Huawei Ascend G710 reportedly spied touting a 5-inch, 720p screen
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Via: Engadget Chinese (translated)
Source: Evleaks (Twitter)
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LG Cinema Beam short-throw laser projector and 100-inch screen released in Korea
One of LG's more surprising product introductions at CES 2013 was its "HECTO" laser projector, which -- when combined with its accompanying 100-inch screen -- is capable of tossing a 1080p image from just 22-inches away. While we'd heard it's coming to the US in March, the projector is out in Korea today branded Cinema Beam TV, available for those ready to drop 9 million won ($8,322) on the package. It has a claimed 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and can accept video via WiDi or Miracast for wireless streaming from a PC or mobile device, while LG also says its laser light source is eco-friendly thanks to a mercury free design and extra long lifetime. The price tag is said to be around $10K when it ships here, apparently the company feels its unique capabilities make it a perfect fit for commercial installations like sports bars, or just high-end home theater customers that value its small footprint.
Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, LG
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Source: LG Korea
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Astro Gaming officially unleashes A30 & A40 PC editions, drops prices to $100 & $150
Astro Gaming's A40 headset and Mixamp Pro have generally gotten yearly revisions, but the portability-inclined A30 hasn't received the same love since its inception. That's officially changed this week, as the company's announced its 2013 PC editions (standalone versions) of the A30 and A40 stereo headsets are now available. Although the new units began shipping with the company's Mixamp-packing Audio System bundles last November, this is the first time it's really blasting the airwaves about the A30's revision. Both editions feature re-tuned drivers touting better response for bass and cleaner output, along with a re-tooled approach to the quick disconnect cables and a new media cable with a revised inline remote and mic. The revised cabling setup allows 3.5mm cables to plug directly into the headsets, making for easier replacements and swapping (previous versions had you connect to a short cable hung from the earcup, with a dual-pole connector).
Perhaps best of all, the A30 is now priced thirty bucks less at $100 (finally!), while the A40's been reduced to $149 (down from $199). If you recently purchased one, don't fret either -- Astro also let us know that orders placed the 11th of this month have shipped out with the 2013 editions. Hit up the press release after the break for more info while deciding if one of 'em might be your new ticket to supreme gaming sound.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE ships to US Cellular
Americans wanting a Galaxy Note 10.1 LTE of their own have largely been biding their time for a Verizon model. They're still waiting for that variant to show, but US Cellular isn't -- it just started shipping its own variant of the 4G tablet. From all indications, the slate is largely a branding swap that's adapted to the carrier's network, which is good news for prospective buyers who aren't dead set on Big Red. Pricing might give at least some customers pause, however. US Cellular's Note 10.1 LTE costs $500 only when it's paired with at least a 2GB data plan, and $800 no strings attached. With that kind of outlay, you'll want to be fully committed to the concept of pen-based computing before picking one up.
Filed under: Tablets, Samsung
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Via: Android Central
Source: US Cellular
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Bomberman gets unofficial web-based version, crams in up to 1,000 online players
This is about to ruin any hopes you had of a productive day. Bombermine, an unofficial version of SNES throwback, Super Bomberman, is a web-based gift that lets you face-off against up to 1,000 players in a single game. Borrowing the same scoresheet setup of a first-person shooter, you'll auto-generate within an existing game once you've picked a username. Beta servers in Europe, the US and Japan all went live earlier this week. The gameplay is unaffected by the transition, although there are some new additions, like a chat window and even a Nyancat-tainted power-up to bring this terrible, terrible time-sink up to date. Get your work in order, then meet us on the servers at the source link.
Filed under: Gaming
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Via: TNW
Source: Bombermine
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The Daily Roundup for 02.27.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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Pandora establishes 40-hour mobile listening cap for free users
Remember the good ol' days of Pandora? Well, it turns out that you were living in it until today. Just this afternoon, the music streaming service revealed that it's become necessary to return to the 40 hour caps from times long ago -- only this time around, it applies only to mobile users. If you may recall, Pandora dropped these caps in September 2011, but steeper royalty costs have forced the company's hand in the matter. What does this mean for you? Well, unless you fit within the four percent of Pandora listeners that jam out on a mobile device for more than 40 hours per month, you're unlikely to ever notice the change. Meanwhile, heavy users will need to pay $0.99 to continue listening for the remainder of the month. Naturally, you can also lay down $3.99 per month (or $36 per year) for Pandora One, which will kick both those limits and pesky ads to the curb.
