Good news, aging Earthlings: a team of researchers have found a way to shock a coding patient’s heart, while leaving other organs and tissues undamaged from the defibrillator . The device send a single high voltage pulse of electrical energy to a patient’s chest in order to fix an irregular or nonexistent heart beat; traditionally, what often results is damage to point of contact and surrounding skin cells, muscles and tissues, but a team of whiz kids have seemingly figured out a way to dodge the dreadfulness. Led by scientists Stefan Luther and Flavio Fenton, the team claims that by using a series of five pulses of less potent shocks (instead of a single concentrated charge), docs can see an 84 percent reduction in damaging power. This new technology — coined low-energy antifibrillation pacing (LEAP) — can also be used in implanted defibrillators, not just the well-known flappy paddles. Due to the relatively low emissions, both the patient and such implants have extended lives. And that, friends, is good for us all — given the impending Robot Apocalypse , we’ll be needing those extra years just to hold down the fort. Scientists find less damaging defibrillation method, heart tissue relieved originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Wall-E gets a LEGO Mindstorms NXT makeover, tears up the dance floor (video)
July 15, 2011 No Comment
Alright, let’s all be upfront here. When you saw this Pixar masterpiece you caught yourself thinking, “Destruction of the Earth? Not so bad… if that means I get my own Wall-E .” It’s ok, other more robotically-adept Quebecers had the same idea. Except they managed to mix it up with a LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit and create a waste-collecting romantic of their own — sans the devastation of our world. The brainchild of Montreal-based creator Marc-Andr
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We’re less than 12 hours clear of iOS 4.3.4 hitting the streets , and already posters at Redmond Pie claim to have a PwnageTool 4.3.3 bundle that unlocks it. Ready to roll on every device except for the iPad 2, this tethered jailbreak brings back Cydia and anything else you might have missed after foolishly updating this afternoon. Any brave souls ready to jump in (at their own risk of course) immediately can find directions at the source link below, let us know how it’s worked for you in the comments. [Thanks, Jeff] iOS 4.3.4 jailbroken with PwnageTool on iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …GScreen’s dual-screen SpaceBook touts twin 17-inchers, now up for pre-order
July 15, 2011 No Comment
Look out, ThinkPad W700ds — there’s a new dual-screen beast in town, and it’s not settling for second best. After first appearing in September of 2009, we hadn’t heard a peek from GScreen save for one brief blip in 2010. Now, however, it seems that a dream has become reality. The first run of SpaceBooks is now up for pre-order, with each one offering a pair of 17.3-inch displays that boast a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution. Each panel slides out horizontally (think wings, but on a laptop), and creates quite the spacious area for creative professionals to immerse themselves in. The entry-level piece is being hawked for $2,395, which nets you a 2.66GHz Core i5-560M CPU, 4GB of DDR3 memory, NVIDIA’s GeForce GTS 250M (1GB), a 500GB HDD, DVD burner and a magnesium alloy frame. The pricier sibling is marked at $2,795, with that premium grabbing you a 1.73GHz Core i7-740QM, double the RAM and quadruple the bragging rights. There’s no exact word on when these will ship out, but you’ll need th in-between time just to wrap your mind around the object you’re certainly still peering at above. GScreen’s dual-screen SpaceBook touts twin 17-inchers, now up for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Gingerbread is not just for the high-end folks — even the entry-level guys need a little rhizome flavored love now and again. LG understands that, and it’s why the company is introducing a pair devices to its Optimus line dubbed the Net and Pro. The Optimus Pro , just like its similarly monikered Droid Pro , is a candybar QWERTY device with a 2.8-inch touchscreen. The Pro comes in a trio of color options, including something called “titan.” The Net, on the other hand, is a fully touchscreen affair (though, the North American version may sport a sliding QWERTY pad), with a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 display. LG is pushing its Social+ widgets that put Twitter and Facebook on your homescreen — something we all know others have had tons of success with. Both devices pack a 1500mAh battery and an 800 MHz CPU, which should be enough for less demanding smartphone users. They’ll be rolling out this summer starting in Europe. One more pic and some PR await after the break. Continue reading LG takes Gingerbread-sporting Optimus Net and Pro out of the oven LG takes Gingerbread-sporting Optimus Net and Pro out of the oven originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …WiFi hacker lands 18-year prison sentence, sex offender status for campaign of cyber vengeance
July 15, 2011 No Comment
