MPEG LA: 12 companies own patents essential to Google's VP8 codec
MPEG LA, the self-styled one stop shop for motion video patent licenses, says that 12 different companies have come forward with patents "essential" to the VP8 algorithm championed by Google as a royalty-free compression standard. The organization met with these companies in June to discuss the formation of a patent pool, though there has not yet been a decision to determine whether a pool should be formed, or what its terms and conditions might be.
The organization started the search for VP8 patents in February, with the initial call for companies to come forward ending in March. That deadline came and went without comment from the company, so streamingmedia.com interviewed a spokesman by e-mail to find out what the current situation was. MPEG LA did not disclose which 12 companies held patents it felt to be essential to VP8, nor did it say how many patents there were in total. The group also did not say how many patents had been submitted for evaluation only to be deemed inessential.
Appeals Court overrules lower court, upholds breast cancer gene test
A bit over two years ago, a large collection of interested parties joined together with the ACLU to challenge a practice that had become business as usual: the patenting of human genes. The group filed a suit that targeted a specific set of patents: those used by Myriad Genetics to control the market for tests of the BRCA breast cancer genes. In a surprise result, the judge overseeing the case issued a sweeping ruling that not only voided Myriad's patents, but seemed to put all gene patents at risk. Now that decision has been reversed, as an Appeals Court has upheld the patents in question.
The initial ruling that voided Myriad's patents relied on a novel interpretation of what was being patented. Patents on natural substances are allowed if the process of obtaining them is transformative, meaning the end result differs significantly from the original, natural state. In order to do genetic testing, the judge reasoned, it didn't matter which particular DNA molecule was obtained or in what manner—what you needed was the information conveyed by the gene, in terms of its protein sequence, not a specific piece of DNA. And that information is a natural product, which can't be patented unless it was transformed in some way. Since the genetic test doesn't involve any transformations, then the patents were invalid. Since many other gene-focused patents relied on this sort of information, rather than the actual DNA, this decision seemed to place many of them at risk.
Apple, Samsung top smartphone sales as feature phones decline
The touchscreen smartphone revolution continues to shake up the mobile phone industry, with Apple displacing Nokia as the top smartphone vendor in the world. In fact, Apple has also displaced longtime mobile industry players like Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and RIM to become the number four mobile phone vendor globally. But Apple's rival Samsung, holding the number two spot in both mobile and smartphone market share, is poised to take both crowns if its massive sales growth can be maintained.
The overall mobile phone market grew just over 11 percent year over year for the second quarter of 2011, for a total of 365 million units, according to market research firm IDC. Growth has been slower than expected, perhaps due to a 4 percent drop in feature phone shipments. That's the first decline in feature phone sales since the third quarter of 2009.
Post-PC TV: how and where we watch Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube
Not so long ago, it was pretty hard to watch online streaming video on anything but a personal computer. It was a big deal that Apple’s iPhone came packed with an integrated app for YouTube. Last year, the walls came down, as video services and device makers rolled out new native applications for one machine after another, from phones and tablets to smart TVs and set-top boxes.
I love this kind of gadget news. I lived off it writing for Gadget Lab last fall. But shiny apps and feature wars are one thing—whether viewers actually use these services and how they interact with them is very different. Bit by bit, the data is starting to come in.
Feathered dino find leaves status of Archaeopteryx up in the air
Yet another feathered dinosaur has joined the throng of those discovered in recent years, but this one bears some bad news for the beloved Archaeopteryx, which may not occupy a pivotal location in the transition from theropod dinosaurs to birds after all. Archaeopteryx, for those without a replica hanging on their wall, is an iconic feathered dinosaur which caused quite a stir when it was discovered in 1861 in Germany. It was especially remarkable because it arrived just two years after Charles Darwin finally published On the Origin of Species. Archaeopteryx was immediately seen as a transitional fossil that supported Darwin’s theory. In the fourth edition of his book, Darwin wrote, “Hardly any recent discovery shows more forcibly than this how little we as yet know of the former inhabitants of the world.”
