Sharp’s Intelligent Power Conditioner works with EVs to make your house a lean, mean, solar-powered machine
February 23, 2011 No Comment
So, you’ve got your government-issued solar panels and you bought a plug-in EV , but being both a budget-minded and green-conscious geek, you’re concerned that your home’s power generation and consumption isn’t exactly optimal. Put your worries aside, because Sharp has created the Intelligent Power Conditioner (IPC) to max out the electrical efficiency of your abode while working in conjunction with public utilities. It operates by temporarily storing the unused solar-generated juice from the daytime — using both the system’s batteries and the cells in your shiny new EV — to deliver a steady stream of electrons at night. In tests with a Mitsubishi i-MiEV , the system was able to use the EV to supply 8kW of power to a home, and doled out enough electricity (4kWh) to recharge the car in a scant 30 minutes. The IPC is still in the development phase, but Sharp is looking to make it commercially available “in the near future” — which means the finishing touches on your ultimate eco-house will have to wait. Sharp’s Intelligent Power Conditioner works with EVs to make your house a lean, mean, solar-powered machine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you have an iPod, iPhone or iPad with the SlingPlayer Mobile app, you now have a Slingbox to go since the app was just updated with support for video out over component cables in high quality mode. Version 2.1 also includes a few unspecified bugfixes, but we’re figuring the opportunity to watch TV, on a TV in high bitrate streams is more than enough to get users mashing that update button and digging out their unused connectors. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone & iPad updated with video-out support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Regardless of industry, there are few brands more iconic than Porsche . And, of all the car shapes that have sprung from clay over the years, few are more evocative than the classic 911. It started in 1963 looking like a slightly stretched Beetle — which it wasn’t much bigger than. It’s considerably larger and heavier now, having lost much of its design purity in the ensuing 40-odd years. Still, its same basic shape and layout remain: bug eyes up front and boxer motor in the rear, slung between the back wheels. Today’s 911, also known as the 997, has been around since 2005 and is about due to be replaced by a new model. This means it’s at the top of its game, available in a dizzying array of flavors that include the sporty Carrera, sunny-day cruisin’ Cabriolet, all-wheel drive powerhouse Turbo, all leading up to the mind-blowingly fast, twin-turbo 911 GT2. That car is as devoid of creature comforts as it is of apprehensions about sending you flying sideways into a tree. Screaming, probably. These varying trim levels offer juicy bits of tech like active center differentials, launch control, and double-clutch gearboxes. Join us as we explore the race-ready bits of technology that make these cars faster and safer on the road and then take them for a spin around Barber Motorsports Park to see how it all comes together. Continue reading The technology of the Porsche 911 The technology of the Porsche 911 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve been waiting for the pricing and availability pieces of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 puzzle, and a short press release from Vodafone Portugal seems to at least help fill out the edges. While we thought Vodafone’s UK branch had exclusive dibs on the 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet, it looks like it will be hitting Vodafone Portugal first in March for €699. That’s not exactly a bargain, but it’s inline with the pricing of the other Android tablets overseas. Now, if only we knew more about when this one was going to learn English and hit the US. As always, we’re digging as hard as we can on that one. [Thanks, The Wizard] Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 hitting Vodafone Portugal in March for €699 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Motorola Atrix 4G Laptop Dock demo units have multitouch trackpads — but yours doesn’t
February 23, 2011 No Comment
We were crestfallen to discover that our review unit of the Laptop Dock for Moto’s Atrix 4G didn’t have multitouch capability, making scrolling a rather old-fashioned affair — and considering that a desktop build of Firefox figures prominently into Webtop’s capabilities, scrolling is something you’ll be doing quite a bit of. Well, this is where it gets weird: a number of people on xda-developers are discussing the fact that in-store demo units of the Laptop Dock seem to mysteriously have multitouch added in, and at least one poster notes that a Motorola rep that visited his local store a while back had multitouch working as well. That means one of three things: either these units are physically different hardware, they’re running a prerelease firmware upgrade, or they’ve got a feature that was pulled at the last minute, possibly because it didn’t work very well. Unfortunately, the latter seems plausible because Motorola has indicated to us that the Laptop Dock’s hardware doesn’t support multitouch and it’s not something we can expect to be added in down the road — but we can hope. [Thanks, Caleb] Motorola Atrix 4G Laptop Dock demo units have multitouch trackpads — but yours doesn’t originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung Captivate update to Froyo pegged for tomorrow, February 24th (update: HTC Aria update coming ‘very soon’)
