Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bluetooth wristband

Adtec's just released its Bluetooth wristband, which enables hands-free -- well, sort of. The band, which is equipped with a speaker and volume control, connects to your cell phone via Bluetooth, and comes in white or gray. The company suggests one might find this little gadget useful while fishing or running. Maybe it's just us, but we were thinking it might be neat to use it while conducting highly confidential espionage missions, too. Or... you know, blogging. Pair it with this guy and you've got a match made in heaven! It's available now in Japan for ¥5,980 -- about $65 -- but will probably (sadly) never makes its way across the waters to North America.

Samsung Show hands-on and video at MWC



The Engadget Spanish team just got their hands on the Samsung Show (the European, i7410 model) projector phone that we first caught a sneak peek of a CES. The Show's projector is powered by Texas Instruments' DLP pico technology, and though the fact that it packs a projector does increase the bulkiness of the phone as far as looks are concerned, the phone is still rather small and light. The Show can project an image of anywhere from five to fifty inches, with a 480 x 320 resolution. It's got a 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen, the TouchWiz UI and also boasts a 5 megapixel camera. There are plans for this bad dude to hit Asia and Europe (but no word on if it'll ever make its way to North America), but we still haven't heard when, nor how much it'll cost when it arrives. Check the video after the break.

Meizu M8


Word on the street has it that the Meizu's M8 -- that vaporous iPhone killer from the east -- is now officially on sale, as of February 18. For real. Wait, you ask -- wasn't it available last week sometime? Well, yes and no. Apparently, the unit we've seen making the rounds was a beta version -- if you slapped down your $440-ish dollars on that one, you got something with "a fair amount of problems to be ironed out," according to DAP Review. The site, whose Chinese-to-English translator is apparently functioning better than ours, goes on to point out that while the test units had WiFi enabled, the final production version does not. A strange decision, sure, but this is a tale fraught with strange decisions. And danger. And excitement and glamor. By the way -- we just hit up the official Meizu site, and the 16GB version of this device is "out of stock" -- probably due to the rapturous reception the unit's received all over the world.

Recession antidote



We know that you're being crushed under the seemingly endless weight of economic despair and financial strife, and we want to help. That's why Engadget is giving away one gadget every day until we run out of stuff and / or companies stop giving us products to hand out. It's our little way of putting the recess back in recession! Today you'll be playing for a pair of Audioengine A2 speakers, so read the full rules below, and start commenting!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

LHC Restart

Scientists are racing to to discover the Higgs boson particle first. That's right – CERN isn't the only one looking, and its Large Hadron Collider might be upstaged by a U.S. accelerator yet.

Finding Higgs is the major goal of CERN's $7 billion LHC. But after an electrical mistake damaged integral circuits, its restart has been pushed to September.

That'll give the United State's Fermilab a fighting chance of detecting the particle with its Tevatron accelerator before the LHC can. Fermilab said it estimates that Tevatron has already picked out eight collision events which could be hints at Higgs, and that its odds of seeing the "God Particle" first are now 50-50 at worst, and 96% at best.

Professor Lyn Evans, LHC project leader, scoffed at the idea that CERN had somehow lost the lead.

"The setback with the LHC has given them an extra time window. And they certainly will make the most of it," he told the BBC.

"If they do find the Higgs, good luck to them. But I think it's unlikely they will find it before the LHC comes online. They may well be in a position to get a hint of the Higgs but I don't think they'll be in a position to discover it..."

"In one year, we will be competitive. After that, we will swamp them," he added. Booyah.

Swordfish Motorcycle

Hubless bikes are kind of like hover boards – cool, but stuck firmly in the future. That doesn't mean we can help ourselves from swooning every time we see the hint of one.

Designer Alexander Kotlyarevsky's "Swordfish" concept bike shows off a sleek curved body that ends in two hubless wheels. Sure it doesn't look like it's the most comfortable bike to ride, but who needs comfort when you're this sexy?

