DARPA dabbles in all matter of defense drones, and it’s no stranger to leveraging the wisdom of the masses to help develop tomorrow’s military machinery. The agency’s latest program to go the crowdsourcing route is its Anti-submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), and it wants you to help develop the software that’ll control the thing. DARPA’s borrowed a bit of the Sonalysts Combat Simulations Dangerous Waters game to create the ACTUV Tactics Simulator, where players complete missions tracking a target sub while navigating through and around commercial ocean traffic. Would-be captains can then choose to submit their strategies and game data to DARPA for use in shoring up the autonomous seabot’s strategic submarine pursuit software. Hit the source link for a free download and dive into the sub-hunting action. Download DARPA’s sub-hunting sim, help train its ACTUV automaton originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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As trippy as mind-control still seems to us, we’ve already seen it implemented in everything from wheelchairs to pricey gaming ( and car driving! ) headsets. But the problem is that they measure brain activity outside the skull — you know, the thing we’ve evolved to shield the murky goings-on in our minds from prying EEG sensors. Now, though, a team of Washington University researchers appears to have happened upon a more effective — albeit, invasive — approach. The researchers got some brave specimens to move a mouse cursor by implanting plastic pads containing electrodes underneath their skulls, with the sensors sitting on the surface of the brain . That, they say, gives them access to more telling, high-frequency waves that say a lot more about cognitive intentions. In the end, the subjects moved the cursors by thinking one of these sounds: “ee,” “ah,” “oo,” and “eh.” Brain-computer interfaces ain’t new, of course, but the scientists say the subjects with electrode implants had more success than people wearing electrode-studded EEG caps, which could translate to less frustration for people with severe disabilities. Test subjects with electrode implants use mind control to move a cursor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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As if we needed any more signs of where Research in Motion was heading in terms of its 2011 device line, we’ve just caught wind of yet another touchscreen-equipped Berry. The BlackBerry “Orlando” is purported to be a variation of the Curve with touch capabilities, already being described as a mini Bold Touch . This yet again begs the question of why exactly RIM has so many different devices planned, especially when the spec differences are so minor. We wish the company would deviate from this approach it has relied on for years, but it seems to be more focused on its tablet strategy than it is on pushing the envelope with phones. Additionally, it could just mean that BB6 might be sticking around for a while and that RIM wants its users to get acclimated, or perhaps that it might take a little longer than we think for QNX to trickle down from the PlayBook . BlackBerry Orlando leaks out: say hello to the touchscreen Curve originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Full specs leak for BlackBerry Bold Touch, 1.2GHz Snapdragon can’t overcome ugly
April 8, 2011 No Comment
We understand that it’s hard to take two steps rather than one, but a solid list of specifications isn’t going to make the BlackBerry Bold Touch ( Dakota ) look any less last-decade . For whatever reason, RIM’s design department seems to be stuck in an era where last-generation is the new next-generation, while it’s internals team has seemingly managed to escape. For those who couldn’t disagree more regarding the exterior, you’ll likely be elated to know that the impending handset will boast a blisteringly fast 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor, 8GB of internal storage, 768MB of RAM, a microSD expansion slot, 5 megapixel camera and a 35-key backlit keyboard. You’ll also get a microscopic 2.8-inch LCD with a woeful 640 x 480 resolution, Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.5mm headphone jack, A-GPS, dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a 720p movie mode. So, one down, one to go — time for a reread , is it RIM? Update : Seems as if the faucet’s still flowing, with a full specs list popping up for the BlackBerry Torch 9860 (Monza) as well! [Thanks, bighap] Full specs leak for BlackBerry Bold Touch, 1.2GHz Snapdragon can’t overcome ugly originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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IBM might be cautious about touting graphene as a a silicon killer, but that hasn’t stopped it from pushing the production of ever faster graphene transistors. With the recent demonstration of a 155GHz graphene transistor, the firm successfully outdid its previous record-setting efforts , which produced a cut-off frequency of 100GHz. What’s more, the thing is also IBM’s smallest to date, with a gate length of 40 nanometers; that’s 200 nanometers less than the 100GHz iteration. This smaller, faster transistor was produced as part of a DARPA research project that aims to develop high-performance RF (radio frequency) transistors. So, no, we probably won’t be seeing the things in our PCs anytime soon, but it looks like they could be right at home in war machines of the future. IBM shows off 155GHz graphene transistor in the name of DARPA research originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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At