EV milestone: Fisker rolls first Karma off the assembly line, aims to deliver 7,000 this year
March 23, 2011 No Comment
Patience can bear such wonderful fruit, can’t it? The electrified (and electrifying ) Karma , which first graced the world with its presence back in 2008 , has managed to negotiate the slalom course of funding and logistical issues that faces any new upstart company and can now boast its very first production unit. The Karma 1 above will be making its way out within a month (presumably after every nook, cranny and capacitor has been polished to perfection) and company spokesman Roger Ormisher says the plan is to ramp up very slowly and carefully, reaching “over 7,000 deliveries” by year’s end. Considering the rate at which Leafs and Volts have been selling so far, that doesn’t actually sound half bad. EV milestone: Fisker rolls first Karma off the assembly line, aims to deliver 7,000 this year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 03:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …DARPA M3 program to make cheaper, more mobile robots for the US war machine
March 23, 2011 No Comment
DARPA , that governmental black magic factory that gave us the flying Humvee and Hummingbird spybot , has unveiled its new Maximum Mobility and Manipulation Program (M3) program that plans to put us on the fast track to our robotic future. M3 aims to improve robotic research through four specialized development programs — design tools, fabrication, control, and prototype demonstration — that divvy up the work between commercial labs and universities. The program will not replace existing bionic projects, but some, like the Autonomous Robotic Manipulation (ARM) program , will be folded into the new scheme. DARPA anticipates that the plan will result in cheaper bots superior to those we have today, but not superior to man… we hope. DARPA M3 program to make cheaper, more mobile robots for the US war machine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The ability to view tiny images in the third D has been made possible by Lei Li and Allen Yi of Ohio State University. The two have crafted a one-of-a-kind 3D lens that, unlike other three-dimensional microscopes that capture images by circling around the subject, sees teeny objects while stationary. Although the engineers crafted the lens on a precision cutting machine using a diamond blade themselves, they say it can be produced using traditional molding methods. At the size of a fingernail, the thermoplastic material, aka acrylic glass, was cut with 10 nanometer spacing (that’s tiny ) to ensure a flat plane. The top is surrounded by eight facets — sort of like a gem stone, but not symmetric — allowing the viewer to see 9 different angles at once. This should pave way for scientists to get better angles of microscopic objects, but they can always try using the 3DS and some DIY lens attachments , right? Engineers create 3D microscope lens, see the tiny elephants in your ear originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 02:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Monirobo measures radiation following nuclear crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant
March 22, 2011 No Comment
According to a report by a Japanese news agency, a radiation monitoring robot, aptly named Monirobo, is the first non-human responder to go on-site following the partial meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The machine, which was developed by Japan’s Nuclear Safety Technology Centre to operate at lethal radiation levels, reportedly began work Friday, enlisting a 3D camera, radiation detector , and heat and humidity sensors to monitor the extent of the damage. A second Monirobo, used to collect samples and detect flammable gases, is expected to join its red counterpart soon — both robots are operated by remote control from distances up to one kilometer away. They join the US Air Force’s Global Hawk drone in unmanned surveillance of the crisis. Monirobo measures radiation following nuclear crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The keyword here is obviously “considers,” but it looks like Japan’s space agency, JAXA , is indeed seriously thinking about using artificial intelligence to improve their rocket launches. As JAXA scientist Yasuhiro Morita explains, as opposed to simply being “automatic” as rockets are today, an “artificially intelligent” rocket would be able to keep watch on its condition, determine the cause of any malfunction, and potentially even fix it itself. According to JAXA, that would not only make rocket launches more efficient, but more cost-effective as well given the reduced manpower needs. That’s not the only new measure being explored to cut costs, though — as Space.com reports, JAXA’s new Epsilon launch vehicle is also being built using fewer, but more advanced components, which promises to let it be moved to the launch pad nearly fully assembled. It’s currently set to launch sometime in 2013, although it’s not yet clear how much it will actually be relying on AI if such a system is put in place. Japan’s space agency considers using rockets with artificial intelligence originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Whether via public library or personal collection, e-books may be getting harder to borrow and loan out — HarperCollins put the squeeze on government-funded rentals last week, and today Amazon has allegedly disabled e-book sharing startup Lendle with one fell stroke. Lendle allows readers to trade e-book rentals, in a fashion, by tapping Amazon’s API to list books they agree to loan out, and in return, gain access to a Lendle database of books available to borrow