Filed under: Internet
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Via: TechCrunch
Source: Pandora Blog
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This is the Modem World: Why we go retro
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.
So I was listening to Howard Stern on my way home from work the other night. Satellite radio came with my car and, whether you like him or not, Stern's a pretty good companion in LA traffic. I happen to like him. Anyway.
"You know Gary," he prodded, "I'm gonna use a horse and buggy instead of a car, just because it's cool."
Turns out he was giving Producer Gary Dell'Abate a hard time about his love for vinyl. Gary did his best to defend the hobby, saying it has been scientifically proven that analog sounds better than digital, that it's just something people do for fun and that it's a really interesting subculture.
Of course, he didn't win.
Filed under: Misc
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Elon Musk says Tesla will repay Department of Energy loan well before 2022 due date
Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, has been the focus of many headlines lately due to a certain, well-documented kerfuffle with The New York Times. Today, however, the automotive company's chief isn't questioning any reviews. Instead, he's taken to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy summit to share his belief that Tesla Motors will pay off that $465 million loan from the US Department of Energy well ahead of when it's expected to -- in five years, rather than ten, to be precise. Musk's comments shouldn't come as a surprise, however, given that the Model S maker has been paying its DOE-borrowed cash on time and before the deadlines -- something it's been able to accomplish despite being far from a money-making machine at the moment. For the Department of Energy, meanwhile, this all sounds like music to the ears, especially since it knows that not all EVs always work out as planned.
Filed under: Transportation
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Source: Technology Review
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Stretchable, serpentine lithium-ion battery works at three times its usual size
While we've seen more than a few flexible batteries in our day, they're not usually that great at withstanding tugs and pulls. A team-up between Northwestern University and the University of Illinois could give lithium-ion batteries that extreme elasticity with few of the drawbacks you'd expect. To make a stretchable battery that still maintains a typical density, researchers built electrode interconnects from serpentine metal wires that have even more wavy wires inside; the wires don't require much space in normal use, but will unfurl in an ordered sequence as they're pulled to their limits. The result is a prototype battery that can expand to three times its normal size, but can still last for eight to nine hours. It could also charge wirelessly, and thus would be wearable under the skin as well as over -- imagine fully powered implants where an external battery is impractical or unsightly. There's no word yet on whether there will be refined versions coming to real-world products, but we hope any developments arrive quickly enough to give stretchable electronics a viable power source.
Filed under: Wearables, Science, Alt
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Via: ScienceDaily
Source: Nature
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Nintendo's stork to deliver 3DS models in blue and pink to Japan
If you're a gamer and love you some bright colors, Nintendo's got just the bundle of joy with a couple of new 3DS models. "Pink Gloss" and "Light Blue" colors will arrive to the handheld console on March 20th along with a boost in memory from the usual 2GB to 4GB for 15,000 yen (about $160). The rug might be pulled from under your brightly-hued dreams if you're not in Japan, though -- only players in that country will be able to nab it.
Filed under: Gaming, Nintendo
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Via: Engadget.jp
Source: Nintendo Japan (translated)
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NTT DoCoMo confirms successful 10Gbps wireless test, clears a path to 5G
No, it's not the world's most conspicuous surveillance van -- it's one of the first steps toward 5G data. NTT DoCoMo has just confirmed that the gear-laden vehicle above successfully conducted a 10Gbps wireless test in Ishigaki this December with the help of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The dry run relied on frequencies and bandwidth well outside of usual cellular service, in the 11GHz band with 400MHz of spectrum, but proved that it was possible to blow past the speeds of LTE and LTE-Advanced while moving outdoors; the test used 24 antennas to maintain the link. DoCoMo ultimately hopes for similar speed in frequencies over 5GHz, and it's not shy about hoping the technology will define mobile communication as it improves. Although we're not expecting this kind of breakneck performance in a phone for years, it's good to know that 4G isn't necessarily the end of the line.
