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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

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Who knew there could be problems with old MPG tests?

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 03:22 PM PDT

Who knew there could be problems with old MPG tests?


Who knew there could be problems with old MPG tests?
Filed under: MPG, Legislation and Policy, USA It's no secret that a vehicle's official miles per gallon rating isn't going to tell you exactly what kind of mileage you're likely to see in the real world. Heck, the official fuel economy ratings agency, the EPA, even has a "Your MPG" section of its website "to help you calculate and track your fuel economy and compare it with EPA test ratings." Part of...

Hands on with Fusion Garage's Grid 10 tablet and Grid 4 smartphone

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 03:22 PM PDT

Hands on with Fusion Garage's Grid 10 tablet and Grid 4 smartphone


Hands on with Fusion Garage's Grid 10 tablet and Grid 4 smartphone
Yesterday we gave you the lowdown on Fusion Garage's second foray into tablet computing, the Grid 10. While its tablet world topping pixel density, Tegra 2 silicon, and fresh to death OS certainly sound awesome, we had to get our grubby mitts on one to see if it's as good as its spec sheet would have us believe....

U.S. ready to invest up to $510 billion in better biofuels

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 02:44 PM PDT

U.S. ready to invest up to $510 billion in better biofuels


U.S. ready to invest up to $510 billion in better biofuels
Filed under: Biodiesel, Emerging Technologies, Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, USA Obama Administration Efficiency Goals - click to enlarge No shortage of news from the Obama Administration regarding energy efficiency these days. Whether it's $50 million for better solar, the first-ever heavy-duty truck efficiency standards or millions for hydrogen research, work most certainly continues....

HTC drags on the patent war, files yet another complaint against Apple

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 02:44 PM PDT

HTC drags on the patent war, files yet another complaint against Apple


HTC drags on the patent war, files yet another complaint against Apple
Sweet jumping jehosaphat, the patent suit madness just won't end. Only a month after the ITC sided with Apple and HTC offered a standard-issue plea for cooperation, the Taiwanese company has filed its own infringement complaint against the Cupertino crew. This isn't the first suit brought by HTC against Apple, and we're sure it won't be the last....

Dell's Q2 earnings fall short of estimates: $890 million net income, $15.66 bill...

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 02:44 PM PDT

Dell's Q2 earnings fall short of estimates: $890 million net income, $15.66 billion revenue


Dell's Q2 earnings fall short of estimates: $890 million net income, $15.66 billion revenue
Shares of Dell were down nearly eight percent in after-hours trading after the Texas-based PC maker posted lower-than-expected second-quarter results. Still, the company's revenue was up one percent over last year, totaling $15.66 billion, compared to $15.5 billion in Q2 2010. Net income jumped 63 percent, from $545 million to $890 million, over the year-ago quarter....

Lion 10.7.1 lands, packs plenty of bug fixes

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 02:44 PM PDT

Lion 10.7.1 lands, packs plenty of bug fixes


Lion 10.7.1 lands, packs plenty of bug fixes
While you wait for 10.7.2 to deliver iCloud compatibility to your Mac, you can at least enjoy a few bug fixes, courtesy of today's surprise Lion update. 10.7.1 doesn't boast any new features, but it does solve a few major issues, including missing admin accounts and freezes when playing back video in Safari....

HTC Ruby to be dubbed Amaze 4G, come with 1.5GHz CPU and 4.3-inch display?

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 02:06 PM PDT

HTC Ruby to be dubbed Amaze 4G, come with 1.5GHz CPU and 4.3-inch display?


HTC Ruby to be dubbed Amaze 4G, come with 1.5GHz CPU and 4.3-inch display?
The white shell of the HTC Ruby exudes a "ghostly" quality, which seems to explain its ability to appear and disappear at will. This time the smartphone's popped up in reports highlighting a couple important revelations: according to BGR, the Ruby's slated to become the carrier's flagship and will be looked upon as the Sensation 4G's big brother....

Coda teams with Great Wall Motors to develop electric vehicles for global distri...

