Disney World’s Haunted Mansion gets interactive upgrade, digital spooks (video)
April 6, 2011 No Comment
It may not be as scary as Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents , but the Florida theme park’s Haunted Mansion just got a ghostly upgrade. The ride’s grand finale, which previously positioned hitchhiking ghosts — by way of half-silvered mirrors — alongside unsuspecting visitors, is now reportedly using a series of digital mirrors and sensors to make things more interactive. As opposed to just popping up next to passengers, Disney’s Ezra, Gus, and Phineas are now equipped to rip your head off, blow it up balloon-style, and send it flying. Sure it sounds scary, but this is Disney, the same company that didn’t see the nightmare-inducing capabilities of a robotic Obama . For a peek at the new creepers, peep the video after break. Continue reading Disney World’s Haunted Mansion gets interactive upgrade, digital spooks (video) Disney World’s Haunted Mansion gets interactive upgrade, digital spooks (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Geminoids meet their human doppelgangers for a photo op you’ll never forget (video)
April 6, 2011 No Comment
Three of the well-dressed individuals above are humans (at least they say they are). The other three are Geminoids — lifelike robots created by professors Hiroshi Ishiguro and Henrik Scharfe in their image and that of one other willing assistant, all of whom got together for a little photo op last month. Creepy? You should see what else has come out of their lab. Video after the break. Continue reading Geminoids meet their human doppelgangers for a photo op you’ll never forget (video) Geminoids meet their human doppelgangers for a photo op you’ll never forget (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already seen it turn up on a few retail sites, but Samsung has now finally officially confirmed the launch details for its WiFi-only Galaxy Tab . It will be available online and at retail stores across the US on April 10th for $349.99. Specs otherwise remain the same as the 3G version, including a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, 32GB of internal storage (with a microSD card slot for up to an additional 32GB), rear and front-facing cameras, and Android 2.2 with support for Flash 10.1 — from the looks of things, it’s also only available with a white back. Full press release is after the break. Continue reading Samsung confirms WiFi-only Galaxy Tab availability: April 10th, $350 Samsung confirms WiFi-only Galaxy Tab availability: April 10th, $350 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Dell Streak 10 to launch mid-June with Honeycomb, possible name change in the works
April 6, 2011 No Comment
Dell’s Windows 7 Rosemount tablet may not make it to the beach with you this summer, but that doesn’t mean the company won’t have an Android alternative when it’s time to start applying sunblock. According to Forbes , the 10-inch Android-powered slate we got an oh-so-quick glimpse of at CES should be ready to hit the market somewhere around mid-June, just a little bit later than we’d previously heard . The publication also hints that the tablet heretofore referred to as the Streak 10 may not retain that moniker when it’s time to launch, but it will most definitely be running Honeycomb , though we’re not sure if it’ll keep the Stage UI. Either way, summer 2011 is shaping up to be the season of Honeycomb, and we’re excited to see just what each manufacturer will do to differentiate themselves in the increasingly-crowded space. Dell Streak 10 to launch mid-June with Honeycomb, possible name change in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Elderly Georgian lady disconnects Armenian internet for half a day… by accident
April 6, 2011 No Comment
A 75-year old lady from Georgia (the country, not the state ) has perpetrated an impressive feat of international sabotage in what seems to have been an accident of extremely bad luck. While foraging for copper wire near her home in the village of Ksani, the unnamed septuagenarian managed to come across a critical fiber optic cable, one responsible for serving internet connectivity to “90 percent of private and corporate internet users in Armenia” and some in her own country as well. Her swift strike at the heart of said bit-transferring pipeline resulted in all those folks being thrown offline for a solid 12 hours, while the Georgian Railway Telecom worked to find and correct the fault. In spite of her relatively benign motivations, the lady now faces three years in prison for the damage she caused. We’d say all’s well that ends well, but this doesn’t actually seem like a very happy ending at all. Elderly Georgian lady disconnects Armenian internet for half a day… by accident originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Engadget Podcast . What is it? Is it a living, breathing thing? Is it something that has to be seen to be believed? Is it more than just an hour-long stream of aural intensity, finely hewn and focused on the world of consumer electronics? It’s a mystery that even The Most Interesting Man in the World is having trouble solving, but we’re going to assume things will get a lot clearer when it returns to your regularly scheduled programming block tomorrow evening. Newly appointed Editor-in-Chief Tim Stevens and the