Barnes & Noble may still be calling it an e-reader first and foremost, but the Nook Color has now taken one more step into full-fledged tablet territory with the release of an official SDK add-on for the Android SDK. That comes complete with an Android Virtual Device emulator, along with Android Debug Bridge (or ADB) configuration settings, sample code and, of course, plenty of documentation to get you started. Of particular note, that finally includes a complete specifications list, which confirms once more that the device runs on an 800MHz TI OMAP 3621 processor , and is backed up by a POWERVR SGX530 GPU. Hit up the source link below for all the details. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Nook Color gets an SDK, documentation aplenty originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Image: volt.charitybuzz.com Recharging Detroit Public Schools GM is auctioning off the first Chevy Volt off the production line to raise money for the Detroit Public Schools Foundation . It’s a great idea, and so far it seems pretty successful. There’s still about 11 days left in the auction, and already the car with a MSRP of $40,280 has a bid for $180,000, and the next bid will have to be at least 5 grand higher to be accepted. Other car makers should steal this! How about a
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Photo: Jeda Villa Bali , Flickr, CC That’s the finding of a newly released report , put together by a trade group of over 20 associations around the world, that tracks the development of solar power around the world. According to the findings, by 2020, the world could easily enjoy 1,000 Gigawatts of solar power — if the proper incentives and support is given by world governments. You might also be surprised for the sunny future projected for US solar: … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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The iPad’s gorgeous 9.7-inch display has been attracting attention for its musical potential, and the Djay app from Algoriddim has definitely contributed to some of the noise. The guys who brought a consumer-friendly DJing app to the Mac have gone ahead and ported it over to Apple’s magical tablet, enabling pretty much anyone to get their shot on the decks. Does Djay for iPad live up to the hype? Read on past the break to find out. Continue reading App Review: Djay for iPad App Review: Djay for iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Deadly blaze in Israel Haifa, Israel (CNN) — While plumes of smoke continued to blanket Israel’s green, Mediterranean north, police said Friday that they suspect arsonists caused the deadly wildfire that has killed more than 40 people and injured 17 others in at least 48 hours. Dudi Cohen, an Israeli police commissioner, said Friday that the fire started from a single location. A special police investigative team together with a fire expert team have been working nonstop since Thursday to determine the cause. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said “suspicious objects” found Thursday raised speculation that the fire could have been started by arsonists. Rosenfeld did not describe the objects…
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While it may just prove what we already know, Wikileaks’ goldmine of information has birthed yet another gem. It seems the U.S. is worried of Mexico’s fight against narcotraffickers, describing its army as “slow and risk averse” and the climate of “official corruption” widespread. —JCL The BBC: The US is concerned that the Mexican army is failing in its fight against drug cartels, according to diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks. A cable sent by the US embassy in Mexico City in January 2010 described the army as “slow and risk averse.” It said troops were not trained to patrol the streets or gather evidence to convict those detained. Read more Related Entries December 2, 2010 Cheney May Face Nigerian Bribery Charges November 30, 2010 Wendell Potter on ‘Deadly Spin’
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Like a recalcitrant and over-sugared child, the U.S. official unemployment figures just won’t settle down. Official data now put the country’s jobless rate at 9.8 percent, a .2 percent bump since October and a world away from economic recovery. —JCL The LA Times: In a major setback for the economy, the nation’s jobless rate jumped to 9.8% in November as employers added a surprisingly measly amount of new jobs over the month, the government said Friday. The unemployment rate had been at 9.6% in the prior three months. The increase last month came as employers added just 39,000 jobs in November—a sharp drop-off from a revised 172,000 job gains in October and an average monthly gain of 86,000 this year. Many analysts were expecting that the report would show a second strong month of job growth, on the order of 150,000 or more new jobs. And there have been other signs that the long-sluggish labor market may be gaining momentum. Read more Related Entries December 2, 2010 Cheney May Face Nigerian Bribery Charges November 30, 2010 Wendell Potter on ‘Deadly Spin’
Continue reading …Clever Electric Bus Prototype Combines 2 Battery Chemistries for Max Power & Range
December 3, 2010 No Comment
Photo: GE Dual Battery System FTW There are about 840,000 buses on the roads of the United States, and while they are a greener way to get around than individual cars (especially for commuting in urban areas – please people, if you live in the city, use transit), the vast majority of them are powered by non-renewable fossil fuels. Some use diesel-hybrid powertrains for better fuel economy and lower emissions, and others run on compressed natural gas to reduce smog-forming tailpipe emissions, but those are just partial solutions. Fully electric buses would be better, but current battery t… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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After a big snow strands motorists on a highway near Buffalo, New York, snow plows are making quick work clearing the way. (Dec. 3)
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The headline pretty much reveals the brunt of it, but indeed, it looks like next week Google is going to start talking about how its Chrome operating system is coming along. Multiple sources have told us that Google will be holding some sort of event on Tuesday, December 7th — we’re not sure if it’ll be a live event, a webcast, or something else entirely — and that the shindig will see the launch of that Google-branded Chrome OS netbook we’ve been hearing about. Again, we’ve heard that the Atom-powered laptop isn’t going to be a mass market device — there will only be around 65,000 units available to Google’s closest “friends and family” — and that the Cloud-based OS is still very much in a beta, non-consumer-friendly state. It’s a bit odd that we still haven’t received an invite to this planned event since it’s purportedly days away, not to mention it conflicts with the All Things D: Dive Into Mobile Event , but at the time of publishing this post we had yet to hear back from Google’s PR team with an official comment. Of course, this all lines up with TechCrunch ‘s report that Google will be launching its Chrome Web / App Store very soon, as well as yesterday’s launch of Chrome 8, which supports those aforementioned Chrome apps. (Companies like TweetDeck have already started demoing their browser apps.) Don’t forget that those apps are going to be a large part of the OS , so it would make sense for Google to talk about ‘em in tandem. The pieces sure do seem to be fitting together quite well, and while we still have lots of unanswered questions, we’re feeling confident that we’ll be getting some official answers on all this Chrome-ness very soon. Update : AllThingsD has also heard a similar December 7th launch date of the Chrome Web Store. The evidence seems to be mounting here… Image note: As we said last time, that picture above is just our own mockup of what a Chromebook may look like. We even added a Chrome key! Sources: Google-branded Chrome OS netbook to launch on December 7th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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