Watch the video below and you’ll see that this thing is clearly not going to win any land speed records, and with nary a door it’s hardly all-weather compliant. But, the RoboCar MEV from ZMP is more of a research vehicle, a self-driving car that’s built on an electric microcar platform. It uses GPS and a plethora of front and rear sensors to know where it’s going, an evolution of the Linux-powered 1/10 scale model we saw back in 2009 . Just, you know, bigger. And pricier. Way pricier. Yes, you can buy one, but you’re looking at about $35,000 for the simplest version, the Type A, which only has automatic speed control. The Type B has steering control as well and costs about $59,000, while Type C is a whopping $84,000 and adds automatic braking control along with a full suite of imaging and intertial sensors. Order now for delivery in about two months — in Japan, naturally. Continue reading ZMP RoboCar MEV seats only one but can drive even when alone (video) ZMP RoboCar MEV seats only one but can drive even when alone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BMW gets Nokia C7 remote control, James Bond can eat his heart out (video)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
At CES and the NAIAS in Detroit this year we saw ever more powerful smartphone integration , but nothing like this. Nokia Asia teamed up with two Chinese coders, An Jiaxuan and an unnamed friend, to whip up a C7 app that controls a BMW 1 Series. They said it took them only 20 days to get things ready but we’re thinking adding the remote controls to the car itself must have added some further time to that. The result is in the video below, a short test drive that Nokia promises “isn’t special effects.” See for yourself and let us know if you spot a meatbag driver hiding in there somewhere. Continue reading BMW gets Nokia C7 remote control, James Bond can eat his heart out (video) BMW gets Nokia C7 remote control, James Bond can eat his heart out (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …T-Mobile confirms Galaxy S with 4G, Android-based Sidekick 4G are coming (update: pic)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Whoa, this is kind of out of the blue: on top of the Vibrant 4G that we’ve already had leaked ad nauseam (though he refers to it as a “Galaxy S 4G”), T-Mobile USA CEO Phiipp Humm mentioned at an event this morning that the company is preparing an HSPA+ Sidekick — yes, a Sidekick — albeit with Android slotted in place of the defunct Danger Hiptop operating system. For the record, T-Mobile hasn’t had any Sidekicks in its lineup since the middle of last year , though it does own the Sidekick brand — not Danger / Microsoft — and would undoubtedly love to bring it back to relevance. Coincidentally, Mister Android himself, Andy Rubin, came from Danger — so the Sidekick’s starting to follow him around. Kind of like… you know, a sidekick. Both products are said to be “coming soon.” Update: After the break, spot a picture of what the Sidekick might look like, likely courtesy of HTC — there’s no mistaking that QWERTY keyboard layout. Continue reading T-Mobile confirms Galaxy S with 4G, Android-based Sidekick 4G are coming (update: pic) T-Mobile confirms Galaxy S with 4G, Android-based Sidekick 4G are coming (update: pic) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …iOS 4.3 beta multitasking gestures demonstrated on iPhone, look like a handful (video)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
If you came along for our most recent podcast you heard us discussing some of the new features uncovered in the iOS 4.3 beta, including multitouch gestures for multitasking like four-finger swipes to go between apps. They seem hugely useful on an iPad but, on an iPhone, sounded like a bit of a handful. Now we have some video evidence, with Antoni Nygaard managing to get them working on his iPhone, along with the lock/mute switch toggle as well. Given these multitouch gestures aren’t coming to the iPad (yet) we’re guessing it won’t be hitting the iPhone either, but we can always hope. Update : BGR has a little more information on this, including some screenshots if the video below isn’t good enough for ya. [Thanks, Crazyyen] Continue reading iOS 4.3 beta multitasking gestures demonstrated on iPhone, look like a handful (video) iOS 4.3 beta multitasking gestures demonstrated on iPhone, look like a handful (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …EU’s Galileo sat-nav system’s budget overruns continue, European Commission asks for an extra €1.9 billion
January 20, 2011 No Comment
The European Commission has just completed its mid-term review of the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system and — surprise, surprise — they found that they need an additional €1.9 billion ($2.56 billion) to finish the system. This latest budget recommendation ups the cost an extra €200 million ($269 million) since the Commission’s last report , and cites larger development and more expensive launch vehicles for the increase. The EU remains optimistic that Galileo will provide a financial windfall when completed — but given its estimated €800 million ($1 billion) per year operating costs, constant delays, and competition from Russia , China , and good old-fashioned GPS , we’re not so sure we agree. EU’s Galileo sat-nav system’s budget overruns continue, European Commission asks for an extra €1.9 billion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Asahi Glass introduces Dragontrail for consumer electronics, puts the Gorilla on notice (video)
