One of the major points of confusion related to Microsoft’s new controller-less Xbox 360 Kinect gaming system is the perceived lack of seated gameplay, largely driven by those early demos that required a standing player. At the time, Kinect’s sensor was keying off the base node located at the bottom of the spine to create its skeletal models. As of a few months ago, Microsoft updated its software libraries to key off the base of the neck, thus avoiding any ambiguity caused by the player’s motionless knees or feet obscuring a spine stuffed into the opaque comfort of the living room sofa. At least that’s what Blitz Games Studios co-founder and CTO Andrew Oliver told Eurogamer . Unfortunately, the motion-sensing changes for lazy-bone play come too late for Kinect’s early November launch titles (burdened with writing their own software for seated play) but “games going forward won’t have a problem,” says Oliver. Microsoft Kinect will work just fine for seated gameplay originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Dell Studio XPS 14, 15 and 17 packing NVIDIA Optimus lunch for imminent launch?
October 18, 2010 No Comment
It would seem Dell’s suffered another of its signature pre-release leaks , as the folks over at Logicbuy have a full trio of new laptops from Round Rock to tease us with. The three new Studio machines — imaginatively titled the XPS 14, XPS 15, and XPS 17 — are said to come with anodized aluminum shells and brushed aluminum palm rests, NVIDIA Optimus switchable graphics (up to the GeForce GTS 445M on the XPS 17) and options for Blu-ray drives, 16GB of RAM, and Core i7 CPUs. The accompanying pictures of each laptop are what leads us to believe Logicbuy has simply stumbled upon some prematurely published Dell pages, which in turn leads to the deduction that their proper launch can’t be too far away. Sherlock Holmes, eat your stony heart out. Dell Studio XPS 14, 15 and 17 packing NVIDIA Optimus lunch for imminent launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 04:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …KDDI crafts gorgeous see-thru designer phone with LED sub-display and dual-mode radios (video)
October 18, 2010 No Comment
KDDI launched a wave of new phones this morning, but this is the one we really want to hold — it’s called the X-RAY, and it’s one of two debut products in the company’s Iida designer brand. Crafted by Tokujin Yoshioka, it’s a high-end Japanese clamshell with a 1-Seg TV tuner, NFC payments, and an 8 megapixel camera — you know, the usual — but with a translucent case (also available in blue and black) that leaves nothing to the imagination. There’s a QSD8650 CDMA-ready Snapdragon in there, a GSM radio as well, a 7 x 102 pixel LED scrolling sub-display to display alerts and notifications, plus all the requisite chips and wires beautifully laid out. It’ll be on display in Harajuku this Tuesday, but there’s no word on availability or price quite yet. However, given that the prime accessory for the X-RAY is a solid crystal stand that makes the phone look like it’s floating on air, we probably don’t want to know. Video after the break. Gallery: KDDI X-RAY press pics Continue reading KDDI crafts gorgeous see-thru designer phone with LED sub-display and dual-mode radios (video) KDDI crafts gorgeous see-thru designer phone with LED sub-display and dual-mode radios (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint promises WiMax in NYC on November 1, LA on December 1, and San Francisco a few weeks later
October 18, 2010 No Comment
The fact that Sprint and Clearware have teamed up to deliver WiMax to New York, LA, and San Francisco isn’t news . In fact, we’ve already seen the networks light up in operational readiness modes on the way to full consumer availability. But now we’ve got dates, the first specifics that we can recall for these cities. Now, according to both Clearwire and Sprint, New York’s WiMax service will go live on November 1st, LA’s on December 1st, and San Francisco sometime around the end of December. We’ll see if those early 5Mbps to 7Mbps download / 1.2Mbps upload speeds we’ve experienced can be maintained once the service meets the crush of the big city horde. Of course, this is nothing but good news for wireless consumers who’ll also see Verizon light up its competing LTE network in these cities (38 in total) at about the same time. Sprint promises WiMax in NYC on November 1, LA on December 1, and San Francisco a few weeks later originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 02:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s getting pretty clear that T-Mobile is rethinking its mobile data strategy, what with all the prepaid plans , data throttling and WiFi calling going on, and TmoNews says it isn’t done shaking things up — the carrier will reportedly introduce a 200MB data plan specifically for smartphone owners at $10 a month. Before you voice your hatred of tiered data pricing, know that Magenta will reportedly retain the existing $30 unlimited data plan, unlike its blue-and-white rival , and customers who pick the cheaper option will apparently be able to upgrade on the fly. If and when the option debuts in November, it could make that next batch of smartphones all the more accessible. Perhaps you’ll be able to afford an LG Optimus T for the young’uns after all. T-Mobile to intro $10 data plan for smartphone data lightweights? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 01:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pandigital takes a second shot at digital reading with the Novel Personal eReader
October 18, 2010 No Comment
