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Sunday, March 11, 2012

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: interview with Chevy, breakthrough LED light and spid...

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 03:17 PM PDT

Inhabitat's Week in Green: interview with Chevy, breakthrough LED light and spider silk violin strings


Inhabitat's Week in Green: interview with Chevy, breakthrough LED light and spider silk violin strings
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. This week the Chevy Volt lit up the newswires after GM announced plans to temporarily halt its production -- Inhabitat brought you an interview with Chevy on the shutdown and explained why it doesn't foretell electric vehicle doomsday....

ReCellular's headquarters toured by iFixit, recycling and redistribution gets a...

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 02:34 PM PDT

ReCellular's headquarters toured by iFixit, recycling and redistribution gets a closer look


ReCellular's headquarters toured by iFixit, recycling and redistribution gets a closer look
ReCellular's hardly a new name in the recycling universe, but as more and more individuals toss their dumbphone for a smarter alternative, the Ann Arbor-based outfit is seeing a new wave of interest. iFixit, a company that thrives on tearing down gadgetry both new and old in order to inform people of their repair and upgrade options, recently had the opportunity to tour ReCellular's monolithic warehouse, where some 10,000 used phones...

Instagram Reaches 27 Million Registered Users, Shows Off Upcoming Android App

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 02:34 PM PDT

Instagram Reaches 27 Million Registered Users, Shows Off Upcoming Android App


Instagram Reaches 27 Million Registered Users, Shows Off Upcoming Android App
Instagram, the photo-sharing app that has taken a definitive lead on iOS, said it has surpassed 27 million registered users. Co-founder Kevin Systrom didn't disclose daily active users. But he did say of all the users who have been active in the last week, 67 percent of them used the app yesterday. "It's Facebook-level engagement that we're seeing," Systrom said. He didn't really offer any clarity on rumors that the company is raising $40...

Obama's EV-Everywhere plan sets 2022 goals for U.S.-made electric vehicles

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 01:50 PM PDT

Obama's EV-Everywhere plan sets 2022 goals for U.S.-made electric vehicles


Obama's EV-Everywhere plan sets 2022 goals for U.S.-made electric vehicles
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Legislation and Policy, Natural Gas President Barack Obama on Thursday outlined his administration's EV Everywhere plan designed to cut gas-powered vehicle use over the next decade. Speaking at a Daimler truck plant in North Carolina, Obama set a 2022 goal of having the U.S. produce a five-passenger electric vehicle that would provide both a payback time - thanks to lower refueling costs - of less than five years and...

ITG xpPhone 2 hands-on: Windows 7 on a smartphone

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 01:07 PM PDT

ITG xpPhone 2 hands-on: Windows 7 on a smartphone


ITG xpPhone 2 hands-on: Windows 7 on a smartphone
We got a little worried when ITG missed its January unveiling for the xpPhone 2, but yesterday, this Windows 7-powered smartphone finally made its debut public appearance in Guangzhou, and we happened to be there to scoop up a demo unit. Since we last came across the second-gen xpPhone, its ambitious Chinese manufacturer has dished out more detailed specs: the 17.5mm-thick device comes with a 4.3-inch 800 x 480 LCD made...

Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 01:07 PM PDT

Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012


Refresh Roundup: week of March 5th, 2012
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix....

Neato Robotics' XV-21 vacuum sucks up pet hair and allergens, looks like a new-a...

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 11:39 AM PDT

Neato Robotics' XV-21 vacuum sucks up pet hair and allergens, looks like a new-age SNES


Neato Robotics' XV-21 vacuum sucks up pet hair and allergens, looks like a new-age SNES
Sure, iRobot may have a strong presence in the impending robot apocolypse world of autonomous vacuum cleaners, but lest we forget about the others like Neato Robotics. The company's introducing the retro-futuristic XV-21 Pet and Allergy Vacuum for those of us wanting rid our domains of sniffle-inducing dust particles. Although the XV-21 looks similar to last year's XV-12, it features a new filter for improved airflow and suction, which Neato claims...

