Heart-rate monitoring belt marks Bluetooth 4.0 milestone, stops to rest for Bluetooth 4.0 phones
June 11, 2011 No Comment
Some firsts represent truly monumental achievements. Others, like the world’s first production-ready Bluetooth Low Energy heart-rate chest belt , are just a mouthful. This little black belt claims to be the very first of its kind, and promises to “spur the development of a whole new range of… health and fitness apps,” by harnessing the power of Bluetooth Low Energy to pump heart rate stats to your mobile phone. Of course, that deluge of new fitness apps will have to wait until a Bluetooth 4.0-compatible phone hits the market. In the meantime, we wouldn’t expect the black chest strap to pioneer any new fashion trends. Heart-rate monitoring belt marks Bluetooth 4.0 milestone, stops to rest for Bluetooth 4.0 phones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Thought those birds were angry? Just wait until you start eating their eggs. The masterminds behind the game Angry Birds, Rovio Mobile, are publishing a cookbook of egg recipes tied to the hit game. (via Techland) No matter that tucking in to an Angry Bird omelette directly contradicts the premise of the game: to save the
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Several 9to5Mac readers noticed a rather peculiar phenomenon this last week — their freshly-ordered Verizon iPad 2 units shipped all the way from China just fine, only to boomerang back to sender right before delivery time. Now, Reuters has the official word: Apple’s recalling an “extremely small number ” of Verizon iPad 2s which were flashed with a duplicate MEID code. Should they have been delivered, users would probably have found themselves unable to connect to 3G, or booted off before long, as Verizon reportedly can only have one device with that unique identifier on the network at once. We’re not sure whether to applaud, but it’s good to see manufacturers taking responsibility for their hardware before it hits shelves. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Apple recalls a few Verizon iPad 2s, citing connectivity issues originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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You’d be forgiven for dismissing an amateur metallurgist if he claimed to have improved upon the presumably perfected technology of steel making. But Flash Bainite, the creation of Detroit entrepreneur Gary Cola, wowed a team of Ohio State University engineers by turning centuries of alloy processing on its head. Instead of heating the metal for hours or days, this well-equipped DIYer boosted the temperature — quickly baking, then cooling sheets of steel that are 7-percent stronger than other forms and tougher than some titanium alloys. Flash Bainite is also more ductile than other steels, allowing it to crumple more before breaking — perfect for absorbing impacts. Obviously this means stronger and lighter cars, laptops, and armored vehicles but, since the process takes all of about 10 seconds, it’s also more energy efficient and cheaper than traditional steel making. Now, who has the number for the Nobel Prize committee? Detroit DIYer cooks up stronger, lighter steel, shames scientists originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung to finally roll out flexible AMOLED displays for public consumption in 2012?
June 11, 2011 No Comment
Samsung’s been a frequent source of frustration, teasing us with its fabulous flexible displays for years , while never giving us a date when we could buy one for our very own. However, word on the web suggests that Sammy is finally ready to unleash its pliant panels upon the world in Q2 of 2012. Apparently, the company’s mobile display division opened a new manufacturing plant with Ube (who produces the plastic substrate for the screens) last month to mass-produce bendy AMOLEDs for watches and phones. Let the countdown to the ductile display revolution begin. Samsung to finally roll out flexible AMOLED displays for public consumption in 2012? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Chevy drops Volt base price by $1,000 for 2012, makes saving the world slightly more affordable
June 11, 2011 No Comment
