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Saturday, September 24, 2011

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Could plug-in vehicles save the U.S. Postal Service?

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 02:29 PM PDT

Could plug-in vehicles save the U.S. Postal Service?


Could plug-in vehicles save the U.S. Postal Service?
Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, MPG, USA With the United States Postal Service facing financial woes, Infrastructurist claims to have found a plugged-in solution that will keep the centuries-old, Constitution-formed government agency alive and kicking: four tips that, if successful, would make Benjamin Franklin* proud. Here's an abbreviated look at tip number one: The USPS currently operates the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the world, with an estimated 218,684 vehicles....

Motorola Xoom 2 evidence mounts -- new photos, rumored specs and a Media Edition?

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 02:29 PM PDT

Motorola Xoom 2 evidence mounts -- new photos, rumored specs and a Media Edition?


Motorola Xoom 2 evidence mounts -- new photos, rumored specs and a Media Edition?
Talk of a younger, slimmer Motorola Xoom just keeps on coming. A helpful tipster is adding fuel to the rumors of a Xoom 2 with these shots of a similar, but not exactly identical Motorola tablet. When compared to the images we saw yesterday, this unnamed Android 3.2 slate looks a tad less polished in the rear and seems to favor a portrait format, with the camera resting up top....

Motorola LTE handset emerges with qHD Super AMOLED display, questionable identity

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 01:50 PM PDT

Motorola LTE handset emerges with qHD Super AMOLED display, questionable identity


Motorola LTE handset emerges with qHD Super AMOLED display, questionable identity
Well, what do we have here? According to "trusted sources" over at This Is My Next it's a Motorola Spyder, or a Droid RAZR, or maybe even the Droid HD we peeped back in August. Whatever the name, the phone is apparently packing a first-of-its-kind 4.3-inch, 960 x 540 qHD super AMOLED display....

Pre 3 for AT&T review

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 11:53 AM PDT

Pre 3 for AT&T review


Pre 3 for AT&T review
This is a review of a phone that was never actually released to the public on AT&T. Despite the unfortunateness of the prior statement, we felt obligated to run this device through the wringer as a final farewell to Palm, the Pre line and webOS on consumer devices. Man, what a weird, labyrinthine life this device has had....

Verizon goes to bat for Samsung in patent war with Apple

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 11:53 AM PDT

Verizon goes to bat for Samsung in patent war with Apple


Verizon goes to bat for Samsung in patent war with Apple
Well, it was really only a matter of time before third parties stuck their nose in the ongoing battle between Apple and Samsung. For most of this time others have stood on the sidelines, occasionally shouting moral support. But, no one has rolled up their sleeves and put up their dukes for either party -- that is, until now....

T-Mobile's FlexPay plan to be eliminated as soon as December?

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 10:34 AM PDT

T-Mobile's FlexPay plan to be eliminated as soon as December?


T-Mobile's FlexPay plan to be eliminated as soon as December?
We've suspected for some time now that post AT&T-Mobile merger, Magenta's FlexPay plan would be on its way out sooner rather than later. The payment plan was originally discontinued for new customers back in July, but now it appears the company will completely phase out FlexPay as early as December -- forcing loyalists from the old regime to choose an alternate plan and clearing the way for postpaid and Monthly 4G...

Neste Oil fires up Europe's largest renewable diesel facility

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 09:54 AM PDT

Neste Oil fires up Europe's largest renewable diesel facility


Neste Oil fires up Europe's largest renewable diesel facility
Filed under: Biodiesel, Diesel, Europe/EU Over in the Netherlands, Neste Oil has celebrated the opening of Europe's largest renewable diesel facility. Located in Rotterdam, Neste Oil's new site boasts an annual production capacity of 800,000 tons of the firm's NExBTL renewable diesel fuel. NExBTL technology allows Neste to use a wide variety of oils, greases and fats as feedstock to make the fuel. The firing up of the Rotterdam facility (Neste Oil's fourth...

Giant wall console lets you Game & Watch while you wait

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 07:55 AM PDT

Giant wall console lets you Game & Watch while you wait


Giant wall console lets you Game & Watch while you wait
Before there was a 3DS and DS -- heck, before there was a Game Boy, there was Game & Watch, Nintendo's portable, sometimes dual-screened gaming line from the '80s. But while the gaming giant has long since moved on, nostalgia for their platform-based frustration lives on in the form of this large piece of interactive wall art, a case that uses an Arduino and Python script to bring folks with a...

