USC battery wields silicon nanowires to hold triple the energy, charge in 10 minutes
There's no shortage of attempts to
build a better battery, usually with a few caveats.
USC may have ticked all the right checkboxes with its latest discovery, however. Its use of porous, flexible silicon
nanowires for the anodes in a lithium-ion battery delivers the high capacity, fast recharging and low costs that come with silicon, but without the fragility of earlier attempts relying on simpler silicon plates. In practice, the battery could deliver the best of all worlds. Triple the capacity of today's batteries? Full recharges in 10 minutes? More than 2,000 charging cycles? Check. It all sounds a bit fantastical, but USC does see real-world use on the horizon. Researchers estimate that there should be products with silicon-equipped lithium-ion packs inside of two to three years, which isn't long to wait if the invention saves us from constantly hunting for the nearest wall outlet.
Filed under:
Science
Comments
Via: Gizmodo
Source: USC
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AutoTether for Android produces an instant in-car hotspot
If you're anything like us, you get slightly twitchy when you can't use any of your WiFi-only devices when parked (or a passenger) in a car. You now won't even have to think about whether or not you're online, if you're an Android user. Inrete's new AutoTether app automatically invokes an Android phone's WiFi hotspot as soon as the handset pairs up with a given Bluetooth device: step into a ride with a Bluetooth-equipped stereo and you'll have an internet connection for every device inside, as long as you're present. Inrete sees its app as a syncing tool for its
Automatica car audio companion, but it clearly has uses for the kids'
Nexus 7 in the back seat or a significant other's
MacBook Air in the front. Check the Google Play link for what could be the next-best thing to a hotspot built
into the car itself.
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Cellphones,
Transportation,
Mobile
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Source: Google Play
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Google countersues BT over alleged IP networking patent violations
Google isn't letting
BT's Android patent lawsuit go unanswered, even if it's taking its sweet time. Over a year after BT struck first, Google has filed a countersuit against
BT that claims the provider is infringing four patents relating to IP-based conferencing and quality of service delivery. The search firm makes clear that its lawsuit is leverage for a possible truce: it's using the action as a "last resort" to fend off both BT and the patent holding companies that BT uses as proxies, according to a Google spokesperson. BT hasn't had a chance to respond -- or to be formally served, as of this writing -- but we can't imagine that a company which once sued over hyperlinks will simply agree to a stalemate.
Filed under:
Networking,
Internet,
Google
Comments
Via: Reuters
Source: TechCrunch
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Android 4.2.2 spreads to Nexus 4 with new battery sounds (update: no LTE)
No,
Nexus 4 users, Google hasn't forgotten about you. About a day after Google started pushing
Android 4.2.2 to most Nexus devices, the company's latest and greatest smartphone is also getting the patch over the air. When it shows, there will be a pair of small additional rewards for running the latest hardware -- the Nexus 4 now plays a unique sound when
wireless charging kicks in, as well as an updated low-battery sound. We wouldn't upgrade just to get the new tones, but they cap what's proving to be a
more significant update than the version number would suggest.
Update: As Brian Klug over at
AnandTech notes, Google both giveth and taketh away -- that very, very
unofficial LTE access disappears with the update. When 4G only worked in limited areas, and was never going to get official support, we won't cry too much.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
Google,
LG
Comments
Source: Android Central,
Google Git
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The Daily Roundup for 02.13.2013
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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Valve's Gabe Newell on reported layoffs: 'We aren't canceling any projects'
Valve head
Gabe Newell says the company isn't stopping any planned hardware initiatives, despite reports of layoffs at the company and the news that
hardware lead Jeri Ellsworth was fired. In a statement issued to Engadget, Newell said:
"We don't usually talk about personnel matters for a number of reasons. There seems to be an unusual amount of speculation about some recent changes here, so I thought I'd take the unusual step of addressing them. No, we aren't canceling any projects. No, we aren't changing any priorities or projects we've been discussing. No, this isn't about Steam or Linux or hardware or [insert game name here]. We're not going to discuss why anyone in particular is or isn't working here."