How Tablets Will Transform Construction

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 11:39 AM PDT

How Tablets Will Transform Construction


How Tablets Will Transform Construction
Editor's note: Ryan Sutton-Gee is the co-founder and CEO of Y Combinator-backed PlanGrid, which offers builders the ability to store, view, and manage blueprints on an iPad. Follow him on Twitter @rsuttong. The basic process of any construction project goes like this: A person with a lot of money (called The Owner) decides that, for whatever reason, they want a building and so they go hire an architect....

Chinese official: We're not issuing 4G licenses for another two to three years

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 09:27 AM PDT

Chinese official: We're not issuing 4G licenses for another two to three years


Chinese official: We're not issuing 4G licenses for another two to three years
China isn't in a huge hurry get its own 4G network up and running, instead wanting to ensure the infrastructure is primed and enough compatible handsets are available before it launches. According to the head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Miao Wei, the country needs plenty more base stations -- beyond the existing 220,000 TD-SCDMA bases and closer to 400,000 -- before the government starts offering 4G licenses....

PlayBook controlled robo-buggy can see you smiling at it (video)

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 07:58 AM PDT

PlayBook controlled robo-buggy can see you smiling at it (video)


PlayBook controlled robo-buggy can see you smiling at it (video)
If iRobot tickled your fancy, but you don't have the budget for military-grade technology, how about this fella? So, it's not officially called PlayRobot, but if there was a naming convention, we guess that would be it. The buggy has a mounted camera, which relays video back to the PlayBook over a WiFi connection set up via a BlackBerry 9900....

Car2go scoops up 6,000 electric car sharers in San Diego in first 100 days

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 06:29 AM PDT

Car2go scoops up 6,000 electric car sharers in San Diego in first 100 days


Car2go scoops up 6,000 electric car sharers in San Diego in first 100 days
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Transportation Alternatives, SMART, Daimler For some people, buying an electric car is a long-time dream. For others, the excitement comes simply from driving one and not having to worry about the hassles of vehicle ownership. Turns out, there are at least 6,000 such people in San Diego, CA, where Daimler's easy-access car-sharing program, Car2go, reported that many users in the program's first 100 days....

T-Mobile to debut unlimited mobile-to-mobile plan next month?

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 06:29 AM PDT

T-Mobile to debut unlimited mobile-to-mobile plan next month?


T-Mobile to debut unlimited mobile-to-mobile plan next month?
Here's a juicy little rumor that's sure to excite the T-Mobile faithful. Retail training materials, acquired by TmoNews, indicate that the nation's fourth largest wireless provider may launch an "Unlimited Any Mobile" add-on early next month. The feature can be tacked on to existing T-Mo plans (with some exceptions) for a paltry $10 a month....

Party like mad... Or at least like Mad Men might

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 05:45 AM PDT

Party like mad... Or at least like Mad Men might


Party like mad... Or at least like Mad Men might
We've come up with something tasty to greet the return of "Mad Men" on AMC on Mar. 25.

German government proposes to charge search engines for excerpting news sites

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 04:18 AM PDT

German government proposes to charge search engines for excerpting news sites


German government proposes to charge search engines for excerpting news sites
A German government committee is proposing changes that could force search engines operating in the country to pay for using news excerpts. The plans involve setting up a department to charge royalties from sites that aggregate news feeds, and covers them for 12-months from date of publish. This isn't the first country to attempt to protect publishers' material, with the Newspaper Licensing Agency in the UK also performing a similar role....

Tel Aviv University develops biodegradable transistor, literally man made

Posted: 11 Mar 2012 01:09 AM PST

Tel Aviv University develops biodegradable transistor, literally man made


Tel Aviv University develops biodegradable transistor, literally man made
Blood sweat and tears go into many projects, and in this case almost literally -- although technically it's blood, milk and mucus. Yep, researchers at Tel Aviv University have created biodegradable transistors from proteins found in the aforementioned organic substances. When the proteins are mixed with base materials in the right combinations, it seems they self-assemble into a semi-conducting film....