perpetually lost Darren Murph will be your guides to somewhere, tomorrow joined by two special guests from the Engadget Mobile podcast team: international man of mystery Vlad Savov and mobile debutante Myriam Joire. It’s a foursome that’ll almost definitely make your workday woes vanish into thin air. Tomorrow. Here. 5PM ET… ish . The Engadget Podcast returns… tomorrow at 5PM ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Wondering which carrier you should buy your iPhone on? There’s a survey for that. ChangeWave Research has released the results of a poll that hit 4,068 users distributed across Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Among those four, VZW came out ahead when it comes to dropped calls, with 1.4 percent of respondents indicating they’d received one in the past three months. AT&T, meanwhile, came in last with 4.6 percent. If you look only at the iPhone 4 users the numbers change a little, 1.8 percent vs. 4.8, but the conclusion stays the same. No, this conclusion sadly will not get you around your ETF, but maybe making a pouty face at the AT&T store will help. Survey says AT&T drops more calls than Verizon, these bar charts don’t lie originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint EVO View 4G tablet to launch with Honeycomb, Flyer can’t be far behind
April 6, 2011 No Comment
If you want a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 tablet with 1.5GHz and dual cameras, you want an HTC Flyer . If, however, you want that with WiMAX data and a talk show name, you’ll want Sprint’s special flavor, the EVO View 4G. At CTIA we were told that it was, of course, Android, but now Sprint’s confirming that it’ll come right out the door with Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb . That’s the tablet taste that makes everybody come a runnin’, and that this sucker will have it at launch (sometime “this summer”) might just be good news for those pining for the WiFi-only Flyer, which as of last report would not be getting its own sweet taste until sometime after launch. [Thanks, Leo Z] Sprint EVO View 4G tablet to launch with Honeycomb, Flyer can’t be far behind originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Acer releases third-gen Aspire Timeline X laptops with Sandy Bridge, but only in Taiwan for now
April 6, 2011 No Comment
If you’ve been waiting for Sandy Bridge to land on Acer’s Timeline X laptops, then today’s your day. Well, it depends, as these new machines are only available in Taiwan for the time being. Just a few hours ago, the lucky folks over at Engadget Chinese managed to get up close and personal with these bad boys: we have a couple of 13.3-inch 3830TGs (pictured after the break), a 14-inch 4830TG, and a 15.6-inch 5830TG (pictured above). With the exception of Core i3-2310M on one of the 3830TGs, these laptops all come with Core i5-2410M, NVIDIA GT540M (with 2GB DDR3 RAM), 640GB hard drive, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and USB 3.0 ports. As for multimedia, sitting below the 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit LCDs are Dolby Home Theater speakers by Kenwood, and additionally, the two larger models also pack a DVD Super Multi DL drive. Compared to the previous-gen Timeline X range, the most notable difference here is the new chiclet keyboard brought over from the Ethos range, which should trap a lot less dirt thanks to the tighter gaps. You’ll see that the new Timeline X ID has gone for a more tranquil look — the touchpad no longer has a silver trim around it, and likewise, the edges around the body are no longer tapered. Also gone is the removable battery underneath, but given the impressive portability (4.12 pounds, 4.67 pounds, and 5.49 pounds, respectively), we won’t miss this feature too much. On the contrary, there’s now an extra mouse button, presumably for offering better left and right-clicking. So far so good, and if you’re digging these laptops as well, then they can be yours for between NT$32,900 (US$1,133) and NT39,900 (US$1,374). Head over to Engadget Chinese for the whole stash of hands-on photos. Continue reading Acer releases third-gen Aspire Timeline X laptops with Sandy Bridge, but only in Taiwan for now Acer releases third-gen Aspire Timeline X laptops with Sandy Bridge, but only in Taiwan for now originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If this image doesn’t have you completely dumbfounded, scroll down and watch the video. Sufficiently awestruck? Good. Now, for a little background on exactly how someone got a pile of Legos and a smartphone to solve the devil’s puzzle Megaminx. The aptly titled Megaminxer enlists the Mindstorms NXT kit to do the dirty work and an HTC Desire , running a custom Android app, as the brains of the operation. Said app uses the phone’s camera to take individual images of each of the puzzle’s 12 faces, then processes the information and sends a signal via Bluetooth to the NXT controller, which in turn goes to town. Unfortunately, there’s no explaining how they got the Android to dance like that, but, really, why ruin the magic? [Thanks, Stuart] Continue reading HTC Desire solves dodecahedron Rubik’s Cube, will blow your mind (video) HTC Desire solves dodecahedron Rubik’s Cube, will blow your mind (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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