Perhaps you weren’t sold on the concept of urban mobility in your car of tomorrow when Audi started researching the subject , but maybe BMW’s new documentary film series will persuade you. Chapter one of Wherever You Want to Go made its debut today and features interviews with visionaries from both in and outside the automotive community — from astronaut Buzz Aldrin to co-founder of ZipCar Robin Chase — speaking about how cars can and will adapt to meet the needs of future metropolitan denizens. This first movie is pretty much an extended trailer, so we’ll be interested to see the full conversations in the coming installments — and we can only hope these chats with forward-thinkers convince BMW to re-evaluate its ridiculous car of tomorrow concepts . Chapter two drops on February 8th, so stay tuned. Vid’s after the break. Continue reading BMW’s Wherever You Want To Go explores the future of mobility BMW’s Wherever You Want To Go explores the future of mobility originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple to require in-app subscriptions for periodicals by March 31st, fine print still a bit fuzzy
February 3, 2011 No Comment
We knew The Daily was to be just the first drop what’s destined to be a flood of titles with in-app purchases for the iTunes store , but we weren’t quite sure how hard Apple would be twisting the faucet — until now, that is. According to The Wall Street Journal , Cupertino will reject any newspaper or magazine app that doesn’t take subscription payments through the iTunes store. It doesn’t have to be solely Apple’s store — developers can still sell through websites in addition to the mandated in-app option. (If you recall, this is the same issue that Sony Reader for iOS just faced.) There are a few big questions lingering out there: will the 70 / 30 revenue sharing apply? Does the “rejection” apply to apps already in the store like Amazon’s Kindle ? You bet your (virtual) bottom dollar we’ll be finding out soon enough. Apple to require in-app subscriptions for periodicals by March 31st, fine print still a bit fuzzy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Hulu CEO welcomes back The Daily Show & more from Viacom, lays out a battle plan for the future
February 3, 2011 No Comment
The news spinning around Hulu hasn’t been positive lately, with increasing competition and rumors of a change in business model , but CEO Jason Kilar’s latest blog post tells a different side of the story. First, after popular choices like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report were unceremoniously yanked back in April it has a new deal with Viacom that’s bringing those shows back to Hulu and Hulu Plus starting today, with episodes of current shows like Jersey Shore and Tosh.0 showing up 21 days after they air. Strictly for the pay subscribers, library episodes of The Chappelle Show and others will show up on Hulu Plus. As for the future of the business, he sees Hulu as able to serve trends giving customers more convenient video access with less ads and more social media presence — a goal we can get behind, but that may leave content providers wondering how they’ll get paid in this shiny new world. To that end he’s touting the growth of Hulu’s ad revenue as seen in the chart after the break and the rising number of Hulu Plus subscribers with a promise to hit 1 million this year. While that’s well behind Netflix’s most recent count , he’s taking a new shot at the throne by claiming Hulu can afford to pay more for content and that studios should start signing deals on per-user, per-month basis instead of the flat rates Netflix has negotiated so far. Give the full thing a read to get a better idea of where Jason’s head is at (when he’s not planning a GTL run, check the pr after the break for more details on that), we’ll be busy watching Jon Stewart’s interview with Michael Steele. Continue reading Hulu CEO welcomes back The Daily Show & more from Viacom, lays out a battle plan for the future Hulu CEO welcomes back The Daily Show & more from Viacom, lays out a battle plan for the future originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …RoboEarth teaches robots to learn from peers, pour European fruit beverages (video)
February 3, 2011 No Comment
It’s not quite war-ready, but a new Skynet-like initiative called RoboEarth could have you reaching for your guide to automaton Armageddon sooner than you think. The network, which is dubbed the “World Wide Web for robots,” was designed by a team of European scientists and engineers to allow robots to learn from the experience of their peers, thus enabling them to take on tasks that they weren’t necessarily programmed to perform. Using a database with intranet and internet functionality, the system collects and stores information about object recognition, navigation, and tasks and transmits the data to robots linked to the network. Basically, it teaches machines to learn without human intervention. If the introduction of this robo-web hasn’t got you thinking of end times, maybe this will do the trick: it’s already taught one robot, the TechUnited AMIGO, to deliver a box of creamy fruit juice to a bedridden scientist. You can check out video of the newly appointed automated waiter after the jump. Continue reading RoboEarth teaches robots to learn from peers, pour European fruit beverages (video) RoboEarth teaches robots to learn from peers, pour European fruit beverages (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 22:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Graphene coatings used to repel, attract water, could make Rain-X decidedly obsolete
February 3, 2011 No Comment
Graphene looks poised to replace our silicon and our touchscreens , even fix our batteries . Now it’s due for something perhaps a little less revolutionary: keep our pants clean. Physicist James Dickerson and a team of researchers at Vanderbilt University have created two ways to apply thin graphene sheets that either make them super-hydrophobic or super-hydrophilic. These alternate arrangements, termed “rug” and “brick,” make the water bead up and run off or spread out and form incredibly thin sheets. Potential applications are windshields that don’t need wipers, pants that cause red wine drops to just bounce off, and goggles that never, ever fog — no buffing required. Graphene coatings used to repel, attract water, could make Rain-X decidedly obsolete originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroen partner for future hybrid tech, put that Great War thing behind them
February 3, 2011 No Comment
The last century saw no shortage of disputes between the French and the Germans, but in this century everything’s going to be totally cool. BMW and PSA Peugeot Citro
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Sure, you can can get a Nike+ SportsWatch , or a simply pair an iPod nano with Nike+ , but those looking to use their iPod nano as a watch with Nike+ have so far been left with few options beyond the DIY route . Watch band-maker HEX now looks set to change that, however, with its new Sports Watch Band that’s set to debut in April. As you can see above, there’s not a whole lot too it — just a reasonably stylish wristband with a “port” that’s able to accommodate the Nike+ attachment. No word on a price just yet, nor is there any indication that it will come in colors other than white — though that seems a safe bet if the company’s previous watch band is any indication. Continue reading HEX debuts iPod nano watch band compatible with Nike+ HEX debuts iPod nano watch band compatible with Nike+ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’ can encrypt all your data, needs a full hour’s charge
February 2, 2011 No Comment
Diving through the Motorola Xoom’s sweet, sweet blend of Android 3.0 , we found an interesting perk — there’s an “Encrypt Tablet” option buried in the settings page, intended to secure all your personal data with a password or PIN. While a handy Google rep couldn’t tell us which cryptographic standards the OS uses, he did tell us the feature is part of Honeycomb as a whole, not a Motorola exclusive, so we’re sure to see the option in other business-minded Android slates to come. Oh, and Google asks that all you sysadmins stay tuned, as the company’s whipped up an API that lets you enforce policy restrictions upon your peons as far as encryption is concerned. Just make sure they remember to keep the tablet charged. See a close-up after the break. Continue reading Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’ can encrypt all your data, needs a full hour’s charge Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’ can encrypt all your data, needs a full hour’s charge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Free and fast in-flight WiFi may be an unrealizable dream, but free in-flight Facebook? Wish no more. As of today, seven airlines are running a promotion with Gogo internet to bring your in air Facebook dreams to life. The airlines include Delta, AirTran, American, Virgin Atlantic, Alaska, US Airways, and United, who with Gogo now offer internet on 1,100 commercial and 5,000 private planes. It’s unclear how long the promotion will last — nothing good lasts forever — but get in there while you can and do a few status updates, maybe check out your friends’ awesome Groundhog Day 2011 links. Seven airlines now offering free in-flight Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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