Chevy wants to know what it can do to get you into one of its plug-in hybrids today. A $1,000 price drop? You got it. The carmaker announced this week that the 2012 Volt base price will come in a grand lower than its predecessor, thanks to the sorts of additional configurations that come with increased availability. The 2011 version was available in seven states and the District of Columbia and came in three configurations — 2012′s Volt is available nationwide in seven different packages, ranging from $39,995 to $46,265. And keep in mind that those prices don’t factor in potential tax credits . The latest version of the plug-in vehicle is available now for order and offers up features like MyLink media streaming, OnStar driving directions, and passive locking (though the new base model does strip away a couple of features found in its predecessor). Also there’s the whole lessening your dependence on gasoline, if you’re into that sort of thing. Continue reading Chevy drops Volt base price by $1,000 for 2012, makes saving the world slightly more affordable Chevy drops Volt base price by $1,000 for 2012, makes saving the world slightly more affordable originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sony announced the successor to its NEX-3 digital camera earlier this week , so we decided to take a post-E3 road trip down to the electronics maker’s US headquarters in San Diego to check out the $599 NEX-C3 for ourselves. We’ll analyze the new sensor’s image quality in a full review before the camera hits stores later this summer, but from our initial impressions, the new cam appears to offer fairly minor tweaks compared to its predecessor. It’s incredibly small for a camera with an APS-C sensor — perhaps even awkwardly so, when paired with the comparatively massive 18-55mm kit lens or Sony’s enormous 18-200mm optic — but not small enough to be any less functional than the previous iteration. Like the NEX-3, the camera was designed to be held by resting the lens on your left palm, rather than by the grip, so size isn’t likely to be an issue. Cosmetic changes include a magnesium alloy top panel, front microphone positioning, and a more efficient display hinge, which helped reduce the camera’s thickness. We’ll be posting a full review in several weeks, but jump past the break for more observations, and a hands-on video from Sony HQ. Gallery: Sony NEX-C3 Hands-on Continue reading Sony NEX-C3 hands-on (video) Sony NEX-C3 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Oh, we’ve been fairly certain for a while now that we’d see the sexy Samsung Galaxy S II saunter on over to AT&T , but now we’ve attained what appears to be the first official photo of the handset. Samsung’s Singapore division has a series of professional shots of planned accessories, including this “Samsung Galaxy S II Desktop Dock,” a handsome pyramid stand sporting HDMI and 3.5mm stereo-out jacks — and of course, an AT&T logo on its comfortably cradled smartphone. We’re still not quite sure when Samsung’s flagship will hit the US, but it had better get a move on — we’re slated to see a Galaxy S III by this time next year, after all. [Thanks, Solomon T.] Samsung Galaxy S II for AT&T ratted out by its own HDMI dock originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …VLT Survey Telescope snaps out-of-this-world photos with 268-megapixel camera
June 11, 2011 No Comment
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) has just released the first batch of shots taken by its VLT Survey Telescope (VST), and, given the results, we’d say the thing’s got a bright future in photography. Not to be mistaken for its cousin, the VLT (very large telescope), the VST sports a 268-megapixel camera, known as the OmegaCAM, and a field of view “twice as broad as the full moon.” The images released by the ESO feature the Omega Nebula (located in the Sagittarius constellation) and Omega Centauri in stellar detail. Annie Lebovitz, eat your heart out — the rest of you hop on past the break for another shot by this up and coming shutterbug. Continue reading VLT Survey Telescope snaps out-of-this-world photos with 268-megapixel camera VLT Survey Telescope snaps out-of-this-world photos with 268-megapixel camera originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Portable electronic devices may / may not make your plane fall out of the sky
June 11, 2011 No Comment
We’ve all no doubt mocked an in-flight call to shut off all portable electronic devices at some point — heck, we’ve all probably had a saucy flight attendant who’s done the mocking for us. After all, the idea that our plane might plummet 30,000 feet because we’re fiddling with our iPhone seems a bit silly, given all we know about portable electronics. A newly discovered study conducted by the International Air Transport Association, however, calls into question the flippant nature with which most of us dismiss those warnings. Between 2003 and 2009, the study found 75 incidents in which electronic interference may have affected flight controls, navigation systems, or set off engine indications. It’s far from definitive proof — it’s more along the lines of anecdotal evidence from crew members, but hey, anything we can do help our plane keep flying is probably a good thing, right? Portable electronic devices may / may not make your plane fall out of the sky originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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