"Linking is not a crime": Czech Pirate Party declares war on Big Content
Outraged at the decision to sue a Czech high school student for €5 million for running a site linking to pirated material, the Czech Pirate Party has launched Tipnafilm.cz, a linking site of its very own. With the new site, "we unequivocally declare open war on the Anti-Piracy Union," said Czech Pirate Party Vice President Mikuláš Ferjencik.
The new site links to, but does not host, pirated films, just as the student-operated site did. However, Ferjencik is claiming at least one difference: the new site has ten times more links. The site is operating under the slogan "linking is not a crime"; the Czech Pirate Party believes that mere linking to infringing content is not a crime under Czech law, though this claim is yet to be tested in the Czech courts.
The Czech Anti-Piracy Union sued the 16-year-old student from Liberec claiming his links to pirated films had caused economic harm worth millions of Euros. Ferjencik claims that the Union has called the student the "greatest pirate in the country," a description he calls "absurd." By creating a new linking site operated on a scale far grander than the student's site, he hopes that the Union will "stop bullying the under-aged," and instead "aim its preposterous claims at the Pirate Party."
Ferjencik also hinted that this may merely be the first step in its campaign against the Anti-Piracy Union; the Czech Pirate Party issued no official statement about the site, to "avoid revealing its strategy going forward."
AT&T to begin throttling heaviest data users on October 1 (Updated)
Move over, Verizon: AT&T may begin throttling the data speeds of its heaviest wireless users as soon as October of this year. The move remains unconfirmed as of yet, but sources speaking to 9to5Mac claim that AT&T will begin implementing a network congestion plan similar to other carriers in order to battle the 80x increase in data traffic it has seen since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007.
According to the site's sources, AT&T's throttling plan will mirror that of Verizon's, which was implemented in February just before the introduction of the Verizon iPhone. Under that system, Verizon reduces the data throughput speeds for the five percent of customers who "use an extraordinary amount of data." The throttling typically lasts through the remainder of the current billing cycle and returns to normal at the beginning of the next one, though under some circumstances, it's possible for the reduced speeds to spill over into the next billing cycle as well.
Motorola Droid 3 Review - Third Time's a Charm
If ever a product has summed up the progression of the Android ecosystem, it’s the Motorola Droid. The first Droid catapulted Android into the mainstream with its first 2.x release, and since then the Droid itself has seen a yearly update cadence that honestly has shown no sign of stopping. The updates thus far track the trends that we’ve seen affect the Android ecosystem as a whole - newer and better versions of Android alongside ever increasing SoC performance, display improvements, camera improvements, and refined hardware design.
I think that pretty much sums up what kind of update the Motorola Droid 3 (henceforth just Droid 3) is. It’s an iterative product launch, for sure, but that belies just how good the improvements all around really are. I noted a few of them already - the Droid 3 includes a dual core OMAP 4430 SoC, larger 4” qHD display, more internal storage, better camera, front facing camera, and most notably a much improved 5 row QWERTY keyboard. Read on for the full review.
A report in the (Japanese-language) Semiconductor Industry News today revealed that the quad-core Cortex A9 ARM SoC for Sony's upcoming Playstation Vita handheld would be manufactured by Samsung on a 45nm process. Samsung also supplies 45nm ARM processors for Apple (the A4 and A5) and other smartphone manufacturers.
The move to a relatively off-the-shelf ARM processor is a move away from the expensive proprietary chips that powered Sony's PS2, PSP, and PS3, and it allows Sony to make the Vita more cheaply (it also allows developers to port code more easily from other ARM devices, like smartphones). This is an important move, since it allows Sony to compete more effectively with Apple and Nintendo - the latter, perhaps feeling the pressure from the Vita's impending launch, announced a substantial price cut to its 3DS handheld yesterday.
The Playstation Vita succeeds the PlayStation Portable and is due out at some point this holiday season in Japan and North America. Its announced price is $249.99, $20 more than Apple's low-end iPod Touch and $80 more than Nintendo's 3DS.