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 06:35 AM PDT

Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011


Mobile Miscellany: week of September 19, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of September 19, 2011: Opera Software, builder of the popular mobile browser, announced it was acquiring Handster, an app store platform that supports Android, WP7, BlackBerry, and Symbian....

Ask Better Place's Shai Agassi a question

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 05:56 AM PDT

Ask Better Place's Shai Agassi a question


Ask Better Place's Shai Agassi a question
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Better Place Recently, Ecomagination, General Electric's cleantech and sustainable infrastructure website, interviewed Shai Agassi, the founder and chief executive officer of battery swap specialist Better Place. Questions centered on how Better Place will forever change the notion that electric vehicles are range-limited machines. During the past week, the folks over at Ecomagination have been gathering questions from fans and electric vehicle enthusiasts to ask Agassi next week, and Ecomagination is...

ZTE Skate launches worldwide, attempts to stick landing in the US

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 03:57 AM PDT

ZTE Skate launches worldwide, attempts to stick landing in the US


ZTE Skate launches worldwide, attempts to stick landing in the US
The ZTE Skate -- spiritual sucessor to the Blade and current flagship -- is pushing on with its global roll-out and it looks like it may reach the US. Now on sale in Hong Kong, Brazil and Spain, the Skate is rolling down the French Alps and into France and the UK, where the Orange-branded Monte Carlo (a Skate in phone network clothing) is already available....

Magnetic Cello almost makes it cool to play the cello (video)

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 01:58 AM PDT

Magnetic Cello almost makes it cool to play the cello (video)


Magnetic Cello almost makes it cool to play the cello (video)
Say hello to the Magnetic Cello, the perfect companion to your magnetic drum kit. Crafted by college student David Levi (AKA "Magnetovore"), the instrument vaguely represents a traditional cello in structure, but the similarities pretty much end right there. To play it, for example, musicians use not a horsehair bow, but a magnetic rod that produces a voltage within an attached coil (the "bridge," in this case)....

Sony Reader WiFi almost ready to let you (multi)touch it, up for pre-order now

Posted: 24 Sep 2011 12:01 AM PDT

Sony Reader WiFi almost ready to let you (multi)touch it, up for pre-order now


Sony Reader WiFi almost ready to let you (multi)touch it, up for pre-order now
Well, it's been almost a month since we first pinched our greasy fingers across the Pearl E-Ink screen gracing the front of Sony's latest e-reader, and your opportunity to do the same is quickly approaching. The 7-inch, Android-powered Reader is now available for pre-order (at the source link) for $150, just as expected....

Sezmi's cable / satellite alternative TV service to shut down Monday, won't be m...

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 10:05 PM PDT

Sezmi's cable / satellite alternative TV service to shut down Monday, won't be missed


Sezmi's cable / satellite alternative TV service to shut down Monday, won't be missed
It's been almost two years since Sezmi launched its hybrid antenna and internet TV service, and now it has announced the dream of pay-TV without cable or satellite is dead. An email went out to customers tonight informing them the ability to view or record programming on their Sezmi systems would be shut off Monday, September 26th....

Cheating Old Man Winter

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 10:05 PM PDT

Cheating Old Man Winter


Cheating Old Man Winter
The latest in winter gear keeps you warm as the mercury drops.

Is this the Motorola Xoom 2?

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 08:47 PM PDT

Is this the Motorola Xoom 2?


Is this the Motorola Xoom 2?
Who's looking sleek in angled corners? Why, it's the Motorola Xoom 2 -- at least it might be, according to Droid-Life and the folks that leaked it the above image. The outfit's informant tells them that the pictured device is flaunting micro-USB and HDMI ports, a SIM card slot and a few large, flush buttons on its back....

Sony offers 'adjustment' for NEX-5N camera to reduce clicking sound while record...

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 06:51 PM PDT

Sony offers 'adjustment' for NEX-5N camera to reduce clicking sound while recording video


Sony offers 'adjustment' for NEX-5N camera to reduce clicking sound while recording video
Looks like we weren't the only one afflicted by the Sony NEX-5N camera's annoying click problem. In case you missed it, the camera displayed the annoying tendency of producing an audible click loud enough to ruin any 1080/60p video if it was moved suddenly while shooting. Tonight Sony updated its support site to promise a "performance improvement" available to all owners under the camera's warranty that it claims reduces the sound....

