When first we saw Fujisoft’s PALRO robot doing its thing we were charmed but, as it didn’t speak English, we had to adore it from afar. No longer. The little critter has obviously mastered our language quite quickly and can be seen below chatting with an even more robotic humanoid about such idle things as the weather, career aspirations, and just how great PALRO is. How great is PALRO? PALRO is really great — but humble. Inside that barrel chest is a full-fledged PC with an Atom Z530 processor, 4GB of flash storage, and an Ubuntu kernel keeping everything in check. It’s available as ever for educational and research institutions for about $3,600, but we’re trying to get one ourselves. If we can get it to type prepare yourselves for many more posts about software based on real Japanese cutting-edge technology. Continue reading PALRO robot masters English, will never shut up again (video) PALRO robot masters English, will never shut up again (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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College students eagerly awaiting India’s ambitious $35 tablet are going to have to put their dreams on hold — there’s been a delay. Earlier this week, the Times of India reported that the Indian government dropped HCL Technologies, the company responsible for manufacturing the great democratic tablet, for failing to follow through on the 600 million rupee (or $13,198,416) guarantee — apparently a disagreement over production costs is to blame. Last summer, the country’s Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, made a number of appearances toting a mockup of the Android-based tablet, and promising a launch date of January 15th . Officials say the project is still on track and should be ready this summer. However, while the government seeks a replacement for HCL, skeptics continue to sound warnings that parts alone will cost more than $35. We’d like to chalk this up to haters hating, but we can’t seem to forget what became of the $10 laptop . India’s $35 tablet delay dashes hopes, destroys dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Logitech Wireless Mouse M515 works on sofas for up to two years without recharge, stays lint free
January 21, 2011 No Comment
Sure, lots of mice, ok, most mice can be coddled to work on fabric. But it takes a company with a dedicated mousing portfolio the size of Logitech’s to design a mouse specifically for use on the sofa. See, the Logitech Wireless Mouse M515 features a sealed bottom case that lets you mouse around on soft surfaces without snagging. That means it won’t collect bits of fuzz around the sensor when dragging it across the couch, bed, or a trouser-clad thigh. Naturally, it can also be used on more traditional computing surfaces, too. The M515 boasts up to two-years of battery life thanks, in part, to a hand-detection sensor that causes the mouse to sleep anytime it’s not being held. Rounding out the list of features is Logitech’s Hyper-Fast scrolling wheel and Unifying USB micro receiver required for the laptop or home theater PC you wish to control. Look for the M515 to ship to Europe in April for
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Know what’s awesome? Guns! Especially when they’re capped with a glowing pastel ball. This more “realistic” alternative to the $20 Sony PS3 Move gun attachment is from Blaze and will set you back
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HTC is legendary for its tacit support of the Android ROM cooking community. Motorola… not so much, thanks in large part to the company’s policy of locking down the bootloader as a means to prevent unapproved software from running on its Droid handsets. An annoyance recently exasperated by a moderator of Moto’s YouTube channel who recently suggested that customers looking to install custom ROMs should “buy elsewhere.” Ouch. The resulting public relations kerfuffle then prompted Motorola to publish a clarification to its bootloader policy on Facebook: We apologize for the feedback we provided regarding our bootloader policy. The response does not reflect the views of Motorola. We are working closely with our partners to offer a bootloader solution that will enable developers to use our devices as a development platform while still protecting our users’ interests. More detailed information will follow as we get closer to availability. Obviously, we’ll have wait for said details to get official before calling this a shift in strategy. It’s certainly an improvement over Moto’s previous approach of lawyering-up with cease and desist orders . Perhaps Motorola is taking a cue from Microsoft who seems to have recently discovered that it’s better to embrace than to annoy a motivated hacking community — customers who tend to be a company’s most dedicated fans and evangelists. Motorola ready to make sweet love to Android ROM devs and rooters? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nikon rumor mill spins tales of manual superzooms this February and EVIL in April
January 21, 2011 No Comment