T-Mobile CMO: subsidized pricing hurts wireless competition, undermines hardware...

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 11:41 PM PST

T-Mobile CMO: subsidized pricing hurts wireless competition, undermines hardware value


T-Mobile CMO: subsidized pricing hurts wireless competition, undermines hardware value
Could an end to unsubsidized smartphones be on its way for US carriers? If T-Mobile's Chief Marketing Officer Cole Brodman had his way, that familiar on-contract pricing would've gone the way of the Dodo a long time ago. Speaking at this week's GeekWire Summit in Seattle, the Magenta exec vented his frustrations with the industry's current business model, citing his belief that low cost handsets not only distort consumers' perspectives, effectively...

Apple WALT prototype hits eBay, reminds us of a life with landlines

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 10:17 PM PST

Apple WALT prototype hits eBay, reminds us of a life with landlines


Apple WALT prototype hits eBay, reminds us of a life with landlines
As it turns out, Apple too used to announce products at trade shows... only to never actually ship them. Back in the halcyon days of the early '90s, Apple revealed the WALT (Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone) at Macworld Boston, touting a fairly amazing feature set. Things like a touchscreen, handwriting recognition, fax support, an address book, caller ID, online banking and a speakerphone set it apart from the landline devices of...

Nike To Open First-Ever API To Developers At Backplane’s SXSW Music Hackathon

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 09:35 PM PST

Nike To Open First-Ever API To Developers At Backplane's SXSW Music Hackathon


Nike To Open First-Ever API To Developers At Backplane's SXSW Music Hackathon
Last month, Jason wrote about the announcement that Backplane — the new interactive, visual platform that's part Pinterest, part Tumblr and Ning — will be using its star power to stage an unusual event at SXSW: A music hackathon. The startup, which is backed by Lady Gaga along with a host of Silicon Valley VCs, is hosting its so called "SXSW Managers Hack," a unique event for SXSW and music tech....

Ask Engadget: Best AT&T smartphone for occasional tethering?

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 08:11 PM PST

Ask Engadget: Best AT&T smartphone for occasional tethering?


Ask Engadget: Best AT&T smartphone for occasional tethering?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from is from Paul who is looking for a handset for his tethering needs. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com....

HP readying competitor for Amazon's cloud computing, plans to launch soon

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 06:46 PM PST

HP readying competitor for Amazon's cloud computing, plans to launch soon


HP readying competitor for Amazon's cloud computing, plans to launch soon
We're still waiting to see where HP goes with webOS, but according to the New York Times it will officially launch a cloud computing service that competes with Amazon Web Services in the next couple of months. HP Senior VP and General Manager Zorawar Singh is quoted saying the currently in beta service projects as an alternative to what Amazon has built with a focus on personalized sales and service and...

The Economics Of Emotion

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 04:40 PM PST

The Economics Of Emotion


The Economics Of Emotion
Editor's Note: This guest post was written by Alan Zorfas, the co-founder and CMO of Motista, a VC-backed consumer intelligence service. Prior to co-founding Motista, Alan spent 25 years in senior roles at advertising agencies like Interpublic Group, DBB, and Earle Palmer Brown. The most recent commercial for the BMW i3 and i8 concept cars is a great example of something enlightened marketers have known for years: emotion is the key driver...

Toshiba outs Satellite P8-series laptops, treads line between enigmatic and anno...

Posted: 10 Mar 2012 04:40 PM PST

Toshiba outs Satellite P8-series laptops, treads line between enigmatic and annoying


Toshiba outs Satellite P8-series laptops, treads line between enigmatic and annoying
Toshiba gave us an early glimpse of its glasses-free 3D Satellite P855 a few days ago and has now revealed a little more about the rest of the P8-series. The company still isn't talking processors or GPUs, beyond saying that the line-up will use the "latest" hardware from Intel and "next-gen graphics from NVIDIA." Without getting breathless about it, this hints at what we'd already hoped: some Ivy Bridge action coupled...