Phones and tablets based on TI’s first production OMAP4 processor — the OMAP4430 — won’t even be on the market until early next year, but TI’s already planning ahead with the announcement of an upgraded chip that promises a 50 percent boost in overall performance. The new OMAP4440 can send its two Cortex-A9 -based cores as high as 1.5GHz, while the 4430 tops out at 1GHz; TI says that means we should expect a 1.25x improvement in graphics performance, a 30 percent decline in webpage load time, and 1080p playback performance that doubles the slowpoke (comparably speaking, anyway) 4430. The company expects to sample these little speed demons to manufacturers in the first quarter of next year with volume shipment coming in the second half, itching to do battle with Samsung’s Orion ; in the meantime, we suppose your 4430 will have to do. Follow the break for the press release. Continue reading TI’s OMAP4440 processor brings two blazing Cortex-A9 cores to the table TI’s OMAP4440 processor brings two blazing Cortex-A9 cores to the table originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …AR.Drone gets Urbi open source robot interface drivers, tracks a red rubber ball like nobody’s business (video)
December 8, 2010 No Comment
Just when we thought that Parrot’s iPhone-controlled airship couldn’t be any more of a blast, a gentleman named Psykokwak (yes, really) has been hard at work on an implementation of the URBI (Universal Robot Body Interface) for the AR.Drone . And what’s more, he’s gone and written a twenty-five line script that lets the thing to pick out — and shadow — a red rubber ball. Pretty awesome, right? You’ll need an AR.Drone of course, as well as a computer (clients are available for PC, Linux, and Mac), the interface of your choice (joystick, keyboard, whatever) and of course — for the current demonstration — a red rubber ball. For the technical nitty gritty, check out the links below. But before you do make sure you peep the demonstration video after the break. Continue reading AR.Drone gets Urbi open source robot interface drivers, tracks a red rubber ball like nobody’s business (video) AR.Drone gets Urbi open source robot interface drivers, tracks a red rubber ball like nobody’s business (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’re not sure if Netflix ended up paying the $100,000 per episode it was rumored to be offering to put new TV shows on Watch Instantly, but it has reached a new deal with Disney-ABC Television Group that keeps episodes of shows like Lost on the streaming service while also adding new ones. The delay time for adding new episodes is at least 15 days for new programming so keep that ABC.com / Hulu bookmark handy if streaming video is your viewing method of choice, but with every single episode of older favorites like Scrubs , Ugly Betty and Reaper due up in 2011, plus expanded offerings from Disney Channel and ABC Family including Greek and the High School Musical / Camp Rock series of movies we’re sure everyone can find something to watch in the meantime. ABC/Disney has been down with Netflix streaming since early on , not to mention 99-cent TV sales/rentals , whether the rumored popularity of cord cutting is true or not, it seems both companies have found a balance they can agree upon for now, check the press release after the break for more details on what’s available and when. Continue reading Netflix licenses even more TV for streaming from ABC/Disney Netflix licenses even more TV for streaming from ABC/Disney originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ripxx ski app out now for Android, still has no idea what the street value of this mountain is
December 8, 2010 No Comment
The closest we have ever come to a ski race is the worn out VHS copy of Better Off Dead we still have in the back of our closets somewhere, but if you’re an Android-lovin’ ski bunny jealous of all the attention Ripxx has been giving the iPhone, you’re in luck. That’s right, your fave open source smartphone OS has its very own version of the Ripxx Ski and Snowboard app. Version 1.1 features over 200 mapped out resorts, GPS tracking, stats recording (including speed, distance, and vertical drop) and more. Not bad for $5, eh? Ripxx ski app out now for Android, still has no idea what the street value of this mountain is originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google Latitude makes brief appearance in App Store, gets yanked post-haste
December 8, 2010 No Comment
Ah, the games that grown-ups play. It’s a situation that’s beginning to feel an awful lot like the Google Voice fiasco that made the rounds in mid-2009, but if it ends in a similar fashion , you won’t find us kvetching about the teases . As the story goes, a bona fine Google Latitude app made its appearance in Japan’s App Store hours ago, only to be yanked before it could sashay over to any other nation. TechCrunch reckons that it was El Goog doing the pulling — it’s quite possible that the folks in Mountain View weren’t quite ready to publicly reveal it, and with all that Chrome action going down yesterday, it’s not hard to imagine how an impending launch was overlooked. At any rate, the description of the app as well as most of the screenshots were in English, so we’re cautiously optimistic that it’ll resurface in the near future once a few Is are dotted and Ts crossed. With iOS 4 supporting background location, there’s hardly a reason to wait any longer, right? Google Latitude makes brief appearance in App Store, gets yanked post-haste originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nightstand tweets, scans, prints, and presumably makes some sort of artistic statement (video)
December 8, 2010 No Comment