Canon D10 Water

While all of Canon's new point-and-shoots look yummy, the shockproof D10 is my absolute favorite: It looks like the streamlined retro-future lovechild of a submarine and an original Bondi blue iMac.

Besides being shock, water (up to 33 feet) and freeze-proof (down to 14 degrees F), it's got a 12 megapixel sensor (like most of Canon's new line) and will shoot VGA video (unlike the most of the line, which shoots 720p video). Despite being tough, it actually feels pretty nice in your hand, though it won't fit in your pocket (unless you've got old school JNCOs). If you're not a fan of the blue, it'll have other plates, like orange and camo. I want to love it, so I hope it shoots nice pictures. It'll be $330 when it comes out in May.

Canon PowerShot D10 Digital Camera
Consumers looking for an all-around waterproof, freeze proof and shockproof camera should look no further. The Canon PowerShot D10 Digital Camera, a first of its kind for Canon, comes equipped with a 12.1-Megapixel resolution and 3x Optically Stabilized Zoom lens, making it an ideal companion for thrill-seekers of all types. This uniquely styled camera is amazing for capturing high-resolution images and off-camera editing. The PowerShot D10 Digital Camera can withstand depths up-to-33-feet deep, is freeze proof from 14 degrees Fahrenheit and shockproof up-to-four feet. To add a little fun and funky style to this great camera, an optional accessory kit is available containing distinctive accessories, such as a customized strap, cool face plates and a carabineer hook (attached to a strap). The PowerShot D10 IS Digital Camera is scheduled to be available in early May for an estimated retail price of $329.99.

QiGi i6 in Android mode


Remember that mysterious dual-boot QiGi i6 from a few months back? If you dream of Windows Mobile / Android dual-boot devices at night, then odds are you do, and we've been able to spend a little time with one humming along in Android mode today. It turns out that the i6's manufacturer is none other than TechFaith Wireless, an ODM more closely associated with WinMo devices -- but like so many other manufacturers these days, TechFaith is apparently looking to branch out by adding another platform into the mix.

Anyhow, let's just be straight about this: odds are you don't really want this phone, even if you think you do. The physical design feels one or two iterations behind, but the real problem stems from the fact that you're rocking QVGA resolution here; yes, granted, Android runs -- but in its default layout, it's clearly designed for a few more pixels both horizontally and vertically. Furthermore, we're told that end users can't swap ROMs themselves (in other words, distributors would choose one platform or the other and be done with it) -- the hardware is designed to run both Android and Windows Mobile, but it's not like you get some fancy Boot Camp-style setup for booting into either environment. Also, since the i6 features no physical keyboard and Cupcake was little more than a twinkle in Google's eye by the time the phone was released, you're dealing with a pretty poorly-designed soft keyboard that's been grafted onto the build; individual keys are small enough so that you need a stylus to press them, and when you call up the keyboard, it takes up the full screen so you can't see whatever app you were in while you're typing. Check it all out (for the hilarious power-on splash screen, if nothing else) in our video after the break!

Android phones to launch


Alright, this one's pure tradeshow silliness -- when Engadget Spanish pressed the Acer rep at MWC about rumored plans to launch an Android handset, dude pulled out a notebook and whipped up a quick product roadmap, including the two mysterious "Android secret models" shown here. That's all we know for now, but anything's got to be better than the sad Tempos Acer launched yesterday -- and hey, we also got the names of the four announced-but-not-revealed sets we're due to see sometime later this year. One more pic of Acer's secret diary after the break.

