Monday, March 30, 2009

AT&T pulls trigger on Nokia E71x and Samsung Propel Pro

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/30/atandt-pulls-trigger-on-nokia-e71x-and-samsung-propel-pro/

Kicking off what's sure to be a fun-filled week of announcements surrounding CTIA out in Vegas, AT&T's smartphone lineup just got a little beefier thanks to the official introduction of a couple devices we've been expecting for a hot minute now. First up, the Nokia E71x is just about ready for shelves, bringing WiFi, AT&T Navigator (which hopefully won't preclude the use of Nokia Maps and other GPS-enabled apps), and all of the lauded physical design characteristics you're used to from the original, unbranded E71. The best thing here might be the price -- just $99.99 on contract after rebate, thankfully beating rumors of $200 and $150 by a country mile; it'll hit shelves "in the coming weeks." Next up is the Samsung Propel Pro, a device that shares very little in common with its Propel namesake other than a form factor, mainly because this sucker's a full-out smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.1. It's got WiFi, a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard (naturally) and will be available on April 14 for $149.99 after all your discounts have been applied and your two-year agreement is filed away.

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AT&T pulls trigger on Nokia E71x and Samsung Propel Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG's GD900 with (multi-touch?) transparent keypad gets S-Class UI

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/30/lgs-gd900-with-multi-touch-transparent-keypad-gets-s-class-u/

The recent glut of telephony news can mean only one thing: CTIA Wireless 2009 is getting ready to kick off in Vegas baby, Las Vegas. In the runup we have LG upping the hype on its 13.4mm-thick GD900 handset first outed in Barcelona at February's MWC show. This time, however, the 7.2Mbps HSDPA slider with world's first transparent glass (not plastic as originally assumed) keypad will be functional, running LG's new S-Class UI on the 3-inch display. We know that the GD900 features vibrational haptic feedback and that the transparent keypad seems to double as a touch-sensitive mouse pad (like that on your laptop) when surfing the internet or navigating the UI -- it also seems to support gestures like writing "M" to launch the MP3 music player and multi-touch such as pinch to zoom on photographs. The GD900 will launch in Europe and Asia sometime in May. No US release announced so we'll have to make the most of our time with it this week in order to clear up all the mysteries presented by the Korean press release. One more pic showing an apparent finger-swipe rotating the UI after the break.

[Via Akihabara News and Engadget Korea]

Continue reading LG's GD900 with (multi-touch?) transparent keypad gets S-Class UI

LG's GD900 with (multi-touch?) transparent keypad gets S-Class UI originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic software update available: faster, better, updater

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/30/nokia-5800-xpressmusic-improved-with-free-software-update/

Nokia's hot selling 5800 XpressMusic handset just got a little bit better. Available now, the free update promises faster Internet data, built-in dictionary with text-to-speech support, an improved overall UI and eMail experience, and better in-device search. Nokia's also tweaked the cameras adding still image support to the front-facing video-call camera and a burst mode for capturing multiple snaps while holding the shutter button. There's also a new Application Update feature that identifies and downloads updates to your installed applications automatically. Giddy up.

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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic software update available: faster, better, updater originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 04:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Foldable Bicycles: How Real Today?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yankodesign/~3/Fgob48lbOt0/

Perhaps you’d enjoy such a thing? Consider the following: not from the Twilight Zone, but for your approval: folding bikes. Seen any lately? At Yanko, we’ve had several. Lots of them have parallel features, the most common being the amount of collapsing the bike does. With this most recent inception into the folding hall, the “Antares Lift,” we get front stem, handle bars, seat, and back wheel, all folding up into the bike.

Above: “Antares Lift” by Hideki Kawata. It’s folded shape is inspired by a tear drop and an orchid leaf. Single-speed drive, LED lights. To fold the bike: lift up center latch and let the wheels roll together to click.

Entered and logged…

In no particular order, the Yanko Bike Folding Archive!






GrassHopper The Folding Recumbent Bike : 96 x 60 x 70 cm at it’s smallest size. GrassHopper The Folding Recumbent Bike






A-Bike : Weight: 5.5 kg, folding time: 10 seconds, enclosed chain system (it’s like a secret bonus!) : A-Bike - Folding Bicycle by Daka Design






GrassHopper (electric) : This version is an electric bike that can be folded down as well as charged, for those times when pedaling is crappy : This Grasshopper Folds and Generates Electricity






One : Statisticless but rendered in a way that makes the bike appear (basically) intuitive : maybe the lightest of the bunch? : 'One' - Folding Bicycle by Thomas Owen


Fold much? How close are any of these to a functional design that you’d be unable to resist? What do you look for in a folding bike? Is it really necessary to fold a bike in an environment that’s been built to cater to bikes nearly everywhere? Where will I put my folded bike once I’ve brought it into the office?

