Archive for September 21st, 2009

We had some indication Tesla and its former CEO Martin Eberhard had settled their lawsuit after it just quietly went away last month, but the electric automaker has now finally come out and confirmed as much, although it’s not surprisingly still staying mum on any actual details. As you may recall, Eberhard had sued Tesla and its current CEO, Elon Musk, over a whole host of grievances, including that he was pushed out of the company, denied his severance package, and generally disparaged both in the public and within the company. For its part, Tesla then fired back with some harsh words of its own, saying that Eberhard’s account was “fictionalized,” “twisted,” and “wrong.” Both parties seem to now be doing their best to put all that behind them, however, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has even go so far as to issue a statement saying that “without Martin’s indispensable efforts, Tesla Motors would not be here today.”

Filed under: Transportation

Tesla Motors confirms it settled lawsuit with former CEO originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Netbook SSDs have come in all manner of shapes, sizes, and connectors for a while, but finding the right model for your machine is about to get a lot easier — the SATA-IO working group just announced a new mini-SATA standard called mSATA that should put an end to the mish-mash. Toshiba’s the first out the gate with 32nm drives in 30 and 62GB sizes, but expect to see mSATA drives and machines from a whole host of heavy hitters in the future, like Samsung, Dell, HP, SanDisk, Lenovo, STEC, and Toshiba. That’s pretty good news — now let’s just hope standardization leads to lower prices as well.

Read – SATA-IO announces mini-SATA standard
Read – Toshiba announces first mSATA drives

Filed under: Storage

Toshiba announces first SSD drives using new mini-SATA interface originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Well, Sony may still be denying any plans of a 250GB PS3 bundle for the US, but it looks like the rumors just keep on cropping up in Europe, and this latest one is quite the doozy. According to Joystiq, that all too familiar inventory screen above comes from a purported Norwegian GameStop employee, and quite clearly reveals no less than five different 250GB PS3 bundles, including your choice of Ratchet & Clank, Assassin’s Creed 2, FIFA 10, Need for Speed: Shift, or Uncharted 2 for a game. Prices are reportedly the same for each (a 500 kr, or $85 increase over the standard 120GB model), although there’s unfortunately no release dates given for any of ‘em. Of course, there is a confirmed date for the Tokyo Game Show, which would seem like a prime opportunity for them to get official, if they are indeed the real deal.

Filed under: Gaming

250GB PS3 bundles aplenty headed to Europe? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nokia has been handing out the N900 for selective “artsy” uses lately through its “Push” program, and the folks at Tinker it now! sure seem to have put their model to good use. They’ve paired the device with all matter of nostalgia, including a Rolodex, FM radio and a 3D Viewmaster. Our favorite by far, however, is the Speak & Spell hack, which puts the gargantuan Speak & Spell keyboard to good use in penning text messages for the N900 — which displays them in the classic font and even articulates your words with a speech synthesis engine. It’s all a testament to the flexibility of Linux, hacker ingenuity and of course liberal application of Arduino, but it’s also a little advertorial-ey, so you might want to leave your gag reflex at home for this one.

[Via Nokia Conversations]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Peripherals

N900 hacked to replace the innards of a Speak & Spell, can never bring back your childhood originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

HTC and Motorola may have done their best to whip Android’s interface into shape, but it looks like the folks at Larva Labs still weren’t satisfied with the options available, so they’ve naturally gone ahead and designed their own UI (with a little help from Ideas on Purpose). While it’s unfortunately still just a concept, the firm’s so-called “Intelligent Home Screen” does bring plenty of interesting ideas to the table, which Larva Labs says should help it “appeal to Blackberry owners and people struggling with information overload.” The centerpiece of the concept is a home screen divided by a (slightly familiar looking) slider bar, which puts personal items like emails up top and general interest stuff on the bottom, with relevant apps accessed by the icon on the right-hand side of the screen, and everything else relegated to a separate menu. Hit up the read link below to check it out in action.

Filed under: Cellphones

Larva Labs proposes ‘intelligent’ Android home screen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The press release on this one is full of superlatives, but somehow most of them seem justified. Schwartz Engineering & Design just announced its Laser-Accurate microphone technology, which promises to provide “pure sound” from a microphone for the “first time ever.” It works by detecting the impact of sound on the motion of particles in a stream of air by running a laser across them, and was created by David Schwartz, who holds several digital audio patents, including one that is foundational to the MP3 format (which is, ironically, not a traditional friend to the audiophile). The idea is to avoid the inherent “coloring” of sound due to a regular microphone’s physical diaphragm, since the moving particles are virtually weightless. Of course, it seems that a Laser-Accurate mic would have plenty of variables of its own to deal with in regards to the stream of air, but we suppose we’ll find out just how tight Schwartz has this thing when it’s shown off for the first time in NY next month. PR is after the break.

