Hide your kids, hide your wife, there’s an asteroid circling Earth’s orbit and we’re all gonna… be just fine ? Yeah, no need to stock up those ’60s fallout shelters folks, this approximately 1,000 feet wide space rock is sitting pretty and safe in one of our Lagrange points. The so-called Trojan asteroid, known as 2010 TK7, was uncovered 50 million miles away by the infrared eyes of NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope, and is the first of its kind to be discovered near our humble planet. Typically, these near-Earth objects (NEOs) hide in the sun’s glare, but this satellite’s unusual circuit around our world helped WISE and the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope confirm its existence. The finding has our best and brightest giddy with the hope similar NEOs “could make excellent candidates for future robotic or human exploration.” Unfortunately, our new planetoid friend’s too-high, too-low path doesn’t quite cut the space mission mustard. No matter, 2010 TK7 still gets to call “First!” Continue reading Trojan asteroid caught circling Earth, the Greeks deny involvement Trojan asteroid caught circling Earth, the Greeks deny involvement originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 05:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In the rough and tumble debate surrounding the mobile phone’s ability to cause cancer , both sides agree that our young ones — indeed, some of the heaviest users — could be at an increased risk for cellular-induced tumors. According to a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute , the radio emissions from mobile devices penetrate much deeper into the brains of children, and in the case of little tykes ages five to eight, their noggins will absorb twice the energy of the average adult. This, combined with their developing nervous systems, has brought concern for the welfare of our youngest mobile-savvy citizens, and led to a European study of nearly 1,000 (informed?) participants. Data was gathered over a four-year period, which relied upon self-reporting methods, where youngsters were found to not talk very often, and typically sent text messages instead — big surprise, right? While long-term risks remain unknown, the researchers conclude that “a large and immediate risk of cellphones causing brain tumors in children can be excluded.” In other words: little Suzy won’t begin sprouting cancer cells overnight. While you doting parents may find comfort in the latest research, you might consider stopping short of giving the mischievous rascal an unlimited voice plan. After all, gossip still spreads best at the school yard. [Image courtesy Derek Olson (flickr) ] Cellphones are dangerous / not dangerous: little tykes under the spotlight originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 04:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Why look at this! Samsung’s very own Galaxy Tab 10.1 decided to stop by in Beijing to greet Dell’s latest tablet. As mentioned in our hands-on post, it’s clear that the Streak 10 Pro would need to go on a little diet to match the Korean tablet’s lovely figure and weight, though the latter won’t be released in the country until some time next month. Also, there’s no doubt that Sammy will continue to ask for a premium price in exchange for the better display and portability, so our wallets will be the final judge. For now, just enjoy our quick and dirty comparison photos in the gallery below. You’re welcome. Update: It appears that some of our readers are missing the point: the 16GB WiFi Galaxy Tab 10.1 is being sold for $499 in the US, and it’ll most likely be more expensive in China; whereas the Streak 10 Pro is priced at just
Continue reading …Caltech researchers devise acoustic diode that sends sound one-way, could harvest energy
July 29, 2011 No Comment
Sound has this habit of traveling in more than one direction — useful in most circumstances, but not so welcome when a person in one room is looking for a little peace and quiet while someone in the next is blasting music. Sound-proofing is one solution to that problem, but some researchers at Caltech say they’ve now come up with a better one: an acoustic diode that can be tuned to allow sound to pass through in only one direction. As you might expect, however, that’s all still very much in the early stages, but the researchers say the technology could eventually could eventually allow for “true soundproofing,” or even be used for other purposes, like scavenging sound energy from structural vibrations and turning that into electricity. The official announcement with some of the finer details is after the break, and the researchers’ full paper is published in the July 24th issue of Nature Materials . Continue reading Caltech researchers devise acoustic diode that sends sound one-way, could harvest energy Caltech researchers devise acoustic diode that sends sound one-way, could harvest energy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …‘Official-looking’ pic of white Galaxy S II leaks, unicorns right around the corner
July 28, 2011 No Comment
