Alienware's X51 now ships with AMD's 4K-capable flagship graphics card
If Haswell innards weren't enough to incite a purchase of Alienware's X51 gaming PC, perhaps a 4K-capable GPU could push you over the edge: Dell's little gaming-machine-that-can is now available with AMD's Radeon R9 270X. This card brings the chipset maker's Eyefinity tech into the fold for multi-monitor support, and it's powerful enough for ultra-high-def gaming. While we're scraping together enough pennies for a 12K gaming rig, we suppose this will just have to do.
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, AMD, Dell
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Via: Direct2Dell
Source: Dell
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Nissan Leaf prototype becomes first autonomous car to hit Japanese highways (video)
Autonomous autos are somewhat old hat for commuters in California and Nevada, but Japan's only just seen one hit its public roads. After earning a license plate in September, Nissan's driverless (and electric) Leaf hit the pavement of the country's Sagami Expressway, becoming the very first self-driving car to complete a public road test on a highway in the Land of the Rising Sun. The firm's Autonomous Drive tech, which handles everything from detecting road conditions to merging into traffic, piloted the car onto the interstate, passed slowpokes and exited the freeway. Sure, this is a notable milestone for Nissan, but the company's goal to sell autos with the technology by 2020 is still a long way off.
Filed under: Transportation
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Via: Autoblog
Source: Nissan
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Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:30PM ET
It's Tuesday and time for the Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you'll join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:30PM. Tonight we, yet again, have more Xbox One and PS4 news, so if you also can't get enough of the new consoles, this is definitely the place. If you'll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break -- then do everything else you'll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Daily Roundup: Moto G review, hands-on with the LG G Flex, JetBlue's Fly-Fi and more!
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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MIT's $500 Kinect-like camera works in snow, rain, gloom of night
Remember that camera that takes 1 trillion exposures per second? Well, the illustrious folks at MIT have outdone themselves (again) by developing a camera that accomplishes all that and more, for just $500. Similar to the recently released Xbox One Kinect, this three-dimensional "nano-camera" is based on "Time Flight Technology." That means an object's whereabouts are calculated by measuring the time it takes light to reflect off its surface and return to the sensor. But, thanks to some fancy math, the nano-cam can capture translucent and moving objects in 3D, using a new encoding method. In the past, the results of the process (which has been dubbed "nanophotography") could only be achieved with a $500,000 "femto-camera." With such a dramatically lower price tag, it could be a solution to one of the many hurdles facing self-driving vehicles: the ability to tell the difference between a puddle and a cat in the pouring rain. And, even though it functions like a Kinect, don't expect it to be standard issue with an Xbox Two (or One II, or whatever Microsoft decides to call it).
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Source: MITnews
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Google's new Chrome voice extension lets you search hands-free (video)
Google promised that we'd get hands-free voice search in Chrome back at I/O 2013, and it's delivering today with the beta of its Voice Search Hotword extension for desktop Chrome 31 users. As long as you're either sitting at Google's home page or have a new browser tab open, the add-on lets you start a search by saying "OK Google," much as you would in Android 4.4 KitKat. Anyone eager to move beyond mouse-and-keyboard queries can grab the extension today from the Chrome Web Store.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Google
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Via: Google (Google+)
Source: Chrome Web Store
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Honda Accord, Acura RDX and ILX get Siri Eyes Free as a dealer-installed option
We first got word that Siri Eyes Free was coming to the 2013 Honda Accord back in January, but now the auto maker is rolling out the feature to vehicles. Owners of either the aforementioned model, 2014 Accord and both the 2013 Acura RDX and ILX can get the dealer-installed accessory by visiting their local dealer. Through a software update, Apple's hands-free feature works in tandem with HondaLink and AcuraLink to complete tasks with the vehicles' built-in microphone and speaker set. There's still no word on exactly how much the upgrade will cost, but Honda has scheduled a Hangout for December 3rd to make a proper announcement, so perhaps we'll learn the sticker price then.
