Up and running by 2014 ? Try 2017 at the very earliest. Such is the bogus news coming out of the European Commission today, as reported by the German Financial Times . Shockingly enough, the ill-organized Galileo navigation network has suffered from yet more delays, which have pushed it back by a further three years and even deeper into the budgetary red. An additional €1.5b to €1.7b will be required to complete the grand project, while fiscal recalculations now indicate that it’s unlikely to ever turn a profit. Again, we are shocked. The total bill for European taxpayers is estimated to amount to somewhere in the region of €20 billion ($27.8b) when development, construction, and operation are all factored in. Ah well, it’s a cash drain, but at least it’ll divert funds from the EU’s suicidal scheme of paying farmers to not farm. Every cloud has a silver lining, right? EU’s Galileo satnav system orbiting way past budget, delayed until 2017 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Nothing like a little competition in the morning, eh? Just days after the Foolography Unleashed Bluetooth geotagging family hit the scene, in flies GiSTEQ with a mildly tweaked PhotoTrackr Plus (RT90, compared to last year’s RT10 ). The only major difference with this guy is its list of compatible cameras — Nikon’s D90, D3100, D5000, and D7000 are now supported. It’s still a two-piece solution, which requires users to plug one end directly onto the camera, but it touts near-instant bootup, low power consumption and the incredible ability of making far-fetched dreams come true. And by “far-fetched dreams,” we mean “help you remember where your photos were taken.” It’s available now for $179 if you’re memory’s fading faster than ever before. Continue reading Revised PhotoTrackr Plus works with Nikon D90, D3100, D5000 and D7000 Revised PhotoTrackr Plus works with Nikon D90, D3100, D5000 and D7000 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 06:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Logitech Speaker Lapdesk N550 wants to protect you from netbook heat, tinny audio
October 7, 2010 No Comment
Look at this thing, now scope out Logitech’s Speaker Lapdesk N700 and come back to tell us the difference between the two. Not that we’d ever dare question the sanity of having two Speaker Lapdesk SKUs, but you’ve got to admit Logitech hasn’t really differentiated its new N550 — a two-speaker, heat-shielded pad for treating your thighs with more kindness and less calefaction — from its admittedly pricier predecessor. After doing some fine investigative journalism (i.e. reading the press release after the break), we’ve discovered that the N550 is designed for laptops with screens sizes up to 14.1 inches, and it also omits the USB-powered fan of the bigger N700. Good to know. Now if someone can explain to us why Logitech is announcing this game changer a whole three months ahead of its January 2011 release for
Continue reading …Savant stuffs iPod touch into multifunctional Touch Remote, includes VoIP, FaceTime, hint of vapor
October 7, 2010 No Comment
That’s no render we’re looking at, Savant assures us, it’s the most recent photograph of the company’s Touch Remote prototype. This crazy do-it-all peripheral comes with an embedded fourth-gen iPod touch — no word on whether you’ll be able to remove it, though it looks unlikely — and mirrors the abilities of Savant’s iPad home control and automation app. That means that once you get your lights, climate control, network cameras, and home cinema hooked up to Savant’s control hub, you’ll have yourself a neatly streamlined remote to save you doing anything yourself again. Or so goes the theory, anyhow. Savant augments the offering with promises of VoIP and FaceTime integration by the time the Touch Remote ships to retailers in the first quarter of next year. MSRP is set at $399 and potential vaporware status comes as a free extra. Continue reading Savant stuffs iPod touch into multifunctional Touch Remote, includes VoIP, FaceTime, hint of vapor Savant stuffs iPod touch into multifunctional Touch Remote, includes VoIP, FaceTime, hint of vapor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 04:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Joby broke out of its mold last year with its first-ever flexible flashlight , but frankly speaking, the bulb on the end of it was downright bulky. A year later, we’re looking at a far slimmer and far sexier model — one that relies on Cree ‘s XLamp XP-C LED bulbs in order to output 130 lumens of light in a pocket-friendly package. The Gorillatorch Blade is a rugged, tripod-equipped flashlight that boasts a rechargeable internal battery (USB or AC adapter) an aluminum chassis and an adjustable beam. She’s also water and drop-resistant, but we aren’t certain we’d be eager to push the boundaries there; at any rate, it’s on sale now for $59.95, and yes, the DIY mechanic in your life could definitely use a couple. Gallery: Joby Gorillatorch Blade LED flexi-light Continue reading Joby goes slim with Cree-equipped Gorillatorch Blade LED flexi-light Joby