Cyclists have a lot to be proud of — what with their terrific gams, above average lung capacity and eco-friendly locomotive choice. But tech isn’t exactly an area that falls under their outdoors-y province, unless they’re sporting one of Silverback’s Starke bicycles. The line of city bikes offers up four models for the two-wheel enthusiast, but it’s the Starke 1 and 2 that’s caught our gadget-obsessed attention. Included in the head tube of either bike’s frame is a USB port powered by a hub dynamo that’ll play nicely with any of your low-voltage devices. If you’re looking for an electric motor-assisted cruise , you’ll have to opt for the Starke 1, but otherwise both nine-speeders share the same nickel alloy frame and weigh in at roughly 30lbs. Sound like your kind of 21st century ride? Then hit the source link below for your personal Tour de high-tech bikes. Silverback’s Starke city bikes charge your gadgets, firm your thighs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Reports from the Japanese end of the internet are claiming that Famitsu magazine has the scoop on that Nintendo 3DS analog add-on we heard about last month. A page from the magazine (above) shows a rather meaty cradle hugging the sides of the stereoscopic clamshell, reportedly adding an R2 button in addition to a starboard circle pad. The plump peripheral may have been designed specifically for Monster Hunter Tri G , an unannounced (and unconfirmed) game that was leaked in the same issue. Famitsu made no mention of the reported hardware refresh that accompanied the last analog add-on rumor — and price, release date, and official confirmation from Nintendo area still AWOL, of course. Is this Nintendo’s 3DS joystick add-on? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve all been there, trying in vain to remove dust caked onto the fans of componentry inside our rigs. It’s mostly a fruitless endeavor, but here to save us from the horde of dust bunnies invading our graphics card is MSI’s dust removal technology. Available on the company’s “Lightning Xtreme” edition of the GTX580 , soot is annihilated by spinning that card’s fans at full throttle in reverse for thirty seconds after boot. That’s apparently an effective method for flinging accumulated grime off the spinners and (hopefully) into a spot you can actually reach. Unconvinced it’ll work? Well then, mosey on over to the source link bub, and prepare yourself for video proof of the fan-powered filth evisceration. MSI’s reverse fan tech keeps dust out, graphic cards chilled originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …TiVo Premiere Elite will bring quad tuners, 2TB storage to retail this year
September 6, 2011 No Comment
When TiVo announced its first quad tuner DVR, the Premiere Q , fans were devastated to learn it would only be available via cable operators, and that it featured a smallish 500GB hard drive. Fortunately, the company has rectified both of those issues by announcing the TiVo Premiere Elite, a quad tuner Series 4 DVR with 2TB of storage built that will be available through TiVo.com, Best Buy’s Magnolia stores and authorized home theater installers. There’s no word yet on price or an exact release date, as all of this is still pending a waiver from the FCC allowing TiVo to sell the box without any OTA or analog cable tuners, making this a digital cable (or Verizon FiOS) only experience. It’s also THX Certified and most of the press release is dedicated to focusing on the high end nature of the hardware TiVo is unleashing. Also unmentioned so far is any retail edition of the TiVo Preview multiroom extender box, but we should get some hands-on time with this quad tuner edition very shortly during CEDIA 2011. For now, just check out the press release, included after the break, and for our European readers Engadget Spanish has you covered on the launch of the TiVo Premiere for ONO in Spain. Update : The official TiVo.com/elite page is live, and reveals the price as $499 “with service”, $499 additional for a lifetime subscription. [Thanks @ PhilipSaad ] Gallery: TiVo Premiere Elite quad tuner DVR Continue reading TiVo Premiere Elite will bring quad tuners, 2TB storage to retail this year TiVo Premiere Elite will bring quad tuners, 2TB storage to retail this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …AT&T may get a discount if T-Mobile bid concessions prove too expensive
September 6, 2011 No Comment
When the DOJ blocked AT&T’s deal to snatch up T-Mobile, did you think Ma Bell would end up shelling out some ridiculous sum to lock things up? Well, the opposite may be the case — according to Bloomberg , the company can get a reduced rate if regulator’s requests become too pricey. A discount of sorts would be available to AT&T if the remedy to-do list surpasses 20 percent of the deal’s original $39 billion price tag (about $7.8 billion). Also of note here: the company could leave the proverbial table altogether if the concessions top the 40 percent mark, only owing a break-up penalty… and shelling out the $3 billion contingency fund to Deutsche Telekom AG. AT&T may get a discount if T-Mobile bid concessions prove too expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung Stratosphere makes its obligatory FCC visit, confirms membership in Verizon’s LTE club