Filed under: Transportation
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Source: Honda
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Punch Through's new Arduino board can stay wireless forever (video)
You'll have to plug in a typical Arduino-compatible board at some point in its life, whether it's to add code or just to supply power. Not Punch Through Design's upcoming Cortado, however. The tiny device centers on a custom Bluetooth 4.0 LE module that both enables wireless programming (including through mobile apps) and helps the board last for more than a year on a replaceable watch battery. In fact, the Cortado will already be powered up when you get it -- you can start coding before you've opened the shipping box. It should also be relatively flexible for its size with a built-in accelerometer and the ability to serve as an Apple iBeacon transmitter. Punch Through is crowdfunding the board with hopes of shipping its first units in May. If you're interested, you can pledge $18 to pre-order a Cortado; there's also a helpful promo video after the break.
Filed under: Peripherals
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Via: Make
Source: Punch Through Design
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Target wants to improve your shopping by fueling Indian technology startups
We usually associate Target more with bargain pricing than technology leadership, but the big-box retailer is about to defy those expectations with plans for a startup incubator in Bangalore, India. When it launches in January, the Target Accelerator Program will finance young tech firms specializing in content aggregation, data, mobile and search. Only one or two companies will make the cut each year, but Target hopes that their projects will improve our shopping experience. TAP is also a clever way to compete against digital-savvy retailers like Walmart, which already has an Indian footprint -- Target may spot clever ideas (and buyout candidates) before they reach competitors.
Filed under: Misc, Internet
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Source: TechCrunch
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Showtime Anytime is finally available for Time Warner Cable customers
Showtime Anytime has been able to be accessed with a number of service providers, but one of the major players, Time Warner Cable, was absent from that list since the beginning. Starting today, however, TWC customers can begin accessing Showtime's streaming offering, including via the iOS/Android applications and on the web. Naturally, you'll need to have a Showtime subscription as part of your cable package to view the content -- if that's all taken care of, you'll be ready to stream Dexter and Homeland in no time and anytime you want. And hey, Bright House Networks subscribers, this applies to you as well.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
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Source: Time Warner Cable
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Acer's first touchscreen Chromebook arrives next month for $299
If you'd rather get hands-on with your Chromebook work sessions, Acer is looking to lend a hand. The company has outed the C720P: its first touchscreen Chromebook. The Google-fied laptop sports an 11.6-inch HD LED display with 1,366 x 768 resolution alongside an Intel Celeron 2955U processor, 32GB SSD and 2GB DDR3 RAM. Weighing in at only 2.98 pounds and measuring 0.78 inch thick, the C720P claims up to 7.5 hours of battery life -- an hour less than its Haswell-powered sibling, the C720. There's both USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, an HDMI jack, SD card slot and two years worth of 100GB Google Drive space for extra storage. Sound too good to pass up? Well, you'll be able to snag one in early December for $299 from Amazon, Best Buy and the Acer store. %Gallery-slideshow123362%
Filed under: Laptops, Acer
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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas coming to Android, iOS and Windows Phone in December
If Grand Theft Auto V left you eager to spend more time in Los Santos, you'll be glad to hear that Rockstar Games is porting Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to mobile devices. Android, iOS and Windows Phone users will get to relive Carl Johnson's early '90s gangster saga this December, with more detailed graphics and touch-optimized controls coming to all platforms. Gamers will also get full controller support, including Made for iOS devices if you're using iOS 7. Rockstar isn't providing release dates and prices just yet, although the imminent launch suggests that we'll get more details in short order.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Mobile
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Source: Rockstar Games
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Moto G review: an affordable smartphone, done right
Since
Motorola was acquired by a certain tech giant last year, its new owner
hasn't had a particularly strong impact on the way it does business. Not
too long ago, in fact, Motorola dealt another brag-hand of Droids, but there was something distinct about the Moto X that followed them. The first evidence of a change in direction, perhaps. In the same vein, the recently announced Moto G feels very much like a Google phone, and it makes a ton of sense.
