looks like we should head to SoHo! 2:53PM EST: Philadelphia. Thanks, @angelsjr! Austin, TX - SXSW pop-up Apple Store. Thanks, @jennydeluxe! 1:18PM EST: Boca Raton, FL. Thanks, Juan! 1:00 PM EST: Freehold, NJ. Thanks, Korey!
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