ViewSonic G-Tablet pops up in Sears weekly ad, mistakenly claims to be the ViewPad 10 at Sears' website

Did ViewSonic's 10-inch tablets catch your eye? We've got good and bad news. The good news is that the G-Tablet (with a 1GHz processor and Android 2.2) is now on sale at Sears for $379.99 -- even less than we were told. The bad news is that the Intel Atom N455-powered ViewPad 10 apparently is, too. We say apparently because Sears seems to have crossed some wires when putting the latter slate up on its site, most egregiously stating that that dual-booting device does both Windows 7 and Android 2.2 for the exact same $379.99. Last we heard, the ViewPad 10 -- like the eerily similar Tega v2 -- could only do Android 1.6 alongside Microsoft's OS and would cost quite a bit more. Don't rely on Sears to cut you a deal, folks.

ViewSonic G-Tablet pops up in Sears weekly ad, mistakenly claims to be the ViewPad 10 at Sears' website originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic ViewPad 7 and 10 officially comin' to America

ViewSonic's heavy foray into the tablet market has been no secret, but we've been a bit uncertain as to where on the map its products would land. Until now that is. According to ViewSonic's American team, the company will be kicking off its US tablet invasion with the ViewPad 7 in November. Just as we'd heard, the 7-inch device packs an Snapdragon processor, Android 2.2, two cameras (a 3 megapixel cam on its rear and a VGA front facing one), 512MB of memory and 3G capabilities. Sure, it sounds a heck of a lot like the rest of the other Android tablets we've been seeing, but according to ViewSonic this one will most definitely have access to the Google Market and come preloaded with Google's apps. Well, that's a horse of a different color, though its $479 MSRP seems a bit high to us. What about the ViewSonic fans out there that have been eyeing the Android 1.6 / Win 7 dual-booting ViewPad 10, you ask? Well, they'll have to wait until the first quarter of 2011 to get their hands on that one, though at least that gives 'em time to save up the $629 that it's expected to retail for. We should note here, that the ViewPad 10 is identical in design to the Tega v2 we recently reviewed and similar in specs -- it has a 1.66GHz Atom processor, 16GB SSD, 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 Home Premium. We're still unsure where the 10-inch, Android 2.2 G-Tablet that was recently spotted in a Sears circular fits in, but we're definitely getting the hint that Viewsonic's in it to win i! t with t ablets.

Gallery: Viewsonic Viewpad 7 and 10

Continue reading ViewSonic ViewPad 7 and 10 officially comin' to America

ViewSonic ViewPad 7 and 10 officially comin' to America originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Transparent material developed that's twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder

Scientists in Israel have developed a transparent material with "the hardest organic nanostructure known to man," according to Discovery News. Based on artificial proteins similar to (and simpler than) the beta-amlyoid proteins that have been linked to Alzheimer's disease, and covered with transparent nanospheres, the new material is very, very strong: in order to cut it, a diamond-tipped probe would have to apply twice the pressure it would take to cut Kevlar. Researchers see it being used for anything from bulletproof armor to reinforced steel -- but don't throw out your old body armor yet! It could be years (if not decades) before this comes to market.

Transparent material developed that's twice as strong as Kevlar, infinitely weirder originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand

Well, wouldn't you know it? Seems that tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign may actually be working. Way back in April of this year, Sprint decided it would begin offering its own iPad case, despite the fact that even today the iPad isn't sold in Sprint stores. The reason? It's the perfect opportunity to push the Overdrive, a 4G mobile hotspot that's able to take the iPad (and any other WiFi-enabled device) to 4G speeds where available. In a recent interview with GigaOM, the carrier's CEO (Dan Hesse) confirmed that most iPads being sold are of the WiFi variety, and due to that, "the company has seen an uptick in demand for its Overdrive (3G/4G) wireless-hotspot device, as people use it to connect their iPads to the Internet when on the go." He failed to exaggerate on actual numbers, but it's obvious he's in favor of Apple's darling tablet selling like hotcakes -- after all, how else are you going to get an iDevice into 4G territory?

Sprint CEO thanks iPad for uptick in Overdrive demand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ITRI shows off 6-inch FlexUPD AMOLED, hybrid 2D/3D display, makes lots of promises

Hey, remember when Taiwan's ITRI said that flexible TFT-EPD displays would be ready for smartphones by 2009? Yeah, well, keep that in mind when reading about this new 6-inch flexible display the company says will be released in a line of e-readers "very soon." It's called the FlexUPD, a 1mm thick AMOLED with a 5cm folding radius, 150nits brightness, and "unbreakable" construction. ITRI is also talking up its switchable 2D/3D display that we saw earlier, able to display both types of content simultaneously and do so without the requirement of goofy glasses. That tech is called i2/3DW and is set to "revitalize the [display] industry by revolutionizing the concept of 3D viewing." You keep on believing, ITRI, we'll just keep on waiting.

