Sunday, June 05, 2011

Scientist cooks up adjustable strength metals

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/04/scientist-cooks-up-adjustable-strength-metals/

Adjustable strength metal
As you may know, crafting a katana is a delicate process that involves carefully constructing a razor-sharp high-carbon edge around a soft shock-absorbent core. One day though, smiths and forging fires could be replaced by electrode-wielding mad-scientists, with the technology to selectively harden and soften metal at will. At least that's what we envisioned when we read about Jörg Weißmüller's breakthrough research in the field of nanomaterials. The German scientist discovered that by placing precious metals in acid he could create tiny ducts through corrosion. Once those channels are flooded with a conductive liquid, electrical currents can be used to harden the material and, if you change your mind about the brittle results, the effect can easily be reversed to make it soft again. The tech could eventually lead to self-healing vehicle armor or scratch-resistant cellphones -- but, really, we just want to zap our way to a high-quality samurai sword.

Scientist cooks up adjustable strength metals originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Compal's 'Ultra Mobile' Ultrabook eyes-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/04/compals-ultra-mobile-ultrabook-eyes-on/

Intel's already teased Compal's "Ultra Mobile" Ultrabook from afar, but when this Ivy Bridge laptop popped up on the show floor after the Computex keynote, we decided to give it a closer look. While this prototype isn't quite in the same league as ASUS' gorgeous UX21, do bear in mind that we're still looking at a relatively slim package for a 14- to 15-inch Core i7 rig. Also visible around the machine are a couple of USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI-out port, a LAN socket, and an SD card reader. Until we hear more about this Ultra Mobile, enjoy our eyes-on photos below.

Compal's 'Ultra Mobile' Ultrabook eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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YouTube embraces Creative Commons licensing, turns your cutesy kitty into mashup fodder

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/04/youtube-embraces-creative-commons-licensing-turns-your-cutesy-k/

YouTube embraces Creative Commons licensing, turns your cutesy kitty into mashup fodder
Sourcing material from the mecca of viral video has always been a bit iffy -- who knows which rabid Beyonce fan will bite back when you slice and dice their Single Ladies tribute video. However, YouTube's recent addition of the Creative Commons licensing option just made it a whole lot easier to make mashups without stepping on anyone's stiletto-sporting toes. Users are now given the option to choose between YouTube's standard license or the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which, when selected, automatically adds the video to a library of similarly appointed videos, now available for your cutting and captioning pleasure. An attribution is placed beneath any video sourcing material from the Creative Commons library. Among the more professional outfits adding their videos to the CC pool are Al Jazeera and C-SPAN -- who's ready to see Mittens the Kitten and Sarah Palin battle it out over tax cuts? You can now access the Creative Commons library through the YouTube video editor.

YouTube embraces Creative Commons licensing, turns your cutesy kitty into mashup fodder originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Insert Coin: Eyez 720p video-recording glasses (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/04/insert-coin-eyez-720p-video-recording-glasses-video/

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 first heard about the Eyez video recording glasses concept back in March, when those familiar black frames packed a 1080p camera, 16GB of flash memory, WiFi, and dual exawatt-class lasers (ok, we made that last part up). Named for the product's "utopic vision," ZionEyez now has a prototype with a more grounded spec list, including a 720p camera and 8GB of memory, along with micro-USB and Bluetooth connectivity for livecasting to Qik or LiveStream -- The Truman Show style. Afraid you won't be able to pull off those high-tint lenses at night or in that top-secret (indoor) business meeting? You can swap out the removable sunglass lenses for clear versions, or throw in your prescription in daylight (tinted) or indoor flavors, since many optical stores stock appropriately sized lenses. Availability for these $199 HD Ray-Ban clones is currently slated for fall (assuming ZionEyez hits its funding target), but you can pre-order your pair for $150 on Zion's Kickstarter page.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Eyez 720p video-recording glasses (video)

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Insert Coin: Eyez 720p video-recording glasses (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red HTC Inspire 4G now available exclusively at Radio Shack

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/red-htc-inspire-4g-now-available-exclusively-at-radio-shack/

We'd already had some indication that AT&T would soon let Radio Shack offer an exclusive red version of the HTC Inspire 4G, and that's now been made official (and available). As you can see above, you can snag the phone for $29.99 on a two-year AT&T contract (or $550 off-contract), which will buy you a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, an 8 megapixel camera with an LED flash, and Android 2.2 with Sense -- there's still no word on a Gingerbread upgrade for this one. Of course, Radio Shack will also sell you a black one for the same price, but we're pretty sure the red one's faster.

[Thanks, James]

Red HTC Inspire 4G now available exclusively at Radio Shack originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid X2 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/droid-x2-review/

Would a Droid X by any other name smell as sweet? When we reviewed that phone last year we found it to be a solid performer in a solid chassis. In short: a very good phone. Now it's back with a new name, or a revised one at least, the Motorola Droid X2 offering the same basic design as its predecessor but packing a lot more heat on the inside -- a dual-core dose of Tegra 2, to be specific. Will it tickle your olfactory sensors just like the first X?

