DIY Star-Trek style air powered sliding doors are something from the future that you can have at home right now

So, we don't mind a small home renovation project every now and then, and this is one we're seriously considering. Instructables has posted a step-by-step guide on installing sliding doors which are powered by an air compressor, and which look super cool. As you'll see in the video which is after the break, it's a pretty simple idea, which requires a pretty fair amount of work, but the results are very impressive. The sliding doors are controlled by a panel switch and have a key which can lock them open or shut, and the door also boasts a vent above it for air ventilation after operation. Yes, we actually want one of these.

Continue reading DIY Star-Trek style air powered sliding doors are something from the future that you can have at home right now

DIY Star-Trek style air powered sliding doors are something from the future that you can have at home right now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad 2 begins shipping from Foxconn in February for April launch?

The source is DigiTimes so take this rumor for what you will. Nevertheless, the Taiwanese tattle house is citing sources at local component makers claiming that Foxconn has been notified that it must ship Apple's "iPad 2" within the next 100 days or as early as the end of February. DigiTimes says that Apple's plan to start mass production in January had to be pushed because of ongoing firmware testing. Note that this doesn't mean that the second generation iPad will ship to consumers in February since Apple would be stockpiling units ahead of a global launch in April, according to DigiTimes. The original iPad was announced in January and began US shipments in April before starting its relentless global march in May.

iPad 2 begins shipping from Foxconn in February for April launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 01:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Nexus S preview

We're here at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco, and we've just had a chance to lay our ever-loving hands all over Google's latest wunderkind, the Nexus S. As you've probably already read and seen, the device is set to be the next flagship phone sporting a pure Google experience. That is, full-on Android 2.3 (AKA Gingerbread), sporting a subtly reworked user interface design, and touting some potentially powerful new features, like near-field communication compatibility (hardware permitting -- and this hardware does indeed permit). Speaking of nuts and bolts, the phone is no slouch, boasting all the design leanings of Samsung's wildly popular Galaxy S line, but packing them into a tighter, sleeker, faster package.

As you can see in the pictures and video below, we spent some quality time with the newest Nexus, and we've made a few professional observations -- so follow along after the break to get the full scoop.

Gallery: Google Nexus S hands-on

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Google Nexus S preview originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 03:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix ported WebKit to the PS3 to enable HTML5 goodies, a dynamically updatable UI

Netflix caused a lot of head scratching in October when it started rolling out its new, disc-free Netflix experience for the PS3. Namely, different people were getting a different UI, and there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the differentiation. Well, it turns out Netflix was flexing a bit of its HTML5 muscle, rapidly testing different experiences to see which ones worked best for users, all without having to push out app updates or back-end changes to accommodate its indecision. Apparently, Netflix's engineers actually ported WebKit to the PS3 to make all this possible, and hopefully it's a sign of things to come in the HTML5 iPhone, iPad, and Android apps -- which could probably use some serious sprucing, or even a bit of scattered rapid prototyping just to relieve the monotony. It's also seems to be good news for other PS3 apps which can lean on the framework -- presumably VUDU's own HTML5-based UI took advantage of this when it landed on the PS3 in November. What we'd really love is if Sony and Google are secretly in cahoots to bring the entirety of Chrome and its couch-friendly Google TV UI with it. Hey, we can dream, right?

Netflix ported WebKit to the PS3 to enable HTML5 goodies, a dynamically updatable UI originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visualized: the real Android fragmentation

It's been staring you in the face all this time. The Android fragmentation that not only threatens, but dooms Google's mobile OS: the buttons are always in different places. How will we ever cope?

[Thanks, Drummertist]

Continue reading Visualized: the real Android fragmentation

Visualized: the real Android fragmentation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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