If the notion of a tiny robot swimming around in your eye leaves you a bit easy then, well, you might want to stop right here. For the rest of you, though, you may be interested in some new tests now being conducted by Michael Kummer and his team of researchers at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in Zurich, Switzerland. What you’re looking at above is a pig’s eye, and the tiny black spec near the top is a microbot that’s able to roam around the eye with the aid of an electromagnetic system. While things are still obviously very early, the researchers say the microbots could eventually be used to precisely deliver drugs in humans, and treat issues like macular degeneration. Head on past the break for the video. Continue reading Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot… implanted in an eye Researchers experiment with drug-delivering robot… implanted in an eye originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple TV update reportedly causing screen flicker issues with HDMI to DVI adapters
March 11, 2011 No Comment
We’ve seen reports of strange video behavior with Apple TVs before, and it looks like a new problem has now cropped up with the most recent update . According to a growing number of reports on the Apple support forums, those using an HDMI to DVI adapter to connect the device to their TV seem to have been hit with an annoying issue that causes their screen to flicker every few seconds. That’s apparently happening with a wide range of TVs, and at least some are also reporting the same thing happening even if they aren’t using an adapter. A few folks have apparently been able to fix things in the interim by simply pulling their HDMI cable and plugging it back in, but most are stuck with the annoying issue — or worse, a downgraded 480p signal. Having some similar issues? Let us know in comments. Apple TV update reportedly causing screen flicker issues with HDMI to DVI adapters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Last night you couldn’t walk down the street in New York City without becoming seriously soaked and breaking your umbrella, but you didn’t really think that would stop those crazy Apple fans, did you? Oh yes, the iPad 2 lines are in full effect in NYC and around the country — we’re hearing there are already close to 150 at The Cube in Midtown Manhattan and scores of others in line in Austin, Fort Lauderdale, Palo Alto and more. And with reports of online orders not shipping for 2 to 3 weeks now, we’re assuming those queues are only going to grow in the next few hours. It is, of course, our time-honored tradition to bring you photos of those incredibly brave line-sitters, and we’ll be doing just that this afternoon and evening. We’ll be heading out to grab some shots of our own soon and bring you the smiles and tears, but until then hit the break for a few we’ve been sent so far. Oh, and good luck everyone! Continue reading iPad 2 line watch: the few, the proud, the soaking wet iPad 2 line watch: the few, the proud, the soaking wet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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While Symbian might be good as dead to most Engadget readers, Nokia must continue supporting the millions of S^ wearing faithful until it can fully transition to a Windows Phone smartphone shop in 2012 . So we were interested to hear Marc Driessen, Nokia Benelux product manager, spill some details about a few previously unannounced Symbian updates for 2011. As you’ll recall, S^4 as a product had been canned months ago , but the scheduled UI updates were still part of the Symbian roadmap. According to Driessen, Nokia is targeting a major UI overhaul in the fall, an update rumored to include a dedicated pull-down status bar up top; new iconography; new flexible widgets; a simplified navigation bar below; and better menus throughout that don’t require a scuba suit to navigate. While Nokia HQ won’t confirm the dates or details to us (we asked), the fall timeline does match with what we’ve heard elsewhere. Dutch site All About Phones is also reporting that a smaller update for N8 and E7 users might come as early as this summer. Of course, those owners are still waiting for the first real S^3 update that was promised for early 2011, so hopefully Nokia can squeeze in the split screen text input, portrait QWERTY, and improved browser before March is done. Symbian UI overhaul scheduled for the fall? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s so much to love about Martijn Hellemans’ Mindstorms NXT battle tank: it sports independent suspension, cruise control, LED headlights, laser sighting, and a high velocity brick cannon. What’s more, it’s controlled by a PSP-Nx remote, but you know what we really love about this Mindstorms battle bot? It gets down to the smooth jazz — and here we thought we were smitten with NXT Wall-E . Check out a video of our new Lego love, complete with quiet storm accompaniment, after the break. Continue reading Mindstorms NXT battle bot shoots bricks, breaks hearts (video) Mindstorms NXT battle bot shoots bricks, breaks hearts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Purdue researchers make solar cell manufacturing cheaper, more efficient with lasers
