Put away your leaked Verizon documents, good folks, the Fascinate finally has an official release date: September 9. Verizon's Galaxy S variant snuck up on all of us with a commercial appearance last night, which was accompanied by that appropriately blown out text at the bottom, indicating it'll be in stores within a couple of days. That doesn't leave much time for you to build up fresh anticipation, so hopefully you were able to sustain yours while everyone else was unpacking their Captivate, Epic and Vibrant handset. Hey, you might be late to the party, but at least you'll be there.

[Thanks, Kyle]

Official: Samsung Fascinate launching September 9 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 03:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We still consider Samsung's Hummingbird application processor to be among the very best for mobile computers, but this morning Sammy itself is stepping up the charge to make it look real old real fast. The freshly announced dual-core Orion promises to whip us all into a frenzy of geek lust with "5 times the 3D graphics performance over the previous processor generation from Samsung," 1080p video encoding and decoding at 30fps, embedded GPS, a native triple display controller, and on-chip HDMI 1.3a interface. Those last two bits mean you can drive two displays on your mobile device while feeding a third, such as a HDTV, all thanks to the one all-powerful chip inside. Availability for "select customers" is coming late this year, with mass production set for the first half of 2011. To say we're looking forward to it would be a massive understatement.

Continue reading Samsung's Orion is the 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 we've all been waiting for

Samsung's Orion is the 1GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 we've all been waiting for originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony just released its 3.42 software update for PlayStation 3 owners. As a mandatory update, PS3 jockeys must accept it if they want to continue accessing the PlayStation Network or PlayStation Store. While Sony's American mouthpiece isn't saying much about the release, Sony Japan says that it fixes a "hardware security issue," and that's it. Sounds like a patch for PSJailbreak and its open-source variants to us.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

PS3 3.42 software update reportedly patches jailbreak, hates fun originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever wonder how the single driveshaft in your car manages to power two (or more) wheels simultaneously? The answer is the differential, a device capable of splitting torque dynamically. There are a variety of different types of diffs, from fully unlocked to more pricey limited-slip models, but none are quite like the one created by Harvard graduate student Pratheev S. Sreetharan and professor Robert J. Wood. Dubbed the PARITy (Passive Aeromechanical Regulation of Imbalanced Torques), it's only five millimeters long and, while such a tiny thing would evaporate if mounted between the rear wheels on a Mustang GT, it's destined for rather smaller applications: tiny, winged micro air vehicles. The scientists proved its effectiveness by clipping one wing on a PARITy-equipped drone and, despite the imbalance in lift surface, the robo-bee maintained level flight -- differential automatically flapping the tinier wing more quickly to compensate. You know what that means: keeping our robot overlord's spies grounded just got a little bit harder.

PARITy differential keeps your MAV flying level even if you clip its wings originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 01:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Should there be an international award for Cheekiest Man of the Year, it'd have to go to Meizu's shameless Jack Wong. Shortly after Apple's keynote last week, the CEO of KIRFdom seized the opportunity to cry foul on the new iPod touch, claiming it "looks a bit like" his forthcoming M9II Android phone, as pictured above. Wait, M9II? Turns out even though the M9 has yet to materialize in early October, Mr. Wong already has an enhanced model to be brought forth by his faithful unicorns. Assuming both M9 series devices will carry the same Meizu-fied Android 2.2 software, the only known differences on the M9II include a larger 4-inch display (as opposed to 3.5 inches at 960 x 640), the additional front-facing camera plus flash for the rear camera, and a Cortex-A9 CPU. To play devil's advocate, we'd actually suggest Wong skip the M9 for this lovely dream phone, but we're probably too late -- check out his snazzy prototype M9 after the break.

Continue reading Meizu CEO Jack Wong: Oh hey, the new iPod touch 'looks a bit like the M9II'

Meizu CEO Jack Wong: Oh hey, the new iPod touch 'looks a bit like the M9II' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in 1988, Russian engineer Vladimir Demin combined a bunch of solenoids (loops of copper wire) and a Bayan (a Russian accordian), to create a self-playable instrument controlled by his awesome, self-built computer. Yes, we're impressed, and you will be too, if you take a look at the video below.