Shuttle SFF gaming PC


Got a hankering for an all new gaming rig, preferably one that could fit in your over-sized backpack should the need arise? Ready to spend boatloads of cash to make it happen? If you're eagerly nodding your head up and down, have a look at Shuttle's liquid-cooled SDXi Carbon, a fancily painted machine that checks in at 7.3- x 7.9- x 12.2-inches and gets powered by a 3GHz Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU. Other specs include 2/4/8GB of RAM, between 250GB and 2TB of hard drive space, an optional Blu-ray writer, your choice of NVIDIA GPU, gigabit Ethernet and optional WiFi. The starting price on this bugger is an amazing $2,599, and if you plan on customizing the base configuration whatsoever, you should probably plan on taking out yet another line of credit on what's left of your home.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Nokia's N86 makes its 8 megapixel


Sure, things looked pretty legit yesterday, but we were awaiting official confirmation from Nokia. That's here, and now we can take a gander at the N86 purely on the up-and-up. The dual-slider (keypad on one end, camera and playback controls on the other) naturally centers on its 8 megapixel camera, which includes a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens, AutoFocus, a mechanical shutter and a dual-LED flash, but there's plenty of other N-series goodies like 8GB of storage, a 2.6-inch OLED screen, TV-out and a microSD slot. Nokia Maps, Ovi integration and all those other goodies are onboard -- though the new email capabilities of its E-series brethren seem absent. The phone is due in Europe in Q2 2009 for around 375 Euro before taxes and subsidies.

Nokia joins Adobe


We're not quite sure if you're seeing what's happening here, but Apple and RIM are working themselves right into the time-out corner. We already heard earlier today that Palm would be joining Adobe's Open Screen Project -- which, by the way, guarantees Flash 10 support on the Pre -- and now we're told that Nokia is following suit. What it all boils down to is this: Google, Microsoft, Palm, and Nokia are all expected to release platforms or handsets in the coming year or two which will support Flash 10, all while Apple's iPhone attempts to limp by with... YouTube support. Granted, we have heard that the suits at Cupertino are in talks to make it happen, but we've yet to hear as much at MWC. Also of note, it seems that a similar deal including RIM is also pretty far off, so BlackBerry users should probably order their daily dose of patience as well.

iCON USB modems


Fresh from Barcelona, the wireless modem gurus at Option have announced their new uCAN software platform. To be implemented across the entire iCON modem lineup, the software allows users to run applications (such as Open Office) from their USB modem and interact directly with documents situated on their workstation at home. You can also have those apps you might need to use in a pinch -- such as Skype -- preconfigured with all your data. If that weren't enough, the device sports something called "Zero Footprint" technology, which is designed to ensure that "no trace of activity is left on the host computer, running either Windows XP, Windows Vista or Mac OS, when the device is disconnected." You can even launch a browser from the thing, keeping all those passwords and cookies safely off of whichever machine you happen to be borrowing. The first uCAN devices are expected to appear sometime before July of this year. More pics after the break.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Samsung Memoir hitting T-Mobile


At this point, it's tough to say the Memoir wasn't official with a straight face, but Samsung and T-Mobile have jointly disclosed all (er, most) of the remaining details that were so sorely missing here at Mobile World Congress.


The 8 megapixel handset will boast a Xenon flash, CMOS auto focus and 16x digital zoom, not to mention a full touchscreen and a sophisticated camera menu that enables users to adjust the brightness and flash, change the default destination of images, select a timer and zoom in or out. Moreover, the video recording and TV-out features should provide even more joy in the lives of multimedia lovers, and the blink detection, face detection, anti-shake and geotagging inclusions should shake off any remaining pundits who say there's not a "real camera" in here.


Some of the pictures for you.




q1

Microsoft confirms expanded Zune team


While Microsoft's own post on this newfangled Zune initiative has absolutely nothing to do directly with Windows Mobile 6.5, we wouldn't push that inkling of integration too far away. In fact, Redmond has just that on the brain, with "that" being "integration." Confirming an earlier CNET report, Microsoft has decided to wed its Zune software team with the Connected TV organization (Windows Media Center, Mediaroom) in order to "create a single group focused on creating software and services that enable great entertainment experiences across the PC, TV, mobile phones and Zune devices." Additionally, the Zune device hardware team has joined the mobile communications business group to create a center of excellence in portable hardware, and the priority now is to deliver "new software, services and devices for Zune customers." We like the sound of all this ambition, but please, don't make us wait too long for results -- cool?

