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• Engadget Primed: why nanometers matter (and why they often don't)
• Samsung's tube powered DA-E750 audio dock hitting the UK, Korea on June 18th
• Toshiba's Windows 8 RT laptop gets demoed by TI (video)
• Samsung files a patent for a capacitive stylus with NFC and headset, your next C-Pen may get talkative
• FCC Fridays: June 15, 2012
• Insert Coin: Deeper Smart sonar Fishfinder for Android and iOS
• Huawei M660 wields portrait keyboard, headed for Cricket Wireless?
• Microsoft patent app wants SMS-to-spreadsheet, so you can Excel while you excel
• Audi A3 e-tron hands-on (video)
• Motorola Solutions buys Psion for $200 million
• Insert Coin: Atlas human-powered helicopter gunning for elusive Sikorsky prize (video)
• Distro Issue 45: a brief history of Motorola and WWDC 2012's top stories
• Microsoft applies to patent gesture-based MIDI interface, turn us all into Jean Michel Jarre
• Lenovo's IdeaTab S2110A transforming tablet hits the FCC, doesn't mind the mess
• HP Pavilion dv6 gets treated to AMD's Trinity processor, shakes hands with Ivy Bridge twin
• 'Free form' lens over mobile display could improve audio and haptics, says Motorola patent filing
• Nokia Lumia 610 coming to China Unicom, Elop slips details in conference call
• Imagination goes 'all out' with bigger PowerVR graphics cores: the G6230 and G6430
• BBC rolls out streaming sports coverage to 3G networks
• VTech refreshes its MobiGo and InnoTab lines, keeps things affordable
• So, Tesco buys Peter Gabriel's WE7 music service for $16.7 million
• Microsoft applies to patent gaze-tracking camera, wants to stare into your eyes
• Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry screeches into Canada
• Google Play Books makes an efficient arrival in Germany (update: and Spain)
• Dropbox updates iOS app to 1.5, says goodbye to size limitations, hello to automatic uploads
• Mobilicity to upgrade network to HSPA+ 21Mbps later this year
• AMD previews FirePro W9000 graphics, possibly throws in dual-chip Radeon HD 7990 for good measure
• Samsung T-Mobile slider flashes Chiclets for Mr. Blurrycam, could be the SGH-T699
• Microsoft will roll out Kinect-enabled NUads on Xbox 360 this fall (video)
• Nokia patent filing uses steering wheel touch for media controls, turns your radio on with that lovin' feeling
• Will Microsoft show its own Windows 8 tablet on Monday?
• Windows updated with better checking for bad digital certs after Flame malware incident
• Karma rewards WiMAX subscribers for sharing their 4G
• Logitech G600 mouse targets button-craving MMO gamers, social life costs extra (video)
• Microsoft and Nokia bring enhanced traffic data to Windows Phone, announce international plans
• Google+ adds YouTube party app, lets you inflict cat videos on everyone
• AT&T's BYOD effort coming to BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone with Toggle 2.0
• Nokia reportedly scraps Meltemi, decides it's Series 40 or bust in basic phones
• Sony's NXT trio sees the light, gets transparent bar notifications via third-party app
• Hexy: hands-on with the adorable, affordable hexapod (video)

Engadget Primed: why nanometers matter (and why they often don't) Posted: 15 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com. Welcome to one of the most unnecessarily complicated questions in the world of silicon-controlled gadgets: should a savvy customer care about the underlying nature of the processor in their next purchase? Theoretically at least, the answer is obvious. Whether it's a CPU, graphics card, smartphone or tricorder, it'll always receive the Holy Grail combo of greater performance and reduced power consumption if it's built around a chip with a smaller fabrication process. That's because, as transistors get tinier and more tightly packed, electrons don't have to travel so far when moving between them -- saving both time and energy. In other words, a phone with a 28-nanometer (nm) processor ought to be fundamentally superior to one with a 45nm chip, and a PC running on silicon with features etched at 22nm should deliver more performance-per-watt than a 32nm rival. But if that's true, isn't it equally sensible to focus on the end results? Instead of getting bogged down in semiconductor theory, we may as well let Moore's Law churn away in the background while we judge products based on their overall user experience. Wouldn't that make for an easier life? Well, maybe, but whichever way you look at it, it's hard to stop this subject descending into pure philosophy, on a par with other yawnsome puzzles like whether meat-eaters should visit an abattoir at least once, or whether it's better to medicate the ailment or the person. Bearing that in mind, we're going look at how some key players in the silicon industry treat this topic, and we'll try to deliver some practical, offal-free information in the process. Table of Contents What the packaging says What Gordon says What the engineer says What the numbers say What the happy gambler says What we say What the packaging says Return to top When it comes to the importance (or otherwise) of the nanometer, journalists often don't help. Sometimes we make a big deal out of a processor and its innards, while other times we barely mention it. Usually this is because manufacturers themselves have a schizophrenic attitude: they yell about it when their transistors are nice and small, but then treat the whole topic as irrelevant when their transistors happen to be lumpier than the competition's. A case in point: NVIDIA has some great products on the market right now, but in terms of transistor size it doesn't have much to gloat about. Its latest 600-series graphics cards use a mix of 28nm and 40nm chips, which are no better (in terms of transistor size) than AMD's latest 28nm graphics cards. It's a similar story with NVIDIA's Tegra 3 chips for smartphones and tablets, which, at 40nm, are numerically closer to 2011's processors than to newer 32nm and 28nm competitors. The result: NVIDIA's marketing machine doesn't spend much time talking about transistor size. Buried amidst paragraphs of flowery prose in the press release announcing the company's first 28nm graphics card, there was one short and almost reluctant mention of nanometers, and its significance was left unexplained: Kepler is based on 28-nanometer (nm) process technology and succeeds the 40-nm NVIDIA Fermi architecture, which was first introduced into the market in March 2010. On the processor side of things, AMD is in a similar boat. Its flagship Trinity processors lag 10nm behind Intel's finest. But rather than just be coy like NVIDIA, AMD has taken a more forceful tack in trying to dampen consumers' interest in transistor size. One of the company's most senior marketing guys, Sasa Marinkovic, recently took the web to "set the record straight" about the entire notion that transistors need to get smaller if computers are to get better: Today, people care about the experience their device delivers and not just the manufacturing process. Just ask anyone who has ever used an iPad – what technology was the chip powering the iPad built on? If they don't know, they shouldn't feel bad about it. Most of us don't give much thought to it. Now, Sasa gave us the same consistent message when we interviewed him a while back, and he might actually have a point. Even though Trinity doesn't have smaller transistors, it still packs 100 million more of them compared to the preceding generation of Llano chips. What's more, thanks to improvements in Trinity's design -- specifically in its tweaked Piledriver cores -- it was able to deliver this extra computing grunt while consuming less power. If you're strict about it, this type of progress fails to meet the requirements of Moore's Law, which originally set the precedent that the density of transistors on a chip (i.e. not just their total number) ought to double every two years. Nevertheless, if Trinity yields better computing, surely consumers should acknowledge that? Marinkovic's anti-nanometer stance is inherently sensible, and we'd have subscribed to it wholeheartedly were it not for his untimely mention of the iPad. Just recently, a new production run of the iPad 2 (identified as the "iPad2,4") has actually served to increase people's interest in transistor size. How come? Because AnandTech discovered that Apple switched to smaller 32nm transistors, compared to the 45nm chips it used in previous runs of the iPad 2. Those who have managed to pick up an iPad2,4 have benefited from a 16 percent battery life increase as a result -- and whether they're aware of it or not, the iPad can no longer be used to suggest that nanometers don't matter. What Gordon says Return to top So, let's turn to a company that's immune to any accusations of being a sore loser. Moore's Law is part of Intel's genetic make-up, not just because Gordon E. Moore founded the company, but also because the maxim has been explicitly adopted as a corporate goal. Chipzilla currently boasts the world's smallest and most advanced "3D" transistors in a mass-produced product -- its 22nm Ivy Bridge processors for laptops and desktops -- and it's already gearing up for 14nm production next year. Read one of Intel's early press releases on Ivy Bridge and you'll get impression that transistors are the be-all and end-all of what computing is about. The word "22nm" is mentioned no fewer than 10 times in a single page, which starts with the over-arching claim that "22nm chips have an unprecedented combination of power and performance gains." That all sounds great. In fact, Ivy Bridge is great, but perhaps not to the revolutionary extent that the press release describes. Intel's own benchmarks point to a 6 to 8 percent improvement in computational tasks, with most of the extra transistors being dedicated to the HD 4000 integrated graphics -- an area where Intel is still playing catch-up with AMD. And that raises an uncomfortable question: is it possible that Intel is using 22nm as a substitute for good, old-fashioned ingenuity? In other words, if you took AMD's underdog attitude and merged it with Intel's silicon clout, wouldn't we get computers that are far superior to what's currently on the market? If that's true, then rewarding Intel with our custom simply because it shrank its transistors could be a mistake. What the engineer says Return to top At this point we need to turn a more trustworthy source. John Biggs is a co-founder of ARM, the Cambridge-based chip design company that licenses its IP to many of the biggest mobile chip manufacturers, including Qualcomm, Samsung, NVIDIA and others. Although he's obviously aligned with ARM, Biggs is first and foremost an engineer -- and he has strong opinions on this subject. Considering how many generations of processors he's seen in his career, and how ARM's chips have steadily become smaller, cheaper, faster and more efficient over time as a result, we honestly expected him to side with Intel. But what he actually said is: "I can't see any reason for the ordinary person to care about nanometers. If you're buying a car, you're looking for practical and tangible benefits, not technology for technology's sake. The same applies when you buy a phone: you want a long battery life and the processing power that you need. Transistor size is just a means to an end." I can't see any reason for the ordinary person to care about nanometers. It's not that Biggs denies the advantages of smaller transistors. On the contrary, he acknowledges the traditional view that smaller transistors are a win-win for everybody -- or even, technically, a win-win-win-win, since the speed, efficiency, size and cost have all improved with each step down. What concerns him, though, is that these benefits are no longer guaranteed in the future, which means gadget buyers should look for clear evidence of improvement rather than just taking it for granted. Why does Biggs strike this note of caution now, after decades in the industry? Because, he says, 45nm is a very approximate threshold at which further shrinkage becomes harder to translate into real-world gains: "Right now is the crucial time, when we go from having seen these problems on the horizon, to discovering that they're definitely here." As we move to 28nm, 22nm and less, transistors become "imperfect switches, which can drip like a leaking tap," potentially offsetting efficiency gains. This necessitates complicated solutions like power-gating: bigger and simpler transistors that are used to switch the power to smaller transistors on or off, to stop them from leaking when not in use. In turn, these more complicated designs require ever more expensive R&D and silicon foundries to manufacture them, reducing the number of rivals in the market and potentially reversing any of the savings that came from needing fewer raw materials. What the numbers say Return to top In an effort to see whether Biggs' predicted slow-down is already apparent in current phones and tablets, we've plotted the graph below. It covers a random sample of mostly Android products we've reviewed since 2011, and it deliberately ignores every single characteristic except the fabrication process size of its processor and its SunSpider benchmark score. SunSpider is a useful metric because it's cross-platform and it analyses web-browsing speed -- i.e. an activity that all smartphone users are likely to be interested in. You can see right away that this is a pretty messy set of data. On the face of it, it backs up what Biggs said. The scores for 45nm phones cover almost the full gamut from great to terrible, which means that transistor size would have been a largely irrelevant criterion in most buying dilemmas. If you've been stuck in comparing the Galaxy Nexus against the Galaxy Note, or the Droid RAZR against the HTC Rezound, then finding out silicon sizes would not have helped you. We can also see the first inkling of what Biggs said about shrinkage below 45nm getting harder: whereas the 45nm scatter is bustling, there are currently only a handful of devices at 40nm, 32nm and 28nm. Of course this is bound to change, but the implication is that you're likely to end up paying a premium for one of these next-gen handsets, which are mostly flagship devices like the HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy S III and Transformer Prime. That contrasts with the promise that more finely-etched silicon is meant to make everything cheaper. On the other hand, it's hard to deny that the sub-40nm data clusters are linked with top-level performance. If you imagine that these few dots on the far left of the graph represent just the average of what sub-45nm phones and tablets will deliver over the next two years, such that they'll become the central points in a scatter that will grow over time, then it's hard to see how we'd ever take 45nm seriously in a couple of years. Furthermore, although the sub-45nm handsets may be pricier than their 45nm counterparts today, they're not exorbitant: you're still looking at around $200 on contract for a 28nm or 32nm phone. Now, let's mix things up even more and ignore every aspect of a device except its fabrication process size and battery life. This time we'll only look at phones, rather than tablets, because the latter have an unfair advantage when it comes to battery size: It's the same story: the 45nm is cluster all over the place, but its average is still worse than phones with smaller transistors -- particularly those at 32nm and below. The only 45nm devices to deliver battery life in excess of nine hours were the Samsung Stratosphere and the Rugby Smart -- and guess what? Those devices happen to lie right at the bottom of the performance chart. In other words, the 45nm phones either have great performance or solid battery life, while the more recent phones with smaller transistors generally deliver top-level performance and battery life simultaneously. What the happy gambler says Return to top So, these graphs actually support the idea that nanometers are still relevant when buying a smartphone -- though based on this small amount of evidence, we can't broaden it out any further than that. You might argue that it's not transistor size that's pushing the newer phones to the front, but perhaps some other aspect of their new processors -- i.e. the design rather than scale of their architecture. However, that's quite a stretch. We put the question to Raj Talluri from Qualcomm, creator of the left-most processors on the graphs, and his opinion was unequivocal: it's not the way Snapdragon has been designed that makes it so fast and efficient, but the way it's been designed for 28nm: "We worked really hard to achieve 28nm. It was our deliberate strategy and it took a lot of time, because we had to shrink not just the CPU, but also the graphics component and the modem and every other part of our chip. But we wanted 28nm because it's a huge advantage for our OEMs and our users." We wanted 28nm because it's a huge advantage Qualcomm made an enormous wager on 28nm and is now lugging its chips to the cashier's cage. Tell Talluri that nanometers don't matter and he'd no doubt smile and buy you a drink. By shrinking every component down so small, his company has not only delivered great performance and battery life, but it's also managed to squeeze in more components than anyone else in the market. It's now the go-to chipmaker for flagship LTE devices, after HTC abandoned NVIDIA's processors in favor of the LTE-equipped Snapdragon and Samsung did the same with its Exynos Quad. What we say Return to top On the whole, and for the average gadget buyer, we'd have to agree with AMD, NVIDIA and John Biggs on this issue: nanometers are kind of interesting, but they cannot be relied upon to pinpoint your next gadget. So long as a buyer weighs up online reviews in the usual manner, and hunts down the features that they need the most, then remaining ignorant of transistor sizes probably isn't going to do them much harm. The iPad2,4 saga is an exception that tests the rule, but the rule just about survives -- we doubt many people would want to return their iPad just because they discovered it was a 2,3. Nanometers are kind of interesting, but they cannot be relied upon to pinpoint your next gadget On the other hand, if you're proud to be a geek, then understanding what chips were used in which products, and what fabrication process was used for which chip, will reveal an intricate, behind-the-scenes world that can feed into the way you evaluate different devices. This doesn't mean you should favor the smaller transistor every time: you might still choose the NVIDIA GeForce GT 645 graphics card (40nm) over the GT 640 (28nm), but at least you'll be aware of what you're doing. Equally, you might use your understanding of fabrication to acknowledge when a company is struggling to invest in its future, when it's showing ingenuity in improving its products even without shrinking its silicon, or when it's being complacent in offering smaller transistors and little else. Finally, we're going to stick our head above the parapet here and make a point specifically about cutting-edge smartphones, and especially those aimed at people who demand both performance and good battery life: our admittedly humble accumulation of evidence suggests that the old semiconductor laws still apply in this field, such that choosing a flagship phone with a significantly smaller fabrication process will generally lead you in the right direction. A difference of a few nanometers won't tell you anything -- for example the performance and battery life of the Samsung Galaxy S III (32nm) is no worse than with a HTC One X (28nm), and in some benchmarks the GS III is actually vastly superior. But for bigger gaps, we'd say it's good to pay attention. If you had a choice between an NVIDIA-powered HTC One X (40nm) or a Qualcomm-powered one on AT&T (28nm), the nanometers tell you the answer. Similarly, would you be entirely comfortable buying a Galaxy Nexus (45nm) today, knowing that the US version of the Galaxy S III (28nm) is just around the corner and will start at $200 on contract? We wouldn't. [Image credits: Scientist with microscope by Allegra Boverman / MIT, Gordon Moore photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images]