If the Nexus 5 is for smartphone aficionados, and the Moto X is for upgraders who can't resist the offer of a custom handset,
then the Moto G is for those who want a functional device at a
reasonable price. At $179 or £135 unlocked, the Moto G slots into the
low-cost niche Samsung and others have been steadily cashing in on. That
price tag, however, includes an unwritten disclaimer: Sacrifices were
made. It's certainly true with the Moto G, but with expectations in
check, it's hard to not be impressed with what Motorola has managed to
achieve.%Gallery-slideshow122931%
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Drift's new Ghost S action camera is tough, feature-rich and ready to take on the competition (hands-on)
Drift Innovations has been making action cameras for some time now. Today sees its latest offering -- the Ghost S -- hit stores globally. What's new this time? Well there's the usual assortment of video improvements: 1080p at 60fps, new "scene" modes and better low-light recording. There's also a dramatically improved battery, that now offers 3.5 hours of recording at standard 1080p/30fps. Impressive. But, perhaps more significant that that, Drift is stepping forward as a brand. It's no secret this market is dominated by one major player, a situation only accentuated by the recent demise of its next best known competitor. But, while all this was going on, Drift has kept its head down and concentrated hard on continually revising its products. As the marketing parlance goes, the Drift Ghost S is its best camera yet, but also a metaphorical stone from David's sling. Are we about to see the action camera market get the all important "other option" it desperately needs? We spent some time with the Ghost S -- one of the most promising candidates yet -- to find out.%Gallery-slideshow123322%
Filed under: Cameras
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Source: Drift Innovations
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Hands-on with the G Flex, LG's first curved smartphone
In the case you have around a thousand bucks to burn and you're looking for the coolest gadget to buy to impress your family during Thanksgiving dinner, look no further than the LG G Flex. This is the second device to come out with a curved display (the first being the Samsung Galaxy Round), which arcs from top to bottom and even offers a little bit of flex when you push down on it. Officially it's only available in Korea for 999,940 won (about $940), and while rumors are pointing to an eventual launch in other parts of the world, the earliest -- and richest -- of early adopters in the US can grab one from importers for around $1,100. One of those companies is Negri Electronics, which was gracious enough to send us a G Flex for a few days.
Between the G Flex and the Galaxy Round, you're looking at two of the most expensive smartphones this side of a Vertu or Porsche Design BlackBerry. So what's the point? The benefits of curved or flexible displays are three-fold (so far): they promise more durable gadgets, a better viewing experience over regular phones and could potentially lead to wholly flexible devices or even brand new form factors (Samsung, for instance, is already working on a phone with a foldable screen, as well as a prototype with a bent display). It's pretty exciting stuff, so we've opened up the G Flex box, fired up the phone, and we're ready to share our initial impressions with you. Take a closer look at the G Flex with our gallery and thoughts below.
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Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
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iHeartRadio for Android updated with local news, traffic and weather updates and lock screen controls
iHeartRadio, the streaming service that brings your local radio stations with you wherever you go, has updated its Android app today, and the fresh code brings some handy new features along. The most useful improvement is undoubtedly the new mini player that grants access to playback controls from both lock screens and notifications drawers, so users can pause, play and make volume adjustments without diving into the full app. Along with that bit of convenience, it also delivers local news, traffic and weather updates inside user-created custom stations, and iHeartRadio Talk show pages are accessible from within the app, too. Want the new goodies? They're waiting for you at the source below.