Continue reading Laser-Accurate microphone proves once and for all that everything is better with lasers

Filed under: Peripherals, Science

Laser-Accurate microphone proves once and for all that everything is better with lasers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/world_news/FCC_chairman_formally_proposes_net_neutrality_rules’;
We knew it was going to happen, but we’re still stoked to report that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski formally proposed a set of net neutrality rules this morning, calling them “the fair rules of the road for companies that control access to the internet.” There are two big new rules, which say broadband providers of any kind can’t discriminate against content or applications, and must be transparent about their network management policies — a big change for wireless carriers like Verizon and AT&T, who would have to open their networks to scrutiny, and a direct response to Comcast’s secretive packet-filtering techniques. What’s more, Genachowski also proposed that four existing agency policies be granted formal rule status, meaning network operators would be required to allow users to access the content, apps, and services of their choice, and they would also be required to allow any “non-harmful” devices to connect to their networks. We knew all that open-access hullabaloo was leading up to something good.

All told, these are some big policy changes, and while we’re excited that the FCC is this gung-ho about net neutrality — seriously, Genachowski comes off as the best kind of fanboy in his followup HuffPo editorial, it’s kind of awesome — we’re still only cautiously optimistic, since the rulemaking process has only just begun and there are some potentially huge loopholes for network management and prevention of copyright infringement. But those are details to be worked out — for now, the real news is that net neutrality is on its way to becoming the law of the land, and that’s enough to warm even our darkened robot hearts. Check a video of Jules after the break.

Read – Genachowski’s speech proposing net neutrality rules
Read – Genachowski’s Huffington Post followup editorial
Read – The FCC’s new openinternet.gov website
Read – WSJ piece with industry reactions

Continue reading FCC chairman formally proposes net neutrality rules

Filed under: Networking

FCC chairman formally proposes net neutrality rules originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gearlog has scooped pricing details on AT&T’s entry into the up-and-coming femtocell market, the 3G MicroCell, where it’s currently undergoing a public market trial in Charlotte, North Carolina — and basically, it’s a decent deal as long as you don’t want unlimited calling. Stores are charging $150 for the unit itself and service is free (similar to Verizon’s model, though Verizon charges $100 more upfront and the unit doesn’t do 3G); if you want to tack on unlimited calling, you’re paying another $20 a month unless you have some combination of AT&T landline or DSL service at your address. $20 is properly insane, though in exchange, the carrier throws you a bone with a $100 rebate on the device. All they’ve got to do is drop that unlimited service down to $10 a month to bring ‘em in line with Sprint and T-Mobile and put some pressure on Verizon, which still doesn’t offer any unlimited add-on.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

AT&T’s 3G MicroCell runs $150 in Charlotte trial, service is free without unlimited calling originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Remember last week? When 21Mbps HSPA+ was something to stand up and cheer about, and you were even happy to settle for HSPA 7.2 if you could? Well, it’s time trade in those good feelings for some jealousy and bitterness once again, buckaroo, ’cause Hauwei has now announced that it’s set to more than double HSPA+ speeds to a jaw-dropping 56Mbps. That impressive feat has reportedly already been demonstrated by the company in Beijing, and Huawei will apparently begin a full rollout sometime next year. What’s more, Huawei says that its carrier partners will be able to upgrade to the increased bandwidth via a simple software upgrade, which should both lower the cost and speed up the rollout — just not around here.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Huawei set to launch 56Mbps HSPA+ service in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iriver‘s NV mini has been out and about for nearly a full year now, so it makes sense to think that some sort of successor was just about ready to pop. Sure enough, a next-gen version (of sorts) has been revealed, with the NV mini bike edition (₩188,000; $156) looking to help those out there who suck it up and bike to work / school / etcetera rather than hailing a cab. The 3.5-inch touchscreen (320 x 240) is unchanged in terms of size, but the UI has been tweaked to provide larger glimpses at what’s most important. It’s also designed to respond to gloved fingers, and the “exercise” mode keeps track of distance traveled, speed, time traveled and calories burned. Other specs include an SDHC card slot, 3.5 millimeter headphone socket and Windows CE 5.0 underneath, with an on sale date of “right now” in South Korea.

[Via Slashgear]

Filed under: GPS

iriver NV mini bike edition routes two-wheeled warriors originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments