IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 05/04/2010

Radio Controlled EC280MG excavator is a big, bad Tonka come to life (video)

We don't cover all that many radio controlled objects on this program because, well, there are just so many of them. But, every now and again we catch sight of a truly special one, something like this excavator from Modellismo Maximo that's been around for awhile but we thought you'd want to check it out regardless. It's an RC version of the Despe EC280MG, scaled down to 1:14.5 scale and weighing in at an impressive 31.5kg (about 70lbs). It has six axes of movement and is just perfect for loading up the back of your toy trucks -- and then hauling them away, as you can see in a series of videos after the break (each with worse music than the previous). How much to get in on this kind of fun? A mere €4,160 -- $5,630. Nobody said diggin' like this would be cheap.

Continue reading Radio Controlled EC280MG excavator is a big, bad Tonka come to life (video)

Radio Controlled EC280MG excavator is a big, bad Tonka come to life (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 10:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple contemplates head-mounted iPhone display, America cringes

We're pretty sure this isn't an April Fool's joke, and we're pretty sure that it could be. Essentially an iPhone dock that sits on your face like a pair of glasses, "Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display" details a headset that contains a stereo display and either a camera or a window for your phone's camera. Also included in the patent application is a microphone, speaker, batteries, and an accelerometer for detecting the user's head movements. Something like this would be great for augmented reality applications -- and something like this would make ever getting a date that much more difficult. We'll let you know if this one ever makes it past the drawing board, folks.

Apple contemplates head-mounted iPhone display, America cringes originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 07:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge

The Far East just gets more surreal each day. For instance, how about a Japanese restaurant in Thailand served by robots? You can thank Lapassarad Thanaphant for her 30 million baht ($927,600) investment in the Bangkok-based Hajime restaurant and its four motorised servants from Japan. The brave souls who dare to enter can place orders on touchscreens, and in return watch a lanky humanoid deliver the dishes, followed by some slick dance moves if its not too busy serving others. Oh, don't worry, these samurais are tied to a track so they can barely reach you, plus you get to cook your own food in the style of Shabu-Shabu (Japanese hot pot) or BBQ, so enjoy your freedom before they take over your cooking as well. Videos after the break.

Continue reading Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge

Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's A4 SoC faces Qualcomm Snapdragon in knock-down-drag-out benchmarking test

Up until now, a shroud of mystery has surrounded Apple's custom engineered A4 system-on-chip; we know it's clocked at 1GHz, likely tied to Apple's prior acquisition of P.A. Semi and manufactured by Samsung. Outside of that, the only other knowledge we've gained has come not from the mouth of Cupertino, but from the extracting wizards over at iFixit. The A4 contains at least three layers of circuitry layered on top of each other, though it's packaged just like the iPhone processor: microprocessor in one package and two memory modules in the other package. We also learned that the iPad RAM is actually inside of the A4 processor package, and we're expecting to learn even more from those folks in the coming days. All that said, there's still much debate on whether Apple's own silicon can stand up to Qualcomm's heralded 1GHz Snapdragon, the chip powering Google's Nexus One among other things. AnandTech pitted their iPad against the iPhone 3GS (600MHz ARM Cortex A8) and the aforesaid Nexus One (1GHz Snapdragon QSD8250), using a number of website loads as the primary benchmark. Overall, the A4 proved to be around 10 to 30 percent faster, though it's impossible to say what effect the operating system has on things. Have a gander at that source link for more -- we get the feeling the competitions have just begun.

Apple's A4 SoC faces Qualcomm Snapdragon in knock-down-drag-out benchmarking test originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Apr 2010 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shibaura Institute of Technology shows off 'robo-skateboard'
Not satisfied with a simple electric skateboard? It seems like some researchers at Japan's Shibaura Institute of Technology weren't either, and have been busily working on this so-called "robo-skateboard" for the past little while. Like some DIY efforts we've seen, this one uses a Segway-like mechanism to let you ride it by simply pressing down on the front or back and turn by leaning left or right, although it apparently tops out at a mere six miles per hour. It also weighs a whopping 33 pounds, which explains the retractable luggage-like handle for carrying it around, and it's apparently been quite a significant investment for the institute -- considering that the researchers are hoping to get the price down to ¥100,000 (or just over $1,000) by 2013, which is when they hope to bring it to market.