Accusations of "another Solyndra" pull the plug on new vehicle chargers in small...

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 05:35 PM PDT

Accusations of "another Solyndra" pull the plug on new vehicle chargers in small town


Accusations of "another Solyndra" pull the plug on new vehicle chargers in small town
Filed under: Etc., EV/Plug-in, Green Culture With a population of around 14,000, Mill Valley, CA is too big to be called a one-horse town. The real question is whether it will become a two-EV charging station town. That question that was up for consideration at the September meeting of the Mill Valley town council....

Philips' Android-based GoGear Connect PMP now available for pre-order

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 05:34 PM PDT

Philips' Android-based GoGear Connect PMP now available for pre-order


Philips' Android-based GoGear Connect PMP now available for pre-order
Time is slipping away for it to meet its promised September debut, but Philip's Android-based GoGear Connect handheld / PMP is now available for pre-order from at least one online retailer (J&R). It'll run you $170 for the 8GB model and an even $200 for 16GB (both a slight discount off the list price), each of which come equipped with a 3.2-inch display, WiFi connectivity, built-in speakers, a microSD card slot...

Police Departments Powering Up With Propane

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 05:34 PM PDT

Police Departments Powering Up With Propane


Police Departments Powering Up With Propane
America's police aren't just fighting crime these days, some are helping in the fight for independence from foreign oil.

Czech electric scooter company covers 706 miles in 24-hours, claims world record

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 04:56 PM PDT

Czech electric scooter company covers 706 miles in 24-hours, claims world record


Czech electric scooter company covers 706 miles in 24-hours, claims world record
A "racing" team for the Czech electric scooter company Akumoto, with the assistance of the energy conglomerate ČEZ , is claiming the world record for longest distance traveled by such a vehicle in 24-hours -- 706.1 miles. Over the course of the 1,136.3 kilometer trip, the slightly modified scooter used a grand total of 40.8 kWh of electricity, which costs a measly 190 Czech Korunas (about $10.35)....

Video: Up Close With the Jaguar C-X16

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 04:56 PM PDT

Video: Up Close With the Jaguar C-X16


Video: Up Close With the Jaguar C-X16
Next stop, production – we hope.

Nissan to get own version of Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV in 2012

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 04:17 PM PDT

Nissan to get own version of Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV in 2012


Nissan to get own version of Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV in 2012
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Japan The Japanese duo of Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors have agreed to expand the scope of their initial "core agreement" signed in December 2010 and will do so by swapping the badges on two vehicles - the Nissan Fuga and the Mitsubishi Minicab MiEV - that are destined for sale only in Japan. For its part, Nissan will deliver Fugas to Mitsubishi Motors starting in the summer of...

Lenovo BT820 wireless speaker triggers impromptu rave at the FCC

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 04:17 PM PDT

Lenovo BT820 wireless speaker triggers impromptu rave at the FCC


Lenovo BT820 wireless speaker triggers impromptu rave at the FCC
At first glance this looks like your average, dime a dozen, AA-powered portable speaker. But then you realize the unannounced device is at the FCC because it's wireless -- Bluetooth in this instance. Next, you notice the chunky eight-inch midriff and the large (but still cheap-looking) stereo drivers and you finally acknowledge that this thing might actually beat the puny speakers in your brand new Lenovo Ultrabook....

Will GreenTech vehicles go to Europe?

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 03:37 PM PDT

Will GreenTech vehicles go to Europe?


Will GreenTech vehicles go to Europe?
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle), Europe/EU, USA Founded in 2009 by former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, GreenTech Automotive is currently prepping its first neighborhood electric vehicle, the MyCar, for launch in the U.S. and distribution throughout Europe. Roughly the same size as a Smart Fortwo, the MyCar will be built at GreenTech's Mississippi factory and should hit U.S....

HTC Vigor Packs Beats Audio, LTE, But No DROID Branding?

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 03:37 PM PDT

HTC Vigor Packs Beats Audio, LTE, But No DROID Branding?


HTC Vigor Packs Beats Audio, LTE, But No DROID Branding?
Here's a noodle-scratcher to ponder over the weekend: the HTC Vigor was supposedly going to hit Verizon as the Droid Incredible HD, but files leaked from the forthcoming device hint that the phone may not carry the Droid distinction after all. Someone who was lucky enough to have a Vigor in their possession managed to rip the device's boot sequence, wallpapers, and sound files, and shared their findings with AndroidPolice....