Toshiba’s Thrive — the Honeycomb tablet that went so long without a name — has evidently snagged itself a July 10th street date courtesy of Best Buy’s inventory database. If you’ll recall, pre-orders for the 10.1-inch pad got underway June 13th, but its release date was only loosely slated for mid-July. Our tipster’s informed us that their particular location’s gotten “quite a few” 16-giggers in-stock, and they’re just waiting to shine under the fluorescent showroom lights. So, it’ll still be about a week’s time until you can get your paws on one, but in the meantime, scoot past the break and you’ll find some Thrive packages in the flesh, er, cardboard. [Thanks, Anonymous] Continue reading Toshiba Thrive WiFi tablet hitting Best Buy on July 10th? Toshiba Thrive WiFi tablet hitting Best Buy on July 10th? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 02:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG RoboKing vacuum bot can self-diagnose, ask for help after colliding with your Roomba
July 3, 2011 No Comment
Sick of all those one-way chats with your Roomba 700 ? LG’s got you covered with its latest self-diagnosing robotized cleaning assistant . The newest RoboKing — the VR6172LVM — will set you back 779,000 Won (around $730), and apparently sports a low noise 48dB design (when it’s not talking, we presume). Most intriguing to us, however, is the bot’s ability to run diagnostics at the press of a button, enunciating its ailments if any one of the fourteen testable components are in-fact broken. We imagine your carpet would be happy to welcome Robo to the family, but when you have two pets to brush and all kitty can do is meow, we surmise the vacuum will come forth as King. LG RoboKing vacuum bot can self-diagnose, ask for help after colliding with your Roomba originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It seems like the folks over at the Flying Machine Arena are finally starting to catch on — those quadrocopters are going to kill us all. Thankfully, after teaching them to juggle and tap out some tunes , the researchers came to their senses and put the flying machines on a Kinect-controlled leash. Instead of flitting about autonomously , the four-rotored nightmares are directed by a puppeteer waving his hands. Movement is controlled by the right hand, while raising the left one tells the copter to do a little flip for its master’s amusement, and a commanding clap makes it sit down like a good little pup. Best of all, if you don’t give it any arm-waving instruction it just hovers and waits until you tell it otherwise. On further consideration, maybe we haven’t been creating our own murderers, but a new man’s best friend — after all, they don’t eat much and can’t chew up your remotes. Check out the video after the break. Continue reading Quadrocopters reined in by Kinect leash, we feel safer already Quadrocopters reined in by Kinect leash, we feel safer already originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We know, Samsung already took the wind out of your ” price cut! ” sails, but hey — we’re pretty certain you’ve still got a few things you’d like to see changed on the altogether lovely Series 9 . Sammy’s sexiest laptop to date has surely found its way into the homes of quite a few ultraportable aficionados, boasting a Core i5 chip, USB 3.0 and lovely all-in-one trackpad. ‘Course, even those enamored with the design have probably found a few chinks in the armor after a few month’s use, so we’re anxious to hear what you’d recommend Samsung do with revision B. Would you tone down the gloss? Arrange the ports any differently? Toss in a magnetic power connector? Boost the screen resolution? Voice your opinions down in comments below — it’s a free country, you know? How would you change Samsung’s Series 9 laptop? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 22:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Inhabitat’s Week in Green: IKEA’s massive solar array, climate-controlled clothing and ultra-green yachts
July 3, 2011 No Comment
The summer sun supercharged green technology this week as Inhabitat reported that IKEA flipped the switch on a massive 65,000 square foot solar array and designer Markus Kayser unveiled an awesome self-sufficient solar-powered laser cutter . We also spotted a clever off-grid Tropicana billboard that is juiced by oranges, and we learned about a new piezoelectric film that could lead to laptops powered by typing . Energy-generating architecture also made headlines as SMIT announced plans to roll out their Solar Ivy system on several buildings and one designer unveiled plans for a green energy island large enough to power Copenhagen. Green transportation also reached for the sky this week as the sun-powered Solar Impulse airplane made its public debut at the Paris Air Show and EADS unveiled plans for an innovative all-electric commercial aircraft . Efficient autos also hit the streets as the Nissan Leaf became the first electric car to tackle Pike’s Peak, and we learned that Porsche is working on a new breed of cars that are able to drive themselves. If pedal-powered transportation is more your speed you won’t want to miss this beautiful kinetic energy-storing Potenza vehicle , and we were wowed by the solar panel-clad Emax Excalibur hybrid yacht . In other news, we shined a light on green consumer electronics this week as we brought you a lunar LED light modeled after the moon and Peter Rojas explained how wasteful it is to keep