Needless to say, the Storm 2′s past its prime — if it ever had a prime — and if Verizon is going to continue with the touchscreen BlackBerry theme, it needs to re-up fast. That would be where the so-called Monaco comes into play, a phone that’s been leaking under various names for over half a year now, and now we’ve got it captured on a brief, moderately blurry video with a Verizon logo clearly and prominently featured around back. It’s looking pretty laggy here, but it’s unclear how close the phone is to production — both the hardware and software (said to be BlackBerry OS 6.1 with mobile hotspot capability, among other features) could be extremely early or near final. RIM’s still got some repenting to do for the original Storm, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Monaco (which could come to market as the Storm 3, or some other name altogether) fits the bill. Follow the break for the video. [Thanks, Zecharias] Continue reading BlackBerry Monaco makes brief video appearance with Verizon branding BlackBerry Monaco makes brief video appearance with Verizon branding originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you thought the lack of root on the Atrix 4G was going to save you a couple hundred bucks next week… well, we hate to break the bad news, but you’re going to need to find another excuse not to buy it (more on that in a second). Long story short, the phone’s already been rooted by a gentleman over on the ever-resourceful xda-developers forums, which means you can do all the normal things that require root access like enabling the standard Froyo mobile hotspot feature, using root apps like Titanium Backup (pictured above), and generally looking 1337 compared to your friends locked up in their walled gardens. Now, the bad news: the bootloader remains firmly locked and encrypted, so custom kernels are still just a dream — but hey, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Keep the faith! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Motorola Atrix 4G already rooted, and it’s not even out yet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …GAEMS Xbox 360 traveling case gets sleek redesign, still won’t help you spell correctly
February 19, 2011 No Comment
The last rendition we saw of the GAEMS console-carrying case looked more like a giant lunch box than a solution to your portable gaming needs. If you’re still interested in bringing your Xbox 360 on the road, the company has redesigned the case and it now supports the fat and slim versions of the 360 and even the PS3 -skinny. What’s new in this compact carrying case is the fact there’s actually room to store the console, controllers and power brick. It comes bundled with a remote, HDMI cable and power supply to power the speakers and LED screen. If you’re road trippin’ any time soon and want this beast, you can save yourself 20 bones by pre-ordering before April 20th and you’ll receive the $300 case come June. GAEMS Xbox 360 traveling case gets sleek redesign, still won’t help you spell correctly originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Meka’s M-1 Mobile Manipulator, a cuter Cody the spit bath robot (video)
February 19, 2011 No Comment
Remember Cody ? The robot from Georgia Tech designed to give spit baths to the elderly and crippled? Well, Cody’s got an attractive younger cousin named M-1, and for $340,000 this fine piece of machinery could be all yours. Built by San Francisco-based Meka Robotics, the M-1 Mobile Manipulator (based on Cody) runs on a combination of ROS and proprietary software and sports a Kinect-compatible head with a five megapixel Ethernet camera, arms with six-axis force-torque sensors at the wrist, force controlled grippers, and an omnidirectional mobile base. If the standard features don’t fit your needs, Meka offers various upgrades, including four-fingered hands and humanoid heads, complete with expressive eyelids (
Continue reading …Google Social Search update makes your friends more relevant, difficult to ignore
February 19, 2011 No Comment
Google’s been talking up its Social Search function for sometime, but up until now your friends’ tweets probably haven’t made it to the top of your search results — unless of course you’re besties with TMZ, and you’ve been searching the Miley Cyrus bong salvia rip again. Thankfully, it looks as if that could change with El Goog’s latest update to the socially minded search function, which now mixes updates from your contacts’ various online accounts, like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, in with the standard search fair — pulling them up from their previous position at the bottom of your results. Google’s also included a photo and annotation to show the origins of relevant links, and given you the ability to manage how you connect your accounts — either publicly through your profile or privately through your account. The new functions started rolling out yesterday, which means you could be seeing a whole lot more from those contacts you regretted friending in the first place. Isn’t social media a wonderful / disastrous thing? Google Social Search update makes your friends more relevant, difficult to ignore originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Intel CEO Paul Otellini flip-flops, says he ‘would’ve gone Android’ if he were Elop
February 19, 2011 No Comment