New "Meet Pre"


As you're no doubt aware, we're real suckers for Palm's Pre on tape, and this "Meet Pre" specimen hasn't yet assuaged our thirst. We suppose it's the exact type of stuff demonstrated on the video that keeps us coming back: webOS presents some new paradigms for interaction and integration, and, like the iPhone before it, will take a considerable amount of digestion to really come to terms with. Plus it's pretty. This video demonstrates a few interesting tidbits, such as a list of folks invited to a meeting and which ones will be going -- a nice integration of calendar and contacts -- and the phone is shown "sending" a webpage to a friend, which involves forwarding a link and an attached .png screenshot, perfect for mobile-to-mobile communications. Here's hoping we hear more about the phone this week at MWC... and a 3G GSM edition certainly wouldn't be unwelcome. Video is after the break.

Sony Ericsson's W995


Clearly, the flood gates have opened well before Sony Ericsson intended over in Barcelona, as the countdown is still on while we're watching handset after handset leak out. Next up is the W995 Walkman (can someone say Hikaru?), a multimedia-centric slider which boasts an 8.1 megapixel camera, A-GPS, Google Maps, WiFi, DLNA certification, 118MB of built-in memory, an 8GB M2 card and a 2.6-inch QVGA scratch-resistant display. The mobile should ship in a trio of colors -- Progressive Black, Cosmic Silver and Energetic Red -- and the inbuilt kickstand should make airplane-based movie watching a touch easier on the neck. No word on a price or release, but SE should be remedying that at any moment.

HP Mini 1000


HP's Mini 1000 Mi has been up for order since CES, but for those still waiting (and waiting) for a proper overview of the system before buying in can finally say that their patience has paid off. The netbook lovin' crew over at jkOnTheRun has taken the time to showcase the aforementioned machine on video, going over the basics, the not-so-basics and the pros / cons of ownership. We're going to warn you up front, though -- the clip is darn near 20 minutes long, so you'll certainly want to snag some cookies and milk before diving into the read link. That said, you'll be hard pressed to find a better look at the Mi software without actually removing your keister from your chair, so it's probably worth your while.

Sony Ericsson gets official with "Idou"


We didn't doubt it for a second (okay, maybe one seem a bit dated already. It's funny too, as the only dozen megapixeler we were second), but Sony's so-called Idou is for real. Though, we wouldn't go memorizing that name or anything, 'cause SE has plans to change it to something more commercial before summer. At any rate, the touchscreen-heavy handset -- which will run Symbian Foundation at launch -- does indeed sport a 12.1 megapixel shooter (which was hinted at last November), which sort of makes the also-just-official Samsung Memoiractually expecting at this show was from Samsung. We're still waiting on the minutiae, but we do know that it will pack a 3.5-inch panel (640 x 320 resolution; no word on capacitive or resistive) and "full media consumption," a phrase we're still struggling to digest. More as we get it!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Microsoft gets serious about retail stores

Remember those pretend Microsoft stores from last month? Looks like the crew at Redmond are taking that idea one step closer to reality. The company's announced that former DreamWorks SKG exec David Porter has joined up as corporate vice president of retail stores to "create a better PC and Microsoft retail purchase experience" and -- here's the key -- develop Microsoft-branded stores. Porter's first order of business will be defining a time frame, locations and specifics for the retail rollout. We can't wait to see how the Simpsons mock this one.

Dragon-based gaming desktops


Yet again, IBuyPower is stepping out with a few new gaming rigs for the bargain-minded among us. The most recent duo to be outed by the company is the Gamer HAF 91B and the Gamer Fire, both of which are based on AMD's latest Dragon platform and Phenom II CPU. The former gets going at just $999 and includes the Phenom II X4 920 processor, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, a 500GB SATA II hard drive, a dual-layer DVD writer, ATI's 512MB Radeon HD 4850 graphics card, a CoolerMaster HAS 932 case and a 550-watt power supply. The more fiery sibling ups the ante with a Phenom II X4 940 CPU, a 750GB HDD, LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray drive and an NZXT Guardian 921 chassis. 'Course, you'll be paying $1,439 for that one, but either way you'll be keeping things below the evidently magical $1.5k mark. Order away, should you be so inclined. Full release is after the jump.

