No worries Nissan EV fans, more Leaves are on the way — that’s according to Bill Kreuger, the head honcho of Nissan’s manufacturing and supply chain division. Kreuger tells Automotive News , the catastrophic earthquake in Japan that shut down several large plants was just a small speedbump in the release of the flagship electric vehicle. Nissan North America has been preparing a 1.6 billion dollar production complex in Smyrna, Tennessee, to begin rolling out EVs in the masses by late 2012. The plan is to have the plant assemble about 200,000 battery modules and as many as 150,000 Leafs each year, and we’re guessing it’ll have quite an easy go finding names for each and every one. Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tennessee to start Leaf production by late 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Microsoft has seen the future of personal computing, and it’s a world with a single Windows ecosystem. Windows Phone head honcho Andy Lees — who said that we won’t be seeing WP7 on tablets during Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference yesterday — still sees slates, phones, consoles, and PCs playing together in perfect harmony. His plan is to provide users with a consistent experience across all Microsoft-powered devices, though he didn’t flesh out exactly how this singular ecosystem will work. Given recent evidence indicating Xbox integration in Windows 8 and the UI similarities between the forthcoming desktop OS and WP7, it seems that Microsoft is well on its way to a consolidated future. But, only time will tell if Mr. Lees’ can deliver us from fragmentation with a unified Windows. Microsoft’s Andy Lees on Windows’ future: one ecosystem to rule them all originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …ASUS promises fix for Eee Pad Transformer power drain, keeps the apologies coming
July 13, 2011 No Comment
ASUS’s mighty morphing Eee Pad Transformer might be a commercial success (even despite early delays ) but, it seems, there’s something amiss with the shape shifting tablet. Earlier today, the company admitted to an issue relating to the slate’s keyboard dock. A post to ASUS’ UK Facebook page reads: Apologies to anyone who has encountered issues with their Transformer keyboard dock (power drain and charging). The issue is related to the way we configured the device’s power management in/out of sleep mode. We will shortly be announcing details on how this will be resolved for our customers. We’d say that’s about as vague a promise as a company could offer, but we’ll keep you posted as ASUS opens up. ASUS promises fix for Eee Pad Transformer power drain, keeps the apologies coming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Thirteen tracks a minute? During summer, you say? What’s not to like? A 17-year-old French DJ named Madeon just made our week by putting together some of pop music’s best examples of the medium in a frantic mashup. (LIST: Top 10 Albums of 2010) The way he does it is by using a sample pad,
Continue reading …Sharp’s Molecular Beam Epitaxy machine births components in its space-like womb (video)
July 13, 2011 No Comment
A machine that builds other machines? Sounds like robot apocalypse time — except it’s not. This component-building, space-mimicking chamber of liquid nitrogen-cooled sterility gives birth to LEDs, not that kid from A.I. Housed in Sharp’s Oxford Laboratory, the Molecular Beam Epitaxy machine moves atoms “almost individually…to build the basis of high tech electronics.” Through the use of magnetic poles on the contraption’s exterior (kind of like in foosball), researchers can virtually manipulate substrates and elements, allowing for precise control and untainted crystal growth. While this MBE isn’t exactly new tech — larger commercial-grade versions already exist — it is noteworthy for its innovative petri-vaccum abilities. After all, progress has to start somewhere. Click past the break for the ominously toned video explanation. Continue reading Sharp’s Molecular Beam Epitaxy machine births components in its space-like womb (video) Sharp’s Molecular Beam Epitaxy machine births components in its space-like womb (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Motorola rumored to be hard at work on high-res, 4:3 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Apparently, when Motorola was trying to figure out why its Xoom has struggled so mightily in against the iPad 2, the company didn’t focus on its high starting price or slightly heftier hardware. Instead, it decided the issue was the screen — in particular the format — and rumor has it that Moto is working on a new tablet (probably not the Xoom 2 we’ve glimpsed) that ditches the 16:9 ratio for the more square 4:3 found on Apple’s slate. Supposedly the non-widescreen device will sport an extremely pixel-dense 2048 x 1536, 10-inch display and run Ice Cream Sandwich when it lands later this year or early next. We’re not entirely convinced this will pan out and, honestly, we’ve always preferred the more more modern widescreen format — but, if the iPad sells with it’s old-school ratio we suppose it’s worth a shot. Motorola rumored to be hard at work on high-res, 4:3 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …IDC: Barnes & Noble charges ahead of the e-reader pack, people like a little color with their books
