Pandora founder and chief strategy officer Tim Westergren just rolled up to our CES trailer in the new Mini Cooper Countryman with Mini Connected, which features integration with Pandora’s iOS app when an IPhone is plugged in. Once you plug the phone in and switch to the app, Connected takes over and you navigate and control Pandora using the Mini’s rotary jog dial — BMW doesn’t want you to mess with the phone while driving, so the iPhone essentially serves as a 3G modem. The Connected interface is quite clean — it’s definitely more user-friendly than the BMW iDrive system from whence it sprang — and we were jamming along to 32Kbps Pandora streams in no time. That’s a little better than FM quality, and the Pandora app does a little buffering so any gaps or blips in signal are smoothed over. Phone calls are handled by the Mini’s Bluetooth system, so Pandora fades out when a call comes in, and fades back in when you hang up. It’s definitely slick — and Pandora is actually just the first Connected app to launch, with more iOS apps from Mini’s partners due to come in the future. Video and PR after the break. Gallery: Mini Cooper Countryman with Pandora integration drive-on Continue reading Mini Cooper Connected with Pandora drive-on Mini Cooper Connected with Pandora drive-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Just two days ago , we brought you word of a Texas Instruments powered pico projector by ViewSonic. We found the 0.9-pounder and snapped some pics of an (unfortunately) non-functioning unit. It features a 4-in-1 card reader, mini USB cable, and adapter for an included dongle that supports VGA and composite cables. With a 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution, the 200 lumen bulb is LED-based and has a lamp life of 20 to 30 thousand hours. The scrolling wheel, that you can peek at in the gallery below the fold, rests atop the projector and focuses the image. The company said it’ll retail at $479 when it ships in April. Gallery: ViewSonic PLED-W200 DLP pico projector hands-on ViewSonic PLED-W200 DLP pico projector hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We brought you the official details earlier in the week and now we have images of the Recon next-gen GPS goggles in its broken-down self. Users will be able to choose from an assortment of Recon frames and lenses, in collaboration with the integrated LCD, allowing for customized appeal. Recon is bringing in a revised platform based on Android, which allows users to shred some powder while using apps, music and track their GPS locations as well as locations of others that share the must-have for apps-in-your-goggles fetish. The Android platform allows for full integration with your Bluetooth-enabled phone with real-time alerts and notifications straight onto the built-in LCD. With the Recon next-gen GPS goggles, you can look like a tech-savvy hipster while flying down your favorite trails. Gallery: Eyes-on with Recon next-gen GPS goggles Recon next-gen GPS goggles eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you were unaware, we’re pretty psyched about the upcoming display tech from Mirasol . We were when we peeped it last year , and we’ve been eagerly awaiting this screen tech’s arrival ever since. Despite promises from PocketBook USA that we’d see an actual consumer product at this year’s convention (and even a leaked video ), when we hit the company up they met us with blank stares and promises that we’d see it at CeBit. All we were able to find was another Qualcomm reference device, which is still totally drool worthy and makes us more eager for it to hit shipping devices. The screen actually looks a bit improved this year, and we’re not seeing the same yellowing that we’ve noticed in the past. You don’t have to take our word for it though, we’ve got photo proof for you to feast your eyes on below. Gallery: Mirasol-equipped Qualcomm reference tablet hands-on Mirasol-equipped Qualcomm reference tablet hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Next-generation Audi MMI Touch dashboard with NVIDIA Tegra-power hands-on (video)
January 7, 2011 No Comment
Wishing you could get a little closer to that next-generation Audi MMI Touch interface we saw yesterday, the one we’re expecting to debut on the A3? Well, you can’t — unless you’re at CES , anyway, in which case you can find it chilling out in the NVIDIA booth waiting for you to go play with it. We did, getting a feel for all the lovely things that Audi is doing with the power of its Tegra chipset. It has decidedly limited functionality at this point, but it’s certainly enough to give you an idea of what dashboards in 2012 are going to look like, which is way closer to Gran Turismo 5 than we’d have imagined, like a fly-around tire pressure display with a real-time 3D view of the car. Check out the video below and see for yourself. Gallery: Next-generation Audi MMI with Tegra hands-on Continue reading Next-generation Audi MMI Touch dashboard with NVIDIA Tegra-power hands-on (video) Next-generation Audi MMI Touch dashboard with NVIDIA Tegra-power hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ford partners with Leviton and Best Buy for $1,499 Focus Electric charging station
January 7, 2011 No Comment