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:26 PM PDT

Coda teams with Great Wall Motors to develop electric vehicles for global distribution


Coda teams with Great Wall Motors to develop electric vehicles for global distribution
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, China, Coda Automotive Coda Automotive, the California-based developer of lithium-ion battery systems and maker of the Coda Sedan, has inked a deal to develop electric vehicles with China's Great Wall Motor for distribution across the globe. The partnership calls for Coda's purpose-built lithium iron phosphate battery systems to be installed in select Great Wall Motor vehicles, which will then be sold worldwide....

HTC Ruby to be dubbed Amaze 4G, come with 1.5GHz CPU and 4.3-inch display?

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:26 PM PDT

HTC Ruby to be dubbed Amaze 4G, come with 1.5GHz CPU and 4.3-inch display?


HTC Ruby to be dubbed Amaze 4G, come with 1.5GHz CPU and 4.3-inch display?
The white shell of the HTC Ruby exudes a "ghostly" quality, which seems to explain its ability to appear and disappear at will. This time the smartphone's popped up in reports highlighting a couple important revelations: according to BGR, the Ruby's slated to become the carrier's flagship and will be looked upon as the Sensation 4G's big brother....

The Engadget Interview: Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:26 PM PDT

The Engadget Interview: Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan


The Engadget Interview: Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan
The most telling moment of our conversation with Chandra Rathakrishnan came at the end, just before the recording device shut off. The interview wrapped, and we politely thanked the Fusion Garage CEO for taking the time to speak with us. "Thank you for taking the time," he echoed, adding, "And for giving us another chance." Rathakrishnan never goes so far as to use the word "failure" to describe the company's poorly...

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer resists Canadian coins, does not survive slings and arr...

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:45 PM PDT

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer resists Canadian coins, does not survive slings and arrows (video)


ASUS Eee Pad Transformer resists Canadian coins, does not survive slings and arrows (video)
ASUS hasn't really had to twist consumers' wallet-carrying wrists to get its Eee Pad Transformer off retailers' shelves and into homes -- the tablet practically walks itself. Which makes the company's latest attempt at viral marketing come off as more of an exercise in unnecessary bragging, than a straight, feature-touting webmercial....

Potential Chevrolet Volt buyers already losing interest?

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:06 PM PDT

Potential Chevrolet Volt buyers already losing interest?


Potential Chevrolet Volt buyers already losing interest?
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet 2011 Chevrolet Volt - Click above for high-res image gallery Early adopters, electric vehicle enthusiasts and the car-buying general public. What do these three groups have in common? Well, according to a study conducted by CNW Marketing Research, it's a waning interest in the Chevrolet Volt that ties them all together. CNW says potential buyers are less intrigued by General Motor's groundbreaking plug-in vehicle than they were just a...

Foursquare Adds Inline Photos And Even More Polish To Their iPhone App

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:06 PM PDT

Foursquare Adds Inline Photos And Even More Polish To Their iPhone App


Foursquare Adds Inline Photos And Even More Polish To Their iPhone App
Back in the day, the knock on the Foursquare iPhone app used to be that it wasn't very visually appealing. That was especially true in comparison to rival Gowalla. But much has changed over the past several months. And now that Foursquare has big funding and a larger team to deal with the pains of fast growth, they've been putting a lot of emphasis into how things look and feel....

Sony announces WiFi-less PSP model, hits Europe this fall for €99

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:06 PM PDT

Sony announces WiFi-less PSP model, hits Europe this fall for €99


Sony announces WiFi-less PSP model, hits Europe this fall for €99
Sony had more than just PS3 price cut to reveal at its Gamescon press conference today: it also announced that it will be releasing a new budget-priced PSP model that sports a new design and curiously ditches the WiFi capability that the PSP has had since its debut. No word of a North American release just yet, but folks in Europe will be able to pick it up this fall for...

Sony drops PS3 price to $250 in US, €250 in Europe

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:06 PM PDT

Sony drops PS3 price to $250 in US, €250 in Europe


Sony drops PS3 price to $250 in US, €250 in Europe
Sony just wrapped its Gamescon 2011 keynote with this juicy nugget: base PlayStation 3 models will run you just $250 in the US, €250 in Europe, and ¥24,980 in Japan. Announced at the same show two years ago with a $300 price tag, the base PS3 Slim model includes a 160GB hard drive....

