Sony Ericsson Xperia Play finally official, gets full launch event on February 13th
February 6, 2011 No Comment
Sony Ericsson has finally stop teasing, winking, and nodding knowingly and has just come clean — the Xperia Play is most definitely real and it’ll be one of the first devices announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. We’re treated to a date and time, February 13th at 6PM GMT, a pair of full frontal shots of the Gingerbread-running, gamepad-wearing smartphone, and the full version of that creepy ad we saw for it a couple of days back. Scope it out after the break. Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia Play finally official, gets full launch event on February 13th Sony Ericsson Xperia Play finally official, gets full launch event on February 13th originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Circling the globe on hydrogen power sounds like a bit of a challenge, what with the lack H2 pumps and all, but Mercedes-Benz set off to show that it could do just that — with the help of a mobile filling station, nat
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Over the weekend, a surreptitious new photo of the new HTC Desire 2 hit the world wide web, and in addition to the image, the new handset has found its way into Vodafone Germany’s inventory system ( along with several other goodies ) — meaning that the second coming of the Desire is likely imminent. Word on the street is that it has a Super AMOLED screen of unknown resolution and runs Android 2.3.1 (Gingerbread). Examination of the spy shot reveals that HTC swapped out the tactile buttons of the original Desire for the capacitive variety, added a front facing camera, and made it slightly smaller than its predecessor. It seems that HTC has failed on the ‘quietly’ part of its slogan, but at least it looks like the company didn’t botch the ‘brilliant’ bit as well. Stay tuned to find out — Mobile World Congress gets going in under a week, you know. [Thanks, William and Robert] HTC Desire 2 picture leaked, also shows up in Vodafone’s inventory originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sonos nabs streaming support for XM Radio, Lithium listeners start a minor mosh pit
February 6, 2011 No Comment
Look, we get it. You sunk $87,342.12 into a Sonos whole-home streaming solution, and your buds won’t stop pestering you about its inability to stream XM Radio. Thankfully, the stars have aligned just in time for your impending Super Bowl bash , and it’s just about time for you to start fantasizing about what their faces will look like when they’re ushered into your adobe by Heart-Shaped Box . Thanks to the eagle-eyed Dave Zatz, it looks as if some sort of final blending has gone down between Sirius and XM , with a merging of accounts (presumably) making it possible for Sonos to now stream XM Radio; if you’ll recall, the system has had the ability to stream dedicated Sirius channels for a good while now, but particular XM stations have been left out of the mix prior to this weekend. Hit the source link to find out what password changes are needed to get things in sync, and be sure to try it all out before bragging to said buds — wouldn’t want to eat crow after taking all of that flack, now would you? Sonos nabs streaming support for XM Radio, Lithium listeners start a minor mosh pit originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Best Buy opens up in-store pre-orders for HTC Thunderbolt: $50 to claim yours
February 6, 2011 No Comment
And with that, it’s officially On Like Donkey Kong . A flood of tipsters have confirmed this morning that Best Buy stores around the nation are now accepting pre-orders for HTC’s titillating Thunderbolt. We knew good and well this day was coming, but if you’ve got $50 socked away to put towards it, today’s the day to get in line. We’re hearing from numerous stores that the phone will be available for pickup on February 14th , so feel free to pre-order two — you know, for that special someone in your life. Let us know how your experience goes in comments below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Best Buy opens up in-store pre-orders for HTC Thunderbolt: $50 to claim yours Best Buy opens up in-store pre-orders for HTC Thunderbolt: $50 to claim yours originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Elaborate Arduino tutorial explains the nuts and bolts of communicating over GSM
February 6, 2011 No Comment
If you’re looking to make yourself somewhat more productive on this lazy weekend, and you’ve got an Arduino or two collecting dust, we’ve got just the thing to add line after line to your dwindling to-do list. Tronixstuff has a borderline insane tutorial series going, and as of now, 27 chapters have been published. It’s essentially the Arduino Bible, but the two most recent additions in particular have piqued our interest. With the explosion in mobile broadband, even hackers are looking to get their creations online. If you’ve mastered the art of Arduino, but haven’t yet been brave enough to toss in a bit of GSM communication, the how-to guides linked below definitely deserve your attention. Just be careful how you write that code — one wrong line with a SIM card installed could lead to text overages that’ll take two lifetimes to pay off. Elaborate Arduino tutorial explains the nuts and bolts of communicating over GSM originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …350Green plans EV charging network for apartment dwellers, Jimmy McMillan
February 6, 2011 No Comment