Source: Semiconductory Industry News
Starting October 1, smartphone customers with unlimited data plans may experience reduced speeds once their usage in a billing cycle reaches the level that puts them among the top 5 percent of heaviest data users. These customers can still use unlimited data and their speeds will be restored with the start of the next billing cycle. Before you are affected, we will provide multiple notices, including a grace period.
We've suspected that such a move would be inevitable, and largely marks the start of AT&T's push to begin selling services on speed tiers in addition to data buckets with its forthcoming LTE network rollout. The network already shapes HSUPA traffic to 1.5 Mbps or less in most markets. AT&T curiously notes in its throttling announcement that only a successful merger with T-Mobile will address its spectrum challenges in the short term.
Nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges.
Unlimited data plan subscribers will see no changes until the new policies kick on in October. AT&T has yet to provide specifics about what throughput throttled/offending users will see until the end of their billing cycles, or a specific amount of bandwidth that will toggle the throttling. Hopefully such information is forthcoming, as ambiguous and selectively enforced rules only frustrate users. For comparison, T-Mobile limits users after 5 GB to around 256 kilobits/second. One thing is for certain, this author is going to likely experience firsthand what kind of throttled speeds users get saddled with sometime around October 15.
Source: AT&T
The Summer of Honeycomb, Part 3: Win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
It's the Summer of Honeycomb and we now have two lucky readers who have won Eee Pad Transformers thanks to our friends at NVIDIA. Congrats to AnandTech reader unbellum for winning our second Eee Pad Transformer. Be sure to respond to my email to claim your prize! If you didn't win this time, don't worry - there are still two more chances to win.
With our Eee Pad stock depleted, we're switching over to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 as our giveaway this weekend. Read on for entry details!
Ask the Experts, Enterprise & Cloud Computing: Answers part 2
Last year we ran a little series called Ask the Experts where you all wrote in your virtualization related questions and we got them answered by experts at Intel, VMWare as well as our own expert on all things Enterprise & Cloud Computing - Johan de Gelas.
Read on for the final installment of Johan's answers to your questions!
UPDATE: AT&T to Become the Latest to Throttle Smartphone Users
Nation's second most expensive network gets another limitation, which offers a mix of perks, downsides
Read More ...
Windows Phone 7 Mango Heats Up With Plethora of Coming Handsets
Nokia, HTC, LG, Acer, Huawei, ZTE and Samsung hope to overwhelm Apple, give fight to Google
Read More ...
Dell's Honeycomb Streak 10 Launches in China for $465 USD, U.S. Left Out
America will have to wait to get the latest and greatest Android tablet
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Tesla Model S Starts Beta Production
Beta models will be used for testing and for marketing
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Human Brains Age Differently From Closest Living Relatives, Chimpanzees
This study could shed light on human evolution and how to develop treatments for diseases associated with age like Alzheimer's disease
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Redbox Puts Video Games Into an Additional 5,000 Kiosks
Total locations with game rentals is now about 27,000
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RZA unveils branded headphone line, hopes you don't leave Shaolin without them
The other rappers probably spend a lot of time making fun of you when you don't have your own line of headphones. The Wu Tang's RZA can thankfully breathe a sigh of relief as he becomes a member of the not so inclusive club that already contains the likes of Dr. Dre, Ludacris, and 50 Cent. The Gravedigga sometimes known as Bobby Digital is teaming up with WESC to bring the world Chambers, a line of over-ear headphones with flashing LEDs that light up in time with your music. Chambers will come in two versions -- one targeted at consumers and another aimed at pros. The line is set to launch on August 26th. It's not quite as awesome as that $500 Ghostface Killah doll from a few years back, but it's a start. Continue reading RZA unveils branded headphone line, hopes you don't leave Shaolin without them
CNC mod carves dot drawing portraits for your living room walls