Continue reading Computer controlled Bayan from 1988 makes us want to go back to the past

Computer controlled Bayan from 1988 makes us want to go back to the past originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like we can take the guesswork out of today's leaked render, after all. A generous (and, as usual, anonymous) reader just sent us a handful of pictures of what appears to be -- quite convincingly, we might add -- the Samsung NX100 we've been eying since a low-res snapshot came to light last month. According to our tipster, video on the camera is great and changing settings is easy, on par with DSLRs, but the of course size still doesn't compare to point-and-shoots. And to repeat the earlier specs, now that they seem more likely: 4.74 x 2.8 x 1.36 inches, 9.95 ounces, an external GPS receptor, an external EVF with 201K resolution, and a (non-articulating) display that's 921K AMOLED. A shame we can't claim those fingers for our own just yet, but patience is a virtue. Or something like that -- it's not like we have a choice, might as well say something to feel better about it.

Exclusive: Samsung NX100 in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U of M laser mimics helicopter heat signatures to thwart missiles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reviews are starting to trickle out for Pansonic's LX3 successor, the DMC-LX5, and so far they all seem to echo similar sentiment. The form factor hearkens back to its Micro Four Thirds darling GF1, at least from the top, with "dinky buttons" (in CNET UK's words) on the back reminding you of its point-and-shoot bloodline. The pictures are solid if not characteristically warm -- and the ability to simultaneously produce RAW and JPEG files is a nice touch -- as is the choice of either Motion JPEG or AVCHD Lite video. The universal issue with this camera is the price; that £449.99 tag (the equivalent of $691 in US currency) doesn't quite seem to match the offerings, especially when it's about on par with entry-level DSLRs with interchangeable lenses (albeit without the slim look). As PhotographyBLOG puts it, Panny's gotta hard case to make for a camera "that looks, at first glance to be very similar to a £299 model." Hey, a hardware switch for changing the aspect ratio (just above lens barrel; 4:3, 3:2, 16:9, or 1:1) doesn't come cheap. Much more detail can be found in the reviews below.

Note: It's worth mentioning that this camera can be had for $500 at Amazon right now. Still pricey, but not $700 pricey.

Read - PhotographyBLOG
Read - CNET UK
Read - Pocket-lint

Lumix DMC-LX5 review roundup: great hardware for a not-so-great price originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, sure -- a few people have called Google's Nexus One a "superphone," but suddenly, that nickname has taken on a whole new level of meaning. A team of talent from MIT has put its head down in order to concoct a new Android application that can come darn close to solving complex computational problems in just a fraction of the time that it'd take a bona fide supercomputer. The goal here is to let researchers and scientists convert to Google's mobile OS, but if you aren't falling for that one, it's also designed to "let engineers perform complicated calculations in the field, and to better control systems for vehicles or robotic systems." Of course, the models that are hosted on the phone do require a supercomputer to create, but once certain formulas are embedded, the app can then compute approximations in mere seconds rather than hours. Best of all, rbAPPmit is available for download as well speak in the source link below, but we'd probably wait for the (presumably thick) user guide to surface before diving in headfirst.

[Thanks, Alasdair]

MIT app turns your Android phone into a supercomputer... of sorts originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're not quite sure what to make of this, as our first reaction is to label it a fan made render and move on. But it's a very detailed render, so let's hear this one out in between bites of freshly grilled burger (or whatever you do to celebrate Labor Day; we think more working is an appropriate course of action, but to each his or her own). So what you see surfaced on the Digital Photography Review forums is an apparent render of the Samsung NX100 and a diagram pictured after the break -- labeled by number but missing the complementary key. We still don't know much about the forum poster nor the images' origins, but later on he or she did provide supposed dimensions and some display specifications: 4.74 x 2.8 x 1.36 inches, 9.95 ounces, an external GPS receptor, an external EVF with 201K resolution, and a (non-articulating) display that's 921K AMOLED. We're intrigued to say the least, but nothing tangible at the moment.