You think the rent’s too high? Try buying a depressed property with a hope that it’ll appreciate. As of today, the vast majority of EV chargers are being marketed towards those who have garages to install ‘em in. While that’s all fine and dandy for Mr. and Mrs. Suburbia, it’s a bit of a stretch to ask the modern day apartment dweller to install one on the nearest street corner. In an effort to make electric vehicles more feasible for renters, 350Green is envisioning a vast network of chargers near places of work, and it’s getting things going in the Bay Area . Thanks to a little financial help from the folks at Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the aforementioned company will be installing a range of fast chargers in six cities around the area: Albany, Menlo Park, Milbrae, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale. We’re told that 100 percent of the plazas will be installed in the parking lots of select, high-traffic retail locations, at no cost to the host location, with specific locations to be named in the coming weeks. If all goes well, NorCal’s gem will be hooked up by June of 2012, with additional markets around the US to be addressed following that. Jump on down and mash play to see how it’ll work, and while we’re on the topic, good luck securing one of those HOV stickers for your future EV. Ain’t no lane like the fast lane, ya heard? Continue reading 350Green plans EV charging network for apartment dwellers, Jimmy McMillan 350Green plans EV charging network for apartment dwellers, Jimmy McMillan originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 09:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com . It may not share the same level of name recognition as FaceTime (or heck, even Fring ), but Tango’s multi-platform videocalling app is still a very real alternative. So real, in fact, that it was just used in an episode of The Big Bang Theory as a highly fictional (and severely busted) character makes an outlandish videocall to a mythical group of friends. Or was it all just a dream? Hop on down to the source link (and fast-forward to the 13th minute) to find out. [Thanks, Sowmitra] Gallery: Tango videocalling app stars on The Big Bang Theory Screen Grabs: Tango supplants FaceTime for Big Bang Theory videocall originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …EPA’s letter grade automobile stickers could bring QR codes to car windows in 2013
February 6, 2011 No Comment
Ever wonder how the world would still turn after MPG stickers were updated to take hybrids and EVs into consideration ? Wonder no more. Purportedly, the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to decide by July’s end whether it’ll require “emissions grades” on all new vehicles. We’re told that said stickers would resemble those shown above, complete with a QR code that could be scanned by any smartphone for more detailed information on how a grade was decided upon. As the story goes, cars would be graded from A through D, with a score of F presumably omitted for political correctness. If implemented, it wouldn’t require automakers to slap these onto their rides until the 2013 model year, but as you’d expect, said car companies aren’t exactly pumped about the idea. As of now, 40 percent of the vehicles on American roads would receive Cs or Ds, and Ohio’s own Rep. Steven LaTourette had this to say about it: “Those who live in Planet Reality might need a minivan or SUV to haul around four kids in child and booster seats, and have room for luggage and a family dog. Thanks to the EPA, they’ll be lucky to find a vehicle that gets a C.” In truth, he’s dead right, but there’s always two sides to every story. To counter the obvious, automakers are instead backing “a more modest labeling redesign” that’s not quite so jarring to consumers. Ah, the wonders of compromise. EPA’s letter grade automobile stickers could bring QR codes to car windows in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 02:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google’s Eric Schmidt on the future of technology, his role change and Apple’s turn toward consumers
February 6, 2011 No Comment
Eric Schmidt only has a few more months to call himself CEO of Google, but contrary to some reports, he won’t be stepping away when he hands said title over to Larry Page. Not even close, in fact. In a lengthy talk with The Telegraph at the World Economic Forum last week, the Google bigwig discussed everything from his own future to the future of technology, and just about everything in between. While we’d highly recommend peeking the source link for the full scoop, there are a few gems worth separating. He made crystal clear that he’s not “semi-retiring,” and there was absolutely no fear about competition from Facebook in the decision. In fact, he feels that increased interest in Facebook will inevitably lead to increased interest in Google. Speaking about the future of search and social, he noted that from now on, “you need never be lonely,” carefully adding that location-based activities will be there to bolster one’s digital experience so long as they wish to opt-in. He also threw the gents and gals at Cupertino quite the bone, despite the fact that Google and Apple have had their own differences over the years. According to Eric: “When I grew up it was basically about enterprises – IT. Today computer science is really about consumers and information. The rise of Google, the rise of Facebook, the rise of Apple, I think are proof that there is a place for computer science as something that solves problems that people face every day. There was only one company that saw that a decade before anybody else and that company is Apple. If you look even through the Nineties — Sun, Microsoft, Novell, Cisco — they were fundamentally infrastructure companies based around corporations. That is where the money was. There was almost no consumer use with the exception of Apple in people’s daily lives. The big shift was over 10 – 15 years and it came with the development of the web.” As we said, the whole interview is most certainly worth a read. [Image courtesy of Reuters / IB Times ] Google’s Eric Schmidt on the future of technology, his role change and Apple’s turn toward consumers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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