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Engadget News |
- Apple starts offering Passbook-enabled gift cards, may save our hides in holiday shopping
- Verizon confirms Droid DNA on its Droid Does portal, promises 'unboxing' on November 19th
- Ballmer says Microsoft Surface RT sales off to 'modest' start
- UK court says Apple notice was 'false and misleading,' orders full repayment of Samsung's legal costs
- Inhabitat's Week in Green: Dyson Spheres, bladeless wind turbines and airless bike tires
- BMW's Performance sport steering wheel brings vehicle data right to your finger tips (video)
- Ask Engadget: how do you secure a laptop without a Kensington slot?
- HTC and Apple settle all patent issues, enter 10-year licensing deal
- Mobile Miscellany: week of November 5th, 2012
- RIM plans 36-hour event giving away cash, PlayBooks to game developers porting to BlackBerry 10
- Alt-week 11.10.12: the contagious smell of fear, finding Bigfoot, and the theory of everything
| Apple starts offering Passbook-enabled gift cards, may save our hides in holiday shopping Posted: 11 Nov 2012 10:47 AM PST
Gift cards often get a bad rap as the last resort in holiday shopping, what we supposedly get only when all hope of a carefully considered present has gone out the window. Apple isn't quite so cyncial, and it may have injected new life into gift giving now that it has switched on buying gift cards through the recently updated Apple Store iOS app as of this weekend. Pick a color and a card value -- up to $2,000, if someone's been good enough to earn a MacBook Pro -- and the resulting email lets iOS 6-touting recipients load the card into Passbook. Besides saving some plastic, the Passbook entry adds some worth through geofencing that reminds recipients to splurge if they're near one of Apple's steel-and-glass stores. All told, the card may be more than welcome by iPhone fans and save the ignominy of a last-minute rush to the store. Just make sure the recipient doesn't mind going without a physical gift on the big day -- it wouldn't be right to drain all the romanticism out of a special occasion. |
| Verizon confirms Droid DNA on its Droid Does portal, promises 'unboxing' on November 19th Posted: 11 Nov 2012 07:55 AM PST
Last we checked, there are about six days between Verizon / HTC's press event in New York City and November 19th. Which, by most counts, should be just enough time for the two companies to properly announce a phone, get it out to sales channels, and start moving 'em into the hands of consumers. HTC's Droid DNA has been leaked to death at this point, but a new mention of the product on VZW's 'Droid Does' portal all but confirms the true nature of Tuesday's event. For those willing to wait until November 19th, the carrier's promising an internet unboxing through its Google+ page -- for those who tune into our site, we'll get you one much sooner. Hit up the source if you're intrigued by intrigue, but don't go poking around for pricing or confirmed specifications. |
| Ballmer says Microsoft Surface RT sales off to 'modest' start Posted: 11 Nov 2012 06:54 AM PST
Microsoft's been holding Surface for Windows RT sales figures close to its chest so far, but CEO Steve Ballmer has allowed in an interview with Le Parisien that the much ballyhooed tablet is off to a "modest" start. The bombastic exec gave that appraisal while touting the imminent arrival of the tab's higher-powered sibling, Surface for Windows 8 Pro, though he didn't elaborate further. After all the cake it's no doubt lavished marketing the slate, we'll have to see if the software giant finds the hardware game tough to swallow. |
| Posted: 11 Nov 2012 06:15 AM PST
Nothing truly says "I'm sorry" like a large sum of cash, and Apple will have to open up its wallet to Samsung thanks to "false and misleading" information it published in a court-ordered statement. The decision stems from an earlier UK high court ruling ordering Cupertino to post an apology on its British website stating that the Galaxy Tab didn't copy the iPad. However, according to a new judgement by the the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the apology it issued contained statements "calculated to produce confusion," like references to unrelated, favorable judgements. Though Apple issued a second apology, the court is taking the unusual step of forcing it to pay all of Samsung's legal fees for the entire case on an "indemnity basis" -- in other words, to compensate the Korean maker for losses suffered due to the original statement. If you'd like to parse the legalese for yourself, hit the source. Update: Some thought the original phrasing "which it did" implied that we thought Samsung did copy Apple, rather than the intended meaning -- that Apple did issue a retraction. We've changed the wording, so thanks to everyone who pointed it out. |
