Rhode Island is third state to offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants this year
October 3, 2011 No CommentLaws cracking down on illegal immigrants in Alabama and other states have dominated the news over the past year–but three states have more quietly passed laws or changed rules to allow illegal immigrants brought to the country as minors to go to college at in-state rates. Rhode Island’s higher education body, the Board of Governors
Continue reading …T-Mobile and Walmart offer 4G with no long-term contract, avoiding the pain of divorce
October 3, 2011 No Comment
Tree-Mobil… sorry, T -Mobile and Walmart are offering up an exclusive “No Annual Contract” deal for commitment-phobic customers who want to get 4G mobile data . The $30 a month Monthly4G plan gives you unlimited mobile data, with the first 5GB coming down through America’s so-called largest 4G network . After you pass that limit, your data shuffles down at 2G speeds. You also get unlimited text messages and 100 included minutes of talk, but you’re probably more interested at getting at that data, aren’t you? The service will be available from October 16th, to coincide with Walmart swelling its range of budget T-Mob handsets to six, including its first pre-paid 4G handset. After the break we’ve got some official looking words, neatly arranged into a press release. Continue reading T-Mobile and Walmart offer 4G with no long-term contract, avoiding the pain of divorce T-Mobile and Walmart offer 4G with no long-term contract, avoiding the pain of divorce originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Kindle Fire won’t be out til November, but it’s already giving off some strong pre-order smoke signals. According to digital marketing firm eDataSource, Amazon’s first tablet has generated enough buzz to pick up just under 100,000 orders — an estimate based on a sample of 800,000 e-mail users. Even with these rosy estimates, however, Amazon still has a long way to go before it catches up with Apple, which sold 300,000 iPads on its debut. But we’re guessing that the Fire’s $199 price tag probably won’t hurt its chances. Kindle Fire pre-orders heat up, reportedly reach 95,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A revamped set of Energy Star requirements went into effect last week, much to the chagrin of plus-sized plasma TVs everywhere. Under the new specification (Version 5.3), sets bearing that vaunted blue sticker will have to be, on average, about 40 percent more energy efficient than standard models, while larger displays will be held to even stricter requirements. The latest iteration also calls for qualifying TVs to adhere to a “hard cap” of 108 watts (irrespective of size), essentially disqualifying any plasmas at least 50-inches in size, and any larger, non-LED-backlit LCDs. Among those sets that qualified for certification under Version 4.2 , a full 14 percent consume more than 108 watts (mostly 2010 models), and only three are LED LCD-based (including Samsung’s UN65D8000 ). Some newly disqualified 2011 models, however, may still bear blue stickers, due to Energy Star’s ongoing transition process. “With the intention of seeing products that meet the newest requirements on retail shelves when 5.3 takes effect, EPA halted certification of new TVs that met the 4.2 requirements (but not the 5.3 requirements) as of May 31, 2011,” Energy Star product manager Katherine Kaplan explained to CNET . “All new products certified since May 31 meet the 5.3 requirements. A product newly manufactured and certified in June had to meet the 5.3 requirements to be labeled.” Hit up the source link below for more details. Energy Star 5.3 now in effect, some chunkier TVs left out in the cold originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Walk along that sparse borderline between Bluetooth headset and pearl necklace and you’ll eventually come across a company called Novero. It specializes in vaguely ridiculous bejeweled wireless things, but it has some serious products too — including these surreptitious little Rockaway earphones that have just been approved by the FCC. They’ll cope with hands-free calling, 5.5 hours of stereo music and 250 hours in standby — plus they weigh just 10 grams. Perfect for any NYC cabbie wanting to flout the rules at 50MPH. Barely visible Bluetooth earphones from Novero spotted at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Smartphone obsessives in Canada will be getting their hands on some snowy Galaxy S II goodness sooner rather than later. Yes, Samsung’s dual-core bestseller has been leaked with an October 7th launch date on Bell, with prices matching the dark original : CAD$599.95 