Fancy seeing your mug enlarged to halftone-processed heights? You're in luck, because Finnish modder Metalfusion has a homebrew solution for those Wall Street Journal-style hedcut delusions. Using a specially designed image conversion program, the DIY hobbyist tranforms .jpg, .gif or .png files into DXF-formatted dot patterns of varying density. The resulting images are then fed directly into a CNC machine where a drill is left to make the wood-carved magic happen. Need some visual confirmation of this awesome feat, then head past the break for a video demo of this old-timey optical illusion. Continue reading CNC mod carves dot drawing portraits for your living room walls
LED coffee table busts a multicolored move (video)
It might look like something out of MJ's Billie Jean, but this colorful LED array won't be under moonwalking foot -- that is, unless the party gets crunk. This colorful grid is actually a table top, brought to you by way of TI's MSP430 microcontroller, and it knows how to get down. The table is made up of 128 frosted glass cubes, each apparently capable of emitting 16 million colors. Its creators also produced a special beat-detection software, that could very easily have your furniture outshining the bumpers and grinders at your next party. If you're looking for a little extra something from your coffee table, you can find full build instructions at the source link below. Continue reading LED coffee table busts a multicolored move (video)
Razer's Electra headphones pump out bass, keep your voice 'inline' for $60
Are you a gamer and bass-lover on a tight budget looking for a new headset? Razer's Electra headphones might just be your ticket for dubstepping through your next WoW raid. These stereo cans sport a 40mm driver in each earcup tuned to pump out lows, along with leatherette earpads to help keep 'em comfortable while aiding in passive noise isolation. To sweeten the deal, you'll also get two detachable cables, one of which has an inline mic; perfect for on-the-go phone calls while your heading to 7-11 for Slurpee-fuel, or a bit of TeamSpeaking when your Carcharias get lost. The Electras will be available come this October, but if you can't get past the green highlights we don't blame ya. Full PR past the break.
Google wants to speed up your site, while resisting the urge to sell you stuff
Google has plenty of things going for it, but patience has never really been high on the list -- not surprising, really, for a company that employs scooters to get around the halls of its offices. The search giant has taken a similar approach to the web, offering up a number of services to help speed things up around the old tubes. Page Speed Service is the latest simply named initiative on that front, which has apparently offered up speed improvements of 25 to 60 percent in its early testing phases. How does this magical quickening work? Google grabs content from your servers, rewrites pages with performance best practices, and sends them out through its own servers. The service has raised a few eyebrows, but Google insists that Page Speed Service is all about improving performance, not collecting information for future advertising opportunities.
Google refines search experience for big-fingered tablet owners
Having trouble selecting those tiny links with your big, ol' digits on that swanked-out slab? Don't you worry, Google's just made some slate-friendly improvements to its bread and butter search site, and it's available for iPad and Honeycomb 3.1+ users. On deck for this UI refresh: a much simplified search results page, larger-sized buttons and text, and a quick access button located below the search box that skips you off to "Images, Videos, Places, Shopping and more." There's also been some visual tweaks made to its image search results, with enlarged previews, faster thumbnail loading and continuous scrolling. If you're not seeing this overhauled layout just yet, sit tight -- the update's expected to roll out in the next few days.
iPhone 4 gets upgraded for NFC payments the hard way
Softbank customers in Japan can simply get an NFC sticker to add some contact-less payments to their iPhone 4, but most folks don't have it quite so easy just yet. There are some alternatives while you wait for Apple to hop on the NFC bandwagon, however, like this solution from Unplggd's Vivian Kim. It uses one of the smaller NFC-equipped credit cards now available from some banks, which is apparently just small enough to fit under the back cover of an iPhone 4 (a clear one, in this case, to show off your cleverness). And, yes, it apparently still works just fine under there -- even if you add a case on top of it.
