Both KDDI and Sharp had a billion IS03s on display at CEATEC in Japan today (okay, not literally a billion, but quite a few), so naturally, we swung by to see what all the commotion was about. We’ll be honest — the phone didn’t feel particularly high-end, coated top to bottom in cheap-feeling plastic and weighing a little less than you’d expect a phone of these specs to weigh. Furthermore, it was pretty sluggish and Sharp’s UI skin atop Android 2.1 felt very “version 1.0,” so we think we might want to wait for these guys to hone their game a bit before jumping in. That said, the vaunted 960 x 640 ASV display definitely seems up to the task, delivering bright, crisp images in the face of the notoriously harsh trade show lighting — and the always-on LCD strip below the main display is a neat trick for glancing at the date and time without going to the hassle of powering on your phone. You might be worried that stacking it below the already-large primary display would make the handset too long, but we really didn’t feel like that was the case. Follow the break for video! Gallery: Sharp IS03 hands-on Continue reading Sharp IS03 Android phone hands-on Sharp IS03 Android phone hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …U.K. Independent Columnist Tells BBC Suffering Children Should Be Smothered
October 4, 2010 No CommentChalk this one up to things that make you go, “What?!?” In an interview with the BBC on Oct. 4, Virginia Ironside, a columnist for the U.K. Independent made a jaw-dropping statement – that abortion and euthanasia could somehow be considered to be acts of kindness. (h/t Scott Baker, theblaze.com ) “[I] think that if I were a mother of a suffering child, I would be the first to want I mean a deeply suffering child I would be the first one to put a pillow over its face, as I would with any suffering thing and I think the difference is that my feeling of horror, suffering is many greater than my feeling of getting rid of a couple of cells because suffering can go on for years,” Ironside said. That startled the host Susanna Reid, who called it “horrible.” “I’m sorry. I was just about to introduce the next guest, but that is a pretty horrifying thing to say, that you would put a pillow over a –” Reid replied. But then following that, this exchange occurred: IRONSIDE: Of course I would, if it was a child I really loved who was any agony. I think any good mother would. REID: That’s going cause shock amongst some people. IRONSIDE: I don’t know any mother who wouldn’t say if this was there was nothing else that could be done and it was OTHER GUEST: That’s just not true. That’s just REID: Do you think mothers would agree with you? IRONSIDE: I think a lot would. Maybe not any, but a lot. The left is often eager to cry foul when some on the right even mention the words “death panels.” But with talk like this and by other eco-extremist, like Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who once said the world population should drop from nearly 7 billion as it stands now to under a billion , is it any wonder people question the motivations of some on the left?
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It may sound fairly bland on paper, but the potential implications here are notable. Tony Bates, who was seen as a major player within Cisco reporting directly to CEO John Chambers, has just left to take over the CEO role at Skype . Cisco’s own blog affirmed that Bates was leaving “to pursue another opportunity,” and The New York Times has it that Joshua Silverman is stepping aside to make room for Mr. Bates. He’ll arrive just in time to make a serious push for an IPO, grab more profit from its blossoming user base (which largely doesn’t pay anything to make Skype-to-Skype calls) and possibly “make a deeper push into carrier and enterprise markets,” as GigaOM puts it. Frankly, we’d be interested in seeing if any leftover synergies (yeah, we said it) could lead to a Skype-enabled Flip Video camcorder. Bates would obviously have great contacts with Cisco in order to make it happen, and honestly, it’d be a win-win for both parties. Crazier things have happened, right? Continue reading Skype lands Cisco’s Tony Bates as new CEO Skype lands Cisco’s Tony Bates as new CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s hard not to love the crazy stuff happening at Microsoft Research , but it’s also hard to imagine when any of it is going to actually start changing the way we interact with our PCs. Surface was bested by SecondLight as the coolest tech we can’t buy, and now here comes another successor: LightSpace. This gets rid of the expensive table in favor of a (surely not cheap) series of projectors hanging from the ceiling paired to a 3D camera. The camera detects the relative position of things and instructs a projector to apply a Surface-like interface onto any flat surface. From there a user can literally grab any file they like and carry it over to another surface, where it will be displayed. It’s all demonstrated quite handily in the video below, and while the system does look a wee bit rough at the moment, the potential is surely there. Just like it was with SecondLight, and Surface, and Courier… Continue reading Microsoft LightSpace brings Surface (plus shadows) to any table (video) Microsoft LightSpace brings Surface (plus shadows) to any table (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NC State patents multifunctional smart sensors, looks to ‘revolutionize energy and communications infrastructure’
October 4, 2010 No Comment
Bold words coming from a program that choked in epic fashion this past Saturday in front of 58,000+, don’t you think? Thankfully for those who are actually involved in the global energy and communications infrastructure (not to mention depressed alumni ), NC State ‘s athletics department is far removed from its research labs, and the university’s latest development was born and bred in the latter. A team of researchers have managed to patent a new technology that is expected to enable the development of “high-power, high-voltage and high-current devices that are critical for the development of energy distribution devices, such as smart grid technology and high-frequency military communications.” The secret? Integrating gallium nitride (GaN) sensors and devices directly into silicon-based computer chips, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by any team prior. According to Dr. Jay Narayan , this newfangled integration has “enabled the creation of multifunctional smart sensors, high-electron mobility transistors, high-power devices, and high-voltage switches for smart grids,” and it also makes a broader range of radio frequencies available — something that’ll obviously be beneficial in the advancement of communications. Best of all, a US-based corporation is already in the process of licensing the technology, so it’s likely that we’ll see this in use in the not-too-distant future. An ACC championship, however, remains far more elusive. NC State patents multifunctional smart sensors, looks to ‘revolutionize energy and communications infrastructure’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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HTC Mozart Windows Phone 7 specifications leak, ‘late October’ UK launch confirmed
October 4, 2010 No Comment
We’re getting close, very very close to the official launch of the Windows Phone 7 OS. And while the US might be waiting until November for actual handsets to go on sale, Europe looks set for an October release… just like we heard from Microsoft back in August. Things are even rosier in the UK where all five major operators will have Windows Phone 7 devices in stock. Now, according to a screengrab we’ve received from an internal Phones 4U system, we know that the HTC Mozart is on deck for a late October UK retail debut. To start with, the 119 x 60.5 x 11.9 mm touchscreen slate will feature a 3.7-inch 800×480 pixel TFT LCD, 1GHz CPU, 8MP camera with Xenon flash and 720p video recording, a 1300mAh battery, 8GB of memory, and a bevy of sensors for ambient light, gravity, compass, and proximity. Other specs include a 3.5-mm audio jack naturally, surround sound, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, and 802.11n WiFi. Expect it to be sold free with the usual
Continue reading …Samsung Captivate gets unofficial Froyo build, with Flash 10.1, mobile hotspot and more (video)
October 2, 2010 No Comment
Now that your AT&T-locked Samsung Galaxy S can occasionally find satellites , you’re probably hoping that the carrier kicks out some creamy Froyo as well, and it looks like that day isn’t far away — an unofficial but seemingly feature-complete Android 2.2 build is available for the Captivate right now . The faithful fiends at xda-developers have got build UCJI6 ready for download, which brings a mobile hotspot, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, the JIT compiler, Media Hub support, and a host of UI tweaks to boot. Instructions are available at the links below to walk you through the process, assuming you’ve already got root , have backed up all your files and are willing to take the risks in case this leaked build isn’t as official as it seems . See a video walkthrough of the new software right after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Samsung Captivate gets unofficial Froyo build, with Flash 10.1, mobile hotspot and more (video) Samsung Captivate gets unofficial Froyo build, with Flash 10.1, mobile hotspot and more (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It may not be your birthday , but it’s most definitely the weekend. And if you’re looking to have a “good time ,” there’s hardly a better place to look than your local ABC store. We mean… whatever place you can find that sells Medea. Put simply, this vodka maker has decided to wrap its spirits inside of bottles that boast programmable LED displays, and while the company has been kicking the tires for a small while now, we’ll have you know that these things are now available for purchase ($39.99 a pop) over the world wide web. Programming information is down there at the source link, and if you’ve been searching for the perfect complement to your LED rims , look no further. Man, if only Brennan Huff and Dale Doback would’ve had access to this while shooting their first and only music video… Continue reading Medea Vodka (and its radical programmable LED bottle) now ready to party Medea Vodka (and its radical programmable LED bottle) now ready to party originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …It may not be your birthday , but it’s most definitely the weekend. And if you’re looking to have a “good time ,” there’s hardly a better place to look than your local ABC store. We mean… whatever place you can find that sells Medea. Put simply, this vodka maker has decided to wrap its spirits inside of bottles that boast programmable LED displays, and while the company has been kicking the tires for a small while now, we’ll have you know that these things are now available for purchase ($39.99 a pop) over the world wide web. Programming information is down there at the source link, and if you’ve been searching for the perfect complement to your LED rims , look no further. Man, if only Brennan Huff and Dale Doback would’ve had access to this while shooting their first and only music video… Continue reading Medea Vodka (and its radical programmable LED bottle) now ready to party Medea Vodka (and its radical programmable LED bottle) now ready to party originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 03:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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