Filed under: Wireless, Networking, Mobile
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Source: NTT DoCoMo
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DirecTV scores a batch of 4K TV trademarks, content remains a pie in the sky
Despite the flood of 4K TVs that are emerging this year, there won't be a lot of content to play on them in the near future short of space galleries and the World Cup. The team at DirecTV can't provide an immediate solution, but it's at least getting ahead of the curve with a spate of new trademarks. The satellite giant now owns trademarks for the terms 4K, 4KN, 4KNET, 4K Network and 4KNetwork, the lot of which would cover broadcasts, streaming and VOD -- all hinting that the company is at least toying with the prospect of a 4K-only channel or service. Don't get your hopes up, however. DirecTV has declined comment, and there's a big difference between securing a trademark and having the resources to do something with it. We'll have to wait for sufficient capacity on TV networks -- and in our wallets -- before 4K TV channels exist as more than names.
[Image credit: Brian Cantoni, Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Source: FierceCable
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Editorial: Google Glass contest elicits mild uses for wild tech
Google's #ifihadglass contest advertises for "bold, creative individuals" to start carrying pre-production builds of Glass later this year. Since most people flatter themselves as dauntless and inspired, Google's challenge casts a wide net and applications are piling into Twitter. The contest apparently also seeks prosperous individuals willing to pay $1,500 for the prize, plus travel expense to pick it up. There might be good fiscal reasons for Google's parsimony, but I can't help noting that the $12 million of revenue generated by eager beta testers represents five-thousandths of 1 percent of the company's market cap, or one-tenth of a percent of its liquid cash.
Putting aside whatever demographic-shaping is in play, the more interesting question is whether Google will find its desired 8,000 bold creative types. The applications do not foretell blazing originality among foaming early adopters. If there is a depressing strain of mediocrity in the #ifihadglass Twitter stream, perhaps it speaks less to human limitation and more to intrinsic constraints of the device as it is currently understood.
Filed under: Peripherals, Wearables, Google
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Kindle Fire HD 8.9 up for pre-order in Japan, ships March 12th
Amazon decided last year it was time to take the Kindle brand to Japan, but for some reason, the Fire HD 8.9 wasn't invited. Not being one to hold grudges, the biggest Kindle slate has agreed to a belated introduction, and is now available for pre-order on Amazon's Japanese portal, and in several bricks-and-mortar stores. Parting with 24,800 yen (around $269) will reserve you a 16GB model, or you can double that storage to 32GB for a total price of 29,800 yen (around $323). Both configurations are WiFi-only, and will begin shipping to early adopters on March 12th. If you've been holding out for that extra 1.9 inches, head for the link below to get in on the first batch, or peruse the Japanese PR if you're keen to hear the full pitch.
Filed under: Tablets, Amazon
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Via: Impress Watch
Source: Amazon
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Slickdeals' best in tech for February 27th: Sony NEX-6 bundle and Klipsch Image E1 in-ears
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.
If you've been thinking about splurging on a mirrorless camera, now might be your chance. A Sony NEX-6 bundle hits the list today with memory card, lens, $50 gift card and Adobe software in tow. Of course, there are four other stellar deals waiting just past the break too. Coupon codes are required for a number of today's selections, so be sure to include those at checkout.
Filed under: Cameras, Home Entertainment, Laptops, Portable Audio/Video
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Source: Slickdeals
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Ustream on PlayStation 4: discovery, one-click sharing and being 'a modern day cable provider'
"We've partnered with some of the biggest and most influential social networks in the world, including Facebook and Ustream, to bring gamers' friends into games like never before," former Gaikai CEO David Perry told attendees of Sony's PlayStation 4 event last week. It was the only mention Ustream got during the show, despite the video streaming service playing a critical role in Sony's next video game console. In-tandem with the PlayStation 4's new DualShock 4 controller and its "Share" button, users will be able to quickly upload saved gameplay video clips or directly stream their game out to the internet. The console's lead system architect, Mark Cerny, expanded on the importance of the Share button and its implications to the PlayStation 4 during last week's presentation. "Social play is so important to PlayStation 4 that we've added in hardware to support it, in the form of dedicated, always-on video compression and decompression systems," he said.
