Switched On: Which connected TV box are you?

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Switched On presents a short quiz to determine your content-delivery personality.

It's most important that my on-demand entertainment:
a) is easy and accessible
b) is not blocked
c) is available at the optimum bitrate
d) offers a new navigation paradigm
e) advances the species

The place I usually find entertainment is:
a) the cloud
b) my PC
c) the NAS connected to my TV
d) the long tail of the Web
e) Madagascar

Continue reading Switched On: Which connected TV box are you?

Switched On: Which connected TV box are you? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon: LTE modem handoff has two-minute delay, fix (and Mac compatibility) on the way

Though we found Verizon's new LTE network pleasantly speedy in early testing, there are a few rough edges to the tech -- Verizon's USB modem have difficulty handing off connected users from an EVDO network to an LTE one, and of course, they don't yet work on Mac. However, Verizon's since admitted to both these issues and pledged to remedy the twain. "Hand-offs can take up to a couple minutes, but that was expected and a fix is in the works," it told Computerworld earlier today. "Mac is not yet supported, and we've been working on drivers for Mac OS for weeks, and expect to update relatively soon," a representative added. Now let's see the company bring some sense to the wild, wild west we call the 4G market.

Verizon: LTE modem handoff has two-minute delay, fix (and Mac compatibility) on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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World's smallest battery uses a single nanowire, plant-eating virus could improve Li-ion cells tenfold

When it comes to building better batteries, building electrodes with greater surface area is key, and scientists are looking to exotic methods to attract the tiny particles they need. We've already seen graphene and carbon nanotubes soak up those electrons, but the University of Maryland has another idea -- they're using the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) to generate usable patterns of nanorods on the surface of existing metal electrodes. By simply modifying the germ and letting it do its thing, then coating the surface with a conductive film, they're generating ten times the energy capacity of a standard lithium-ion battery while simultaneously rendering the nasty vegetarian bug inert.

Meanwhile, the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) at Sandia Labs was more curious how these tiny charges actually work without confusing the forest for the trees, so to speak, so a team of scientists set about constructing the world's smallest battery. Using a single tin dioxide nanowire as anode, a chunk of lithium cobalt dioxide as cathode, and piping some liquid electrolyte in between, they took a microscopic video of the charging process. See it in all its grey, goopy glory right after the break.

Continue reading World's smallest battery uses a single nanowire, plant-eating virus could improve Li-ion cells tenfold

World's smallest battery uses a single nanowire, plant-eating virus could improve Li-ion cells tenfold originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola's 10-inch Honeycomb tablet meets Mr. Blurrycam, shows off Verizon logo

By now you're probably familiar with this slate, seeing as how Google's Andy Rubin recently unveiled it on stage, but we're willing to bet you've never seen the top edge -- you know, the part now bearing a front-facing webcam and a conspicuous Verizon tattoo. Yes, this is Motorola's 10-inch Honeycomb tablet, and it's playing for Team Red just as foretold, though the tipster who obtained these images isn't sure whether it will bear the name Stingray, Everest or even potentially "Trygon." Spec-wise, we're told our previous tipster was right on the money, and it'll have a 1GHz Tegra 2 T20, a gyroscope and 32GB of storage underneath that 1280 x 800 multitouch screen, as well as 512MB of RAM and a slot for an up-to-32GB microSD card. It also sure looks like there's a micro-USB jack, a mini-HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone socket, as well as some contacts for a likely dock, though as always Mr. Blurrycam's handiwork is such that we can't quite tell. No matter -- see for yourself in the gallery below.

Update: What's that button on the back of the unit, right next to the speaker and dual LED flash? Why, it's the power toggle, of course.

Gallery: Motorola and Verizon's 10-inch Honeycomb tablet

[Thanks, wnrussell]

Motorola's 10-inch Honeycomb tablet meets Mr. Blurrycam, shows off Verizon logo originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IDEO constructs RFID turntable, hearkens back to mixtapes of yore (video)

Once upon a time, you could touch your music -- or at least caress a 7- or 12-inch vinyl disc -- but these days the cool kids stream MP3s (and OGGs, and APEs) off the internet. However, design studio IDEO recently decided to see if they could get back in touch with their audio roots, and -- taking a page right out of the industrial design treatise I Miss My Pencil -- they built the above machine. To put it simply, what you're looking at is a box filled with specially-angled Arduino Pro Mini boards constantly searching for RFID tags on top, and a set of cards each with two RFID tags, with each tag representing one song. When you drop one on the turntable, it begins playing within a second, thanks to the clever array of Arduinos underneath, and you and your High Fidelity soulmate can leave multiple cards on the table to create an impromptu mixtape, or, presumably, flip one of the "cassettes" to play Side B. It's a good thing IDEO isn't selling the device and packs of cards, because we're afraid we'd be compelled to collect them all, and our poor wallet doesn't need any more heartbreak. Don't miss the video below!

Continue reading IDEO constructs RFID turntable, hearkens back to mixtapes of yore (video)

IDEO constructs RFID turntable, hearkens back to mixtapes of yore (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 22:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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