Continue reading ITRI shows off 6-inch FlexUPD AMOLED, hybrid 2D/3D display, makes lots of promises

ITRI shows off 6-inch FlexUPD AMOLED, hybrid 2D/3D display, makes lots of promises originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AOC goes ultraslim with new sixpack of LED-backlit monitors

Tired of looking at the same, aged, lifeless pixels day-in and day-out? Now you've a way to change it. AOC has just unveiled its latest range of LCD monitors, and the whole lot is seductively thin. Measuring just 12.9 millimeters on the depth chart, this sixpack ranges from 18.5- to 23-inches and offers up a 16:9 widescreen viewing angle. Unfortunately, screen resolutions are being kept secret (we're crossing our fingers for 1080p across the board), but we are told to expect VGA / DVI inputs, a flexible base, five millisecond response times and a laughable dynamic contrast ration of 50,000,000:1. Mum's also the word on pricing, but look, at least you've got a lovely selection of high resolution images to gawk at below.

Gallery: AOC's ultraslim LED-backlit monitor collection

Continue reading AOC! goes ul traslim with new sixpack of LED-backlit monitors

AOC goes ultraslim with new sixpack of LED-backlit monitors originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel, Samsung, Toshiba form consortium aiming for 10nm chips by 2016

There isn't much to say here, so let's just get on with the facts: Intel, Samsung, and Toshiba are joining forces and pooling R&D efforts in a consortium funded in part by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (an expected 50 percent, or 5 billion yen / US $62 million) and the rest from the members. The goal? Semiconductor chips nearing 10nm by 2016. Ten more companies are expected to be invited once things get sorted out, so major chip-related corporations, please keep checking your mailboxes daily.

Intel, Samsung, Toshiba form consortium aiming for 10nm chips by 2016 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dean Kamen unveils revamped bionic arm and water machine, LED light bulb powered by Cree

Segway inventor Dean Kamen just stole the show at TEDMED 2010, with both a far-reaching lecture on how technology can save the developing world, and a peek at his latest projects. We'll spare you the wave of guilt for now and get right to the cool stuff, like the latest rendition of his Luke prosthetic arm and Slingshot water machine. Dean admitted he's having difficulty finding companies interested in manufacturing the former, but it's looking snazzier than when it last grabbed Stephen Colbert, with components like this shoulder piece printed out of titanium in a custom 3D printer, and it's slated to look like this. The Slingshot's seeing even more action, as Dean and company have pulled it out of the ugly box into these svelte tubes, and finally has a distribution deal (with Coca-Cola, of all companies) to bring the clean-water-from-any-source machines to developing countries early next year.

Last but not least, the man's got a product you might be able to afford for your home. In the quest for an item for his FIRST young engineers to sell -- a la Girl Scout cookies -- he tapped LED manufacturer Cree to produce an 450 lumen light bulb that draws just 7 watts and will retail for about $25 door-to-door. In case you're wondering, that's cheaper and more efficient than most any lamp we've seen before. Dean says they've already produced several hundred thousand of the bulbs thanks to a surprise $3 million investment from Google, and plan to have them in the hands of every FIRST kid soon. Keep on fighting the good fight, Dean.

Gallery: Dean Kamen at TEDMED 2010

Dean Kamen unveils revamped bionic arm and water machine, LED light bulb powe! red by C ree originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS lays out Armdroid and Wintel tablet plans, we already feel overwhelmed

Leave it to ASUS to blast out an entire series of tablets that saturate the market in a single go. Many of these have already been mentioned, leaked, or even revealed at trade shows. But now we've got company president, Jerry Shen, filling in the launch details. Starting in December, ASUS will begin launching tablets in 7-, 9-, 10-, and 12-inch form factors. The 12-inch model will run Windows on an Intel chipset and be ready for purchase in January. Of interest, Shen says that Microsoft assisted in the development by making several enhancements to related technologies including touch control and the user interface. In March ASUS will launch a pair of 7 inchers (one with WiFi and the other with "3.5G" and phone functions) and another pair of 9-inch tablets (an ARM-based Tegra 2 model running Android and another Wintel tablet) with a price gap of $100. Of course, we've see a 10-incher around as well. That means we should see a grand total of five or six tablets from ASUS at CES in January. Fun.