It’s hard to say if Intel CEO Paul Otellini was simply misquoted the first go ’round, or if he really had a change of heart in the course of 48 hours. Either way, the most recent quotes coming from the highest of highs at Chipzilla paints a very different story than the one we first heard , and it’s beginning to look like Intel and Microsoft may eventually wage some sort of war — even if it’s one that remains strictly at the software level. Reuters is reporting that Otellini had this to say when questioned about Stephen Elop’s decision to select Windows Phone 7 as the future of Nokia’s handset business: ” I wouldn’t have made the decision he made, I would probably have gone to Android if I were him. MeeGo would have been the best strategy but he concluded he couldn’t afford it.” That contrasts starkly with comments made just days ago, where he was quoted as saying that he would’ve made “the same or a similar call” if found in Elop’s shoes. Continuing on the topic of differentiation, Otellini noted that “i t would have been less hard on Android, [but] on MeeGo he could have done it.” That said, he’s confident that Intel “will find another partner,” noting that carriers ” still want a third ecosystem and the carriers want an open ecosystem, and that’s the thing that drives our motivation.” Now, the real question: which Paul can be believed? Intel CEO Paul Otellini flip-flops, says he ‘would’ve gone Android’ if he were Elop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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WowWee , the same folks who brought you Paper Jamz , are giving yet another American leisure-time institution a makeover, and this time they’ve set their sights on laser tag. Carrying over the Paper Jamz aesthetic, Light Strike aims to “bring video game action into the real-world” with a set of laser tag guns and accessories that sport fingerprint ID, long-range LED targeting, built-in health and ammo meters, and the ability to play with up to four teams of unlimited size. The game’s stable of weapons includes Light Strike’s signature gun, the Assault Striker, a machine gun bipod with recoil action, a scope attachment with 100-foot range, and a grenade launcher that can shoot groups of enemies down in a single shot. Now, who’s going to lead the campaign to make the Assault Striker the official gun of the 2012 Olympic Pentathalon ? Light Strike is set for an August 2011 launch with guns starting at about $40, but you can get a very dramatic preview after the jump. Continue reading WowWee’s Light Strike makes laser tag look more like Paper Jamz WowWee’s Light Strike makes laser tag look more like Paper Jamz originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 03:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung wants to sell 10 million 3D TVs this year, LG plans on 5 million
February 19, 2011 No Comment
Here’s one way to solve a chicken-and-egg dilemma: crank out 15 million chickens. That’s seem to be the plan for Samsung and LG, anyway — Samsung plans to sell 10 million 3D TVs this year, up five times from the two million it sold last year, while LG plans to sell some 5 million. Now, it’s unclear whether this increase in sales will come as a result of consumer demand for 3D or simply because almost all new TVs will be 3D-capable, but we’re hoping that pesky 3D content problem will get a lot better once more people can actually view it — assuming anyone actually wants to wear the glasses, that is. Samsung wants to sell 10 million 3D TVs this year, LG plans on 5 million originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together
February 19, 2011 No Comment
Kind of crazy that we haven’t seen more accessories that combine the Apple Bluetooth keyboard with the Magic Trackpad yet, but TwelveSouth has it covered with the Magic Wand, a simple aluminum half-tube that takes your two Apple wireless peripherals and joins them as one. Cute. Of course you’re still stuck with duplicate sets of batteries, and you’ll have to somehow deal with the fact that you just spent $30 on a piece of metal that creates a godless keyboard chimera monster, but if you can get past that the Magic Wand is shipping now. Video after the break. Continue reading TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BMW puts a range-extending ICE in its Megacity EV, provides tonic for your range anxiety
February 19, 2011 No Comment
When we first left the safe confines of our parents’ home, many of us experienced separation anxiety. As we grow older, we suffer from disconnection anxiety — and no, iPhone owners, that doesn’t refer to your fear of dropped calls . Now, BMW is combating our range anxiety, or fear of being stranded when your car’s batteries run out of juice, by putting an internal combustion range extender in its Megacity EV . BMW is taking a page out of the Chevy Volt’s playbook by placing a small ICE in its EV that doubles the rage of the vehicle from 50 to 100 miles — all in an effort to assuage the (irrational?) fears of its potential US customers. The gasoline generator will be an option for those who wish to venture beyond the city limits, so if you want to keep it totally green you can still do so. Our Bavarian friends won’t be bringing the Megacity to market until 2013, so that should give you enough time to decide if you want to hasten the death of the ICE or prolong its life a bit longer. BMW puts a range-extending ICE in its Megacity EV, provides tonic for your range anxiety originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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