Samsung's tube powered DA-E750 audio dock hitting the UK, Korea on June 18th Posted: 15 Jun 2012 10:32 AM PDT Have a thing for wood grain and high-end audio? You're in luck, as Samsung has announced that its DA-E750 Audio with Dock will be available in the United Kingdom and Korea beginning Monday, June 18th. As a refresher, this rather handsome boom box uses a handful of glass fiber speakers, a dedicated subwoofer and vacuum tubes to output 100 watts of "natural and harmonious" sound. What's more, the device (available in mahogany or piano black) can accommodate your Galaxy or iOS handheld of choice via a dock, or, for those that abhor cables, stream audio via Bluetooth 3.0, AllShare or AirPlay. Sammy didn't specify a price in its latest announcement, but the figure $800 was mentioned back at CES 2012 when the model was first announced. Any audiophiles out there interested in this tube-driven shelf unit with a bookcase-sized price tag?

Toshiba's Windows 8 RT laptop gets demoed by TI (video) Posted: 15 Jun 2012 10:05 AM PDT When Toshiba broke out its Windows 8 RT, Transformer-like tablet at Computex we were quite sad to find it was only a non-functional prototype. Especially since TI was on hand as well, maker of the OMAP processor that will be under the hood. Well, we'll call it a consolation prize, but the Dallas-based chip maker does have a functional version of an ARM laptop that Toshiba will be releasing. The video is more or less the same demo we were given on the OMAP 4470 development tablets -- some swiping between apps and light web browsing. We don't have any new details to share about the touchscreen clamshell device unfortunately, but you can see it in action after the break.

Samsung files a patent for a capacitive stylus with NFC and headset, your next C-Pen may get talkative Posted: 15 Jun 2012 09:33 AM PDT Samsung is clearly big on pens. It's no shock, then, that we now know the company applied for a patent on a new stylus while the original Galaxy Note was still fresh out of the box. The capacitive pen of Samsung's dreams includes its own wireless headset in the clip to make voice calls without having to buy a separate earpiece -- something that we've only seen recently in the real world. It would even find room for NFC to pair the pen up with a host device using a minimum of fuss. The most appealing part of the patent may be its pragmatism. Unlike some of the flight-of-fancy patents we've noticed lately, the technology in the new stylus is well within reach. No patent is ever a surefire sign of action, but it's no great leap in logic to see a follow-up to the C-Pen or S Pen letting us call for pizza in between drawing sessions.

