Google Goggles now solves Sudoku, taking an interest in ads, clearly entering middle age
January 11, 2011 No Comment
There are no surer signs of the apocalyptic onset of middle age than a preoccupation with puzzle-solving and an unhealthy interest in adverts and barcodes. And those just happen to be the three new features Google has added to version 1.3 of its Goggles software. The visual search application for Android is now intelligent enough to decipher tricky Sudoku puzzles (and thereby suck all the fun out of them), while its algorithms have also been tweaked to make barcode scanning “almost” instant. Popular printed ads will be recognized as well, taking you to a Google search on the relevant topic. US newspapers and magazines from August 2010 are being supported for now, but we can’t imagine the rest of the world should have to wait too long for this added convenience. Video of the new Goggles’ Sudoku skills after the break. Continue reading Google Goggles now solves Sudoku, taking an interest in ads, clearly entering middle age Google Goggles now solves Sudoku, taking an interest in ads, clearly entering middle age originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Etymotic , a company we’ve seen here at CES and in the past, has developed a pair of earplugs that protect your hearing against things like loud explosions and gunfire. The EB1 and EB15 Electronic Blast PLG Earplugs, retailing for $449 and $499, respectively, are aimed toward buyers such as hunters, musicians and soldiers — folks who are exposed to loud noises and need protection. The analog earpieces are powered by a 312 hearing-aid battery and will last three weeks. There’s no on/off switch — just a high and low gain control. High gain is used for environments that require an amplification and the opposite applies for low gain. In other words, if a soldier is out on the battlefield and needs to hear an enemy inside a house, he’d switch to high gain to generate a louder sound. The difference between the plugs is simple: the EB1 is for people who are going to be around one-off noises and the EB15 are for those who are going to be exposed to prolonged noises. We got a chance to test out the plugs on the loud show floor and we gotta say, the difference between high- and low-gain modes is easily recognizable and we feel like these earplugs will make superb head-hole protectors. Plenty of complicated graphs and numbers in the gallery below. Gallery: EB1 and EB15 earplugs hands-on Etymotic EB1 and EB15 earplugs hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 05:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nexus S receives MeeGo and Ubuntu ports, makes our nerd senses tingle (video)
January 11, 2011 No Comment
You’ve got to hand it to the Nexus S . In spite of being a souped-up smartphone, it’s still unpretentious enough to accept power from a BlackBerry microUSB cable and easy enough to hack that it’s just received not one, but two OS ports. MeeGo, in its very raw and unfinished form, has been dropped onto the phone’s internal memory without the need for any flashing, and the method has also been successfully used to install Ubuntu on the current Google flagship. There’s very little that’s actually functional about the MeeGo install at the moment, but the ball has begun rolling and there’s a resulting question that’s occupying our minds right now — will the Nexus S have a perfectly hacked copy of MeeGo before or after Nokia releases its device for the platform? Answers on a postcard. [Thanks, Michelle and Brad] Continue reading Nexus S receives MeeGo and Ubuntu ports, makes our nerd senses tingle (video) Nexus S receives MeeGo and Ubuntu ports, makes our nerd senses tingle (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 04:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google Docs introduces video player, yet another way to kill time in the office
January 11, 2011 No Comment
Google’s headed ever deeper into the clouds this year with a new function for Google Docs : video playback. As of this week, users can upload videos (up to 1GB) in a supported format, and make them available for viewing in Google Docs. As with the previous video sharing set up, you can still download video, including previous versions. Google engineers have warned of excessive processing time, but once videos are up, viewing is as easy as clicking play — and having a Flash player, of course. We’re not entirely sure what the advantage is over Youtube, but we’re on board for anything that lets us share our love of creepy robot workout videos with our coworkers. Google Docs introduces video player, yet another way to kill time in the office originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 02:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Wait, doesn’t the ViewPad 10 look oddly familiar? We review the Tegatech Tega v2 back in October and we think it’s safe to say that the ViewPad is just a rebranding. ViewSonic swapped some internals, including the move to a smaller 16GB SSD, but it’s still the same 1.66Ghz Atom x86 processor underneath. The tablet dual-boots Windows 7 Home Premium and Android 1.6 (sans Market Place access). Both operating systems run smoothly, and yes, you can pinch to zoom. Some inputs on the machine include USB 2.0, mini-HDMI, microSD and 3.5mm headphone jack. The 10-incher also sports a 1.3 megapixel shooter on the front for your video chatting needs. The company says it’ll retail for around $629 when it ships next month. Gallery: ViewSonic ViewPad 10 hands-on The 10′s sister, the 10s (also a 10.1-inch slate), is launching later this month. However, this tablet is running a skinned version of Android 2.2 on Tegra 2 . On the top of the device you’ll find the power button, orientation lock and back button. Don’t ask us why the back button is up there — we’re just as puzzled as you are. On the right side, you’ll find a hinged door hiding an HDMI, USB 2.0 and Micro SD slot. Don’t worry, there’s a 3.5mm headphone hole and volume rocker so you can awkwardly rock out connected to the giant gadget piece. The 10s is only launching in Europe, Asia and Russia and is said to cost a rounded 430 smackaroos. Gallery: ViewSonic ViewPad 10s hands-on ViewSonic ViewPad 10 and 10s hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 01:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …3D is dangerous / not dangerous: optometrist group defends Nintendo 3DS edition
