December 30, 2010
It’s kind of hard to accept, Pluto has always been our favorite underdog, but the truth is that the Solar System‘s ninth planet was never really significant enough to earn that designation. Such is the coldly logical reason given for its removal from the planetary annals by a man who had a lot to do with its demise. Caltech astronomer Mike Brown discovered Eris, what he’d hoped was the tenth planet, back in 2005, but its extreme distance from the Sun and diminutive (by planetary standards) dimensions disqualified it from consideration. Unfortunately, its discovery is what doomed Pluto to be downgraded to a “dwarf planet,” though Mike’s not shedding too many tears over it. In fact, he’s gone and written a book about the whole thing, the smug planet destroyer that he is. You don’t have to buy it to learn more, however, as the source link has an interview with Mike all ready and waiting.
Why did Pluto lose its planet status? Because it never mattered enough originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
December 30, 2010
We’re guessing we’ll see a more official announcement about these soon enough, but for now we’ll have to make do with some product pages that have quietly turned up on Gigabyte’s website for two new Atom N550-based netbooks: the M1005 and Q2005. As Netbook News notes, the latter of those (pictured above) looks to be remarkably similar to the Jolicloud Jolibook, also based on the same dual-core N550 processor, while the M1005 appears to be a relatively minor update to the company’s M1022 model, right down to the same docking station (check it out after the break). Still no indication of pricing or availability for either of them, but you can find the complete specs for each at the links below.
Continue reading Gigabyte slips out Atom N550-based M1005, Q2005 netbooks
Gigabyte slips out Atom N550-based M1005, Q2005 netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 02:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 29, 2010
Wirelessly connected to an iPhone, the Thimble would be an interface of parts: scanner, translator, voice-activated command module… perhaps the most enticing application is as a sort of Braille ebook reader—a prospect charismatic enough to make me want to learn to read Braille.
Alas, a refreshable haptic Braille display remains a holy grail of sorts; attempts to create readable Braille outputs using vibrating dots or electrical pulses or tactile illusions remain evocatively fictional. Another concept device, the Haptic Braille, which won a Red Dot Award for design, would incorporate a Braille readout in a mouselike device; scanning text and translating it as a series of Braille impulses rendered on the device’s soft, biodegradable surface.
Of course, any good concept device should incorporate biodegradable material—or Kryptonite, or Unobtanium—wherever possible. There’s a whole growing rhetoric unique to design fiction, a poetics compounded of scifi, aesthetics, and marketing pitch; it makes me wonder what university will be the first to offer an MFA in concept-video production.
On the other hand, it’s a marvelous techno-cultural impulse to see the differently-abled—the blind, the deaf, the whole spectrum of what conventionally gets called disability—as avatars of compelling sensory and kinesthetic worlds instead of objects of revulsion and pity. At its worst, such curiosity focuses on sensuous exotica; at its best, it gives birth to transformational technologies.
[via Core77]
December 29, 2010
Left with just two weeks to explain exactly how seven of the web’s biggest properties (and three office supply chains) violated his company Interval’s patents, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen figured out a plan — Intervals’ lawyers are drawing big, colored boxes around large swaths of the allegedly infringing websites’ real estate. In all seriousness, a lot of companies may owe Allen a lot of money if Interval truly has a case, because Interval claims to have patented no less than the ability for a website to take a user-selected piece of content and suggest other related pieces of content that might be of interest. Oh, and he’s also apparently patented pop-ups and widgets, as most anything that displays information “in an unobtrusive manner that occupies the peripheral attention of the user” is getting the same treatment. Hilariously, it appears that the co-founder of Microsoft didn’t provide his lawyers with basic scanning technology, because the PDF of the exhibits they uploaded to the the court’s web site is just epically bad — check out everything they say infringes in the gallery below.
Disclaimer: We should note that AOL is among the companies being sued by Allen and Interval, and that Engadget is owned by AOL. So you know, just think about that a bunch, or something.
