Transportation Department to propose mandatory black boxes in passenger vehicles?
May 27, 2011 No Comment
A few years back, the Department of Transportation recommended that auto makers give car owners a heads up when they slip event data recorders — also known as “black boxes” — into new models. Now, it looks like the department is considering taking its policy a step (or several) further: a memo reveals that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to propose later this year that all new passenger vehicles have EDRs. So far, heavy-duty vehicles appear to be excluded, and either way, it’s unclear how many years auto makers might have to work black boxes into their future models. Interestingly, when we asked a DoT staffer for clarification, he reminded us that the agency hasn’t issued a press release and said he wasn’t sure where Wired and other outlets were getting their information. Indeed, the Transportation Department hasn’t proposed such a law yet, though it’s pretty safe to say it’s at least pondering it. Hit the source link to pore over the 197-page doc for yourselves (tip: we suggesting paying particular attention to page 54). [Warning: PDF source link] Transportation Department to propose mandatory black boxes in passenger vehicles? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …People of Lava invites Android developers to version 2.0 of its app market for TVs
May 27, 2011 No Comment
While Google continues to work on an official Android Market for TVs , Sweden’s own People of Lava has announced the second version of the app store for its Scandinavia Android TV . With version 2.0 People of Lava is focusing on attracting developers to create apps specifically for the Android 1.5-powered TVs in order to fill its own app marketplace. Like Google , it has opened up a developer site stuffed with information for anyone interested in developing apps for the TVs, which are currently hand built in 42-, 47- and 55-inch sizes with prices starting at €2500 ($3,564). We wish them well, but with that high price developers may have as much trouble finding a wider audience as current Google TV partners have so far . Continue reading People of Lava invites Android developers to version 2.0 of its app market for TVs People of Lava invites Android developers to version 2.0 of its app market for TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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What’s a chip maker to do after successfully hawking five million of its Fusion APUs? Why, expand the line, of course! A leaked slide deck from within the lairs of AMD is showing off quite a bit of the company’s upcoming roadmap, and while a good deal of it has already been made public in one way or another, there’s one term that’s causing all sorts of buzz — and for good reason. Desna is the name to know, a Z-Series APU that’s aimed squarely at the tablet form factor. To date, only a handful of chips have managed to slide into slates, and while we always reckoned that a version of Fusion could really give those ARM-based alternatives a run for their money, it wasn’t clear if AMD actually had one that would handle the power and heat requirements. Based on these sheets — dated this month, for what it’s worth — the Z-Series chip will offer Flash compatibility, DirectX 11 support and IE9 / HTML5 acceleration, and that’s just for starters. Head on down to the links below for the full skinny, but make sure you grab a cup of joe and unplug the line first. You’ll need a few, to say the least. Leaked AMD roadmap reveals Desna APU, bona fide tablet strategy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 19:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In Engadget Investigates, we explore major issues, working with tech manufacturers and service providers to improve your experience with the gadgets we’ve all come to depend on. If you’d like us to look into an issue, please send us a tip , including “Investigate” in the subject line. Samsung’s highly-anticipated Nexus S 4G joined the WiMAX family this month , pairing Google’s popular Nexus handset with Sprint’s 4G network. But with the honeymoon over, customers have noticed that the Gingerbread device isn’t living up to Sprint’s former flagship mates, such as the Epic 4G , with last year’s model besting the new guy on both speed and network reception tests. Customers also noticed issues with battery life, though so far we’ve found it to be consistent with other WiMAX smartphones. We took both out for a stroll around New York City, and on a quick weekend getaway to Miami Beach, and we’re sorry to report that we’ve confirmed your fears about performance. Sprint and Google have confirmed that they’re looking into the performance issues, and we hope they can patch things up with some over-the-air update therapy, but in the meantime, jump past the break to see what we found. Continue reading Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMAX performance issues Engadget Investigates: Samsung Nexus S 4G WiMAX performance issues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Jealous of your Nexus S-owning friends and their fancy NFC chips after yesterday’s Google Wallet announcement? Well tech tinkerer Joe Desbonnet has whipped up what he dubs “poor man’s NFC” using an Arduino , some magnet wire, and any compass-equipped Android smartphone (which is almost all of them). By placing a coil of wire on the phone and connecting it to the DIYer’s favorite microcontroller, Desbonnet was able to send data, albeit very slowly, to his HTC Desire running a special app to decode the signals. Granted, you’re probably not going to see American Eagle mod their point of sale systems to talk to your phone’s magnetometer, but it’s still a neat trick. In fact, we’d break out our Arduino right now to give it a try, but our secret lair is strangely devoid of enameled copper wire. Check out the source link for instructions, and don’t miss the video after the break. Continue reading Arduino, magnet wire, and Android combine to create poor man’s NFC (video) Arduino, magnet wire, and Android combine to create poor man’s NFC (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s all about doing new stuff, right? This week, we’re doing a lot of new stuff: paying for soda pop with our cell phones, reading books on E Ink displays, and waiting for Duke Nukem Forever . OK, well maybe none of those things are actually new, but we’re doing them in new ways this week, kind of. Listen to the podcast, is all we’re saying. Host: Tim Stevens Guests: Brian Heater Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: 10yr – Regulate 02:30 – Kobo unbuttons for $129 eReader Touch Edition, we go hands-on (video) 03:52 – Barnes & Noble announces new touch-enabled Nook for $139 (video) 13:43 – Barnes & Noble selling Nooks for $99 on eBay 18:03 – Live from Microsoft’s Windows Phone VIP preview event! 