IT News Head Lines (Engadget) 4/10/2012

Philips' new ErgoSensor desktop display demands that you sit up straight

Remember those halcyon days when your mother would chide you to sit up straight should you ever start to slouch? Good news, desk jockeys, because Philips' ErgoSensor desktop monitor is here to stop your stooping now that mom's no longer around -- and it doesn't require you to wear some silly plastic pendant or occupy any of your USB real estate. The 24-inch, 250-nit, 1920 x 1080 display has a sensor in its bezel that watches you while you work, and warns you when your posture becomes poor or if you've been staring at the screen too long. It also informs users how to set up the monitor for optimal viewing distance and ergonomic position. Plus, it can tell when you're not around and shut the screen off to conserve power. We don't know how much money the monitor will cost or even when it'll be available to fix your poor sitting form, but we do know you can learn everything else about it at the source below.

Philips' new ErgoSensor desktop display demands that you sit up straight originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 23:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How would you change ASUS' Transformer Prime?

"All hail the new king," was how we capped off our review of the Transformer Prime, which simply blew us away. Gaming performance was astonishing and it only improved when Ice Cream Sandwich appeared in the middle of this year's CES. In fact, the only issues we could find involved a less-than-ideal speaker placement, slightly flat color reproduction and the fact that the keyboard dock and battery is an additional $150. The company's even getting around fixing the GPS issue with the soon-to-be-released dongle attachment. But then we wanna hear your opinions about how this thing behaves in the real world: what are your feelings using this thing on a daily basis? Can you use it instead of a laptop or Ultrabook? What do you love, what do you hate and, if Asus' was watching, how would you change it?

How would you change ASUS' Transformer Prime? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: autos galore, electric trees and the world's largest rooftop farm

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

Flying cars and taxis of the future drove out of our imaginations and onto the show floor of the 2012 New York Auto Show this week as autophiles poured into the Jacob Javits Center from far and wide. Inhabitat editors left no hybrid or electric cars unturned as they scoped out gems like the Fisker Karma's lower-priced but equally-sexy cousin, the Fisker Atlantic, and Infiniti's revolutionary LE electric car, which will use the world's first wireless home charging system. We were also wowed by reveals of the Lincoln MKZ hybrid vehicle and a special guest appearance by the back-to-the-futuristic electric DeLorean (shown above).

Even though we kicked the week off with some pretty plausible April Fool's Day stories, some of the actual events from the past few days proved that truth is often stranger than fiction. Case in point: this Indian man single-handedly planted a 1,360 acre forest (really makes you question what you've accomplished in your life, doesn't it?) and a spooky unmanned Japanese ghost ship was recently spotted off the coast of Canada floating aimlessly in the sea. In other news, Harry the Hermit crab was picky about his abodes until he was presented with a custom-made LEGO shell, and the electric blue trees that sprouted up in Seattle weren't stragglers from a Dr. Seuss book, but rather the work of an artist calling attention to the dangers of deforestation. On the other hand, some reforestation is about to take place in NYC, as Marty Markowitz and celebrity chef Mario Batali announced that the world's largest rooftop farm will be coming to Brooklyn in 2013. And finally, it seems the media made April Fools of themselves last week when they jumped to the false conclusion that taxpayer money was lost after Solar Trust of America filed for bankruptcy.

The world of design presented us with some inspiring new developments this week as we delved deep into tiny terrarium worlds, ogled IKEA's otherworldly new jellyfish lamp and witnessed an eco Easter egg sprout mini skyscrapers just in time for the holiday. More strides were also made in the race for cleaner energy as this young savant at the University of Delaware developed a self-sustaining solar reactor that could revolutionize clean energy as we know it and Bayer revealed a new seismic wallpaper that could actually keep walls from collapsing in an earthquake. Not to be outdone, scientists from Austria and Japan announced that they created micro-thin solar cells narrower than spider silk and Chinese researchers unlocked the secret of butterfly wings to make solar electricity more efficient. And, of course, no tech recap would be complete without an innovation from Google - the search giant just unveiled its new pair of "Project Glass" augmented reality glasses.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: autos galore, electric trees and the world's largest rooftop farm originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 20:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Refresh Roundup: week of April 2nd, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of April 2nd, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of April 2nd, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 19:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Too late for Easter: Chocolate printer to hit eBay in April, cost $4,000

Confection connoisseurs hoping to skip the whole "molded chocolate" routine for something more constructive won't have to wait long: Choc Edge's delectable 3D dessert printer is almost ready. The Choc Creator is the brainchild of Liang Hao and a kitchen of assistant cooks -- additional research at the University of Brunel, software by developer Delcam, oversight from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and funding from the Research Councils UK's Digital Economy program. Hao founded Choc Edge to distribute the completed machines, the first of which will be available from eBay on April 10th. Of course, pre-orders are also available for £2,488, or just under $4,000. Yes, the price of printing your own sweets is steep, but when you take that first bite into your custom Engadget logo -- won't it be worth it?