When pushed, company reps wouldn't confirm or deny layoffs at Valve, nor would they comment on the confirmed exit of Ellsworth. Valve's big push this year is hardware, as evidenced by the
company's presence at CES 2013 with a variety of
living room PC prototypes, dubbed by many as the "
Steambox." The company's also working on
virtual reality and wearable computing technology -- we'll hear more about Valve's VR plans
in mid-March at the Game Developer's Conference -- beyond its enormously popular game distribution platform,
Steam.
Filed under:
Gaming,
HD
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This is the Modem World: Japan is not weird
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.
There's a dotted line between geekdom and Japan -- some of us call ourselves "otaku;" we follow Japanese technology companies; we look to Japanese culture as a beacon of our tech-obsessed future; we dream of visiting Tokyo. And yet we love to criticize Japanese culture, as if to say, "Well, sure, they make cool stuff, but they sure are messed up."
I'm no expert on Japanese culture. While my visits to the island nation number in the double digits and I'm married to a citizen, I'm not about to claim any sort of authority on matters of Japan.
However, I'm pretty sure they're not as weird as we like to say they are. And if they are, we're just as off-kilter.
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Hulu Plus gets 'Kids Lock' feature on iPad, enhances the experience for little ones
Hulu's Kids Lock has already been
implemented on Android, and now it's time for the children-tailored, itty-bitty feature to make its way to iOS -- well, at least to the iPad. It's rather simple, really: Kids Lock essentially comes in the form of a virtual button on the app, allowing parents -- or whoever's in charge -- to easily secure their tiny loved ones into the
Hulu Kids experience. Meanwhile, getting back to the TV shows and movies watched by the bosses of the house is rather uncomplicated -- all there's to do is enter the account password and
bam, all is golden and everyone can go back to watching
Parenthood. Aside from Kids Lock, v2.7 doesn't add too much more, save for a few bugs being fixed and some backend enhancements to make
Hulu's iOS application more stable overall.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment,
Internet,
Software,
HD
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Source: Hulu Plus (iTunes)
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Asher Levine's fall 2013 fashion line goes future forward
Children of the '80s, you'll want to remember this name: Asher Levine. He's the young designer behind an also young label poised to make Marty McFly's vacuum-powered jacket from
Back to the Future Part II a real-life retail item. But more on that in a bit. As you might've already guessed, Levine's brand is atypical of the industry, one based upon the incorporation of technology and innovation with style. It sounds strange when you consider this is
fashion we're talking about -- a notoriously stodgy industry predicated upon its historical archives -- but then again, this is the very same designer that teamed up with
MakerBot for his fall 2012 collection. Oh, and did we mention he dresses the likes of Lady Gaga and will.i.am? There's that, too.
While that last crossover collaboration employed MakerBot's
Replicator for
3D-printed eyewear, Levine's current fall / winter 2013 line is taking things into a less cumbersome, more practical realm. Through a partnership with Phone Halo, a company focused on mobile Bluetooth solutions, apparel in this new collection will feature integrated tracking chips to help high-end clientele locate lost or misplaced luxury items via a customized TrackR app. So forget about last season's trends, Levine is committed to pushing things forward, while also daring to dream a little sci-fi dream.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Wearables,
Software,
Mobile
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NVIDIA posts Q4 2013 earnings: $1.1 billion in revenue, $174 million in profit
Earnings may be down slightly sequentially for the graphics and mobile CPU powerhouse, but things are still looking good compared to the same period last year. For the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013
NVIDIA is reporting $1.1 billion in revenue, a small dip from
last quarter's record $1.2 billion, but up from 2012's $950 million. That's an increase of 16.1 percent
year-over-year and, perhaps most importantly, net income was up 50 percent to $174 million. That does, however, mark a significant drop from Q3's $209 million in profits. Still, while it didn't offer specific numbers in its press release (those may come during the company's earnings call later today), NVIDIA declared that its Tegra business was continuing to grow. And its GPU division continued to put up impressive numbers, raking in $3.2 billion for the year, despite a sagging PC market. If you'd like to dig into all the financial particulars check out the PR after the break.