goes slim with Cree-equipped Gorillatorch Blade LED flexi-light originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 04:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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First of all, put away those credit cards, American readers, this is so far a Japan-only affair. Nintendo’s celebrations of Mario’s 25th birthday are extending beyond custom DSi and DSi LL consoles to a repainted Wii machine and a pretty sweet bundle to go with it. The sporty red number above includes one of the newfangled Wii Remote Plus controllers — which can do MotionPlus tracking without the additional appendage — along with a similarly rouged-up nunchuck, and, perhaps best of all, a preinstalled copy of Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary Edition . That’s still the game you know and love, but it now comes with bricks embellished with the number 25 on the front. You’ll catch a screenshot after the break, while the Japanese audience can expect the tasty bundle to drop on November 11 for
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Two 3.5-inch displays at 960 x 640 resolution, both equipped with fancy wide viewing angle technologies. Does the Sharp IS03′s ASV get the nod over the iPhone 4′s famously good IPS? After peeping them side by side, we’re not sure any mere mortal could call it — both look bright and ridiculously crisp from every conceivable vantage point and have roughly the same amount of gloss, though the IS03 has the advantage of a second always-on monochrome LCD strip. Regardless, we’re just happy to see that we’ve got at least two suppliers of excellent 960 x 640 mobile displays in the industry now — let’s just hope they can keep up with demand. Gallery: Sharp IS03 ASV display vs. iPhone 4 IPS display… fight! Sharp IS03 ASV display vs. iPhone 4 IPS display… fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Signa’s fuel cell-powered bicycle paints a rosy picture for drop-in power stations
October 7, 2010 No Comment
Here’s a novel concept — rather than rolling up to a recharge station in the year 2020, plugging your Volt in and reading the latest issue of Esquire while life passes you by, why not swap out a dead fuel cell for a fully rejuvenated one? We can’t say for sure the idea will catch on, but it’s certainly one that would save Earth-lovin’ motorists an awful lot of time. A little-known outfit by the name of Signa is to thank, as the company’s new fuel cell-powered bicycle operates using this scheme; riders simply pop in a recyclable 1.5 pound cartridge (where sodium silicide and water mix to create hydrogen power), toss on a pair of Ray-Bans and cruise for 20 to 30 miles. Once that runs out, you can either break out the pedal power or pop in a new cell — given the right infrastructure, this could one day be as simple as stopping to refuel. In reality, this new bike is just a way to show off the company’s technical aptitude, but we’re told that it is actually going on sale next summer for an undisclosed amount. Dollars to donuts Floyd Landis already has one on pre-order. Signa’s fuel cell-powered bicycle paints a rosy picture for drop-in power stations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 02:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Uh, wow, guess the megapixel race isn’t over. Sony just announced the world’s first 16.41 megapixel CMOS sensor for mobile phones putting today’s 12 megapixel units to shame. The 1/2.8-inch back-illuminated Exmor R model IMX081PQ sensor packs an industry smallest 1.12μm unit cell size and is capable of shooting 1080p at 30fps or 720p at 60fps. Sony claims to have solved some of the issues related to those incredibly small pixel sizes by implementing a unique formation of photo diodes to achieve a sensor with high resolution, high sensitivity, and low noise. Expect it to begin sampling in January 2011 for
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While its controller may have a button layout that only an Atari Jaguar apologist cold love ( … ), Sony’s Google TV set itself is still something intriguing, if only because of the missing pieces of the puzzle set to be revealed October 12th . Or now, perhaps, if this Sony Insider leak proves true. According to the site, four models will initially be introduced: NSX-24GT1, NSX-32GT1, NSX-40GT1, and NSX-46GT1 — which, as you may have surmised, correspond to 24-, 32-, 40-, and 46-inch sets. While no price is known for the littlest of the quartet, the others are reportedly equipped with respective $1299.99, $1499.99, and $1899.99 price tags. The lowest of those three is about $300 more than BRAVIA EX710, the most expensive Sony 32-incher right now. Three Benjamins could also net you the Logitech Revue and the freedom to hook it up to any TV you wanted, so if these prices are true, let’s hope there’s some wiggle room for the retailer. Sony’s Google TV screen sizes and prices leak? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 01:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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