HTC job listing hints at an E Ink / 3D-filled future, new North Carolina facility
November 30, 2010 No Comment
Months back, word on the street had it that HTC was looking to grab up emptied space in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park post-recession; huge outfits like Nortel bit the bullet in 2009, while Sony Ericsson shuttered its operations there and relocated to Atlanta. Naturally, the consolidation paved the way for other technology firms to slide in without overpaying for real estate. HTC has remained mum on the prospect of expansion, but it’s fairly obvious what’s in mind given the multiple job listings that have just emerged for a heretofore unannounced facility in RTP. Of particular importance is a plea for a Display and Camera Design Engineer — HTC is asking that whoever applies for the role have some level of “familiarity with 3D display and imaging technologies,” not to mention “familiarity with multiple display technologies (TFT-LCD, PMOLED, AMOLED, E-ink, etc.).” Of course, we’ve seen quite a few bullet points in our years that end up meaning nothing at all, but it definitely gets our gears turning. Could HTC be working on a reader / tablet that would at least partially rely on e-paper? Are we destined to see a 3D Android device from the outfit at Mobile World Congress 2011? Imaginations, here’s the part where you run wild. HTC job listing hints at an E Ink / 3D-filled future, new North Carolina facility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Back when we reviewed the Dell Vostro V13 we had a few complaints, including the fact that it lasted less than three hours on a charge and lacked of an HDMI port. Well, Dell’s gone and taken care of at least one of those issues with its new Vostro V130. The original thin and light chassis has been kept in tact, which means there’s still the same old battery issues, but Dell’s freshened up the 13.3-inch magnesium alloy laptop with an HDMI port, extra USB socket, a SIM card slot, new Core i3 / i5 ULV processor options, and some new Intel “Hyperbaric Cooling” technology. We don’t know much about that new cooling stuff, but apparently it will help the .65-inch thick system stay cool and quiet. Oh, and did we mention it now comes in that bright red hue?! The small business machine still starts an impressive $429 and is available today. If you’re looking for more details hit the break for the full press release and the gallery below for some glossy shots. Gallery: Dell Vostro V130 Continue reading Dell Vostro V130 updated with more ports, fancy ‘Hyperbaric’ cooling Dell Vostro V130 updated with more ports, fancy ‘Hyperbaric’ cooling originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We already knew the Nook Color was capable of something a bit more than its initial offering, having seen Angry Birds run fairly smoothly on a dev unit. In fact, it’s exactly what we want in between chapters of Animal Farm , and the xda-developers community, right on schedule, are providing pictorial evidence of its rooting conquests. So far we’ve seen the aforementioned game / addiction, a few other additions to the extras menu, and even Launcher Pro (image after the break). NookDevs has a page going with instructions, but even it admits to being a work in progress, so we’re gonna emphasis a little stronger than usual: don’t try this at home unless you’re absolutely sure what you’re doing — or don’t mind a broken tablet or two. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes Nook Color finds its roots? Angry Birds say yes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Richard Branson’s ‘Project’ iPad magazine now hitting European iTunes stores
November 30, 2010 No Comment
He just had to beat Rupert Murdoch, didn’t he? Project , Richard Branson’s iPad magazine , is now available in the iTunes store — at least in Italy and the United Kingdom, since it’s past midnight there. App is free, cost per issue is $2.99 for “a full month’s worth of updating content.” We suspect it’ll hit US, too, the next few hours, but for now, those across the pond can read up on Jeff Bridges (audio and video interview), Earth 2.0, and a “well-informed Godzilla.” Take that, yet-to-be-released The Daily . Richard Branson’s ‘Project’ iPad magazine now hitting European iTunes stores originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Comcast, Level 3 Communications square off over video streaming, network neutrality principles
November 30, 2010 No Comment
According to networking company Level 3 Communications, Comcast just couldn’t wait for its NBC deal to go through before getting all jerky with the access to online video, telling Level 3 on November 19th that it would need to pay a fee to deliver video to Comcast customers. Level 3 delivers videos from many companies over its networks, but the timing is particularly notable since on November 11th it signed up bandwidth-chewing Netflix as a major customer. While this sounds like exactly the kind of anti-net neutrality nonsense that makes us want to crank some OK Go , Comcast has responded saying it’s doing no such thing, and it’s actually Level 3 seeking a competitive advantage by suddenly sending far more information onto Comcast’s network than it accepts. The cable company goes on to claim this situation is no different than its existing deals with Level 3′s competitors, and that as long as traffic remains in balance it is willing to allow access settlement free, but if they want to push their growth (read: Netflix) onto Comcast’s pipes, they’ll have to pay up. We’ll wait and see if this is