gadgets chargers plugged in as part of our Ask a Tech Geek column . We also shared a low-tech tablet that’s perfect for kids, and we showcased a new type of climate-controlled clothing that beats the summer heat. Finally, we were excited to see Sprint launch a contest where you can recycle your old cell to score a Vespa scooter and an eco smartphone, and we brought you seven sustainable designs for a greener Fourth of July . Inhabitat’s Week in Green: IKEA’s massive solar array, climate-controlled clothing and ultra-green yachts originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 21:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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That ” future software upgrade ” Samsung promised us for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is “coming soon” according to the company’s site, though, when exactly “soon” might be is anyone’s guess. When it does start trickling its way on to Sammy’s slate, it’ll be bringing with it a host of new features, including that Honeycomb edition of TouchWiz that’s sure to be just as divisive as its smartphone ancestor. It does, however, pack in some nice functionality, like a multimedia clipboard for copying and pasting pictures and videos as well as text, and a Live Panel widget for pulling in news, weather, and updates from your social networks. Other features that you’re used to on Samsung devices are also coming along for the ride, including the Media Hub for purchasing videos and the latest, intense version of Swype . There’s also a remote tracking and wipe function for those who have a tendency to leave their gadgets behind at Starbucks, and it unlocks USB, SD card, and HDMI functionality — with the appropriate accessories of course. Check out the source link for a few more details. Galaxy Tab 10.1 update coming soon, ushers TouchWiz into the Honeycomb era originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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And with that, the tradition continues. Every year or so, it seems that an iPhone prototype of some description manages to find its way onto eBay, and just over a year after the first iPhone 4 prototype made its way into public view , the precious item you see above is now available on a public auction site. To our knowledge, this is the first iPhone 4 prototype to be offered for sale on eBay — at least from someone who actually appears to be legitimate and in possession of the device he / she claims to own — boasting an etched ‘DF1692′ label in the lower right, omitted volume button markers and a mysterious ‘XXGB’ label around back. Unfortunately, we’re told that it can’t be activated through iTunes, and popping in an AT&T SIM did the seller little good. ‘Course, at $810 and rising, we highly doubt such trivial matters will deter collectors from ponying up. Hit the source link to get your bid in — you know, before Apple’s henchmen convince Mr. Donahoe to pull the plug. iPhone 4 prototype surfaces on eBay: A+++ condition, would buy again originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology. This week’s release of the HP TouchPad , the first device other than a handset to feature webOS, aptly demonstrates the promise and perils of HP’s adopted operating system. The 4:3 tablet provides the large canvas that webOS seemed born to cover. However, like the Xoom and PlayBook before it, the TouchPad suffers from an impoverished app library among other holes. To help share development costs of webOS and expand the market for its developers, HP has warmed to the idea of licensing the Palm-developed operating system. HP’s willingness to license webOS while continuing to make devices based on the operating system serves up a healthy helping of d
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You know the old story, right? You come into possession of plans for the Empire’s moon-sized space station, and now they’ve come to capture you. What to do? Well, if you’ve got access to a Kinect, an iPad, and the String SDK, you’re in luck. The folks at LAAN Labs demonstrated a nifty little hack that can turn 3D data recorded using the Xbox 360 peripheral into a Princess Leia-esque augmented reality image playable on the Apple tablet. Check the video below — unless you’re a scruffy-looking nerf herder, that is. Continue reading Kinect / iPad hack should help you get Obi-Wan’s attention (video) Kinect / iPad hack should help you get Obi-Wan’s attention (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung’s Galaxy S II becomes company’s quickest selling phone: three million in 55 days
July 3, 2011 No Comment
Samsung sold three million of its original Galaxy S phone in 85 days. A few months later, a full ten million had been moved. Now, it looks as if the superphone’s proper successor may put that latter statistic to shame. The outfit just announced that it took but 55 days to move three million Galaxy S II handsets , which works out to one phone every 1.5 seconds . It’s Sammy’s briskest-selling smartphone ever, and we’re guessing that it’ll keep up the pace once that AT&T variant lands on US soil. Which is coming soon , right Samsung ? Continue reading Samsung’s Galaxy S II becomes company’s quickest selling phone: three million in 55 days Samsung’s Galaxy S II becomes company’s quickest selling phone: three million in 55 days originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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