Whether tweeting from trees or providing the catalyst for zany conceptual art projects , people love to make Twitter do silly things. Is this simple whimsy, or is it something deeper — say, some sort of high-minded juxtaposition between the way people live now and how they lived pre-Internet? Hell if we know, but maybe John Kestner can explain it to us. You see, this artist and designer has created something called the Tableau, a networked nightstand that has two functions: scanning and posting images to Twitter, and printing out photos that pop up in your Twitter feed. And that’s it. The thing is made from recycled (read: old) materials, and even features an alert in the shape of a light-up drawer pull for notifying you when you receive pics. It’s all very clever, cool looking, and potentially heartwarming (unless you have us in your Twitter feed, in which case all you’ll receive are pictures of KIRF cellphones). But don’t take out word for it — see for yourself after the break! Currently on display at the Saint-
Continue reading …Peel turns your iPhone into a universal remote — using a wireless external IR blaster
December 8, 2010 No Comment
The idea of using an iPhone or iPod touch as a universal remote has been tossed around for years, but it’s always required either a finicky external dongle or an extravagantly expensive home automation rig . Instead, we’ve been treated to a host of single-device remote apps for everything from FiOS , DirecTV , Comcast , and Dish Network DVRs to the Apple TV to the Boxee Box to… well, you name it. A little company called Peel has a dramatically different idea, though — it’s launching the Peel Universal Control system, which is designed to take your iPhone or iPod touch head-to-head with universal remote heavyweights like Logitech’s Harmony system. The company is made up of a bunch of former Apple engineers, and their solution is extremely novel: instead of attaching a dongle to the iPhone itself, they’re controlling your A/V rack using a pear-sized (and Yves Behar -designed) wireless IR blaster that’s supposed to live quietly on your coffee table. The blaster (called the Peel Fruit) connects over ZigBee to a tiny network adapter (the Peel Cable, also designed by Behar) that attaches directly to an open Ethernet port on your WiFi router — a two-part hardware setup that seems fussy, but is designed to obviate the need for software configuration during installation, and allows the IR blaster to run for nine months on a single C battery. Gallery: Peel iPhone app screenshots Gallery: Peel Universal Control System for iPhone hands-on Continue reading Peel turns your iPhone into a universal remote — using a wireless external IR blaster Peel turns your iPhone into a universal remote — using a wireless external IR blaster originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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That iconic “fail whale?” It was created in 2007 by an artist named Yiying Lu who had never heard of Twitter when the site grabbed the image from iStockphoto, where she’d uploaded it. The rest, of course, is history and, with the launch of Google eBooks (n
Continue reading …Futuristic water bottle uses technology, science to let you know you’re thirsty
December 8, 2010 No Comment
The future is a scary place , yes — but one thing we don’t need to fear is being unaware that we’re thirsty. Research and development firm Cambridge Consultants will be showing off its intriguing “i-dration” concept fitness water bottle at CES in a few weeks, combining a series of sensors on the bottle itself that communicate with an app you’ve got installed on your smartphone. The bottle will measure ambient temperature, how much fluid you’ve pounded, and how often you’ve consumed it; the phone, meanwhile, will use its accelerometer to measure how hard you’re working out and combine that with heart rate data from a chest strap. After crunching some numbers, the app determines whether you’re low on H2O — and if you are, it’ll make a blue light on the bottle pulse. If it seems like a roundabout way to stay hydrated… well, that’s because it is, but Cambridge’s angle is that this is a demonstrator for cool new ways that sensors can be tightly packed and integrated with smartphones to create “hardware apps.” Speaking of, we could use a tall, cool glass of water. Follow the break for the full press release. Continue reading Futuristic water bottle uses technology, science to let you know you’re thirsty Futuristic water bottle uses technology, science to let you know you’re thirsty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 08:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Locking iPad case makes your tablet far less portable, attractive, and enticing to thieves
December 8, 2010 No Comment
Sick and tired of hauling your iPad into a dodgy work environment, scared to even leave it in your desk drawer for half a minute while you scurry across the office for a cup of scorched coffee? Never mind finding a new career — just fill out the paperwork necessary to pack a concealed weapon and head over to Mac Locks . You see, the aforesaid site is now carrying what it calls the world’s first locking iPad case — a plastic shell that can be closed via lock and tethered to pretty much anything via a coated steel cable. Once it’s secured, the only way to remove the tablet is the right way, or the fast way , with the breaking-and-entering method rendering the device worthless. The case itself can be had for $39.95, whereas the case / cable bundle is going for $64.95. But hey, it’s hard to put a price on peace of mind, ya know? Continue reading Locking iPad case makes your tablet far less portable, attractive, and enticing to thieves Locking iPad case makes your tablet far less portable, attractive, and enticing to thieves originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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