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‘Steeper’ project aims to boost electronics’ power efficiency by 10x, eliminate vampire power

A research project with the lofty goal of reducing electronics’ power consumption by ten times and virtually eliminating so-called vampire power may not ordinarily stand the best chance of being taken seriously, but this new initiative dubbed “Steeper” isn’t exactly your ordinary research project. Led by IBM and the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (or EPFL ), the EU-funded project will use nanotechnology in an attempt to reduce power consumption at the level of transistors and nanowires, with the ultimate goal being to reduce the operating voltage to less than 0.5 volts, thereby reducing overall power consumption by one order of magnitude. As you can see from the helpful chart above, simply cutting back on vampire power alone could put a big dent in power consumption, and the researchers also note that the project would obviously not only benefit consumer electronics, but super computers and other big sources of power consumption as well. Head on past the break for the complete press release. Continue reading ‘Steeper’ project aims to boost electronics’ power efficiency by 10x, eliminate vampire power ‘Steeper’ project aims to boost electronics’ power efficiency by 10x, eliminate vampire power originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Passport IQ GPS throws a radar detector into this law evading mix

You know we’ve seen our share of GPS units , the occasional radar detector , and even a radar detector that incorporates GPS functionality to keep on top of speed traps. The kids at Escort, however, are throwing us “the world’s first fully integrated driving accessory.” (Whatever that means!) Passport IQ is a 5-inch, full-color, voice controlled touchscreen GPS unit featuring NAVTEQ 3D maps and live traffic. If that weren’t enough, this bad boy also sports protection against radar, laser, red light, and speed camera ticketing. If only we hadn’t had our license revoked by the state of Rhode Island back in ’04! (Long story.) PR after the break. Continue reading Passport IQ GPS throws a radar detector into this law evading mix Passport IQ GPS throws a radar detector into this law evading mix originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Munk Bogballe debuts Classic Bespoke luxury laptop line: $7,000 and way, way up

With a name like Munk Bogballe, it has to be pricey… right? Right. 2.5 years after launching what’s likely the most expensive MacBook of all time , the aforesaid purveyor of fine, fine mobile computers has introduced its Classic Bespoke collection — at the Millionaire Fair in Moscow, no less. So, what does a base price of €5,200 ($7,180) buy you? A 5.1 pound slab of aluminum, accented with lush leather, a mahogany screen frame, freshwater pearl on / off button and oodles of gold. Oh, and a single line of diamonds, presumably for squeezing out six to ten more frames per second out of Portal . You may also expect to get only the latest and greatest when it comes to technology, but you’d be badly mistaken; the standard configuration ships with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and a paltry 500GB hard drive. If you’re hot for an SSD, ostrich leather or an 18 carat gold power button, that’ll be extra. Not like you really care, Mr. Millionaire. Gallery: Munk Bogballe launches Classic Bespoke luxury laptop line Continue reading Munk Bogballe debuts Classic Bespoke luxury laptop line: $7,000 and way, way up Munk Bogballe debuts Classic Bespoke luxury laptop line: $7,000 and way, way up originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011?

Underwhelmed by the feeling of sameness with the Pre 2 ? Well, you may or may not be in luck; Chinese-based CENS.com is reporting that manufacturers Foxconn and Compal now have contracts to manufacturer up to six new Palm devices for 2011. That boils down to one for Compal, and either four or five for Foxconn. We’d venture a guess that PalmPad’s at least one of those, seeing as it’s due early next year, but what about the others? Whatever (stackable) cards HP / Palm have in hand aren’t exactly being laid out, and while we can’t confirm this report ourselves, rest assured, we’re hoping really hard that there’ll be more webOS options with non-pebble form factors. HP contracts 5 or 6 new Palm devices for 2011? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 14:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Sprint’s Hesse commits to phasing out iDEN

Echoing sentiments of Sprint’s senior VP of networks from last month, CEO Dan Hesse has said that the company will be saying goodnight to its aging push-to-talk network — iDEN — that it inherited from its Nextel acquisition several years ago, “just like 1G was shut down.” Of course, the difference between 1G cellular and iDEN is that iDEN still holds a very unique position in the wireless marketplace: even though it sucks for data, it’s really the only popular, successful way to route push-to-talk over a cell network of any kind. To that end, the company is actively soliciting bids to build out CDMA 1X Advanced right now, which may allow the company to have another go at moving its PTT services over to a CDMA-based technology (the first attempt, QChat , already failed). In the meantime, Hesse says that the company is putting most of its marketing efforts into attracting customers to its CDMA airwaves, not its iDEN ones, in the hopes that they’ll be able to smooth out the transition and free up iDEN spectrum for other services. It’s had a good run, hasn’t it? Sprint’s Hesse commits to phasing out iDEN originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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UI Centric cancels Macallan UI project for Windows 7 tablet

Waiting for a Windows 7 tablet PC with the page-turning Macallan UI on board? Don’t hold your breath, because UI Centric tells us the project has been canceled and isn’t talking details. Though a July press release claimed the touchscreen interface was slated for an undisclosed tablet in Q3 of this year, that document has since been pulled, so it’s probably safe to say that deal fell through. Still, the company informs us that there’s a new announcement on the way, and we hate to dismiss vaporware out of hand — if you’ve got a spare diving-class oxygen tank or three, perhaps you can afford to breathe in. [Thanks, Brian] UI Centric cancels Macallan UI project for Windows 7 tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Sennheiser expands gaming headset line, brings the top-shelf PC 360 Stateside

