Stanford researchers create transparent battery, dream of a see-through iPhone (video)
July 26, 2011 No Comment
We’ve had about all of the transparent displays we can handle. Besides, what good is a screen you can see through if the electronics behind it are as opaque as ever? Thankfully, the fine folks at Stanford are working hard to move us towards a future filled with invisible gadgets. Yi Cui and Yuan Yang led a team that have created a lithium-ion battery that appears transparent. In actuality, the cells are composed of a very fine mesh of electrodes, approximately 35-microns wide, that are small enough to appear invisible to the naked eye. The resulting power packs are cheap and flexible but, currently, can only store about half as much energy as a traditional Li-ion battery. Cui has a particular destination in mind for creation, as he told the college paper, “I want to talk to Steve Jobs about this. I want a transparent iPhone!” Check out the video after the break. Continue reading Stanford researchers create transparent battery, dream of a see-through iPhone (video) Stanford researchers create transparent battery, dream of a see-through iPhone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Dost our eyes deceive us, or are genuine, bona fide Gingerbread updates for the T-Mobile G2x taking to the airwaves? We’re inclined to believe the latter, since the T-Mobile support site announced that the OTA download is now underway. The rollout begins less than a day after the refresh became available as a manual install via the LG Updater Tool. As if this isn’t enough proof already, our inboxes have been flooded by G2x users who’ve personally witnessed Hades freeze over on their handset. Haven’t seen it show up on yours yet? Fret not, getting these updates out to everyone takes time. But if you were an eager beaver who managed to beef your phone up with Android 2.3.3 manually, go ahead and relax; grab a lemonade, dust off the ol’ hammock, and enjoy the rest of the summer afternoon free of (virtual) bugs. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Gingerbread comes to T-Mobile G2x, users feel loved again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Mysterious Samsung shows up in dev center sporting Gingerbread and 1280 x 768 screen
July 26, 2011 No Comment
Hello, and welcome to another edition of Mystery Cellphone Theater. This week’s enigma comes to us courtesy of T Store, a Korean app market, where the Developer Center lists an unannounced Samsung device with the model number SHV-E120S. Now, we can’t tell you much about the E120S, only that it reports to sport a WXGA screen (that’s 1280 x 768), Gingerbread, and a single-core MSM8250 Snapdragon. Sammy has a Korea-only handset with the SHV-E110S tag and a more standard 800 x 480 screen, and the company has made no secret about its desire to push pixel density well beyond the 300ppi mark — still, there’s no guarantee this is in fact a phone. It very well may be a tablet , or just a strange report from an emulator. Regardless, we’re intrigued, and keeping our fingers crossed for 4.3-inch HD display. Mysterious Samsung shows up in dev center sporting Gingerbread and 1280 x 768 screen originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HP’s AMD-powered Pavilion dm1-3010nr arrives at Verizon with LTE, $600 price tag
July 26, 2011 No Comment
It’s Verizon Wireless’ first LTE-powered laptop, but is it really anything to write home about? The familiar HP Pavilion dm1 — which emerged last year on Big Red’s 3G network — has undergone a minor revision, this time surfacing with a 4G radio and a far more respectable processor. The dm1-3010nr is expected to ship two days from now (you know, alongside that grotesquely overpriced Galaxy Tab 10.1 LTE), with an 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) LED display, 1.6GHz AMD Zacate E-350 APU, 320GB hard drive, 2GB of DDR3 memory, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a VGA webcam, multi-format card reader and a 64-bit copy of Windows 7 Home Premium. It measures in at 1.2-inches thick and weighs 3.52 pounds, and so far as we can tell, the $599.99 asking price doesn’t require a constricting two-year data agreement. We’re awaiting specific word from VZW to confirm, but as of now, it looks as if you can get 5GB per month for $50, or 10GB for $80. Looking for that $30 / 2GB plan? Tough luck, bub — she ain’t available here. Gallery: HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr for Verizon Wireless Continue reading HP’s AMD-powered Pavilion dm1-3010nr arrives at Verizon with LTE, $600 price tag HP’s AMD-powered Pavilion dm1-3010nr arrives at Verizon with LTE, $600 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The jury is still out on whether Chromebooks will sell like hotcakes (we’re guessing not ), but no matter to Mozilla. The organization behind Firefox has plans to develop its own operating system for mobile devices — a clear shot across the bow at Google’s browser-based Chrome OS . In a page on Mozilla’s own wiki, a handful of senior developers announced their intentions to create a “complete, standalone operating system for the open web” running HTML5 apps. The OS, codenamed “Boot to Gecko,” will be designed with tablets and handsets in mind, says Mike Shaver, the foundation’s VP of technical strategy. And here’s the fascinating part: the OS will rely on Google’s own Android drivers and kernel to boot the device. In a Google Groups discussion thread, the lead devs said they chose Android over a Linux stack since so many device makers have focused their efforts on Android, and so it makes sense to “reuse its lower layers.” Still, they insist that they otherwise intend to borrow from it as little as possible. Obviously, don’t hold your breath for Firebooks, as the project’s very much in its infancy, but in the meantime there’s some mighty interesting conversation happening in that discussion thread about Mozilla’s lofty end game: breaking “the stranglehold of proprietary devices over the mobile device