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Consumers, it seems, aren’t quite ready to declare the devoted e-reader market dead just yet — according to IDC, the space is set to grow by 24 percent globally in 2011. That’s especially good news for Barnes & Noble, as the company pushed to the top of the e-reader race for Q1, edging out Amazon’s industry-defining Kindle . The bookseller’s lead came thanks to its multiple devices, including the recently introduced touchscreen Nook and the tablet-esque Nook Color . The research firm credits the latter with Barnes & Noble’s surge in the standings, explaining that the Kindle’s colorless state has negatively impacted sales. Check out the sadly uncolorful press release below. Continue reading IDC: Barnes & Noble charges ahead of the e-reader pack, people like a little color with their books IDC: Barnes & Noble charges ahead of the e-reader pack, people like a little color with their books originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …New Netflix, NBCUniversal deal announced; extra $6 a month buys some old eps of The Event
July 13, 2011 No Comment
In case you were wondering what the updated rates are buying , Netflix’s first step in making its case for your $7.99 a month in streaming fees appears to be a renewal of its content deal with NBCUniversal. The new deal secures availability of previous seasons of popular shows including 30 Rock , The Office , Psych and other selections we’ve gotten used to seeing on the service for the next couple of years. There is one notable loss however, as the LA Times points out an arrangement that brought new episodes of Saturday Night Live to the service the day after they aired has come to an end. Rumors had swirled that Netflix could revive The Event after its cancellation by NBC, but while existing episodes will be available there’s nothing mentioned about putting it next to the streamer’s own House of Cards . Given Comcast (and now NBCU) leader Brian Robert’s reference to Netflix as the rerun TV and Netflix CEO Reed Hastings’ embracing of the term this deal isn’t surprising, but our only question is whether it is enough to keep current subscribers around. Continue reading New Netflix, NBCUniversal deal announced; extra $6 a month buys some old eps of The Event New Netflix, NBCUniversal deal announced; extra $6 a month buys some old eps of The Event originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony’s VAIO Z finally arrives in the US, goes up for pre-order starting at $2,000
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Well, it’s about time! It’s been months since Sony pulled the 13-inch VAIO Z from its website, and since then we’ve had to sift through vague leaks and watch mournfully as other parts of the world scored the next-gen version of this premium ultrportable. Finally, Sony has announced that it’s available for pre-order in the US, starting at a princely $2,000. As you’ll recall when we got hands-on at an event in Taiwan last month, this year’s model weighs in at 2.5 pounds (down from three last year), giving the 2.8-pound Samsung Series 9 a run for its money. As the cream of Sony’s crop, it’s fashioned out of better-than-average materials — namely, aluminum and carbon fiber — and you’ll find it in two colors besides basic black. The big story, of course, is that rather than build a laptop with switchable graphics as it has in the past, Sony is instead relying on the Power Media Dock, an external, Lightpeak-enabled peripheral that houses an AMD Radeon HD 6650M graphics card and 1GB of video memory (not to mention, HDMI- and VGA-out, three USB ports, and a slot-loading optical drive). The laptop itself only packs Intel integrated graphics, which means Sony is assuming you’ll wait until you’re plugged in to start gaming, editing photos, and whatever else you power users fancy. On its own, the battery promises to last eight hours, but, as with Sony’s S series , you can pair it with an external sheet battery, which claims to extend the battery life to a max of 16 hours. Rounding out the spec list are standard-voltage Core i5 and i7 processor options, up to 256GB in solid-state storage, up to 8GB of RAM, and a 13.1-inch panel with either 1080p or 1600 x 900 resolution. In case this thin beauty slipped under your radar the first time around, we’ve re-posted our hands-on photos below, along with a walk-through video past the break. Gallery: Sony VAIO Z Series Gallery: Sony Vaio Z detailed hands-on Gallery: Sony VAIO Z hands-on Gallery: Sony VAIO Z components Continue reading Sony’s VAIO Z finally arrives in the US, goes up for pre-order starting at $2,000 Sony’s VAIO Z finally arrives in the US, goes up for pre-order starting at $2,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Plug Sony’s new 180g portable drive into your PC and you’ll get decent USB 3.0 storage plus some preloaded software that claims to accelerate transfers over USB 2.0. Underwhelmed? Us too. But wait — hook this baby up to some of that other Sony bric-a-brac you’ve got lying around and it’ll unlock a bunch of extra features. It can record broadcasts straight off a Bravia TV , for example, so you can watch them back later on another device. It’ll also hoover up footage directly from a new HandyCam (such as the DCR-SX21E or DCR-SR21), removing the need for a PC. And, when you’re done, you can connect the HD-PG5U to your PS3 and watch all your AVCHD videos back via the Filmy app — again, no PC required. Now, if Sony had done something similar with the MemoryStick, we might have turned down the hate . Full details in the PR. Continue reading Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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