HP / Palm’s 9.7-inch Topaz tablet to use 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8660, Adreno 220 GPU
January 24, 2011 No Comment
Looks like those whispers we heard about HP’s Topaz having a 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU were true. The folks over at Pre Central just scored an internal document detailing presumed specifications of HP’s forthcoming 9.7-inch tablet, and it looks like the aforesaid CPU will be joined by an integrated Adreno 220 GPU, 512MB of DDR2 memory, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera and dual-band 802.11b/g/n WiFi. We’re told to expect an oleophobic Gorilla Glass screen with a standard XGA (1024 x 768) resolution, options for 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of storage, optional WWAN, an accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor, microphone and a battery that’ll last for around eight hours in ideal circumstances. Naturally, webOS will be onboard, and we’re hearing that a WiFi-only model will indeed hit the market at some point. As for the connected versions? HSPA, LTE and CDMA variants are rumored, with the former two likely to be SIM-locked while all three carry A-GPS. It should be noted that these documents were apparently fresh as of last fall, so everything is clearly subject to change. That said, we’re digging the reports that HP will be doing everything it can to fully support Flash on this here slate, and it may also consider a partnership with Blio for the digital bookworms in attendance. Naturally, cloud services is shaping up to be a huge deal, and it’ll definitely support inductive charging via the Touchstone v2. These docs also affirm what we’d heard about integrated Beats Audio technology and Tap to Share, with the second-gen Touchstone to also handle wireless picture sharing, cordless audio streaming and tether-free video beaming (just to name a few). Hit the source link the full skinny, and feel free to pressure HP to move February 9th a little closer to today. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] HP / Palm’s 9.7-inch Topaz tablet to use 1.2GHz Qualcomm MSM8660, Adreno 220 GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Robo-guitar shocker! Gibson opening Firebird X platform to third party developers, app store imminent
January 24, 2011 No Comment
We’ve seen the future of guitars, and it’s an app store. At least that’s what Gibson would have us believe, as it announces that it’s opening the Pure-Analog Engine and the whole Firebird X platform to third party devs. Didn’t know it was a platform, did you? Thought that it was an over-priced guitar with features that we didn’t need (and a headstock we didn’t particularly care for)? Same here. Apparently the company will soon be unleashing all sorts of Pure-Analog guitars upon the world, at all different price points. We don’t know what this means for rock’n’roll, although we are fairly certain that the guy from Muse already owns three of these. Hit the source link for all the awesome deets. Robo-guitar shocker! Gibson opening Firebird X platform to third party developers, app store imminent originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Windows Phone 7 jailbreak devs ‘genuinely excited’ by Microsoft’s roadmap
January 24, 2011 No Comment
Microsoft’s been playing it really cool with the nascent Windows Phone 7 hacker community so far, which is winning them friends in all sorts of important places — not the least of which is the ChevronWP7 team itself. The first guys to split the platform open for homebrew apps were recently invited up to Redmond for a powwow with the guys in charge, and it seems the meetings were fruitful to say the least; though much of what they saw was under NDA, they say they’re “genuinely excited” by what Microsoft has in the works. Furthermore, Microsoft was kind enough to give the team a heads-up that an upcoming platform update would break the existing ChevronWP7 tool, though they say they’re “collaborating with Microsoft on an interim solution that will continue to support homebrew developments after the update.” Considering that they’ve already reached out to jailbreaker extraordinaire Geohot as well, it’s clear that Microsoft doesn’t believe this is a black-and-white situation — the ChevronWP7 guys seem to think homebrew has a place somewhere in the platform’s future, it just remains to be seen how that’s going to play out. Windows Phone 7 jailbreak devs ‘genuinely excited’ by Microsoft’s roadmap originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Elon Musk: all cars sold in 2030 will be electric, boogie woogie woogie optional
January 24, 2011 No Comment
Apparently when Elon Musk was talking last week at the Cleantech Investors Summit, the Tesla CEO’s prognosticating extended far past 2015. He reiterated that there’s a an electric Model X SUV coming soon and a sub-$30k Tesla within four years. However, in 20 years Mr. Musk thinks that everything will be EV — well, everything in the US, anyway. He believes that every car sold in America in 2030 will be electric and that within a few decades after that they’ll take over worldwide. Of course, this is someone who believes he’ll be living on Mars in 2030, naturally sent thither astride one of his SpaceX rockets. Obviously not a man short on optimism. Elon Musk: all cars sold in 2030 will be electric, boogie woogie woogie optional originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …DARWINmachine Hammerhead HMR989 gaming rig looks ferocious, can attack your desk for $2,900
January 24, 2011 No Comment
The giant PC gaming rigs of the last decade are so pass
