Smug alert: Google says it has largest corporate EV charging network in the US (video)
June 11, 2011 No Comment
Things are just getting greener and greener over at Google. Yesterday, the company triumphantly declared that its Mountain View campus now boasts the largest corporate EV charging network in the US, with some 200 chargers currently in place, plus an extra 250 that are on the way. It’s all part of El Goog’s RechargeIt sustainability initiative, launched in 2007, which has also given rise to the Gfleet — a set of company-owned plug-ins made available for employees. Now that Google has purchased some extra Chevy Volts and Nissan Leafs , this Gfleet will eventually expand to include a total of 30 EVs, which explains the expansion of its ChargePoint Network . The ultimate goal is to have charging stations at five percent of Mountain View’s parking spaces, all of which will be searchable on Google Maps , and available for employees to use for free. The company hopes this initiative will encourage more people to purchase EVs, and estimates that it’ll eventually save a total of 5,400 tonnes of CO2 per year — the equivalent to removing about 2,000 cars from the road. Head past the break for a video on the program, or hit up the source link if you’d like to help Google pat itself on the back. Continue reading Smug alert: Google says it has largest corporate EV charging network in the US (video) Smug alert: Google says it has largest corporate EV charging network in the US (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Volvo kicks off C30 Electric production for 2012 delivery, promises V60 plug-in hybrid for the US later
June 11, 2011 No Comment
Not enough electric vehicles in the market, you say? Well, at least there’ll be a new candidate rolling out from Volvo next year. Earlier this week, the car maker announced that it’s just started producing the C30 Electric (as test-driven by us back in March), the task of which is split between the company’s Belgium and Swedish plants. If all goes well, Volvo will deliver 250 or more units to leasing customers across Europe (Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway) by the end of 2012. There’s no word on US availability for this petrol-free ride, but Volvo will instead be offering the more powerful V60 plug-in hybrid to its American friends in 2013 or 2014. Patience is a virtue, dear friends. Volvo kicks off C30 Electric production for 2012 delivery, promises V60 plug-in hybrid for the US later originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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How can you “be what’s next” without having what’s next on your phone? Bing is here to help you fulfill its tagline by updating its mobile site for any device that runs HTML5. If the update had a highlight reel to show off the newest features, here’s what would be on it: a carousel-like interface in the news section that lets you swipe your finger left or right to switch to other categories; maps that show directions together in split-screen format; a search history complete with trending topics; and the ability to share images and links on Facebook. The new enhancements are now available to iOS, Android, and BlackBerry, so it’s an easy jaunt over to your browser to check it out. Or, if you’re reading this on your phone, give the ol’ More Coverage link a quick tap. Bing Mobile updated, news and maps get minor facelifts originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Japan’s Ministry of Defense is pretty good at its hovering drones , but we’re not entirely convinced that this one will be fit for purpose. The RC reconnaissance scout reminds us of a spherical Iain M. Banks Culture drone, which is neat, except that this one’s more conspicuous, dies after just eight minutes and was constructed not by an intergalactic artificial consciousness, but by a bunch of geeks who went foraging for parts in Akihabara. Nevertheless, it can do 40MPH and is surprisingly agile, as you’ll see in the video — watch out for the kissogram moment. Continue reading Japanese ball drone knows how to make an entrance (video) Japanese ball drone knows how to make an entrance (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …iPhone rides Atlantis into space, where no one can hear its ringtone scream
June 11, 2011 No Comment
Smartphones have been going to space for a while now — well, technically near space in most cases — but in decidedly DIY ways, including a “shuttle” made out of Styrofoam beer coolers . But the actual Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to complete its final voyage with a pair of space-ready iPhone 4′s aboard. After docking with the International Space Station, astronauts use the phones, not to become Foursquare’s Mayor of Space, it seems, but to run an app called SpaceLab for iOS. Designed by Houston’s Odyssey Space Research, the app contains a number of navigation tools that will test the iPhone cameras and gyroscopes, alongside a self-monitoring experiment that will reveal the effects of radiation on the devices. The Space Shuttle launch is tentatively scheduled for July 8, but in the meantime even earth-bound astro-nots (aww) can pick up the app for $1 by following the source link. iPhone rides Atlantis into space, where no one can hear its ringtone scream originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 07:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …AT&T bringing WiFi to 20 NYC parks, Weiner envisions all new places to tweet from
June 11, 2011 No Comment