ASUS lays out Armdroid and Wintel tablet plans, we already feel overwhelmed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Liquid Metal gets official in the UK with Android 2.2 and Breeze UI

After seeing quite a few leaks, Acer just made its Liquid Metal handset official. The 3.6-inch slate runs Android 2.2 Froyo atop an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 processor. Inside all that molten metal you'll find 802.11n WiFi, support for 14.4Mbps HSDPA, DLNA/UPnP streaming support, Dolby Surround technology, and an image stabilized 5 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash capable of recording video at 720p (30fps). Acer's new handset also features a new Breeze UI and SocialJogger app that aggregates Twitter and Facebook feeds. Look for it to land in brown in the UK starting mid November for £299. A silver version should arrive in early December. Still no word on that AT&T compatible jobbie that passed through the FCC. One more image and the full press release after the break.

Continue reading Acer Liquid Metal gets official in the UK with Android 2.2 and Breeze UI

Acer Liquid Metal gets official in the UK with Android 2.2 and Breeze UI originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ amps up performance on RevoDrive X2 PCIe SSD: 740MB/sec, up to 120k IOPS

Blink, and you've probably missed it. Just four short months after we saw OCZ Technology's original RevoDrive reviewed (and subsequently adored), along comes revision two. The RevoDrive X2 PCI-Express SSD looks, feels and smells the same as the first, but the performance is obviously looking north. The unit we saw introduced at Computex was capable of hitting 540MB/sec, while the X2 pushes that to 740MB/sec and up to 120,000 IOPS -- "nearly triple the throughput of other high-end SATA-based solutions." Furthermore, this guy packs double the SandForce SF-1200 controllers (four versus two in the original), and it retains the onboard RAID 0 design that you've come to know and love. It's available as we speak in 100GB to 960GB capacities, but there's nary a mention of price; something tells us that you're probably not the target market if you have to ask.

Gallery: OCZ RevoDrive X2 PCI-Express SSD

Continue reading OCZ amps up performance on RevoDrive X2 PCIe SSD: 740MB/sec, up to 120k IOPS

OCZ amps up performance on RevoDrive ! X2 PCIe SSD: 740MB/sec, up to 120k IOPS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bang & Olufsen rolls out 32-inch BeoVision 10-32

It's still a long way from the more budget-friendly model you may have been hoping for, but Bang & Olufsen has now at least introduced a smaller BeoVision LCD TV. That comes in the form of the company's new 32-inch BeoVision 10-32, which hangs onto many of the features of the other BeoVision 10 series TVs, including edge LED-backlighting, a DVB-HD module, and a pair of built-in speakers that B&O says offers a sound quality that is "quite superior compared to the market level for TVs of this size" -- you can even add your choice of one of two motorized stands. Just how much will it cost you? Try €4,000, or roughly $5,500. Full press release is after the break.

Continue reading Bang & Olufsen rolls out 32-inch BeoVision 10-32

Bang & Olufsen rolls out 32-inch BeoVision 10-32 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Gives Gmail for iPhone Some Sweet Tweaks [Gmail]

The newest mobile Safari-optimized version of Gmail isn't a breakthrough, but offers some much appreciated improvements. Namely, a snappier, near-perfect inertial scroll, and a persistent toolbar that will follow you through your inbox for easier navigation. [Google Mobile Blog]

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Subaru-Powered, Jesus-Supporting Flying Car Gets FAA Approval [Video]

The I-Tec Maverick, a roadworthy dune buggy powered by a Subaru engine, has won the first certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for a flying car. Its first mission: Saving the Third World.

Steve Saint runs i-Tec, which stands for "indigenous people's technology and education center." A Christian missionary, Saint started the firm to solve technological problems for remote tribes of Central and South America, and spent six years working on the Maverick.

With a 170-hp, 2.4 liter Subaru four-cylinder built into a canvas-covered frame, the Maverick can run up to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds. But its real trick comes when it deploys a cloth wing on a 22-foot mast and takes flight. After years of testing, the FAA in September certified the Maverick as a "powered parachute." That's different than the Terrafugia and similar vehicles which are classified as roadworthy planes.

Saint says since the Maverick needs just 100 yards to take off, it could help missionary pilots and jungle tribes become self-sufficient without having to abandon their way of life. His current estimated price for a production Maverick is $80,000, but hopes that sales to recreational pilots drive down the cost.

CNN interviewed Saint and took a ride in the Maverick:

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Roku makes hardware and software available to license, embedded TVs can't be far out

Aw, suki suki now! Roku -- the guys responsible for taking over your living room -- just announced that it's making its hardware and software platform available to license. At first glance, you may assume this means little to nothing for consumers, but you're (hopefully) mistaken. If you'll recall, the Roku XD was rebranded in order to slip into Netgear's vast sales channels, but the software part of this equation has our interest very much piqued. We've already seen Vudu's software baked into a number of HDTVs, and we're envisioning a future filled with world peace, In-N-Out for all and Roku-embedded television sets. We'll take two outta three if we have to, though.

Continue reading Roku makes hardware and software available to license, embedded TVs can't be far out

Roku makes hardware and software available to license, embedded TVs can't be far out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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