from readers like themselves. The service allegedly fell under the auspices of Amazon’s existing 14-day, one-time-only loaning policy , but that didn’t stop Amazon from revoking Lendle’s access to the API, effectively shutting the service down. According to the no-reply email Lendle received, the reason is that the service doesn’t “serve the principal purpose of driving sales of products and services on the Amazon site.” Perhaps there’s some deeper reason behind the move, but that explanation certainly sounds pretty narrow-minded. Update: Well that was quick — Lendle is now reporting that Amazon has reinstated its API access under the condition that Lendle disables its Book Sync tool, which is a non-essential feature anyway. Great, just in time for bedtime stories on the west coast as well. Amazon blocks Lendle e-book sharing service (update: it’s back!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Cricket teases CDMA-only Samsung Indulge, Huawei Ascend 2 at CTIA (hands-on)
March 22, 2011 No Comment
Regional carrier Cricket surprised at CTIA today by showing off a couple new units that aren’t out yet — but they’re in the pipeline for the second quarter, which the company points out is coming “very soon.” First up is the Huawei Ascend 2, which — you guessed it — would be the follow-on to the original Ascend that the company launched last year. The display’s still HVGA; WVGA obviously would’ve been nice, but Cricket is promising to launch it at the same sub-$150 price point as the first model and it’s got a 5 megapixel camera around back (up from 3.2 before). Next up, the Indulge is pretty much the same midrange QWERTY Android slider that already launched on MetroPCS , albeit with one big difference: this one has no LTE compatibility (Cricket has no live LTE network, after all). As with the Ascend 2, we would’ve preferred a WVGA display — this one’s just HVGA — and the four physical buttons up front seem a bit out of style, but Cricket’s still in a position where any new Android hardware is a very good thing. Look for it to launch for under $350 — off contract, of course. Gallery: Samsung Indulge and Huawei Ascend 2 for Cricket hands-on Cricket teases CDMA-only Samsung Indulge, Huawei Ascend 2 at CTIA (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’d mentioned Cobra was porting the iRadar app to Android a while back and had a chance to actually have a peek at Showstoppers last night. Like its iPhone cousin, the iRadar system ships with a simple radar detector and an app for your set. Pricing is set at $129 for this kit and it is apparently shipping as of April 4th. So If you enjoy speeding and want a little help getting that done, the following video tour and gallery are for you. Gallery: Cobra iRadar detection system for Android hands-on Continue reading Cobra iRadar detection system for Android hands-on Cobra iRadar detection system for Android hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google’s deal for book digitization rejected by judge, Books plans sent back to drawing board
March 22, 2011 No Comment
It’s taken a long, long time to fully consider Google’s proposed $125 million settlement with publishers and authors of out-of-print works, but now the ruling has been handed down and it’s not the one the Mountain View team wanted. Circuit Judge Chin, who had preliminarily approved the deal back in November 2009, has returned with the new conclusion that actually it goes “too far” in Google’s favor. The origins of this settlement stem from a class action lawsuit filed against El Goog for a book digitization project it began back in 2004, and it’s important to note that terms were agreed way back in 2008, before a bunch of external objections made them revise the document to its current state and refile it with the court in ’09. Since then, the Department of Justice has had a look at antitrust concerns relating to Google potentially having a monopoly on orphan works (those whose author cannot be identified) and Amazon, Microsoft and Yahoo have all piped up to say it’s a bunk deal. Now, the one man standing between us and a whole ton of web-accessible reading materials has agreed with them. He does leave a pretty large door open for reconciliation, however, should Google be willing to accede to less favorable terms. Let’s just hope whatever else transpires doesn’t take another year and a half to do so. Google’s deal for book digitization rejected by judge, Books plans sent back to drawing board originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Now that it’s received its big US debut courtesy of Sprint and under the name EVO View 4G , HTC’s Flyer tablet is free to, um, fly under the radar with a WiFi version this spring, exclusively through Best Buy. Specs on the Flyer are somewhat atypical for the current crop of Android tablets, as it opts for Gingerbread instead of Honeycomb and a 1.5GHz Qualcomm chip intead of the popular Tegra 2 dual-core solution. That, and it’s a 7-inch tablet with a capacitive stylus and an aluminum unibody shell. Notably, this WiFi-centric variant looks set to beat the WiMAX-capable EVO View (which Sprint expects in the summer) to market, so we’ll be keeping a very curious eye on pricing as and when it is announced. For now, we have a retailer and a rapidly dwindling release window. Oh, and a press release, which you’ll find just past the break, augmented with a neat little promo video. [Thanks, Michael] Continue reading HTC’s WiFi-only Flyer launching exclusively with Best Buy ‘this spring’ HTC’s WiFi-only Flyer launching exclusively with Best Buy ‘this spring’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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