Remember that patent for a manually-zooming Nikon lens ? The rumor mill thinks it knows where it belongs: in Nikon’s unannounced CoolPix P500, an update to the company’s already-ludicrously-lengthy P100 that adds a 36x optical zoom lens and bumps the backside-illuminated sensor to a full 12 megapixels of resolution. That camera will reportedly bow in February, but April is when Nikon will allegedly bring out the big guns — the EVIL , market-molding monster of a mirrorless camera it’s been teasing since last summer. Hit up our source links for all the scuttlebutt you need. Nikon rumor mill spins tales of manual superzooms this February and EVIL in April originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Future Dell Streak 7 owners do the fine-print math, figure tablet will cost $330 max on contract
January 21, 2011 No Comment
We’ve never seen an official price for Dell’s Streak 7 tablet , but we can now readily guess what it will be — thanks to T-Mobile’s website, which is now two for two . You see, the wireless carrier typically lets you pay for devices in monthly installments rather than one lump sum, and StreakSmart discovered the former number is already printed below. As we’re sure you’ve already discerned, that means four easy payments of $82.50 will buy you the Tegra 2-toting 4G tablet — assuming the figure is correct — and now that we’ve perfected our QVC salesman voice, we’ll let you decide whether or not that’s a deal. Future Dell Streak 7 owners do the fine-print math, figure tablet will cost $330 max on contract originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s unfortunately no pictures or video of it in action just yet, but it looks like Desk Pets is getting set to join Parrot and its AR.Drone in the wild world of toys controlled by iOS devices. That comes in the form of the company’s forthcoming TankBot, which can not only be controlled by your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, but by gestures thanks to its built-in IR sensors — it’ll also operate autonomously in its maze navigation or free roaming modes, for good measure. Look for this one to be available in June for “under $20″ in your choice of four different colors. Desk Pets to roll out iOS-controlled TankBot this June originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Universal iPhone bumper found in Apple Store, mute button gets more space (video)
January 21, 2011 No Comment
We were wondering how Apple was going to handle two different button configurations for its AT&T and Verizon iPhones , and well, the solution couldn’t be simpler. One reader visiting the Apple Store stumbled upon a bumper with a slightly different packaging. Thankfully, this intrigued him enough to pick one up and do a side-by-side comparison between this new “universal case” and the old first-party solution. The only change, since volume buttons are mapped identically between the two, is a slot for the mute button that’s decidedly less mute. Definitely works with his AT&T model and should theoretically fit Verizon’s model, too. Tough luck if you’re making a move to Big Red and trying to bring an old case, but let’s be honest… you’d be paying a pretty penny for the new device anyway, so what’s a few more dollars for physical protection? Video comparison after the break. [Thanks, Alex!] Continue reading Universal iPhone bumper found in Apple Store, mute button gets more space (video) Universal iPhone bumper found in Apple Store, mute button gets more space (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sprint Premier getting new premium tier on April 1st, most customers won’t get early upgrades?
January 21, 2011 No Comment
Launched in early 2009 , Sprint’s Premier loyalty program has been one of the more generous (and easy to understand) perks programs in the American wireless industry: just keep a certain minimum spend per month or stick around for ten years, and boom, you’re eligible. Most importantly, Premier customers are currently able to get new contract pricing after just a single year into their existing contracts, which makes gadget freaks on the network far, far less likely to go bankrupt. Well, mirroring some of the other early upgrade changes we’re seeing in the business lately, it looks like these guys are planning on dialing things back come April 1st (and no, the irony is not lost). Though some Premier customers will still get upgrades after a year, that privilege will be dialed back to members of the new Gold tier which will require ten years of service with Sprint. Yes, that’s right: you’ll have needed to have a line on these guys since before the Matrix Phone came out to get the biggest benefit of the program. If you don’t qualify, you still could get in on the Silver tier, which gives you miscellaneous perks like accessory discounts… but not the full upgrade discount after a year. Instead, you’ll need to wait 22 months, which — at the current rate — is about 47 major versions of Android. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Sprint Premier getting new premium tier on April 1st, most customers won’t get early upgrades? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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