this point, Cowon’s D2 (and to a lesser extent, the D2+ ) is getting a bit long in the tooth, and it looks as if the Korea-based outfit will be taking an alphabetical leap backwards in order to supplant it. The newly revealed C2 is slated to land at the end of April or early May in order to give barebones PMP users yet another alternative, boasting a 2.6-inch resistive touchpanel (320 x 240), a composite video output, microSD expansion slot, 4/8/16GB of internal flash storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, an internal microphone and a rechargeable battery that’s good for up to ten hours of video playback (and a whopping 55 hours when listening strictly to audio). Per usual, Cowon’s supporting every file format under the sun (and the moon, for good measure), and we’re expecting nothing less than world-class aural performance based on the company’s past . We’re still waiting to hear back on a price, but you can use your limbo time wisely by deciding on white, black or gray. Gallery: Cowon’s C2 portable media player Cowon’s minuscule C2 PMP picks up where the D2 left off originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve seen them scoop up oozy goop , shake their moneymakers , and even give birth , but it’s rare for us to land solid face time with the robotic superstars we admire so much. If you’re in DC over the next few weeks, however, the Smithsonian’s offering you the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the most influential automatons in robotics history. In honor of National Robotics week, the museum is dedicating its Spark!Lab to our mechanical counterparts, allowing you to play Simon with DARPA’s Autonomous Robotic Manipulator (ARM), invent a robotic arm of your own, or feast your eyes on the likes of ELECTRO the robo dog. The museum has also announced that it is now accepting donations “relating to the development of autonomous mobile robots in the United States.” So, throw one back for your favorite robots this week, because — you know — they can’t. Full PR after the break. Continue reading Smithsonian’s Spark!Lab gives big ups to robots Smithsonian’s Spark!Lab gives big ups to robots originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon Wireless killing one-year contracts on April 17th, assumes you won’t even care
April 8, 2011 No Comment
Okay, so maybe you’ll care , but you’ll still opt for the two-year option once your contract is up. That’s according — more or less, anyway — to a Verizon Wireless spokesperson, confirming to our inquiry this afternoon that the carrier’s one-year contract option will be eliminated on April 17th. The reason, as you might expect, revolves around historical customer preference. That’s a fancy way of saying that most customers prefer the stout hardware discounts that are available with a lengthier two-year agreement, and barring that, they can still choose month-to-month, prepaid or a rival. Not that VZW would encourage the latter, but hey — America’s about options, man. Verizon Wireless killing one-year contracts on April 17th, assumes you won’t even care originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The United States government may be dissolved tomorrow, but it’s certainly taking care of one final piece of business before going into shutdown: this . If you’ll recall, Google announced its intentions to acquire ITA for $700 million in July of last year, and as we cruise into the start of America’s summer travel season, all signals are go. Today, the US Department of Justice approved Google’s request to move forward with the buy, but rather than having the entire travel search market under its wing, El Goog’s going to have to make a smattering of concessions in order to get the right signatures. For starters, the search monolith will allow ITA’s existing client contracts to extend into 2016, and it’ll let both current and new customers license ITA’s QPX software on “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.” No one’s saying when the integration will be complete (or start, for that matter), but we’re desperately anxious to see just how Kayak and Bing Travel react after this launches in earnest. Power to the searchers, as it were. US DoJ approves Google’s acquisition of ITA, but not without stipulations originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Leaked Verizon Unleashed pricing sheets detail $50 unlimited talk / text plans
April 8, 2011 No Comment
Just in case you’re still dissatisfied after taking a peek at one leaked Verizon screenshot today, well… here’s numero dos. The folks at Droid-Life managed to get their paws on a couple of monochrome sheets that look more like VZW promotional material than anything else, and if Sprint’s Simply Everything plan thought it had the whole market locked down, it might just have another thing coming. Best we can tell, the impending (?) ‘Unleashed’ pricing options will allow customers to choose a contract-free $50 / month unlimited calling and texting plan, with “Mobile Web” access thrown in as well for featurephones. ‘Course, you’d have to pony up extra for legitimate data on a legitimate smartphone, but it’s hardly a bad place to start — particularly for those who are growing increasingly tired of locking themselves into two-year agreements. Hard to say if the carrier is planning to actually implement any of this, but why waste the intern’s time mocking it up, right? [Thanks, Mio] Leaked Verizon Unleashed pricing sheets detail $50 unlimited talk / text plans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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