Engadget for iPad now available!

Do you love Engadget? Do you love your iPad? Have you been longing for a day when the two would finally be together? Well guess what? That day has come. Yes, it's true, the Engadget iPad app is now live in the App Store and waiting for installation on every single iPad in existence. Like our previous iOS apps, you'll get a ton of the great features of the site formatted perfectly for mobile devices, but we think we've taken things a lot further on the Apple tablet, providing tons of new browsing, reading, and exploratory options which should keep you enraptured even if terrible things like a nuclear attack or zombie invasion start happening.

All of your news-reading, podcasting-listening, video-watching, comment-posting, Engadget-tipping fantasies are about to become reality, and the application supports sharing via Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and email, while also allowing you to save articles to the iPad (in-app), Instapaper, Read It Later, and Evernote. Quite frankly, it's awesome. The iOS 4-compatible app is available right now in the App Store, so don't wait one more second... go get it!

And before you ask -- yes, updates are coming for all of our other apps as well, including a new iPhone app with iOS 4 support, a BlackBerry update with OS 6 support, and for all you Windows Phone fans... a WP7 app for your new phone!

Engadget for iPad now available! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google TV gets a major update with new Netflix, movable Dual View, Android remote app support

The first update for the Google TV platform since its release is now available on Logitech and Sony devices, and takes major strides towards addressing issues we pointed out in our review. The antiquated Netflix app is now sporting a new HTML5 based UI that resembles the one seen on the PlayStation 3, while Dual View has addressed one of our biggest complaints by allowing users to move and resize the video window at will. Another major upgrade is support for an Android remote app arriving today with iPhone version "coming soon." The last major update should be appreciated by Kevin Bacon stalkers enthusiasts with a new info page for movies that pulls in plenty of relevant information and availability online and from the listings all on one page. Our Sony Google TV had the 218 MB update downloaded and ready to install when we turned it on that also promised a few other updates on top of Google's as seen above. We'll check back in a moment to see how things are working -- no word from Google yet on any progress breaking down the walls networks have put up around their streaming content -- peep the updated Dual View and a video of the new remote control app after the break.

Continue reading Google TV gets a major update with new Netflix, movable Dual View, Android remote app support

Google TV gets a major update with new Netflix, movable Dual View, Android remote app support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MetroPCS brings its LTE network to Boston, Sacramento, and New York City

Regional carrier MetroPCS is ticking three more checkboxes today as it keeps pushing its ongoing LTE network rollout, and they're big ones: on top of Sacramento, they've added Boston and none other than New York City. That makes the carrier second to launch LTE in the Big Apple -- Verizon's already there -- but you can't take away from the fact that MetroPCS beat the big guys with their first live commercial markets by several months. As for hardware, it's the same as usual: the Samsung Craft dumbphone is your only option, which means that if you're looking to blaze on your notebook with a next-gen USB stick, you're still going to have to head to Verizon anyway. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading MetroPCS brings its LTE network to Boston, Sacramento, and New York City

MetroPCS brings its LTE network to Boston, Sacramento, and New York City originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Shorts-Wearing Japanese Sprinter-Bot Runs Like a Human on Robotic Legs

The Japanese robot, named "Athlete," does not quite have the balance of a human yet

Japanese researcher Ryuma Niiyama's robot is quite literally making strides in the field of robotics. His running robot, named Athlete, can only make three to five steps before falling down, but the bipedal robot's gait is remarkably un-robotic, stemming from a musculoskeletal design that mimics human biology. With some further refinement, Niiyama may just create a robot sprinter that moves with agility and explosive speed of a human runner.

Athlete's legs each contain seven sets of artificial muscles with up to six pneumatic actuators each, each one designed as an analog to a muscle in the human leg. The lower legs are less complex though still scientifically sophisticated; each leg is fitted with the prosthetic sprinting "blades" worn by amputee runners. Completing his human mimicry, Athlete dons a pair of black running shorts.

An inertial measurement unit mounted on the torso helps Athlete keep its "body" oriented properly, while touch sensors on each foot give the 'bot a sensory feeling for where its feet are in a stride. Unlike traditional humanoids that run by changing the position of their joints, Athlete runs more like a human or animal, using its "muscles" and "tendons" to bounce off the ground and propel itself forward. Niiyama and colleagues are currently refining Athlete in the lab with hopes of moving their tests to an actual running track soon. So as you'll see in the video below Athlete is no Aimee Mullins, but it's taking steps in the right direction.

[IEEE Spectrum]

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IBM's TriviaBot Watson to Take on Ken Jennings in Man Vs. Machine Episode of Jeopardy

Alex, I'll take "OMG So Excited!!!" for $2,000

Watson, an artificial intelligence program created by IBM (and named after Thomas J. Watson, IBM's founder, not Sherlock Holmes's roommate), is designed as a question-and-answer bot, able to interpret and respond to questions posed in normal human language patterns. The natural use for such a program is, of course, the greatest game show that ever was or ever will be: Jeopardy!. In February, Watson will be facing off against two of Jeopardy!'s toughest competitors ever: Ken Jennings, whose 74-day winning streak was the longest in the show's history, and Brad Rutter, whose $3.3 million winnings are the show's highest.

Creating an AI that can compete on Jeopardy! is an incredibly difficult task for any programmer. The venerable show poses questions not only as simple shows of trivia knowledge, but also puns, various forms of wordplay, trick questions, riddles, and other complex queries. It takes uniquely flexible and quick thinking to succeed at Jeopardy!, placing Watson on a pedestal with chess-playing robot (and IBM sibling) Deep Blue.

On February 14th, Watson will go head-to-head-to-head on a very special episode of Jeopardy!, playing against trivia legends Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. (In case you were wondering, Watson's spot at the challenger podium will be taken by an avatar--no word on what strained anecdote Trebek will coax out of him and then casually mock.) Watson has been prepping for the battle by sparring with other Tournament of Champions competitors, though neither IBM nor Jeopardy! has released the trivia-bot's record against human competitors. You can see in the video above that some wordings can trip him up, so nobody knows exactly how capable a competitor he'll be.

The winner will receive $1 million--if Watson wins, IBM will donate the money to charity, and both of the human competitors have pledged to donate half the prize if either wins.

[IBM via AP]

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