22:00 – Windows Phone ‘Mango’ search offers location-specific results, app integration (video) 29:36 – Windows Phone Mango and Bing Vision hands-on 32:05 – Live from the Google Wallet press event! 33:50 – Google Wallet mobile payment service, Google Offers announced 35:16 – Google Wallet vending on Nexus S hands-on 43:21 – Droid Incredible 2 review 48:53 – Spotify and Facebook partner up, send Europe a friend request? 50:55 – Sony makes good, doles out identity protection activation codes for PSN and Qriocity users 51:28 – TweetDeck and Twitter, together at last 54:00 – Duke Nukem Forever goes gold, will meet promised June deadline (really!) 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 Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 241 – 05.27.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google Maps 5.5 for Android cops more Latitude, tweaks Places and transit pages
May 27, 2011 No Comment
Last month we asked for a ” funny pages ” display in Google’s next release of Maps that shows a thick dotted line depicting where we’ve traveled, but it appears the folks at El Goog had a different agenda in mind for version 5.5. This time around, we see a few redesigns as well as some streamlined Latitude features. First, check-ins and ratings have now been added to the Places page, giving you one extra point of access; you also now have the option of changing your home or work address within your Latitude Location History, in case you ever move or just like to roam from place to place. Last but not least, Google Maps 5.5 for Android also offers reorganized transit station pages that now list off upcoming departures, transit lines serving that particular station, and links to other stops nearby. Though not a substantial upgrade from previous versions, it’s still impressive that Google pushed it out less than a month after 5.4. The new update is available as a free download in the Android Market. Google Maps 5.5 for Android cops more Latitude, tweaks Places and transit pages originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been almost a year since the producers of The Hurt Locker filed a lawsuit against 5,000 alleged pirates suspected of distributing the film via BitTorrent . Now Voltage Pictures has updated its complaint, adding almost 20,000 IP addresses to the list of defendants. That makes it the largest file-sharing lawsuit of all time — a crown previously held by the company behind The Expendables , according to Wired . The plaintiff has already reached agreements with Charter and Verizon to identify individual users, but no such deal with Comcast, who owns nearly half the supposedly infringing addresses. Linking those addresses with user accounts would let Voltage manage individual settlements — probably somewhere between $1,000-$2,000 — rather than continue legal action. All of this eerily echoes the Oscar-winning film’s plot, about an adrenaline junkie who couldn’t resist downloading just one more movie . Or defusing one more bomb. We’re a little fuzzy on the details, but venture into TorrentFreak to scan for familiar IP addresses. Hurt Locker lawsuit targets a record-breaking 24,583 IP addresses originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 15:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers
May 27, 2011 No Comment
The free WatchESPN app that lets users tune into the family sports channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3.com) has been upgraded to version 1.1 on iOS (also available for Android ) and in the process added a new UI designed just for the iPad. It sports a new tablet friendly UI, but the key restriction is still that you need to subscribe to Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV to make use of the service. If you don’t have one of those and need a quick hit of sports TV without your TV, there is an account preview option that gives a few hours of viewing, no authentication necessary. You can download it yourself at the iTunes link below or check out the commercial embedded after the break. Continue reading WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers WatchESPN app upgraded for iPad, still restricted to just a few TV providers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Just a few weeks after unveiling its ZMS-20 and ZMS-40 StemCell processors, ZiiLabs has now designed a new family of slates to house them. Developed with the OEM market in mind, the company’s new Jaguar Honeycomb tablets come in two breeds — one with a seven-inch, 1024×600 LCD and another with a ten-inch 1280×800 display. Unlike their ZiiO predecessors , these 64GB siamese twins call for both capacitive and resistive touchscreen capabilities, support OpenGL ES 2.0 3D graphics and, as you can see in the image above, feature front- and rear-facing five-megapixel cameras. And, of course, there’s a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 ZMS-20 or quad-core ZMS-40 helping them purr right along, both clocking in at 1.5 GHz. The two Jaguars will be uncaged at next week’s Computex tradeshow in Taiwan, but you can find more information in the PR that awaits you after the break. Continue reading ZiiLabs unveils Jaguar family of Honeycomb tablets for OEMs to devour ZiiLabs unveils Jaguar family of Honeycomb tablets for OEMs to devour originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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