Motorola’s 10-inch Honeycomb tablet meets Mr. Blurrycam, shows off Verizon logo
December 12, 2010 No Comment
By now you’re probably familiar with this slate, seeing as how Google’s Andy Rubin recently unveiled it on stage , but we’re willing to bet you’ve never seen the top edge — you know, the part now bearing a front-facing webcam and a conspicuous Verizon tattoo. Yes, this is Motorola’s 10-inch Honeycomb tablet, and it’s playing for Team Red just as foretold , though the tipster who obtained these images isn’t sure whether it will bear the name Stingray, Everest or even potentially “Trygon.” Spec-wise, we’re told our previous tipster was right on the money, and it’ll have a 1GHz Tegra 2 T20, a gyroscope and 32GB of storage underneath that 1280 x 800 multitouch screen, as well as 512MB of RAM and and a slot for an up-to-32GB microSD card. It also sure looks like there’s a micro-USB jack, a mini-HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone socket, as well as some contacts for a likely dock, though as always Mr. Blurrycam’s handiwork is such that we can’t quite tell. No matter — see for yourself in the gallery below. Gallery: Motorola and Verizon’s 10-inch Honeycomb tablet [Thanks, wnrussell] Motorola’s 10-inch Honeycomb tablet meets Mr. Blurrycam, shows off Verizon logo originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Don’t have the airspace required for an AR.Drone ? Gearing up for its CES 2011 debut, Sphero is a small, robotic toy ball made by Orbotix, and controlled remotely via Bluetooth and your smartphone’s tilt sensor. A ball that moves by itself? Call us lazy (too lazy to roll a ball even), but we think this is a toy whose time has come. Sure, the whole thing is pretty straightforward, although we hope that once iPhone and Android developers get ahold of that open API we’ll see plenty in the way of augmented reality gameplay: a maze or a racing game of some sort would make this thing quite coveted, in our opinion. Catch a video of the prototype in action after the break. Continue reading Sphero toy ball rolls itself, you control it with your smartphone Sphero toy ball rolls itself, you control it with your smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Toshiba’s new glasses-free 3D display tilts images and viewing angles your way (video)
December 12, 2010 No Comment
Autostereoscopic (read: glasses-free) 3D screens sound like all the rage, but the narrow zones from which you can comfortably view their images have made them a dubious proposition. That’s not stopping Toshiba Mobile Display, however, which recently came up with a novel idea for a self-adjusting display. By sticking a six-axis accelerometer in this 12.1-inch slate, the company can tilt the tablet’s viewing angle as the tablet itself is tilted, letting viewers effectively look around 3D objects on screen, using software algorithms rather than the fancy lens-and-camera assembly that Microsoft’s been prototyping . Toshiba figures it’ll make a splash with e-tailers — because who doesn’t want to play with a prospective purchase in 3D space? — but is mostly talking up the tech as a way to extend the limited 3D viewing angles of these sorts of displays. But enough jabber: see it for yourself after the break. Continue reading Toshiba’s new glasses-free 3D display tilts images and viewing angles your way (video) Toshiba’s new glasses-free 3D display tilts images and viewing angles your way (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
It looks like the Air Force isn’t the only organization with its secrets. While we still don’t know the exact nature of the testing the X-37B space plane underwent during its seven months in orbit, we have learned what, exactly, the SpaceX Dragon was carrying during its time spent in low-earth orbit. That’s right: a wheel of Le Brouere, a French variant of the Swiss Gruyere, a hard yellow cheese made from cow’s milk. It’s also a reference to a Monty Python sketch — but you probably knew that already. You’ve seen the launch , so how about checking out the sketch that so amused Elon Musk ? Well, you’re in luck — it’s after the break. Continue reading SpaceX Dragon’s secret payload revealed: Le Brouere cheese (video) SpaceX Dragon’s secret payload revealed: Le Brouere cheese (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
You have to go to great lengths these days to distinguish your iPod dock from the teeming horde , but that’s exactly what Speakal did here. To state the obvious, it’s a pig , wearing sunglasses, and filled with stereo components. The beast has four-watt stereo drivers for eyes, a down-firing 15 watt subwoofer in the belly, controls in the snout, and ports in the tail region. There’s also an internal lithium ion battery good for up to eight untethered hours on a charge. We’re not sure what would possess you to buy the hog, especially for its $150 asking price, but it could be just the item you’ve been looking for to bolster your eccentric reputation… or ward off particularly annoyed fowl. Speakal’s Cool iPig blasts iPod tunes with extra badassitude originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …World’s smallest battery uses a single nanowire, plant-eating virus could improve Li-ion cells tenfold
December 12, 2010 No Comment