Continue reading …This week in consumer electronics was full of culture . Or maybe it was full of color — we’re not quite sure what the difference might be, but there was a lot of weird / cool news in the CEO, handheld gaming, and tablet worlds. The point is, we’ve got another weird / cool podcast on our hands that you haven’t listened to yet and you need to take care of that, like, five minutes ago. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, #1 Digitimes bestselling author Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Superstition 00:04:15 – Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple, Tim Cook taking over daily operations in his absence 00:10:22 – Apple turns in record Q1: $6b profit on $26.7b revenue, 16.2m iPhones sold 00:23:20 – Apple’s invested in a ‘very strategic’ $3.9b component supply agreement, but what is it? 00:25:10 – Asahi Glass introduces Dragontrail for consumer electronics, puts the Gorilla on notice (video) 00:25:48 – Larry Page taking over as Google CEO, Eric Schmidt will remain as Executive Chairman 00:35:30 – Google Voice now lets you port your own phone number, maybe (update) 00:44:53 – Exclusive: HP / Palm’s webOS tablets — pictures, plans, and more 00:45:42 – HP / Palm tablet to feature Touchstone dock, cloud storage, Beats audio and Tap-to-Share smartphone integration 00:49:30 – HP calls us out, implies it’s got even better scoops at February webOS event 00:53:20 – HP’s first webOS tablet may start shipping in March, fulfill longstanding promise 01:06:00 – Motorola Xoom launching February 17th at Best Buy (update: priced at $700) 01:06:22 – Motorola Xoom priced at $800 at a minimum, according to Verizon leak 01:14:52 – Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video) 01:19:10 – Live from Nintendo’s 3DS preview with Reggie Fils-Aime 01:23:22 – Bloomberg: Sony PSP2 to debut next week, PlayStation Phone at MWC 01:23:47 – This fan-made PSP redesign is sexy 01:25:15 – PSP2 to be based on iPhone-esque PowerVR GPU, rival original Xbox in power? 01:27:52 – The Engadget Show returns next Sunday with Steve Wozniak! Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @engadget @reckless Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 230 – 01.24.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’re not familiar with Monome , the company designs and builds unique, minimalist controllers in limited editions for the discriminating music maker with deep pockets. The company’s latest, Arc, features two anodized milled aluminum knobs, an enclosure made of black walnut (sustainably harvested in central Pennsylvania, of course), lead free printed circuit boards and circuitry, a felt slip mat made from wool purchased from small farms in the US, and — well, that’s pretty much it. Hand assembled on a farm in upstate New York, this device sends OSC data to a computer via USB. Each knob is circled by a ring of 64 LEDs, and each knob can be configured for whatever your musician’s heart desires. On the video (after the break) it is paired with a Series Sixty Four controller to make a sample looper. Looks like fun! Too bad it costs more than our rent for the month. Available on February 18 in two knob ($500) and four knob ($800) configurations. [Thanks, Zack] Continue reading Monome Arc OSC controller is simple, elegant, and expensive Monome Arc OSC controller is simple, elegant, and expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Bloom Energy’s aptly-titled Bloom Box made a splash last year with much hooplah , bringing the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Colin Powell to its unveiling. But while the promise of efficient fuel cell technology is great for the eco-minded and even the long-term penny-pincher, the mid-to-high six-figure upfront cost limits the potential customer base to only the upper echelon of the environmentally conscious. Cue Bloom Electrons — instead of paying for the Bloom Boxes and owning them outright, you can lease a 2MW installation for no money down and pay only for the electrons you use. A 10-year contract is required, which yes does put your smartphone commitment to shame, but Bloom hopes this Credit Suisse / Silicon Valley Bank-backed plan opens the door for educational institutions and non-profits to join in on the phone. Press release after the break. Continue reading Bloom Electrons’ pay-what-you-consume service thinks outside the Box Bloom Electrons’ pay-what-you-consume service thinks outside the Box originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve been charting the progression of in-home lighting, CFLs replacing incandescents but themselves slowly walking the path obsolescence as LED bulbs get cheaper and more common. It’s much the same on the vehicle lighting front, with LEDs taking over more and more automotive lighting, and now OSRAM Sylvania is giving us another reason to make that happen sooner. LED bulbs can provide the same amount of light as traditional incandescent car bulbs with less than 25 percent the energy draw. On a gas-powered auto that’s not such a big deal, where LEDs are being used primarily because of benefits like cooler temps, longer life, and greater stylistic freedom, but on an EV that reduction in current draw can offer as much as a six mile boost in range on a single charge. That may not sound like much, but if you ever run out of juice five miles from home you might just change your mind. Continue reading LED headlights can add up to six miles of electric vehicle range LED headlights can add up to six miles of electric vehicle range originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …WP7 Game Boy emulator demoed, soon you can show your Pokemans in Silverlight (video)
January 24, 2011 No Comment
Classic gaming on the go is more or less old-hat for many smartphone platforms, but Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is still playing catch-up. Latest addition is this Game Boy emulator, running in Silverlight courtesy of Samuel Blanchard, who created the video below and then triple-letterboxed it for your squinting pleasure. Right now it is still a work in progress, unable to save your in-game progress and needing some further polish, but it certainly looks like it runs well enough — though hopefully he gets that aspect ratio fixed before offering this up for download. Continue reading WP7 Game Boy emulator demoed, soon you can show your Pokemans in Silverlight (video) WP7 Game Boy emulator demoed, soon you can show your Pokemans in Silverlight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 09:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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