Sanyo's pocket camcorder


Sanyo's Xacti line of pocket-friendly HD camcorders have been almost universally praised... when shooting outdoors. When trying to log clips in dim light, however, the story has been quite different. The outfit's VPC-HD2000, which was unveiled at CES this year, came out looking decently strong from PhotographyBLOG's review. The handheld packed in "more features than you'd expect," but the lofty price tag kept it from being a real contender. Sadly, the poor low light performance was grandfathered in, though the broad range of selectable ISO options were appreciated nonetheless. All in all, reviewers seemed to hold back on giving their wholehearted recommendation due to its price and the so-so image quality; in other words, you should probably avoid this one until its successor comes out, after which the MSRP may better reflect the benefits.

Ultrasone intros audiophile


Ultrasone has never been one to pop out low-end cans, but its latest model is decidedly luxurious. The Edition 8 headphones employ the company's S-Logic Plus technology for an "impartial acoustic feeling that allows the listener even more of a spacious tonal perception." These were created with the "audio connoisseur" in mind, with the interior ear cups covered in fine Ethiopian sheepskin (something that Sir Dave Chappelle would argue does not help sound quality) and the outer ear cups doused in Ruthenium. Each set is individually stamped and arrives in a leather case for storage, but you'll be asked to hand over a whopping $1,499 before you indulge. The full release is after the break.

Helio's Ocean 2


We were told that today would be the day, and sure enough, today is the day. Today is also the day in which Helio's Ocean 2 becomes available, as evidenced by the image above and the completely active "Buy" button tucked away in the read link. It'll run users a buck forty-nine on contract if you're a new subscriber or $400 without, and it just might make all of your dreams come true. If you're curious, you can see if it satisfied our every fantasy right here.

Cowon L3

We saw this one coming quite a while back, but it looks like the Cowon L3 satnav / PMP is officially official now. We stil haven't got full specs on this baby yet, but the 7-incher's got a 700x480 resolution, an unnamed dual core CPU, 128MB of SDRAM, 4GB of memory, an SD Slot, and GPS, and a fuel consumption indicator. We don't have any specific information as to availability -- though it's unlikely it'll ever get anywhere near North America -- or pricing yet, but we'll let you know as soon as we do!

DS Lite solar panel mod

If you've got some 60 x 60 solar panels, a few diodes, some scotch tape, and a little time on your hands, you may never need to plug in your DS ever again. According to "dark sponge," a poster over at Instructables, you can convert the Lite into a solar-powered wonder that will obviate the need for your standard PSU, and make your green leaning friends, er... green with envy. The mod involves slapping panels on both the bottom and top of the device which -- when wired in parallel -- get 6 volts of power at 80 mA, which is apparently perfect for a trickle charge. The only downside is you'll have to leave the device face down for a bit, and it's advised to keep it out of the sun all day. Still, it's an excellent mod that doesn't seem too difficult to execute, and ends up saving hassle and energy... and who can knock that?

SmartQ 5 touchscreen PMP


It looks like it may still be quite a while before it actually ends up on store shelves, but this new SmartQ 5 PMP / MID seems like it should be able to at least muster up a bit of interest when and if it is ever released. While complete specs are a little light, and most likely not finalized, the device will apparently boast a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, built-in WiFi and Bluetooth, and four hardware buttons to give the touchscreen a rest once in a while. Not much more than that, unfortunately, although SmartQ does seem to be pitching this one squarely as an internet device first and media player second, so hopefully that means it'll pack enough capabilities to truly earn that MID moniker.

