Robopocalypse coming soon to a theater near you, Spielberg to smother it in PG
September 8, 2011 No Comment
The Robopocalypse is coming — just not in the way you’d feared . DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox have joined movie-making forces to reanimate Daniel H. Wilson’s fictional (for now) literary account of a future, robot-helmed doomsday . The studios have thrown some guy named Steven Spielberg behind the lens of this cinematic cautionary tale, and plan to scare the bejeezus out of us all when it premieres July 3, 2013 — that’s if we make it past the Mayan end of the world. No casting was mentioned in the project’s announcement, so we’ll continue to cross our toes in the hopes a certain daytime show couch jumper and film star-turned-pilot don’t join in on the blockbuster fear-mongering. Continue reading Robopocalypse coming soon to a theater near you, Spielberg to smother it in PG Robopocalypse coming soon to a theater near you, Spielberg to smother it in PG originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Using your phone’s GPS to guide you down city streets can sometimes be a harrowing experience, especially in signal blackspots (or when there’s a mild breeze). Fortunately, there’s a fancy new solution — for some of you at least. High Fidelity Position is an app specifically for Samsung Mango phones that supercharges the GPS module with two upgrades to help positioning. The first leverages the on-board accelerometer and compass to help the Windows 7 device orient itself on congested city streets. Second is that it will now access GLONASS — Russia’s equivalent to GPS — pinpointing your location to within a few feet. When installed, the app is only visible in the settings menu, where you will need to activate it. We can also expect to see more of GLONASS in the future, since Russia’s imposing import taxes of about 25-percent on any device that’s incompatible with the Soviet standard, and manufacturers won’t want to take a hit of that magnitude on a feature they can use. Samsung WP7.5 owners who want every excuse to celebrate the triumphs of Gagarin, Sputnik and Laika can find the app available at the source link below. Samsung High Fidelity Position app gives Mango GPS a Russian boost originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Windows 8 will deliver Hyper-V virtualization tech to all, power users rejoice
September 8, 2011 No Comment
Hear this nerds? Windows 8 will ship with Hyper-V virtualization software integrated into the OS. Until now Hyper-V was limited to Microsoft’s server products, but now consumers (whether they care or not) will be able to fire up virtual machines without the need to download VirtualBox or some other VM software suite. Now, the average person probably won’t care too much, but power users will be thrilled. And, if virtualization can be integrated seamlessly to enhance security (through sandboxing) and compatibility with legacy apps (say, via an included XP license), it could be a huge boon to casual users — even if they don’t realize it’s there. For more details about Hyper-V from the Windows 8 devs, including a nice demo video, check out the source link. Windows 8 will deliver Hyper-V virtualization tech to all, power users rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …G-Technology demos dual-drive 8TB G-RAID HDD, with a dash of Thunderbolt
September 8, 2011 No Comment
Not to be outdone by Seagate’s 4TB GoFlex Desk , Hitachi’s G-Technology unit has now unleashed a jumbo-sized external HDD of its own, with the 8TB, dual-drive G-RAID. Demoed at this week’s IBC conference in Amsterdam, the company’s new storage house consists of two 4TB drives nestled within an aluminum enclosure, each of which clocks in at 7,200 RPM. Configured for OS X, the G-RAID also sports a Thunderbolt port that offers transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, though it can also support Windows with some simple reformatting. G-Technology will begin shipping its 4TB drives in October (with eSATA, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 ports), whereas its “4TB-based” Thunderbolt-equipped drive won’t hit the market until Q4 — though it’s still unclear whether either model will ship as single drives, or as a two-headed, 8TB beast. Pricing remains a mystery for the moment, but you can find more details in the full PR, after the break. Continue reading G-Technology demos dual-drive 8TB G-RAID HDD, with a dash of Thunderbolt G-Technology demos dual-drive 8TB G-RAID HDD, with a dash of Thunderbolt originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …AOptix e-Gate could improve global airport security, replace ID checks with iris scans
September 8, 2011 No Comment
You’re certainly not alone if you think that the current airport security process is far from ideal. AOptix hopes to streamline and speed up security procedures by replacing manual boarding pass and ID checks with a biometric kiosk called e-Gate. The new system, which verifies passenger identities by matching an iris scan with a boarding pass, just received (IATA) approval, and is currently being tested in three airports around the world. It’s not as slick as a similar concept we saw earlier this summer , but e-Gate could be implemented with a trusted traveler program, creating special lanes for pre-approved frequent fliers — similar to the US Customs Global Entry system in place today. We don’t see it replacing X-ray machines and check-in interviews, but it could remove human error from the equation — at least when it comes to verifying your identity. Jump past the break for the full scoop from AOptix, or you can check out the system for yourself at the Future Travel Experience in Vancouver. Gallery: AOptix e-Gate Continue reading AOptix e-Gate could improve global airport security, replace ID checks with iris scans AOptix e-Gate could improve global airport security, replace ID checks with iris scans originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Shiny, happy people staring at iPad 2s ? Why, it must be the power of inductive charging , or just hyper-enthusiastic marketing. Revealed at CEDIA 2011 , Dana Innovations’ recently announced LaunchPort system takes the convenience of wireless charging and slaps it on your wall. Of course, there’s the regular ol’ option to have your Apple slab recharge from a flat top surface, but then you’ll be missing out on the 360 degree pizzazz. The price of this fancy doesn’t come cheap either, with both the wall- and base-mounted options costing $200 each, plus the $150 for the mandatory PowerShuttle sleeve and the $10 pre-order fee. Now, how badly do you need to show off that Jony Ive-designed tablet? Skip past the break to witness overacting at its finest. Continue reading LaunchPort wirelessly charges iPad 2, infects users with glee (video) LaunchPort wirelessly charges iPad 2, infects users with glee (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition adds even more flair to an already audacious case
September 8, 2011 No Comment
OK, so the Level 10 GT was a significantly more practical than its BMW designed fore-bearer , but it lacked a bit pizzazz that the OG version brought to the desk. The Snow Edition restores some of its gaudy flair by slathering its accents and protrusions in glossy white paint. In fact, it looks quite a lot like the version we spotted in NVIDIA’s booth at Computex in May. The roughly $280 case isn’t for the casual system builder, but DIYers who cherish style, silence ( HotHardware called it, “easily one of the quietest full-sized ATX cases”) and expandability it’s a small price to pay. Or, to put it in colloquial terms, this is a bad-ass enclosure. Check out the source link for a thorough review. Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition adds even more flair to an already audacious case originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Electrified bacteria army kills uranium, gives Captain Planet a run for his money
September 8, 2011 No Comment
A certain type of “hairy” bacteria may just be the answer to cleaning up radioactive spills. Scientists at the University of Southern California found that under certain circumstances, Geobacter sulfurreducens could make metals like uranium less soluble — essentially turning the metal into hard droplets rather than being absorbed. Researchers discovered that by lowering the bacteria’s temperature, it caused hair-like pili to extend, which enveloped the poison uranium and ultimately reduced it through long-range electron transfer. The breakthrough could help deplete sources of uranium or other radioactive isotopes where bacteria normally can’t survive — like from the Fukushima nuclear plant that devastated Japan earlier this year. Scientists believe they’ve only scratched the surface with this development and are optimistic about the future of bacteria “electromicrobiology,” which we can only guess grew in popularity after this ’80s classic hit the airwaves (video after the break). Continue reading Electrified bacteria army kills uranium, gives Captain Planet a run for his money Electrified bacteria army kills uranium, gives Captain Planet a run for his money originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Western Digital, Seagate and Hitachi square off in 3TB hard drive roundup
September 8, 2011 No Comment
We’ve seen 3TB hard drives trickling onto the market for the better part of a year, but it’s only now that we’re seeing more UEFI -equipped motherboards that can actually handle all that storage capacity. So, the benchmarking wizards over at HotHardware decided now would be a fine time to pit a few of ‘em against each other, rounding up models from the likes of Western Digital, Seagate and Hitachi and subjecting them to a grueling battery of 28 tests. We’ll leave it to you to peruse the scores, but suffice to say the Seagate Barracuda XT swept about half the benchmarks, and notched a close second the rest of the time. But is it worth spending an extra $30 over Western Digital’s consistently trailing Caviar Green ? We’ll leave that to you and your wallet. Western Digital, Seagate and Hitachi square off in 3TB hard drive roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Temper that excitement. This isn’t the rumored quad-core, Kal-El running Transformer 2 . Still, ASUS is doing its best to port the tab buzz to the enterprise set with its quietly introduced Eee Slate B121. Unlike its tablet PC bretheren, this business-minded slate runs Windows 7 Professional atop an Intel Core i5 processor, and comes loaded with the security tweaks necessary for the corporate road warrior: like Computrace LoJack for remote location and data wipe, and a Trusted Platform Module microchip that stores encrypted data. Also tacked on to the $1,500 12.1-inch package are a Bluetooth keyboard and Wacom Digitizer stylus. As for the specs, well, there’s a 1280 x 800 LED Gorilla Glass display , 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage, dual USB 2.0 ports, mini-HDMI out, SD card slot and 2 megapixel front-facing camera. No official word on exactly when this biz-friendly tablet’ll be available, but now would be a good time to convince your IT department to order it up. Be sure to hit the source below for the company’s soft sell. ASUS Eee Slate B121 slabs it up for the enterprise market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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