Too late for Easter: Chocolate printer to hit eBay in April, cost $4,000 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 19:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: Not weaned from Windows
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

This recent announcement that Dell would not be pursuing new smartphones for the time being following the retirement of its Venue Windows Phone devices raised the spotlight on PC companies -- at least those other than Apple -- and why they have struggled so mightily in the US smartphone market. Virtually every major PC company, including HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and ASUS, has either passed completely on entering the domestic market or released only a handful of models without much carrier support behind them. HP, of course, made the largest investment in mobile with the purchase of an ailing developer of devices and operating systems. But even before that Palm slapped its forehead, HP had only casually flirted with smartphones, releasing a few token Windows Mobile smartphones.

PC companies have been fighting the battle with some heavy handicaps.

To be fair to these companies, the investment demands of the ultra-competitive smartphone market have proven formidable for many companies, including many, like Motorola, Nokia and RIM, that were once considered masters of the game. Even companies that have not seen such a prolonged decline, like HTC, can find the tables turned on them in the course of a financial quarter. But PC companies have been fighting the battle with some heavy handicaps.
Continue reading Switched On: Not weaned from Windows

Switched On: Not weaned from Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices

If your smartphone Sunday lacks the holiday flair you were hoping for, Microsoft is serving up a basket full of economically priced Easter eggs. Seven Xbox Live Windows Phone games have shed their premium pricing for the weekend, letting patient gamers pick up titles like Angry Birds and Max and the Magic Marker for the standard 99 cents. Other titles in the hitherto unannounced sale include Burn the Rope, Doodle God, Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp, IonBallEX and De Blob. Just in time for folks who need more than bunny-shaped GPS routes to celebrate Easter.

Microsoft discounts Xbox Live for Windows Phone games for Easter, offers iOS / Android prices originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gates Foundation collaborates with Manchester University to develop potable toilet water

It's an unsettling thought, having to drink water from that bowl in your bathroom, but if the need ever arose, wouldn't you be glad to know it was clean and safe? Dr. Sarah Haigh, a researcher into the properties of nanomaterials at Manchester University, is currently pursuing this goal with a $100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With the help of nanomaterials and bacteria, Haigh believes that hydrogen can be easily extracted from not only the water, but human waste itself, which could then be processed into clean water. Should the system work effectively, Haigh stands to receive an additional $1,000,000 grant to further her research and develop inexpensive purification systems for use in nations without modern infrastructure. And you thought nothing worthwhile would come from purchasing Microsoft Office.

Gates Foundation collaborates with Manchester University to develop potable toilet water originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Open Kang Project brings hyper-customization to your nav bar (video)

Still dallying at the corner of Custom ROM Road? Then maybe the forthcoming update from Team Kang (AOKP Build 30, no less) will entice you onwards. The preview clip after the break reveals a new level of freedom for the ICS navigation bar, including the ability to add up to five buttons, assign them to apps or actions as you wish, modify their icons and add separate long-press functions. It also gives you the ability to incorporate Nova Launcher actions into the bar, effectively bringing a whole extra layer of customization. Reactions over at RootzWiki range from "I'm crying, this is a beautiful moment" to "I just broke my hand punching a wall," but the latter dude admitted he'd been drinking.
Continue reading Android Open Kang Project brings hyper-customization to your nav bar (video)

Android Open Kang Project brings hyper-customization to your nav bar (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 13:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Nokia Lumia 900 available today

Did our thorough Lumia 900 review convince you that a mix of polycarbonate hardware and Metro UI is where your smartphone future lies? Well, it's time to head to your nearest AT&T vendor because Nokia's latest effort to break America is here. Just don't forget those 100 bucks.

PSA: Nokia Lumia 900 available today originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix explains its recommendation system, can't find a reason for Adam Sandler's last movie

In case you've been wondering why Netflix tends to recommend the movies it does, there's a post on the company's Tech Blog breaking down the various levels of its system. Remember the Netflix Prize contest? Teams of researchers produced competing algorithms capable of more accurately predicting how members would rate movies, but while some of the early winning efforts are still in use, the million dollar solution was never implemented because the potential gains were too small to justify the engineering effort needed. Additionally, while Netflix still hasn't implemented individual profiles for household members yet, the blog indicates it does try to recommend something for everyone, seeking both accuracy and diversity -- which may explain some of more out there picks in our personal "recommended for you" list. Where available (read: outside the US) Facebook integration plays a part too, as well as a variety of information used to find movies similar to those previously viewed. The proof of how all these parts come together is ultimately judged by the viewers, so while we wait for part two of the post with more data to pore over -- is Netflix managing to accurately pull any flicks you want to watch out of its catalog?

Netflix explains its recommendation system, can't find a reason for Adam Sandler's last movie originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply

War. What is it good for? Well, if new use of technology by the US Navy has anything to do with it, finding Pirates for a start. By upgrading its existing Fire Scouts with new 3D laser imaging tech, it's hoped that the drones will be able to recognize the small ships used by these unscrupulous seafarers. The system, known as LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging, also known as LADAR) uses millions of laser pulses reflected off an object to create the three-dimensional image, which could then referenced against known pirate ships from a database. Ultimately, human operators will make the final call, to avoid any ED-209 style mis-understandings. That said, if you're taking the dingy out past the Californian breakwaters this summer, you might want to keep the stars and stripes in clear view, as that's where the Navy will be running its initial trials.

US Navy Fire Scouts will automatically spot pirates, give 30 seconds to comply originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Apr 2012 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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