off-contract or CAD$149.95 for three years. And we know all phones look better in white, right? White Galaxy S II gets not-so-festive October launch in Canada originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Before the Altair 8800 , before the SCElBI, there was the Kenbak-1 — considered to be the first personal computer by the Computer History Museum . Designed in 1970, it used Transistor-Transistor logic instead of a microprocessor — which is one of the reasons only 40 of the units were ever sold, of which 14 are known to still exist today. That’s what prompted modder funnypolynomial to produce his own using an Arduino . It may look a little more functional than the gloriously retro hexagonal design of the original, but it wouldn’t take much to copy that look, too. What are you waiting for? Get ordering your blinkenlights ! Arduino-powered modder recreates ‘first PC’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been a long time coming, but the patience has paid off with Sony’s A77 finally getting its first pro review. Sure, the $1,400 cost of entry (body only) will weigh heavily on even the most enthusiastic cameraman conscious. But, what’s a few hundred dollars when it comes to a camera that Popular Photography says has “radically changed the world of DSLRs”? It seems only the rival Canon 7D holds a candle to this would-be king, besting Sony’s latest when it comes to noise and performance at higher ISOs. However, the A77 wins on its all-around charm, with a 24.3 megapixel Exmor APS-C sensor, articulated LCD screen, world-first OLED EVF and impressive video-shooting chops. Video-wise, that top dollar gets you a high-end performance of 60fps at 1920 x 1080 with the fast phase-detection auto-focus we’ve also seen on its predecessors, the Sony A55 and A33. Popular Photography does add a single caveat to the largely very positive conclusion: video enthusiasts should probably hold tight to see what Canon and Nikon counter with. Especially if you’re in possession of multiple lenses. Aside from that, what’s stopping you? Dig in to all the nitty-gritty details below, and we’d advise cutting down on those impulse eBay purchases — this magnesium-alloyed beauty will certainly make a financial dent when it lands, if not a physical one. Sony A77 reviewed: A 24.3 megapixel game-changer? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s little question that the Fire stole the show at last week’s Amazon event . After all, the new tablet marks a change for the company’s Kindle line, which until now has been defined by relatively simple E-Ink-based devices. The Kindle Touch , meanwhile, stepped up to bat to take on the likes of new Nook and Kobo touchscreen readers. But while most expected that device to become the heir to the Kindle throne, the company made a something of a surprise move, offering up a new device that will bear the reader’s name. Now in its fourth generation , the Kindle has shed its keyboard and been reborn as a pocket-sized, lighter-weight reader. And a cheap one, at that — $109 for the standard version and $79 for the ad-supported. So, is the new Kindle worthy of the name that has become synonymous with e-readers? Or did the company make too many sacrifices in the name of slashing prices? Find out in our review after the break. Gallery: Amazon Kindle review (2011) Continue reading Amazon Kindle review (2011) Amazon Kindle review (2011) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …PS3 will support 4K stills after a future update, moving pictures remain out of reach
October 3, 2011 No Comment
Once you’ve cleared the $25k or so in your budget that it will take to snag one of Sony’s 4K VPL-VW1000ES your next problem will be finding some 4096×2160 res content to view on it. While showing off the new beamer for its Japanese audience at CEATEC today, Sony announced the PS3 will get a firmware update around the beginning of 2012 that will allow it to natively output 4K stills. There’s a PlayView “visual magazine” already available on the PlayStation store in Japan that supports 4K and 3D, but this update will bring super high res viewing of your vacation pics, or any other high res image files you can snag, to the living room. While your friends will no doubt be impressed by the museum-quality art gala you’re now capable of hosting, we’re starting the timer for 4K video sources — if we don’t hear anything concrete at CES then we’ll be incredibly disappointed. Gallery: Sony VPL-VW1000ES 4K projector PS3 will support 4K stills after a future update, moving pictures remain out of reach originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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