When it comes to building better batteries, building electrodes with greater surface area is key, and scientists are looking to exotic methods to attract the tiny particles they need. We’ve already seen graphene and carbon nanotubes soak up those electrons, but the University of Maryland has another idea — they’re using the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) to generate usable patterns of nanorods on the surface of existing metal electrodes. By modifying the germ and letting it do its thing, then coating the surface with a conductive film, they’re generating ten times the energy capacity of a standard lithium-ion battery while simultaneously rendering the nasty bug inert. Meanwhile, the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) at Sandia Labs was more curious how these tiny charges actually work without confusing the forest for the trees, so to speak, so a team of scientists set about constructing the world’s smallest battery. Using a single tin dioxide nanowire as anode, a chunk of lithium cobalt dioxide as cathode, and piping some liquid electrolyte in between, they took a microscopic video of the charging process. See it in all its grey, goopy glory right after the break. Continue reading World’s smallest battery uses a single nanowire, plant-eating virus could improve Li-ion cells tenfold World’s smallest battery uses a single nanowire, plant-eating virus could improve Li-ion cells tenfold originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NASA’s Space Shuttle launch videos are spectacularly incredible, incredibly spectacular
December 12, 2010 No Comment
Did you know that it takes nearly seven and a half million pounds of thrust to get a Space Shuttle off the ground and into the final frontier? NASA opts to generate that power by burning through 1,000 gallons of liquid propellants and 20,000 pounds of solid fuel every second , which as you might surmise, makes for some arresting visuals. Thankfully, there are plenty of practical reasons why NASA would want to film its launches (in slow motion!), and today we get to witness some of that awe-inspiring footage, replete with a silky voiceover explaining the focal lengths of cameras used and other photographic minutiae. It’s the definition of an epic video, clocking in at over 45 minutes, but if you haven’t got all that time, just do it like us and skip around — your brain will be splattered on the wall behind you either way. Continue reading NASA’s Space Shuttle launch videos are spectacularly incredible, incredibly spectacular NASA’s Space Shuttle launch videos are spectacularly incredible, incredibly spectacular originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pentax’s faceplate-swapping RS1000 reviewed, a good choice if you’re on a strict budget
December 12, 2010 No Comment
Sadly the Nanoblock-fronting NB1000 looks destined only for Japan, but Pentax is at least blessing those abroad with its RS1000 which, with its customizable and hot-swappable faceplates, offers you a modicum of two-dimensional customization. That cam has been reviewed over at Photography Blog , with the conclusion being that you won’t be dazzled by the cam’s features nor image quality, but for the $120 MSRP (closer to $99 street price) you could do a lot worse. That’s especially true since you get 720p video and a 4x zoom out of the deal — though an inability to zoom while filming means those two features remain somewhat mutually exclusive. Pentax’s faceplate-swapping RS1000 reviewed, a good choice if you’re on a strict budget originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
100 kilowatts of piercing light isn’t something to sneeze at, even fired for just a few seconds, but Northrup Grumman’s long-awaited weapons-grade laser recently ran for a full six hours. That milestone is the feather in the company’s cap as it prepares to ship the hulking machine to the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, where it will presumably begin doing what it does best — turning things into crispier, more exploded versions of themselves in no time flat. PR after the break. Continue reading Northrop Grumman’s 100 kilowatt laser fired for six hours straight Northrop Grumman’s 100 kilowatt laser fired for six hours straight originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon: LTE modem handoff has two-minute delay, fix (and Mac compatability) on the way
December 12, 2010 No Comment
Though we found Verizon’s new LTE network pleasantly speedy in early testing, there are a few rough edges to the tech — Verizon’s USB modem have difficulty handing off connected users from an EVDO network to an LTE one , and of course, they don’t yet work on Mac. However, Verizon’s since admitted to both these issues and pledged to remedy the twain. “Hand-offs can take up to a couple minutes, but that was expected and a fix is in the works,” it told Computerworld earlier today. “Mac is not yet supported, and we’ve been working on drivers for Mac OS for weeks, and expect to update relatively soon,” a representative added. Now let’s see the company bring some sense to the wild, wild west we call the 4G market. Verizon: LTE modem handoff has two-minute delay, fix (and Mac compatability) on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …