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Thursday, September 16, 2010

Biometric wallets keep strange hands off your cash, flummox airport security

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/15/biometric-wallets-keep-strange-hands-off-your-cash-flummox-airp/

When we recently heard that purveyor of luxury men's goods Alfred Dunhill was selling a secure biometric wallet, we were intrigued: who wouldn't want a carbon fiber billfold that only opened with your fingerprint, and alerted you when it lost Bluetooth contact with your cellphone? Cost to the consumer: $700. Sounded like a pretty good deal, at least until we were helped to a little something called the iWallet. Apparently the same thing (sans the snooty English rebadge), this bad boy is available in a variety of colors, including a fiber glass ($400) or lightweight carbon fiber ($600) case -- and it's made in the good ol' US of A. That said, whichever wallet you do pick will never be as cool as one made from an SNES cartridge.

Biometric wallets keep strange hands off your cash, flummox airport security originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 19:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trident and ARM get together to make smarter STBs, bring more of the web to your tube

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/15/trident-and-arm-get-together-to-make-smarter-stbs-bring-more-of/

Trident and ARM get together to make smarter STBs, bring more of the web to your tube

While you're surely familiar with ARM and its suite of processors powering many a spicy mobile device, Trident is something of a more silent entity -- having a presence in half of the TVs sold worldwide but hardly making a mark when it comes to consumer perception. That could change with a new line of web-enabled set top boxes that will be powered by the ARM Cortex-A9 processor, which, even in its earliest incarnations, does a fine job of handling web duties and even decoding HD video. The goal is to deliver "the most advanced multimedia experiences into the home," and while we think that's perhaps a bit optimistic, the right players are involved here, with an "extensive ecosystem" being developed including Flash, Android, and Qt user elements. It remains to be seen whether this device will actually run Android, perhaps joining Google TV on the STB front, but there is talk of pushing content to mobile devices and matching a consistent user experience whether you're couch or coach-bound. When will all this come to pass? We think it's a bit too early to be troubled by such details.

Continue reading Trident and ARM get together to make smarter STBs, bring more of the web to your tube

Trident and ARM get together to make smarter STBs, bring more of the web to your tube originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Incipio Linq keeps the iPod nano watch craze going with $25 'carrying solution'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/16/incipio-linq-keeps-the-ipod-nano-watch-craze-going-with-25-car/

Did you find the iLoveHandles iPod nano wrist strap a little bit too restrained? Never fear, Incipio has served up this new Linq case, which swells up the 6th-gen nano with an ostentatiously rugged shell, a velcro strap, and a couple of daring new color options. Whether you're a fan of baby pink or macho blue, there will be a Linq... just for you. Damn, you can build a whole advertising campaign around that. Anyhow, this new take on the iWatch concept will be available early next month for $25 with additional straps setting you back another $10. Or you can just buy a real watch -- the choice, as always, is yours.

Continue reading Incipio Linq keeps the iPod nano watch craze going with $25 'carrying solution'

Incipio Linq keeps the iPod nano watch craze going with $25 'carrying solution' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 01:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netgear's HBR1210 HSPA+ / 802.11n mobile router pings the FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/16/netgears-hbr1210-hspa-802-11n-mobile-router-pings-the-fcc/

What's this? The best of both worlds, wrapped neatly into one elegant mobile router? Sure looks that way, as Netgear's HBR1210 looks to have support for HSPA+ mobile networks as well as traditional 802.11n WiFi for the home. Based on the FCC filing (which seems down at the moment), there's a foursome of gigabit Ethernet jacks, a SIM card slot, an external antenna port and a chassis that looks to be around 9.8- x 7.9-inches. In other words, we wouldn't expect a Rover here, but we suppose "mobile" can mean lots of things to lots of people. We'll keep you posted once an official release date and price falls into our lap.

Netgear's HBR1210 HSPA+ / 802.11n mobile router pings the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quadrocopters can now fly through thrown hoops, the end really is nigh (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/16/quadrocopters-can-now-fly-through-thrown-hoops-the-end-really-i/

The future of humanity is assured. Assuredly doomed, that is. That blur you see up above is one of our familiar foes, the GRASP Lab's autonomous quadrocopter, flying through a thrown hoop without the assistance of a human director. Yes, it's downright insane that we're allowing this so-called research to continue our descent toward the robot uprising -- where's the FBI, the CIA, hell, why is DARPA sleeping on this thing? The lethal precision of these quadrotor helis doesn't end there, however, as they've now been enhanced with the ability to recover from "extreme" starting conditions. In simpler terms that just means you can toss one up into the air and it'll right itself into a steady hovering position. From where it can strike upon the unsuspecting and complacent humanoid populace.

