Archive for February, 2009
Microsoft has long maintained that Linux infringes at least 235 of its patents, and it looks like it’s reaching deep into the bin for some extra ammo in a new case filed against TomTom over nav systems — of the eight alleged patent infringements in the complaint, five are specifically about portable navigation devices , while the remaining three cover what look to be filesystem-management techniques inherent to the Linux kernel itself. It seems like the Linux issue is less important to Redmond than the GPS patents — deputy general counsel Horacio Gutierrez says there aren’t any broader plans to go after Linux vendors and that it “respects and appreciates” open source — but if Microsoft scores a victory here, it’ll have an incredible advantage should it decide to take on any other Linux-based products. We’ll be following this one very closely, we’ll let you know.
[Via Business Insider]
Read – Techflash
Read – Microsoft complaint [PDF]
Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Microsoft files patent lawsuit against TomTom over Linux-based GPS systems originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 18:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 25, 2009
Vestalife has released its Butterfly iPod speaker dock that doubles up as a charger as with any other decent iPod speaker dock would do. A couple of speakers are located at the top, while the iPod docking station remains snugly in the middle. It works with most of the popular iPod models, and you will also benefit from LED volume indicators, an auxiliary-in jack and a USB port for PC synchronization. Nice to see Vestalife thrown in an automatic shut-off feature that helps you save batteries (and the environment) in the long run. As long as you have an iPod of any make from model year 2004 upwards, they will be compatible with the Butterfly iPod speaker dock. Should you be unable to find a wall outlet nearby and yet want to groove to your favorite tunes, you can always use a quartet of AA batteries to power this $80 device.
Permalink: Vestalife Butterfly iPod Speaker Dock from Ubergizmo) | Good deals | Hot: OMNIA Review | Hot (FR): Envy 133
February 25, 2009
Every so often, one of these off-the-wall USB peripherals really does do something worth clapping about. Today, we’re taking a look at one such outlier in the driver-free USB 2.0 Data Copy and Internet Connection Sharing Dongle. While not fancy in design, this here device sure promises a lot. For starters, it enables data transfers between PCs to be handled easily and efficiently, but the real kicker is its ability to give the second computer the option of siphoning internet from the first. Sure, there are more legitimate ways of sharing one’s signal, but when you’re in pinch, who has time to fiddle with the Networking control panel? It’s just $29, and it could save your life. Think about it.
Continue reading Data Copy and Internet Connection Sharing dongle explains itself
Filed under: Peripherals
Data Copy and Internet Connection Sharing dongle explains itself originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 25, 2009
Is the world ready for consumer-class 8 megapixel cameraphones? That’s a loaded question, but one way or another, T-Mobile’s about to find out now that its SGH-T929 Memoir from Samsung is in the marketplace. With a full touchscreen and support for that elusive 1700MHz HSDPA, the handset packs some serious heat at the top end of the featurephone heap, and we’ve now had a chance to put it through its paces. Read on for video, pictures, and — for the literate types out here — even a few words about Samsung’s mighty 3264 x 2448 worth of handset muscle.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
Samsung Memoir hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 24, 2009
For those of you who think knowing the miles per hour of each pitch the best part of a baseball game — and sometimes, it really is — Clemson University civil engineering professor Scott Schiff and his students have created a system that’ll measure the force of the dunks and display it on the overhead screens instantly. In one match against East Carolina, Clemson forward Raymond Sykes managed a dunk that measured 30 G’s — which we’re told is mighty impressive, but really, we don’t have much comparison at this point. The team hopes its system gets adopted for other venues, and for sake of having more excuses to stare at the giant TVs and not the court, we hope so, too. Hit up the read link to see video of the system in action.
[Via PhysOrg]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Clemson develops ballin’ system to measure slam dunk intensity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 24, 2009
Android may be doing its best to exterminate Linux on the mobile platform, but a dedicated group of fans is doing its best to keep it alive and on the move. One of those is a G1 user by the handle ghostwalker who managed to get a full X-Windows environment running on his handset. Building on the already working Debian version for the G1, he installs LXDE (the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment) on top and then connects to that using the Android VNC viewer. The process sounds straightforward (as far as these things go) and is fully detailed at the read link, but as always don’t blame us if you break your poor Android’s shell — and heart.
[Via Hack A Day, thanks Neerhaj]
Filed under: Cellphones
X11 on G1 hack is for those who like a little extra OS in their OS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 24, 2009
If these screenshots are to be believed, then an ironic hacker has successfully installed Windows 3.1 onto a Nokia N95 handset. Marchin-PRV used DOSBox to emulate the x86-class processor on the Symbian handset in order to install Microsoft’s 1992 OS. Totally useless, yes… and totally badazz.
[Via OSnews]
Filed under: Cellphones
Windows 3.1 running on Nokia N95 is both awesome and depressing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Robots
NEDO’s Advanced Robotics project enters second phase, boasts totally sweet bots originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
February 23, 2009
JetPhoto Studio is a free image management program which comes with a neat selection of features for editing, organising and enhancing your [...]
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February 23, 2009
We’re still debating whether or not a new Mac mini really is just around the bend, but one thing’s for sure — this version is the gnarliest we’ve ever seen of the current iteration. In an exercise that will undoubtedly go down as one of the most incredible Apple mods of all time (okay, so we only partly believe that), Sir Charles Mangin has managed to squeeze a Mac mini into a ridiculously old disk ][ enclosure. Best of all, he even managed to align the single slot with the DVD drive in the mini, giving it a totally seamless look from the outside. We know, this will only serve to drive the secondhand prices of disk ][ cases through the roof, but at least you've found a new reason to love the mini that has served you so well for so long, right?
[Via technabob]
Filed under: Desktops
Apple Disk ][ enclosure used to house Mac mini, enhance lives originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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