Caption Contest


We've heard that The Network is pretty expansive, but we never could figure out just how Verizon Wireless managed to cover all those dead zones in record time without being heard. Now, it all makes sense.

samsung unveils Blue Earth


Samsung's Blue Earth handset might just be taking the green thing to a whole new extreme. Made from PCM, a recycled plastic from water bottles, the phone boast an "eco" mode for efficiently adjusting screen brightness, backlight duration and Bluetooth usage, and an "eco walk" app / built-in pedometer to tell you how much CO2 emission you've saved by walking instead of driving. The best part? It's got a giant solar panel on the back that'll apparently charge it enough to make a phone call anytime the sun's peaking out. Of the form factor, Sammy says it "symbolizes a flat and well rounded shiny pebble" -- which we hope means it can skip puddles with the best of 'em. It'll come in recycled packaging with an energy efficient charger. What we don't know, unfortunately, is what makes this phone tick, neither OS nor hardware specs. Not a word on price yet, but UK environmentalists can look forward to this one second half of this year.

Security experts hating on Android browser


Software vulnerabilities are no stranger to modern, highly-connected smartphones and feature phones alike, and fortunately, the big guys have been pretty good about staying on the ball and patching the serious stuff in a reasonable amount of time. The latest problem discovered in the Android browser's multimedia subsystem really sucks, though -- it's so bad, some security dudes are advising customers to "avoid" using the it altogether until it gets fixed -- and the most frustrating part about it is that it actually is fixed in the Android code trunk, it's just that no one's bothered to roll out an update to G1 users yet. In the meantime, the dude who discovered the problem is advising users to only visit trusted sites and avoid WiFi, so yeah, just don't browse or anything, okay?

Sony Ericsson exec dismisses rumors of a schism

Despite some nasty financial losses and a rumored smackdown of a PSP phone proposal, the Sony Ericsson joint venture is apparently as strong as ever. That's what Senior Marketing Manager Richard Dorman is saying, denying any talks of a split. He also noted that both companies had been losing money in their respective handset division prior to the assimilation, and the partnership is "full steam ahead." That's great, now how about showing us some more Hikaru, hm?

Epson's tiny GPS receiver


Small, right? That's Epson's Infineon XPOSYS chip, its next generation Assisted-GPS device set for mass production in late 2009. The chip measures just 2.8 x 2.9-mm making it 25% smaller than other A-GPS chips on the market, according to Epson, while consuming half the power. The sensitivity has also been improved for a more accurate location fix while indoors. Between this, Google Latitude, and the ever expanding lineup of Skyhook positioning devices, you can kiss your location anonymity goodbye.

nuvifone G60 details


Even a solid year after its announcement, we still don't have an exact price or date for the nuvifone G60 -- but we do have a little bit better of an idea of what exactly we're going to be getting. We already knew that it'd feature a 3.5-inch (well, 3.55-inch, to be exact) display and HSDPA, and now we know that it'll feature the same Ciao! buddy-finding software found in its M20 stablemate. There'll be a 3 megapixel autofocus cam complete with geotagging, WiFi, preloaded maps for either North American or Eastern and Western Europe depending on your region, and dummy-resistant tools like "Where am I?" that should be familiar to current nuvi users. The interface looks promising -- and the specs are still reasonably competitive by 2009 standards -- but all will be revealed when the G60 gets put through its paces in a few days.

Mobiado's 105GMT


"Clocks in a phone." It sounds like the name of an unfinished Kubrick joint, the punchline to a really bad joke, or the incoherent rambling of a luddite trying to make sense of cellular technology -- but unfortunately, it's none of these. Instead it's just Mobiado's 105GMT all over again, this time in white. This monstrosity sits squarely at the intersection of "hideous" and "trust fund," which is a territory we're sorry to say we'll never have the pleasure of experiencing ourselves -- but to those who need a gaudier way to run a billion-dollar Ponzi scheme on the road, your weapon of choice has clearly arrived.

Compal's HD video

Compal's enlisting two new recruits into the PMP army, the APA00 and APA01. Both uCLinux-powered devices sport 7-inch LCD displays, DMB-TH, FM Tuner, 802.11g, up to 80GB HDD, an SD/MMC slot, and component / composite outputs. Codec support includes MPEG, Xvid, WMV9, H.264 and a variety of audio formats. The company's boasting HD support up to 1080i, but with a WVGA resolution, you're not gonna be enjoying that crisp of an image without an external screen. Aesthetics aside, the only difference we could find is an extra six grams of heft in the black-clad APA00. Not a peep on pricing or availability.