Update: In its earnings call, NVIDIA said Tegra products for smartphones and tablets, which include recent
Windows RT models, have risen 50 percent year-over-year to around $540 million. NVIDIA is also currently sampling 4G LTE modems with its
Tegra 4 processor, which
was announced at CES this year. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said that "LTE modems will allow Tegra to enter into new markets where LTE is necessary." Later in the call, Huang gave praise to the much-hyped
Project Shield, stating that the portable console will be a great companion device for GeForce, thus enhancing their case for the GPU. "We have more than just Android application processors," he said. "We have Android, we have Windows RT, we have Shield. Tegra is not just for smartphones."
Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Filed under:
NVIDIA
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Wikipedia adds watchlists to mobile web app, plans to release more features soon
With over three billion mobile pageviews last month,
Wikipedia certainly has the consumption side of information down. Mobile content creation, on the other hand, has been severely limited. Beginning with updates released today, the Wikimedia mobile web team aims to change that. This latest web app refresh includes the ability to log in or create an account to track articles on a user's watchlists. In addition, new users will see the watchlist star on their mobile devices as an incentive to create an account and join the community. Future updates will allow users to add photos and edit article content on the go, too -- but note that the
Wikipedia bots will be keeping all you mobile pranksters in check. Hit up the source link to get started.
Comments
Source: Wikimedia Blog
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BlackBerry PlayBook update adds BlackBerry World rebranding, puts SMS into Bridge
It isn't all about
the Z10, you know. BlackBerry just gave
PlayBook owners some equal time in the sun with a new (if unceremoniously titled) 2.1.0.1526 update. The release puts the tablet through the same
BlackBerry World rebranding we've seen on the Z10 along with truly functional improvements, such as support for in-app payments and the addition of SMS chats through BlackBerry Bridge. Less conspicuous audio and browser upgrades lurk underneath. While it's not the BlackBerry 10 upgrade that some would crave, the patch is proof the company still has love for its original QNX-based gadget.
Filed under:
Tablets,
Blackberry
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Source: CrackBerry
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Google Now updated with support for widgets, added information sources
Google already
tipped its hand on this one, but those looking for some widgets with their Google Now can get their fix today with the latest update to the Google Search app for Android. In addition to letting you add a Now widget to either your home screen or lock screen, the update also adds ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and movie passes from Fandango (including a reminder for when you need to leave for the movie), as well as real estate listings from Zillow.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile
Comments
Source: Google Play,
Official Android Blog
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The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 4pm ET!
The Engadget Mobile Podcast crew -- y'know, Myriam and Brad -- are back to a regular time on this lovely Wednesday. It may be the quiet before the MWC storm, but we still have plenty to pontificate about. So join us at the usual place (down below) and immerse yourself in a wonderful world of wireless.
February 13, 2013 4:00 PM EST
Filed under:
Announcements,
Mobile
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Another World now available on BB10, several other classics on the way
Eric Chahi's seminal game work,
Another World, is now available on
BlackBerry 10 devices (so ... uh, those of you with a
Z10, though it also works on
PlayBook). And not just any version, but the
20th Anniversary Edition, which adds updated graphics, a remastered soundtrack, and some gesture controls. The game's one of several titles that publisher DotEmu is bringing to BB10, including notoriously difficult shooter
R-Type. "
Another World 20th Anniversary is our first title on Blackberry. It's currently available on Playbook and Z10, and in the upcoming weeks on
Q10," DotEmu CEO Xavier Liard tells us. As for the future? "Of course we are considering bringing all our Android games to BB10, but the next game to be most likely released would be
R-Type." Given that DotEmu also publishes Neo-Geo titles on Android, it's not a surprise that the company is also considering bringing those titles over, though there's nothing to announce just yet. "We can't say yet if it will be on BB10 or not as it is SNK Playmore decision," CTO Romain Tisserand says.
With
Another World priced at $5 -- a dollar more than its iOS version -- we expect similar pricing across the board. But then again, we always hope it'll be less expensive to re-buy 20-year-old games. The price of nostalgia, eh?
Filed under:
Gaming,
Mobile,
Blackberry
Comments
Via: Joystiq
Source: BlackBerry World
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Slickdeals' best in tech for February 13th: Lenovo IdeaPad Y400, SSDs and Pogoplug Classic
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.