Lusting over the new Focus Electric ? It’s still a few years off yet, but if you’re already thinking about practicalities you’re wondering how you’re going to charge the thing. Got 120V power in your garage? No problem, you can charge off of that easily — if you don’t mind waiting 20 hours. A Level 2 charger will drop that down to between three and four hours, but it requires some hardware installed in your home. If you want to do that for the Leaf or the Volt you’re looking at $2,000 installed, and that installation is permanent. Ford is making things much easier, and much cheaper, with a $1,499 charger made by Leviton that’s not only cheaper than the competition but completely modular. It hangs on the wall and simply plugs into a 240V outlet, handling the necessary electrical wizardry to quick-charge your Focus without burning down your house or singeing your cat. Ford is partnering with Best Buy for installation, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your propensity for Geeks in Squads. Gallery: Ford Focus Electric charger Ford partners with Leviton and Best Buy for $1,499 Focus Electric charging station originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Considering the size of the label here relative to the size of the device itself, this certainly seems like a tablet (rather than a phone) that hit the FCC’s filing system this week from LG — and when you add in the fact that it’s got certification on T-Mobile’s AWS 3G band, that pretty much seals the deal. Not a lot to see here yet, but the fact that the G-Slate’s got its certification squared away might indicate that it won’t be far behind the Dell Streak 7 that’s launching in the next few weeks. Frankly, we’re a little jealous that the FCC test lab people got to spend time with Honeycomb — any chance Engadget can be an FCC-approved test lab? What’s the process there? [Thanks, Evan ] LG G-Slate makes its FCC debut? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Exclusive interview: Google’s Matias Duarte talks Honeycomb, tablets, and the future of Android
January 7, 2011 No Comment
We’re not going to lie — we’re pretty excited to bring this to you guys. Here at CES 2011 we had a chance to sit down with Matias Duarte , the man behind webOS (as well as the Sidekick and Helio UIs), who’s now heading up Google’s user experience for Android. Matias is currently driving the interface and design for Android 3.0 (AKA Honeycomb ), and it’s clear that he’s bringing his big, bold ideas to the Android platform. This is the first video interview Matias has done since leaving Palm, and we pressed the man on his involvement in Gingerbread and Honeycomb, what had to be torn down in Android, how desktop OSs can inform mobile devices, and much, much more. Don’t just take our word for it — follow along after the break and watch the full interview! Continue reading Exclusive interview: Google’s Matias Duarte talks Honeycomb, tablets, and the future of Android Exclusive interview: Google’s Matias Duarte talks Honeycomb, tablets, and the future of Android originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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You may remember Viliv from last year’s CES, but it’s back again this year with a smattering new of tablets. The X70 Slate is powered by Intel’s upcoming 1.5 GHz Oak Trail processor, and has a 7-inch 1024 x 600-resolution capacitive multitouch display. That new silicon is supposed to simultaneously speed up Windows 7 performance (both Starter and Home Premium are available), and improve battery life (they claim 6.5 hours, which is better than the Galaxy Tab). A custom split keyboard was added by Viliv, which eases thumb typing so you don’t have to awkwardly reach across the screen to hunt and peck for keys. It’s got a 3 megapixel shooter around back as well as a 1.3 megapixel shooter up front in addition to an optical trackpad. This thing should be hitting retailers like Best Buy and Amazon in April for an unspecified price, but you can check out our hands-on photos while you patiently wait to find out — and we’ve got video on the way. Gallery: Viliv X70 Windows 7 Slate hands-on Viliv X70 Windows 7 slate with Oak Trail hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve recently had the chance to get closer than ever with the Model S , taking off the covers from a rolling prototype and gazing longingly at the fingerprints on its giant, Tegra-powered 17-inch central display inside. Now Tesla is showing what else is inside — inside the sheet metal, though. Tesla and its VP of Vehicle Engineering, Peter Rawlinson, have taken the time to release three videos showing the construction and development of the car, giving us a tantalizing view of the frame. Looking at the above picture the amount of cross-bracing on the front structure is impressive, resulting in what should be a very twist-averse chassis that loves being slung through the twisties. What remains to be seen, however, is how well it will hustle the weight of its battery pack around. We’re just going to wait for a test drive to find out. Continue reading Tesla shows us what the Model S looks like on the inside (video) Tesla shows us what the Model S looks like on the inside (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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