We saw a bit of the game sharing / streaming interface during Sony's presentation, but were left wondering about specifics: how will discovery work? and what of other, non-gaming Ustream content? Thankfully, Ustream CEO Brad Hunstable was able to offer up most of our answers in a recent interview. "Our goal is to allow discovery in a very clean user experience, both in discovery on the console itself and on various platforms that the content'll be available on (like Ustream, Twitter, and Facebook)," Hunstable said. He wouldn't speak to the specifics of how that discovery will work, nor would he say if you'll be able to sign-in simply using your PlayStation Network ID or if you'll have to sign up for a separate Ustream account, but he stressed that the decisions being made are, "based on what's easiest and best for the gamer." That same rubric is (thankfully) being applied to functionality. "The goal is to make sure it's very easy -- one click of a button, super simple -- and most importantly make sure it looks really, really good. And is viewable wherever people want to watch it from," Hunstable said.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, HD, Sony
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Google Chrome 25 for Android arrives with background audio
If you've ever tried to play audio from a web app in Chrome for Android, you've likely had the fun cut short the moment your attention wandered over to Google Maps or Instagram. A stable version of Chrome 25 is here to address that headache. Audio in the new browser build will continue to play in the background, and optionally pauses if there's an incoming phone call. Google has less perceptible upgrades behind the scenes, as well: multi-touch zoom and scrolling are faster, and the V8 rendering engine should be quicker on the draw with interactive pages. Those who won't wait for anything, including the end to an audio stream, can hit Google Play for the Chrome refresh.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
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Via: Chrome Releases
Source: Google Play
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UPenn robots spring into action, save wooden hero (video)
Like you, we assumed that the University of Pennsylvania robotics team wouldn't be able to top the wow factor of that amazing video of Quadrocopters playing the James Bond theme, but if this doesn't best it, it sure comes close. Marvel as a quadrocopter, RC truck and a team of scale shipping-containers-turned-autonomous-robotic-boats band together to aid a wood artist's model. It's quite the site to behold, and according to the University, all the researchers have to do is tell the boats the final shape -- in this case a curved, floating bridge. Video's after the break.
Filed under: Robots
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Caterpillar CAT B15 rugged smartphone hands-on
Caterpillar's signature yellow and black CAT branding was definitely spinning heads and getting passerby's attention as it showed off its rugged B15. As far as tough goes the handset's corners are wrapped in rubber with the connections in between covered with anodized aluminum. The B15 is IP67 certified, which means both protected from dust and waterproof up to 3.3 feet for 30 minutes and can be dropped from about six feet and live to tell the tale -- you, however, may not. Other notables include a 4-inch WVGA display, dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9 and a 5-megapixel camera that'll shoot 720p video and can do continuous pic shooting.
Sadly, we forgot our rubber mallet at home so we couldn't try to beat it to pieces but we did appreciate the housing on the CAT phone it's surprisingly nice to hold and well put together. Sure, there's a wee bit of overkill with the tough machine branding, but we're sure this phone will garner a bit of a following. Our favorite bit? The Caterpillar phone features something called wet finger tracking, so even if you happen to fall into a deep puddle while using your B15, you can finish whatever you were up to before tumbling. The B15 ships in March for a cool $436, though, there's no word on what carrier's planning to scoop this up -- see what we did there? There's a gallery of the B15 in all its tough guy splendor after the break.
Gallery: Caterpillar CAT B15 rugged smartphone hands-on
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Announcing the Insert Coin: New Challengers judges!
You've already voted for your favorite Insert Coin: New Challengers finalist, right? What? You haven't yet? What are you waiting for? Seriously. The voting's nearly closed! We've already whittled the list down to 10 finalists and asked you to help us get things down to five. Of course, there can only be one big winner, and for that we're bringing in the big guns.
MAKE Magazine Editor-in-Chief and Boing Boing co-editor Mark Frauenfelder will be joining us at Expand to help present the top five projects, each of whom will be getting time on our stage to convince readers and judges alike that they deserve to take home the top prize of $20,000. As for the judges themselves, we couldn't be happier -- the list includes four of the biggest names from the world of design, DIY, crowdfunding and gadget blogging. Check out the judges, after the break.
Filed under: Announcements
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E Ink reference phone and flexible display hands-ons (video)
Looking for your dream phone? Chances are, this isn't it -- but it could be the precursor to what could eventually be cradled in your pocket, especially if you are a fan of E Ink. The device seen above and in the first gallery below is one of just five prototypes of the E-ink reference phone in existence. The point? The company wants to have a tangible Android-powered (2.3.5 Gingerbread, to be exact) model to give to potential partners, so they can craft something similar down the road. We're told that it will most likely be used on the back of color phones, much like the YotaPhone, but partners are welcome to get crazy on the front screen as well. No official timeframe for availability or seeding has been set, but it is expected to roll out in limited capacity sometime this year.
