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Monday, August 15, 2011

Inhabitat's Week in Green: electric airplanes, CO2-storing bricks and solar-powered bags

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/14/inhabitats-week-in-green-electric-airplanes-co2-storing-brick/

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

This week green architecture boldly went where no buildings have gone before as Inhabitat reported on Jordan's plans for a $1.5 billion Star Trek theme park that will be powered by alternative energy. We also showcased plans for a spiraling self-sufficient skyscraper that generates its own water, food, and power, and we took a first look at a shimmering office complex in India crowned with a digital eye. Meanwhile, GE launched a shining solar-powered carousel in Manhattan and a team of researchers developed a new breed of CO2-storing bricks that are 2.5 times stronger than concrete.

In other news, high-flying green vehicles charted the horizon as Pipistrel introduced the world's most powerful electric airplane and an incredible human-powered helicopter broke a world record. We also saw Ohio State unveil plans for the 400 MPH Buckeye Bullet 3 and we showcased designs for a stunning concept car with a segmented transforming skin. Autonomous vehicles were a hot topic as well -- London's Heathrow airport rolled out a set of electric personal transportation pods, and China's Hongqui unveiled a driverless car to compete with Google's vehicle (which crashed this week).

It was also a big week for wearable technology as researchers developed new breed of stick-on tattoos that can track body functions and we took a look at a sonic fabric bag made from recycled audio tapes. Finally, we got set for the start of the academic year by bringing you six of the best solar-powered bags, an innovative new breed of e-paper that doesn't require electricity, and we launched a blowout back to school contest where you could win $1155 in green school supplies -- including a photovoltaic backpack and a HP Pavilion laptop.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: electric airplanes, CO2-storing bricks and solar-powered bags originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, August 14, 2011

T-Mobile: overages on 200MB data plan in, throttling out

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/t-mobile-overages-on-200mb-data-plan-in-throttling-out/

Bad news T-Mobile fans: AllThingsD just confirmed that throttling on the 200MB plan is going the way of the dodo, with the carrier opting to charge overage fees instead. Under the new entry-level plan, those exceeding their monthly allotment will face a $0.10 overage per megabyte, until their penalties reach $30 -- the capped surcharge. The switchover won't happen until midnight tomorrow (the 13th), so those of you seeking to get grandfathered into the throttled plan better hop to it. Or you could just splurge on a pricier data plan, just like Little Magenta would want you to...

T-Mobile: overages on 200MB data plan in, throttling out originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiVo Premiere Elite quad-tuner DVR detailed, doesn't support OTA broadcasts

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/tivo-premiere-elite-quad-tuner-dvr-detailed-doesnt-support-ota/

Earlier this summer, we got wind of TiVo's plans to release its Premiere Elite DVR -- a retail version of the company's quad-tuner Premiere Q, which is only available directly through service providers. We knew to expect four tuners on the Elite as well, letting you record content from up to four channels at once. A leaked FCC document sheds a bit more light on the Elite, revealing two terabytes of recording capacity (for a whopping 300 hours of HD), digital cable compatibility (read: no OTA), and support for Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA), for networking with other MoCA-enabled devices in your home. Still missing, however, are a price tag and release date, though Zatz Not Funny predicts pricing to land in the $600-800 range, with a release this fall. $499 seems to be more on target, though, considering the Premiere XL's $299 price tag -- but even at $500, you better really love television if you're gunning to spend that much on a DVR.

TiVo Premiere Elite quad-tuner DVR detailed, doesn't support OTA broadcasts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/apple-patent-application-proves-that-steve-jobs-hates-fingerprin/

Steve Jobs doesn't like fingerprints any more than you do, and given the man's focus on aesthetic perfection, we suspect that smudged displays are the sort of thing that keeps him awake at night. Apple has certainly flirted with oleophobic anti-grease displays in the past, but a newly surfaced patent application takes the whole thing to a new level. "Direct Liquid Vaporization for Oleophobic Coatings" outlines an intense process for the application of a grease resistant coating, whereby the substance is "placed in a liquid supply system coupled to a vacuum chamber," pressurized, vaporized, and then deposited. Take that, finger grease.

Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid Bionic spotted in the wild, again, blurrycam still in full effect

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/droid-bionic-spotted-in-the-wild-again-blurrycam-still-in-full/

We're getting tired of all this teasing without any payoff, but when it comes Motorola's forthcoming dual-core Droid, we can't help ourselves. Just days ago we saw the Bionic's guts when it passed through the FCC, and now we've got fresh pics of the phone in the wild. This most recent sneak peek comes courtesy of Howard Forums user ceb unit, who posted a couple photos of the device after a Moto rep let a friend get handsy with the newest Droid. It's good to see civilians get their paws on one, but enough already, we want shots of this thing in the hands of some happy customers!

[Thanks, Tu Tran]

Droid Bionic spotted in the wild, again, blurrycam still in full effect originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EES packs circuits into temporary tattoos, makes medical diagnostics fashionable

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/12/ees-packs-circuits-into-temporary-tattoos-makes-medical-diagnos/

Flexible circuit pioneer John Rogers and his team are at it again. This time he's developing a wearable, ultra-thin circuit that attaches to your skin just like a temporary tattoo. The Epidermal Electronic System (EES) consists of circuits which could contain electrodes capable of measuring brain, heart and muscle activity in the same way an EEG does now, transmitting this data wirelessly to your doctor. Because it's flexible and bonds to the skin, it can be worn for extended periods, unlike traditional diagnostic pads used in hospitals today. In the lab, the devices were solar-powered with embedded photovoltaic cells -- heavier duty circuits would require inductive charging to be practical. Rogers' team also looked into the tech acting as a game controller (they wired it up to someone's throat and played Sokoban with voice commands, still managing to yield a 90 percent accuracy rate), but it's some way off from replacing your SIXAXIS. One of the problems encountered concerned RF communication -- perhaps they should get on the horn to their friends in Oregon and build those fashionable diagnostic pants we're eagerly waiting for.

EES packs circuits into temporary tattoos, makes medical diagnostics fashionable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firefox 6 breaks out ahead of schedule, gets official August 16th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/13/firefox-6-breaks-out-ahead-of-schedule-gets-official-august-16t/

It looks like the sly fox is ready to make its worldwide debut a few days early. In typical Mozilla fashion, a complete build of Firefox 6 is now unofficially available for your downloading pleasure, three days ahead of schedule. If you're looking for a major facelift to the desktop edition, you won't find one here -- most of the new features aren't cosmetic. Perhaps most visibly, you'll find the domain name of the page you're parked on highlighted in the address bar. On the Android side, version 6 makes much bigger promises, like a "fresh visual style in Chrome Gingerbread," enhanced image scaling, and, perhaps most importantly, it's "faster and uses less memory." We've downloaded the desktop version of the browser ourselves, and we've found the release quite snappy. If you're not afraid of a little pre-release downloading, you can catch the (desktop) fox at the source links below. And as per usual, please let us know how it's treating you.

Firefox 6 breaks out ahead of schedule, gets official August 16th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 14:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony announcing three NEX lenses on August 24th?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/13/sony-announcing-three-nex-lenses-on-august-24th/

