Thursday, September 06, 2012

Premier Farnell, Sony, team up to move Raspberry PI manufacturing to the UK

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/06/raspberry-pi-made-in-the-uk-by-sony/

Premier Farnell, Sony team up to build Raspberry PI units in the UK

One of the biggest holdups to owning a Raspberry Pi was its stuttering availability, so much so that it even prompted a few copycat boards. Creator Eben Upton and equipment makers Premier Farnell might have found the solution, teaming up with Sony to produce an initial run of 300,000 of the educational computers at the company's UK Technology Center, in Pencoed, near Bridgend in Wales. Upton hopes to keep the cost at $25 and $35 for two boards, thanks to employing Sony's "lean manufacturing techniques," and the Japanese company has already spent £50,000 ($80,000) on new package-on-package assembly equipment -- ensuring that we'll all be able to get our hands on one soon enough.

Continue reading Premier Farnell, Sony, team up to move Raspberry PI manufacturing to the UK

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Premier Farnell, Sony, team up to move Raspberry PI manufacturing to the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers take full control of cockroach's movement, turn it into a wireless sensor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/06/researchers-guide-cockroach-wirelessly/

DNP Cockroaches

Built-in power supply? Check. Ability to survive anything? Check. Easy to control? Okay, anyone who's had a cockroach as an uninvited houseguest knows that's not the case. So, rather than re-inventing the biological wheel with a robotic version, North Carolina State university researchers have figured out a way to remotely control a real Madagascar hissing cockroach. They used an off-the-shelf microcontroller to tap in to the roach's antennae and abdomen, then sent commands that fooled the insect into thinking danger was near, or that an object was blocking it. That let the scientists wirelessly prod the insect into action, then guide it precisely along a curved path, as shown in the video below the break. The addition of a sensor could allow the insects to one day perform tasks, liking searching for trapped disaster victims -- something to think about the next time you put a shoe to one.

Continue reading Researchers take full control of cockroach's movement, turn it into a wireless sensor

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Researchers take full cont! rol of c ockroach's movement, turn it into a wireless sensor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid RAZR M and HD dev editions bring unlockable bootloaders to the Android party

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/05/droid-razr-m-and-hd-dev-editions-bring-unlockable-bootloaders-to/

Droid RAZR M and HD dev editions bring unlockable bootloaders to the Android party

Motorola just released three new consumer phones today, but the company didn't want to leave developers out in the cold, so it also quietly rolled out a pair of developer handsets. A mere $550 gets you on the list right now for a RAZR M Developer Edition set to be shipped next week direct from Moto, and you can sign up for updates on the availability of a forthcoming RAZR HD dev-friendly handset, too. Each phone will bring an unlockable bootloader and the promise of immediate software gratification, though Motorola hasn't set an availability date or price for the HD version just yet. You can get on the list for either device at the source links below.

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Droid RAZR M and HD dev editions bring unlockable bootloaders to the Android party originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony's 84-inch 4K Bravia XBR-84X900 goes up for pre-order tomorrow for $25,000

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/05/sonys-84-inch-4k-bravia-on-sale-for-$25k/

Sony's 84-inch 4K Bravia KD-84X900 goes up for pre-order tomorrow for $25,000

That stunning and gigantic Bravia that Sony unveiled at IFA, well, we finally have pricing and availability for this potential TV king. The 84-inch Bravia XBR-84X900 (aka the KD-84X9005) will go up for pre-order tomorrow, September 6th, for the jaw-dropping price of $25,000 (let us know when you've stopped hyperventilating). The edge-lit panel wont' be delivering full HD passive 3D entertainment to living rooms until later this fall, however. While orders can be placed less than 24 hours from now, shipments will have to wait until some undetermined day in November. Well, at least that should give you a few months head start on paying this monstrosity off... before the repo men eventually show up to take it off your hands.

Continue reading Sony's 84-inch 4K Bravia XBR-84X900 goes up for pre-order tomorrow for $25,000

Sony's 84-inch 4K Bravia XBR-84X900 goes up for pre-order tomorrow for $25,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola bringing RAZR M to Europe with Intel mobile chip

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/05/motorola-razr-m-europe-intel/

Motorola bringing Droid RAZR M to Europe with Intel mobile chip

If you liked the look of Motorola's recently-announced RAZR M, but reside on the other side of the Atlantic, you might get what you want -- with some internal changes. While Intel and Motorola's London event isn't for another two weeks, according to Pocket-lint, it'll possibly be a Medfield-powered version of Motorola's smallest new addition waiting for British phone-shoppers later this month. The Intel mobile processor would replace the Snapdragon S4 residing in the US version, but the rest of the phone's specification (and dimensions) will remain unchanged. We'll be checking in on this Intel iteration at its launch event on September 18th.

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Motorola bringing RAZR M to Europe with Intel mobile chip originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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