Creative’s 7-inch ZiiO tablet gets Froyo this Friday, 10-inch model to follow suit
March 20, 2011 No Comment
If you happen to be one of the handful of Creative ZiiO tablet users, then we have good news for you: come Friday, the 7-incher will be the first of the Ziio duo to receive its Froyo update, whereas its 10-inch sibling’s expected to follow suit by April. So what’s new? Well, the list includes greater language support, new passcode options, the ability to install apps onto external storage, and a text-to-speech engine. Once available, you can obtain the update from either Creative’s website or the tablets’ ZiiO Space portal; but by all means, feel free to butter up the folks over at xda-developers to slap some Honeycomb onto these ZiiOs instead. Continue reading Creative’s 7-inch ZiiO tablet gets Froyo this Friday, 10-inch model to follow suit Creative’s 7-inch ZiiO tablet gets Froyo this Friday, 10-inch model to follow suit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Inhabitat’s Week in Green: shifting towers, hydrogen beads, and the shockwave engine for fuel efficiency
March 20, 2011 No Comment
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green. It was a big week for alternative energy as Inhabitat showcased a range of green fuel innovations that cut costs while bringing clean energy to the forefront. We looked at hydrogen ‘Micro Beads’ that could fuel cars for $1.50 per gallon, and we saw Michigan State University unveil a new shock wave engine that could triple fuel the efficiency of hybrid vehicles. XL Hybrids also got in on the action by releasing an add-on kit that can transform any gas-guzzler into a hybrid, and Google made waves by announcing their investment in biofuels startup CoolPlanetBiofuels and adding EV charging stations to Google Maps. Finally, to round out or green automotive news this week we also have to give a special shout out to Artega, who introduced their hot new SE Electric Sports Car – we can already hear the honks and catcalls! Off the road and out into the ocean, we showcased a design for underwater kite turbines that harvest energy from ocean waves, and we were wowed by Kinetura’s shape-shifting Kinetower . In other architecture news, construction finally commenced on MVRDV’s massive Amanora Vertical City Apartments in Pune, India — a mixed use development totaling over 4.3 million square feet. We also saw several new developments on the solar power front – scientists in the United Kingdom are working on a solar-powered kit that could lighten the load of soldiers-and, more important, increase their mobility-by up to 50 percent. That seems like the perfect complement to OS’ amazing GSR 110B – a retractable solar power system that delivers 40 watts on the spot with a combined solar and battery backup. Lightweight and easy to pack, the solar unit is easily deployed in emergency situations as long as the weather permits. Inhabitat’s Week in Green: shifting towers, hydrogen beads, and the shockwave engine for fuel efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Never mind the practicalities of T-Mobile and AT&T using different 3G bands, Apple not having approved any deal for extended distribution of its phone, or the fact AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile isn’t set to complete for another year. The immediate reaction to AT&T agreeing to buy T-Mobile USA was to ask, “so that means the iPhone’s coming to T-Mo, right?” Well, wrong. T-Mobile has delivered an FAQ on its site informing customers about the forthcoming transition, including the unequivocal notice regarding the iPhone: “T-Mobile USA remains an independent company. The acquisition is expected to be completed in approximately 12 months. We do not offer the iPhone. We offer cutting edge devices like the Samsung Galaxy S 4G and coming soon our new Sidekick 4G.” So that settles that (for a year, anyway). In other news, service and billing won’t be changing, and there’s a promise that T-Mobile devices will continue to operate as they do now even after the acquisition is complete. Ominously, however, the company fails to answer its own question about pricing changes, stating only that it’ll honor “all contracted plans that are entered into before the change of ownership.” T-Mobile answers its customers’ most Frequently Asked Question: no iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Mr. Blurrycam bags a silvery striped smartphone — is this the HTC Pyramid?