In a pre-Valentine's Day edition of our gadget shopping wrangling, we offer up yet another diverse set of high-tech wares. From a
Virgin Mobile prepaid handset to a
Lenovo IdeaPad and more, today's batch of deals is definitely worth inspection. Head on past the break to do just that, where you'll find those tempting purchase links as well.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Misc,
Home Entertainment,
Laptops,
Storage
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Source: Slickdeals
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A&E network brings free full-length episodes and movies to the iPhone
Good news for Rick and Corey fans.
A&E's brought its streaming app across
from the iPad to the iPhone. Better still, it has all the full length content from favorites like
Storage Wars and
Pawn Stars. Both the History and Lifetime have followed suit, and there's even some extra A&E content found within the app, the kind that's typically found on the show's dedicated site -- expect plenty of behind-the-scenes antics. If you're also in possession of an Xfinity Comcast account, the app will open up access to previous seasons of the network's top shows. There's still no AirPlay support, although
9to5Mac reports that it's certainly in the works. Hopefully, that means dozing off in front of A&E content on your Apple TV shouldn't be far away. In
Duck Dynasty's Si Robertson's immortal words: work hard, nap hard.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Home Entertainment,
HD,
Mobile
Comments
Via: iDownload blog,
9to5Mac
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Seas0nPass jailbreak and aTV Flash (black) version arrive for Apple TV 5.2, bring Bluetooth keyboard compatibility
Cupertino finally saw fit to give users access to Bluetooth keyboards when it rolled out version 5.2 for
Apple TV. It took a bit of time, but the folks at Firecore have finished up the
Seas0nPass jailbreak for the new OS iteration. Along with the jailbreak, a revised version of its
aTV Flash (black) software is also now available to give the new Bluetooth functionality to folks who prefer it to a stock Apple TV experience. Excited? Head on down to the source for the full how-to, and you'll have a wireless keyboard hooked up to your hacked Jobsian hockey puck in no time.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment,
HD,
Apple
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Source: Firecore
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OUYA CEO sings the praises of NVIDIA, says OUYA will be 'best Tegra 3 device on the market'
OUYA and
NVIDIA have a kind of
love thing going on right now. The $99 Android-powered game console designed by Yves Béhar's fuseproject is powered by
NVIDIA's Tegra 3 -- this much we already know. What we didn't know is that the folks at OUYA are working directly with a team of folks at NVIDIA on the project, and that NVIDIA is helping the company to max out its Tegra 3 processor for use on a console rather than a mobile (no battery dependency means the little chip can go much further than usual).
"The partner that we've worked the most with, that is incredibly supportive of developers, NVIDIA, they have multiple people on their team dedicated to our account," OUYA CEO Julie Uhrman told us in a recent interview. She was responding to a question regarding partnerships the company's forged to make OUYA a reality, such as the aforementioned involvement with Béhar's fuseproject studio. Despite the OUYA running Google's mobile OS, Uhrman said, "We haven't worked very much with Google." As for NVIDIA, however, the American chipmaker is going all in, helping the OUYA to be the, "best Tegra 3 device on the market," according to Uhrman.
That praise isn't all one-sided, of course; NVIDIA had praise to heap as well. "We have a dedicated team working with OUYA to ensure that Tegra 3's performance is being maximized. They've been amazing to work with," NVIDIA senior VP of Content and Technology Tony Tamasi told us. "The rich catalog of optimized and differentiated TegraZone games -- along with the work being done with developers -- ensures a flourishing ecosystem is in place and continues to grow." That support is unlikely to end with this year's OUYA. Uhrman said her company's console, unlike the big three console manufacturers, will launch anew annually,
following the mobile model. And that model means beefier internals, such as NVIDIA's Tegra 4,
announced just over a month ago at CES. In so many words, we very much expect NVIDIA and OUYA's lovefest to continue.
Filed under:
Gaming,
HD,
NVIDIA
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Amazon expands CBS content on Prime Instant Video, lands an Under the Dome exclusive
Amazon only managed to land a
slice of CBS' library for Prime Instant Video on the first pass; it's coming back for a second helping, including one of its first cracks at genuinely recent content from the network. A widened licensing deal gives subscribers access to further CBS and Showtime series that include
Jericho,
The L Word and an unspecified number of other shows. And for those intrigued by the broadcaster's upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's
Under the Dome, Amazon will be the only choice for many viewers: Prime Instant Video will be the exclusive home for subscription streaming
and purchased downloads of the series, delivering streaming episodes about four days after their air date in order to shelter CBS' traditional advertisers. Amazon may not have have completely locked in an audience between this and the
Downton Abbey deal, but the recent set of exclusives is likely to leave Netflix feeling nervous.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment,
HD,
Amazon
Comments
Source: Amazon Instant Video
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Now you too can watch Valve's Gabe Newell and Bad Robots' J.J. Abrams talk about storytelling
For some reason or another, Valve head
Gabe Newell and Bad Robot head
J.J. Abrams' DICE 2013 keynote wasn't available via livestream or on
Variety's YouTube channel last week. We're guessing it's because they're both such nice gents that they wanted to give everyone else some time in the spotlight first. Good show! That politeness period, however, is now over, as the 20-minute talk on storytelling -- which features examples from both Newell's and Abrams' work, as well as their influences -- went up today on YouTube. We've dropped it below the break for all to see. If you're anxious to get to the part where the two discuss plans to work together on movie and video game projects going forward, we'd suggest skipping to the last five minutes. Or you could read our post about it
right here, should the other option be currently implausible from the cubicle you're in.
Filed under:
Misc,
Gaming,
Home Entertainment,
Software,
HD
Comments
Source: YouTube
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Allow me to reintroduce myself
Hey Engadget, I've missed you.
For those of you who don't remember me, my name is Ryan, and
until 2008 I served here as the Editor-in-Chief. Well,
like Peter, I'm back. But this time I'm doing something totally different.
Let's catch up.
Filed under:
Misc,
Meta
Comments
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Skype introduces eGifting for Mac and PC with version 6.2
On the mobile front,
BlackBerry 10 is still
waiting to get in on the Skype action, but the same can definitely not be said about the calling / messaging services on the more desktop-oriented platforms that are OS X and Windows. On this occasion, the application's new revision brings, most notably, an eGifting feature that's set to allow Mac and PC users to send
Skype credits to anyone they deem worthy of receiving them -- so long as they have an account set up, of course. Skype's also slightly redesigned the top toolbar on
the Windows edition to make it more of an all-around hub for accessing "Home," "Creating Groups," and "Adding Contacts," while, in version 6.2, the OS X app gets the ability to send one-way SMS without the need for number verification. Both updates are available now, so hit that source link if you're interested in checking out the novel features.
Filed under:
Internet,
Software
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Source: Skype (1),
(2)
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Lumio hides a lamp inside the pages of a book, takes to Kickstarter (video)
Last week, we stopped by the TechShop to check out
Lumio, a lamp that's masquerading as a book. While you could probably make one of your own with a few trips to
IKEA, we're rather taken with the idea of toting one of these around in our bags. Now, inventor Max Gunawan has followed through on his promise to get the hardware onto
Kickstarter, where he's already half-way toward his $60,000 goal to start his first production run. Still to be convinced that he needs your money? Head on past the break to watch the pitch.
Filed under:
Misc
Comments
Source: Kickstarter
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It's good to be back
You may have seen the
announcement earlier today that AOL is acquiring gdgt and that Ryan Block and I are going to be rejoining the company. A lot of you may have no idea who I am, but I'm the guy who created Engadget and for a while there was the only person who wrote for it.
When we left Engadget in 2008 to start gdgt we left on exceptionally good terms. AOL even invested in our new company. But even though the relationship has been good all these years, I never honestly expected we'd have the chance to return, and I can say that it feels good to be part of the family again. I'm insanely proud of the work that Tim Stevens and the Engadget team have done to grow the site into a tech news powerhouse that it is today. The Engadget of 2013 far exceeds anything I could have hoped for it when it launched back in 2004.
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Misc,
Meta
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