For better or worse, AT&T’s hampered 3G blanket in New York City may indeed save you from sending out a few tweets that would be better off unsent, but thanks to this new initiative, it looks like you’ll have far more opportunities to make illogical decisions with your Twitter application of choice. This week, Mayor Bloomberg and AT&T head honcho Randall Stephenson rolled out a five year plan to provide gratis WiFi at 26 locations in in 20 New York City parks across the five boroughs, meaning that you’ll no longer have to slog through Times Square just to get a few free bytes. As of this very moment in time, free AT&T WiFi is available to users at Battery Bosque in Battery Park, the north-end playground in Joyce Kilmer Park in the Bronx, and around the recreation center at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem, with 23 additional park locations to follow throughout the summer. Back at D9, Ralph de la Vega made it clear that the company was spending countless hours on 3G handoff methods as a way to offload some of the strain on its cellular networks, and sure enough, those with “select” AT&T smartphones will be able to seamlessly switch over without even touching a thing. Thankfully, it’s also free for folks on other carriers (or no carrier at all), with a NSFW filter being applied only to parks located in the 9th district. Or, so we’re told. Continue reading AT&T bringing WiFi to 20 NYC parks, Weiner envisions all new places to tweet from AT&T bringing WiFi to 20 NYC parks, Weiner envisions all new places to tweet from originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Apple’s already made its position on the whole Lodsys situation pretty clear, and it’s now taken things one step further after the patent holder hit iOS developers with a lawsuit at the end of last month. As noted by Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents , Apple has filed a motion to intervene in the case, and he says Apple is “fairly likely” to be admitted as an intervener based on precedent. In the case that happens, Apple has also concurrently filed its answer to the complaint and its counterclaim, which unsurprisingly line up with its earlier position on the matter: that Apple has already licensed the patents in question on the developers’ behalf, and that they are “entitled to use this technology free from any infringement claims by Lodsys.” Hit the source link below for the complete filing, along with FOSS Patents’ analysis of it. Apple files motion to intervene in Lodsys patent lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Oh, ASUS — what a teaser . Especially when it comes to the release dates and exact prices of your latest keyboard-packing Eee Pad 10.1-inch Android tablets. The word remains mum regarding final pricing, but the company’s UK division recently announced via its Facebook page that the Transformer 3G and Slider tabs will be available in the region during August; and sadly, that’s about all. It’ll be letting out more details on how to snag one just before they’re out, and hopefully you’ll get a chance to before they sell clean out . For now, you can re-skim our review of the UK Transformer and additional Slider coverage — just think of it as a consolation prize. ASUS slipping Eee Pad Slider and Transformer 3G into UK hands this August originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This week is all about stuff we knew was happening actually happening: we got a big ol’ slice of Apple pie raining down from the clouds, a new way to control your Nintendo fever, and…a bunch of not-so-exciting news from the folks who bought you Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Notepad. Join Tim, Darren, and Brian as they recount their journeys through piles of press conferences and trade shows here — on the Engadget Podcast. Host: Tim Stevens Guests: Brian Heater, Darren Murph Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Got My Mind Set On You 03:55 – WWDC 2011 liveblog: Steve Jobs talks iOS 5, OS X Lion, iCloud and more! 06:27 – OS X Lion launching in July for $29.99, Lion Server to run $49.99 12:39 – Apple turns iOS ‘PC Free’ with OTA updates and wireless sync 19:11 – Apple unveils iMessage, its BBM competitor, at WWDC 22:24 – Apple announces iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match 30:05 – Live from Microsoft’s E3 2011 keynote! 31:00 – Kinect support explodes, EA Sports, Mass Effect 3, and more hop on board 31:30 – Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 UI has Bing voice search across Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and live TV 32:52 – Kinect Star Wars hands-on: Engadget and Joystiq get in touch with the Force 34:11 – Sony’s PlayStation Vita official: $249 for WiFi, $299 for 3G 35:00 – Sony’s PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressions 37:43 – Live from Nintendo’s E3 2011 keynote! 39:05 – Nintendo admits its Wii U highlight reel was spiced up with PS3 and Xbox 360 footage 40:00 – Nintendo Wii U console eyes-on 41:50 – Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! (video) 47:33 – Hyperkin SupaBoy portable SNES console hands-on (video) 50:24 – Listener questions Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast Send your questions to @tim_stevens . Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005) E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot com Twitter: @tim_stevens @bheater @darrenmurph Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 243 – 06.10.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — words Panasonic has clearly taken to heart with the Toughbook 19 . It’s time for the rugged, 10-inch convertible tablet to get its annual refresh and not much has changed visibly. Instead, the company gave its internals a boost with some Sandy Bridge goodness and slapped a new TransflectivePlus screen in this military-grade machine for computing in direct sunlight. Impressively, the Core i5 found inside is not of the ULV variety, it’s a standard voltage 2520m powering this completely sealed, fanless design. Additionally, the Toughbook 19 now comes standard with 4GB of RAM and has a pair of SSD options for added durability. You’ll be able to pick one up, and use it as a frisbee, in September starting at $3,349. While you wait, feel free to check out the PR after the break. Continue reading Panasonic Toughbook 19 scores upgraded internals to match its mighty shell Panasonic Toughbook 19 scores upgraded internals to match its mighty shell originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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