Last month we fell in love with a camera. Specifically, the Sony NEX-C3. We were so enamored with its lilliputian body and stunning image quality that we gave it a "9," declared it nearly perfect and promptly began recommending it to everyone we know. But if there's one thing we thought needed improvement, it was the selection of lenses. Well, it looks like we had nothing to fret about -- a series of leaked shots suggest the outfit's had at least three in the works all along. According to the shots, originally posted in DPReview, we're looking at a 50-210mm / F4.5-6.3 zoom lens and fixed 50mm / F1.8 and 24mm / F1.8 numbers. Though the poster stopped short of revealing any pricing info, he seems confident Sony will announce them on August 24th. Now, while we typically take rumors with a grain of salt, it turns out that the tipster who posted these shots is none other than "Eddieaus," the same guy who splattered forums with pictures of the VAIO Z next to its external Power Media Dock -- the same press photos, in fact, that Sony unveiled days later. So we're inclined to believe NEX loyalists are about to get a few new pieces of glass to play with. And if that rumored August 24th launch date is also on the money, you won't have to wait too long to find out how many pretty pennies they'll cost.

Sony announcing three NEX lenses on August 24th? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sony NEX Talk Forum | source

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OEMs to spend more on semiconductors for wireless devices than computers in 2011

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/14/oems-to-spend-more-on-semiconductors-for-wireless-devices-than-c/

Well, if you didn't believe that we live in a post-PC world before, the latest report from IHS iSuppli should help persuade you. According to its research, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will have spent $55.4 billion on semiconductors for phones and tablets in 2011, as compared to just $53.1 billion on PC silicon. Of course, as the chart above shows, OEMs spent more money on wireless devices in 2008 and 2009. But, after an interlude of PC primacy in 2010, it looks like mobile's where the money's at for the foreseeable future -- can't say we didn't warn you.

Continue reading OEMs to spend more on semiconductors for wireless devices than computers in 2011

OEMs to spend more on semiconductors for wireless devices than computers in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Aug 2011 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CHART OF THE DAY: What's Inside The iPhone, And How Much It Costs (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-iphone-4-cost-breakdown-2011-8

Here's an interesting look at what's inside the iPhone and how much it costs from The Economist.

As you'll notice, Samsung provides 26% of the parts for the phone. Apple is currently suing Samsung and accusing it of ripping off the look and feel of Apple products. Granted, they're separate divisions at Samsung, but it has to make the relationship between the two companies awkward.

Another thing to note in this breakdown: It costs Apple just $178 in components for a phone that sells at an average price of $560.

chart of the day, iphone 4 cost breakdown, aug 2011

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Friday, August 12, 2011

Remains of the Day: Chrome OS Updates to Support Netflix, Kindle, and Cloud Print [For What It's Worth]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5830170/remains-of-the-day-gaming-on-google%252B-goes-live

Google adds games to it's social network, LinkedIn updates its privacy settings to allow for the use of your likeness in its advertisements, and Facebook updates the ordering of your friends in the chat bar.

Google Launches Games for Google+: Google's Social Network has added games like Angry Birds and Bejeweled to the service; the gaming options are rolling out to all users over the next few days. [Google Blog]
LinkedIn Changes Privacy Settings: Head to your profile page to disable a new profile setting, on by default, that allows the company and its partners to use your name and pictures in their advertising. [Brand Impact via Gizmodo]
Facebook Makes More Changes to Your Chat Bar: Now friends you interact with most frequently are in their own category at the top of the redesigned chat bar. [Mashable]
Google Makes Lots of Improvements to Chromebooks: Google adds Netflix and Kindle Cloud Reader compatibility, Google Cloud Print, and faster start-up times to their Chromebooks. [Chrome Blog]
Twtrland Provides Details Of Users Posting Habits: Enter a Twitter username into the twtrland search box and the service will return detailed analytics about the user's Twitter stream including post frequency and a chart of what types of content they post. [twtrland via Mashable]
Retrieve Your PC's Serial Number With Windows Command: If you need to know your Windows computers model number or serial number but can't find or reach where it is printed on the hardware you can run the WMIC command from the start menu to find out. [Digital Inspiration]

China Has a Secret: 22 More Fake Apple Stores [Apple]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5830250/china-has-a-secret-22-more-fake-apple-stores

Three of the five fake Apple stores in Kunming, China, were allowed to stay open because they had the right business permits, but what's the fate of these 22 extra stores just discovered in the same city?