| Inhabitat's Week in Green: Dyson Spheres, bladeless wind turbines and airless bike tires Posted: 11 Nov 2012 04:00 AM PST Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Over at Inhabitat, the election hangover is finally starting to wear off, and we've been looking forward to see what President Obama's re-election could mean for clean tech and renewable energy. The first bit of good news came on election night, when Obama called for action on climate change. That's all well and good, but what does it actually mean? For starters, it could mean the EPA enforcing stricter regulations. But the thing that most people in the renewable energy sector will be watching is whether the wind energy tax credit is renewed before it expires at the end of the year. Even if the federal tax credit for wind energy isn't renewed, there's still hope for renewable energy. Scientists at Penn State just kicked off a two-year search for massive alien solar power stations known as Dyson Spheres. If they find one, maybe extraterrestrials could give us some tips on intergalactic solar technology. Here on Earth, Natcore Technology has created the world's first commercially viable absolute black silicon cell, which can make virtually 100 percent of received sunlight available for conversion into electricity. Speaking of solar efficiency, this week solar manufacturer Amonix announced that its concentrated photovoltaic technology has set a new efficiency record with a conversion rate of 33.5 percent. In other solar news, the Westmill Solar Cooperative launched the world's largest community-owned solar project in the UK, a group of African teenagers developed a pee-powered energy generator and Tunisian company Saphon Energy unveiled a new bladeless, bird-friendly wind turbine. From bionic limbs to airless bike tires, we've been tracking some pretty incredible new technological innovations. RSL Steeper unveiled the bebionic 3, an amazing new prosthetic hand that is strong enough to hold 99 pounds and sensitive enough to write with a pen. In an unrelated story, 31-year-old Zac Vawter, who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident, climbed 103 floors of Chicago's Willis Tower wearing a bionic leg. BriTek recently unveiled its amazing new Energy Return Wheel, which is an airless bike tire that can never go flat. We also showcased several innovations from the intersection of fashion and technology -- a light-up Twitter dress, a pair of "Social Denim" jeans that let you update your Facebook status on the fly and a brilliant "Rocking Knit" chair that uses kinetic energy generated from the chair's gliding motion to knit a winter hat while you sit. In the week since Hurricane Sandy crashed into the East Coast, Inhabitat has been continuing its coverage of the recovery effort. Greenpeace's Rolling Sunlight mobile solar power array has been touring the streets of the Rockaways this week, enabling residents to charge their phones and other devices. We also covered several off-grid devices that we'd like to have in the event of another storm of Sandy's magnitude -- Nokero's compact SunRay Pro solar charger, Berkey's super-versatile and effective water filter and Eton's hand-crank cellphone charger. And this week we caught up with photographer Iwan Baan, who took the iconic photo of a darkened lower Manhattan that graced the cover of New York magazine. With the winter bearing down, we've put together a series of guides explaining how to winter-proof your home and how to save money with a programmable thermostat. And looking forward to the holidays (sorry, but yes, they're coming up), we've put together a comprehensive guide to greening your holiday decor. |
| BMW's Performance sport steering wheel brings vehicle data right to your finger tips (video) Posted: 10 Nov 2012 10:54 PM PST
Extra information when driving can be useful, but also distracting. Enter BMW's new M Performance sport steering wheel -- which offers a whole bunch of data and information while letting you keep your eyes (mostly) on the road. Essentially it's a high-grip Alcantara wheel, with a small OLED display at 12 o'clock, and two LED meters on either side. There are three readout modes: EfficientDynamics, Sport and Race. The former will tell you average fuel consumption, speed as well as oil and water temperature. Sport mode will tell you lateral g-force data (that cleverly remains on the display until you bring the wheel back to its neutral position) while the LED strips provide cues for gear shifts. Like to take things out on the track? Lap times, with section splits, and even a drag-style Christmas tree mode will help you get those times down. How much for this king of steering wheels? A racy $1,700. Speed past the break for a video of the goods in action.