Continue reading Alleged Samsung NX100 pics and specs surface

Alleged Samsung NX100 pics and specs surface originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, there little guy! That's the Toshiba AC100 -- an Android 2.1 smartbook with Toshiba's custom user interface -- on show in the UK, where you can now grab one up. The 10.1-inch, 1.9-pounder has yet to show its face anywhere near the US, but as for specs it's got a 1GHz Tegra 250 SoC, a 32GB SSD, 512MB of DDR2 memory, 802.11n WiFi, optional 3G, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and an HDMI port. While it's listed on Amazon you still can't actually order one of these bad boys stateside, but if you're in the UK, you can grab one up for £292.52 (almost $450) for the non-3G model. Video of the little guy in action back in June is below.

Continue reading Toshiba AC100 Android smartbook hits the United Kingdom

Toshiba AC100 Android smartbook hits the United Kingdom originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, it looks like the mystery of Nokia's Symbian^3 slider may soon be solved -- Reuters is reporting that the company will introduce its new "flagship" E7 smartphone at its Nokia World event in London next week, and it says that the device will pack both a "large" touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard. That's further backed up by the existence of an XML file on Nokia's own site, which seemingly confirms that the E7 does indeed run Symbian^3, and that it boasts a 640 x 360 display along with that QWERTY keyboard. Not much more than that at the moment, but those previous leaks suggest that we're basically looking at a slider version of the Nokia N8.

[Thanks, Wes]

Nokia said to be launching E7 smartphone next week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We didn't get to hear them for ourselves at IFA 2010, and it sounds like we missed out -- a pair of publications are already showering Sleek Audio's nigh-bulletproof SA7 buds with praise. The tightly-woven carbon fiber casing may look stylish, but both SlashGear and TrustedReviews were even more impressed by the sound, calling the combination of dual-armature drivers and one-piece aluminum housing "more precise" and "stonkingly good" respectively. Both noted hugely powerful bass that sounded fantastic alongside the trebles and mids, rather than drowning them out, and high frequencies that remained comfortable to listen to even at higher volume -- a mark of excellence, to be sure. Of course, one typically expects quality audio when slapping four Benjamins down -- we'll have to hear how these stack up against other audiophile buds.

Sleek Audio's SA7 earphones briefly tested, dubbed 'stonkingly good' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carl Zeiss keeps on making minor improvements to its Cinemizer head-mounted display, announced way back in 2008 and intended to be the most amazing way to watch stuff on your iPod. They didn't exactly catch on then, and two years later we're not entirely sure that the latest revision will either. The tiny screens that sit a fraction of an inch from your eyeballs have been upgraded to OLED, which should make them bright and lovely as they pummel your rods and cones, but sadly they're still stuck in VGA land -- 640 x 480 is not a lot of pixels these days. This version also pledges greater compatibility with non-Apple devices, a welcome change, and even more welcome is the new visual styling, which makes you look a little less walleyed than the last model. Despite this the price hasn't changed much, estimated to be around €400 ($515), but that's still a lot to pay just to have the coolest Frozone costume ever.

Carl Zeiss Cinemizer 3D Plus glasses get OLED infusion, still no attention originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Usually we'd advise you not to read too much into this -- we'd point out that this was a themed ad served up before the showing of Lawrence of Arabia at London's Secret Cinema event -- but what the hell: Microsoft says the revolution's coming. It's on now!

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 ad promises 'the revolution is coming' (video)

Windows Phone 7 ad promises 'the revolution is coming' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solar farms are swell and all, but they aren't exactly fit for laboratories or studio apartments. Thanks to new discoveries by gurus at the University of Birmingham, though, we could be on our way to a far more diminutive method of creating clean energy. As the story goes, we could soon be using microbes to transform wastes in metals into energy. The team managed to pinpoint Hydrogenase enzymes and BioPd in their research, which they believe can be used as catalysts for the treatment of persistent pollutants. The overriding goal, however, is to "develop a one-step technology that allows for the conversion of metallic wastes into high value catalysts for green chemistry and clean energy generation," but it's difficult to say at this point how close they are to realizing it. The best news? This is bound to start a new rash of Cash 4 Gold commercials.

Scientists using metallic wastes to generate clean energy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 09:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For all the benefits of touchscreen keyboards, there are many who maintain a steadfast allegiance to the gods of tactile feedback. So how does this Mini Key case with sliding QWERTY for the iPhone 4 strike you? Unfortunately, the keys were a bit hard to press on the backlit prototype keypad handled by Engadget Spanish, and it links to the iPhone via Bluetooth, not the iPhone's dock connector (there's a cutout at the bottom for a cable to pass through). And no, all that added bulk still doesn't include an extended life battery pack. Perhaps some of this will change before it goes on sale before the end of the year for $60 / €60, we doubt it though.

Nuu Mini Key adds a bulky physical keyboard to the iPhone 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tapani Kaskinen is Nokia's Senior Comms Manager, so it's fitting that he'd be the first person from the company to communicate a solid release date for its long-awaited N8 handset. The gent in question told Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti that advance orders of the N8 will "begin shipping 30 September." Bear in mind we're chewing through a machine translation here, but that part's pretty unmistakable. It also meshes perfectly with earlier speculation surrounding Nokia purchasing Google AdWords -- that indicated a one-week exclusive starting on September 23rd for Nokia's UK online store, which, if you do the math, again points to a wide release at the end of the month. We asked Nokia about it ourselves and they're remaining mum on the matter, but chances are looking pretty good that October will start with the N8 finally in eager users' hands.

Nokia N8 launches September 30, says senior manager originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, we thought netbooks were old news too, but if they all start strapping up with the latest in 4G connectivity, we might have to give them another look. The Samsung N350 is just such a machine, with dual-mode LTE and HSPA+ built in. You won't be surprised that almost everything else is par for the affordable laptop market course: a dual-core Atom N550 CPU, that boilerplate 1,024 x 600 resolution on a 10.1-inch matte screen, 250GB of storage, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, a multicard reader, and a trifecta of USB ports. The basic wireless options are keeping up with modernity, however, with 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0 on board, both of which are nice to see. The 3-cell battery should last up to 6.7 hours and the whole package is expected to retail for €429 ($553) in Germany this autumn. You can probably expect a rebadge under the Go label for the US and a relatively swift launch over here as well.

Continue reading Samsung N350 throws LTE and HSPA+ into an intriguing new netbook proposition

Samsung N350 throws LTE and HSPA+ into an intriguing new netbook proposition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here we go again. Another FCC filing of an unannounced product, this time in the form of Creative's Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay system. We're looking at a trio of new products including the MultiPlay Transmitter with its USB extension dock, a rather clunky looking Touch Controller (that we've seen before) resembling an old Sonos CR100, and Wireless Receiver. The idea here is to attach the transmitter to your PC and install the Creative Music Server software, connect the receiver to a pair of amplified speakers and then control the whole kit with the supplied controller. You can even push the audio out to Creative's existing wireless speakers or headphones as long as you don't exceed four devices in total. The transmitter and receivers pair automatically when turned on and you can attach additional audio devices (like an old CD player) for broadcast via a 3.5-mm stereo cable. Creative's pitching this as a multi-room solution with the ability to setup and then control zones of music throughout your house over a 2.4GHz connection. In other words, don't expect it to be very robust -- not when the user manual explicitly warns: "Refrain from doing large file transfers via the wireless internet or Bluetooth connection while you are streaming music." Expect it to be cheap though.

Creative Sound Blaster Wireless MultiPlay System untethered from FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 07:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Super AMOLED 7-inch tablet was highly unlikely to ever materialize in a marketable form, but that didn't stop many of us from dreaming about one. Consequently, there was palpable disappointment when Samsung failed to deliver on our unicorn hallucinations with the Galaxy Tab, but the company says not to worry. The Tab's 7 inches of glorious visuals are being handled by a Super TFT panel, surely the Korean company's answer to Sony's Super LCD. It's a screen technology that has been developed "alongside" Super AMOLED and just so happens to offer better battery performance and an obvious saving in cost. We're usually inclined to consider such moves cynical marketing ploys -- keep the Super branding, drop the actual super hardware -- but the SLCD display on the HTC Desire gives us faith that perhaps TFTs really can be souped up. Video after the break.