Look, we understand that being accused of pedophilia is horrible but, if you’re not keen on spending time in the pokey, it’s probably not best to exact your revenge by hacking and framing your accusers for making terrorist threats or downloading child pornography. That was the unfortunate route chosen by Minnesotan Barry Ardolf, whose neighbors Matt and Bethany Kostolnik went to the police after he allegedly kissed their four-year-old son on the lips. Ardolf broke into the couple’s Wi-Fi and e-mail accounts, and used them to post porn on MySpace , send threats to Joe Biden, and explicit come-ons to Matt’s coworkers. Now the the 46-year-old cyberbully is facing 18 years in prison, a tough sentence for a first time offender sure, but an investigation revealed the Kostolniks were not his first victims. In addition to his lengthy stay in jail Ardolf will also have to register as a sex offender — an irony were sure isn’t lost on him. [Thanks, Alan] [Image courtesy Jason Morrison] WiFi hacker lands 18-year prison sentence, sex offender status for campaign of cyber vengeance originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Remember way back in February when Thunderbolt was unveiled ? Shocking though it may be, a 10Gbps interconnect is useless without peripherals, and thankfully Promise and LaCie also announced compatible drives touting Q2 / summer availability. As promised , Promise’s wares released as expected alongside Apple’s T-bolt cable , but LaCie’s Little Big Disk has been curiously absent. As it turns out, the company’s website has been quietly updated and now reflects a winter 2011 release for these Intel 510 SSD-packable drives, which is just about enough to force a FOF onto even the happiest of faces. Still antsy to pick one up? Better plan to avoid Santa’s naughty list — at this point, waitin’ and wishin’ is about all you can do. [Thanks, Mikhail] LaCie’s Thunderbolt-equipped Little Big Disk sees apparent shipping delay originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …ITC finds HTC guilty of infringing two of Apple’s patents, appeal expected in 3… 2…
July 15, 2011 No Comment
Talk about a sting to start the weekend. The International Trade Commission has just made an initial determination in the ongoing patent infringement case between HTC and Apple (not to be confused with yet another, similar case involving Apple and Samsung), and it’s not looking great for HTC. The judge ruled that HTC had infringed on two of the ten patents in question, and if this ends up flushing through, it’s possible that select HTC products would be banned from ever arriving in the US. More likely, however, is a settlement between the two at war, with HTC forking out untold quantities of greenbacks in exchange for Apple backing away from the blockade trigger. ‘Course, it’s hard to say how negatively this will impact other Android handset makers, many of which may run into the same sorts of legal hurdles. Naturally, HTC’s already saying that it’ll appeal the ruling, while Cupertino’s legal team is remaining mum. And, you know, grinning slyly. Update : All Things D is reporting that the two patents in question are 5,946,647 and 6,343,263, the former of which is said to be “fundamental to Android.” It’s also worth nothing that said patent is one that’s being argued over in a separate Apple vs. Motorola battle . That said, we aren’t passing judgment just yet. HTC general counsel Grace Lei stated the following: HTC will vigorously fight these two remaining patents through an appeal before the ITC Commissioners who make the final decision. We are highly confident we have a strong case for the ITC appeals process and are fully prepared to defend ourselves using all means possible.” [Thanks, Stephen] ITC finds HTC guilty of infringing two of Apple’s patents, appeal expected in 3… 2… originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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And just like that, it’s official. After hearing about the next incremental step in Honeycomb’s journey by way of Huawei’s MediaPad , we’ve seen breadcrumbs about its functional differences. Today, we’re being given the full shebang — Google has just made official v3.2, boosting the API level to 13 and releasing the SDK into the wild in one fell swoop. The new build brings along optimizations for a “wider range of tablets,” as well as “compatibility zoom for fixed-sized apps,” media sync from SD card (huzzah!) and an extended screen support API. Head on down to the links below for a closer look, and expect to see this rolling out to [insert your favorite Android tablet here] in due time. Android 3.2 SDK now available, new features get detailed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Report: 3.5 million 3D Blu-ray discs ‘sold’ in first year, half were bundled with hardware
July 15, 2011 No Comment
If we’re looking at sales figures of 3.5 million units in the first year for a new laptop, smartphone, or camera, then we might be impressed. But 3D Blu-ray discs? When half were included in the box with a Blu-ray player ? Man, that’s gotta sting. Those numbers are based on an IHS Screen Digest estimate, tallying US sales beginning in June of 2010 and ending last month. Still, if those results are even in the ballpark of official (unreleased) numbers from BD distributors, then things really aren’t looking up for 3D. With fewer than 100 titles even available on Blu-ray, however, we’re not really surprised that discs aren’t exactly flying off the shelves. Obviously, as a growing number of movies are filmed in 3D we’ll see BD title availability increase as well, but with the technology’s lackluster beginnings over the last year and no sign that consumers are ready to spend more to embrace that new dimension, 3D may continue its slow crawl toward the mainstream for some time to come. Report: 3.5 million 3D Blu-ray discs ‘sold’ in first year, half were bundled with hardware originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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