Filed under: Software, Mobile
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Source: Google Play
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Automatic Link review: an expensive way to learn better driving habits
We love when we find new ways to bring our toys together. The Automatic Link does just that: it connects your iPhone to your car's computer, using Bluetooth Low Energy as a bridge to the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) interface that's been standard in most cars since 1996. Coupled with a free app, you can log various stats from your road trips, including how aggressively you drove and how much gasoline your car consumed. Basically, it's sort of like a quantified-self tracker, but for your vehicle. So, does this $100 driver's assistant deliver? Let's see.%Gallery-slideshow121856%
Filed under: Peripherals, Transportation
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Onboard JetBlue's first Fly-Fi flight, with the fastest internet in the air
On a flight yesterday from JFK to Austin, JetBlue finally decided to flip the switch on Fly-Fi,
giving lucky passengers an early look at the airline's next-generation
in-flight WiFi for the very first time. A flight attendant announced the
service -- which is free until 30 planes are retrofitted -- and
passengers seated around me pulled out their laptops, tablets and
smartphones and tried to hop online. Unfortunately, a recent update
caused unexpected performance issues, and Fly-Fi's speed and consistency
fell far short. When a flight attendant asked the woman seated in front
if me if she had enjoyed her experience at the end of the flight, she
responded with "not so much." It wasn't looking good for JetBlue.
I
had booked my return to New York on the same aircraft, and following a
20-minute BBQ pitstop at AUS, I got back on board. The issues we
experienced on the first flight -- allegedly caused by an incorrect
DNS-server listing on the network side -- were completely resolved,
making our three-hour hop back to Kennedy Airport much more pleasant.
The experience was completely different, though we were offline for 30
minutes or so as we passed over Louisiana and Mississippi. Ultimately,
Fly-Fi, which utilizes the ViaSat-1 satellite positioned over North America, was in line with the ViaSat service I've tried on the ground -- when it works, it blows the competition
out of the water. It's as close as you'll get to the internet you're
used to at home, and it certainly outshines connectivity in pretty much
any airline terminal.
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Samsung updating Galaxy Gear this week with enhanced notifications and gestures (updated)
When we reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, we were concerned about the lack of third-party notification support. If we received a notification from any app that wasn't officially made by Samsung, we wouldn't actually get to read it on the watch; instead, we'd get alerted to the fact that something was waiting on the phone for us, and we'd be given the option to press a button and have that app open up on the phone itself. Fortunately, Samsung has heard our feedback and will be pushing out an update sometime this week that now allows third-party app notifications to show up in full; you'll now be able to read your incoming Gmail messages, Facebook Messenger pings, Twitter mentions and Google Hangout messages, to name a few.
Samsung is also adding a couple more enhancements to the new update as well: it's confirmed that the Gear will also receive enhanced Smart Relay functionality which it says will help users "perform actions seamlessly" from their Gear to their phone, as well as an improvement to the lift-and-pause gesture that activates the clock. We imagine there will probably be a few random bug fixes thrown in there as well. Overall, this is a pleasant update to some of the most frustrating aspects of the Gear.
Update: This firmware update has already been available in Europe, and it appears that this new update is for US versions of the device.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Samsung, Google
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Engadget Giveaway: win an iPad Air courtesy of hopTo!
HopTo has been hard at work solving what it feels are the three basic productivity problems while working on an iPad: file storage, interoperability and multitasking. Of course, not everyone has a tablet to begin with, so hopTo has risen to the occasion in order to solve a fourth by hooking up one lucky Engadget reader with a brand new iPad Air. The free app just landed in the App store this month and it's worth a look, offering convenient access to cloud storage providers, Microsoft Office file editing and even remote access to your computer, all straight from your slate. Having an iPad Air with all that on board could definitely help take some weight off your shoulders in more ways than one. So it seems the only problem left to solve is whether to enter one time or maybe four (down at the Rafflecopter widget below). Do ya feel lucky? Well do ya?
Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile, Alt
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BBM Channels launches today for BlackBerry smartphones
BlackBerry's tentative step into the world of feed-based social networking, BBM Channels, is at last leaving beta. As of 3PM Eastern, those with BlackBerry 10 and classic BlackBerry OS devices can use the Tumblr-like service for themselves, subscribing to content feeds from both major providers and their friends. Android and iOS users, meanwhile, will have to sit tight -- BlackBerry says that Channels support for their platforms is arriving in the "coming months."