All these questions for the folded few. Bike on.

Designer: Multiple Designers. Click each picture for more info.

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Top 10 Tools for a Free Online Education [Lifehacker Top 10]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/AHuvhabq5xY/top-10-tools-for-a-free-online-education

It's easy to forget these days that the internet started out as a place for academics and researchers to trade data and knowledge. Recapture the web's brain-expanding potential with these free resources for educating yourself online.

Photo by Sailor Coruscant.

10. Teach yourself programming

Coding, whether on the web or on the desktop, is one of those skills you'll almost never regret having. Coincidentally, the web is full of people willing to teach, and show off, programming skills. Whether you're looking to knock out a modest Firefox extension or tackle your first programming language, there's no requirement to run out and buy the thickest book you can find at Barnes & Noble. Google Code University, for instance, hosts a whole CSE program's worth of straight-up coding lessons in its bowels. We've pointed out a lot of other programming resources found around the web, so you should be able to get started in almost any project. As for the random, unexpected, seemingly inscrutable bugs, well ... welcome to the fold.

9. Get a Personal MBA

"MBA programs don't have a monopoly on advanced business knowledge: you can teach yourself everything you need to know to succeed in life and at work." The Personal MBA site occasionally updates its list of dozens of helpful business books, designed to teach both the nuts-and-bolts money stuff and the kind of thinking one needs to get ahead in sales, marketing, or wherever your interests lie. A business school can offer networking, mentoring, and other perks, but nobody can teach you enthusiasm and business savvy—except yourself.

8. Learn to actually use Ubuntu

Too often, newcomers to Ubuntu, the seriously popular Linux distribution, find that their questions about any problem great or small is answered with a curt "Search the forums," or "Just Google it." From experience, that's like telling someone there's maple sap somewhere in that forest, so here's a nail and get moving. With a brand-new installation sitting on your computer, few resources are as straight-forward and comprehensive as the Ubuntu Guide, which is packed with common stuff like installing VLC and getting VLC playback, but spans across topics including Samba and remote printing configuration. Author Keir Thomas also offered Lifehacker readers a little preview of his Ubuntu Kung Fu in two excerpts that tweak one's system into a faster, more efficient data flinger.

7. Get started on a new language

Nobody's pretending you can talk like a local without some immersion experience. But there's a lot of resources on the web for honing an already-sharpened second language, or at least picki! ng up so me of the vocab and nuances. Learn10 gives you 10 vocabulary builders delivered every day by email, through iGoogle, through an iPhone page, or most any other way you'd like. One Minute Languages podcasts its lessons and lets newcomers stream from the archives. And Mango Languages has about 100 lessons, shown to you in PowerPoint style with interstitial quizzes, to move you through any language without cracking a book. Not that books are bad, of course, but this is stuff you can crack out during a coffee break.

6. Trade your skills, find an instructor

As Ramit Sethi put it in our interview, many people don't realize the value of the skills they do have, whether it's something as simple as higher-level English or software lessons for those in need. A site like TeachMate capitalizes on the inherent disparities in our interests, letting someone willing to teach a bit of, for example, Russian language get cooking lessons in return. If a site like TeachMate doesn't quite reach you, try Craigslist, which, especially in a recession, is brimming with people looking to trade skills instead of cash.

5. Academic Earth and YouTube EDU

We have to guess that having a giant, searchable database of free academic lectures was just too good an idea for two different web firms to pass! up. Aca demic Earth has been described as a Hulu-like aggregator for lots of major universities' content, and offers the slicker and more navigable front-end for them, as well as allowing embedding and sharing with no restrictions. YouTube EDU might have a broader reach, and the player and format might be a bit more familiar to most. Both sites offer both individual lectures and full course series, and are definitely worth checking out.

4. Teach yourself all kinds of photography

Sites like Photojojo and Digital Photography School are oft-linked resources around Lifehacker, and for good reason. They let the uber-technical shooters run wild in forums and discussion groups, but focus the majority of their front-page posts on things that beginning DSLR shooters and moderate consumer-cam photographers can grasp and mix into their daily camera work. Of course, we've compiled and sought out our own digital photography advice at Lifehacker, including photographer Scott Feldstein's guide to mastering your DSLR camera (Part 1 and Part 2), and our compilation of David Pogue's best photography tricks, plus ours. Then there's the simple pleasures of posting on Flickr, seeking out Photo by Marcin Wichary.