Paul Allen files amended complaint, points out exactly where patent infringement is hiding originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 14:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
December 29, 2010
If your morning’s been running low on a little thing called awesomeness, hurry past the break and gorge yourself on the stuff in the embedded videos. For the more patient among you, we’ll set the scene. A young chap by the name of Ryan has repurposed an old mini-fridge from his college days into a beer-firing drone, which can accept instructions on beer brand, temperature, and destination, before launching it at the target with a force of 50psi. An embedded webcam assists the iPhone user in aiming the throws, while it’s also said to record every toss and tweet it out for posterity as well. If this thing could slice bread, we’d probably offer to marry it.
Continue reading iPhone-controlled beer cannon is the robot friend of our dreams (video)
iPhone-controlled beer cannon is the robot friend of our dreams (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 08:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 29, 2010
What, you didn’t forget about the Cliq series, did you? The followup to Motorola and T-Mobile’s slider’s been long rumored — we heard a few morsels of information back in September — and now CellPhoneSignal has a few pics of what it claims is the Begonia, aka Cliq 2 (for T-Mobile, naturally). The keyboard here is, well, interesting, to say the least, and there’s also apparently a five megapixel camera on the back. We’re not really sure how our thumbs feel about the layout, but if this is legit, we’d reckon they’ll get to try it out themselves sooner or later. That’s what giant gadget trade shows are for, right? Right. More pictures via the source link.
Motorola Cliq 2 pictures hit the outside world? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 28, 2010
Maybe this is wishful thinking and maybe we’re optimists, but maybe, just maybe, Porsche could be ready to unveil to the world the final version of its supremely hot hybrid. We already know the company has given the 918 Spyder plug-in hybrid a green light for a run down assembly lines, a legitimate supercar with a 700+ horsepower on tap despite achieving near 80mpg. But, we don’t know the when nor the all-important how much. With Porsche promising to give “a new model its world debut” at the North American International Auto Show we can’t help but hope that this is it. Want to be the first to find out? When the time comes you can watch the unveil yourself, live streamed at www.porsche.com/detroit.
Porsche promises to unveil ‘new model’ in Detroit, could it be the 918 Spyder plug-in? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 28, 2010
Someone must really like you — otherwise, how did you end up with an iPhone this holiday season? Yeah, we know, iPads don’t really fit into stockings. Besides, your parent or significant other got you an arguably better gift in the cheaper (with two-year contract, of course), more compact, and more recently updated iPhone 4. We’ve given you some app suggestions before when the device first launched, but that was six months ago, and in technology time, that’s like seven years. Want a run-down of the best apps, our favorite accessories, and the essential tips and tricks? Just follow along after the break!
Hey Android friends, we got you covered, too! Did you get an iPad? Check out our guide here!
Continue reading Just got an iPhone? The best apps, accessories, and tips
Just got an iPhone? The best apps, accessories, and tips originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 11:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Been questioning the value of having omnipresent surveillance cameras tracking your every move? Well, if you’re an outlaw, you still won’t like them, but for the rest of us law-abiding types, London’s Metropolitan Police has a comforting stat to share: almost six crimes a day are being resolved with the help of CCTV footage. It’s being used primarily to aid the identification of perps on the run, and the number of suspects identified as a result has gone up to 2,512 this year. There is a bright light for criminals, however, as the Met admits digital recordings aren’t kept around as long as VHS ones used to be, meaning that if you slip the dragnet once, you’ll probably be alright. So good news for everyone!
CCTV cameras help solve ‘six crimes a day’ in London, says Metropolitan Police originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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December 27, 2010
We don’t know much about it yet, but it’s looking like we might be getting a taste of 3D on the go after all at CES. We’d hoped it would be with Nintendo’s 3DS, but that report turned out to be a bust, and now LG is apparently going to pick up the slack with a new mobile digital TV that has a 3D display. We know virtually nothing about the set at this point, but we’re thinking it will be glasses-free and are speculating that, after its appearance in Vegas next week, it’ll never be seen in the US again.
LG looks set to unveil mobile 3DTV at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 20:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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