Care for a cup of Google data, anyone? At SXSW , the vice president of location services, Marissa Mayer, stated some interesting facts about the state of all things mobile at the Goog. Most notably, the company provides its map service to 150 million users. Just to give you an idea of how many peeps that is — it’s about half the number of individuals in America. Crazy, we know. What’s more, Mayer claimed that Google Maps guided users 12 billion miles per year and that its latest build of the app saves people an average of two days worth of travel time each year. Another bit worth noting is how the company feels about Google Maps for iPhone. “We like being the default provider, but we’d like to get some of these updates out to a broader audience. That’s still a debate / question we’re considering.” Updates? An actual Google Maps application that works as a GPS on an iPhone? Wake us up when iOS 5 is previewed, or we can just keep dreaming. Google VP lays down mobile stats, boasts 150 million Maps users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …First fine for libel via Twitter issued against politician by British court
March 14, 2011 No Comment
British politician and former Mayor of Caerphilly, Wales, Colin Elsbury, has been ordered to pay a fine for the charge of libel against an opponent. The lawsuit was filed by Eddie Talbot, an independent challenging Elsbury, after Talbot claimed that Elsbury had Tweeted that Talbot had been forcibly removed from a polling place by police. Well, Elsbury definitely Tweeted that, but, unfortunately for him, the person was not Eddie Talbot. Although Elsbury quickly and publicly corrected himself, Talbot took him to court, and in Cardiff on Friday that Elsbury will have to pay a
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The Tesla Roadster may not have many competitors that you can actually buy at the moment, but it looks like it can count on a bit of a challenge from German automaker Artega. It debuted its new Artega SE (short for Sport Electric) at the Geneva Motor Show recently, and it says it plans to produce 500 of them a year starting in 2012 at a cost of €150,000 apiece, or just over $200,000. In addition to some good looks, that will buy you a pair of rear-mounted electric motors that combine for 375 horsepower and a top speed “well over” 155MPH, along with a 37 kW lithium polymer battery that promises to let you “comfortably achieve” 124 miles under normal driving conditions. Of particular note, Artega says that the battery can be fully recharged in just 90 minutes using a commercial charging station, although it can of course also be charged at a slower rate at home. Still no word on availability outside of Europe, although if you’re dropping two hundred grand on a car we’re guessing the import costs won’t pose too much of a problem. Artega SE electric sports car lines up to challenge Tesla Roadster originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We imagine that many of you, like us, have been making frantic calls to friends and family in Japan over the last few days without regard to the costs. Now, in the face of otherwise devastating news, we have some good news to share courtesy of AT&T. Ma Bell is offering wired and wireless billing relief for calls made on AT&T between March 11th and March 31st. Under the plan, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for international long distance or text messages to Japan from the US and Puerto Rico. Likewise, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dialing to Japan. Sure it’s a shameless publicity grab but this one seems genuinely helpful. Continue reading AT&T makes calling Japan free until the end of March AT&T makes calling Japan free until the end of March originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 06:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …We imagine that many of you, like us, have been making frantic calls to friends and family in Japan over the last few days without regard to the costs. Now, in the face of otherwise devastating news, we have some good news to share courtesy of AT&T. Ma Bell is offering wired and wireless billing relief for calls made on AT&T between March 11th and March 31st. Under the plan, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for international long distance or text messages to Japan from the US and Puerto Rico. Likewise, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dialing to Japan. Sure it’s a shameless publicity grab but this one seems genuinely helpful. Continue reading AT&T makes calling Japan free until the end of March AT&T makes calling Japan free until the end of March originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 06:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …UK charity opens gaming visitor center / handicapped gaming gadget incubator
March 14, 2011 No Comment
Handicapped gamers currently form a small, but growing portion of the gaming community, and the folks from the UK’s SpecialEffect video games charity are seeking to get a lot more disabled folks gaming. SpecialEffect — with an assist from UK Prime Minister David Cameron — just opened a Video Games Visitor Centre to give those with disabilities a place to experience cutting-edge gaming tech designed for the handicapped, like eye-controllers , in its GamesRoom. The Centre also has a GamesLab where “games and hardware are tested for accessibility” so game devs can adjust their wares to get even more people dishing out pwnage than ever before — bring it on! UK charity opens gaming visitor center / handicapped gaming gadget incubator originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 05:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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After being jilted on Valentine’s Day , you’d think we would learn. But having tasted the goods , we couldn’t help but get suckered in by every HTC Thunderbolt launch date rumor — only to have our hopes dashed each time its release was inexorably pushed further and further back . Now, a leaked email and an HTC regional sales manager’s tweet (whose account has subsequently been deleted) claim our lust for Verizon’s first 4G handset will finally be quenched on March 17th. HTC posted on Facebook that the official launch date will be announced “soon, ” and four days from now would certainly qualify. We just hope Best Buy and Big Red realize they face a legion of disappointed (and drunken) St. Patty’s Day revelers should they delay Thunderbolt delivery day yet again. Let’s hope the luck of the Irish finally gets us our LTE . HTC’s Thunderbolt coming March 17th: survey says… yes! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Independent is starting our week off on a sour note with the information that Apple’s next iPhone won’t have NFC hardware built in . Near Field Communication has found itself coming to the fore this year, thanks in large part to the Nexus S touting it as a major feature , however sources at “several” of the UK’s major carriers have told the newspaper that Apple intends to skip on it for this year. That intel is reportedly coming directly from meetings with the Cupertino brain trust, which is said to be dissatisfied with the current lack of a clear, universal NFC standard. It’s generally been Apple’s wont to omit or delay features it doesn’t feel it can implement well, and NFC looks fated to be another one on that list. iPhone 5 won’t have NFC, say insiders at UK carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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You know who has been relatively quiet on the Sandy Bridge front? ASUS. Sure, it’s released some new gaming rigs with fresh Core i7 CPUs, but we haven’t really heard a peep out of the company when it comes to its mainstream U or UL series laptops. Well, that should all be changing soon as the guys over at NetbookLive got their hands on a U30S, which packs a Sandy Bridge Core i5-2410M processor, 8GB of RAM, NVIDIA’s 520M graphics with Optimus, and a eight-cell 84Wh battery. Yep, it’s one nicely spec’d machine, and according to the benchmarks it not only runs quite fast but it also lasts over five hours on a charge. The only thing the reviewer seems to take issue with is the size and weight of the 1.3-inch / 4.2-pound machine, and we really don’t blame him — it looks identical to the U30Jc we reviewed exactly a year ago. All that said, we’re betting this thing has a sweet price tag attached to it when it finally gets an official unveil — until then, hit the source link for a glimpse at what’s coming. ASUS U30S appears overseas with Sandy Bridge and NVIDIA GT520M graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’re still holding out for a Motorola Xoom , here’s some good news. The folks at Droid Life snagged a picture of a Staples ad depicting March 27th as the targeted release date for the slate. In addition, the tablet appears to be retailing for 600 bucks — one the cheapest models money can buy. A Xoom, TI-Nspire and a new pack of pens , all from one place? Man, that really was easy. [Thanks, Hector N] WiFi-only Xoom headed to Staples for March 27th release? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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