September 6, 2011 No Comment
We know, the image above is hardly as detailed as the ones we glanced at this morning, but it has its measure of significance nonetheless. It’s a rough diagram of the Samsung SCH-i405 — a phone known to us as the Stratosphere — as it appears in FCC filings approved today. The documents’ mention of LTE band 13 (as well as CDMA / EVDO) seems to confirm rumors that suggest the aforementioned device will be coming to Verizon’s 4G network, likely sooner rather than later. If you’ve been eager to see an Epic 4G-esque QWERTY slider on the largest carrier in the US, this will be your golden opportunity. Of course, this may prove to be a drop in the bucket when compared to an impending flood of even more tempting handsets . Samsung Stratosphere makes its obligatory FCC visit, confirms membership in Verizon’s LTE club originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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While you were tastefully voicing your concerns over the latest changes to the original trilogy, THX exec Rick Dean let slip that the upcoming Star Wars Blu-ray release will feature the company’s new Media Director. The technology offers up metadata on the disc, allowing THX Media Director-enabled home theater devices like TVs and Blu-ray players to adjust to the appropriate settings. The decision to offer up the technology for the Star Wars release first is all about “keeping it in the family” for Lucasfilm, says Dean — because if there’s one thing Star Wars knows, it’s keeping it in the family, right? The Blu-ray release is set to September 16th. THX Media Director coming to Star Wars Blu-ray discs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Researchers demo full-duplex wireless: double the throughput with no new towers
September 6, 2011 No Comment
Back in February researchers at Stanford first taunted us with the possibility of simultaneous, two-way data transmission on the same frequency. Now some folks at Rice University are edging full-duplex communication closer to reality. By the time carriers get around to rolling out 4.5G networks, engineers could potentially double throughput without adding more cell towers and using only existing mobile hardware. With an extra antenna and some fancy software tricks, which allow the device to ignore locally produced signals, the Rice team was able to produce a connection ten-times stronger than previously published studies. Since the technology is based on existing MIMO setups, it may also prove the shortest route to asynchronous full-duplex transmissions. That means you’ll be able to upload ill advised videos of your drunken antics (and suffer the consequences) that much faster, without having to pause the latest Maru clip. Check out the PR after the break. [Image credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University] Continue reading Researchers demo full-duplex wireless: double the throughput with no new towers Researchers demo full-duplex wireless: double the throughput with no new towers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We know how it is. You have a laptop or monitor that’s finally bought it, so you decide to salvage it for parts that you’ll use someday . Well, here’s one decidedly inexpensive option for any spare LCD panels you might have lying around. As noted by Make , you can now buy a simple LCD controller on eBay for just $33, which will turn that panel (assuming it’s compatible) into a fully functional monitor without too much skilled required on your part — you’re on your own to make it presentable, though. How to turn a spare LCD panel into a working monitor for $33 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 20:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Bigger is certainly not better when it comes to the world’s first single-molecule electric engine, which measures in at one nanometer wide — for perspective, that lash hanging from your left eye is around 60,000 times larger. Single-molecule engines have been used for years, but the new method uses a low-temperature scanning tunneling microscope to power and control the molecule more effectively. In the future, scientists could use the technology for things like lab-on-a-chip devices , miniature medical testing equipment that require a motor to push fluid through tiny pipes. Tufts researchers responsible for the discovery warn that a practical application is still a ways off, but are hopeful that they’ll snag a Guinness world record , regardless. After hearing the news, both Pinky and The Brain are feeling entirely more confident about their lifelong goals. Scientists develop the world’s smallest single-molecule electric motor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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