If you’re like us, you’ve spent entirely too much time wondering how the movie Rear Window might have played out differently, had someone just handed Jimmy Stewart’s character an iPad to play with. With the introduction of the Super Gear Telescope, it seems that the plot would’ve been mostly the same, just as soon as he finished beating Angry Birds . The Brando add-on brings 6x zoom to the iPad 2 and generally looks far less awkward than its iPhone predecessor . All in all, $26 seems like a small price to pay to see what the neighbors are looking at on their own iPads. Brando’s iPad 2 telescope is perfect for watching the next Apple keynote originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Isn’t it curious how you always crack open a beer before settling in for some GTA ? Or how you tend to put an anxious hand over your wallet when logging onto PSN? No soldier, it is not curious. Not at all. But this is: Researchers at North Carolina State University claim they’ve found a way to predict your in-game behavior with “up to 80 percent accuracy.” After analyzing the decision-making of 14,000 World of Warcraft players, they noticed that different players prefer different types of achievements. These preferred achievements clump together into statistically significant groups, known as “cliques”, even if they have nothing obvious in common. So a WoW player who likes to improve their unarmed combat skills also, for some psychological reason, tends to want points for world travel. What’s more, the researchers believe that clique-spotting can be exploited outside the rather specific world of WoW , in which case their method could prove lucrative to game designers, online retailers and pretty much anyone with an interest in predicting your next move. Want to know more? Then we predict you’ll click the PR after the break. Continue reading Shocker! Gamer behavior is actually quite predictable Shocker! Gamer behavior is actually quite predictable originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
A $10 million UK trial involving police corruption, a $32,000 BMW and Premier League match tickets collapsed after a juror admitted to contacting the case’s defendant on Facebook. Former juror Joanne Fraill, 40, decided to have a chat with defendant Jamie Sewart, 34, about her ongoing juicy drug gang trial in Manchester, England last year.
Continue reading …
If you remember last year’s EX231W (note the lack of “p”) then you pretty much know all you need to about the company’s latest business-class 23-incher, the EX231Wp. It’s got the same 14.6mm bezel, 250-nit brightness, 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and 1920 x 1080 resolution. It even kept the pair of sensors for measuring ambient light and detecting meatbags sitting in front of it, which allow the screen to adjust its brightness and conserve energy. Really, the only big difference is that NEC has managed to trim the power consumption from an already respectable 31W to just 27W under normal use. The display will start shipping in July for $319 and you’ll find more spec fun in the PR after the break. Continue reading 23-Inch NEC MultiSync EX231Wp makes desktop displays a little bit greener 23-Inch NEC MultiSync EX231Wp makes desktop displays a little bit greener originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …If you remember last year’s EX231W (note the lack of “p”) then you pretty much know all you need to about the company’s latest business-class 23-incher, the EX231Wp. It’s got the same 14.6mm bezel, 250-nit brightness, 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and 1920 x 1080 resolution. It even kept the pair of sensors for measuring ambient light and detecting meatbags sitting in front of it, which allow the screen to adjust its brightness and conserve energy. Really, the only big difference is that NEC has managed to trim the power consumption from an already respectable 31W to just 27W under normal use. The display will start shipping in July for $319 and you’ll find more spec fun in the PR after the break. Continue reading 23-Inch NEC MultiSync EX231Wp makes desktop displays a little bit greener 23-Inch NEC MultiSync EX231Wp makes desktop displays a little bit greener originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Nintendo took some inspiration from the TV remote for its Wii controller, and it apparently thinks its new Wii U controller could well be the “TV remote of the future.” That’s just one tidbit from All Things D ‘s sitdown with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, who also talked more broadly about the Wii U’s new role in the living room. As evidenced by E3, that will include catering to more hardcore gamers than the Wii did, but Iwata says the Wii U is also an effort to take some of the couch time back from folks playing games on tablets, smartphones or laptops. To that end, Iwata says that Nintendo’s mission is to “shorten the distance between people and gaming” and remove some of the barriers involved with console gaming, further adding that it’s also trying to “reach out to the people who are not interested in video games.” Though it’s not saying much about it, Nintendo’s no doubt hoping to win back a few investors as well. As you may have noticed, the company’s stock slipped significantly following its E3 announcement and, while it’s bounced back a bit since, it’s still well off its Wii-fueled heights of recent years. Nintendo’s Iwata talks about Wii U’s place in the living room originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
News of Garmin’s plans to acquire Navigon leaked out earlier this month , but we now have official word that the GPS giant will bring the smaller German company under its wing beginning in late July. Pending regulatory approval, the deal would have Navigon, one of the largest GPS brands in Europe, functioning as a subsidiary of Garmin, which has a much stronger presence in North America. The companies were unable to reveal any financial information, though previous estimates priced the deal in the “mid-double-digit million” Euro range. Navigon says it’s not ready to share any details concerning the acquisition, but we’re unlikely to see major effects in the US, where the company has smartphone apps but hasn’t sold dedicated GPS devices in several years. Continue reading Garmin to purchase Navigon, plans to complete acquisition by late July Garmin to purchase Navigon, plans to complete acquisition by late July originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
We all know that cabled cans are king when it comes to tonal accuracy. The convenience of cord cutting can’t be denied, however, and there are ways to free your headphones from their physical bonds. Astro’s Mixamp 5.8 is a system designed to make your wired ‘phones wireless, but does it sacrifice sound quality for the sake of convenience? And is it worth $130? Click on through to find out. Gallery: Astro MixAmp 5.8 Continue reading Astro MixAmp 5.8 review Astro MixAmp 5.8 review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
After months attempting to bring the Desire up to speed with Android 2.3 , HTC is throwing in the towel, and it doesn’t have much more than a comments section full of disappointed handset owners to show for it. The UK branch of the phone manufacturer announced via its Facebook page that attempts to upgrade the Nexus One-esque smartphone to Gingerbread have proven fruitless, due to a lack of internal memory on the device. According to the company, the promised update just won’t play nicely with its Sense UI. Those desiring less official methods can always check out the leaked 2.3.3 ROM . Everyone else will have to suffer through the Froyo brain freeze. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] HTC Desire tries to catch Gingerbread, can’t keep up originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Most stoves produce heat that far exceeds the temperature necessary to boil water, but TES NewEnergy has found a way to convert that excess energy into power, which can subsequently be used to charge your USB gadgets. Released yesterday in Japan, the Hitochaja HC-5 USB power pot can generate up to 400mAh of juice — enough to charge your iPhone in three to five hours. Considering it needs a constant heat source to generate electricity, the
Continue reading …