LauncherPro dev's skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market
We were thoroughly infatuated with LauncherPro developer Federico Carnale's then-unnamed music app the first time we saw it in beta, bringing Metro UI styled playback to our Android lifestyles. Now UberMusic v1.0 is available on the Android Market, flexing its customizable skills for the princely sum of $3.49. Don't think this is just some ripoff however, while one of the skins (that can also be found on the Market) is a Zune lookalike, third parties can make it look however they might like, including the widgets. If you missed our demo the first time around you can check out the video after the break to see why we're so excited, or hit the source link to purchase now. Allergic to spending money on apps? Don't give up all hope, as the creator tweets an ad-supported free version may be on the way as well. Continue reading LauncherPro dev's skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market
IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow
Well, the numbers are in and Q2's proved to be a mixed bag for the mobile market. According to IDC, cellphone makers shipped a total of 365.4 million units last quarter, a year-over-year increase of 11.3 percent. Nokia, while still the world's largest handset maker, suffered a significant blow, with shipments dropping from 111.1 million in Q2 2010 to 88.5 million; the company's market share was similarly down, hitting 24.2 percent, compared to last year's 33.8 percent. LG Electronics was the only other manufacturer to see a loss, with shipments dropping to 24.8 million from 30.6 million in 2010. Apple managed to maintain its recently acquired number four spot, with iPhone shipments hitting 20.3 million, up year-over-year from 8.4 million. RIM was conspicuously missing from the top five lineup, while ZTE landed the number five position. In news that shouldn't surprise anyone with a pulse, the feature phone market saw a decline this year, surprisingly its first since Q3 2009. If you're jonesing for more market share and shipping stats, hop on past the break for the full PR. Continue reading IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow
Engadget's next reader meetup happens in NYC on August 25th!
Oh, hi! How are you? It's been so long! We know, we've been busy, but we're going to be in town soon. Very soon! In less than a month we'll be having a get-together for lots and lots (and lots) of our closest friends -- and yes, you're totally invited. We'll be hosting the event on the evening of August 25th and it takes place at Guastavino's, a top-shelf venue on 59th Street in New York City. It'll be an all-ages gig where you and your friends can try out some of the hottest tech you've read about here, debate with the editors about Windows Phone vs. Android vs. iOS vs. RIM vs. whatever, and maybe go home with one of the many, many great prizes we'll be giving away.
We'll have more posts with more details in the coming weeks as we get closer to the day in question, but if you're a member of the media who would like to attend, an exhibitor who wants to show something off to the fans, or a sponsor who wants to be a part of the insanity (readers, hold tight!), please e-mail us at meetup at engadget dot com. Until then!
Engadget Primed: are multi-core chips worth the investment? Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.
My, how times have changed over the last eight months. At CES 2011, we ecstatically witnessed the introduction of mobile devices with dual-core CPUs and drooled over the possibilities we'd soon have at our fingertips. Now, we look down at anything that doesn't have more than one core -- regardless of its performance. Not only are these new chips quickly becoming mainstream, Moore's Law is in full effect with our handheld devices since tri-core and quad-core systems are just over the horizon. We can't even fathom what's in the pipeline for the year 2015 and beyond (we don't think we're too far away from that 3D shark seen in Back to the Future 2).
Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here, however. After all, we first need to wrap our puny human minds around the idea of what this newfound power can do, and why it's changing the entire landscape of smartphones and tablets. In this edition of Primed, we'll focus on why multicore technology makes such a difference in the way we use our handheld devices, whether we should even consider purchasing a handset with a single-core chip inside, and why one-core tech is so 2010. Check out the whole enchilada after the break. Continue reading Engadget Primed: are multi-core chips worth the investment?
AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great
AT&T today officially confirmed what so many had expected for some time now: the carrier will be throttling select users' unlimited data plans. The move, which takes effect on October 1st, is a response to a "serious wireless spectrum crunch," according to a message issued today. The changes will not affect most customers, according to the company, primarily targeting those who fall within the top five percent of heavy users in a given billing cycle. Once the new period begins, speeds will be restored. Even with this new plan in place, however, the company says that the spectrum problems still won't be resolved -- it does have a simple solution, however, explaining that "nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges." Full text after the break. Continue reading AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great
We see countless laptops come and go through the seasons, but a rare few have built up something of a following. Make no mistake: the Sony VAIO Z, a skinny ultraportable brimming with cutting-edge technology and powerful innards, is that kind of gem. So when it disappeared from Sony's online store earlier this year, more than a few techies took note. After all, the Z is part of a small fraternity of notebooks that combine an impossibly lightweight design with performance worthy of a larger system. People who missed out on the last-gen Z wondered when they'd next get the chance to buy, while some lucky folks out there with thousands to burn started itching for something thinner, something lighter, something... better.
