It hasn’t been an easy few months for anyone holding out for Acer’s 7-inch Iconia Tab A100 . After being announced without a firm release date, it then went up for pre-order in the UK with a promised April 20th ship date, only to be delayed until the second half of the year a month later — possibly due to some Honeycomb compatibility issues . Now the device has finally hit the FCC, which could indicate that an eventual release will at least be closer to the beginning of the second half of the year than the end. Unfortunately, the FCC’s still holding back on any actual pictures, so you’ll have to get your gadget dissection fix another day. Acer Iconia Tab A100 hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s hard out there for a company making endangered gadgets. According to Reuters , flailing satnav maker Navigon could be acquired by none other than Garmin , which has struggled itself to maintain strong handheld navigator sales in the face of stiff competition from smartphones. The deal could be worth somewhere in the “mid-double-digit million” Euro range — a none-too-helpful estimate, but enough for us to understand that the personal navigator market is in such a state that Garmin could scoop up its rival for a pretty modest sum. Garmin, for its part, has been doing well, considering — it’s the top navigator brand in the US (a market Navigon has long since exited), and its profit nearly tripled in the most recent quarter. That’s largely thanks to those bestselling navigators, but also because the company’s been wise enough to reinvent itself as a purveyor of running watches and expand its boating and aviation businesses. In any case, if the Navigon brand is going bye bye, it looks like we could find out as soon as this month. Garmin in talks to buy Navigon? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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As you may know, crafting a katana is a delicate process that involves carefully constructing a razor-sharp high-carbon edge around a soft shock-absorbent core. One day though, smiths and forging fires could be replaced by electrode-wielding mad-scientists, with the technology to selectively harden and soften metal at will. At least that’s what we envisioned when we read about J
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Want an adorable little Android cellbot to call your own, but aren’t quite ready to tackle Arduino code? Darrell Taylor’s got you covered with an audio-controlled, jousting cellbot: no muss, no fuss, no microcontroller. The Make project, called TRRSTAN, accepts commands via Google chat, web browser, or Wii remote piped through the headphone jack of your Android phone — the robot’s brain, of course. Tack on a few makeshift weapons procured at the local dollar store, and you’ve got a homemade warrior you can be proud of. Want one? Taylor has a ready-made kit available for just shy of $50, and offers a ‘fully assembled’ option for the extra-lazy robot enthusiast. Of course, you could always go back to playing Android-bots with your Legos if you aren’t quite ready to big-boy world of DIY. Just sayin’. Simple DIY cellbot ditches Arduino, jousts poorly (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 23:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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HTML5 beckons the world with its dashing logo and also, we suppose, all the clever little things it can do. Desktop notifications in Gmail and folder-dragging in Docs already refuse to work with anything less — and before long that will apply to the entirety of Google Apps. Come August 1st, you will find that Gmail, Calendar, Talk, Docs and Sites are all unsupported unless you’re using either the current or last major release of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari. An older browser won’t suddenly stop working with Google Apps, but it will begin a steady descent into oblivion. Hey, being popular means you don’t have to be nice. Google Apps is moving on, you’ll need an HTML5 browser to go with it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Seriously, even a few Engadget editors are chortling in joy. PSN and Qriocity service has been restored in the Americas, Europe, and Asia and to celebrate (and soothe the seething frustration of its customers) Sony has launched its ” welcome back ” program. To be eligible you’ll have to have been a member before April 20th but, otherwise, it’s relatively qualifier free. Fire up the PlayStation Store and head to the “Welcome Back” tab to claim your pair of free games (you’ve got five different options on the PS3 and four on the PSP). In addition everyone gets a month of PlayStation Plus gratis and there’s a selection of “On Us” movie rentals available over the weekend. There are a few other freebies to placate the masses too, like 100 free items in PlayStation Home, while Current Plus and Music Unlimited Premium subscribers get a 60 and 30 day handout respectively. If you’ve got any burning questions yet to be answered, check out the rather lengthy FAQ at source link and enjoy! It’s not everyday that a company just throws open the flood gates on free stuff. PSN ‘Welcome Back’ package is here, our long global nightmare is over originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Kinect hack turns your living room into a crazy one-man laser techno dance party (video)
June 3, 2011 No Comment
We’ve seen it aid surgery , help make smarter robots , and even do some gaming stuff , but honestly, what good is a controller if it can’t fuel your crazy techno dance parties? Vimeo user Matt “Namethemachine” Davis posted a video showing a new hack for the peripheral, using its camera-based motion detection, combined with Ableton Live, DMX protocol, and more clever hackery to create a one-man electro-laser light show. It’s easy to see this getting a bit out of control real fast in a room packed with overexcited club goers, but if you’re looking to recreate the communal experience for you and your cat in your one bedroom apartment, this may be just the ticket. Continue reading Kinect hack turns your living room into a crazy one-man laser techno dance party (video) Kinect hack turns your living room into a crazy one-man laser techno dance party (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Flexible wireless charging sheet could eventually turn your skinny jeans into power pants (video)
June 3, 2011 No Comment
If you haven’t already heard, wireless charging is all the rage — cars , cameras , and, of course, cellphones have all benefited from the burgeoning technology. Now a team of researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) are showing off a 2D power transmission system that could turn your pockets into wireless charging stations. According to its creators, “When a 2.4GHz high frequency signal is transmitted through the sheet, it becomes a wireless conductive object.” Electromagnetic waves are captured in the sheet and can be concentrated in particular areas, allowing for individual activation of multiple devices, and thus increasing efficiency — systems like Qi currently require a dedicated transmitter per device. The NICT says the power it provides is still relatively weak — about 1W — but it has plans to eventually bring the technology to soft fabrics. So maybe that Snuggie charging station you’ve been dreaming of isn’t so impractical after all. Flexible wireless charging sheet could eventually turn your skinny jeans into power pants (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 18:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Do you love TUAW? Well, we do, and not just cause we’re legally obligated to cherish our sister (site). If you haven’t seen her lately you should stop by and say “hi.” She’s sporting an entirely new look — you’ll love what she’s done with her nav bar — and picked up a few interesting new features like the ability to sort by platform and a carousel that automatically alerts you to updated posts (quite handy for stalking the Apple Store when it goes down). Don’t let that Beta tattoo fool you though, TUAW 3.0 isn’t fickle, she won’t change her mind at the drop of a turtleneck or ditch design changes willy nilly — these are big improvements and there’s a lot more to come. So go, reintroduce yourself, and catch up on what’s new with TUAW at the source link. Introduce yourself to the brand new TUAW! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Much like the format war that once divided us between HD DVD and Blu-ray, a battle between two different types of 3D-capable HDTVs rages on while customers wait to be convinced that any of the new tech is worth the trouble. One of the first to enter the battlefield for the passive glasses side from LG is the LW5600, a slim edge-LED lit LCD model that is most notable for its extras. Besides featuring a Film Patterned Retarder ( FPR ) screen that plays back 3D viewable with the same RealD glasses you use at the movie theater, it’s a connected TV packing apps, Plex media streaming software and a ” magic motion ” gesture control remote. After perusing the spec list we couldn’t wait to see if more features actually made for a better HDTV experience and if passive 3D is a competitive option for home viewing, so check after the break to see how we felt about it after a few hours on the couch. Continue reading LG LW5600 3D LCD HDTV review LG LW5600 3D LCD HDTV review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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