Tesla tidbits: new retail stores


Last we heard, Tesla was reevaluating some business decisions as it sought to become a thriving, profitable enterprise in 2009. In a lengthy newsletter sent out to over 60,000 subscribers today, CEO Elon Musk has laid out a torrent of news. Most notable are the imminent openings of retail locations in Chicago and London's Knightsbridge district, with four other locations slated to open before the year's end. Additionally, a street-drivable prototype of the Model S four door sedan will be unveiled on March 26th, with production scheduled for 2011. We're also informed of updates on the Smart car / Daimler partnership, a few new interior options for the Roadster, a battery replacement program and the new extended warranty. Chances are, Tesla owners have already digested all of this, but those looking in from the outside should certainly have a peek at the full letter just after the break.

world's thinnest iPhone


mophie's iPhone 3G Juice Pack received universal praise, and while the additional baggage bothered some, most users just appreciated being able to utilize 3G for more than 47 seconds without needing an AC outlet. Not one to rest on its laurels, the company has today introduced the new and improved version: Juice Pack Air. Contrary to popular belief, this actually isn't intended for Apple's MacBook Air (now there's an idea to capitalize on, mophie), but instead, it's the planet's thinnest external iPhone 3G battery / case. The device houses a rechargeable 1,200mAh battery that "virtually doubles the amount of time you have to rock, talk, surf, and send messages." Eager consumers can pre-order theirs now in black, purple or white, while patient souls can mellow out until they hit mophie's website and Apple stores everywhere this Spring. Full release is after the jump.

Palm's done with PalmOS


In a talk with investors Palm CEO Ed Colligan dropped a whole ton of previously undisclosed facts about Palm and the Pre. First off, he mentioned that other than the Centro making its way to other carriers, there will be no more PalmOS devices from Palm; they're concentrating completely on webOS and Windows Mobile. They also clarified that they have partnerships with carriers in Canada, Latin America and Europe for the Pre, and that they plan on expanding in the US to carriers outside of Sprint in 2010. As far as patents go, Palm doesn't sound too worried, citing 15 years of patents in the bank, a desire to respect intellectual property, and the fact that no action has taken place between Palm and Apple in that department.

i-mate's rumored "Hummer"


It's been some time since we've seen anything new come out of i-mate, and while we glimpsed the 810-F as a rumor ages ago, we're enthusiastic that mayhaps i-mate's got a few tricks left up its sleeve. The i-mate 810-F apparently runs Windows Mobile 6.1, a 624MHz CPU, HSDPA, QVGA display, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a big 'ol QWERTY pad, all tacked together by a rubberized housing and some hex screws. Other notable features include a 2 megapixel camera for rugged shots, and 2.2GB of internal storage space. Warranty? It's lifelong, if it breaks they replace it. Not a bad outing i-mate and judging by the date on the pic above, I expect we'll be seeing you in Barcelona.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

iriver's Wave-Home


While Verizon gets its Hub, lucky KT Telecom subscribers in Korea now have access to iriver's Wave-Home. The kits sells for 297,000 Korean Won or about $210 and features a WiFi VoIP handset in addition to that larger 7-inch display with 1.3 megapixel camera for video conferencing, surfing the web, checking your calendar and so on. You've gotta hand it to iriver, they reveal the initial UNIT2-S concept at a European trade show in August, refine it in Las Vegas for CES in January, and then launch it back home a month later. Now that's style.

