Howdy all, it’s time to round up all of the crazy mobile topics from the week that was and listen to Myriam and Brad chat the afternoon away on the Engadget Mobile Podcast. For our 101st episode, we’re starting a tad early at 4:30ET (1:30PT, 8:30GMT), so we hope you can join us. Although it’s not like anything happened this week … right? The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 4:30ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The MIT Media Lab has been working on a folding, stackable electric vehicle for quite a few years now, but it seems those have at least been fairly productive years, as the so-called CityCar has now finally progressed to something resembling a finished prototype. The only problem for those eager to hop into one is that it’s a half-sized prototype, which makes accommodating a driver just a tad difficult. It does do a fairly good job of folding itself up though, and MIT expects a full-size version to go into production in 2013. Interestingly, MIT doesn’t necessarily see people actually owning the vehicles themselves, but it would like to see them be made available throughout cities — letting you rent one for a short trip across town, for instance, and not have to worry about returning it. Head on past the break to see it on video courtesy of The Next Web . Continue reading MIT’s folding CityCar takes a spin on video, still no room for humans MIT’s folding CityCar takes a spin on video, still no room for humans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 23:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It always bears repeating that just because a company applies for a patent doesn’t mean the thing will ever see the light of day as a real product. But really, it’s the outlandishness that makes these things so fun sometimes. The decidedly clunkily named “Obfuscating the Display of Information and Removing the Obfuscation Using a Filter” details a technology for obscuring information on an electronic device via the addition of “artifacts” or the manipulation of the display’s “color, frequency or polarity.” Aspects can be obscured by different methods at the same time, so that different information will be blocked for individual users all staring at the same display. Also interesting is the use of a filter to decode the information — something like a pair of glasses coming between the user and the device, which can be detected by the device itself. Not a very Apple-like addition, but hey, you never know. Sometimes the future’s so bright you gotta wear shades . Apple patent application keeps your private display private originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve been uncommonly keen to get our hands on the Sony NEX-FS100 ever since we first heard about it back in March . You see, this is no ordinary camcorder. Its spec sheet reads like a liturgy of filmmakers’ prayers: a large Super 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor, interchangeable lenses, XLR inputs and proper, professional controls. Sure, it comes with a $6,600 price tag to match, but it also heralds a trend that should ultimately benefit pros and ordinary gadget denizens alike: the arrival of big, bold DSLR-style optics within dedicated camcorders. How do these optics effect the quality of the NEX-FS100′s footage? Plant yourself somewhere comfortable and click past the break to find out. Gallery: Sony NEX-FS100 unboxing Continue reading Sony NEX-FS100 review Sony NEX-FS100 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So it turned out that render of HTC’s Vigor on a Dutch online store wasn’t exactly kosher; but what might be are two spy shots that Droid Life obtained today, providing us with what would seem to be the first legitimate glimpse of the Verizon-bound, LTE-toting smartphone . Gracing its derriere is a texturized backplate, which sports the usual self-explanatory “WITH HTC SENSE” label along with a large lens plus dual LED flash; whereas on the other side we see a front-facing camera along with four capacitive buttons. Whether or not it’ll arrive with the also rumored 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage remains to be seen, but you’ll know more when we do. HTC Vigor poses for a couple of spy shots, reveals little originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Oprah may have left town and packed up her “You get a car!” philanthropic ways, but that’s not stopping Nissan from injecting the windy city with a little auto excitement. Responding to an overwhelming customer demand for its all-electric Leaf vehicles , the Japanese car maker is accelerating the line’s rollout to Chicago residents, with the first models to be available this fall. The launch will be bolstered by a planned 280 EV charging stations, funded in part by a pledged $1 million from the state and an additional $1 million grant. If you’re living in the second city to our north and haven’t yet hitched your ride to the electric hatchback caravan, now might be the time. Continue reading Nissan’s Leaf rollout speeds up in Chicago this fall Nissan’s Leaf rollout speeds up in Chicago this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple stops renting TV shows in iTunes, could be working on a new kind of video service
August 26, 2011 No Comment
Apple has pulled the plug on TV episode rentals via iTunes, abruptly leaving customers with only the option of purchasing per episode — good thing you can watch those on your Apple TV streamed from the cloud — or a Season Pass where available. AllThingsD has a quote from spokesman Tom Neumayr indicating this was in response to customers that “overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows.” Making the timing of the move particularly curious are once-again renewed rumors of an Apple HDTV and a WSJ profile of new CEO Tim Cook that indicates the company is “working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service.” Like Google , any move depends on its success in negotiating a new delivery model from the networks, who so far have been averse to anything that threatens their existing relationship with pay-TV providers. It appears 99-cent rentals didn’t move the needle, so we’ll wait and see what the folks from Cupertino have up their sleeve next. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Apple stops renting TV shows in iTunes, could be working on a new kind of video service originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple patent application imagines iPhones that learn the sweet sound of your voice
August 26, 2011 No Comment
Button-loathing Apple really wants people to stop dirtying its devices with sticky fingerprints . That’s why it’s applied for a patent that should improve the frustrating experience of using iOS’s voice control — precisely the kind of update we’ve been awaiting since Apple bought Siri last year. With the help of a technology billed as “User profiling for voice input processing,” your device would identify your voice, check against a library of words associated with you without having to trawl through its entire dictionary. We just hope Apple doesn’t do away with physical inputs entirely — we’d hate to broadcast to the world all the guilty pleasures we have loaded on our iPods. Apple patent application imagines iPhones that learn the sweet sound of your voice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony Android tablet details and specs continue to leak, ‘S2′ is the Sony Tablet P
August 26, 2011 No Comment
We’ve got more info for you on the pair of Android tablets Sony plans to launch next year, as our source indicates the dual 5.5-inch screened clamshell, thus far codenamed the S2, will launch as the Sony Tablet P. Hardware specs include a weight of 370 grams — less than the iPad 2′s 601 grams, but more than say, a Kyocera Echo at 193g — 512Mb of RAM, 4GB of storage and a 2GB SD card, with connectivity over 4G or WiFi. Both the Tablet P and the Tablet S will share NVIDIA Tegra 2 processors and 0.3MP (not 3.0MP as we’d previously reported) front cameras, but the more conventional, WiFi-only Tablet S weighs in at 600g, has 1GB of RAM and will be available in 16GB or 32GB versions. There’s still no word on price or exact shipping dates but retailers have reportedly been told to expect more information soon, so stay tuned for further updates. Sony Android tablet details and specs continue to leak, ‘S2′ is the Sony Tablet P originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Gaze closely at the above picture. Is this classy-looking bunch of phones the actual trio of Galaxy S II devices we expect to see unveiled at Samsung’s press event this coming Monday? If so, our mouths are commencing salivation as we speak. From the looks of it, the Samsung Hercules , Epic Touch 4G and Attain are shown off hanging out together in full disclosure. Granted, we’ve seen the T-Mobile and Sprint versions before, so this image simply verifies what we’ve already seen. The big reveal, however, is the look of AT&T’s variant — a device that’s managed to do the best job at playing hide-and-seek — which appears to be eerily similar to a leaked render we encountered in June . We’re only a matter of days away from knowing for sure, but this will definitely get your weekend started off on the right foot. Trio of US Samsung Galaxy S II models get together for a group photo? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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