January 11, 2011 No Comment
Much has been made of Nintendo’s 3DS warning that the six-and-under crowd should probably stick to 2D mode, and while CEO Iwata has consented that “being proactive about informing our customer…. may not necessarily be positive for our sales,” the American Optometric Association has put an interesting spin on all this. The group released a statement last week — yes, during CES madness — asserting that 3D viewing “may actually help uncover subtle disorders that, left uncorrected, often result in learning difficulties.” Not only that, but the 36,000-strong group suggested “children younger than six can use the 3DS in 3D mode if their visual system is developing normally.” So yeah, Little Timmy’s Christmas 2011 isn’t ruined just yet, but that leaves plenty of time for a competing study to come out confusing everyone even further. 3D is dangerous / not dangerous: optometrist group defends Nintendo 3DS edition originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Mercedes kicks off F-Cell World Drive, circumnavigating the globe on hydrogen
January 11, 2011 No Comment
Fuel cell-powered cars provide the efficiency and driveability of an electric vehicle while also offering the unlimited range of a traditional gasoline powered car — assuming you can find a place to top off those hydrogen tanks. Right now that’s a bit of a problem, but Mercedes Benz is out to show that it’s not nearly as big of a hindrance as everyone makes it out to be. It’ll be driving the B-Class F-Cell model around the world, starting in Stuttgart and motoring down to Lisbon, flying over to the US and driving across that, then across Australia before hopping a boat to Shanghai and driving all the way across Asia, ultimately arriving back to Stuttgart facing in the same direction they left. The B-Class F-Cell can cover 400km on a tank and can be refilled in about three minutes. At this point we have no reason to believe that either Ewan McGregor nor Charlie Boorman will be along for the ride, but given how well things went in Log Way Round perhaps that’s for the best. Mercedes kicks off F-Cell World Drive, circumnavigating the globe on hydrogen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 22:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Analog sunset begins, all the new Blu-ray players will only output HD via HDMI
January 11, 2011 No Comment
The chicken littles have been worried about this since long before the first Blu-ray (or even HD DVD ) title was ever released, and the first step towards the analog sunset has officially come. Any new Blu-ray player announced after January 1st 2011 will only output HD via HDMI — players that started shipping last year can still be sold until the end of this year though. If you just love component video , you might figure you’ll be able to get a player today and continue to enjoy it for years to come, but maybe not. You see the studios also have the Image Constraint Token (ICT) which when set on a title will tell every and all Blu-ray players to down convert analog output to 540p. The only reprieve is that if its set on a title, it must be marked on the box, and of course it can’t be retroactively set (any title you own now will continue to play exactly the same way it does on your existing players). We’re waiting for final confirmation, but apparently the ICT hasn’t been an option to studios until now so start looking for the icon on your latest purchases. The final stage in the sunset is 2013 when analog outputs will be removed from Blu-ray players completely, but we suspect we’ll have better things to worry about by then like ultra HD or digital distribution. Analog sunset begins, all the new Blu-ray players will only output HD via HDMI originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Intel’s Sandy Bridge hits the desktop realm: Dell, CyberPower, Digital Storm and more
January 11, 2011 No Comment
For the most part, Intel’s Sandy Bridge introduction at CES made a giant impact in the outlook of future laptops, but not as much was said over in the desktop world. Quietly, a slew of custom PC makers have slid out revised towers with the second generation Core lineup, with Dell’s XPS 8300, Digital Storm’s entire family, Cyber Power’s Gamer Xtreme 1000 / 2000 and iBuyPower’s Chimera XLC seeing the new Core i5 and Core i7 chips. Care to dig in deeper? Hit the source links below, and be sure to bust out your credit card — Intel’s fastest doesn’t come cheap, you know. Intel’s Sandy Bridge hits the desktop realm: Dell, CyberPower, Digital Storm and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony Ericsson names Xperia Arc CPU, dubs Android 2.4 appearance a ‘misconfiguration’
January 11, 2011 No Comment
The Xperia Arc is one pretty slice of Gingerbread , don’t you think? We certainly did when we got the chance to handle one for ourselves at CES, but today we’re less concerned with its exterior and more interested in what lies beneath. The 1GHz processor we knew about already has been specified as a Qualcomm MSM8255 and will be joined in the good fight against sluggish performance by an Adreno 205 graphics chip. On the software front, that random sighting of an Arc with Android 2.4 has been put down as a simple “misconfiguration” by Sony Ericsson, exploding a million conspiracy theories around the web. One encouraging note here is that SE (kinda) acknowledges its inglorious record with Android updates and promises recent changes have put it in “a good position to make sure that Xperia Arc will get later versions in a timely manner.” We’ll believe it when you make it, Sony. Continue reading Sony Ericsson names Xperia Arc CPU, dubs Android 2.4 appearance a ‘misconfiguration’ Sony Ericsson names Xperia Arc CPU, dubs Android 2.4 appearance a ‘misconfiguration’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Jan 2011 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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