FCC Fridays: June 15, 2012 Posted: 15 Jun 2012 09:05 AM PDT We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we've gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy! Phones Alcatel OneTouch 668A Alcatel OneTouch 902A Alcatel OneTouch 960C Alcatel OneTouch 985S Alcatel OneTouch 991S B-Mobile A5 BLU Products Elite 3.8 Fujitsu FJI13 (KDDI, Japan) Huawei M866 (Honor / Mercury, Tracfone) Huawei U8816-1 LG E405F LG E610V Motorola MB886 (Atrix 3) Motorola XT326 (Defy Mini XT) Motorola XT389 (Argon Mini) Motorola XT626 (iDEN phone) NEC NE-103T PCD ADR21 (Digicel) Samsung SGH-T879 (Galaxy Note 5.3, T-Mobile) Samsung SPH-M270 Samsung SPH-M390 Sharp 106SH (Softbank, Japan) Sharp SHI16 (KDDI, Japan) VeryKool S757 Tablets and peripherals Archos 1100 (tablet) Plantronics Voyager Legend (bluetooth headset) Samsung SCH-I705 (Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 variant) ZTE MF91 (Mobile Hotspot)

Insert Coin: Deeper Smart sonar Fishfinder for Android and iOS Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:47 AM PDT In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. We can't say a smartphone-connected sonar fish detector ranks high on our must-have list, but man is it a cool idea. Friday Lab's taking the plunge with its Deeper Smart Fishfinder -- a spherical waterproof device that beams back individual fish depth and location info, along with temperature and floor depth to your Android 2.2+ or iOS 4.0+ smartphone or tablet within 150 feet via Bluetooth. You simply use a standard rod and line to lower Deeper from a bridge, boat or shore, and the device automatically powers on when it makes contact with water -- a six-hour battery should suffice for all but the most dedicated of fishermen, unless they have a USB power source nearby for charging. Naturally, the sphere is water- and shock-resistant, and can operate in temperatures ranging from -10 to 40 degrees Celsius (14 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit). The Deeper app also provides air temperature and moon phase readouts, and social media functionality that lets you post fishing updates to Facebook or Twitter -- so all of your less fortunate friends can see how much fun you're having catching fish and stuff. The first 60 Deeper backers can snag one set for $129 (plus $20 shipping) on Indiegogo, while latecomers can hop on board for $20 more. You can also place your pre-order through the company's site, also for $149. There's just shy of four weeks left for Friday Lab to meet its $49,000 goal, so hit up our source link after the break to show your support. And if you're not quite ready to commit, there's a video awaiting you there as well. Previous project update: Kick, the smartphone-controlled camera light for iOS, is approaching the halfway mark towards its $115,000 goal. There's nearly five weeks to go, so it's quite likely that we'll see this project funded. You can "pre-order" your own for $89 before the clock ticks to zero.

Huawei M660 wields portrait keyboard, headed for Cricket Wireless? Posted: 15 Jun 2012 08:27 AM PDT After the familiar vertical keyboard structure of a BlackBerry, but with all the Google friendliness and app breadth of an Android phone? Then Huawei may have the answer -- and it looks like it'll land on the US carrier, Cricket. According to leaked photos sent to PhoneArena, the Huawei M660 is modestly equipped with Android 2.3 and a portrait QWERTY keyboard nestled below a 3.2-inch display. Its existence is backed up by a page on the manufacturer's site, pointing to a (now non-existent) user guide that references expandable microSD storage, the possibility that it may arrive as the Ascend Q, and name-drops Cricket in the process. For those with portrait keyboard needs, you can hit up the link below for a few more shots of the device.

Microsoft patent app wants SMS-to-spreadsheet, so you can Excel while you excel Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:54 AM PDT If you're too busy racking up commissions to submit your expense report, a Microsoft patent application might let you text that steak-dinner-schmoozefest straight to a spreadsheet in accounting. That's one use that pops to mind for the proposed invention, which which could permit text and multimedia messages to interact with Redmond's Office suite. It could then process that info and redirect the message or send you a reply, confirming your shenanigans. Now, how to justify that $1,500 bottle of cognac? [Image Credit: Shutterstock]

Audi A3 e-tron hands-on (video) Posted: 15 Jun 2012 07:27 AM PDT It's not often that we spend quality time with automobiles here at Engadget, but our motives are usually geared by electricity when we do. Take for instance, the Audi A3 e-tron concept above. This isn't the first e-tron concept -- if you'll recall, the A1 and A2 EVs were recently cancelled -- but back in November we learned that the German automaker planned to begin testing this all-electric plug-in in four regions within the US. It hopes to gain insight into how these cars will take to different climates and roadways in the country, while finding out how it will fit into drivers' daily lives. Naturally, the goal is to have something ready for consumers, but Audi figures that it's still about two years away from realization. After being in the hands of folks within the company, it's decided to let these prototypes loose in the hands of news media like ourselves (!) to show it off and see what outsiders think. As you've probably figured out, we definitely just took this four-door hatchback for a spin near Engadget HQ, and you'll find out all about how it got us around the city in one piece -- with us nearly draining the battery in Times Square in the process -- after the break. Audi A3 e-tron hands-on Audi A3 e-tron press shots So, this e-tron bit: basically it's the company's next-generation drivetrain, joining the likes of Quattro and TDI. All together, it's short for EV electronic -- sorry, nothing in the way of Tron here -- and the name will apply to its plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles. Fans of the LeMans 24 hour endurance race are likely familiar with the R18 e-tron Quattro diesel / electric hybrid, which makes use of the tech. From the outside, the prototype A3 e-tron is very much a last-gen A3. We'd really have a tough time telling the difference between the two if it weren't for its red-accented rims the eponymous decals plastered around its body. Even the interior is understated and nearly identical to gas-powered version, with just a few hints of e-tron branding -- sadly the infotainment system is not of the MMI Touch variety. The main distinctions lay with the smooth Alcantara-lining on the seats and side panels, as well as a slightly re-tooled set of dashboard panels (we'll detail these in a bit). Lift up the hood, however, and you'll find a static, permanent magnet synchronous motor in place of a gasoline engine (the orange cables let emergency workers know what could shock them). Essentially, the only fluids you'll find running through this compartment are anti-freeze for your windshield and coolant for the batteries. Popping the hatch on the back reveals a normal trunk-space -- at first glance anyway. Some of the unit's 30 lithium-ion batteries are conveniently tucked away in this area, nestled underneath the cargo floorboard. Battery-blocks also run underneath the rear row of seats and the center-line of the vehicle itself. You may be thinking, "that's all well and good, but how does it translate it into power and performance?" We're glad you asked. A light tap on the accelerator had us effortlessly keeping up with aggressive NYC cabbies. Our Audi representative informed us that the e-tron performs very similar to its sporty TDI. You'll get a maximum 85kW (114hp) of power during peak stages, while its continuous power output is closer to 60kW (82hp). The car features a single speed drivetrain that sends power to the front wheels, pumping out a healthy 270Nm (199lb-ft) of torque. And yes, it's certainly a pleasantly smooth kick in the pants while your driving it. The total weight comes in at a feathery 1.6 metric tons, with the batteries accounting for 661.39lbs (300kg) of it. Within those batteries Audi estimates that "26.5kWh of usable energy at 380 volts" can be stored, allowing for a maximum range of about 92 miles. A typical home with 230 volts for charging can get this thing juiced up in about nine hours, but Audi cited it as only five to six hours using the units available in the city's parking garages. Being electric, it's easy to think the car isn't powered upon turning the key. You don't get the usual rumbling of an idling engine, just the whisper-quiet whirl of the e-tron's motor (Audi is currently engineering an "e-tron sound" so that outsiders will be able to hear the car) and wind whizzing by. Starting from the slow, but bustling, streets of SoHo downtown (A6 trailing us for support) with just under half a charge left, we could already feel how agile the A3 e-tron is. A light tap on the gas pedal accelerator had us effortlessly keeping up with aggressive NYC cabbies, while its regenerative braking usually kept our foot off of the brake pedal. This is where that updated dashboard comes in. As you might be able to see, the gauges here look traditional, but the info being displayed is not. Two main odometers flank the left and right side, a center strip provides you with your miscellaneous details, while two smaller meters sit above that detail how much charge is left in battery and about how many miles that should translate to. The right side is simply for your speed and mileage. Replacing RPMs on the left is a meter that lets you know how much power the car is pumping out, relating to how far you press the accelerator. This meter also lets you know when the car goes into regenerative charging mode. Basically, using the car's "engine braking" is what let us stay of the brake pedal itself. When you ease of the accelerate, the car is able to use this energy to pump charge back into its battery. We're told that you can expect to re-gain about 5-15 miles depending on how aggressively you hyper-mile. Although we weren't braking in the traditional sense, there is a key factor we've yet to detail. Behind the steering wheel are two paddles that feel like traditional shifters, but looks in this case are deceiving. These paddles allowed us to control the level of regeneration in real-time, and we were sometimes utilizing these controls instead of hitting the brakes as traffic changed. Tapping on the one to the left makes the affect heavier with a more aggressive, jerkier slowdown, while leaning right opened it up to a slower, smoother coast when we lifted our foot up. All in all, the system gives you four levels of performance to swap between, which gets highlighted in the center panel of the dashboard. The best example of this was when we turned the A3 e-tron onto NYC's West Side Highway to head uptown while getting a feel for its performance on an open road. Flooring the accelerator got us up to speed nimbly, but coasting wasn't an option as traffic became more congested in spots. In this instance we were slapping the paddles back and forth as a quick way to adjust the car for the smoothest and most efficient ride under the changing conditions. Notably, Audi takes it one step further by offering a trio of switchable drive modes for normal use, efficiency and sportyness. You can also think of these as a way to stay of the paddles if you're sure how consistent the conditions will be around you. It's interesting to experience, but we didn't notice any swaying toward the tail-end of the car while accelerating no matter how far we pressed the pedal down. The vehicle seems impossibly smooth in the way it zips around, and even the ride itself feels like you're on a firm cloud. The low placement of the batteries apparently helps the car grip the road tightly, and most bumps -- save for major potholes -- were very hard to feel despite its relatively heavy stature. The A3 e-tron has similar level of sportyness to a Mini Cooper -- minus the feeling of being in a go-kart. Our only complaint with the concept is its windshield lined with a thin smattering of honeycomb-esque solar material. Essentially, this helps to power things like the AC without the battery, but we found our eyes tending to focus on it more than the cars in front of us at times. Once we noticed this, it was hard to for us to un-notice it. That said, Audi was quick to remind us that this is a concept vehicle, and this feature is something that's there partially for evaluation purposes. The A3 e-tron has similar level of sportyness to a Mini Cooper -- minus the feeling of being in a go-kart. Unsurprisingly, after about 30 miles of driving we finally got our first warning that the battery was close to drained, meaning that we'd have about 15 miles left. Thankfully our destination back in SoHo was only handful of miles away, but being stuck in Times Square traffic did have us a bit anxious -- it's not exactly a convenient place to be forced into a pit stop with an electric vehicle. Our rep set the car into its efficiency mode, and we'd be remiss not to point that we gladly couldn't notice a difference in the performance. Better yet, the company will offer roadside assistance, as a normal tow truck and gas station combo will likely be unable to help much if you end up in a jam. Thankfully, we made it back with enough miles to spare for it to get back to a charging station nearby. Audi comes clean on A3 e-tron pilot program, electric mobility coming to four US cities Audi R18 Hybrid spotted in the flesh, sounds as good as it looks Audi, GM, others unite on 20-minute EV charging standard for green drivers in a rush As it stands, Audi sees this as a secondary car for the person who already owns a Q7 or A6 and the like. The main usage scenarios in its mind would be a car strictly for commuting, or even a first car for teens whose parents don't want them straying too far from the nest -- a benefit of that 92 mile maximum range. The plan is to first rollout a hybrid model, with a full-on electric variant following not long after -- again, all in about two year's time. There's no specific word on pricing just yet, but we're told the cost won't be exceptional premium over that of a spec-ed out gasoline-powered A3. But rest assured that the A3 e-tron certainly is going to be positioned as a premium vehicle when it hits, "indirectly" competing with the likes of the Nissan Leaf. All in all, we're definitely left with a favorable impression of the A3 e-tron, and we can't wait to see how it shapes up as a consumer offering for the US. In the meantime, you can check out the archived press release below for further info on the A3 e-tron's inner-workings. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report. Show full PR text The Audi A3 e-tron The Audi A3 e-tron is an all-around vehicle for future mobility. A powerful electric motor and a lithium-ion battery impart to this compact car – which weighs less than 1.6 metric tons – agile performance and impressive cruising range. This technical study has already provided a preview of potential series-production solutions. The permanent magnet synchronous motor in the A3 e-tron supplies a continuous output of 60 kW (82 hp) and a peak output of 85 kW (114 hp). Maximum torque is a potent 270 Nm (199 lb-ft), with the power delivered to the front wheels via a single-speed transmission. Energy storage is provided by the lithium-ion battery, which is located in multiple blocks under the luggage compartment floor, under the rear seat and in the center tunnel. It stores 26.5 kWh of usable energy at 380 volts and weighs 300 kilograms (661.39 lb). Water flows around the 30 modules which constitute this battery; the waste heat is utilized to heat the vehicle's interior. At low temperatures, the system is aided by an electric PTC heating element; an air conditioner is activated in hot weather. The power electronics module in the engine compartment converts the battery's direct current (DC) to alternating current; a DC converter couples the 12-volt electrical system with the high-voltage system. The Audi A3 e-tron can be recharged in about nine hours with a 230-volt household socket. On a single battery charge, this compact car can cover around 140 km (86.99 miles). It powers the car from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 11.2 seconds and on up to a top speed of 145 km/h (90.10 mph). The driver of an A3 e-tron can decide how sporty or economical driving should be by switching among three modes of operation – dynamic, auto and efficiency – as well as four settings which adjust the degree of energy recovery during braking and coasting phases. This technology study, with a Glacier White paint finish, sports an understated appearance, with its set of wheels and the interior both borrowed from production models. Its special features include seat covers made of an Alcantara/leather blend – which feels warmer than pure leather in cold weather – and a heated windshield. The latter keeps the glass free of condensation and ice while heating the interior much more efficiently than a conventional climate-control system. The equipment and data specified in this document refer to the model range offered in Germany. Subject to change without notice; errors excepted.

