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Wednesday, April 06, 2011

App gives HTC Thunderbolt an LTE on / off switch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/05/app-gives-htc-thunderbolt-an-lte-on-off-switch/

Looking to save a bit of battery life on your Thunderbolt by dialing down those crazy LTE speeds from time to time? Then you now have a relatively easy way to do so courtesy of the new LTE OnOff app that's just hit the Android Market. That's apparently similar to a few other options available, but this one's free, and it will let you switch from LTE to 3G only with just three taps. Sound good? Hit up the link below to download it straight to your Thunderbolt.

App gives HTC Thunderbolt an LTE on / off switch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Branson launches Virgin Oceanic to explore the ocean's depths

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/05/richard-branson-launches-virgin-oceanic-to-explore-the-oceans-d/

Sir Richard Branson may have already branded his Necker Nymph aero submarine with the "Virgin Oceanic" moniker, but he's now finally taken things to the next logical (and ambitious) step. He's just announced a new, full-fledged venture of the same name, which promises to do to nothing short of dive to the deepest part of each of the Earth's five oceans -- all within the next two years, no less. That will be done with the one-manned sub pictured above, which was designed by Graham Hawkes and will be piloted by Chris Welsh on its first dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench later this year -- those two are Branson's partners in the venture, and Branson himself is set to pilot the sub on its second mission to the Puerto Rico Trench. Not surprisingly, one of the team's goals is to set a few world records, but they're also planning to conduct some scientific research along the way, and are already musing about future vehicles that could collect samples and allow for more extensive research. Head on past the break for a teaser video, although we're told it should not be assumed to reflect an actual mission.

Continue reading Richard Branson launches Virgin Oceanic to explore the ocean's depths

Richard Branson launches Virgin Oceanic to explore the ocean's depths originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect hack turns tourists into 3D souvenirs (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/05/kinect-hack-turns-tourists-into-3d-souvenirs-video/

As souvenirs go, a miniature replica of yourself -- striking a pose of your choosing on Barcelona's La Rambla street -- is a far sight more original than a bullfights-and-senoritas snow globe. This past January, the hilariously titled BlablabLAB enlisted three Kinects and a RepRap machine to snap passersby and render them into personalized tchotchkes, in a project called Be Your Own Souvenir. Subjects stood atop a small platform, mimicking the human statues on La Rambla, as the Kinects captured their likeness in full 360-degree glory. The resulting images were then processed as a mesh reconstruction, saved as a G-code file, and then fed through a 3D printer -- and voila, out popped the tiny statuettes. If you're a fan of flashy editing and Kinect-based street experiments, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Kinect hack turns tourists into 3D souvenirs (video)

Kinect hack turns tourists into 3D souvenirs (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba shows off 2011 HDTVs with the most local dimming LEDs, facial recognition, 3D and more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/05/toshiba-shows-off-2011-hdtvs-with-the-most-local-dimming-leds-f/

Toshiba's focus at CES was glasses free 3D displays, but it highlighted more conventional HDTVs today at an event in Rome. Its new TVs and laptops all tie in to Toshiba Places, which sorts out access to different types of apps for video, social networking, music and other areas and is ready to launch this month. Separating Toshiba from the competition is a slew of new technology and the top of the line 55ZL1 model checks all the boxes: Seven core CEVO CPU for image processing, a Pro-LED512 panel that is the world's first with 512 zones of dimming among 3,072 LEDs, Personal-TV facial recognition that picks up on which user is watching then personalizes to their preferred settings and active shutter 3D glasses.

The edge lit LED VL863 series will come in 47- and 42-inch versions featuring LG's FPR passive glasses 3D and four pairs of glasses, while the 32- through 46-inch UL863 drops 3D for built-in WiFi and Personal-TV. The SL863 series is the final step down, nixing built-in WiFi. Prices weren't listed but the new models should be shipping soon, until then you can find more details in the press releases linked below -- no word on the US-bound models yet.

Toshiba shows off 2011 HDTVs with the most local dimming LEDs, facial recognition, 3D and more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mozilla shames developers with list of slow performing Firefox add-ons

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/05/mozilla-shames-developers-with-list-of-slow-performing-firefox-a/

We know how Mozilla must feel. It spends every waking hour tweaking and perfecting Firefox to eke out as much performance as possible, only to see it all ruined by lousy add-ons that weigh the browser down like a block of cement. It's apparently now had enough, however, and has gone as far as to publish a list that exposes the worst offenders. As of this writing, the two biggest drags on the browser by far are the FoxLingo translator / dictionary and Firebug developer tool add-on which, according to Mozilla, each make the browser 74 percent slower to start up. That list is just part of a broader crackdown on poor performing add-ons. Mozilla says it's also instituting automated performance testing of the top 100 add-ons in its gallery, and that it will begin reaching out to developers directly to get them to improve performance (and even provide them with some new tools to help out). Hit up the link below to see how some of your favorite add-ons stack up.

Mozilla shames developers with list of slow performing Firefox add-ons originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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