March 11, 2011 No Comment
Is there anything lasers can’t do? We only ask because they seem to be improving everything from microphones to railroads , and now researchers from Purdue University have leveraged the power of light to better manufacture solar cells. Using an ultrashort (as in quadrillionths of a second) pulse laser to more precisely scribe the microchannels connecting thin-film solar cells — as compared to current mechanical stylus methods — the Boilermakers were able to improve energy transfer efficiency between cells and significantly reduce manufacturing time. Having demonstrated the process works, research continues to better understand and prepare it for use by manufacturers — sooner rather than later, we hope. Purdue researchers make solar cell manufacturing cheaper, more efficient with lasers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple doubles down on in-app purchasing security in iOS 4.3, password now required
March 11, 2011 No Comment
As you might recall, a certain game was racking up credit card bills because of its in-app purchases — something which probably resulted in some angry parents (or as the folks in Finland say, “birds”). In Apple’s latest iOS update, a feature has been implemented that requires the user to input their password whenever an in-app purchase is made. Will this new security measure actually prevent those children from purchasing hundreds worth of virtual fruit? A big boon for grown-ups, a big downer for those who no longer have an excuse to explain their Smurfberry obsession. Apple doubles down on in-app purchasing security in iOS 4.3, password now required originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …EVGA GeForce GTX 460 2Win has ‘double the win,’ becomes NVIDIA’s first dual-Fermi graphics card
March 11, 2011 No Comment
Why, it was only yesterday that we were eyeballing a dual-GF104 board from Galaxy, presuming it an artifact of a 2010 project that went nowhere, but there’s at least one NVIDIA partner that’s going to deliver exactly such a creation, and soon at that! EVGA has just set loose the details of a new GTX 460 2Win graphics card, which ticks along at 700MHz, has 672 cumulative CUDA cores served by 2GB of GDDR5, and reportedly collects more 3D Marks than NVIDIA’s finest card out at the moment, the GTX 580 . The company also gleefully reports that pricing of the 2Win model will be lower than the 580′s. It’s interesting that NVIDIA is opting for a pair of the older-gen GF104 Fermi chips here, but then again, those have been big winners with critics and price-sensitive gamers alike, with many touting the use of two GTX 460s in SLI as a more sensible solution than the elite single-card options. Well, now you have both , in a manner of speaking. Skip past the break to see EVGA’s latest in the flesh. [Thanks, Ben] Continue reading EVGA GeForce GTX 460 2Win has ‘double the win,’ becomes NVIDIA’s first dual-Fermi graphics card EVGA GeForce GTX 460 2Win has ‘double the win,’ becomes NVIDIA’s first dual-Fermi graphics card originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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While Democrats and Republicans squabble over the future of the incandescent light bulb , a Livermore-based company has produced an LED that they claim could lead to brighter, more affordable solid state lighting. By growing gallium nitride on low-cost silicon wafers, as opposed to the typical sapphire and silicon carbide substrates, the company has achieved an output of 135lm/W (lumens per watt) with a color correlated temperature of 4730K– brighter than any affordable LED lighting solution we’ve ever seen. Of course, this isn’t the first time efficacy of this level has been achieved, and we’ve yet to see a practical application, but if Bridgelux’s numbers are right, this could mean a 75 percent cut in LED production costs. The company expects the technology to make its way to real world lights in the next two to three years — perhaps by then the furor over pigtail light bulbs will have settled a bit. Enlightening PR after the break. Continue reading Bridgelux silicon LED could mean bright future for solid state lighting Bridgelux silicon LED could mean bright future for solid state lighting originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Michel, who seems to be having difficulty sleeping without a decent backup solution in his home. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “It’s been 6 years since the last Ask Engadget article on best home backup solution. Is there a good update yet? It’s for PC, and I need to be able to disconnect the hard drive and plug it in, and navigate the folders like on my main PC. Thanks!” Home backup solutions have come a long way over the years, but having one that also funtions as a conventional external drive cuts down your options somewhat. We’re guessing this fellow is looking for something more akin to a Clickfree drive rather than a 5-bay NAS, so if you’ve got any recommendations in that area, shout ‘em out in comments below. Ask Engadget: best home backup solution? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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