3. Get an unofficial liberal arts major

Whole-mind learning doesn't end the day you declare a major and start sending out resumes. A huge number of universities offer up some of thei! r most u nique and fascinating resources for free online, posting up databases, image galleries, and all kinds of stuff you wish you had time to dig through during your undergrad years. Learn everything you ever wanted to about Picasso at Texas A & M's Picasso Project. Indulge your inner geo-geek with super hi-res images from Hirise at the University of Arizona. Tour the world's spaces in 3D with The World Wide Panorama at UC Berkeley. Wendy Boswell discovered those resources and way more in her discovery of the .edu underground, and you can find a lot more down there, too.

2. Learn an instrument

If being dropped off at the music store/mall/piano teacher's house wasn't a memorable part of your childhood, you might dig the digital age's equivalents a lot more. Guitar players, in particular, have a lot of places to turn for video, audio, and graphical teaching tools. Adam rounded a lot of them up in his guide to learning to play an instrument online. If you want to build a foundation for learning any instrument, though, Ricci Adams' Musictheory.net has Flash-based tutorials that offer a gentle tour through keys, time signatures, modalities, and the other ins and outs of notes and chords.

1. Learn from actual college courses online

A huge number of colleges, universities, and other degree-granting universities are going all op! en-sourc e these days—giving away the actual guts of their courses, while retaining their revenue stream by awarding degrees only to those who pay. In this day and age, though, programming, marketing, design, and other self-taught skills are pretty valuable, however you came by them. Whether you're looking to break into a field or just augment your skill set, dig into our guide to getting a free college education online, which we then updated a bit with Education Portal's list of ten universities with the best free online courses. Just think about it—at home, with your coffee and comfortable chair, you're far more awake than the average co-ed who totally should have hit the hay a bit earlier last night.

Where do you turn when you have to teach yourself something? What skills or topics would you like to see more coverage of on Lifehacker, or just anywhere on the web? Help us plan a curriculum in the comments.



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Timelapse Garden Video Camera Watches Your Garden Grow So You Don't Have to [Cameras]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qfEVr7vc8D4/timelapse-garden-video-camera-watches-your-garden-grow-so-you-dont-have-to

Sure, Planet Earth was great. But what if you want to get stoned and gawk at time-lapsed videos of your own garden? The Timelapse Garden Video Camera can make that happen.

The Timelapse Garden Video Camera (henceforth TGVC) is a weatherproof digital camera that'll take interval photos and combine them into a neat 1280x1024 video file presumably via some custom software. The intervals can be anywhere from every five seconds to every 24 hours, and can shoot objects as close as 20 inches away or as far as a 54-inch wide view. It comes with a removable 2GB of storage and the battery will last for up to 4 months while taking a picture per hour. It costs $159.99, which is awfully cheap considering you'll pay about the same for a half-decent point-and-shoot that'll explode upon the first morning dew. Then how will you watch your tomato crop wither and die because you counted on God to water it for you? [Hammacher Schlemmer via OhGizmo]



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New Airplane Interior Design Allows for Romantic Dinner for Two [Airplanes]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/n7tXWPLeiec/new-airplane-interior-design-allows-for-romantic-dinner-for-two

While you and I try to eat our plastic-wrapped dinner in cattle class, first class passengers in Swiss International's flights would be able to chat up passengers and invite them to their table for two.

The new design—which will debut in their new A330 airplanes—is quite a change from traditional my-cabin-is-my-oyster first class designs. According to the airline, it's more "architectural" which goes with the "design language of the brand." According to Paul Estoppey, senior manager and head of cabin interior development for Swiss International:

Our product drive is primarily intended to [lots of corpospeak here] I think that in the context of the current economic climate there may be opportunities for [blah blah blah. blah] while at the same time maintaining very high levels of comfort.

Quick translation: "New seat for rich people. The rest of you please keep eating your cardboard chicken." [Flight Global]



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Piezoelectric Nanowires Could Power Future Gadgets Using Blood Flow [Nanotech]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com:80/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/t-thgeYIZ6g/piezoelectric-nanowires-could-power-future-gadgets-using-blood-flow

Did that headline get your blood pumping? Good. In the future you'll make a great battery.

This is because, in the future, scientists seem to think that piezoelectric nanowires could find a nice home inside our blood vessels. There, they'd use the energy created by blood flow to power our gadgets, pacemakers, or any number of other people-powered devices future inventors can think up. That sounds great in theory, but I assume that, like with most things I put in my body today that sound great and feel good, it will probably cause cancer or something.

Regardless, the scientists want to let us know there are no practical or commercial uses planned for these zinc oxide nanowires. Not for a long while anyway. This means you can stop digging around for that vein now. Oh, that's for the heroin? Nevermind then. [Live Science via Engadget]



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Sigma DP2 up for pre-order, retailing for $649

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/sigma-dp2-up-for-pre-order-retailing-for-649/


Amazon and B&H have pre-order pages up for the hotly-anticipated Sigma DP2, and both conveniently list the camera at $649 -- well, convenient for your information gathering needs, not necessarily for your wallet. B&H expects a May availability, while Amazon is going with a typically vague "1-2 months." Maybe they both can be right.