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Corning , your scratch-free monopoly is coming to an end. No longer will you hold us hostage with your insanely durable and cunningly marketed Gorilla Glass . Asahi Glass is getting in on the game, introducing Dragontrail — a name that doesn’t quite give us the same connotations of incredible strength but, if you watch the video, you’ll see it manages many of the same tricks as Corning’s offering. Poking and prodding ? Pass. Huge flexes? Bring it. Whacked with a hammer? Easy. The company indicates it’s been working on the product for years now and expects sales next year to surpass 30 billion yen — that’s $365 million. For glass. Continue reading Asahi Glass introduces Dragontrail for consumer electronics, puts the Gorilla on notice (video) Asahi Glass introduces Dragontrail for consumer electronics, puts the Gorilla on notice (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’ve been cheekily holding on to the old version of iDOS , the one that got yanked from the App Store in record time, we’re sorry to say that you’ve got a decision to make. It’s now back and available for download, and if you want to keep your old one you’re going to have to update all your other apps around it. This free version has been simplified somewhat and graced with a suite of formerly freeware apps that we haven’t seen since we lost our giant box of floppies back in 1999, including Wolfenstein 3D and the original Duke Nukem — back when he was kicking butt in 2D. These are the only proggies that you can easily access from within the emulator, but we’re told you can still move others into the /Apps/iDos/documents folder and run them from there. Now if only we could find our TIE Fighter floppies… [Thanks, Adam] iDOS strikes back, returns to the App Store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on
January 20, 2011 No Comment
With a fantastic Bluetooth headset on the market and a pumpin’ portable speaker to blast out jams, how could Jawbone improve their product lineup? Well, we still think a stereo headset might be swell… but that’s not what the company delivered today. No, this is the Jawbone Era, the world’s first Bluetooth earpiece with a built-in accelerometer for motion-sensing apps, and plenty more improvements where that came from. There’s a new version of the company’s NoiseAssassin noise-canceling algorithms that adjusts inbound volume and equalization to let you hear better, an extra-large 10mm cone speaker with a larger range of frequencies, two processors, more memory, and an hour of extra battery life compared to the Jawbone Icon, to be specific. With only two motions currently recognized — a double-tap to begin / end / switch calls and a rapid shake to pair — the accelerometer’s a bit of a gimmick for now, but Jawbone suggests more gestures are probably on the way. In the meanwhile, the other advancements might make the Era worth the price of entry — which is $130, by the by. We’ve spent about five hours with the headset already, listening to music and taking calls, and while the accelerometer seems almost wasted at present, there’s no discounting that new 10mm driver and the audio it can pump out. While no substitute for a set of quality dedicated earbuds, it sounded worlds better than the Jawbone Icon’s tiny, tinny drum, and playing Pandora tracks we no longer felt an overpowering desire to take it out of our ear — making a cyborg existence all the more bearable, we suppose. We’ll bring you a full review soon, but if you’re already sold, you’ll find four different Era designs on sale at Jawbone’s online store… oh, right about now. PR after the break. Gallery: Jawbone Era unboxing and hands-on Continue reading Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on Jawbone Era sticks an accelerometer in your noise-canceling headset, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Nokia has to do something big if it wants to crack the US smartphone market. We can agree on that, right? And believe us, Nokia wants this — nothing will make the mighty Finns (and the company’s global investors) prouder than to gain some traction in the home of Apple pie and Google desserts. So how will the company do it? With Symbian? Oh, hell no . By introducing another MeToo handset? Nope, with MeeGo on a rockin’ platform like the rumored N9 slider pictured above. Nokia announced its hardware plans for Maemo 6 a long time ago. At that time, the company was clear that it would continue using TI OMAP processors. Much has changed since then, however. In addition to several key leadership changes including a new Canadian-born CEO who spent much of his time working in the US, Nokia has joined Intel to roll up Maemo 6 and Moblin into MeeGo with Nokia’s first Maemo 6 MeeGo/Harmattan handset pushed into 2011 . Simultaneously, Intel has also been doing its best to show its new Moorestown platform as a powerful ARM alternative, even showing off MeeGo handsets exploiting a Lincroft SoC and Atom processor core. And Intel has said that Medfield-based smartphones would arrive in the middle of 2011. So why the build-up? Well, we’ve just been tipped to a claim by Prosessori, a respected Finnish technology magazine, that the Nokia N9 will launch with a 1.2GHz Atom processor. Better yet, it could be unveiled as soon as Mobile World Congress in February, presumably during Stephen Elop’s keynote. Do we believe it? Not entirely, but it is possible given the chain of events that have taken place. And you can bet that the first commercially available Intel smartphone with a brand new Nokia user experience would certainly grab headlines in the US and around the world. Something that should translate into high-end market share (and profits) if it’s as ” exciting ” as Elop claims. [Thanks, Janne] Nokia N9 to bust loose with MeeGo on Intel Atom power? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Chrysler announces battery-free hydraulic hybrid tech, compresses gas to make power
January 20, 2011 No Comment
Think of a traditional hybrid and you probably think of a Toyota Prius . Then, after you’ve woken from your nap, you probably envision some complex system of batteries and electric motors and gears to capture power when braking and spit it back out when accelerating. Chrysler is now looking to deploy a different way, a seemingly much simpler way that’s all based on hydraulics. The vehicle is outfitted with a low-pressure reservoir of hydraulic fluid and a high-pressure chamber filled with nitrogen gas. When braking, pumps move the fluid into the nitrogen chamber to compress it and then, when accelerating, that compressed gas is used to push the fluid and drive the wheels. It’s a setup that was actually developed by the EPA and is currently in use by some commercial vehicles, most notably UPS trucks, but a hybrid Town & Country minivan could bring it to consumers — though not until 2012 at the earliest. Now, there’s a good chance the idea of a hybrid minivan is threatening to put you back to sleep, so we wish you pleasant dreams. Continue reading Chrysler announces battery-free hydraulic hybrid tech, compresses gas to make power Chrysler announces battery-free hydraulic hybrid tech, compresses gas to make power originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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