Microsoft’s Kinect is clearly gunning to grab the Guinness record for most Guinness records. Back in March, the hands-free peripheral nabbed a certificate naming it the “Fastest Selling Consumer Electronics Device,” and now the Xbox Live and Kinect Sports teams are the joint owners of the record for “The Largest Online 100 Metre Sprint” — after Microsoft managed to convince 10,539 of its closest pals to help it run in place via Xbox Live earlier this month. According to Redmond, the long-winded accomplishment is under consideration for inclusion in a Guinness volume — though admittedly only the Gamer’s Edition spinoff, itself a shoo-in for “most superfluous record book.” Microsoft Kinect shatters hyper-specific Guinness world record originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia transfers Symbian development and 3,000 employees to Accenture, will downsize workforce by further 4,000
April 27, 2011 No Comment
Nokia’s already done quite a bit to cut ties with last year’s big push for Symbian and Qt development, though this is perhaps the biggest step yet. The Finnish company has announced it’s transferring responsibility for Symbian development to consulting and outsourcing firm Accenture, which sounds odd given the latter outfit’s inexperience in delivering mobile OS updates, but the good news is that the 3,000 devs Nokia had working on Symbian will continue their jobs under the new employer. That basically means that Nokia will live up to its unhappy promise that there’ll be ” substantial reductions in employment ” within its own ranks, while still keeping the men and women responsible for updating Symbian employed. Unfortunately, there will still be a further 4,000 job cuts in the company’s global workforce, primarily in Finland, Denmark and the UK, which will “occur in phases” between the beginning and end of next year. Nokia’s agreement with Accenture also involves continued collaboration on delivering mobility software and services on the Windows Phone platform. You can read more about that in the PR after the break. Continue reading Nokia transfers Symbian development and 3,000 employees to Accenture, will downsize workforce by further 4,000 Nokia transfers Symbian development and 3,000 employees to Accenture, will downsize workforce by further 4,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG brings flicker-free Cinema 3D to computer monitors, Excel will never be the same
April 27, 2011 No Comment
LG is bringing its Cinema 3D tech to computers with the new D41P and D42P families of monitors. The 1920 x 1080 displays range in size from 21.5-inches to 25-inches and feature the company’s FPR (Film Pattern Retarder) coating that ditches the heavy active shutter glasses used by many other manufacturers for the lighter passive variety. Both monitors also sport a 5ms response time, an HDMI 1.4 port, and a 2D conversion feature — perfect for whipping up Word docs in eye-popping 3D. Pricing is still up in the air, but the D41P and D42P lines are available in South Korea now and a global rollout will begin in June, with Europe next in line for some flicker-free 3D fun. PR and one more image after the break. Continue reading LG brings flicker-free Cinema 3D to computer monitors, Excel will never be the same LG brings flicker-free Cinema 3D to computer monitors, Excel will never be the same originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 03:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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EVO and MyTouch 4G owners have been able to enjoy the virtues of video calling via Qik for some time, but Skype’s latest acquisition is finally letting a few more phones in on the action. Qik Video Connect now works with some devices running Android 2.1 and up, iPhones, iPad 2s and any iPod Touch with a camera — letting Apple fanboys and Android apologists speak face to face over 3G, 4G, and WiFi with the device of their choosing. It’s not the first app to do cross-platform video calling , but it is the only one with Qik’s video mail and video sharing services. The catch? It’s only currently available on ten Android handsets, though dev teams are “busy getting Video Chat ready on additional phones.” Let’s hope they work quickly. Qik Video Connect gets Android and Apple users seeing eye-to-eye originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If smartphone platforms are legitimized by a KIRF manufacturer’s tenacity to rip them off, then Windows Phone has truly arrived. Today we’re looking at a larger than life “HTC”-branded knock-off of the Omnia 7 , replete with an 800 x 480 4.8-inch (!) capacitive touchscreen and 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Given the massive size of this phone, there’s plenty of room for features, which include Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS connectivity, along with a five megapixel camera, dual-SIMs and two microSD slots (for up to 32GB storage). Whew. Impressive specs aside, the device comes saddled with Windows Mobile 6.5 — which has been heavily modified to resemble WP7′s tile interface. There’s no word yet on pricing — just ask someone selling phones on a blanket the next time you’re in Shenzhen, okay? Keepin’ it real fake: Windows Phone 7 debuts in China originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …SETI suspends search for alien life, E.T. weeps in the silent dark of space