Continue reading Samsung excuses absence of Super AMOLED on Galaxy Tab with Super TFT (video)

Samsung excuses absence of Super AMOLED on Galaxy Tab with Super TFT (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember when a 1.4GHz processor was deemed the world's fastest? Man, that was ages ago. Recently, IBM has laid claim to that very record, with its 5.2GHz z196 processor being the focal point. Of course, we've seen a number of consumer chips hum along at speeds well beyond that (thanks to sophisticated cooling systems, of course), but this here enterprise chip does it without any liquid nitrogen-based assistance. It's a four-core slab that was manufactured using the outfit's 45 nanometer technology, boasting 1.4 billion transistors and the ability to handle more than 50 billion instructions per second. Interestingly, Fujitsu's Venus CPU is said to handle a staggering 128 billion calculations per second, so we're guessing that IBM won't be snagging this crown without any debate from the competition. At any rate, there's a very convincing video waiting for you after the break, and no, you won't find this thing in your next Alienware anytime soon.

Continue reading IBM claims world's fastest processor with 5.2GHz z196

IBM claims world's fastest processor with 5.2GHz z196 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the new fourth-generation iPod touch: it's so much like an iPhone that it has a Phone app (wait, what?). Better yet, if you do a Spotlight search on it, it'll return results from a messaging app it's not supposed to have. How's that for value? This would all be a great big enigmatic mystery if we weren't ourselves familiar with the practice (and pitfalls) of splicing disparate images into unholy creations. Well, at least now Microsoft isn't alone in making self-published Photoshop gaffes.

P.S. -- There's one more misplaced app on this magical device, but we'll let you figure it out for yourself!

[Thanks, Michael and Rory]

Update: Apple's now finally rid itself of the ignoble image above, but the lower two remain.

Continue reading Apple sucks at Photoshop too

Apple sucks at Photoshop too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 03:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading WeTab tablet spotted running MeeGo at IFA

WeTab tablet spotted running MeeGo at IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We never really understood the value proposition behind Dyson's (admittedly boisterous) Air Multiplier, but that's mostly due to the $300+ MSRP. Cut that back to right around $40, and you just might have us singing a different tune. Thanks to the wonders of KIRFing, Dyson's bladeless fan has seen itself duped and multiplied over in China, with a 10-inch version now selling for just $41.05 so long as you buy ten or more units. Abiko seems to the company hawking the knockoffs, with its version reportedly "indistinguishable from the original." So, what's it going to be? The real deal? Or the real deal?

Update: Dyson requested that we add this comment, so we're more than happy to present you with it. "The Dyson Air Multiplier[TM] fans were launched in 2009 after four years of research and development. A team of specialist Dyson engineers have refined and patented the technology: illegal copies are of significantly inferior quality. Dyson rigorously defends its intellectual property and treats any infringement very seriously. Dyson is taking legal action against anyone who copies its technology."

Keepin' it real fake: Dyson's Air Multiplier gets ripped off, multiplied a few more times originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Sep 2010 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First the good news, for those who've waited months to get their paws on that 11.6-inch multitouch capacitive screen: there's no longer anything stopping you from dropping a stack of change on the Windows 7-wielding ExoPC. Originally restricted to the first 1,200 dedicated fans, preorders are now open to all, with the 32GB tablet setting you back CAD $649 (about $624) and the 64GB version CAD $749 (about $720), with both models featuring up-to-160MB/s fast SanDisk P4 mini-SSDs and up to four hours of battery life. The bad news is that you'll no longer find GPS on that 64GB model, as the prototype didn't pan out, and we're afraid that September 30th ship date has already slid back to October 15th. Take a gander at our hands-on preview (or better yet, wait for our review) if you've yet to make your mind up.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

ExoPC preorders open to all from CAD $649, tablet loses GPS but gains SanDisk SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the white PS3 Slim pictured above decidedly belongs to Japan, the "Classic White" DualShock 3 alongside has just appeared for preorder at e-tailers based in the US. Now, we wouldn't go so far as to claim that an ivory 160GB game system will follow this controller across the Pacific, but let's just say we won't be surprised if Sony reveals one anyhow before these preorders (tentatively) ship on October 15th. After all, Sony already sells a "Ceramic White" controller, and unless you're attempting to match colors, a single shade of eggshell paint is generally all you need.