Albino Nexus S , meet your better specced, bleached out, dual-core nemesis — the mythical white Samsung Galaxy S II . The leaked snap is certainly timely, coming in only one day after a UK retailer promised the colorless beast would go on sale August 15th. We can’t vouch for that, but we do know US peeps can now sign-up for “more info” on Sammy’s website, so stateside GSII fans should be hearing more from the company soon. Will word come of the LTE-toting , ivory dream phone we’ve been lusting after? Probably not, but getting the baddest black Android on the planet is still pretty darn good . ‘Official-looking’ pic of white Galaxy S II leaks, unicorns right around the corner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hooray, another Samsung phone made it through the FCC, and it looks like it could be another Galaxy S II variant. No, it’s not the Tegra 2-clad version. Nor is it the one with WiMAX . Heck, it’s not even the GT-i9100 that showed up in March. Nay, it’s the Samsung i777, a new form of the phone sequel we’ve been pulling our hair out in anticipation for. What’s so great about this candidate? It’s rocking an NFC antenna on the battery cover and utilizes 850 / 1900 bands in the WCDMA / HSPA variety, making it a tasty target for users on AT&T, Bell, Rogers, or Telus. The phone’s dimensions are identical with Europe’s current model, which nearly seals the deal on its likely association with the Galaxy S II lineup. Annoyed that this beauty is cradled in some FCC tester’s hands and not yours? Fret not, August is quickly approaching. Did the Samsung Galaxy S II with NFC just hit the FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already had some hands-on time with Sony Ericsson’s pint-sized Xperia Mini, and now it’s the FCC’s turn. The Android-packing smartphone got measured, prodded, and generally taken apart by the commission. The device, which the company is calling the “world’s smallest Android powered HD video smartphone,” is certainly tiny, but lacks the keyboard found on the similarly named Xperia Mini Pro , which also recently made its way through the FCC. Both are currently listed as “coming soon” on SE’s site. Gallery: Xperia Mini hits the FCC Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini measures up to FCC scrutiny originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Powermat accompanies MyTouch 4G Slide at retail launch, or so the manufacturer says
July 28, 2011 No Comment
If you’ve already misplaced the charging cable for your MyTouch 4G Slide , then it’s time to hustle back to your local T-Mobile retailer, where the new QWERTY handset is joined at its in-store launch by Powercube’s inductive charging cover. Sure, your bank account just received $200 worth of hurt, but if you’ve got a $90 buffer on your credit card, what’s an extra $30 for the shell and $60 for the Powermat , especially if it means keeping your phone alive? Sadly, both stores we called didn’t have the cover, so you might want to give Magenta a buzz beforehand, although T-Mo’s website is ready to take your money. No matter how you get it, you’ll still need to keep the base station from getting buried under pizza boxes and laundry, but we know you’re up to the task. Follow after the break for a slice of the PR. Continue reading Powermat accompanies MyTouch 4G Slide at retail launch, or so the manufacturer says Powermat accompanies MyTouch 4G Slide at retail launch, or so the manufacturer says originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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By now, you should be familiar with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. We’ve done countless hands-ons with the super-svelte Honeycomb slate, and even reviewed it … twice ! Now it’s back, again, and this time its packing an LTE radio tuned to the frequencies of a little company known as Verizon. Outside of a few tiny cosmetic changes — the brushed, gray plastic back and the rumored Micro SIM slot up top, nothing else has changed. We won’t waste too much time rehashing what you already know, but we figured it was worth firing up the latest version, which officially went on sale day, and putting that 4G antenna to the test. You know the routine, keep on keepin’ on after the break. Gallery: Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Verizon hands-on Continue reading Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Verizon, hands-on with the new 4G speed king Galaxy Tab 10.1 for Verizon, hands-on with the new 4G speed king originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gmail v2.3.5 for Android adds label-specific ringtones and sync priority mail only options
July 28, 2011 No Comment
If you love Gmail and need to access it on the go you probably already know that Google’s Android platform is the best way to access it, and with v2.3.5 that just hit it’s getting even better. The top two new features this time around include the ability to sync only priority messages (saving battery life and keeping unimportant messages at bay) and the ability to individually set notifications and ringtones for any of the labels in your inbox. The Android Market website is still showing version 2.3.4.1, but we successfully upgraded via the Market on our devices . Also new are features like the ability to remember “Show Pictures” for specific senders, better TalkBack support, turn off sticky message actions in all orientations and improved performance. Gmail v2.3.5 for Android adds label-specific ringtones and sync priority mail only options originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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