GM targeting 50 mpg with diesel Chevrolet Cruze

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 11:27 AM PDT

GM targeting 50 mpg with diesel Chevrolet Cruze


GM targeting 50 mpg with diesel Chevrolet Cruze
Filed under: Diesel, Chevrolet 2011 Chevrolet Cruze - Click above for high-res image gallery In late July, rumors of a U.S.-bound diesel Chevrolet Cruze were officially confirmed to be true by General Motors. We'll have to wait until sometime in 2013 to see the oil-burning Cruze, but GM insiders seem more than willing to dish out some details on the diesel Cruze well in advance of its debut. Ward's Auto reports that "sources" have...

Enough Already Arduino mutes TV's overexposed celebrities, frees you to live aga...

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 11:27 AM PDT

Enough Already Arduino mutes TV's overexposed celebrities, frees you to live again (video)


Enough Already Arduino mutes TV's overexposed celebrities, frees you to live again (video)
Are you besieged by celebrities? Sure, you could try turning off the TV, but now there's a more complex, DIY solution: Enough Already, an Arduino box that mutes your television at any mention of certain names -- Lady Gaga, for example. The setup's fairly simple if you're comfortable with hardware hacking; it uses the Video Experimenter Shield to read closed captioning data, then sends the mute command via IR whenever offending...

BlackBerry Colt to launch before end of 2011?

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 11:27 AM PDT

BlackBerry Colt to launch before end of 2011?


BlackBerry Colt to launch before end of 2011?
The BlackBerry Colt -- RIM's presciently named round three handset entry, or last grasp at smartphone dominance? You'll have to wait until the end of the year to decide, as this latest bout of insider hearsay points to a sooner-than-expected launch. Citing several trusted industry sources, Dutch website Tweakers.net reports that the Canadian electronics company is rushing its first QNX-based smartphone out to the mobile market ahead of its previously rumored...

Tablet Education Startup ShowMe Raises $800,000 From Lerer Ventures, SV Angel, A...

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 11:27 AM PDT

Tablet Education Startup ShowMe Raises $800,000 From Lerer Ventures, SV Angel, And Betaworks


Tablet Education Startup ShowMe Raises $800,000 From Lerer Ventures, SV Angel, And Betaworks
Over the past year or so, I've noticed a surge in new, scrappy education startups. One of the most promising ones I've seen is ShowMe, previously called Easel Learning. The New York City startup just raised an $800,000 seed round from Lerer Ventures, SV Angel, and betaworks. ShowMe turns your tablet computer into an interactive video whiteboard....

Oppo announces X903 smartphone, leaves Leonardo DiCaprio confused (video)

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:48 AM PDT

Oppo announces X903 smartphone, leaves Leonardo DiCaprio confused (video)


Oppo announces X903 smartphone, leaves Leonardo DiCaprio confused (video)
Oppo, beloved maker of a variety of electronics rarely released outside of China, is jumping into the smartphone business with an Android-powered slider called the Oppo X903. Take the following specs with a pinch of salt, but the device is believed to have a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 CPU and comes with an eight megapixel camera and a 3.97-inch WVGA IPS screen....

Why is LTE equipment being installed in an Apple Store?

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:48 AM PDT

Why is LTE equipment being installed in an Apple Store?


Why is LTE equipment being installed in an Apple Store?
Well, this is certainly interesting. While rumors of an LTE-enabled iPhone had died down for a little while, they sprung back to life yesterday with a report that just such a device was being tested by carriers. Now we've received the image you see above, which shows some 4G LTE equipment that was recently installed in a major Apple store -- by AT&T, according to our source....

Pike Research ranks Mercedes-Benz, Honda tops in fuel cell vehicles

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:10 AM PDT

Pike Research ranks Mercedes-Benz, Honda tops in fuel cell vehicles


Pike Research ranks Mercedes-Benz, Honda tops in fuel cell vehicles
Filed under: Hydrogen, Honda, Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Daimler According to the latest Pike Pulse report, three automakers stand out among the competition in the light-duty fuel cell vehicle segment. Pike Research says the automotive trio of Daimler (maker of Mercedes-Benz vehicles), Honda and Toyota lead the pack at this formative stage of fuel cell vehicle development. Pike senior analyst Lisa Jerram says Daimler's decision to lay out a clear path to producing a...

