Friday, July 06, 2012

New Pipe Design Turns Taking a Shower into an Energy-Generating Activity [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5923819/new-pipe-design-turns-taking-a-shower-into-an-energy+generating-activity

New Pipe Design Turns Taking a Shower into an Energy-Generating ActivityThe ES Pipe Waterwheel, designed by Korean innovator Ryan Jongwoo Choi, is a simple plumbing accessory that turns simple workaday activities—running a bath, washing your hands, hosing off the dog—into hydroelectricity generative tasks.

New Pipe Design Turns Taking a Shower into an Energy-Generating ActivityThe ES Pipe Waterwheel can be attached to most any standard water piping, simply by screwing it into place between any piping juncture. Once attached, generating energy is as simple as turning on the tap.

As water churns through the ES Pipe's interior waterwheels, hydroelectric energy accumulates and is stored in the removable bulbs that fit into the top of the pipe. When needed, the bulbs can be removed and used for light.

New Pipe Design Turns Taking a Shower into an Energy-Generating ActivityWhile developing the product, Choi researched certain African countries where access to a running water supply network is disproportionate to electricity. The ES Pipe Waterwheel is one proposed solution for energy saving in countries that need it. It has been named a finalist in the Industrial Designers Society of America's 2012 International Design Excellence Awards and is currently being pitched to product manufacturers for production. [Yanko Design via Inhabitat]

Read More...

This 9.7-Inch, Android 4.0 Archos Tablet Only Costs $250 [Tablets]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5923862/this-97+inch-android-40-archos-tablet-only-costs-250

This 9.7-Inch, Android 4.0 Archos Tablet Only Costs $250Archos might not be the first name you think of when it comes to tablets. But its latest offering, the 97 Carbon, seems to offer up respectable specs at the same time as being super-cheap.

Coming loaded with Android 4.0—you still have a little wait before you see anything but the Nexus 7 toting Jelly Bean—the slate packs a 9.7-inch 1024 x 768 display, a 1GHz ARM processor and 1GB of RAM. Elsewhere, there's front- and rear-facing cameras and 16GB of internal memory expandable via microSD.

All of which isn't hugely exciting but, dude, this thing costs $250. There are few tablets the size of an iPad for that kind of money so, if you need a bigger screen but are strapped for cash, maybe this is the solution?

Well, don't speak too soon. We've yet to see one in the flesh—they're due to become available by the end of July—but we have an inkling that the build quality might not be the finest you've ever encountered. Definitely worth seeing in person before you rush off to preorder the thing, then. [Business Wire via Verge]

Read More...

Samsung expects record earnings for Q2 thanks to all those Galaxy phone sales

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/05/samsung-q2-2012-earnings-projections-galaxy-s/

Samsung's complete earnings results for the April - June 2012 period won't come out until July 27th, but Reuters reports its early guidance to investors estimates the company's profit at a record 6.7 trillion won ($5.9 billion). That's mostly due to strong sales of the ever-expanding (and increasingly targeted by lawsuits) line of Galaxy smartphones. Sales forecasts are slightly below earlier estimates, and while there's no specific numbers for each division, a Bloomberg breakdown of analyst predictions suggests there should be more good news to go around later this month.

Continue reading Samsung expects record earnings for Q2 thanks to all those Galaxy phone sales

Samsung expects record earnings for Q2 thanks to all those Galaxy phone sales originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReuters, Samsung  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Blue Microphones Tiki USB mic now available at Best Buy, coming to Apple stores July 15th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/05/blue-microphones-tiki-now-available/

Blue Microphones Tiki now available at Best Buy, coming to Apple stores July 15th

Remember that miniature USB mic we saw back at CES from Blue? Well, the outfit just announced that the Tiki is hitting store shelves with the same $59.99 price tag we expected. The mobile recording peripheral is now available at Best Buy and is slated to hit Apple stores and other retailers at the month's half-way point. In case you're in need of a refresher, the diminutive unit features Intelligent Speech mode for recording interviews or meetings and Natural Recording mode for capturing your best Jack White guitar riffs. You can also expect proprietary noise cancelling technology, voice isolation and intelligent mute with the kit that is sized similar to a USB flash drive and connects via said ports. If you're itchin' for a closer look before adding one to your mobile recording setup, take a peek back at our hands-on for a few detail shots.

Continue reading Blue Microphones Tiki USB mic now available at Best Buy, coming to Apple stores July 15th

Blue Microphones Tiki USB mic now available at Best Buy, coming to Apple stores July 15th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use o! f feeds< /a>.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Skype's latest update for Windows and Mac apps fixes bugs, improves stability

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/06/skype-update-for-mac-and-windows/

Skype updates its Windows, Mac applications with stability improvements, bug fixes

Those of you who are frequent users of Skype on Windows, Mac or Linux will know that the Microsoft-owned video chat service is often rather busy pushing out updates to its desktop applications. And, you guessed it, today's no exception. Unlike in previous occasions, however, this time Skype's software goods are only for folks using Redmond or Cupertino machines -- but they're also quite diminutive, so the Linux crowd won't be missing out on too much. How so? Well, both versions (Mac 5.8, Windows 5.10) aren't really adding any fresh features, only bringing an undisclosed amount of "generic" bug fixes and some unspecified enhancements to keep the apps running smoothly. You can grab the updates now from either of the links below, or straight from the Skype application on your computer.

Skype's latest update for Windows and Mac apps fixes bugs, improves stability originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 02:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSkype (Mac), (Windows)  | Email this | Comments

Read More...