Modu showcases production phone


Thought you'd seen the last of Modu, did you? Well, you were dead wrong. Dov Moran and his team have been hard at work -- since we last chatted with them at Mobile World Congress in '08 -- finishing the modular device that was definitely one of the gems of the MWC show. As a recap, the Modu's charm and versatility lays in the fact that the handset proper (pictured left) can be moved from one Modu Jacket (right) to another depending on the type of functionality needed. The heart of the magic lies in the tiny and light -- lightest handset in the world we're told -- Modu phone unit, and while details are thin, we know it has been rebuilt to be tougher, memory has been upped to 2GB, and is running a new UI. Also launching are 4 jackets that Modu slips into: the night jacket, street-art jacket, classic, and express. Each jacket (priced from $25 up to $100) can add features the Modu itself doesn't have, like night imaging, stereo speakers, music functionality, gaming, or just about anything else you can dream up. Dov stands by his hopes to get this thing into peoples hands with 2 jackets for a cool $200, here's hoping they land here soon. Engadget Mobile has the gallery, so feel free to wander over to have a look-see.

Screen Grabs: Fringe's Olivia Dunham

Screen grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com.


Given the scrutiny which Barack Obama underwent, you'd expect Fringe's Olivia Dunham -- who's responsible for matters far more serious than "fixing economies" and "creating domestic stimulus packages" -- to use some sort of highly specialized Sectera Edge for work. But given that AT&T sponsors her program, we suppose the FBI has made an exception here. As you can see, she (and her partners) were recently caught wielding Samsung's BlackJack II (and getting perfect reception on AT&T) while investigating the spontaneous morphing of humans. Turns out, this nifty little live video trick helped lead to some resolution in her life, but we'll spare you the spoilers.

Bose Energy Efficient Series


Bose is staying mum on most of the details at the moment, but the company has just announced that it's new Energy Efficient Series automotive sound system will be making its debut in the 2011 Chevy Volt, which it no doubt hopes will be just the first of many more vehicles to follow. Bose is all too happy to proclaim, however, that the new system is 30% smaller and 40% lighter than conventional Bose sound systems and, most importantly for the Volt, consumes 50% less energy. That was apparently achieved mostly by making some tweaks to the switching amplifiers, high motor force speakers, and digital signal processing circuitry, although exactly how everything translates in non-Bose remains a bit of a mystery.

Regenerative shock absorbers


A team of undergrads at MIT -- led by Shakeel Avadhany and Zack Anderson -- has produced a prototype of a shock absorber for vehicles which can harness and generate electricity back into the vehicle. The team claims that their prototype increases a vehicle's fuel-efficiency by up to 10 percent by using a "hydraulic system that forces fluid through a turbine attached to a generator." There is an active electronic system for controlling and optimizing the damping for a smoother ride than regular old shocks. The team is actively seeking to develop and commercialize the product, and have already seen interest in the prototype from the United States military and also several manufacturers of trucks, which see the most benefit from the shocks... so look for these guys on Grave Digger any day now.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Lapfit monitors


Samsung's Lapfit monitors are here to solve a problem most laptop owners are familiar with: the secondary monitor offset. See, a laptop's integrated display typically sits just a few centimeters above the desktop. That can create an unnatural panning effect when trying to move the mouse or drag a window from your laptop's display to the higher secondary. Samsung's solution is to offer these new low-profile monitors that sit at the same height as your (desktop replacement-sized) laptop's display. The 19- (LD190G) and 22-inch (LD220G) UbiSync Lapfit monitors offer a 10-30 degree tilt, a 1,360 x 768 (16:9 aspect) pixel resolution, 4ms response, and a 20,000:1 dynamic contrast. Great, a physical solution to a problem solved long ago by laptop stands or by your laptop's OS -- way to go Sammy.

Samsung's YP-VP1


Here's something we don't see everyday, a sexy voice recorder with a built-in digital camera. Samsung's YP-VP1 made its first appearance at CES, apparently, and now sees its official Korean launch. The 2GB / 4GB recorder features a directional mic that records up to 30 hours in 192kbps max quality with support for MP3 / WMA playback (up to 50 hours) tossed in for grins. As to the camera, a VoicePix function allows you to tag a recording with a photo -- something that should help with searching for specific items later on.