Archive for November 26th, 2009

Windows Mobile 6.5 ‘second edition’ bringing slightly revamped UI? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Down Under[TM] has revealed its today-only holiday gift specials, and with most deals hovering between 5 and 10 percent off, it’s nothing out of the ordinary for Cupertino’s wares. Still, if you’re shopping for a new iMac this season, seems like the perfect opportunity to fill up your virtual shopping cart. If history tells us anything, look for these deals to hit Apple’s US syndicate sometime around tomorrow.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple’s Black Friday deals hit Australia site, same as it ever was originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell and HP, HP and Dell. The United States’ two biggest computer hardware manufacturers, and two of the world’s top three, have tended to match each other step for step, so it’s no surprise that Dell’s recently released SX2210T was quickly followed by a Compaq L2105tm from its closest rival. Measuring 21.5 inches each, with 1920 x 1080 resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and optical multitouch technology under their chunky bezels, these two models represent the biggest mainstream push for touchscreen computing yet. Functionally identical to standard monitors, they offer the added benefit of letting you input your heart’s urges and desires using swipes, gestures and flicks, and we’ve plucked one of each panel to see how this all plays out for ourselves. Join us after the break, won’t you?

Continue reading Dell SX2210T vs. HP L2105tm: optical multitouch head-to-head review

Dell SX2210T vs. HP L2105tm: optical multitouch head-to-head review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google has taken much of the wind out of the turn-by-turn navigation industry’s sails this Fall thanks to the introduction of fee-free Google Maps Navigation, but it’s got a fatal flaw for the moment: it’s only available in the States. Navigon must be banking on the fact that Mountain View is going to take its sweet time spreading the love around the world, because it has announced at iCE Amsterdam today that it’ll be releasing its own app for Android on December 10. Pricing hasn’t been revealed, but for comparison, Navigon’s European solution for the iPhone runs a stout $140 — and as long as Google doesn’t tell everyone that European navigation is no longer a valid business model as they’ve done in the US, that could very well be the number we can expect on the Android side. It’ll be compatible with devices running anything from 1.5 to 2.0, so Dreams and Milestones alike should be welcome to apply.

Navigon announces nav app for Android, Google threat looms originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The presenters of Top Gear, among the finer specimens of British television talent (Dr. Gregory House being another), were this past week engaged in designing and building an electric vehicle purportedly intended to compete with the Chevy Volt. Set a time limit of a mere 18 hours, they produced the marvel of rushed engineering and shoddy workmanship you see above. The Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust (believe us, you’ll have no reason to remember the name) was even put through its paces by Autocar magazine, whose video “review” can be found after the break. We won’t spoil the details for you, but if you want a conclusion, this one’s pretty unequivocal: “there’s a really good chance you could kill yourself” riding in this car.

Continue reading Top Gear team builds EV, shows how complex car production really is

Top Gear team builds EV, shows how complex car production really is originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you ask us, one of the best things about London is its theater scene. Turns out, however, that not every person who appreciates good theatre speaks the Queen’s English — we know, it’s shocking to us as well. To serve those unenlightened souls, a new AirScript wireless translation gadget is being trialed at the Shaftesbury in central Londonium. Its designers at Cambridge Consultants have put together a simple WiFi-enabled device with an LED-backlit screen and a dude in the background who feeds live subtitles over the air. The pleasure of said dude’s services will be a steep £6 ($10), which you might scoff at now, but imagine yourself attending a show in Tokyo or Beijing and suddenly the price becomes a lot more justifiable. Eight languages are available so far (American English is presumably still in the works), with translations done by professionals rather than machines, and all that remains now is to see whether this multilingual birdie flies or flounders.

AirScript translator beams live theater subtitles over the air originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What are you thankful for today? If you live in Finland or the UK and pre-ordered a X6 then you might be obliged to Nokia for having just set your new handset free. That’s right pilgrims, Nokia’s new flagship Comes with Music handset is now shipping. The X6 you’ll recall, introduces S60 5th to a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen riding 32GB of storage, a 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, TV-out, and tweaked homescreen with a media/social-centric layout. The X6 lists for €450 (pre-tax and pre-carrier subsidies) — a price that ultimately includes the cost of Nokia’s struggling “all-you-can-eat” music service. Perhaps this is the device that finally gives the service legs? Maybe, but we’d start by following through on plans to strip the DRM.

Nokia X6 Comes with Music and capacitive touchscreen: shipping now originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Time to get your science fiction hats on, but leave the fiction visor off this time. The BBC has gotten all hot and bothered today about a newly published research report indicating a significant advancement in the field of plasma-based disinfection of both healthy and wounded human skin. Yes, the same stuff that drives your big-ass television is also capable — in a gaseous form — of interacting with the oxygen, nitrogen, and water vapor in the air to create a concoction lethal to bacteria and fungi, but innocuous to humanoids. The big breakthrough here is that mass production of such devices is finally possible at rates affordable enough to makes them commonplace in hospitals, tattoo shops and the like. Additionally, an argon-based “plasma torch” has been shown to accelerate wound healing, though it’s not certain whether this happens through the particular effects of the plasma, or through the reduction of bacteria infesting the wound. The fact the researchers themselves don’t know is both unnerving and strangely fun at the same time. We’ve got a shot of the prototype after the break and the entire paper is available at the read link, if you feel like a geek binge.

Continue reading Bacteria-killing prototype relies on plasma, could obsolete hand washing

Bacteria-killing prototype relies on plasma, could obsolete hand washing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s right, sailor, Qualcomm has been dishing some more info on the future of smartbooks, and we now know that the Lenovo number we noticed being teased earlier this month will be driven by a vanilla copy of Google’s Android OS. Other data of import includes a purported battery life of more than eight hours and always-on connectivity through 3G (provided by AT&T in the US), WiFi and “other radios,” all of which should go nicely with that 1GHz Snapdragon chip under the hood. If you ask us, and you should, this looks like the perfect candidate for a bit of USB-mounted Chrome OS glory.

Update: Lenovo’s PR team contacted us to clarify that the above device, although strikingly similar to the Lenovo machine (possibly a reference design), is a separate, Quanta-manufactured smartbook that was on display at a Qualcomm event last week. Nevertheless, it could still end up bearing Lenovo regalia, given that Quanta produces the IdeaPad line.

Lenovo’s Snapdragon smartbook gets Android, pictured properly (Updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hard to believe it but iTunes tagging has finally arrived in Europe. Well, Great Britain. The UK? Fine, England. Ok, ok, to those parts of London where you can tune into Absolute Radio 105.8FM — the only European station to have inked a deal with Seattle-based Jump2Go (developer of the tech) and Britain’s own Unique Interactive. Owners of the new iPod nano with built-in FM radio can now tag songs they’re listening to for later purchase from the iTunes store when docked. Video demonstration after the break for you London newbs.

Continue reading iTunes tagging comes to London iPod nano owners: a European first

iTunes tagging comes to London iPod nano owners: a European first originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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