Well, it's here. The 2011 VAIO Z is, indeed, thinner, lighter, and more powerful. It also might not be the Z you were expecting. Whereas the last generation combined it all, cramming in an optical drive and switchable graphics, this year's model leaves much of that at the door -- or, at least, in an external dock that ships with the laptop. This time around, the Z has no optical drive, and packs just an integrated Intel graphics card on board. (Don't worry, it does squeeze in lots of other goodies, including standard-voltage Sandy Bridge processors and expanded solid-state storage.) If you want that Blu-ray burner or the stock AMD Radeon HD 6650M graphics card, you'll have to plug into the Power Media Dock, an external peripheral that uses Intel's Light Peak technology.
That's quite the gamble Sony is taking -- after all, the company is essentially betting that you won't need to do anything too intensive while you're on the go. On the one hand, this inventive design is sure to intrigue the Z's usual early adopter fanbase. But will it satisfy those who always liked the Z because of its no-compromise design? And then there's the issue of that $1,969 starting price, a likely stumbling block for people trying to decide between this and an equally thin, less expensive ultraportable. What's a well-heeled geek to do? Let's find out.
At $800, Leica's D-Lux 5 is one of the company's more affordable cameras, and it boasts the same trademark, understated style that you'd expect from some of its considerably pricier offerings. Colorware's new custom D-Lux 5, on the other hand, costs $1,200 (or $400 if you send your own camera in), and it can range from somewhat subtle in appearance to downright garish depending on your color choices. Of course, there is also a happy, stylish medium, but you'll have to decide for yourself if that's worth the $400 premium -- heck, that's almost enough to buy a Colorware'd Dyson Air Multiplier.
System Administrator Appreciation Day is here, show them some love (or suffer the consequences)
Last year, on July 29th, we asked you to show a little love to your sysadmin because, without them, our world would probably come to a screeching halt. We suggested a card, or at least a polite nod in the hallway. Instead, you went all out and actually gave them a bit of raise. That doesn't mean you can let System Administrator Appreciation Day slip by this year without acknowledgment, however. We're not saying you've got to outdo yourselves and get them some sort of super yacht -- a simple thanks will do. But, they probably wouldn't mind a repeat of last year's gift either.
If you're reading magazines on your iPad, there's a fairly good chance that you're using Zinio. Released today, version 2.0 of the Zinio app for iPad makes it easier to hand over those newsstand-like per-issue fees with in-app purchasing, while also adding a variety of free preview content, including access to current articles from thousands of top publications. The app's new Explore section hosts this new free content, which updates daily and includes stories from magazines like Esquire, Rolling Stone, and Elle. The new app also features significant performance boosts, like we saw with last month's Android update, in-magazine shopping, and advanced bookmarks. Another update in the coming months will bring social media capabilities, such as bookmark and article sharing. We'd still love to see lower per-issue and subscription rates, but we're happy to welcome free article content in the meantime. Jump past the break for a video overview, along with a sneak peek at those social media features with Zinio CEO Rich Maggiotto. Continue reading Zinio 2.0 for iPad adds in-app purchasing, free article preview (video)
That's me above, on the left. I'm Robin, reaping all of the benefits of fighting supervillians on the mean streets of Gotham, without the whole thing about watching my parents brutally murdered by a mob boss. All things considered, life was pretty good, growing up in the East Bay in the '80s, save for the fact that my cousin was somehow promoted to the role of Batman - most likely because he was visiting from afar (and maybe brought his own costume up from Southern California). And then there's the whole holding hands thing -- I can pretty much guarantee that ended the moment the photographer parent put the camera down. I mean, Arkham Asylum isn't going to patrol itself.