It doesn't look good for them, as the Chinese Administration for Industry and Commerce has told them to cease using the Apple logo, and a telephone hotline for complaints has been set up so customers can whinge about how tricked they feel.

While it's not actually known if the 22 stores were selling fake Apple products or the real thing like the five first stores discovered, they're still using Apple's likeness illegally, which the Chinese are taking a surprisingly tough stance about. [Reuters]

Dell announces Vostro V131 with USB 3.0, Core i3 and i5 CPUs and a chiclet keyboard

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/11/dell-announces-vostro-v131-with-usb-3-0-core-i3-and-i5-cpus-and/

There's a fine debate going on as we speak about Dell's back-to-school consumer laptops, but personally, we've always had a soft spot for Dell's small business-focused Vostro line. The outfit's just announced a new addition to the lineup, the 13.3-inch V131, and while it doesn't look that different from the last-gen V130, it offers all the spec bumps you'd expect from a laptop announced in mid-2011. With this generation, you get Sandy Bridge Core i3 and i5 processor options, two USB 3.0 ports and a user-replaceable six-cell battery that promises up to 9.5 hours of juice. If you wanted, you could add up to a 320GB 7200RPM hard drive, which we suspect might not be enough storage space for some folks. The resolution, meanwhile, is 1366 x 768 -- typical for budget notebooks. Like we said, the design isn't anything ground-breaking, but Dell did move to a chiclet layout for the keyboard, which you can configure with backlighting if you're so inclined. We're not going to lie, that $499 starting price at the source link seems tempting, given the good-looking mag-alloy chassis and those twin USB 3.0 sockets, though you'll have to pay an extra hundred bucks to step up from the base dual-core Celeron processor. Fancy schmancy product shots below, and full PR after the break.

Gallery: Dell Vostro V131

Continue reading Dell announces Vostro V131 with USB 3.0, Core i3 and i5 CPUs and a chiclet keyboard

Dell announces Vostro V131 with USB 3.0, Core i3 and i5 CPUs and a chiclet keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel Ultrabooks get $300 million investment fund, prep for low-carb diet

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/11/intel-ultrabooks-get-300-million-investment-fund-prep-for-low/

Intel Capital has stumped up $300 million to "drive innovation" in the burgeoning Ultrabook market. The cash will go to projects that refine user interaction (hint: more touchscreens), reduce power consumption and create devices no thicker than 21mm (0.8-inches). Intel is clearly hoping to lure back all those customers who have ditched laptops for tablets by undercutting the popular Samsung Series 9 and Macbook Air. The company's new mantra? "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels".

Intel Ultrabooks get $300 million investment fund, prep for low-carb diet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Surface-controlled robots to boldly go where rescuers have gone before (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/11/microsoft-surface-controlled-robots-to-boldly-go-where-rescuers/

Ready to get hands-on in the danger zone -- from afar? That's precisely what an enterprising team of University of Massachusetts Lowell researchers are working to achieve with a little Redmond-supplied assistance. The Robotics Lab project, dubbed the Dynamically Resizing Ergonomic and Multi-touch (DREAM) Controller, makes use of Microsoft's Surface and Robotics Developer Studio to deploy and coordinate gesture-controlled search-and-rescue bots for potentially hazardous emergency response situations. Developed by Prof. Holly Yanco and Mark Micire, the tech's Natural User Interface maps a virtual joystick to a user's fingertips, delegating movement control to one hand and vision to the other -- much like an Xbox controller. The project's been under development for some time, having already aided rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina, and with future refinements, could sufficiently lower the element of risk for first responders. Head past the break for a video demonstration of this life-saving research.

Continue reading Microsoft Surface-controlled robots to boldly go where rescuers have gone before (video)

Microsoft Surface-controlled robots to boldly go where rescuers have gone before (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Microsoft Research Connections Blog | source

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