April 26, 2011 No Comment
Our progress toward intergalactic fellowship has suffered another blow, as SETI suspended operations of its Allen Telescope Array. Funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the array is a collection of radio dishes that scan the skies for signs of life; now it’ll be in “hibernation” mode until 2013, when the institute’s new round of funding begins. SETI hopes to raise $5 million to bring the Array back online before then, while it continues to use other telescopes around the world, including the Hubble Space Telescope . The budget woes are especially bitter given the number of recently identified alien planets – NASA’s Kepler mission found 1,235 . If any of them are broadcasting the next Wow! signal, let’s hope it doesn’t fall on deaf earthling ears. Filed under: Announcements , Science SETI suspends search for alien life, E.T. weeps in the silent dark of space originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Amarok’s P1 electric motorocycle prototype is fast, light, and ready to race
April 26, 2011 No Comment
What’s fast, electric, and made in Canada? No, not the latest Rush record, it’s the P1, a new electric motorcycle prototype from Quebec-based Amarok Consultants. The company — named after the Inuit word for wolf — unveiled the bike this week, announcing plans to enter it in this year’s TTXGP , an international racing series for electric vehicles. The 75 horsepower two-wheeler was designed with a laser-focus on lightweight construction, squeezing a 7.5-kilowatt-hour battery and two Agni 95 electric motors into a bantam 325 pound body — making for one of the lightest electric racing motorcycles around. The company’s not stopping there, however, shooting for 275 pounds for the second generation of the bike, putting it more on-par with gas-powered counterparts. Amarok’s P1 electric motorocycle prototype is fast, light, and ready to race originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Android users have spoken , and maybe, just maybe, Motorola actually heard — AusDroid claims to have a statement direct from the mobile phone manufacturer promising unlocked bootloaders later this year: We completely understand the operator requirement for security to the end user, and as well, want to support the developer communities desire to use these products as a development platform. It is our intention to enable the unlockable/relockable bootloader currently found on Motorola XOOM across our portfolio of devices starting in late 2011, where carriers and operators will allow it. Wonderfully corporate of them to pass the buck to the carriers, no? This quote comes by way of a gentleman who petitioned Moto for just such a thing, mind you, so please take it with a grain of salt, and you’ll be the first to know if we get confirmation from Motorola itself. Motorola promises unlocked bootloaders for future Android phones? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Acer Iconia Smart hits the FCC, readies to smack AT&T with 1024 x 480 screen?
April 26, 2011 No Comment
Acer promised a 4.8-inch, 1024 x 480 tabletphone would arrive in April 2011 , and April’s nearly through — but don’t cross off the Acer Iconia Smart yet, because that brushed aluminum frame has just materialized at our favorite government institution. Yes, the FCC laid eyes on radiation test reports for the Android 2.3 device, which reveal that the quad-band GSM handset is headed to both Canada and the US. Given that the North American version only has 850, 1900 and 2100MHz 3G frequencies, it sounds like a lock for AT&T. Inside, you’ll find a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, 512MB each of ROM and RAM, an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, a 2 megapixel front-facing cam, micro-HDMI output capable of 720p, a 1500mAh user-replaceable battery and all the usual 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS trimmings you’d expect. Now, Acer, how about a new release date? Acer Iconia Smart hits the FCC, readies to smack AT&T with 1024 x 480 screen? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Acer Iconia Smart hits the FCC, readies to smack AT&T with 1024 x 480 screen?
April 26, 2011 No Comment
Acer promised a 4.8-inch, 1024 x 480 tabletphone would arrive in April 2011 , and April’s nearly through — but don’t cross off the Acer Iconia Smart yet, because that brushed aluminum frame has just materialized at our favorite government institution. Yes, the FCC laid eyes on radiation test reports for the Android 2.3 device, which reveal that the quad-band GSM handset is headed to both Canada and the US. Given that the North American version only has 850, 1900 and 2100MHz 3G frequencies, it sounds like a lock for AT&T. Inside, you’ll find a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, 512MB each of ROM and RAM, an 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, a 2 megapixel front-facing cam, micro-HDMI output capable of 720p, a 1500mAh user-replaceable battery and all the usual 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 and GPS trimmings you’d expect. Now, Acer, how about a new release date? Acer Iconia Smart hits the FCC, readies to smack AT&T with 1024 x 480 screen? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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