Report: Foxconn’s Brazil factory ready for business, will begin shipping iPads in December
September 16, 2011 No Comment
It appears that Apple is about to expand its manufacturing operations to Brazil, where a new Foxconn factory is already in place and ready to churn out iPads, according to a report from national media outlet UOL . Aolizio Mercadante, the country’s minister of science and technology, confirmed the news this week during a hearing held by the Commission of Economic Affairs. “At first many doubted, but it will be the first time that [Apple] will produce iPads outside Chinese territory,” Mercadente said. “We are taking a big step for digital inclusion in the country.” Located in Jundia
Continue reading …Visualized: PS Vita in eight unlikely colors, mockup game cards chill on the sidelines
September 16, 2011 No Comment
We found a veritable rainbow of PlayStation Vita prototypes hiding out in the rear of Sony’s TGS setup, surrounded by accessories, mock retail packaging, and faux game cards. PlayStation representatives assured us the colorful consoles were just for looks, and only the basic black will be available when the system launches in December . Hit the gallery below for a multicolored peek, or just skip past the break for a view of Gravity Daze’s mockup retail box. Gallery: PS Vita colors, games and accessories Continue reading Visualized: PS Vita in eight unlikely colors, mockup game cards chill on the sidelines Visualized: PS Vita in eight unlikely colors, mockup game cards chill on the sidelines originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Assisted parking’s all the rage these days — because the car parks itself, it seems trivial to remain in the car at all. That, friends, is the crux of why Valeo has produced Park4U: an iOS / Android app that remotely parks your car. Enter the app and begin the reversing process, and boom — much like Houdini’s best — it takes care of the rest. The system’s currently available on a limited number of Volkswagen-group models including the Touran , Sharan, Audi A6, Audi A7 and the Seat Alhambra, and the company is planning to have 38 models equipped with the tech by year’s end. Practical considerations aside — and there are several — at least you won’t need a friend to stand behind your car and holler before you hit the rear wall. Not buying it? Perhaps the video after the break will drive it home. [Thanks, Texas] Continue reading Valeo Park4U turns your phone into a valet parking service (video) Valeo Park4U turns your phone into a valet parking service (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BlackBerry Curve Touch 9380 ‘Orlando’ poses for the masses, invites you to look… but not touch
September 16, 2011 No Comment
There’s a new BlackBerry coming to town, and as you’re likely aware, it’s the first touchscreen-based Curve from Research in Motion. The folks BGR happened to score a few still shots of the pint-sized companion, where it’s situated next to its larger Torch sibling for comparison. The specs remain the same since we last checked in with the device, though as a quick point of clarification, its HD video capture is limited to 720p — as if you really expected full 1080p. We can’t include all the snapshots here, but it’s rather obvious this isn’t your father’s BlackBerry. If you’ve got a burning desire for these curves, you’ll find a full gallery in the source link below. BlackBerry Curve Touch 9380 ‘Orlando’ poses for the masses, invites you to look… but not touch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …New ‘subconscious mode’ could improve smartphone battery life, supress your WiFi id
September 15, 2011 No Comment
Researchers at the University of Michigan have figured out a way to drastically increase your cellphone’s battery life, at least while using WiFi. By using what they’re calling E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening, professor Kang Shin (right) and student Xinyu Zhang have developed a proof of concept that could extend battery life up to 54-percent with the WiFi radio on. Even when idle, a wireless radio is actively checking for incoming traffic. E-MiLi scales back the wireless card’s clock to just 1/16th of its normal operating speed, and only kicks back into full gear when it senses incoming data. To be really useful though, we’d love to see the same trick employed on cellular data networks — that LTE sure is fast, but it’s not exactly battery-friendly . Check out the PR after the break. Continue reading New ‘subconscious mode’ could improve smartphone battery life, supress your WiFi id New ‘subconscious mode’ could improve smartphone battery life, supress your WiFi id originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Just can’t wait to get your Epic 4G Touch order in? You’re in luck, as the Sprint version of Samsung’s powerhouse Galaxy S II is finally available on its website. It’ll cost you a cool $199 w/ new two year contract after $300 instant savings but we’re sure the long wait for this dual core beauty to cross the ocean has left plenty of time to get one’s financials in order. If you’re somehow still not sure if this is for you there’s always our review for an extra bit of convincing. Otherwise, just punch the source link, sit back, and wait for all the 4G WiMAX goodness Sprint can stuff into that 4.5-inch plastic shell. Samsung Epic 4G Touch now available to all on Sprint.com originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Sep 2011 01:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Purdue University grad students give NASA lander tech a boost, do it for the experience
September 15, 2011 No Comment