Sennheiser is well known in the slightly more budget-conscious wing of the audiophile community for selling great headsets at prices that won’t drop your credit rating by more than a few points. Of late the company has been making waves in the gaming community as well by throwing microphones onto those cans, and now four new models are shaking the pool even more. First and biggest is the $299 PC 360, available overseas for a few months but finally hitting the US and building upon the success of the PC 350 . It looks to borrow the open design of the company’s well regarded HD555 headset, adding a mic on the left that mutes itself when you pivot it up and a volume dial on the right. The $239 PC 333D model offers a similar design but with more isolating closed cups, mixing in pseudo 7.1 Dolby Headphone, while the $169 PC 330 looks much the same minus the faux surround. Finally, and smallest of the bunch, is the $209 PC 163D, which again offers pretends at 7.1 but in a design that might be a little more… flattering for gamers with smallish heads. None is exactly affordable , but all should rock your world, and all are available now. Gallery: Sennheiser gaming headsets Continue reading Sennheiser expands gaming headset line, brings the top-shelf PC 360 Stateside Sennheiser expands gaming headset line, brings the top-shelf PC 360 Stateside originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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HP Envy 17 3D laptop now available starting at $1599

If you’ve been kept awake at night wondering when the HP Envy 17 3D laptop would finally be available for purchase, well you’ll have sweet dreams tonight. HP’s officially thrown this bad boy up on its website for all those out there whose laptops are just too… two dimensional. If you’ve forgotten, the Envy 17 3D boasts a 17.3-inch 3D Ultra BrightView display, packs AMD’s 3D tech, and it comes with active shutter glasses. Specwise, you get a choice of Intel Core i7 processors, ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, a wide range of hard drive options and Windows 7 operating systems. The base configuration comes with a $1,599 price tag. In other HP availability news, the Wireless TV Connect device, which will stream 1080p video from your laptop to your HDTV, is also up for order for $199.99. Hit up the source link if you’re ready to start shopping. HP Envy 17 3D laptop now available starting at $1599 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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The PlayStation Phone is still real

By now you’ve seen our photos of the PlayStation Phone , and likely you’ve also heard the scattered reports of debunkings and cries of “fake!” — it wouldn’t be a scoop without it. Only here’s the thing: the PlayStation Phone in the photos we ran last night, and the device reported on back in August is most definitely real. We’re not saying that because we want to believe or because we’re gingerly trying to nab pageviews: we’re saying it because we know it to be true. This is a device which has been confirmed through multiple, trusted sources . And we’re not just talking good tipsters — some of our information comes from people much more closely connected to the project. Even since last night we’ve received more info about the phone — learning that its codename is “Zeus,” and it was last seen running Android 2.X (not 3.0, which we suspect will be the shipping version). It should be obvious by comparison of our original mockup to the real photos we’ve just uncovered that the handset we described in August is the same handset now fully revealed. Prior to last night, we had never seen an actual image of the phone . It should also be obvious that the device pictured in those photos is a prototype running early software (which would explain the A / B button mention in the photo above) with hardware that was likely hand-built, or at the very least created in a very small batch. Based on what we’ve heard about the secrecy of this plan, it makes sense that even Sony’s own employees wouldn’t be privy to information on the phone, the marketplace, and the collaboration with Google. The alleged Sony response to the device makes that somewhat clear — reports state that an employee originally told a publication that the images were fake, only to backtrack and deliver the standard corporate line that the company “doesn’t respond to rumor and speculation.” It’s possible that whomever was originally questioned either didn’t know of the device’s existence, was lying about its existence, or simply had their response taken out of context. And that brings us to our point — while there will be plenty of speculation on whether or not what we’ve shown you is real, we would never run the images or the information without a healthy sense that we were bringing you fact, and not fiction. We don’t like to boast, but as the guys and girls who brought you the first pictures and review of the Nexus One, the first details and images of the Dell Venue Pro (aka Lightning), the first pictures of the new MacBook Air , the first photos of the iPad , and the first photos of the iPhone 4 , we feel pretty confident in our abilities to deliver the goods . Of course, this story is just beginning — so hold on tight. Gallery: The PlayStation Phone Gallery: PlayStation Phone details The PlayStation Phone is still real originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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University of Chicago, Cornell researchers develop universal robotic gripper

Robotic hands are usually just that — hands — but some researchers from the University of Chicago and Cornell University (with a little help from iRobot ) have taken a decidedly different approach for their so-called universal robotic gripper. As you can see above, the gripper is actually a balloon that can conform to and grip just about any small object, and hang onto it firmly enough to pick it up. What’s the secret? After much testing, the researchers found that ground coffee was the best substance to fill the balloon with — to grab an object, the gripper simply creates a vacuum in the balloon (much like a vacuum-sealed bag of coffee), and it’s then able to let go of the object just by releasing the vacuum. Simple, but it works. Head on past the break to check it out in action. [Thanks, Jeremy] Continue reading University of Chicago, Cornell researchers develop universal robotic gripper University of Chicago, Cornell researchers develop universal robotic gripper originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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