I didn’t even really like Superman when that picture was taken. I think I was three or four and well on my way to being a fat kid. I mean, sure, the movies were boss, and Christopher Reeve was the man — all suave and all-powerful — but I didn’t know Kal-El from a candy cane. I liked his costume, though, and of course I knew that he was super strong and could fly. I was obviously super strong too. Just look at me hefting that huge mass of leaves all by myself! I thought I could fly too. According to Stevens family legend I tried to jump out of a second story window in those very Underoos. Thankfully I decided to get a good long running start and my sister, two years older, grabbed me before I flung myself into that particular adventure. Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Tim Stevens Growing Up Geek: Tim Stevens originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Just what does $456,000 buy you these days? Well, if you happen to run the fire department of China’s Luoyang City, the answer is a jet-propelled water cannon capable of spraying four tons of water per minute. That pretty much qualifies it for a “terminal velocity” badge, as the water is said to move at such speed as to choke fires from the oxygen surrounding them. Maximum range for this blaze blaster is 120 meters (nearly 400 feet), though you’ll need to only move a fraction of that distance to click past the break and watch the awesome video of it in action. Continue reading China builds a jet-propelled water cannon, just because it can (video) China builds a jet-propelled water cannon, just because it can (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ford’s intelligent vehicles communicate wirelessly, shoot hula hoops out of tailpipes (video)
January 27, 2011 No Comment
Imagine how many accidents could be avoided if we all had perfect X-Ray vision — assuming, of course, that everyone could refrain from being distracted by all the naked pedestrians. Drivers would never be surprised by rapidly slowing traffic, cars broken down around blind curves, or autos zooming into blind spots. No matter how many ads we respond to in the back of Mad Magazine we’ll never have that, but Ford has an alternative with its Intelligent Vehicle Research: cars that simply rely on GPS and a wireless data connection to beam their location and speed to each other. Autos alert their drivers when a car at the front of a convoy is rapidly decelerating or when there’s a broken down rig right around the next bend. Interestingly the tech is using WiFi , not cellular data, so range is somewhat limited, but still far enough to warn drivers with blinking lights or trigger an automatic-braking system. It’s all demonstrated in the video after the break and, while there are no crazy platooning stunts like Volvo recently showed off , we have to figure that’s coming in version 2.0. Continue reading Ford’s intelligent vehicles communicate wirelessly, shoot hula hoops out of tailpipes (video) Ford’s intelligent vehicles communicate wirelessly, shoot hula hoops out of tailpipes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …SoCal mall installs ‘Find Your Car’ kiosks in parking garage to help you find your car — and others find you?
January 27, 2011 No Comment
Big Brother’s watching us on public streets and in our homes , and now he’s fixed his gaze on shopping malls — under the guise of helping us find our cars in a mall parking garage. Santa Monica Place has installed Park Assist’s M3 Camera Vision system with “Find Your Car” kiosks that allow wayward shoppers to punch in their license plate number to receive a picture of their auto and its whereabouts. It utilizes a network of cameras to capture each car’s location and read the plate, and has a central control system that can dole out firmware upgrades as more (nefarious?) needs arise. A similar system is used at Heathrow Airport , though the British version snaps a photo of your plates upon entry and and tracks cars with infrared cameras — as opposed to Park Assist’s use of hi-res cameras to capture an image of your plate once you’ve parked. While helping people find their cars is an admirable goal, the system seems rife with opportunities for abuse because the footage is privately owned — meaning the car location information could be sold to anyone, including that crazy ex-girlfriend of yours. As for us, we’d rather not exchange a walk-on part in the war to maintain our privacy for a lead role in another video cage. We’re just fine remembering things the old-fashioned way , thanks. SoCal mall installs ‘Find Your Car’ kiosks in parking garage to help you find your car — and others find you? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Volvo set to unveil V60 Plug-in at Geneva, pledges to be slightly less naughty
January 27, 2011 No Comment