[Thanks, William]

'Classic White' DualShock 3 appears at e-tail, dreaming of an alabaster console originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

Solar power blazed a trail this week as we took a look at several hot new technologies, starting with SkyFuel's SkyTrough, which is being billed as the world's most efficient solar collector. We also saw solar energy take to the skies as designers unveiled plans for a fleet of high-flying solar robots, and we were surprised to learn that common household dyes could significantly increase the efficiency of photovoltaic panels by optimizing their color absorption spectrum.

Speaking of dye, from the realm of wearable tech we also brought you a breakthrough new technique for dying fabric that saves water by utilizing fluid CO2. We also saw a prototype for a wired "safe cuddling" suit for kids that wards off improper touching by sounding an alarm, and if you're a fan of high-tech footwear, check out these tricked-out kicks that do double duty as Wii controllers.

This week also saw a tremendous green boost for bits and bytes as the University of Leicester switched on its hyper-efficient ALICE supercomputer, which is ten times more powerful than its predecessor and stands to reduce yearly CO2 emissions by 800 tons. Meanwhile, researchers at UC San Diego revealed work on a new mobile phone chip that harnesses "dark silicon" to boost smartphone battery life by a factor of eleven.

We also showcased several efficient autos as Southern California rolled out a fleet of all electric buses that can recharge in 10 minutes flat, and the hyper-miling Avion car embarked on a trip from Canada to Mexico with just 14 gallons of gas. And if you'll be doing some traveling of your own back to school this fall, you wont want to miss this chance to pick up an awesome solar-powered Sakku satchel. Finally, with Labor Day on its way why not upgrade your BBQ with an adorable altoids tin mini grill - it's curiously awesome!

Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar robots that fly, CO2 fabric dye, and the dark silicon that boosts battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

This week at what's become Apple's fall music event the company unveiled a revised Apple TV. The small $99 device delivers a new rental model and support for Netflix, but there are no apps, contrary to much of the speculation leading up the event. That's in stark contrast to the Google TV project announced at I/O last spring. Unlike Apple, Google is looking to provide DVR functionality, search, and an app marketplace. Some say Apple isn't being bold enough, but I think Apple might be right.

Google wants input one on your TV. Apple wants input two. The difference? Input one is where your cable box goes. Input two was where your VCR or DVD player used to live. It's a port that's up for grabs.

Continue reading Entelligence: A tale of two TVs

Entelligence: A tale of two TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Early reports indicate Europe will pay a pretty penny for Samsung's Galaxy Tab, but the 7-inch tablet may cost a good bit less when it comes to US shores -- the Wall Street Journal paraphrases a Samsung executive who claims it could run between $200 and $300 depending on the all-important carrier subsidies. The Korea Times, meanwhile, suggests a $300 to $400 retail price according to a different Samsung bigwig, who added that the Tab "will cost slightly more than the Galaxy S smartphone." As you're probably aware, Sammy's Galaxy S typically retails for about $200 in the US -- excepting Sprint's Epic 4G at $250 -- so if you held a bursting Li-ion battery to our head and forced us to guess, we'd say the latter range of dollar signs is far more likely.

By the way, Vodafone shows the Galaxy Tab as "coming soon." Hit our more coverage links for details.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung suggests Galaxy Tab will cost between $200 and $400 on contract -- also coming to Vodafone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two weeks ago you'd have to pay an Australian importer for a specialized USB key. Four days ago open-source software let you roll your own. Today, there's no need for any of that -- you can hack your PS3 with a tethered smartphone. Working closely with the PSGroove team, hacker Kakaroto adapted the same jailbreak to the Nokia N900, and the open-source community lost no time porting it to the Palm Pre as well. If the videos after the break are any indication, both versions work just as well as the original, and you too can get your game on with downloads and detailed instructions at the source links below.

