‘Managed access’ trial screens prison phone calls without jamming the airwaves
October 5, 2010 No Comment
Yeah, we’ve been to this rodeo before… kind of . If you’ll recall, prisons have had one heck of a time getting the Feds to sign off on a new law that would allow cellphone jamming equipment to be installed on their premises, and due to a 1934 law that allows only federal agencies to jam public airways, they’ve had little choice but to sit and wait . A bill is resting in the House right now that would allow pilot jamming programs to commence, but given that it’s unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon, South Carolina’s prison director (Jon Ozmint) is eying something else. In fact, he’s already trying something else. A “managed access” trial has begun in the Palmetto State (as well as Mississippi), which routes mobile calls originating in the prison to a third-party provider that check’s each number to see if it’s on a whitelist; if it doesn’t make the cut, the call is blocked. Jon’s still pushing for jamming , but it looks as if this second-rate system may just be good enough to convince most criminals to stop trying to reach the outside world. Or at least add yet another level of frustration to their lives. [Image courtesy of Wired ] ‘Managed access’ trial screens prison phone calls without jamming the airwaves originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Panasonic’s Jungle portable gaming system emerges, gets shown off on video
October 5, 2010 No Comment
Apparently Panasonic has been working itself into a frenzy over a new handheld video game console designed solely around the concept of taking MMORPGs with you everywhere you go — like you weren’t already wasting too much of your life. The makers of the ill-fated 3DO are returning to the gaming world with a portable system dubbed “The Jungle.” The clamshell device will allegedly sport a super high-resolution display, features a full QWERTY keyboard along with what looks like a touch sensitive d-pad and button arrangement, and may run atop a custom Linux build. The Jungle will also apparently sport a mini HDMI port, a micro USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. To our eyes, the system looks a little on the clunky side, with a definite air of something out of Nokia’s N-Gage line — not a good thing for a 2010 device. Alongside the system itself, Panasonic will launch a Battlestar Galactica title for the device, and a web show called Online Underground . We’re digging up more details right now, but the company (actually an offshoot of Panasonic called Panasonic Cloud Entertainment) has already set up shop with a site and a few teaser videos. Check out the mysterious new handheld in another pic and some videos after the break (including a look at the Battlestar Galactica title), and stay tuned as we unearth the full story on the Jungle. Continue reading Panasonic’s Jungle portable gaming system emerges, gets shown off on video Panasonic’s Jungle portable gaming system emerges, gets shown off on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Best Buy charges $30 for PS3 firmware update, laughs all the way to the bank
October 5, 2010 No Comment
In case you hadn’t noticed by now , Best Buy’s Geek Squad isn’t always the most scrupulous sort, but their latest attempt to upsell consumers is truly off the charts. We’ve confirmed for ourselves that the Staten Island, NY store is offering 120GB PS3 Slims for $329.98, explaining away the surcharge as their fee for a firmware upgrade. In case you’ve never booted up a PS3 yourself, let us explain the sheer ridiculousness at work here: a system update requires about three button presses, and some discs prompt you automatically. Hell, if you want to play online or access the PlayStation Store, you don’t even have a choice — ever since Other OS got Sony’s goat, firmware updates have been mandatory across the board. Still, it’s hard to say no when Best Buy employees are this polite — when we explained to a rep that we already had a PS3, he graciously offered us an update anyhow… for just $29.98. Best Buy charges $30 for PS3 firmware update, laughs all the way to the bank originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HTC Mozart slips out on official Orange UK website, shows us how to replace its SIM and battery
October 4, 2010 No Comment
This is so bad, it’s hilarious. As if the HTC Mozart needed any further confirmation of its existence and imminent arrival to British shores , Orange’s official web portal has decided to instruct us on how to replace the internal bits of this unannounced Windows Phone 7 handset. That’s right, even though HTC and Microsoft are acting all cloak and dagger about it, the freaking phone’s name and likeness are hanging out on Orange’s official website. Have we said the word “official” enough times already? Skip past the break for a couple more image grabs which are sure to disappear just as soon as Orange finally figures out what day of the month this is. Continue reading HTC Mozart slips out on official Orange UK website, shows us how to replace its SIM and battery HTC Mozart slips out on official Orange UK website, shows us how to replace its SIM and battery originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Marvell shows OLPC some serious love with a $5.6 million grant for XO-3 tablet
October 4, 2010 No Comment