The new V60 is billed by its creators as being a “naughty Volvo,” and while the reviews we’ve read of its sedan counterpart haven’t exactly found it to be particularly uncouth, we’re thinking the upcoming plug-in wagon version should be even more friendly. Volvo has announced it will unveil the PHEV V60 in Geneva in March before releasing it for sale in 2012. When fully charged it will offer 50km (31 miles) on pure electricity — about the same as the Volt — thanks to a 70hp electric motor mounted in the rear and driving the wheels out back courtesy of a 12kWh Li-ion battery pack. Up front, meanwhile, is a 215hp, 2.4 liter, five-cylinder turbodiesel. It remains to be seen whether there is any mechanical link between the disparate power systems or whether they remain alone, working together yet apart, but we should be getting all the details shortly. Continue reading Volvo set to unveil V60 Plug-in at Geneva, pledges to be slightly less naughty Volvo set to unveil V60 Plug-in at Geneva, pledges to be slightly less naughty originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So, here’s a refreshing change of pace. Rather than a new set of cans coming with a superstar’s name on them , Sony’s just fine with its four-lettered label. And given the success of the Walkman, we’d say it’s still elite enough for now. The aforementioned outfit is debuting a trio of new headphones over in Japan, with the MDR-XB1000 cans offering enhanced bass and a certain level of street-cred to those who prefer over-the-ear styles. As for the other two? The MDR-XB41EX and MDR-XB21EX earbuds are both high-end affairs, with unique designs and a rainbow’s worth of color choices. Pricing remains up the air, as does the chance for these to head stateside. But hey, there’s always hope. Sony trots out MDR-XB1000, MDR-XB41EX and MDR-XB21EX headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Facebook puts the kibosh on branded HTC phone rumors, still plans to sweep the Oscars
January 27, 2011 No Comment
“The rumor got twenty-two hundred hits within two hours?” “Thousand.” “I’m sorry?” “Twenty-two thousand.” “Wow.” And so it was. Once again , the powers that be at Facebook have been forced to come forward and deny yet another rumor that a FB-branded handset was on the horizon, this time crushing hopes and dreams of an HTC device . Dan Rose, head of business development at the company, came forward with the following statement: “This is really just another example of a manufacturer who has taken our public APIs (application programming interfaces) and integrated them into their device in an interesting way. The rumours around there being something more to this HTC device are overblown.” When asked whether or not the handset in question would be Facebook-branded, he followed with this: “No. There’s no such thing as Harvard law. And there’s no such thing as a Facebook phone.”* *Liberties taken with the quote. Facebook puts the kibosh on branded HTC phone rumors, still plans to sweep the Oscars originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG posts Q4 results, 2010 profit down 93 percent, cellphone sales down 15 percent
January 27, 2011 No Comment
Nokia isn’t the only one with bad news today . LG has posted its Q4 results and is taking this time to look back on what can only be described as a dismal 2010 overall. Fourth-quarter revenues were up 9.4 percent over the third quarter, but still resulted in a 246.4 billion won loss — that’s about $226.3 million. LG Home Entertainment sales were actually up almost 16 percent but still posted a loss thanks to cut prices and stiff competition. LG Mobile, meanwhile, saw an eight percent increase in sales over previous quarter, thanks to “strong” performance of phones like the Optimus One , but compared to 2009 sales are down 14.7 percent, a 15.2 percent drop for handsets alone. Looking for some cooler news? Air conditioning sales are up 50 percent! LG posts Q4 results, 2010 profit down 93 percent, cellphone sales down 15 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …JVC’s RD-R1 and RD-R2 boomboxes bring stereo recording capabilities, the studio to the streets
January 27, 2011 No Comment
Are you looking for a smaller, less conspicuous means to listen to your jams and a way to record your freestyle battles? JVC has you covered with its new RD-R1 and RD-R2 compact boomboxes that weigh a scant 450 grams (one pound, for those using Americanized measurements). The devices come equipped with dual omni-directional mics and a microSD slot (with an included 2GB card) to record your rhymes at bitrates up to 192Kbps. Both models also have five-second countdown and clapper-style start functionality — so you have time to get your ‘Vogue’ on and strike a pose before the music starts. Additionally, the RD-R2 adds a metronome feature and a 6.3mm mono jack for those who want to add an electric guitar to the mix. JVC hasn’t released the price for the RD-R1, but with the higher-end R2 model retailing for
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A second HTC phone to escape the netherworld of disputed renders has just been discovered. This touchscreen slate for Verizon lacking a front-side camera was last seen in the Pocketnow leak but is now snuggled up with a Harrods bear in a Chinese user forum. How cozy. Better yet, we’ve now got a view of the Droid-Incrediblish backside showing a dual-LED flash. Again, no detail to confirm but we’ll bet it’s announced with Android at a Mobile World Congress press event in February. [Thanks, LIMIX] Continue reading HTC’s buttonless slate spotted in the furry wilds HTC’s buttonless slate spotted in the furry wilds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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