Archive for December 3rd, 2009

Sony’s PlayStation marks 15th anniversary originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’

Artificial lens implant promises to give patients ‘HD vision’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We get it, Honda, you got some of your crack acronymists on the job and hobbled together Personal-Neo Urban Transport (P-NUT) to vaguely describe this new concept car. But the car itself? It’s interesting, we’ll give it that. The primary idea seems to be the single seat in front for the driver, with two rear seats in the leg-room optimized “flanking” positions. There’s also a modular rear engine bay for working with a regular internal combustion engine, hybrid setup or pure electric power, along with a heads up display in the front windshield. It seems fun, and we like all the legroom, but we won’t start building any locomotion dreams upon the thin, salty shell of P-NUT just yet. Video is after the break.

Continue reading Honda’s P-NUT concept is big on puns, short on realism

Honda’s P-NUT concept is big on puns, short on realism originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know that leaked HTC Sense ROM with Android 2.1 underneath? Well, somebody did some digging and found a wild stack of HTC Android handset codenames buried within. It starts in the realm of the familiar, with mentions of Dragon, Passion, Dream and Hero, but then it starts to get a little wild. Here’s the full list: Bahamas, Bravo, DesireC, Dragon, Dream, Espresso, Halo, HeroCT, HeroC, Hero, Huangshan, Incredible, Legend, Liberty, Memphis, Paradise, PassionC, Passion, Sapphire and Supersonic. Pretty wild, right? There’s no telling what exactly this list implies, other than the fact that Passion and Dragon are indeed on the books, and that HTC’s naming department can really let the superlatives fly, but we’re sure all will be made clear over the next year or two.

Huge stash of HTC Android codenames found within 2.1 ROM originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Motorola Sholes Tablet makes a dubious Chinese appearance

Motorola Sholes Tablet makes a dubious Chinese appearance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NC State may be well on its way to yet another underwhelming season on the hardwood, but it seems as if a few of its most spirited boffins aren’t even taking any time off to celebrate the season-ending victory over the hated Heels on the team’s final football game. Dr. Michael Dickey and team have just published their latest invention, and if this thing ever reaches commercial status, you can expect ordinary objects to become a lot more intelligent. The crew’s shape-shifting, twistable antenna overcomes the common limitation of copper-based alternatives by relying on an alloy that can be “bent, stretched, cut and twisted” while still transmitting or receiving a signal. Aside from enabling concept phones like the Ondo to become real, the development could also allow for stretchable antennas to be integrated into actual structures, giving buildings and bridges a way to communicate stresses to architects. Too bad it can’t communicate the crumbling of an athletics program to an oblivious AD, but hey, there’s always room for improvement in version 2.0.

NC State intellects design twistable, shape-shifting antennas originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, there are a variety of ways to get your high-end XLR audio onto your PC, but the solutions we’ve seen before haven’t been cheap. Shure’s dual-purpose mics cost up to $250 and while the Icicle adapter is only $60, it’s a strictly BYO microphone affair. Samson’s $89 Q2U package includes all you’ll need to become a podcasting wunderkind, most important being the mic itself, which comes with both XLR and USB cables. It also features an integrated 3.5mm headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring, includes a set of studio headphones, and even comes with a tripod so that you can wildly gesticulate while expressing your fury about the Dollhouse cancellation — even if your 23 subscribers can’t see you. It’s all available now, so stop popping your P’s and get with the ordering already.

Samson’s Q2U microphone does USB and XLR on a budget originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Nokia offers sneak peak at improved 2010 Symbian user interface

Nokia offers sneak peak at improved 2010 Symbian user interface originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sanyo’s Eneloop line of wares have been slowly but surely crossing the Atlantic (or the Pacific, depending on the preferred route of the day) for some time now, but the all-too-enticing Eneloop Kairo has managed to stay far, far away from North America. Until now, of course. As winter sets in across much of the mainland, Sanyo has just started selling the hand warmers to frigid Yanks. The KIR-SE1S is a single-sided, egg-shaped device that ships in white and pink hues, while the double-sided KIR-SL2S (available in silver and pink) is designed to heat those who feel as if they’re living life within an icebox. The single-sided version promises up to four hours of warmth on a full charge, while the two-sided model delivers one to three hours depending on what setting you select. Check ‘em out soon for $34.99 and $44.99 in order of mention.

Continue reading Sanyo’s Eneloop Kairo hand warmers just barely beat Old Man Winter to America

Sanyo’s Eneloop Kairo hand warmers just barely beat Old Man Winter to America originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll freely admit to having a love / hate relationship with Christmas lights and decorations. The sheer gaudiness of it all often turns our “bah humbug” nature inside out, revealing the awe struck “inner child” we hear so much about from people like Martha Stewart and Oprah. Regardless, an artful DIYer’s taken the outdoor Christmas lighting game to the next level. Making use of an ioBridge IO-204 module, an Arduino Wave Kit, an Arduino Duemilanove board, solid state relays, and the Oracle Application Express for connectivity, he was able to get his internet controlled light and music show on the road. Check out the final results — which feature 3,300 mini lights, 3 spotlights, an LED Rope, 4 LEDs, and one magical reindeer — in the video after the break. Hit the source link for full instructions if you want to get in on the holiday action yourself.

Continue reading DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art

DIY arduino Christmas lights spectacular turns bad taste into… art originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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