Nokia chimes in on Google's Moto deal, reaffirms its dedication to WP7

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:10 AM PDT

Nokia chimes in on Google's Moto deal, reaffirms its dedication to WP7


Nokia chimes in on Google's Moto deal, reaffirms its dedication to WP7
All the major Android players were, at least publicly, supportive of Google and its move to snatch up Motorola Mobility yesterday, and so is Nokia it seems. The company released a statement saying: "This further reinforces our belief that opportunities for the growth of Nokia's smartphone business will be greatest with Windows Phone....

HTC Sues Apple Over Patents, Wants Injunction And Lots Of Damages

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:09 AM PDT

HTC Sues Apple Over Patents, Wants Injunction And Lots Of Damages


HTC Sues Apple Over Patents, Wants Injunction And Lots Of Damages
For lack of a better term, Apple has been more than a little litigation-happy lately. While they've focused most of their recent efforts on Samsung and Motorola, Apple is now coming under fire from a company they've already sued: HTC. HTC has filed a suit (warning: PDF) in the U.S. District Court in Delaware claiming that Apple has infringed on three of their patents by producing what they refer to in legalese...

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G scheduled for August 2...

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 10:09 AM PDT

AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G scheduled for August 21st launch


AT&T USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G scheduled for August 21st launch
With it having been in the works for so long, it's easy to forget that AT&T is ready to flip the switch on its sparkling-new LTE network virtually any second now. But Ma Bell is happy to remind us of its impending true 4G launch by announcing that its first two dedicated LTE devices, the USBConnect Momentum 4G and Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G, are set to be sold in stores this...

Saygus VPhone finally wins approval from Verizon, not so high-end anymore

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 09:30 AM PDT

Saygus VPhone finally wins approval from Verizon, not so high-end anymore


Saygus VPhone finally wins approval from Verizon, not so high-end anymore
Hey, you folks remember the VPhone? Honestly, we had forgotten about it too. The debut handset from Saygus first started making the rounds in late 2009 sporting, what were at the time, high-end features, like a front facing camera and a 624MHz processor. Well, times have changed and now that the Android-powered phone has finally won approval through Verizon's open development initiative it's, at best, decidedly mid-range....

Lightning Motorcycles electric bike blazes past 2010 record, joins 200 MPH Club

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 09:30 AM PDT

Lightning Motorcycles electric bike blazes past 2010 record, joins 200 MPH Club


Lightning Motorcycles electric bike blazes past 2010 record, joins 200 MPH Club
Bonneville, home to the world's fastest lawnmower record, has just added another notch to its land speed belt -- this time for electric motorcycles. When last we left Utah's salt flats, Mission One had claimed top honors for its all-electric bike, but that title has once again been usurped by rival Lightning....

Ferrari Boss Doesn't 'Believe in Electric Cars'

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 09:30 AM PDT

Ferrari Boss Doesn't 'Believe in Electric Cars'


Ferrari Boss Doesn't 'Believe in Electric Cars'
No, he doesn't equate them with aliens or bigfoot, but the company president says "you will never see an electric Ferrari."

Global oil consumption hits all-time high of 87.4 million barrels a day

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:51 AM PDT

Global oil consumption hits all-time high of 87.4 million barrels a day


Global oil consumption hits all-time high of 87.4 million barrels a day
Filed under: Etc. What global recession? After falling 1.5 percent from 2008 to 2009, global oil consumption soared to an all-time high of 87.4 million barrels per day in 2010, according to the online Vital Signs report published by Worldwatch Institute. The 3.1 percent increase in consumption in 2010 easily makes up for the decline between 2008 and 2009 caused by the global economic crisis. There were some important findings from Worldwatch Institute's...

What iOS & Android Gamers Actually Spend Money On

Posted: 16 Aug 2011 08:51 AM PDT

What iOS & Android Gamers Actually Spend Money On


What iOS & Android Gamers Actually Spend Money On
After analyzing a data set of over 57 million purchases across both the Android and iOS platforms, analytics firm Flurry discovered that mobile gamers appear to be spending the majority of their money on "consumable" virtual goods. That is, virtual goods that are depleted when used, like a a set of grenades in a war game, or a fertilizer that helps crops grow faster in a farming game. Less popular, are durable...