Second time’s got to be the charm, eh Pandigital ? No, we weren’t exactly the biggest fans of the company’s Android-running, LCD e-reader , but its new e-ink based Novel Personal eReader definitely follows a simpler approach. Aimed at those that wish to read in any and all environments (see Amazon’s latest commercial for that real life example), the 9.1-ounce device has a 6-inch Sipex/AUO ePaper touch display, integrated WiFi, access to Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore, an accelerometer and 2GB of onboard storage / a built-in card reader that accepts up to 32GB cards. Not too shabby in terms of raw specs, that’s for sure, but its functionality better be damn impressive for its $200 MSRP — considering, you know, that Barnes & Noble’s own WiFi-equipped Nook starts at $149 these days . Of course, we fully expect that price to drop once it hits those familiar big-box retailers, but until you see it in that colorful weekend circular we leave you with the full press release and press shots below to look over. Gallery: Pandigital Novel Personal eReader Continue reading Pandigital takes a second shot at digital reading with the Novel Personal eReader Pandigital takes a second shot at digital reading with the Novel Personal eReader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pleo Reborn detailed by Innvo CEO, one lucky fan finds and buys the tiny dino (video)
October 18, 2010 No Comment
Innvo Labs wasn’t sharing a single detail about its new Pleo at CES last year, but the company’s being a bit more forthcoming now — not only did CEO Derek Dotson grant the baby dino community a lengthy interview detailing most every improvement last week, but its Hong Kong parent is apparently already selling the robot abroad. It’s called the Pleo Reborn (or “RB” for short) and the primary features are these: a lithium-polymer battery good for two hours of continuous use, a much tougher hide, and an RFID “sense of smell” that lets it interact with a variety of optional accessories to “eat,” take medicine for virtual injuries and learn new tricks as you go. The little creature’s also got four additional touch sensors, a temperature sensor, a gravity sensor and an internal clock to tell the time of day, improved motors, and basic voice recognition — and the Hong Kong packaging suggests the dinos will even come in two different sexes. User marcimarc444 claims to have paid roughly $500 for the one pictured above at the Hong Kong Electronic Show, and though we don’t have US pricing or availability at this point, the CEO did suggest that “very, very limited” quantities would be available later this month. Find the full interview and a testimonial at the links below, and watch the Pleo RB in action right after the break. [Thanks, Michael W.] Continue reading Pleo Reborn detailed by Innvo CEO, one lucky fan finds and buys the tiny dino (video) Pleo Reborn detailed by Innvo CEO, one lucky fan finds and buys the tiny dino (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the world’s largest laser fired, icy roof tiles admired, faucet lamps inspired
October 18, 2010 No Comment
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 scientists took a step towards unlocking the holy grail of alternative energy as they unleashed a one megajoule test blast from the world’s largest laser . We were also excited to see the DOI give the green light for the first solar-thermal power tower in the United States, and we saw big things brewing beneath West Virginia as a project funded by Google discovered massive geothermal vents that could double the state’s energy generation capacity. Not to be outdone, Oregon announced plans for a 845 megawatt wind farm that stands to be the largest in the world. We also watched the world of architecture heat up – literally – as Soltech unveiled a set of glimmering glass roof tiles that can capture solar energy to heat your home. We also checked in on the development of Masdar, the world’s first carbon neutral zero-waste city , and we were shocked and appalled by the recently completed largest and most expensive house in the world . In other news, this week we showcased a dazzling array of energy-efficient lights – from an amazing animated LED pillar to a set of liquid lights made from recycled faucets to a chandelier decked out with luminous dandelions . We also kicked up our heels for a vending machine that dispenses biodegradable shoes and we saw a set of ghetto-fabulous boom boxes made from old suitcases hit the streets. Finally, we rounded up a gaggle of our favorite smartphone games that are perfect for keeping kids entertained! Inhabitat’s Week in Green: the world’s largest laser fired, icy roof tiles admired, faucet lamps inspired originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …SK Telecom’s Android action figures as flexible as the OS itself (video)
October 17, 2010 No Comment
Here you go: Androski, the skiing Android mascot. He certainly gets more exercise than you (at least he meets more snow bunnies), and he’ll look great on your desk. Too bad he’s only available from SK Telecom, way off yonder in the Republic of Korea. Of course, this ain’t the first Android toy we’ve seen in this space , but it’s certainly the most athletic! See for yourself after the break. Continue reading SK Telecom’s Android action figures as flexible as the OS itself (video) SK Telecom’s Android action figures as flexible as the OS itself (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Limera1n and Greenpois0n iOS 4.1 jailbreaks now available for Mac, Linux
October 17, 2010 No Comment
We thought it was a wee bit ridiculous that Geohot’s original iOS 4.1 jailbreak only worked on Windows , but that’s a thing of the past now — limera1n now supports Mac as well, and the Chronic Dev Team’s greenpois0n variant can purportedly free your device from Apple shackles from any of OS X, Linux or Windows. Mind you, there’s still no working carrier unlock for iOS 4.1, so be sure to back up your baseband and don’t expect to be making calls on T-Mobile USA — and remember kids, there are always risks to playing chicken with the Apple firmware train. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Limera1n and Greenpois0n iOS 4.1 jailbreaks now available for Mac, Linux originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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