Continue reading Droid X2 review

Droid X2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3-iSSD motherboard eyes-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/gigabyte-z68xp-ud3-issd-motherboard-eyes-on/

We're not normally all that stoked with motherboards, but Gigabyte's awkwardly named Z68XP-UD3-iSSD just about got our attention at Computex. The highlight here is the Intel 20GB SLC SSD latched onto the board's mSATA slot, which is right next to the LGA1155 CPU socket and the four DDR3 RAM slots (together supporting up to 32GB). Alas, Gigabyte says it won't be offering upgrade options for the SSD, though there are certainly alternatives out there in the wild if you dare to venture. But if none of this interests you, then there's always our multi-screen Angry Birds hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3-iSSD motherboard eyes-on

Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3-iSSD motherboard eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Droid 3 leaks out in tutorial vids, confirms 8MP camera and 1080p recordings (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/motorola-droid-3-leaks-out-in-tutorial-vids-confirms-8mp-camera/


Verizon and Motorola have kept a tighter lid on the Droid 3 than many recent smartphones we've seen, but a nice big leak just sprang from the bottom of the pot -- startup gadget blog PhonePads obtained three tutorial videos of the five-row QWERTY slider strutting its stuff. While there's no discussion of any dual-core silicon, there is indeed an 8 megapixel camera on board, which is apparently capable of 1080p HD video recordings. Other changes include what seem to be a pair of volume keys on the right edge (instead of the usual rocker), the apparent lack of a dedicated camera button, and both micro-USB and mini-HDMI on the left edge in the Droid X2 configuration. You'll apparently still get your Swype virtual keyboard, but it's hard to say what version of Android the handset will include -- Verizon clearly states "Software Shown Not Final" on every single video. Find more footage after the break.

Continue reading Motorola Droid 3 leaks out in tutorial vids, confirms 8MP camera and 1080p recordings (video)

Motorola Droid 3 leaks out in tutorial vids, confirms 8MP camera and 1080p recordings (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Champtron's 65-incher can recognize two-finger touch, make for a decently spacious second screen (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/champtrons-65-incher-can-recognize-two-finger-touch-make-for-a/

If you can never have enough screen real estate while working, you might want to give Champtron's 65-inch behemoth a look. It's a 1080p Sharp panel imbued with the ability to recognize two touch inputs at a time -- which can be fingers or "any" other sort of stylus -- which should prove pretty damn useful when you're trying to Photoshop a little extra sheen atop Steve Ballmer's glorious dome. As an added bonus, the dimensions of this screen make the Windows 7 UI extremely finger-friendly. Hell, it borders on being fist-friendly when exploded to a 65-inch size. See video of this champ after the break.

Continue reading Champtron's 65-incher can recognize two-finger touch, make for a decently spacious second screen (video)

Champtron's 65-incher can recognize two-finger touch, make for a decently spacious second screen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MasterImage touts 4.3-, 7- and 10-inch glasses-free 3D displays, interest from 'first tier' device makers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/masterimage-touts-4-3-7-and-10-inch-glasses-free-3d-displays/

MasterImage and its parallax barrier 3D technology have been around for a while. Though nothing major -- excepting the Hitachi H001 in Japan -- has ever come of this company's efforts, it's back at Computex this year with a trio of reference display, showing off glasses-free 3D at 4.3-inch, 7-inch and 10-inch form factors. Resolution on both the 7- and 4.3-inch panels is 800 x 480 at the moment, but there's a 1280 x 800 7-incher in the works that could be ready for production by the end of this year. The parallax barrier allowing for the autostereoscopic effect to happen adds only 1mm to the screen's thickness, though it does halve vertical resolution -- meaning an 800 x 480 screen will only show a 400 x 480 image when flipped to 3D mode. MasterImage builds the LCDs and controllers in these 3D imagers and is currently in discussions with what we're told are "first tier" manufacturers of both smartphones and tablets. You can see the 7-inch display on video after the break -- we found it able to match the 3D effect produced by displays requiring glasses, which is a good thing in relative terms, but as you see above, the two frames can and do get split up if you're not perfectly positioned to soak up the third dimension.

Continue reading MasterImage touts 4.3-, 7- and 10-inch glasses-free 3D displays, interest from 'first tier' device makers

MasterImage touts 4.3-, 7- and 10-inch glasses-free 3D displays, interest from 'first tier' device makers originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms f! or use o f feeds.

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Visualized: Acer's Iconia Tab A500 is 'a better choice' than the iPad

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/05/visualized-acers-iconia-tab-a500-is-a-better-choice-than-the/

We were making our way through Taipei's sublime metro system this week and what did we see on the side of the stairway? Why, it was a collection of iPad images, but rather than an Apple-funded advert, this was an Acer-instigated bit of spec sheet trash talk. The captions beneath the images read, in order: "no open operating system, no high resolution display, no Dolby Surround Sound, no Flash, no microSD, no USB port. Why do you want to choose this type of tablet?" Gracing the opposite wall was the tablet that ticked the "yes" boxes to all those items, Acer's own Iconia Tab A500. Perhaps once Acer figures out the answer to its own question, it can stop overhauling itself and get back to the job of chopping the iPad's market share down to size. Check out the full ad in the gallery below.

Visualized: Acer's Iconia Tab A500 is 'a better choice' than the iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, June 03, 2011

Microdrones' flying robot films African wildlife, finds peace with nature

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/03/microdrones-flying-robot-films-african-wildlife-finds-peace-wi/

Sit back, relax and grab a cold one, because you're about to take an aerial tour of the Serengeti, courtesy of that flying drone you're staring at. Developed by Microdrones, this MD4-100 quadrotor was recently sent off to Kenya, where it gathered footage for a TV nature documentary produced by TBS Japan. By hovering over the terrain, the craft was able to get relatively up close and personal with zebras, elephants and other wildlife, without creating the same kind of disturbance that heavy duty, camera-laden trucks can wreak. Presumably, that's because the animals have no idea what to make of a flying robot, though part of us wants to believe there's some sort of full-circle, techno-evolutionary dynamic at work here, momentously bringing bot and beast together in some sort of pre-apocalyptic symbiosis. But that's just us. Hover past the break to see the video for yourself.

Continue reading Microdrones' flying robot films African wildlife, finds peace with nature

Microdrones' flying robot films African wildlife, finds peace with nature originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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