Sadly, the aforementioned Australian importer OzModChips is a casualty of this little story, with all its shipments of the PS Jailbreak dongle seized (and the item subject to injunction) by an Australian court, but we suppose knowing its product has enabled the hardware hacking community thus might somewhat soften the blow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video)

PS3 jailbreak adapted to Nokia N900, Palm Pre in wake of Australian ban (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic must be mighty annoyed right about now, because Toshiba's seemingly got it trumped -- when the first batch of lightning-quick UHS-I cards ship in November, Toshiba's chips will be faster and larger on day one. As you can no doubt see immediately above, the latter company's fielding full-size SDHC UHS-I cards at up to 32GB that promise maximum read and write times of 95MB/s and 80MB/s respectively, not to mention tiny microSDHC units that still manage a very respectable 40MB/s and 20MB/s. As usual, these numbers are fast and loose, so don't be surprised if you get a good bit less in practice, but you should be able to rely on well above the quoted minimum transfer rate of 10MB/s. No ludicrous early-adopter memory prices quite yet, but we imagine your ego will write the necessary checks as soon Toshiba takes care of that. PR after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba fulfills your need for speed with UHS-I SDHC and microSDHC cards

Toshiba fulfills your need for speed with UHS-I SDHC and microSDHC cards originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson's booth at IFA this year includes an Xperia-themed chopper that you can sit on and have your picture taken -- with a Sony Ericsson cameraphone, of course. As of press time, no word on when it'll be updated to use unleaded gasoline.

Chris: "It'll be available at local dealers mere moments after you finally stop wanting it."
Nilay: "Unfortunately, it runs Android 1.6"
Darren: "A fine substitute for the PSP Phone you've been dreaming of."
Laura: "Fail hog."
Ross: "Still no pinch-to-zoom, but at least here, that kind of makes sense."
Don: "Mr. Stringer, your chariot awaits."
Vlad: "Sony just couldn't help throwing in a bit of product placement in its Terminator 2 remake."
Tim: "It's bigger, heavier, slower, and way more expensive than other models -- but hey, look at all that chrome! Oh, yeah, the bike isn't bad either."
Sean: "Active shutter glasses sold separately."
Thomas: "**Model shown is coming soon. Actual product is a horse."

Caption contest: nothing easy about this rider originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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THREEE DEEE. Sorry, just had to get that out of our system. We just played with Panasonic's HDC-SDT750 THREEE DEEE, er, 3D camcorder, and it certainly works as billed. The lens is designed for close-up depth perception in the 3 to 15 foot range, and doesn't have any zoom capability. Luckily, it isn't too hard to pop the screw-on lens off, giving yourself a regular zoomtastic 2D camcorder. When you do pop the 3D lens back on there's a quick set of setup menus, which let you adjust the dual lenses within the 3D add-on with a few knobs hidden under a door on top of the assembly.

We didn't get to do any free roaming with the camera, but that's none too thrilling anyway: your preview image is a slightly fuzzy 2D on the built-in LCD. What we did do was watch the camera feed its 3D capture live to a Panny 3D TV (in one of the hilarious outfits provide for us by Panasonic, as pictured above), and while the 3D effect is certainly for-reals and non-janky, the actual image quality takes an obvious hit from the fact that a 1080p sensor is being cut in half to capture the dual images. It almost took us back to the early days of HD cameras, or your friendly neighborhood "HD" webcam, where the output resolution is clearly higher than the sensor is physically capturing. Similarly, we doubt the early adoption of cameras like this is going to be dramatic at first, and even after the tech is perfect we're unsure how big of a consumer need there is for something like this, but with easy options like Panasonic's own Micro Four Thirds 3D lens, the barriers to adoption are quickly disappearing. Er, we merely mean to say, THREEE DEEE.

Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder preview originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we admire the impulse to best your South Korean neighbor and build the world's thinnest X (in this case, the world's thinnest full LED LCD TV bezel), you can't help but notice the base at the bottom where all the components that used to be in the back have been crammed seems to grow ever larger with each passing tradeshow. Still, LG's LEX8 8.8mm thick LCD is impressively thin and the picture quality, thanks to that localized "Nano LED" dimming, is stellar. Hit up the gallery for a requisite thickness comparo with an iPhone -- next year we're just gonna pack some razor blades for comparison shots.