Motorola Solutions buys Psion for $200 million Posted: 15 Jun 2012 06:57 AM PDT Psion has mostly slipped out of the public eye, but that's about to change -- Motorola Solutions just bought the company for $200 million in cash to bolster its work with industrial companies. The deal will mostly focus on improving Motorola Solutions' toughened-up handhelds and in-car terminals. Not always exciting out of devices like the ET1, but it ends Psion's 32-year history as an independent company and a legacy that includes some of the very first PDAs, like the Psion Organizer. We won't miss the fight over the "netbook" name, mind you. Regardless of how you feel, you'll have until fall to wax nostalgic, as that's when the two sides expect the deal to close and the Psion name gets subsumed into that of another mobile pioneer. Show full PR text Motorola Solutions to Acquire Psion Plc. for $200 Million in Cash SCHAUMBURG, Ill. & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) ("Motorola Solutions") and Psion Plc. (LN: PON) ("Psion") today announced that they have agreed on the terms of a recommended offer by Motorola Solutions for all Psion shares for 88 pence (US $1.36) in cash per Psion share. It is intended that the acquisition will be effected by way of a recommended cash offer. Psion has been a pioneer in ruggedized mobile computing products and their application in industrial segments around the world. With headquarters in London and a major operational presence near Toronto, Canada, Psion has been a leader in mobile computing solutions since 1980. Psion has approximately 830 employees, customers in more than 50 countries and delivered 2011 revenues of £176 million (approximately US $273 million). Greg Brown, chairman and CEO of Motorola Solutions, said: "Psion is a compelling opportunity to strengthen our industry-leading, mobile-computing portfolio with ruggedized handheld products and vehicle-mount terminals that will deepen our presence in the global markets in which we compete." John Hawkins, chairman of Psion, said: "The Psion directors are pleased to unanimously recommend this offer by Motorola Solutions at a price which offers a significant cash premium to both the current and recent market prices. Psion continues to successfully deliver on its strategy of introducing exciting new products while strictly managing the cost base. The offer by Motorola Solutions provides Psion's shareholders with certainty in an environment where certainty is in short supply." Under the terms of the acquisition, Psion shareholders will receive 88 pence (US $1.36) in cash for each Psion share through a recommended cash offer, valuing Psion's issued ordinary share capital at approximately £129 million (US $200 million). The consideration represents a premium of approximately 45 percent to the closing price of 60.5 pence per Psion share on June 14, 2012, the last trading day prior to this announcement and a premium of approximately 66 percent to the six-month average price of 52.9 pence per Psion share prior to June 15, 2012. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2012. Motorola Solutions expects to realize cost and revenue synergies resulting in margin expansion opportunities and expects the transaction to be accretive to earnings per share on a non-U.S. GAAP basis in the first full year following completion and on a U.S. GAAP basis in the second full year following completion. Organization and Management Upon completion of the acquisition, Motorola Solutions will combine Psion within Motorola Solutions' Enterprise Mobile Computing (EMC) business, reporting to Girish Rishi, corporate vice president, EMC. Terms and Approvals Full details of the offer are contained in an announcement made today in the United Kingdom under Rule 2.7 of the U.K. Takeover Code. Each Psion director intends to recommend Psion shareholders to accept the offer, as each Psion director who holds Psion shares has irrevocably undertaken to Motorola Solutions to do so in relation to Psion shares in which he holds a beneficial interest, amounting to, in aggregate, 153,929 Psion shares and representing, in aggregate, 0.11 percent of Psion's issued share capital. Motorola Solutions has acquired from certain Psion shareholders, in aggregate, 14,077,244 Psion shares (representing, in aggregate, approximately 9.999 percent of Psion's issued share capital). Motorola Solutions also has received irrevocable commitments from certain Psion shareholders to accept the offer in respect of, in aggregate, 23,766,467 Psion shares (representing approximately 16.88 percent of Psion's issued share capital). These irrevocable commitments are subject to certain conditions, further details of which are described in the Rule 2.7 announcement. In connection with today's announcement, Motorola Solutions is expected to make the recommended cash offer for all Psion shares within 28 calendar days. The transaction is conditional upon the tender of 90 percent of Psion shares, regulatory approval and the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Advisers Goldman Sachs is serving as Motorola Solutions' financial adviser and Clifford Chance is serving as Motorola Solutions' legal counsel in relation to the transaction. Canaccord Genuity Hawkpoint Limited is serving as financial adviser to Psion and Slaughter and May is serving as legal counsel to Psion in relation to the transaction.

Insert Coin: Atlas human-powered helicopter gunning for elusive Sikorsky prize (video) Posted: 15 Jun 2012 06:45 AM PDT In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. The AeroVelo group, a team of students and professional engineers, wants its Atlas helicopter to hover for one minute, reaching at least three meters (10 feet) powered by human muscle alone. If the grunt-powered machine succeeds, it'll nab the American Helicopter Society International's $250,000 Sikorsky Prize, which has gone unclaimed since it launched in 1980 -- with the best efforts barely leaving the ground. But the University of Toronto-based team reckons it has the chops, with two PhDs aboard and Snowbird, the first successful human-power ornithopter, under its belt. The Atlas will feature four rotors like a 1994 design from Japan, which flew for 19 seconds, a simple and stable configuration that required less pilot power than other models. The would-be flyers have rustled up more than $27k toward the $30k target with 35 hours left, so if you'd like to help out -- and fulfill the dream of eccentric inventors everywhere -- hit the source link for details. Previous Project Update: The Aviator Travel Jib sailed way past its $20,000 goal with $48,715 in pledges, getting it fully funded by July 10th -- but you can still kick in to get one.

Distro Issue 45: a brief history of Motorola and WWDC 2012's top stories Posted: 15 Jun 2012 06:30 AM PDT Still recovering from last week's barrage of fitness gadgetry? Yeah, we are too. This week, we take a less active approach to the latest issue of our tablet mag. Motorola's influence on the tech that we all know and love extends far beyond flip phones and pagers. Our own Brian Heater takes a look at the history of the company in the issue's editorial feature, offering a glimpse into the timeline that led up to Google's $12.5 billion purchase. The folks in Cupertino had an event a few days back that offered a handful of juicy tidbits -- to say the least. If you fear you might've missed something or just need a quick refresher, we run down WWDC's 10 most important talking points. Speaking of which, the "Hands-on" section this week is devoted entirely to the next-gen MacBook Pro with Retina display -- in case you've been napping and haven't had a look for yourself. In terms of device reviews, we offer our thoughts on both the Sony Xperia P and Xperia U for your weekend read. If you're still reminiscing about E3, "Reaction Time" looks at Ubisoft's new title in a week that chock-full of sequels while "Eyes-on" takes a gander at the Nest thermostat and "Time Machines" visits the roots of the TI-30X IIS. The download links are just a click away, so hit yours to get started. Distro Issue 45 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (For sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Microsoft applies to patent gesture-based MIDI interface, turn us all into Jean Michel Jarre Posted: 15 Jun 2012 06:08 AM PDT Microsoft has applied to patent a free-space gesture controller for a MIDI interface that could see you kicking out jams on invisible instruments. Using a Kinect-style depth camera, individual movements would be mapped to notes and played out by the games console observing the action. The company actually teased a similar function in its Kinect Effect advert, where it showed cellists, violinists and pianists all miming in front of the sensor, although we doubt the technology is at a sufficiently capable stage just yet. If granted, it means we could see plenty of intentional arm-waving in future music games, or an even more outrageous stage show from the world's most beloved Gallic synth maven.