world.” [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Mozilla planning a Chrome OS-like operating system for phones and tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A 25 percent rise in profits might look modest compared to the 167 percent explosion announced at the end of Q2 last year, but we doubt anyone at ARM’s UK HQ will be moaning. A typically understated earnings report highlighted 1.1 billion ARM-based chips shipped into mobiles and tablets, plus another 800 million chips into other types of devices in Q2. Other tidbits included two new signings for next-gen Cortex-A15 chips, plus two more for Mali graphics chips, which ought to help the mobile chip king maintain its dominance into next year. If you had an extra sausage with your fry-up this morning, ARM, then you deserved it. ARM alchemy turns ubiquity into gold, profits up 25 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s a Galaxy Tab 10.1, but with 4G . No, not that 4G. Not even that 4G. This 4G. You know, the LTE variety, being spread around like Christmas ham by the folks at Verizon Wireless. Cosmetically, the slate offered up by Big Red is no different than the WiFi-only model that we peeked earlier in the year , but the LTE radio tucked within obviously makes it the one to get if you’re looking for top-tier speeds on the go. VZW will actually hawk two separate models LTE Tab 10.1 models, both of which are priced outrageously with two-year agreements: $529.99 for the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB model. That’s a pretty penny (to say the least!) given the albatross that is a 24-month contract, and those who’d rather provide their own connectivity can opt for the WWAN-less Metallic Grey edition for $499.99 (16GB). Access plans start at $30 per month for 2GB, with $50 per period getting you 5GB, or $80 getting you 10GB (no mention of tethering, unfortunately). Your pickup date? Two days from now, or July 28th for the calendar-challenged. Continue reading Samsung’s LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes to Verizon on July 28th Samsung’s LTE-equipped Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes to Verizon on July 28th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In an old-fashioned display of corporate introversion, the keys to the first production Fisker Karma will be handed not to a real customer, or a profile-raising celeb, or even to a good cause. Nope, they’ll be whisked straight into the silky pockets of Ray Lane, chairman of the board of directors at Fisker Automotive. Unless it’s an entirely empty publicity stunt and he has to hand the keys right back, lucky Lane will be driving home this afternoon in a luxury EV with a 300-mile range and 125MPH top speed. The rest of us, however, will have to wait til October — and cough up $95,900. Fisker Karma boss nabs first set of keys, s’pose we’d do the same originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint details Q4 CDMA Direct Connect launch plans and handsets, quietly waves goodbye to iDEN
July 26, 2011 No Comment
We’re guessing that this isn’t the riveting Q4 announcement that Dan Hesse promised us last week at Sprint’s Kansas headquarters, but it’s a shock to the system nonetheless. The outfit’s legacy iDEN network is still kicking around (and in turn, eating up valuable resources to run it), and while we’re told that those push-to-talk users are some of the most loyal, it looks as if 2012 will be the year they’re forced to try something new. The company’s CDMA-based Direct Connect alternative is officially slated to launch this winter, with those who buy in treated to triple the square miles of the company’s current push-to-talk coverage area, broadband capabilities and a smattering of new devices. The Kyocera DuraMax and DuraCore will be joined by an unannounced Motorola smartphone, all of which should be rugged enough to handle the expected field work. Furthermore, Sprint will be adding international push-to-talk (alongside “additional capabilities”) in early 2012, and users should see a marked improvement in in-building coverage. Finally, we’re told that voice and data capacity is expected to increase significantly as Sprint leverages its spectrum holdings in 800MHz, 1.9GHz, and — through its relationship with Clearwire — 2.5GHz. And with that, we’d say your iDEN handset stash just became quite the collector’s item. Full details are tucked away in the PR just past the break. Continue reading Sprint details Q4 CDMA Direct Connect launch plans and handsets, quietly waves goodbye to iDEN Sprint details Q4 CDMA Direct Connect launch plans and handsets, quietly waves goodbye to iDEN originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound 5 Encore redefines ‘affordable,’ looks good doing it (video)
July 26, 2011 No Comment
It’s certainly been a while since Bang & Olufsen’s given any love to its gorgeous (but pricey) BeoSound 5 , but refining self-proclaimed perfection takes… well, about three years. The more affordable $3,350 BeoSound 5 Encore carries over the svelte 10.4-inch LCD / scroll wheel toting controller from its predecessor , but nixes the BeoMaster music server requirement, allowing it to run headless (and in turn save you bookodles of cash). So how does one play tunes if it rides solo? With a bevy of new connectivity options: content can now be slung over USB (be it via a “mobile device,” thumb key or hard drive), from a NAS, over A2DP Bluetooth, or from one of 13,000 internet radio stations. It’ll ship in August, which’ll leave you plenty of time to count those pennies, and perhaps to ponder why it couldn’t spring for finer graphics in the video that awaits you beyond the fold. Continue reading Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound 5 Encore redefines ‘affordable,’ looks good doing it (video) Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound 5 Encore redefines ‘affordable,’ looks good doing it (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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