February 23, 2011 No Comment
One false alarm is bad enough, but two would be positively evil, wouldn’t it? We’re cautiously optimistic that Samsung and AT&T are serious this time about posting the Captivate’s update to Android 2.2 starting tomorrow, another step in Sammy’s long, drawn-out road to getting all of its promised Galaxy S upgrades out the door. We’re sure owners are going to appreciate some of the simple pleasures in life that Froyo (and Gingerbread ) owners have come to take for granted like being able to move apps to external storage… and it’s all just hours away. Can you feel the excitement? Update: in an official Facebook video just posted , AT&T mentions that it’s already in the process of testing a Froyo upgrade for the HTC Aria as well — and it should be coming “very soon.” Samsung Captivate update to Froyo pegged for tomorrow, February 24th (update: HTC Aria update coming ‘very soon’) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hey look at that! The rumors were true. Apple will be holding a media event on March 2nd… and Engadget will be there live covering the whole thing. As you can tell by the image above (sent with the invite), this is going to be all about tablets — iPads, to be exact. Apple’s holding an iPad 2 event on March 2nd… we’ll be there live! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 11:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …RedEye universal remote launches ‘mini’ app on iTunes for users who want something simpler
February 23, 2011 No Comment
Did you know that red eyes are not directly caused by lack of sleep, but rather from dryness and irritation caused by simply leaving them open for too long? While you ponder that bombshell, if you’ve been losing sleep trying to figure out your RedEye universal remote system the company behind the system, ThinkFlood, has something for you. The current solutions allow users to create activities that turn on and control multiple devices simultaneously, but the new “mini” app now available in the App Store simplifies that greatly, a “device focused” approach acting more like a basic universal remote. That’s not exactly how we’d choose to use our $49 IR adapter , but if you’re so inclined this free download should offer more power to the non-power user. Continue reading RedEye universal remote launches ‘mini’ app on iTunes for users who want something simpler RedEye universal remote launches ‘mini’ app on iTunes for users who want something simpler originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BMW Connected hitting 1 Series cars first, lets you tweet your disregard for speed limits
February 23, 2011 No Comment
The BMW Connected app has been available for a few months now, following in the footsteps of Mini Connected as it sits there, and taunting you from the App Store . We knew cars supporting the feature would be coming in March , and now we know which ones will be first: BMW’s svelte little 1 Series. To enable the streaming radio and even streaming video (when the car is stationary) on the dash-mounted display you’ll need to tick the box next to a €150 (about $205) option. In your suitably equipped car you can then get your Facebook and Twitter feeds read to you and even provide automated responses using “vehicle information such as current speed, outside temperature or navigation destination.” We’re hoping the car can apply some flowery language to such hard data, like “bat out of hell” for those particularly warm days in which you’re driving at a high rate of speed from an unpleasant point of origin. Continue reading BMW Connected hitting 1 Series cars first, lets you tweet your disregard for speed limits BMW Connected hitting 1 Series cars first, lets you tweet your disregard for speed limits originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you hate doing math and you run a small business then surely you’ve looked longingly at mobile credit card systems like Square ‘s longingly. No handling of cash certainly would make life easier, but Square’s system of fees and surcharges weren’t exactly easy to figure out themselves. Now the company has simplified things, dropping the $.15 per-transaction fee for swiped purchases, charging a simple 2.75 percent on each transaction. If, however, that transaction is being made without swiping the actual card the $.15 transaction fee sadly comes back, but the percentage fee has gone down from 4.0 percent to 3.5. So, a little less of your handiwork will be absorbed by the man. [Thanks, Brent] Square mobile payment system gets simpler pricing, keeps angular shape originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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