Marvell and One Laptop Per Child’s close partnership has been no secret, but according to Xconomy , Marvell’s about to put a whole lot more green into the XO. The semiconductor company is forking over $5.6 million to fund the creation of the next gen XO-3 tablet, and according to OLPC founder and former Engadget Show guest Nicholas Negroponte , it’s still slated for a 2012 release. Obviously, the tablet will be based on Marvell’s SoC — though, there’s no telling which version of Armada will be up for grabs by then. Additionally, Marvell and OLPC will be showing another tablet at CES, but this one is apparently for children of the developed world and won’t carry OLPC’s brand. Our guess is that it’ll be something closer to the Android-running Moby than to the plastic, bendable, Pixel Qi -equipped XO-3. It’s all sounding rather confusing to us, but, hey, at least the kids won’t have a shortage of tablets to choose from. Marvell shows OLPC some serious love with a $5.6 million grant for XO-3 tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology. Last week’s Switched On looked at some of the reasons that a Verizon iPhone might not bring seismic shifts to the cell phone market or the balance of power between the two largest carriers in the U.S., focusing more on the AT&T incentive. This column discusses the carrier’s current CDMA network and its multi-year transition to LTE, which could lower some obstacles to a Verizon iPhone. While reports have asserted that a Verizon iPhone may ship as early as January and that a CDMA version of the phone will go into production in September, there are reasons to doubt that Apple will create a CDMA iPhone for Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless is a large carrier, but it’s subscriber base is relatively small compared to the one that is served by having a single GSM device that Apple can sell around the globe. That massive audience creates certain scale advantages for Apple. Continue reading Switched On: Getting real about a phone that’s not (part 2) Switched On: Getting real about a phone that’s not (part 2) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Tesla Motors is pretty proud of the fact that it decided to recall 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 vehicles after a single one saw “a short, smoke and possible fire behind the right front headlamp,” but a fire hazard in every one of 439 shipping products isn’t exactly a ratio to be boasting about. At any rate, nearly a third of its 1,300 vehicles sold are affected by the recall, which “involves the 12v low voltage auxiliary cable from a redundant back up system that provides power to various systems, including the headlamps, taillights, turn signals and hazard lights, and airbags in the unlikely event the primary 12V power fails or drops below a minimum threshold value.” The repair involves checking the routing of the 12V low voltage auxiliary cable and installing a protective sleeve over it, and it should take around an hour to complete. Unless, of course, you’re the Tesla owner residing on the north shore of Kauai. Yeah, we’re talking to you… Mr. Guy with “TESLA” on his Hawaii plate. [Thanks, Jim] Continue reading Tesla recalls 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 electric cars due to fire hazard Tesla recalls 439 Roadster 2.0 and 2.5 electric cars due to fire hazard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This one is still very much a rumor, but PreCentral is reporting that it’s heard from a “very reliable tipster” who says that Palm is prepping a new phone codenamed “Mansion,” which may or may not be the same device that recently turned up in a certification database under the name P102. The real kicker, however, is that the phone is supposedly a touchscreen-only device, and that the screen is said to boast a fairly high 800 x 480 resolution — no word on screen size, unfortunately. Not much more than that to go on at the moment, but the “Mansion” codename itself does at least make a bit of sense — as a PreCentral commenter has noted, the Pre was originally codenamed “Castle.” Palm planning keyboard-less ‘Mansion’ with 800 x 480 screen? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Not much of a surprise here, but Virgin Mobile has just officially announced that it’s now offering the Samsung Intercept — the carrier’s first Android handset. Running a reasonable $249 prepaid — and exclusive to Target for the next few weeks — the phone boasts a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen, a sliding QWERTY keypad, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and all the basic Android amenities you’d expect (it’s shipping with Android 2.1 ). Of course, that $249 is quite a bit higher than the $99 it demands on-contract on Sprint , but Virgin promises you’ll save 25 percent or more in the long-run if you pair the phone with one of its prepaid plans, which run between $25 and $60 per month. Hit up the gallery below for a couple of bigger images, and head on past the break for the full press release. Gallery: Virgin Mobile Samsung Intercept Continue reading Virgin Mobile rolls out Android-based Samsung Intercept: $249 prepaid Virgin Mobile rolls out Android-based Samsung Intercept: $249 prepaid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In a new study from the medical journal Pediatrics , researchers confirm what you’ve known all along: laptop heat is the greatest threat to mankind’s continued survival on this planet. In the report, researchers collected and analyzed various tales of woe from youngsters who’d been treated for exposure to extreme laptop heat, and discovered that prolonged periods of use can lead to a condition horrifically dubbed “toasted skin syndrome.” The effects of gaming (or, uh, studying) too hard can leave skin in a mottled, sponge-like state, can cause permanent skin darkening, and generally makes you less attractive to the opposite sex — from a lap perspective. When viewed under a microscope, the damage is similar to that of long-term sun exposure, and though unlikely in the case of laptop heat, prolonged skin irritation is linked to increased rates of some forms of skin cancer. Researchers suggest placing a carrying case or “heat shield” between you and your computer if you’ve got to keep it in your lap. At Engadget, the entire team has been issued Kevlar short-shorts — we suggest you take similar precautions. ‘Toasted skin syndrome’ caused by extreme laptop heat say researchers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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