Lenovo's IdeaTab S2110A transforming tablet hits the FCC, doesn't mind the mess Posted: 15 Jun 2012 05:52 AM PDT From the looks of it, the coffee-chugging folks in the FCC's underground bunker were so excited about investigating Lenovo's IdeaTab S2110 that they didn't have time to clean up. The transforming tablet (with optional keyboard dock) was splayed and tested to determine if its 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 radios were safe for human consumption -- with the thumbs up meaning that it shouldn't be long before the hardware arrives stateside.

HP Pavilion dv6 gets treated to AMD's Trinity processor, shakes hands with Ivy Bridge twin Posted: 15 Jun 2012 05:37 AM PDT HP's Pavilion dv6 must be pretty popular. That's how we'd explain the fact that the laptop will be one of the first to land with AMD's Trinity chipset -- despite already appearing with an Ivy Bridge refresh. According to Laptop Reviews, the Pavilion dv6-7010 will arrive with the quad-core AMD A8-4500M APU, teamed with a Radeon 7640G graphics card, six gigs of RAM and 750GB of storage. The outer specs remain unchanged, but there is one other difference worth mentioning; it's priced at $700 -- a hundred bucks less than the Intel version. [Thanks Andrew]

'Free form' lens over mobile display could improve audio and haptics, says Motorola patent filing Posted: 15 Jun 2012 05:16 AM PDT It's hard to tell exactly what Motorola is thinking of here, but it probably isn't a billowing sheet of fabric stretched loosely over the face of a smartphone -- even if that's what it looks like. Instead, this appears to be a patent application for a "free floating display lens" that helps the panel of a mobile device to be used as a Beo-style acoustic speaker. The idea is that you can get louder and less resonant sound without having to dedicate more precious real estate to a larger traditional speaker unit. The application also talks about generating haptic feedback on the lens, using the same underlying piezoelectric structures that would power the audio. Creating vibrations this way could require "eight times" less voltage than current methods while also delivering a higher-amplitude sensation. Merge that with KDDI's weird vibrational speaker technology and the results could be deafening.

Nokia Lumia 610 coming to China Unicom, Elop slips details in conference call Posted: 15 Jun 2012 04:49 AM PDT Chinese residents not willing to fork out for Nokia's flagship just got another option, the Lumia 610. China Unicom will be offering the littlest (and most recent) Lumia device, according to Stephen Elop, who managed to sneak the announcement into an at-times grim conference call held yesterday. While we knew the device was headed to all places Pacific, the device now looks set to join existing smartphone options on 3G (presumably low-price) plans. Interested? Then you may want to revisit our review for our thoughts on Nokia's humbly-priced handset.

Imagination goes 'all out' with bigger PowerVR graphics cores: the G6230 and G6430 Posted: 15 Jun 2012 04:21 AM PDT Imagination Technologies has launched two new variants of its Series6 "Rogue" GPU, giving manufacturers more choice for the loadouts of next-gen mobile devices, TVs and dash systems. The PowerVR G6230 and G6430 differ from the earlier Series6 cores in one single respect: they're bigger, which means they're designed for those who want to go "all out" for better performance. At this point it's not clear just how much extra juice they'll deliver, but in general the Rogue architecture is all about being "scalable" -- Imagination can simply add more "compute clusters" to boost frame rates at the expense of power consumption and it says "further cores will be announced" that will extend the eye-candy possibilities even further. Show full PR text Imagination adds to PowerVR Series6 'Rogue' family PowerVR G6230, G6430 extend IP family range of two and four cluster cores June 14, 2012 -- Imagination Technologies, a leading multimedia technologies company, announces the latest IP cores in its ground-breaking PowerVR Series6 GPU core family. The PowerVR G6230 and G6430 GPU IP cores are the latest in a growing family of PowerVR Series6 GPU cores and deliver high compute efficiency while minimising power and bandwidth requirements. Following on from the G6200 and G6400 cores, the PowerVR G6230 and G6430 offer two further design points in the Series6 family, which now includes two 'two-cluster' and two 'four-cluster' IP cores. PowerVR G6200 and G6400 are designed to deliver the best performance at the smallest area possible for two and four cluster architectures respectively, while the PowerVR G6230 and G6430 'go all out', adding incremental extra area for maximum performance whilst minimising power consumption. All 'Rogue' architecture cores deliver a power / performance ratio unmatched by competitor solutions, without compromising on feature set. Says Tony King-Smith, VP marketing, Imagination: "With the four cores announced so far PowerVR Series6 can target a wide range of markets and requirements. PowerVR Series6 has already set a new benchmark for high performance, ultra-low power GPU cores. With G6200, G6230, G6400 and G6430 we deliver power, performance and area that fits the wide range of differentiated designs our licensing partners want to create." PowerVR Series6 is based on the highly scalable 'Rogue' architecture and further cores will be announced to deliver the widest range of performance for licensing partners seeking to deploy the industry's leading graphics IP solution with the optimal intersection of product differentiation and the shortest time to market. Inside Rogue Based on a scalable number of compute clusters, the PowerVR Rogue architecture is designed to target the requirements of a growing range of demanding markets from mobile to the highest performance embedded graphics including smartphones, tablets, PC, console, automotive and TV. Using these arrays of programmable computing elements PowerVR G62xx and G64xx deliver high compute power efficiency while minimising power and bandwidth requirements. The PowerVR G62xx and G64xx, have two and four compute clusters respectively. PowerVR Series6 GPU cores are designed to offer computing performance exceeding 100GFLOPS (gigaFLOPS) and reaching the TFLOPS (teraFLOPS) range enabling high-level graphics performance from mobile through to high-end compute and graphics solutions. Rogue cores are specified to ensure the fill rates required for the latest smartphones, tablets and TVs, as well as the multiple screen support demanded by the automotive industry. Rogue meets requirements for compute APIs including OpenCL 1.x and Renderscript Compute, delivering an optimal balance of performance versus power consumption for mobile and embedded devices. All members of the Series6 family are designed to support all features of the latest graphics APIs including the next generation of the OpenGL ES API*, OpenGL 3.x/4.x, and DirectX10 with certain family members extending their capabilities to full WHQL-compliant DirectX11.1 functionality. The PowerVR Series6 family delivers a significant portfolio of new technologies and features, including: advanced scalable compute cluster architecture; high efficiency compression technology including lossless image and parameter compression and the widely respected PVRTC2™ texture compression; an enhanced scheduling architecture; dedicated housekeeping processor based on Imagination's Meta technology; and a new generation Tile Based Deferred Rendering architecture. These features combine to produce a highly latency tolerant architecture that consumes the lowest memory bandwidth in the industry while delivering the best performance per mm2 and per mW.

BBC rolls out streaming sports coverage to 3G networks Posted: 15 Jun 2012 03:51 AM PDT After giving its iPlayer the nod to stream programming content over mobile networks in the UK, the Beeb has decided to do the same with its BBC Sport mobile site. Not only will you be able to stream live coverage, like the current crop of Euro 2012 football matches, but also any existing video content that was previously desktop-bound. Hit up the source link to give it a try; you'll need Android 2.2 or higher or an iOS device that's packing version 5. Sorry, non-sporting Brits. You're going to find the Olympics pretty hard to miss this summer.