Despite early photographic evidence to the contrary -- and a few select themed birthday parties -- I was never really a DC Comics kid growing up. I'd chalk a fair amount of that up to the fact that, so far as these photo albums indicate, I didn't arrive on a rocketship from an exploding homeland, and was never independently wealthy, as the poor tailoring job on the Robin suit can attest. Continue reading Growing Up Geek: Brian Heater
3D-printed plane takes to the skies, sounds like a Black & Decker (video)
You know what's pleasing about this plastic drone, aside from the fact it flies? It took just a week to design and build from scratch, thanks to the labor-saving wonders of 3D printing. Each component was formed in ultra-thin layers by a laser beam trained on a bed of raw material -- either plastic, steel or titanium powder depending on the required part. If designers at the University of Southampton wanted to experiment with elliptical wings, they simply printed them out. If they thought a particular brand of WWII nose cone might reduce drag, they pressed Ctrl-P. And if they reckoned they could invent a wingless flying steamroller... Er, too late. Anyway, as the video after the break reveals, there's never been a better time for the work-shy to become aeronautical engineers. Continue reading 3D-printed plane takes to the skies, sounds like a Black & Decker (video)
Yes yes, y'all: it's the Engadget Podcast. We're brimming this week, as usual, with the low down on what's going down with all the new stuff. We've got the killer combo of lots of streaming news and a dearth of optical drives. We've got shaky earnings calls translating into big deals on the floor at Best Buy. And boy, do we have a little bit of Android news? We do! It's all here, as usual. Enjoy.
Google launches Hotel Finder, finds a way to recycle Google Maps reviews
By now, it should be no secret that Google wants to get up in your online trip-planning business (if it wasn't somehow there already). First, there was the announcement that El Goog would buy ITA, the company serving up pretty much all of your online ticketing options -- a deal that stillhasn't closed. Then came flight schedule searches and now, the outfit's rounding it all out by throwing hotels into the mix. The company just launched Hotel Finder, a service that lets you -- wait for it -- find a place to lay your weary head in these great fifty states. At first glance, it's little more than a specific use case for Google Maps -- just type in a city or US zip code to get a map with the usual spreads of pinpoints. Though Google won't be the middleman booking your hotel reservation, you can use the tool to fine-tune your search, drawing circles on the map to scour multiple neighborhoods. As you'd expect, you can also whittle the search by price and rating, and read reviews that people originally posted on Google Maps. One thing we're liking about the UI is that you don't have to open a new tab to read the full spill on a hotel -- you can just click the listing to see it expand right there, alongside pretty photo collages. Hit the source link to poke around, though if its bare-bones simplicity turns you off, don't say Google didn't warn you -- the tool is so new that Google isn't calling it a "beta" so much as an...experiment.
Duke University's underwater invisibility cloak stills troubled waters
Everyone's jumping on the invisibilitycloakingbandwagon these days, but no one's quite managed to fully deliver on the promise. The same goes for two Duke University researchers who believe their mesh casing could grant the gift of concealment to underwater craft -- submarines, anyone? According to the proposed model, a specially designed shell punctuated by complex patterns of permeability and millimeter-sized pumps would eliminate the drag and turbulent wake caused by an object as it moves through the water. Utilizing the penetrable gaps in the case, water would at first accelerate, and then decelerate to its original speed before exiting -- rendering the fluid around the object virtually undisturbed. Now for the bad news: the design doesn't quite work for large-scale, real-world implementations -- hello again, submarines -- since the tech can only cloak small structures, like "a vehicle one centimetre across... [moving] at speeds of less than one centimetre per second." It's a massive bummer, we know, but we're getting there folks -- you just won't see it when it actually happens.
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet gets an August 23rd release
Lenovo had a bit of an issue saving the date for its summer tablet launch, but no longer. Confirmed via a product page on the company's site, its Honeycomb-flavored ThinkPad Tablet will finally hit retailers' shelves on August 23rd. If you're not into waiting that long, you can always snag the IdeaPad K1 -- we hear Lisa Stansfield recommends it.