Official specs are few and far between, but what we do know is that this nameless phone is driven by a Cortex-A5 CPU of some kind. Given that this is an extremely early prototype, the E Ink device had a lot of bugs when we played with it: force closes, reboots and slow response are among the things we noticed. However, we imagine this will continue to improve with time, so by the time of seeding it may be a completely different story.
The UI reminds us of a simplistic feature phone geared toward the basic user, with six icons on the front screen including an app menu. As we'd expect, the phone is great for reading books, and it comes with the option to install applications (though it's possible most games wouldn't look that great). You can also shake the device to clean the text in case it ends up getting "dirty," or misaligned.
Gallery: E Ink prototype hands-on
Gallery: E Ink flexible display prototype hands-on
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
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PlayStation 4 announcement stream drew 8 million viewers, 1 million concurrent peak
Ustream viewers were really engaged by Sony's big PlayStation 4 hullaballoo last week -- around eight million folks tuned in to the live broadcast on Ustream, with a whopping 1 million concurrents at peak viewing. On average, said viewer watched the two hour and five minute press conference for one full hour. To put that in perspective, the average Ustream viewer in general watches a given broadcast for 20 minutes, effectively meaning the average PlayStation 4 event viewer tripled the norm.
Ustream CEO Brad Hunstable told Engadget that the numbers are emblematic of his company's worldwide infrastructure strength, and a good example of why Sony chose Ustream for sharing game footage and streaming on its next console, the PlayStation 4. "Game consoles are global in nature," Hunstable pointed out. "We need to be able to serve both, from broadcasting out of the console and to the viewers, on a global basis. To be able to do that, you need an infrastructure footprint that's on a massive scale. We're the only ones that have that."
The video streaming company boasts offices around the globe -- "two in the US, one in Europe, and two in Asia; 180 employees strong," Hunstable told us -- and it already has partnerships with a variety of media and electronics companies, from Viacom to Panasonic. Despite the PlayStation 4 partnership, Hunstable said Ustream's game console plans extend beyond a single next-gen box. "We're absolutely free to work with all partners. Our vision is to have Usteam be ubiquitous. We wanna power the world's live broadcasting. If that happens to be on a gaming console, which increasingly it is, we wanna have a place there." Of course, we've yet to hear Microsoft' next-gen plans, but it sounds like nothing's off the table for Ustream just yet. "There'll be a lot more coming for certain, not just about this announcement but all of the things that we have in store for gamers around the world," Hunstable teased.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software, HD, Sony
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Sony begins exploring Firefox OS, dares Xperia E owners to experiment with new ROM
Well, that didn't take long. A mere couple of days after announcing it, too, would be jumping on the Firefox OS bandwagon, Sony's now let it be known that it's making an "experimental" ROM available to devs (or any common, daring owner) with an Xperia E device. According the company's Developer World blog post, this developmental version of Mozilla's fresh mobile software is being released in order to show the current progress of the OS project, as well as in hopes of receiving feedback that'll be beneficial toward the finished product. Folks interested in tinkering with the Firefox OS ROM can hit the source link below to see what it all entails, while those only looking for a quick peek will find just that in the video situated right after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile
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Via: The Verge
Source: Sony Developer World
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The Engadget Interview: Qualcomm's Rob Chandhok on the Internet of things at MWC 2013
Few people understand the Internet of things better than Rob Chandhok -- president of Internet services at Qualcomm -- and we had the chance to sit down with him in Barcelona after our interview with Raj Talluri. We chatted about AllJoyn, a set of open source services which the company just revamped to incorporate a simple notification protocol -- an "SMS for things" -- small and durable enough to be useful for the life on an appliance, like a fridge or a washer. This provides a universal mechanism for notification and control, such as WiFi on-boarding, for example. He also mentioned AllJoyn audio, a streaming protocol that Qualcomm and DoubleTwist collaborated on. We then discussed various approaches and network topologies for building the Internet of things, such as IPv6-connected products with cloud-based logic vs. devices on local area networks that interact with the Internet via gateways (something that's prevalent in modern home automation). Check out the full interview video after the break.
Filed under: Misc, Networking, Mobile
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