VTech refreshes its MobiGo and InnoTab lines, keeps things affordable Posted: 15 Jun 2012 03:23 AM PDT VTech's kid-friendly slab may not sport Google's dessert-themed OS, but it does carry a lower sticker price than its Android-based competitors. The InnoTab 2 Learning App Tablet keeps its predecessor's $80 price tag while packing in 2GB of onboard storage (expandable up to 32GB with an SD card) and a rotating camera for taking stills, videos and playing AR games. The slate's vanilla configuration will hit shelves this fall, but a WiFi-equipped version can be had this holiday season for a $20 premium. The MobiGo 2 Touch Learning System is set to roll out this summer in a similar fashion, retaining a $60 asking price despite adding a motion sensor and microphone to its repertoire. Saunter on past the break for the press release. Show full PR text VTech® Announces New, High-Tech Toys: MobiGo® 2, InnoTab® 2 and Unique-to-its Category InnoTab® 2s Leading Electronic Learning Toy Company Expands Offerings with New Innovative Products That Empower Learning, Creativity and Play through Technology CHICAGO – (June 12, 2012) Today VTech Electronics North America, LLC (www.vtechkids.com) announced that it will roll-out three exciting additions to its ever-expanding, high-quality platform toy line this Fall: NEW MobiGo® 2 Touch Learning System (MobiGo 2), NEW InnoTab® 2 Learning App Tablet (InnoTab 2) and NEW InnoTab® 2s Learning App Tablet (InnoTab 2s). Built from the ground-up by experts with more than 30 years of experience in developing educational products designed for children, the new platform products put kids on the cutting edge of technology via multi-media learning devices that endlessly engage, entertain and educate. With hundreds of apps to download at VTech's Learning Lodge NavigatorTM, your child will have so much fun, they won't realize they are learning. MobiGo 2 is a multi-functional handheld touch learning system that comes equipped with two new ways to play: a NEW motion sensor and microphone for total game control InnoTab 2 gives kids their own touch-screen tablet, FREE onboard activities to get them started and features a new rotatable digital camera and video recorder to capture memories of all the fun they're having The unique-to-its category InnoTab 2s offers secure W-Fi capabilities so parents are never more than a couple of clicks away from new educational games for their kids "For more than 30 years, VTech has been providing parents and their kids' with fun, educational toys that are on the forefront of technology," said Tom McClure, Director of Marketing for VTech Electronics North America. "We are excited to continue this tradition by expanding our offerings in the learning toy aisle with MobiGo 2, InnoTab 2 and InnoTab 2s with secure Wi-Fi downloads - all built for little hands and big imaginations." MobiGo 2 - New Motion Control Play for On-the-Go Fun MobiGo 2 is a multi-functional educational handheld system that allows kids ages 3-8 to enjoy on-the-go play and hone their creativity all while learning basic skills such as math, vocabulary, spelling, reading, logic, drawing and more. Key Product Features Two NEW ways to play: MobiGo 2 comes equipped with a NEW motion sensor and microphone in addition to the touchscreen: The NEW motion sensor provides total game control, allowing kids to create action movements within games and programs while playing The NEW microphone provides different methods of game play. Blow into the microphone to move objects, blow off dust, or initiate other special effects. Or speak into it to give a command or trigger an action Pre-loaded with FREE games: MobiGo 2 also functions as an e-reader, photo album, photo viewer, art studio and coloring book, and comes pre-loaded with three great games that take advantage of the product's many features Numerous apps for download: The expanded onboard memory allows kids to store more fun. More than 80 other apps are available for download at the VTech Learning Lodge Navigator at www.VTechKids.com/Download QWERTY keyboard: The MobiGo 2 helps kids become familiar with a keyboard layout MobiGo 2 will be available this summer at all major retailers and at www.VTechKids.com for a suggested retail price of $59.99. InnoTab 2 - Multi-Functional for Endless Entertainment InnoTab 2 is a multi-media tablet with a 5" inch touch screen that keeps kids between the ages of 3 and 9 entertained and engaged while they learn. This sleek and durable toy comes equipped with tilt sensor, photo viewer, video player, MP3 music player, e-reader, art studio, microphone and more. Now kids can enjoy e-books, music, photos and videos on-thego just like mom and dad! Key Product Features Comes with FREE onboard activities: Receive built-in value with your InnoTab 2 purchase, including: one tilt sensor game, one augmented reality game, one e-book, art studio app, notes app, friends list, calendar and calculator to get started. Additional downloadable content is sold separately at VTech's Learning Lodge Navigator website: www.VTechKids.com/Download Expanded memory: With 2GB onboard memory and expandable SD card slot available to accommodate SD cards up to 32 GB, the InnoTab 2 will keep your child endlessly engaged Hundreds of apps for download: Kids can engage with their favorite licensed characters by downloading one of more than 200 apps, including games, e-books and much more that teach kids reading, logic and creativity; visit VTech's Learning Lodge Navigator for more information *NEW* Rotatable camera for memory capture: Features a new rotatable digital camera and video recorder that allows kids to capture memories of themselves or their friends Customizable: Enables kids (up to four users) to personalize the InnoTab 2 by creating their own user name and avatar, a voice greeting, typed greeting and photo wallpaper InnoTab 2 will be available this fall at all major retailers and at www.VTechKids.com for a suggested retail price of $79.99. InnoTab 2s Learning App Tablet with Secure Wi-Fi Downloads The InnoTab 2s Learning App Tablet with secure Wi-Fi downloads contains all the product features of the InnoTab 2, plus a secure wireless connection to VTech's Learning Lodge Navigator for easy and secure download of games, e-books, music and more. Once users have downloaded a new app from the Learning Lodge Navigator, they can seamlessly sync the program to their InnoTab 2s wirelessly - no cord is needed - when they are in a Wi-Fi hotspot location. The InnoTab 2s will be available this holiday season at Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, all other major retailers and at www.VTechKids.com for a suggested retail price of $99.99. More information coming soon!

So, Tesco buys Peter Gabriel's WE7 music service for $16.7 million Posted: 15 Jun 2012 02:53 AM PDT British Supermarket behemoth Tesco has snapped up WE7, a streaming music service co-founded by Peter Gabriel that offers personalized radio stations to users, for £10.8 million ($16.7 million). The UK's biggest supermarket has purchased 91 percent of the company, with the remaining stake set to be transferred over shortly. It looks like the chain will use WE7's infrastructure and resources as the spine for a beefier music service as British supermarkets look to diversify into the entertainment market following its purchase of Blinkbox last year. Show full PR text Tesco buys digital music platform Tesco has bought WE7, a leading digital music platform, which will offer customers a wider choice in how they consume music and complement Tesco's current music offer in store and online. The move follows the acquisition last year of blinkbox - recently voted the UK's best online movie service by Channel 5's The Gadget Show - and is the latest step in Tesco's strategy to offer customers new and innovative ways of accessing digital entertainment. WE7 is a leading free-to-listen, personalised internet radio service where customers can listen to the music they love and discover new music that they might like, based on their previous selections. With an extensive library of 11 million tracks, WE7 offers the latest releases, well-known classics and a comprehensive catalogue of all music genres. The service is available at www.WE7.com on PC and Mac and via apps on iPhone, iPad and Android smart phones and tablets. Tesco plans to launch additional digital music services from the WE7 platform in the coming months. Mark George, Digital Director at Tesco, said "Customers and technology together are transforming the way we listen to music. Tesco is already one of the UK's largest retailers of CDs; this move will help us offer a greater choice for the growing number of customers who want to access music instantly on any device, whenever and wherever they want. WE7 has a great team and a good technology platform from which we can launch a range of digital music services in the future." Steve Purdham, CEO of WE7 said "We are very excited by the prospect of teaming up with Tesco. With its loyal customer base, numerous marketing channels and international reach, we believe Tesco is the perfect partner to bring WE7's music services to a wider audience. Tesco has been an innovator in entertainment retailing for many years and we look forward to continuing this innovation digitally." Tesco has bought a 91% stake in WE7 and will purchase the remaining shares within a period of weeks. The purchase price was £10.8 million.

Microsoft applies to patent gaze-tracking camera, wants to stare into your eyes Posted: 15 Jun 2012 02:26 AM PDT See that complication of a line-drawing above? Well that's Microsoft describing how it would like to patent a function for a dual 3D and 2D camera setup that's able to process precisely where your eyes fall on a screen. While Kinect could fulfill that hardware component, the application goes into more detail on how the "gaze tracker" would calculate both the direction you're looking in and track the region of the screen that you're focusing on. It aims to do this by closely following your eye -- more specifically the pupil and iris -- with some attention also paid to monitoring the orientation of your head. The Mountain View crew aren't too specific with the remit for the notion, but it could follow similar lines to an Apple patent application we've seen previously -- heck, it could even lead to some eyeball-based UI navigation. Let your mind wander over the possibilities and stare at the full application at the source below.

Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry screeches into Canada Posted: 15 Jun 2012 01:59 AM PDT Hear that, Toronto-based readers? That's the sound of Porsche Design's P'9981 BlackBerry doing donuts at a store near you (well, relatively speaking). Fresh from satisfying many a midlife crisis in London, the luxury phone is now available in Canada via the fancy Porsche Design boutique store in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood, according to MobileSyrup. Folks willing to pay the pinky-raising premium price of $1,899 essentially get a BlackBerry 7 OS phone featuring upscale Porsche Design touches like a metal keyboard, stainless steel frame and leather-wrapped back cover. Still need to do some tire kicking? No worries -- you can take the phone out for a virtual test drive with our P'9981 review.

Google Play Books makes an efficient arrival in Germany (update: and Spain) Posted: 15 Jun 2012 01:28 AM PDT Germans, grab your reading glasses, for it's today that Google is announcing the arrival of Play Books -- complete with the ability to purchase native language texts -- in the land of the Kant and Goethe. Yes, those in Deutschland may now buy and read titles from Google Play Books on their Android or iOS device of choice, and access the service via the web. In addition to Germany, Google's online bookstore is currently open for business in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. While the company has yet to disclose future markets for expansion, we hear the Bordeaux region is quite beautiful this time of year. Update: They say Spain is a lovely destination too.

Dropbox updates iOS app to 1.5, says goodbye to size limitations, hello to automatic uploads Posted: 15 Jun 2012 12:57 AM PDT Sick of letting your Android-toting friends lord their slightly fancier Dropbox app over you? Relief has arrived: Dropbox 1.5 is now available for iOS. The latest update brings the app in line with its Android cousin, adding automatic uploads for photos and video over WiFi and cellular connections, the ability to upload files of any size and a new Gallery view. Cloud storage aficionados who take advantage of the new automatic upload feature will score up to 3GB of additional storage space, doled out in 500MB increments as needed. Sound good? Of course it does, check it out for yourself at the iTunes link below.

Mobilicity to upgrade network to HSPA+ 21Mbps later this year Posted: 15 Jun 2012 12:27 AM PDT Canadian AWS provider Mobilicity is moving up in this world -- up in speeds, at least. The carrier announced its intentions to upgrade its network to "4G" later this year, offering peak download speeds of 21Mbps. When we reached out for clarification, we were informed that Mobilicity is actually deploying HSPA+ 21Mbps: according to a spokesperson, it "will leverage the full capabilities of our HSPA+ network." It's a hefty improvement over its current 7.2Mbps status, but the usual "4G or faux-G" argument still applies here. No specifics on exact timing or breadth of coverage were given, but feel free to peruse the press release below. Show full PR text Mobilicity moving to 4G Unlimited carrier to introduce faster network speeds of up to 21 Mbps Toronto, ON – June 14, 2012 – Mobilicity today announced plans to upgrade its unlimited 3.5G network to 4G later this year. The company confirmed customers can look forward to enhanced data performance with peak download speeds of up to 21 Mbps. "We continue to invest in our network infrastructure as demand for our affordable, unlimited data service grows at an incredible rate," said Mobilicity President and Chief Operating Officer Stewart Lyons. "Mobile broadband is the future; it already accounts for almost 90 percent of traffic on our network and we're committed to providing a quality user experience." Mobilicity's HSPA+-enabled network upgrade to 4G will enable customers to leverage the full performance of cutting-edge 4G smartphones and browse the web, run apps and watch video clips on their smartphones with enhanced quality and speed. Mobilicity recently celebrated its two-year anniversary with a growing number of customers on its unlimited network and a singular focus on providing Canadians with a smart mobile experience.