March 20, 2011 No Comment
Looks like our favorite anonymous globetrotting photographer’s spotted something sweet — it’s that alleged HTC Pyramid , comfortably chilling with the 4.3-inch HTC Desire HD . Unfortunately, Mr. Blurrycam only had time to snap this single shot before vanishing to parts unknown, so all we can tell is that that it’s sporting a flush, off-center camera with a twin-LED flash, a headset jack up top, and that it’s a fairly large, curvy phone. Don’t be disappointed, though — we imagine we’ll see a good bit more of the handset this week at a little Florida show . Mr. Blurrycam bags a silvery striped smartphone — is this the HTC Pyramid? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ebook sales in the US double year-on-year, paper books suffer double-digit losses
March 20, 2011 No Comment
We doubt the world will ever get to a stage where it’ll completely ditch ye olde paper books, but the US consumer market seems to clearly have its heart set on the electronic kind right now. Net ebook sales in January were this week reported to have accumulated $69.9 million in revenue for their publishers, which amounts to a 116 percent jump from last year’s total for the month. During the same period, adult hardcovers were down 11.3 percent to $49.1 million and paperbacks faced a similar reduction in demand and fell to $83.6 million, a precipitous drop of 19.7 percent year-on-year. Educational and children’s books weren’t spared from this cull of the physical tome, either — skip past the break to see the full statistical breakdown. Continue reading Ebook sales in the US double year-on-year, paper books suffer double-digit losses Ebook sales in the US double year-on-year, paper books suffer double-digit losses originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
It’s March 20th and, right on schedule , Sprint has started taking orders for its first Windows Phone 7 handset. The HTC 7 Pro, renamed the Arrive on the Now Network, can now be had for $200 after rebate when bought with the customary two-year contract. Amazon’s doing its usual thing of undercutting carriers’ own pricing by offering it up for 50 greenbacks less at $150, and we suspect other online retailers will follow suit. So affordability shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re still wondering if the investment will be worth it, we’ll have our review of this handset early next week — just before Sprint makes it irrelevant by blowing the doors off CTIA. [Thanks, Justin] HTC Arrive now available for $200 from Sprint, $150 at Amazon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung Galaxy S II Mini leaks out for Three, plus Nokia X7, Flyer and PlayBook release dates
March 20, 2011 No Comment
No, not the Galaxy Mini , that low-end Android sprout — this is Samsung’s smaller alternative to the upcoming Galaxy S II superphone. We just got handed UK carrier Three’s entire spring-summer lineup, and the Android 2.3 handset certainly stands out, pretending to be miniature in spite of a 3.7-inch screen (think Droid ), a 1.4GHz processor (think Pre 3 ) and 21Mbps HSPA+ connectivity. But that’s the tip of the iceberg compared to what’s in store for Three — it looks like the Nokia X7 is alive, well, and tracking for a June release (not to mention the LG Optimus 3D), and tablets will drop too, with May bringing the HTC Flyer and the WiFi-only BlackBerry PlayBook launching in June. See specs and slated launch windows in our gallery below, and join us in hoping these documents portend well for stateside release. [Thanks, Anonymous] Samsung Galaxy S II Mini leaks out for Three, plus Nokia X7, Flyer and PlayBook release dates originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Wowzers! AT&T and Deutsche Telekom have entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of T-Mobile USA for $39 billion in cash and stocks. The combined customer base of this upcoming behemoth will be 130 million humans, though the agreed deal will have to pass the usual regulatory and closing hurdles before becoming complete. The two companies estimate it’ll take them 12 months to get through all the bureaucracy — if they get through, the proposed network merger will create a de facto GSM monopoly within the United States — but we don’t have to wait that long to start discussing life with only three major US carriers. AT&T envisions it as a rosy garden of “straightforward synergies” thanks to a set of “complementary network technologies, spectrum positions and operations.” For more details on that, hit up the Mobilize Everything site below or jump past the break for the official press release. Continue reading AT&T agrees to buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion AT&T agrees to buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
People who love a given car tend to keep that car for awhile, longer than they should sometimes, but that isn’t always an option. Sometimes you have to give it back, and such is the case for the 40 “pioneers” who were among the first to get their mitts on and bums in the electric prototype Mini E in the UK. That fleet of test vehicles has been summoned back home, but thankfully not to suffer the same fate of the recalled GM EV1 — most of which were crushed in the ’90s. Instead, most of these Minis will find new homes among corporate vehicle fleets, though the testing program itself is largely over. From that program BMW learned that most drivers got along just fine, despite a complete lack of public charging stations, though some said cold temps put a crimp on the driving habits — a possible counterpoint to one EV Mini tester on this side of the pond found. All that data is being used to tailor the upcoming BMW i3, which we’ve already seen hooning around in some rather frigid weather but won’t be seen hooning on public streets until 2013 or so. Mini E field trial ends, for the 40 testers a search for a new car begins originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Gates, Bosch, and NuVinci combine to make pedal-assist e-bike concept, not Voltron
March 20, 2011 No Comment
There’s those who want electric bikes that’ll hurtle you down the road at 40mph at the twist of the throttle, and there’s those who believe pedaling to be enjoyable enough, but would like a less strenuous bicycling experience. If you find yourself a member of column B, listen up, because Gates, NuVinci, and Bosch have created an e-bike concept that’ll satisfy your two-wheeled transportation needs. Gates supplied its Carbon electric belt drive, NuVinci brought its N360 infinitely variable planetary hub, and Bosch threw in a battery and control system to make a bicycle beauty. The power train is set up to give riders pedal-assist with four settings that go from Lance to lazy, depending on your mood. At an estimated cost of €2,600 – €3,200 ($3,680 – $4,530), you’ll need a bank account comparable to the seven-time champion of Le Tour should an OEM pick up the design. Gates, Bosch, and NuVinci combine to make pedal-assist e-bike concept, not Voltron originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …