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Saturday, August 13, 2011

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U.S. oil imports drop sharply; so what does it mean?

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 03:27 PM PDT

U.S. oil imports drop sharply; so what does it mean?


U.S. oil imports drop sharply; so what does it mean?
Filed under: Ethanol, Green Culture U.S. oil production peaked in 1970; U.S. oil consumption did not. As a logical result, the importation of oil from other countries has increased over the decades until it accounted for two thirds of the petroleum used in the United States in 2008. However, that rise has not been steady....

Sony announcing three NEX lenses on August 24th?

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 03:27 PM PDT

Sony announcing three NEX lenses on August 24th?


Sony announcing three NEX lenses on August 24th?
Last month we fell in love with a camera. Specifically, the Sony NEX-C3. We were so enamored with its lilliputian body and stunning image quality that we gave it a "9," declared it nearly perfect and promptly began recommending it to everyone we know. But if there's one thing we thought needed improvement, it was the selection of lenses....

Amazon axes copied content, duplicate Kindle Store ebooks get the boot

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 01:42 PM PDT

Amazon axes copied content, duplicate Kindle Store ebooks get the boot


Amazon axes copied content, duplicate Kindle Store ebooks get the boot
If we take a can of Spam and call it "Engadget's precooked pork meat product," you'll still know it's the same mystery meat you ate for lunch, right? Under the idea of "private label rights," authors can do just that: sell their works to others who can rebrand and resell them....

Firefox 6 breaks out ahead of schedule, gets official August 16th

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 11:22 AM PDT

Firefox 6 breaks out ahead of schedule, gets official August 16th


Firefox 6 breaks out ahead of schedule, gets official August 16th
It looks like the sly fox is ready to make its worldwide debut a few days early. In typical Mozilla fashion, a complete build of Firefox 6 is now unofficially available for your downloading pleasure, three days ahead of schedule. If you're looking for a major facelift to the desktop edition, you won't find one here -- most of the new features aren't cosmetic....

Insert Coin: 6dot Braille labeler (video)

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 09:35 AM PDT

Insert Coin: 6dot Braille labeler (video)


Insert Coin: 6dot Braille labeler (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. It's difficult to imagine what life would be like without the ability to see....

Aptera refunding deposits

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:59 AM PDT

Aptera refunding deposits


Aptera refunding deposits
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Aptera Aptera 2e - Click above for high-res image gallery There was good news and bad news out of the Aptera camp last month. The good: the company raised another $2.25 million back. The bad: reservations are now no longer being accepted. Today, we got word that the bad news is stacking up: the company is refunding deposits for the ultra-aerodynamic, three-wheeled electric vehicle (or planned hybrid version)....

Sony LA-EA2 lens adapter gets ready for its close-up in 'leaked' render

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 07:46 AM PDT

Sony LA-EA2 lens adapter gets ready for its close-up in 'leaked' render


Sony LA-EA2 lens adapter gets ready for its close-up in 'leaked' render
Hey Sony, you hear that? Sounds like you might have another leak on your hands. We got our fourth unofficial look at Sony's Alpha A77 this morning, and now it's time for a little accessorizing. What you see above is reportedly a shot of a new lens adapter called the LA-EA2, which would apparently bring the outfit's translucent mirror technology to its range of little NEX shooters....

Toyota downsizes U.S. factory to reduce energy consumption

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT

Toyota downsizes U.S. factory to reduce energy consumption


Toyota downsizes U.S. factory to reduce energy consumption
Filed under: Etc., Manufacturing/Plants, Toyota Toyota says one of the keys to reducing energy consumption is to make its employees work as close together as possible. In an effort to cut back on its energy consumption, Toyota constructed its assembly facility in Tupelo, MS in such a way that its aisles are narrower, its assembly lines are significantly shorter and its work stations are positioned in close proximity....

Comscore finds 6.2 percent of smartphone users scan QR codes

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 05:24 AM PDT

Comscore finds 6.2 percent of smartphone users scan QR codes


Comscore finds 6.2 percent of smartphone users scan QR codes
QR codes may be turning up in more places than ever these days, but are people actually using them? According to market research firm Comscore, at least some of them are -- 14 million in June in the US alone, to be specific, or about 6.2 percent of all smartphone users....

Goodyear's self-inflating tires could improve gas mileage, leave Schrader valves...

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 02:28 AM PDT

Goodyear's self-inflating tires could improve gas mileage, leave Schrader valves unsatisfied


Goodyear's self-inflating tires could improve gas mileage, leave Schrader valves unsatisfied
Reminiscent of Ghostbuster's Marshmallow Man, new Goodyear tires might just Stay-Puft on their own. The company is developing Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) tires with built-in pumps to keep themselves at the perfect pressure. The reason? Even slightly under-inflated tires can drop your mileage by 3.3 percent, costing you cash at the pump....

'Kraftwerk Who?' Pioneering '50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn

Posted: 13 Aug 2011 12:08 AM PDT

'Kraftwerk Who?' Pioneering '50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn


'Kraftwerk Who?' Pioneering '50s Synthesizer unearthed in French Barn
So there Dr. Mick Greierson was, wandering around a French barn, minding his own business when all of a sudden he happened upon an antique: one of the earliest modern synthesizers. Greierson, a professor at Goldsmiths University in London did what any expert in the field of electronic music would do, and whisked it back to the motherland for restoration....

UK teen arrested for illegal BBM, social media crackdown gains steam

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 10:58 PM PDT

UK teen arrested for illegal BBM, social media crackdown gains steam


UK teen arrested for illegal BBM, social media crackdown gains steam
Lending further gravity to the proposed crackdown being bandied about in British parliament, an Essex teen has been arrested for sending a BBM that ran afoul of the Serious Crime Act of 2007. The 18-year old, now free on bail, allegedly used the service to encourage copycat attacks of the violent rioting that's swept London, and is set to appear in court on September 1st....

Just In Time For The New NFL Season, Taptu Brings Fantasy Football To Mobile Rea...

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 09:15 PM PDT

Just In Time For The New NFL Season, Taptu Brings Fantasy Football To Mobile Readers


Just In Time For The New NFL Season, Taptu Brings Fantasy Football To Mobile Readers
From its founding in 2007, Taptu was a startup that specialized in search and touch-based interfaces for mobile, launching a realtime mobile search engine in conjunction with OneRiot back in 2009, for example. In November of last year, the startup made the smart decision to bring its mobile search proficiency into the news reader market, launching Flipboard-like Android and iPhone apps that brought an interesting value proposition to bear on the...

EES packs circuits into temporary tattoos, makes medical diagnostics fashionable

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 09:15 PM PDT

EES packs circuits into temporary tattoos, makes medical diagnostics fashionable


EES packs circuits into temporary tattoos, makes medical diagnostics fashionable
Flexible circuit pioneer John Rogers and his team are at it again. This time he's developing a wearable, ultra-thin circuit that attaches to your skin just like a temporary tattoo. The Epidermal Electronic System (EES) consists of circuits which could contain electrodes capable of measuring brain, heart and muscle activity in the same way an EEG does now, transmitting this data wirelessly to your doctor....

Droid Bionic spotted in the wild, again, blurrycam still in full effect

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:01 PM PDT

Droid Bionic spotted in the wild, again, blurrycam still in full effect


Droid Bionic spotted in the wild, again, blurrycam still in full effect
We're getting tired of all this teasing without any payoff, but when it comes Motorola's forthcoming dual-core Droid, we can't help ourselves. Just days ago we saw the Bionic's guts when it passed through the FCC, and now we've got fresh pics of the phone in the wild. This most recent sneak peek comes courtesy of Howard Forums user cep unit, who posted a couple photos of the device after a...

Cyclone Display exemplifies 'multi-colored expression,' totally heading to a nig...

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:01 PM PDT

Cyclone Display exemplifies 'multi-colored expression,' totally heading to a nightclub near you (video)


Cyclone Display exemplifies 'multi-colored expression,' totally heading to a nightclub near you (video)
Ever heard of Yoichi Ochiai? You have now. Hailing from Japan's University of Tsukuba, this whizkid was on hand here at SIGGRAPH to showcase one of his latest creations -- and it just so happened to be one of the trippiest yet. The Cyclone Display was a demonstration focused on visual stimulation; a projector shown above interacted with a plate of spinning disks....

Bay Area transit operator cuts cell service to thwart protest, activists abandon...

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 06:52 PM PDT

Bay Area transit operator cuts cell service to thwart protest, activists abandon cause for Angry Birds


Bay Area transit operator cuts cell service to thwart protest, activists abandon cause for Angry Birds
It looks like not even good old civil disobedience can survive without decent reception these days. In a seemingly successful attempt to shut down a protest of BART -- the Bay Area's answer to a subway system -- operators pulled the plug on cell service to multiple train stations, leaving would-be activists without a major organizing tool....

Hertz to Rent EVs in San Francisco

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 06:18 PM PDT

Hertz to Rent EVs in San Francisco


Hertz to Rent EVs in San Francisco
Car-rental company adds electric vehicles to its fleet.

Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as yo...

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:42 PM PDT

Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more


Apple patent application proves that Steve Jobs hates fingerprints as much as you do, probably more
Steve Jobs doesn't like fingerprints any more than you do, and given the man's focus on aesthetic perfection, we suspect that smudged displays are the sort of thing that keeps him awake at night. Apple has certainly flirted with oleophobic anti-grease displays in the past, but a newly surfaced patent application takes the whole thing to a new level....

Electric Chevy Camaro tears down 1/4-mile in 10.08 seconds

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:07 PM PDT

Electric Chevy Camaro tears down 1/4-mile in 10.08 seconds


Electric Chevy Camaro tears down 1/4-mile in 10.08 seconds
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Chevrolet, Racing Haiyin electric Chevy Camaro - Click above to watch video after the jump Back in April, Ron Adamwicz's electric 1981 Chevrolet Camaro ripped down the quarter-mile track at Palm Beach International Raceway in just 11.253 seconds. In addition to its record-setting quarter-mile run, the electrified Camaro, dubbed "Warp Factor II," set a world record with a 6.8-second 1/8-mile run at 93.43 miles per hour....

Audi A0 monocycle concept takes you for a jaunt around the park (video)

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:07 PM PDT

Audi A0 monocycle concept takes you for a jaunt around the park (video)


Audi A0 monocycle concept takes you for a jaunt around the park (video)
Segways can be tiring, what with all that required standing, but now even the laziest among us can enjoy the self-propelled fun with a sitdown solution. The Audi A0 concept, developed as a joint collaboration between Technische Universität München and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, combines an electric motor with a single, hollow wheel for a self-stabilizing, tilt-controlled stroll....

Leaked FCC Doc Reveals Details Of AT&T’s Strategy For T-Mobile Deal

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:07 PM PDT

Leaked FCC Doc Reveals Details Of AT&T's Strategy For T-Mobile Deal


Leaked FCC Doc Reveals Details Of AT&T's Strategy For T-Mobile Deal
A partially-redacted letter from AT&T lawyers to FCC officials was accidentally posted on the FCC website today, and it reveals quite a bit about AT&T's strategy for its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. Unfortunately, the filing has come and gone on the website, but the folks over at Wireless Week took down some notes for us. Here's what's up: AT&T faces heavy competition since it's biggest rival, Verizon, has been implementing its LTE...

White House says job growth will come from higher mpg standards

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:31 PM PDT

White House says job growth will come from higher mpg standards


White House says job growth will come from higher mpg standards
Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy, USA Yesterday, President Obama visited the Johnson Controls advanced battery manufacturing plant in Holland, MI (pictured) and talked about how cleaner cars will add jobs to the American economy. The White House blog chimed in, saying that there is a direct connection between the new fuel efficiency standards for both cars/light trucks and heavy trucks and increased jobs....

Microsoft Patents Flat-Slider Phone Form Factor, Multi-Touch Gaming Mice

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:31 PM PDT

Microsoft Patents Flat-Slider Phone Form Factor, Multi-Touch Gaming Mice


Microsoft Patents Flat-Slider Phone Form Factor, Multi-Touch Gaming Mice
We've seen a lot of interesting patents from Apple over the last few days, but Microsoft loves to patent things too — and they've just been granted a nice little pack of designs for mobile phones in a special slider format, and some Kinect and mouse tech to boot. They're not patenting a plain slider, of course....

Netflix dons its square pants with 'Just for Kids' section trial

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:31 PM PDT

Netflix dons its square pants with 'Just for Kids' section trial


Netflix dons its square pants with 'Just for Kids' section trial
Worried that Netflix isn't doing enough to appeal to the under-10 set? Good news, the movie rental giant has begun testing a "Just for Kids" section, rolling out the feature to a limited number of subscribers. Eligible users will find a tab just to the right of the Watch Instantly button....

Microsoft patents new type of mobile slider, puts keyboards and screens on equal...

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:56 PM PDT

Microsoft patents new type of mobile slider, puts keyboards and screens on equal footing


Microsoft patents new type of mobile slider, puts keyboards and screens on equal footing
Patents are the currency of the realm these days, and companies accrue them however they can -- whether filing for their own or buying someone else's. Microsoft's no stranger to the patent game, and it's added one more piece to its IP stockpile in the form of a "moveable housing of a mobile communications device." A broad title, to be sure, but the patent essentially covers sliders where the keyboard ends...

Together at last: Tesla Model S and Roadster hit the road

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:20 PM PDT

Together at last: Tesla Model S and Roadster hit the road


Together at last: Tesla Model S and Roadster hit the road
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Tesla Motors, Videos Tesla Roadster and Model S drive side-by-side - Click above to watch video after the jump Plug your ears and keep your eyes glued to the screen. What we present here is rare footage of a Tesla Model S and a Tesla Roadster side-by-side on a picturesque, chicane-filled road....

The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is less than two weeks away!

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:20 PM PDT

The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is less than two weeks away!


The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is less than two weeks away!
Hey, listen, do you smell something? That's the sight of a reader meetup coming over the horizon, fast! As we told you a few weeks back, we're having a bit of a party on Thursday, August 25th at Guastavino's, which is located at 59th Street in New York City. Things will kick off at 6:30pm that night and run until 10:30pm....

Are We Ready For A True Cloud Phone?

Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:20 PM PDT

Are We Ready For A True Cloud Phone?


Are We Ready For A True Cloud Phone?
As we approach the fall, all the rumors of the Apple empire descend upon us. And this year may be the craziest yet because for the first time since the iPhone's inception, Apple did not release new hardware in the summer. And there are still whispers of an iPad revamp as well....