AMD previews FirePro W9000 graphics, possibly throws in dual-chip Radeon HD 7990 for good measure Posted: 14 Jun 2012 11:57 PM PDT AMD's CTO Mark Papermaster may have just dropped a minor graphics bombshell at the end of the AMD Fusion Developer Summit. His presentation was officially to show off the FirePro W9000, a beast of a workstation graphics card with 6GB of GDDR5 memory, a 264.8-megapixel fill rate and four teraflops of single-precision math. While the screen behind him showed the one-fan FirePro card, however, he was clearly holding another, three-fan card in his hands -- and though it could be that the W9000's cooling system went through a major revision between presentation slide and production, it may be a clue to a gamer-friendly Radeon part instead. Attendees like Tweakers.net have reason to believe it might be the Radeon HD 7990, a long-rumored dual-chip version of the 7900 series for the very upper echelons of gamers. If so, the bets are on it keeping up the tradition of having two slightly underclocked versions of AMD's fastest chip (here the Radeon HD 7970) working in tandem to produce a big leap in speed despite occupying the same two card slots. AMD hasn't set the matter straight with either a yea or a nay, but with NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 690 largely cornering the high-end market unopposed, it's tough to picture AMD simply twiddling its thumbs.

Samsung T-Mobile slider flashes Chiclets for Mr. Blurrycam, could be the SGH-T699 Posted: 14 Jun 2012 11:27 PM PDT If you're a fan of old-school QWERTY, it seems T-Mobile will soon have a clicky Samsung slider friend for you. The leaked image from TMoNews could also clear up a mystery and put a face to the name SGH-T699 we saw last month in a leaked user agent profile. From that we gleaned a 720P display, and new info points to a 5MP rear camera, Qualcomm S3 or S4 chip and Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich to boot. We'll keep the skep-o-meter turned up high till we have confirmation for all that, but tactile keyboard phone lovers might want to start making plans.

Microsoft will roll out Kinect-enabled NUads on Xbox 360 this fall (video) Posted: 14 Jun 2012 10:46 PM PDT Microsoft's Xbox Live Advertising team first showed off its highly interactive NUads platform at the Cannes festival last year, and today announced they will start rolling out to Xbox 360s this fall. The first advertisers up are Toyota, Unilever and Samsung Mobile USA with Kinect-enabled ads that let viewers respond to questions after a 30-second spot by voice or gesture. According to Microsoft this is great because viewers can easily see real time stats of how others are voting and advertisers get immediate feedback. While we've all wanted to shout down an ad at some point (just look out the window Zooey, seriously) there's probably going to be a contingent that thinks letting advertisers accumulate data from behind that Kinect camera lens is a little creepier than they'd like. Check out Microsoft's pitch for the tech in press release and video form after the break. Show full PR text Microsoft Signs First NUads Advertisers, Including Toyota, Unilever and Samsung Mobile USA on Xbox LIVE These leading brands are the first to purchase NUads, now available to all advertisers. REDMOND, Wash., June 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the official rollout of NUads on Xbox LIVE, making the new interactive TV ad format available for sale to advertisers broadly. Toyota, Unilever and Samsung Mobile USA are the first brands to develop NUads campaigns that will appear on Xbox LIVE this fall. NUads advertisements transform standard 30-second TV spots into engaging and actionable experiences using the power of voice and gesture controls of Kinect for Xbox 360. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO) "NUads marks the beginning of a new era for TV advertising. It delivers the one thing traditional TV advertising is missing - engagement," said Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox LIVE Entertainment and Advertising. "We developed NUads to breathe new life into the standard 30-second spot. With NUads, brands can get real-time feedback from audiences, making TV advertising actionable for the first time." Microsoft released a sneak peek of some of the first NUads that will air on Xbox LIVE this fall: Toyota's "Reinvented" ad campaign premiered during Super Bowl XLVI, promoting the reinvention of the 2012 Camry. The ad marked Toyota's return to Super Bowl advertising. Today, Toyota is reinventing that campaign for Xbox LIVE, adding a layer of interactivity enabled by NUads. In this version of the "Reinvented" ad, Toyota asks viewers what they would like to see reinvented. Viewers can then respond using Kinect-powered voice or gesture controls. This gives Toyota valuable feedback it can use for its next campaign. Following on from the successful campaign for the launch of Axe Attract for Him and for Her, Axe - called Lynx in the U.K. - will be one of the first brands to turn the digital ad into a NUad with Xbox. The creative centers around a cops-and-robbers setup with the tagline, "Nothing will ever be the same again." Using the new format, Lynx will ask the audience if the Lynx Effect should be given to girls. Viewers will have the option of voting "Yes, of course" or "No way" using hand gestures or a simple voice command. The first NUads advertisers had this to say about the new interactive format: "The creative possibilities of NUads are endless. We can take a 30-second TV spot and customize it for NUads to get an immediate response from Toyota's customer," said John Lisko, executive communications director at Saatchi & Saatchi LA for Toyota. "It allows customers to participate with our advertising, which is really exciting. The interactivity of NUads is leading the industry and changing the way we're connecting with our customers." "NUads is a game changer for the 30-second television spot, and for the first time allows customers to interact with a brand on TV. Toyota has always been at the forefront of advertising innovation, so NUads was a natural next step in our longstanding work with Xbox," said Dionne Colvin, National Marketing Media Manager for Toyota Motor Sales Inc. "Xbox LIVE Advertising has given us the opportunity to learn a lot about our customers and apply those learnings across all our media plans, and the addition of NUads will help us deepen that customer understanding." "We have always been very innovative in our communications, and as we increasingly look at Xbox as a fantastic platform to engage with consumers, NUads offer us a great canvas to penetrate the culture and establish a dialogue with them," said Babs Rangaiah, vice president of Global Media Innovation at Unilever. "NUads and the gesture- and voice-based Kinect technology have great potential for creativity. What we're seeing now is at the very early stages of what we could do. And as always, we're keen to continue to explore more ways of inviting our consumers to get involved with our brands." The first NUads format to roll out offers polling capabilities that allow advertisers to ask a multiple-choice question during the airing of a 30-second spot. Consumers can enter the poll with a simple wave of a hand or a voice command while viewing the commercial. Consumers get a real-time tally of the answers so they can see how other Xbox LIVE subscribers are voting, and advertisers get real-time feedback from consumers to help inform future campaigns. More information about how to advertise on Xbox LIVE is available at http://advertising.microsoft.com/gaming/xbox-live. About Xbox Xbox is Microsoft's premier entertainment service for the TV, phone, PC and tablet. It's home to the best and broadest games, as well as one of the world's largest libraries of music, movies, TV and sports. With Kinect, Xbox 360 transformed gaming and entertainment in the living room with a whole new way to play games and find entertainment - no controller required. More information about Xbox can be found online at http://www.xbox.com. About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Nokia patent filing uses steering wheel touch for media controls, turns your radio on with that lovin' feeling Posted: 14 Jun 2012 09:55 PM PDT Nokia has only ever had a fleeting involvement with cars, but if it brings a just-published patent application to fruition, the Lumia maker could be front and center for drivers. The technology it wants would detect vibrations in the steering wheel to let the driver control music, GPS and other components of the car's center stack just by touching particular spots on the wheel itself -- no overabundance of buttons here. Underneath, it would use temporal sensing to register input, and filtering would prevent the wheel from interpreting speed bumps as cues to turn on the stereo. Nokia's mobile know-how mostly comes into play through the option of using a mobile device like a smartphone to handle tasks rather than having to build something directly into the wheel. Given that the company is currently cutting everything back, it's more likely to license the patent out rather than trying to build anything itself, if anything happens at all. Should the patent eventually come to use, you could end up tenderly caressing the wheel for all your in-car media controls... just be sure to buy it some chocolate and roses first.

Will Microsoft show its own Windows 8 tablet on Monday? Posted: 14 Jun 2012 09:25 PM PDT Redmond's "major announcement" may be just around the corner, but mum's the word on Microsoft's lips. Still, that hasn't kept the rumor mill from churning, and the latest is just in: Microsoft's next slate may be built in-house. According to sources from The Wrap and AllThingsD, the firm is planning to introduce a Microsoft-built tablet, undercutting the efforts of third-party builders to more directly compete with the iPad. Rumors flit back and forth between the slate running the ARM optimized Windows RT, the full on x86 version of Windows 8 or both, separated by different models. Is Microsoft building its own army of tablets to go toe-to-toe with the iPad? We'll find out Monday -- hopefully, whatever the firm announces will last longer than the Zune.

Windows updated with better checking for bad digital certs after Flame malware incident Posted: 14 Jun 2012 08:49 PM PDT Having already pushed one patch to servers as part of its response to the recently discovered Flame trojan, Microsoft is making another adjustment on Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 machines. A new update going out lets revoked certificates be published and recognized much faster, which would protect against a vulnerability exploited by Flame to fake its way in as a legitimate update. Informationweek has more information on the old OCSP method used to set revocation status, and also points out another vulnerability in XML Core Services the folks in Redmond is warning people of this week and has already released a "fix it" solution for. Hit the source link to get all the details and grab the update, IT types may want to update their firewalls with the new URLs being put into use for the lists.

Karma rewards WiMAX subscribers for sharing their 4G Posted: 14 Jun 2012 07:53 PM PDT Normally, we associate Karma with religion, or if we're honest, luxury hybrid sedans. A company by the same name would rather you make that connection with WiMAX Internet service. Much like a 4G version of FON, subscribers to the Clearwire-rooted network are required to share their Internet link-ups with the public as a WiFi hotspot. As the name suggests, though, sharing the connection ideally pays back dividends through free access: for every guest who signs in on Facebook to get 100MB of free data through the hotspot, another 100MB goes towards the hotspot owner. If all goes well, the Karma user creates a virtuous circle (pun entirely intended) and pays little if anything for Internet access; while the WiMAX hotspot costs $69, the $14 per gigabyte rate only kicks in if the credit runs out. Trial runs are starting in New York City and might only hit 500 hotspots by the end of 2012, but the hope is to upturn the wider industry and make sure there's never a shortage of public WiFi.