Shibaura Institute of Technology shows off 'robo-skateboard' originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 22:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JooJoo ships to actual consumers, gets dissected for good measure

Can you believe it? No, seriously -- can your mind handle this realness? After months upon months of teetering on the brink of eternal vaporware, the JooJoo tablet is shipping to actual end-users. Yeah, we've had our media unit for a few days, but when you think about how many startups have dreams of shipping devices as substantial as this, just the sight of an unopened FedEx box from its warehouse makes an impact. Frankly, the timing here couldn't possibly be worse, but we're guessing a fair amount of to-be tablet buyers were holding back on plunking down their cold, hard cash to a company that was having issues with the most basic of business processes. So yes, Fusion Garage is actually shipping these to mere mortals today, and just in case you were curious about the insides, one of our engineering tipsters put his Harvard skills to good use by breaking into the casing and having a glance at the nuts and bolts.

He told us that getting inside required the removal of just ten screws (using the correct screwdriver, mind you), and that the RAM slot (1GB provided) was easily accessible. For that matter, the mini PCIe SSD and extra mini PCIe slot were as well, and while he located a 3G SIM slot, he couldn't spot the 3G antenna. On the software front, he noted that he was having all sorts of issues, from Hotmail not loading (it demands an upgrade to a "newer browser" to Netflix streaming not being supported at all. Not exactly reassuring news, but hey, if you're up for hacking Windows 7 onto this thing, at least you can count on getting a product when you hand over those digits.

[Thanks, Ashwani]

Gallery: JooJoo tablet gets dissected, unboxed by end-user

JooJoo ships to actual consumers, gets dissected for good measure originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Incredible spotted in Verizon's system (again)

We'd already had some indication that the HTC Incredible could be landing on Verizon sooner rather than later, and it looks like we now have yet more photographic evidence to back that up. According to an Android Phones forum member, that shot above is of a genuine CelleBrite machine that Verizon uses to transfer information from one phone to another, and it quite clearly lists the HTC Incredible among some of the other usual suspects. What it doesn't show, obviously, is a date of any sort, but it does back up earlier reports that Verizon already has the phone stocked in their warehouse, if not their stores.

Update: Need even more proof? Here you go. Thanks, Ebby!

HTC Incredible spotted in Verizon's system (again) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Intrinsity Apple's latest chipmaker acquisition?
This one's still strictly in the realm of rumor for the time being, but there's a growing amount evidence cropping up suggesting that Apple may have acquired another processor design firm. The company in question this time is Austin-based Intrinsity, which specializes in ARM processors, and has suddenly seen its website replaced with an old school "under construction" image -- supposedly due to "scheduled maintenance." That wouldn't be much to go on by itself, of course, but EDN is reporting that it has a "solid rumor" that Intrinsity has indeed been sold, and a number of Intrinsity employees have apparently already changed their current employer status on LinkedIn to Apple only to promptly change it back. There's even some speculation that Intrinsity may have actually contributed as much or more to the A4 processor in the iPad than P.A. Semi has, although any confirmation of that will likely have to wait until an official announcement -- if there's one to come at all, that is.

Is Intrinsity Apple's latest chipmaker acquisition? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Podcast, live at 5:30PM EST!

Hm, is there anything to talk about today? We're sure we can think of something. We'll be live at 5:30PM EST, but the chat's open now, so get comfy!

Update: Hey, it's over, but we'll have the regular podcast post for you tomorrow, in case you're dying to hear three sleepy dudes talk about the iPad.

The Engadget Podcast, live at 5:30PM EST! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple iPad charging woes: USB hubs, non-Macs and weak ports not rejuvenating

Heads-up, iPad owners (or to-be owners, as it were) -- the same devices you currently use to juice up your iPod touch or iPhone may not work on your fancy new tablet. Consumer Reports, TUAW and our own Chris Ziegler have confirmed that their powered USB hubs wouldn't charge the iPad, and we're even seeing reports that some Wintel rigs won't either. The only sure bets right now are Apple computers and your nearby AC outlet, leaving iPad owners with fewer options when it comes to topping off that battery when away from your abode. We're pretty certain this all boils down to the iPad requiring more power than most powered USB ports are designed to give, but it's still something to keep in mind. So, any of you early adopters finding that your own powered USB hub or non-Mac does rejuvenate the iPad? Let us know in comments below.