We just learned of NASA’s end-of-decade plans to rocket astronauts into deep space for exploratory missions to Mars and beyond. Now, we’re getting a peek at the Purdue University-designed lander tech that’ll plant our space fleet’s feet firmly on terra incognita. What originally started as a senior research project for grad students Thomas Feldman and Andrew Rettenmaier, has now blossomed into a joint research endeavor for the federal space agency’s Project Morpheus — a think tank for trips to heretofore unexplored celestial bodies. The in-development propulsion tech, now undergoing testing at the university’s Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories, is required to “meet stringent design and performance” standards, but most importantly, needs to lift the fuel-depleted lander post-descent. You’d think scientific work of this magnitude would come with a hefty paycheck, but the student team behind it all’s just doing it for the hands-on knowledge. Sure beats your summer internship at that magazine, huh? Purdue University grad students give NASA lander tech a boost, do it for the experience originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Another CEDIA is in the books, and if you weren’t there, just know the story was — as it has been in many corners of the country — the economy. Oh sure, projectors that cost only $10k still seemed value priced, but everywhere you looked companies were extending their products a little closer to the mass market. Whether it’s a heavy duty wall mounts, wireless hi fi systems or, most surprisingly, $300 powered shades from companies like Lutron, custom theater equipment is getting cheaper and ready to work in more homes. Interested in remaking a home theater while spending less than $10k and without building an entirely new house around it? 2011 may be your year. As far as the hardware on display, we also got a look at TiVo’s new Premiere Elite DVR (hint: it looks and runs like a TiVo) and Dish Network’s new Tailgater portable satellite dish. Another treat was an MHL -to-HDMI adapter from DVDO that could make hooking your celly up to pretty much any TV on the go and charging it at the same time easy. At the THX booth, it had its stamp slapped on LG’s newest Nano LED lit 3D LCD , as well as a new program for soundbar / subwoofer combinations it says will result in more accurate sound for implementations where surround speakers don’t make sense. We also got a demo of its new Media Director protocol that can automatically configure compatible home theater equipment based on the content being watched. The Star Wars Blu-ray discs will be the first ones to ship with the embedded metadata , while partnerships with chipmakers mean software updates could start rolling out shortly for manufacturers that choose to deliver them — the demo ran on an HDI Dune player — and next year’s new devices should ship with the feature included. The usual slew of projectors included new models from Mitsubishi and Digital Projection, with automatic settings for ultrawidescreen viewing as one of the hot features (other than 4K) this year. For a better look at some of the things we spotted on the show floor check the gallery below, and details in their press releases after the break. Gallery: CEDIA 2011 wrap-up Continue reading CEDIA 2011 odds & ends wrap up: THX, TiVo and plenty of projectors CEDIA 2011 odds & ends wrap up: THX, TiVo and plenty of projectors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …PayPal to add mobile payment features, hopes to redefine how we shop (till we drop)
September 15, 2011 No Comment
Like the side ponytail craze of the ’80s, the newest trend is turning out to be the mobile wallet — especially as major players like Google , MasterCard, Verizon, Discover and now PayPal board the bandwagon. Our old buddy — best known for its love affair with eBay ( and ripping our own Darren Murph off a solid two large ) — has plans to implement new payment features primarily for (but not limited to) mobile. On the to-do list are things like QR / barcode scans, hyper local deals, fast checkout via NFC, etc. The company is adamant that it’s not “just shoving a credit card on a phone ,” but rather planning to change the whole shopping experience. We’ll know more when PayPal releases more details in early October, and when it launches the pilot product sometime later this year. Until then, check out the semi-cryptic video while brushing up on old episodes of SuperMarket Sweep after the break. Continue reading PayPal to add mobile payment features, hopes to redefine how we shop (till we drop) PayPal to add mobile payment features, hopes to redefine how we shop (till we drop) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ca-Fi is an aftermarket Android car stereo that won’t fit in your dashboard
September 15, 2011 No Comment
Aftermarket infotainment and stereo solutions for cars have largely died off here in the US. Innotrends has cooked up an Android-powered box, called Ca-Fi, that might have you wishing this little in-dash computer could find a home in your vinyl-covered panel. The 1.2GHz chip inside pushes Gingerbread to the 6.2-inch touch screen for pulling up directions, playing tunes and performing searches using the integrated 3G radio. Of course, as ExtremeTech points out, the double-DIN slot used by the Ca-Fi has been largely abandoned by car makers (particularly in America). But hey, if you’ve been looking for a way to spruce up that Nova rusting away in your garage, this could be it. We just hope you’re the patient type — Ca-Fi isn’t expected to launch until Spring of 2012 and will be a Europe only affair at first. Head on after the break for one more pic and some PR. Continue reading Ca-Fi is an aftermarket Android car stereo that won’t fit in your dashboard Ca-Fi is an aftermarket Android car stereo that won’t fit in your dashboard originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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