LG LEX8 'Nano LED' TV eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, ha! If you'll recall, we happened upon a Lenovo-branded netbook of sorts back in June, but curiously enough, Freescale and Pegatron components were powering the thing. Now, it seems that yet another flavor has emerged as the Efika MX Smartbook. Frankly, we aren't too sure this thing fits into the 'smartbook' category (given the comparatively spacious 10-inch display), but we are sure that the $349 price point is borderline absurd considering the wealth of decent netbook options at or below that very MSRP. At any rate, those still interested should know that there's an 800MHz i.MX515 processor under the hood along with 16GB of NAND Flash, an MMC / SD card slot, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, integrated 1.3 megapixel camera, a 1,024 x 600 resolution panel and enough oomph to power through HD video, supposedly. Tap that source link if you're looking to take a risk, but we'd probably recommend against it.

Efika MX Smartbook now on sale for an exceedingly unattractive price originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 06:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like Garmin's cellular nüLink! service was something of a success -- it's now become the brand of the company's new top-tier GPS. The Garmin nüLink! 1695 replaces the nüvi 1690 with a model nigh-identical on the outside but for a larger, 5-inch touchscreen, but imbued with the traffic trending features of the 3700 series -- in other words, pretty much just what we expected. Unfortunately for spendthrifts lusting after its connected search functions (including traffic, weather, Google, fuel prices, flight times and more) and new integrated services store, the price is about what we expected as well, starting at $450 for the unit with a year of nüLink data and $5 a month thereafter. However, if that's out of your price range Garmin's not going to let you go without a fight -- it's also introduced no fewer than eleven new nüvi 2200 and 2300 series PNDs with a wide variety of features at nearly every wallet size. Press releases after the break, and find the full lineup at our source link.

Continue reading Garmin's nuLink! 1695 attracts high-end GPS buyers, nuvi 2200 and 2300 mop up the rest

Garmin's nuLink! 1695 attracts high-end GPS buyers, nuvi 2200 and 2300 mop up the rest originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Sep 2010 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that big, honking red-and-black HTC slider that dwarfed an EVO 4G? It's back sporting Verizon colors just as we were told, and with a few more confirmed specifications thanks to the ever-reliable FCC. The HTC "PD42100" is still missing a proper internal codename, but test reports confirm it's ready for at least CDMA 2000 and GSM 850 plus EV-DO Rev. A, Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n WiFi at 2.4GHz frequencies. There's no word on that 1.2GHz processor or 4-inch display, but it's clear we're looking at some chunky chiclet keys and there's definitely a removable battery. We can't wait to get our hands on what surely looks like the new king of Droids.

Update: As it turns out, the size of the screen has been staring us in the face for hours -- we just had to think back to high school geometry class, specifically the Pythagorean Theorem. Starting with the FCC's handy-dandy picture of the phone's rear next to a square ruler, we had only to superimpose an image of the front on top, then calculate the diagonal (after translating to inches, of course) to discover it was a 4-inch display all along. Oh, and the phone has EV-DO Rev. A for data. [Thanks, Mark]

HTC's dual-mode CDMA / GSM Android slider hits the FCC, decked out in shades of Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Chairman JT Wang is quick to say that he thinks that iPad sales are only going down from here, but maybe he should listen to that age-old idiom: people in fragile economies shouldn't throw stones. According to iSuppli's latest report on the global PC market, Acer slipped down to third place after losing 6.2 percent of its market share compared to last quarter. Dell, meanwhile, lost a relatively slim 1.2 percent of its share, bumping it back up to second place -- a position it had previously given up to Acer. Meanwhile HP still sits on top, commanding 18.1 percent of the market share, though that too is down, 6.3 percent over last quarter. Still, all three are well up over last year, an encouraging sign in these supposedly troubling times.

Dell moves back up to #2 position in global PC sales, Acer slips to 3rd, HP still reigns supreme originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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