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Source: CrackBerry
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Paper airplanes finally get the smartphone remote control they deserve
Thank you, PowerUp. Apparently the last time we had the opportunity to write about paper airplanes was back in 2011, when a Seattle doctor built a tiny one using a da Vinci surgical robot. This time out, it's a Kickstarter project that brings smartphone control to the notoriously staid word of paper airplanes. The gadget's setup is pretty simple, all said. At the front is a Bluetooth module and battery, while the back contains the propeller and rudder. Build a paper airplane, attach the PowerUp up and boom, you've got RC aircraft you can control with your smartphone. Creator Shai Goitein has taken the project to Kickstarter in an attempt to score $50,000 in funding. A pledge of $30 will get one of these little fliers in your hands, come May of next year. That's plenty of time to practice your folding skills.
Filed under: Misc
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Kickstarter
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Motorola now selling unlocked Moto G in the US, starting at $179
Motorola just gave Americans a surprise holiday gift: it's now selling an unlocked version of the Moto G in the US. Starting today, you can purchase both 8GB ($179) and 16GB ($199) editions of the entry-level smartphone with HSPA+ data optimized either for most US carriers (including AT&T and T-Mobile) or for international travel. Any orders placed today should ship by December 2nd, although you'll have to be content with a black shell -- the phone's colored backs and flip covers are "coming soon." Those on CDMA networks will still have to wait until January to get a Moto G of their own, but everyone else can start shopping at the source link.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, AT&T, T-Mobile
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Via: Official Motorola Blog
Source: Motorola
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Major benchmarking service delists Samsung and HTC phones it suspects of cheating
Oh yes, things are really starting to kick off in the arcane world of smartphone benchmarking. First, there came clear evidence of phone makers manipulating scores in apps like AnTuTu and GFXBench, and now a more mainstream benchmarking company, Futuremark, has publicly delisted specific Samsung and HTC phones that it suspects of cheating. Futuremark says that the devices in question -- including the Galaxy Note 3, HTC One and HTC One Mini -- fail to adhere to the fairness policy, which requires that a device treats its 3DMark app just as it would treat any other app, with no tailor-made bursts of performance designed to achieve artificially high scores. Clearly, this bad behavior is just as endemic as we originally feared, so benchmark apps either need to toughen up, as Futuremark appears to be doing, or they need to find entirely new ways of measuring performance.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC
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Via: HotHardware, The Register
Source: Futuremark
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Vizio rounds out its soundbar line with a 54-inch model, teases a new 55-inch TV
Vizio already has soundbars designed for smaller TVs (and medium-sized ones too), and now it's back with a flagship model built for bigger screens. This new 54-inch model, available today, brings 103-decibel sound, complete with three channels and a 4-inch deep bass module. Like the smaller models, it also features Bluetooth streaming, and uses DTS audio processing to level out the volume so that you're not jolted off the couch when shows cut to a loud commercial break. It's available today for $300 on Vizio's website, though if you wait a few weeks, you should see it popping up in retail stores, likely with some lower prices in tow.
Additionally, the company is teasing a 55-inch entry-level E-series TV with full-array LED backlighting and local dimming technology, which should allow for both deeper blacks as well as easier viewing in darkened rooms. As it happens, this technology isn't new and in fact, Vizio already sells some entry-level models with full-array backlighting and local dimming. In this case, though, Vizio is touting more dimming zones, as well as newer, more effective version of the dimming technology. Unfortunately, though, the company isn't doing demos right now, so we can't really speak to the difference in quality. What's more, Vizio also hasn't mentioned pricing or availability. So, we'll have to leave this as a tease for now, but we'll follow up when we eventually learn more.%Gallery-slideshow123186%
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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