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| Ask Engadget: how do you secure a laptop without a Kensington slot? Posted: 10 Nov 2012 07:15 PM PST
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Scott, who needs some peace of mind with his new laptop, since it doesn't have a security slot. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
Well, Scott, while it's not the greatest situation, there are a few alternatives you might want to try. For example:
Of course, that's just our two cents, now it's time for you lot out there to chip in with your own suggestions. If you've learned the secret to securing Kensington-free laptops, share your knowledge in the comments below. |
| HTC and Apple settle all patent issues, enter 10-year licensing deal Posted: 10 Nov 2012 05:08 PM PST
HTC and Apple have just confirmed that they've settled all of their ongoing patent disputes, ending all of their lawsuits and opting into a 10-year licensing agreement. To refresh your memory, this particular saga begin back on March 2nd, 2010, when Apple filed lawsuits with the International Trade Commission and US District Court. That initial filing covered 20 patents related to iOS, which it accused HTC of infringing upon, and since then it has only been an ever-expanding battle. Essentially all the juicy details of the settlement between the companies are completely under wraps, but both HTC's CEO, Peter Chou and Apple's man-in-charge, Tim Cook have issued brief words for the official joint statement (the whole of which can be seen after the break):
Notably, this settlement applies to all past and future patents for the companies, meaning we shouldn't be witnessing the two fight it out in court for years to come -- at least on the patent front. Hopefully we'll soon begin to see more of the same with other ongoing patent wars -- Apple vs. Samsung, anyone? Posted Nov 11, 2012 2.Company name:HTC Corporation 3.Relationship to the Company (please enter "head office" or 4.Reciprocal shareholding ratios:N/A 5.Cause of occurrence:HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement 6.Countermeasures:None 7.Any other matters that need to be specified:There is no material HTC AND APPLE SETTLE PATENT DISPUTE All Patent Litigation Between The Companies Dismissed TAIPEI and CUPERTINO, California - November 11, 2012 – HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential. "HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. "We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC," said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. "We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation." -end- |
| Mobile Miscellany: week of November 5th, 2012 Posted: 10 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PST
If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This past week, Virgin introduced a WiFi calling service in the UK, a new smartphone leaked for Cricket and RIM announced a free app giveaway for Canadian residents. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore the "best of the rest" for this week of November 5th, 2012. RIM celebrates the holidays in Canada with free app giveaway Showing some true holiday spirit, Research in Motion is pouring out some love to its home crowd with a free app giveaway that lasts between now and December 31st. In all, the apps are valued at $40, and some of the biggies include Shazam Encore, BeWeather and TuneIn Radio Pro. Also in the mix are games such as N.O.V.A., The Adventures if Tintin and Midnight Bowling 2. Eligible recipients must reside in Canada and have a BlackBerry 7.1 smartphone. Rather than a staged rollout for the giveaway, all apps are immediately available for download, which means the only thing to remember is to take advantage of the great promotion. [MobileSyrup] LG heralds arrival of pink Optimus Vu II in South Korea Astute readers will recall that LG announced a pink variant of the Optimus Vu II upon the smartphone's initial reveal, but now those who've held out for the vibrant phablet can get in on the action. This week, LG announced the availability of this "pretty in pink" creation in its home country of South Korea. Like its black and white counterparts, this version sports a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, along with a 5-inch 1,024 x 768 AH-IPS display -- naturally, with a 4:3 aspect ratio -- and the new Rubberdium Pen 2.0. The Optimus Vu II is priced at 966,900 won, which translates to roughly $890. [LG Newsroom (translated)] LG Optimus Regard leaks for Cricket It seems that Cricket will add a new Android smartphone to its roster this holiday season, as promotional materials have leaked for the carrier that pair the LG Optimus Regard with the Android mascot in full-on Christmas attire. Specs for this one haven't been completely nailed down, but the phone is said to sport Android 4.0, along with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a 5-megapixel camera and an HVGA display that measures somewhere between 3.5 and 3.7 inches. Pricing and a release date remain unknown for the Optimus Regard, but you'll know more once we have something concrete. [@evleaks (Twitter)] Virgin Media introduces SmartCall in the UK, better known as WiFi calling Virgin is looking to shake up the telecom industry yet again with a new service known as SmartCall. Essentially, wherever wireless internet is available, users will be able to route their call through their Virgin Media landline service, which brings the potential for great savings to subscribers in the UK -- especially when you consider the provider's unlimited plans. SmartCall will open to select Virgin Media customers in the coming weeks, and is said to become available to all subscribers in early 2013. [Virgin Media PR] Movie ticket purchases tipped for Siri in iOS 6.1 update The folks at 9to5Mac have outed a new feature for Siri that's said to emerge in iOS 6.1. Should the stars align, the update will bring the ability to purchase movie tickets via Siri. Beta testers report that the service is tied to the Fandango app, which still manages the actual transaction. If users don't have the Fandango app installed, they will be prompted to download it from the App Store. It's an incremental refinement, for sure, but it's always nice to see that Siri is still learning. [9to5Mac] Other random tidbits
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| RIM plans 36-hour event giving away cash, PlayBooks to game developers porting to BlackBerry 10 Posted: 10 Nov 2012 03:02 PM PST