all just a simple negotiating ploy or a true strike in the battle over net neutrality, but you may still want to get a refresher course on exactly what net neutrality is all about from our friend Tim Wu just in case. Continue reading Comcast, Level 3 Communications square off over video streaming, network neutrality principles Comcast, Level 3 Communications square off over video streaming, network neutrality principles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Points for style, Microsoft, crossing the 2.5 million Kinect sensors sold mark a convenient 25 days into your global sales of that ever-so-hackable / sometimes-cool-for-gaming item. This number factors in Black Friday sales from this past weekend, and has us really curious as to how well Sony has been doing of late — Sony’s been mum on Move numbers since it announced 1 million units shipped about a month ago. Microsoft says it’s on pace to sell 5 million Kinect units through this holiday, which leads us to wonder: what sort of 3D video extravaganza could we pull off with 5 million Kinects in tandem ? Microsoft announces 2.5 million Kinects sold in first 25 days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BlackBerry Empathy design concept feels bad that you’re stuck using a BlackBerry
November 29, 2010 No Comment
Rest easy, folks: we know it’s pointy at the bottom, but we’ve been assured this isn’t the BlackBerry 7100′s true successor. Instead, the so-called Empathy is the bizarre outcome of of a RIM-sponsored design project at the Art Center College of Design that touts its ability to detect the emotions of its user and his or her contacts. It’s not exactly clear how it’d do that, but one crucial element is the biometric feedback ring that communicates your frustration at the phone’s inability to properly sync IMAP accounts in real time. All of this anger and joy is displayed on a social map — colored rings indicate your contacts’ previous and current emotional states — which is presented on a full touchscreen that can become transparent when the phone’s not in use. Prefer the Bold to the Storm , do you? Turn the phone around, and boom, you’ve got one of the scariest looking portrait QWERTY keyboards the world has ever seen. We don’t really anticipate seeing this chiseled slab of bleeding-heart technology in RIM’s lineup any time soon… but we can definitely see the benefit to knowing when your BBM contacts are ready to put a fist through a wall. Follow the break for video. Continue reading BlackBerry Empathy design concept feels bad that you’re stuck using a BlackBerry BlackBerry Empathy design concept feels bad that you’re stuck using a BlackBerry originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s nothing like a little bounty to light a fire under a group of open source fanatics, is there? We saw this principle applied recently when Adafruit offered up cold, hard cash for an Open Source Kinect driver , and now one enterprising reader over at robotbox.net has gone and hacked the LIDAR unit on a Neato XV-11 robot vacuum — and won $401 for the effort. What’s this mean to you? Well, the gentleman (who goes by the nom de hack Hash79) can now read data sent from the optical ranging hardware on the vacuum to a PC. There has been a pretty enthusiastic group of hackers surrounding the device for a while now and now with a little hard work (and a $399 autonomous robot vacuum) you too can have a 360 degree scanning LIDAR with one degree accuracy and a 10Hz refresh rate. Pretty sweet, right? Video after the break. Continue reading Neato XV-11 robot vacuum gets its very own open source LIDAR hack Neato XV-11 robot vacuum gets its very own open source LIDAR hack originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Zalman’s SandForce-based N Series SSD drive gets reviewed, patted on the back
November 29, 2010 No Comment
Zalman’s making an SSD ? You betcha, and it’s embedding a SandForce SF-1222 controller in its N Series line. That controller has proven to be the go-to one for loads of solid state drives, but Zalman’s joining the party a touch late. Unfortunately for it, the MSRPs affixed to the 64GB ($169) and 128GB ($289) versions aren’t exactly class-leading, but the benchmarking gurus over at Legit Reviews took it upon themselves to test a 128GB model anyway. After running the gauntlet, the conclusions drawn were fairly predictable: scores were right in line with every other SandForce drive they had tested in recent months, with words like “speedy, resilient, and reliable” detailing the drive. Reviewers did point out that the pricing situation would likely hinder adoption rates, and it’s still unclear if a company more closely associated with cooling accessories and cases can stake a claim in the storage realm. Hit the source link for the full skinny if you’re edging closer to pulling the trigger. Zalman’s SandForce-based N Series SSD drive gets reviewed, patted on the back originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Here’s what we know about the HTC Merge : it’s also been known as the Lexicon , it’s a dual-mode phone with GSM and CDMA heading to Verizon , it’s got a slide-out QWERTY , an 800MHz processor , Bing and Bing Maps (a popular trend these days), and now we know, too, that it has a Body Glove snap on cover available to protect its metallic exterior. Here’s what we don’t know: why no one’s yet to officially acknowledged this phone. HTC Merge accessories in the wild — nope, still not official yet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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