Update: Macworld has a nice explaination of the whole situation. Looks like tablets just require more power to charge than smartphones -- who woulda thunk it?

Apple iPad charging woes: USB hubs, non-Macs and weak ports not rejuvenating originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad OS digging reveals hints of future iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Nessie

Well, well -- what have we here? A little digging into the mainframe that lies beneath Apple's freshly launched iPad has uncovered a few telltale signs of next-generation hardware, and while this is obviously in no way confirmation that new wares are on the way from Cupertino, this kind of stuff has led to similar reveals in the past. If we're seeing this right, we're looking at not one, but two new mentions of future iPhones (iPhone 3,2 and iPhone 3,3), alongside a new iPod touch (iPod 4,1) and... a future iPad (iProd 4,1). 'Course, none of this gives us any indication of the all-important whos or whens, but at least this confirms that mythical creatures still exist in the hearts of those who believe.

iPad OS digging reveals hints of future iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Nessie originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple iPad accessories hands-on / micro-review

We've taken an in-depth and thorough look at the iPad, but we wanted to spend a little time with some of Apple's official accessories the company handed out with review units. There's nothing crazy here, but we did make some interesting observations about add-ons for the iPad, so join us for a phantasmagorical peek inside the world of fantabulous tablet accessamifyin'.

Gallery: iPad accessories hands-on

Continue reading Apple iPad accessories hands-on / micro-review

Apple iPad accessories hands-on / micro-review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad Netflix and ABC Player hands-on over MiFi 3G and WiFi (with video)

Having ABC's entire catalog of programming stowed away in your iPad is a great trick that gets you within earshot of Hulu-level awesomeness. Granted, that's not quite what the free ABC Player provides -- we're only finding a handful of episodes for most shows -- but it's a start, especially considering how great the content looks. Flipping the iPad on its side automatically takes you to a full-screen view that streams almost instantaneously over a fast WiFi connection, though we've found one annoying bug -- triggering the orientation lock immediately pops it back to portrait, effectively rendering the lock useless within the app. Connected to a Verizon MiFi with good EV-DO Rev. A signal strength, we were pretty blown away by how good the video still looked; it took only a few seconds longer to start streaming, but otherwise, it's a fantastic option (of course, your 5GB monthly cap might be bruised and battered to a pulp within a few days if you're a heavy user).

Netflix looked great, too, though the interface isn't as slick as ABC's -- it's clear that these guys threw the app together in a hurry. The first thing you see when you open it, for instance, is the company's standard web-based login -- it's literally just the Netflix website. Don't get us wrong, it works just fine, but there were definitely plenty of opportunities for iPad-specific customization here. The trend continues after you log in, where you see the same view you're already familiar with when you peep your queue and Watch Instantly selections from a browser on a PC. Streaming worked quite well in both orientations; it appears to just use the iPad's in-built video player, and that's fine with us. We noticed some stuttering over 3G after we stopped filming our demo, but the good news is that it only happened once, and the footage looked just as good over the MiFi as it did connected to our cable modem. Follow the break for video of both ABC and Netflix in action.

Gallery: iPad ABC Player hands-on over 3G

Gallery: iPad Netflix streaming hands-on

Continue reading iPad Netflix and ABC Player hands-on over MiFi 3G and WiFi (with video)

iPad Netflix and ABC Player hands-on over MiFi 3G and WiFi (with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence: the iPad as a productivity tool
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

When Apple announced the iPad, Steve Jobs positioned it in the space directly between the laptop and phone. That greatly interests me because there are moments in my life where my phone is too small and my laptop too large. While the iPad clearly won't replace my phone anytime soon, my question is: Can it replace my laptop on occasion and serve as a content creation as well as content consumption tool?

A few weeks ago, I deliberately left my laptop at home for a week of heavy business travel. Instead, I relied mostly on three phones: an iPhone, a Pre and an HD2. And now I've been using a production iPad for the four activities that were difficult and uncomfortable on my phone. Here's what I learned.

Continue reading Entelligence: the iPad as a productivity tool

Entelligence: the iPad as a productivity tool originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Apr 2010 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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