Logitech G600 mouse targets button-craving MMO gamers, social life costs extra (video) Posted: 14 Jun 2012 06:47 PM PDT If you thought that Logitech was just going to let Razer's Naga MMO mouse go unanswered, you've got another thing coming. The G600 MMO Gaming Mouse matches the Naga's 12 side-mounted buttons and one-ups the rival across the aisle with a toggle that gives each key a second function -- if you can't bind it to a mouse button, odds are that it doesn't belong there. Just in case the prospect of spending an evening programming a mouse isn't all that enticing, the G600 has three profiles right from the start, two for online role-playing and one for when you'd rather play a Call of Duty shooter instead. Of course, the laser tracking and USB response times are fast enough to keep up when you pull aggro from monsters. Gamers willing to wait until July can drop $80 for a G600 in black or white, although we'd also set aside the costs of stepping outside every now and then.

Microsoft and Nokia bring enhanced traffic data to Windows Phone, announce international plans Posted: 14 Jun 2012 06:08 PM PDT Cross-pollination is a beautiful thing. In the natural world, it brings bountiful harvests and pretty flowers. In the mobile world, we benefit from the sharing of ideas and technologies. Case in point is Windows Phone, as Microsoft has just announced that it's adopted traffic information from Nokia into the Maps app of its mobile OS. In addition to providing Windows Phone users in the US with more detailed overviews of traffic flows and congestion, the functionality will soon become available for many cities across the globe. Perhaps the move shouldn't come as a total surprise, as just last month, Microsoft revealed the inclusion of Nokia's "Where" platform within Bing Maps. As for future availability, citizens of Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom will benefit from the sharing of technologies within the next few weeks. For the moment, however, just hop the break, where you can see the before / after traffic data that's now available to Los Angeles residents.

Google+ adds YouTube party app, lets you inflict cat videos on everyone Posted: 14 Jun 2012 05:27 PM PDT Someone at Google must like Airtime as much as we do, because it just added a roughly equivalent YouTube party mode to Google+ Hangouts. As long as everyone has the web app running, they can share individual videos or whole playlists that run in sync. Any set of videos is shareable through Google+ or YouTube proper. Voice chat, mercifully, flips to a push-to-talk requirement to prevent friends from talking over your favorite clip. While there's no accounting for taste in what you play, Google can at least promise immediate, worldwide support for your group cat video sessions.

AT&T's BYOD effort coming to BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone with Toggle 2.0 Posted: 14 Jun 2012 05:17 PM PDT If you work in a corporate environment, it's probably fair to say that you've at least heard of the trend known as BYOD (bring your own device). While the idea remains just that for many enterprises, AT&T is hoping to make the transition a bit more practical for everyone with its latest Toggle 2.0 platform. First and foremost, the app separates one's work and home life, and allows IT admins to ensure that work content remains separate, encrypted and secure. It also allows users to draw on their business wireless plan while in work mode, and then switch to their own personal plan while off the clock. AT&T first launched Toggle for Android late last year, but with its new Toggle 2.0 system -- developed in conjunction with OpenPeak -- it plans to extend the platform to iOS devices in the coming weeks. Versions for BlackBerry and Windows Phone are also in the pipeline, and are said to arrive by year's end. Businesses will need to pony up $6.50 per month, per device for the service, which is on top of any implementation fees and optional managed services. To learn more of what Toggle 2.0 might mean for you, check the full PR after the break. Show full PR text AT&T Enhances Bring Your Own Device Solution AT&T Toggle Expanding to Include Custom Branded Business Platform and Availability on the Major Operating Systems Dallas, Texas, June 13, 2012 Toggling between work and life is getting even easier as AT&T* announced enhancements to AT&T Toggle™ including a new custom branded business platform. AT&T Toggle enables the separation and encryption of business data on employees' mobile devices, creating a distinct work mode apart from the typical personal mode in a single smartphone or tablet. The newest version of AT&T Toggle can be used on smartphone or tablet devices running the major mobile operating systems, including devices originally loaded with Android 2.2 to 3.X, and with virtually any service provider. Personal mode: When not working, send text messages to friends, watch TV shows and movies, and play games on your mobile device as you otherwise would. Personal activities remain separate from work. Work mode: When it is time to buckle down and focus on business, employees can enter their encrypted work space. In this mode, users can access corporate email, approved corporate applications, calendars and more, just as they would on a company-provided device. AT&T ToggleHub Within the work mode, businesses and organizations now have the ability to organize and manage corporate applications, content and media with a completely customized branded content manager, AT&T ToggleHub. AT&T ToggleHub enables companies to have a custom, centralized corporate application management center for all of their employees. Users can access business approved applications, including custom apps, media and documents. The custom business applications can only be used when in the work mode, ensuring that critical business data is walled-off from the user's personal applications. The AT&T Toggle workspace management platform gives control to the IT department with the ability to set corporate policies, such as enable and disable applications, and to lock and wipe the AT&T Toggle workspace if the device is lost or if an employee leaves the company. According to industry analyst firm Frost & Sullivan[1], "AT&T has put tremendous thought into delivering solutions across devices and operating systems, while also embracing the trend that employees want to be able to access company applications on their personal device." "Companies of all sizes are turning to AT&T to transform their business so that people, processes and assets are always connected and can be optimized on the go. Today, we have more than 27,000 business customers who have adopted mobile applications," said Chris Hill, Vice President, Advanced Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business and Home Solutions. "The enhancements we've made available on AT&T Toggle give businesses the tool they need to confidently allow employees to use their own smartphones and tablets for work." Businesses and organizations of all sizes can benefit from the deep industry experience of the AT&T Mobility Solutions Services (AT&T MSS) team, which provides solution architecture, development and lifecycle management for AT&T Toggle and the entire AT&T portfolio of mobile solutions. AT&T offers a leading portfolio of mobile security and device management offers spanning device-based and cloud-based options to manage risk and enable control over a variety of connected equipment including smart phones, tablets, and personal computers. Innovation in Action First introduced last year, AT&T Toggle was cultivated through three innovation initiatives currently underway at AT&T: The Innovation Pipeline (TIP), AT&T's Fast Pitch program, and The AT&T FoundryTM. Together, these initiatives helped speed an idea to market in just months by dedicating resources to the project and enhancing collaboration between AT&T and third-party developers. To learn more about how AT&T can transform personal phones into business-ready devices, visit AT&T Toggle.

Nokia reportedly scraps Meltemi, decides it's Series 40 or bust in basic phones Posted: 14 Jun 2012 04:44 PM PDT O Meltemi, we hardly knew ye. In fact, we didn't know ye much at all, since Nokia never made the OS official. Nonetheless, claimed insiders have told AllThingsD that the reputed Linux-running alternative to S30 and S40 won't ever see the light of day. Nokia's deep structural cuts are to blame, and we imagine Nokia's previous drive to whittle down its OS portfolio will have come into play. CEO Stephen Elop and other executives never directly acknowledged Meltemi's existence during the cutback-related conference call, although Elop did admit that some projects were screeching to a halt behind the scenes -- possibly the closest Espoo will come to saying that the platform was ever real. Sad, to be sure, but between the new Asha Touch line and ever-cheaper Lumia models, we're not too worried about whether or not Nokia has the low end covered.

Sony's NXT trio sees the light, gets transparent bar notifications via third-party app Posted: 14 Jun 2012 04:23 PM PDT If there's one thing Sony got right with its NXT line, it's that design-distinctive, transparent element. Problem is, aside from color matching with your photo collection, that incognito antenna doesn't do much -- well, not with the company's official blessing anyway. Users that take a quick trip to the Google Play store can download a third-party app dubbed, rather self-evidently, Illumination Bar Notification. And it does just what it claims to do, letting Xperia U users set myriad notification hues (P and S owners will have to make do with white only) and blinking speeds for texts and calls. It's free to download, so if you're looking to make that handset sit and look even prettier, you'd be well advised to hit up the source below.

Hexy: hands-on with the adorable, affordable hexapod (video) Posted: 14 Jun 2012 03:41 PM PDT The Artisan's Asylum has a few guiding principles, one of which is anyone can "make." We assume one of the others is "you can never have too many hexapods." If Stompy, the giant rideable bot, is a bit much for you to handle (or store), then maybe Hexy is more your speed. He's got six legs and 20 servos, but at only $200, he's much cheaper than similar hexapod kits and, most importantly, more adorable. The bot is the brain child of Joseph Schlesinger, a resident at the Somerville hacker space who saw a need for a low-cost but serious robotics kit. Since hitting Kickstarter in May, his creation has raked in roughly $86,000 in pledges, far surpassing his original goal of thirteen grand. We swung by Joe's booth to get a taste of what exactly his hundreds of backers have bought into and to find out what's next for the budding bot entrepreneur. Hexy the hexabot hands-on The basic components of Hexy are pretty standard stuff: a pile of laser-cut acrylic, a bunch of servos, an ultrasonic distance sensor and an Arduino-compatible microcontroller with enough servo controlling pins to turn your hexapod into an octobot with room to spare. The whole ensemble is light, and seems simple enough to customize, enhance or repair. Of course, that's the whole point. The designs are completely open source, so anyone can simply take the plans and build their own Hexy. But it'll probably cost them quite a bit more than embracing the community buying power that Schlesinger has amassed. One of the most impressive things about the little hexapod is just how affordable he is. Most other "cheap" kits, weigh in at around $700. Part of that cost savings comes from just how much the creator has invested in the project himself. Rather than outsource the manufacturing of all his custom acrylic parts, he purchased a $20,000 laser cutter and produces them himself. Which also means that, as more orders roll in he'll probably be able to shave even more off the price. The current model is controlled via a simple application running on a PC that triggers maneuvers via a USB cable. Expanding the bots repertoire is as simple as writing a new move in the program's code -- a button to execute it is automatically generated. Obviously, the more adventurous could easily program automated acts using the included ultrasonic eyes, or other sensors could be added via the available pins. Schlesinger isn't happy yet though. As more money rolls in he's expanding his plans. Even though he's reached his initial goal, there's still two more weeks of life left to his Kickstarter. If he can amass pledges worth $200,000 he'll work to develop a drag-and-drop programming GUI based on miniBloq, significantly lowering the barrier for entry. And, if that's not enough programming options for you, at $250,000 he whip up Android and iOS remote control apps. If you'd like your own Hexy and want to help push the project towards that magical $200,000 marker hit up the source link.

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