Continue reading Quadrocopters can now fly through thrown hoops, the end really is nigh (video)

Quadrocopters can now fly through thrown hoops, the end really is nigh (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 04:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looxcie wearable camcorder will take your lifecasting to the next, boring level

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/16/looxcie-wearable-camcorder-will-take-your-lifecasting-to-the-nex/

Don't get us wrong, the Looxcie wearable video camera is pretty cool, and totally weird. It's an always on camera that stores up to five hours of video, and is capable of quickly emailing short clips to your various social networks which are anxiously awaiting those shots of you eating your Southwestern eggrolls at Chili's. Once your cam reaches its max storage capacity, it begins purging the oldest video and continues to record. Using Looxcie's app (available for about 10 Android phones) enables you to quickly share your videos with the world. The Looxcie wearable video camera is available now for $199 -- but please keep in mind: watching you watch Some Kind of Monster probably sounds better than it actually would be.

[Thanks, Bob]

Continue reading Looxcie wearable camcorder will take your lifecasting to the next, boring level

Looxcie wearable camcorder will take your lifecasting to the next, boring level originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Epson and Thinxtream roll out PrintJinni printing app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/16/epson-and-thinxtream-roll-out-printjinni-printing-app-for-iphone/

You may have to wait until November to get some wireless printing capabilities on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad courtesy of Apple's own AirPrint, but at least some Epson printer users now already have an alternative option at their disposal. The company's just rolled out its new PrintJinni app that it developed with a little help from Thinxtream, which will let you wirelessly print files to any WiFi-enabled Epson printer. Unlike AirPrint, however, this option will cost you -- the app runs $9.99 but is currently discounted to $6.99 for a "limited time." Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Epson and Thinxtream roll out PrintJinni printing app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Epson and Thinxtream roll out PrintJinni printing app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Sep 2010 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Insync Keeps Your Files and Google Docs Synced and Backed Up [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5637067/insync-keeps-your-files-and-google-docs-synced-and-backed-up

Insync Keeps Your Files and Google Docs Synced and Backed Up Windows and Mac OS X: Insync is a new syncing and backup service similar to Dropbox (a Lifehacker favorite), but comes with a bunch of great additional features, like syncing your Google Docs and Gmail contacts.

Insync creates an always-in-sync folder on your computer that copies files to the cloud and to other machines running Insync. It also syncs your Google Docs to this folder as well, which is pretty great. If anyone shares a Google Doc with you it'll show up in your Insync folder, on your Insync page, and (of course) in Google Docs:

When you make changes locally, those changes are synced back up to Google Docs almost instantly. If you want to keep an eye on anything and everything Insync is up to, you can check in the menubar (system tray in Windows):

While syncing locally to Google Docs is pretty much instant, syncing from Google Docs to your local machine can sometimes take a minute or two—but speed improvements are already underway.

Revisions are tracked with your synced docs, too, so a quick right click can let you look back on all the revisions you've made. Here it is in action:

Insync Keeps Your Files and Google Docs Synced and Backed Up

Insync isn't just for Google Docs, though. In addition to syncing your Gmail contacts, you can also drop any file into the Insync folder and it'll save it to your cloud storage and sync it with your other machines.

Insync is free for individual users and business accounts (limited to five users). Both account types come with 1GB of free storage. Additional storage options are forthcoming.

Dell's Inspiron Duo Is a 10" Netbook/Tablet Transformer [Dell]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5637897/dells-inspiron-duo-is-a-10-netbooktablet-transformer

What, pray tell, is this? It's Dell's new Inspiron Duo, a 10" tablet that opens up and twirls its screen to transform itself into a netbook. Craziest of all? They're saying it'll be available before the end of the year.

Dell showed off the crazy little guy, which runs Windows 7 Premium and packs a dual-core Atom N550 processor, at the second day keynote of Intel's IDF conference—you can catch a video of its transformation in action over at Engadget. There's no word if they've made any concessions to make its version of Windows 7 more tablet friendly, but this Inspiron gets kudos for audacity alone. [Engadget]

MSI's Wind Top AE2420 3D hits US shores for $1,800, Blu-ray and glasses included

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/14/msis-wind-top-ae2420-3d-hits-us-shores-for-1-800-blu-ray-and/

Well, it's about time! Excuse our impatience / excitement, but we've been hearing about MSI's 3D all-in-one since March, and the company's finally done putting the finishing touches on it. While MSI's claiming it's the "world's first 3D all-in-one," the Wind Top AE2420 3D isn't just another 3D display that comes with active shutter glasses -- though it does have those features and in unison they do a mighty good job of displaying high def, three-dee video and images. But beyond all that, the company's gone and packed the back of the 24-inch, 120Hz LED panel with a Core i7 870s processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 graphics, 4GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage. And that's not all... amongst other things, the right and left edges are home to a USB 3.0 port and Blu-Ray drive. Oh yes, it's one monster of a machine, but it's gonna cost ya: MSI says the system will come in at $1,800 at most e-tailers, though there may be some other configurations. Still, the swirly design, touchscreen and THX speakers make it a rather luring family or living room PC. Either way, we're just happy this thing's finally arrived -- hit the break for the full press release as well as the gallery below for some pictures of the rig and MSI's rather hefty glasses.