While RIM has already taken to directly rewarding developers who write for BlackBerry 10 in order to stock up its app catalog, it's about to offer a slightly stronger incentive for the gaming crowd. An upcoming Got Game Port-a-Thon starting November 16th will give producers $100 for every game successfully ported to the upcoming platform, with the perks climbing the more titles make the leap. Three or more ports net a BlackBerry PlayBook, and the first handful who port five or more get a Dev Alpha device to test their creations in a truly native environment; particularly avid developers porting 10 or more games will even score a trip to the Game Developers Conference this March. The catch, as you'd imagine from the telethon-inspired label, comes from the fixed timeframe. There's just 36 hours open for submissions once the event starts, which will have most developers scrambling to get their code ready in advance. If RIM gets all its developer ducks in a row, however, we'll have no shortage of fun (or distractions from work) when the first BlackBerry 10 devices hit the shelves. |
| Alt-week 11.10.12: the contagious smell of fear, finding Bigfoot, and the theory of everything Posted: 10 Nov 2012 01:00 PM PST Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days. There are some questions that have puzzled the human race more or less since the dawn of time. Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? You know the sort of thing. While we might not have the answers to these just yet, thanks to science, we're getting there. In this week's instalment we discover that you can, in fact, smell fear. Meanwhile, one scientist pledges to launch an ambitious hunt for Bigfoot, and we get an early hint at what could be the start of an explanation for life, the universe and everything. This is alt-week. Staring deep into space is rewarding on multiple levels. First, you're gazing upon the best light show in the universe. Second, you're peering far back into the history of everything. A fact we're wonderfully reminded of by the observation of the most distant supernova to date. The discovery comes via Jeff Cooke of the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia and colleagues, who actually spotted a pair of "superluminous supernovae." The most distant of the two, catchily referred to as SN 1000+0216, is estimated to be 12 billion years old. With the universe believed to be 13.7 billion years old, that's quite some way back. The exploded stars are calculated to have been about 100 times the size of our sun, and were spotted with the 3.6-meter Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. SN 1000+0216 beats the previous record holder by roughly a billion years, which happened to be discovered by the same team back in 2009. The idea of being able to "smell" fear occupies a curious place between fact and folklore. While it's understood that some animals posses the sensory equipment to sense, or pick up on, emotions via smell, in the human realm it has largely been just a turn of phrase. Research headed up by Gün Semin at Utrecht University, however, suggests there might actually be something to it. The Netherlands-based team set up an experiment where men were shown either scary, or gross video (the Shining, and Jackass for example), while samples of their sweat were taken. Later, a group of women were set a visual task, while subjected to the smell of the men's emotion-enhanced sweat. The researchers found that the women's faces would change to match the relevant emotion -- eyes widening for fear, faces scrunching for disgust. Proof, if some were needed, that you really can smell horse pucky. The existence of fear-laced odor isn't the only urban legend being put to the test this week. An Idaho-based scientist is tackling one of the most famous mysteries of recent times: the existence of Bigfoot. While many people claim to have spotted the large primate in the wild, there is still a lack of hard evidence for the creature's existence. Jeffrey Meldrum, Associate Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology at Idaho State University is attempting to raise $300,000 in private donations to fund a project to find the elusive animal once and for all. Dubbed the Falcon Project, Meldrum plans to scour the Pacific Northwest with heat detecting cameras and an aerial blimp. What makes this more notable than other attempts is that the plans have been approved by Idaho State University. Should funding be successful, the aim is to start the search next spring. But with the odds stacked against them -- such as the lack of any fossils, or any other concrete evidence -- Meldrum faces a large amount of scepticism from his scientific peers. Reuters reports that donations have been slow so far, but with two cable channels potentially interested in making a TV series about the hunt, there's at least the chance of some respite from America's Next top Model. The quest for a general theory of everything might sound like something from a Douglas Adams novel, but it is, in fact, a serious preoccupation of physics. Being able to predict the outcome of any experiment, and link all physical phenomena together has remained tricky, not least due to the difficulty of tying Einstein's theory of relativity together with quantum mechanics. University of Oxford physicist, David Deutsch, however, has spent much of his career considering whether we've even been asking the right questions at all. In a recent journal by Deutsch, we're given a hint as to how his theory might unfold, which essentially looks at events he calls constructors -- anything that causes physical change in a system, while itself remaining unchanged. The next part of the theory then explores which of these are required to achieve a certain result, which are not, and why that is. New Scientist suggests "that his long-awaited theory could account for several fundamental mysteries, such as why time flows in only one direction." Deutsch believes that most current theories don't explain why some state changes are possible, and some aren't -- such as dye dissolved in water not being able to gather itself, or return to the state of one solid whole again. Deutsch's work towards explaining these ideas -- called Constructor Theory -- is the basis to understanding why such state changes aren't possible. It's hoped that Constructor Theory could even lead to an understanding of the strange, yet rigid, rules of quantum mechanics -- and ultimately provide the foundation for the lofty task of explaining exactly why everything is the way it is. Apart from why people think it's okay to cut in lines. That's literally unexplainable. Seen any other far-out articles that you'd like considered for Alt-week? Working on a project or research that's too cool to keep to yourself? Drop us a line at alt [at] engadget [dot] com. [Image credits: Adrian Malec and Marie Martig, Patricia Patterson] |
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