[Via DigitalCameraInfo]

Read - B&H
Read - Amazon

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Sigma DP2 up for pre-order, retailing for $649 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MedNet app monitors heartbeat, transfers data to cardiologists

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/28/mednet-app-monitors-heartbeat-transfers-data-to-cardiologists/


Heart monitors for cellphones have definitely been around, but a new option is about to surface for AT&T customers. The service, which will be offered up starting April 21st by MedNet Healthcare Technologies, will somehow let patients monitor their own heartbeats and automatically send that information to their cardiologists using Bluetooth-enabled phones. Reportedly, the information will be sent out to a central monitoring center, which then transfers the data to the doctor. As expected, there will be a monthly fee for the service (exact pricing has yet to be disclosed), and doctors must also be signed on to receive the information. Sounds good and all, but seriously, good luck getting your M.D. to be attentive to your every data dump.

[Via textually]

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MedNet app monitors heartbeat, transfers data to cardiologists originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Mar 2009 23:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Core 2 Quad S-Series shaves power consumption to 65W

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/intel-core-2-quad-s-series-shaves-power-consumption-to-65w/


In a relatively hush-hush manner, Intel recently slipped out energy saving versions of its Core 2 Quad Q8200, Q9400 and Q9550 CPUs, all of which are suffixed with a simple "s." Put simply, these S-Series chips are built using the same 45 nanometer process technology as used on the regular models, and aside from TDP, all the specifications are exactly alike. The difference comes in power consumption, as the S crew sucks down just 65 watts compared to 95 watts in the standard issue models. Tom's Hardware had a chance to handle, benchmark and report on these new power sippers, and lucky for you, they found performance to be equal to that of the higher power chips. Granted, you'll have to pony up a few extra bucks in order to treat Mother Earth (and your energy bill) better, but at least we're working down the power ladder instead of the other way around.

[Via Tom's Hardware, thanks Jonathan]

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Intel Core 2 Quad S-Series shaves power consumption to 65W originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte's Booktop M1022 (and dock) hits the FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/gigabytes-booktop-m1022-and-dock-hits-the-fcc/


Lookie here -- Gigabyte's Booktop M1022, which we spotted looking peculiar at CeBIT earlier this month, has just splashed down in the FCC's database. The 10.1-inch machine will apparently arrive with a LED-backlit panel, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1.3 megapixel camera, optional integrated WWAN, VGA output, an Ethernet port, ExpressCard slot, 4-in-1 multicard reader, 1GB of RAM and a bundled docking station that sits it upright rather than flat. Obviously there's no mention of a US price or release date, but it can't be long now.

[Thanks, Tom and Mike]

Gigabyte's Booktop M1022 (and dock) hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds! .

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Samsung posts N110 product page, pre-orders get going

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/samsung-posts-n110-product-page-pre-orders-get-going/


Heads-up, netbook lovers -- Sammy's latest is totally official, though it's becoming so after a bona fide review. At any rate, Samsung has just recently hosted up a product page for its 10.1-inch N110, which brags about its 9.5 hour battery life, 2.8 pound body and 93 percent full-size keyboard. Specs wise, it's still rockin' the tried-and-true N270 / 1GB / 160GB combo, which makes it pretty tough to choose over the far less expensive ASUS Eee PC 1000HE. At any rate, those who've somehow found the value proposition to be more enticing can get in line now for $441.99 at Buy.com, while the Samsung-linked CompSource has it listed for $458.

Read - Samsung N110 product page [Via Liliputing]
Read - Buy.com pre-order [Via PortableMonkey]

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Samsung posts N110 product page, pre-orders get going originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/29/mac-friendly-houseport-usb-to-z-wave-adapter-shipping-soon-en-ma/


For those that don't visit Fry's Electronics on any regular basis, you probably reckoned that Wayne Dalton's totally promising USB To Z-Wave adapter had simply failed to ever make it onto store shelves after being launched 14 months ago. Turns out, the device (and the OS X-friendly Houseport software) has just been loosed from its limiting "Fry's exclusive" agreement, and it's about to ship out to anyone who desires it starting June 1st. We're told that the hardware and software hasn't changed since CES 2008, and even the retail price ($87) will remain the same. Of note, eager beavers can snag a limited number of upgradeable pre-production units today for $79, but then again, you never really know what you're going to get. Hang tight, Mac-owing home automators -- your long-awaited solution is nearly here.

Mac-friendly Houseport USB To Z-Wave adapter shipping soon en masse originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tweeting or Twittering? - http://ping.fm/3MNL0

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