Gallery: MSI Wind Top AE2420 3D

Continue reading MSI's Wind Top AE2420 3D hits US shores for $1,800, Blu-ray and glasses included

MSI's Wind Top AE2420 3D hits US shores for $1,800, Blu-ray and glasses included originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Curve 3G launching on Verizon for $30

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/14/blackberry-curve-3g-launching-on-verizon-for-30/

We would've never figured on Verizon carrying over the "Curve 3G" name from this phone's GSM counterpart, considering all of its older Curve models have already had EV-DO -- but branding consistency trumps logic in this case, we suppose. Given what we know about the GSM model, you can probably guess the specs: 2 megapixel cam and BlackBerry OS 5 with upgradeability to 6 are both in the cards, though interestingly, Verizon's official specs just list 802.11b/g for WiFi -- there's no mention of 802.11n, which the current Curve 3G has under the hood. Regardless, perhaps the best feature is the price: $29.99 on contract after a $100 rebate, making it one of the most affordable brand new smartphones on the market -- assuming BlackBerry OS is your cup of tea, of course. It'll launch in business sales channels this Thursday, while in-store availability for us lay folk follows "in the coming weeks." Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading BlackBerry Curve 3G launching on Verizon for $30

BlackBerry Curve 3G launching on Verizon for $30 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewPure Removes Extraneous YouTube Features for a Focused Viewing Experience [YouTube]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5636370/viewpure-removes-extraneous-youtube-features-for-a-focused-viewing-experience

ViewPure Removes Extraneous YouTube Features for a Focused Viewing Experience If you find YouTube to be a little too busy or just aren't a fan of the comments, ViewPure is a handy bookmarklet to focus your YouTube experience on just the video you want to watch.

ViewPure is pretty simple to use. You can either visit viewpure.com and enter a YouTube URL for purified view, or just install their bookmarklet and click it whenever you're on a YouTube video page that you want to "purify." As an added bonus it appears to get rid of the ads, too.

ViewPure [via SpeechTechie]

Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger, Only $11 at Amazon [Dealhacker]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5637502/belkin-mini-surge-protector-with-usb-charger-only-11

Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger, Only at Amazon For creating charging stations in any room, or getting in on the last plug in the coffee shop through sharing, it's hard to beat Belkin's small surge protector and USB charger. Right now it's just $11 at Amazon (technically listed at $25 through Belkin), and totally worth the price. We've previously featured it as stuff we like, it made an appearance in Adam's laptop bag show-and-tell, and I'm now too a proud owner. It's a little bigger than you might think, but worth the space to leave your cellphone chargers at home and never have to play musical plugs again. Plus, it now seems to come with a mini-USB cord included—always a nice bonus. [Amazon]

Touchscreen Slider E7 is "Beautiful" According to Nokia—But Still Symbian^3 [Nokia]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5637419/slide+out-qwerty-touchscreen-e7-is-beautiful-according-to-nokia++but-still-symbian3

Reminding us of the Communicator from yesteryear, Nokia described the E7 as being "beautiful and all business, and despite being big, it's very thin this time," when showing it off at Nokia World.

The 4-inch touchscreen uses the new ClearBlack Display for darker blacks and brighter colors, and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, the phone is aimed at business users—yet still has the full host of Ovi services and apps. Microsoft Exchange support is included, obviously, but they haven't compromised on entertainment features, such as the HDMI port and Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound.

It measures 13.8mm thick and has an 8MP camera capable of shooting 720p video, plus 16GB of memory to store it all on. [Nokia]

Nokia C6 and C7 Touchscreen Phones Have 8MP Camera and New ClearBlack Displays [Nokia]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5637421/nokia-c6-and-c7-touchscreen-phones-have-8mp-camera-and-new-clearblack-displays

Describing the C6 as a "premium touchscreen," it has a new ClearBlack Display which they're trying to position as the Pioneer KURO of the phone world—blacker blacks, but also brighter colors. The C7 is an even skinnier version.

Both Symbian^3 phones have 8MP cameras and shoot video at 720p resolution, plus boast of fine "social netbooking" features, as Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki described at their Nokia World expo. The C7 is the new C-series flagship, with a 3.5-inch AMOLED screen and more memory, plus a premium stainless steel body, which he said was the "sleekest, smoothest device in the whole world," at 10.5mm thick. We'll judge that for ourselves when we get hands-on later with the 8GB-memory phone.

The C6 has a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen—capacitive, thankfully, and a microSD card slot for expanding up to 32GB.

Both have Ovi access for downloading apps, and will go on sale at the end of the year. More info when we get it. [Nokia]

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