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Friday, April 27, 2012

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Acer Aspire V3 coming to Japan for $1,100 with right processor, wrong ppi

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:56 PM PDT

Acer Aspire V3 coming to Japan for $1,100 with right processor, wrong ppi


Acer Aspire V3 coming to Japan for $1,100 with right processor, wrong ppi
Want a 2.1GHz Ivy Bridge Core i7 in your next media laptop? Mmm, yes please. And a 1080p LED backlit display to devour movies on? Well, of course. Then keep looking, because the Acer Aspire V3 maxes out at just 1366 x 768 -- despite being equipped with a Blu-ray spinner and Dolby Theater v4, and also despite the eye-popping competition....

Is CNG Viable to Power Your Car?

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:56 PM PDT

Is CNG Viable to Power Your Car?


Is CNG Viable to Power Your Car?
Many alternative fuels have failed; compressed natural gas seems to thrive

Reuters: Apple in talks to stream films owned by Epix, no deal expected before S...

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:12 PM PDT

Reuters: Apple in talks to stream films owned by Epix, no deal expected before September


Reuters: Apple in talks to stream films owned by Epix, no deal expected before September
It's reasonably well known at this point that Apple is looking to line up partnerships for some sort of a streaming video service. We've heard again and again that it's coming, so get ready to hum along with that 'ol tune one more time. Reuters is reporting that Apple has been in negotiations with Epix since earlier this year, hoping to secure access to films from Lions Gate, MGM and Paramount...

AT&T stockholders vote down net neutrality proposal

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 02:12 PM PDT

AT&T stockholders vote down net neutrality proposal


AT&T stockholders vote down net neutrality proposal
AT&T stockholders took to the ballot box today at their annual meeting and voted not only to reelect the entire board of directors, but also on a number of measures concerning how the company should conduct business. Chief amongst them was a provision that would have required the carrier to operate its network according to the tenets of net neutrality....

China getting ready for 5m plug-in vehicles by 2020

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:26 PM PDT

China getting ready for 5m plug-in vehicles by 2020


China getting ready for 5m plug-in vehicles by 2020
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Legislation and Policy, Asia, China Imagine all of the cars and light-duty trucks in Washington and Oregon combined. Then imagine them all being either battery-electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. That's what Chinese leaders have in mind by the end of the decade. The China State Council is pushing for a combination of automotive industry production and public acceptance to allow for as many as five million plug-in vehicles to be...

Sony’s Gamer-Friendly Xperia Play Could Have Had A Real QWERTY Keyboard Too

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:26 PM PDT

Sony's Gamer-Friendly Xperia Play Could Have Had A Real QWERTY Keyboard Too


Sony's Gamer-Friendly Xperia Play Could Have Had A Real QWERTY Keyboard Too
Sony's Android-powered Xperia Play debuted to mixed reviews last year, but according to a newly published patent, Sony was apparently toying with the idea of making something much more interesting before settling on the design they ran with. Not content with a single physical keypad meant strictly for gaming, the images associated with the patent depict a Sony smartphone with two of them — one with the game controls we've become familiar...

Google MapsGL updates 3D buildings, improves virtual tourism

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 01:26 PM PDT

Google MapsGL updates 3D buildings, improves virtual tourism


Google MapsGL updates 3D buildings, improves virtual tourism
Google's been spending some quality time with its Maps offering of late. Most recently, it overhauled the 3D buildings and landmarks to make them, well, better. This time, its Maps' juiced up sibling MapsGL that's been feeling the paternal love. The WebGL-based 3D renderings have been the same treatment, making your virtual aerial tours all the more realistic....

Sony Xperia ST21i with ICS leaks out, shows off its chunky physique

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:41 PM PDT

Sony Xperia ST21i with ICS leaks out, shows off its chunky physique


Sony Xperia ST21i with ICS leaks out, shows off its chunky physique
It may not be as sleek as its S kin, or even as powerful as that mid-level U, but this recently leaked Xperia ST21i might just have enough goodies to lure a handful of you in. According to Techblog, this thick, 3.2-inch unit packs some pretty run-of-the-mill features, including an 800MHz Qualcomm chip paired with 512MB of RAM, a 3-megapixel shooter to help with those Instagram shots and a bland 640...

Barely 3 Months Post-Launch, Loyalty App Punchcard Is Live In 15M Locations, Nea...

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:41 PM PDT

Barely 3 Months Post-Launch, Loyalty App Punchcard Is Live In 15M Locations, Nears Profitability


Barely 3 Months Post-Launch, Loyalty App Punchcard Is Live In 15M Locations, Nears Profitability
The mobile apps from stealthy loyalty startup Punchcard have only been on the market since February, but the company is now reporting it's close to being cash-flow positive. Like a digital version of paper punchcards which reward repeat customers for their business, Punchcard's app lets customers snap photos of their receipts in exchange for cash payouts or other rewards directly from the merchant. While not a new concept in and of itself,...

Engadget Podcast 291 - 04.27.2012

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 12:41 PM PDT

Engadget Podcast 291 - 04.27.2012



Engadget Podcast 291 - 04.27.2012
It's the Engadget Podcast, the only podcast in the multiverse that tried to change its name to "My Podcast Beat Up Your NPR's Science Friday." Host: Brian Heater, Dana Wollman, Terrence O'Brien Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Orbital - Never 00:01:44 - Reminder: Webby Award voting ends tomorrow, give the Engadget Show some love 00:02:30 - The Engadget Show 32: ASUS, Huawei and a trip to Asia's gadget markets 00:05:00 - Google...

Massachusetts will distribute happy little EV license plates

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:54 AM PDT

Massachusetts will distribute happy little EV license plates


Massachusetts will distribute happy little EV license plates
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Hybrid, Legislation and Policy, USA What, did you expect them to have a Yankees logo on it? Massachusetts' department of transportation this week said that special license plates with a silhouette of a green car with a plug on the back will be available for drivers of hybrids, battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. Massachusetts is the second state (OK, it's technically a commonwealth) in the U.S....

Patterned by Nature: it's big, blocky and earth-approved (video)

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:54 AM PDT

Patterned by Nature: it's big, blocky and earth-approved (video)


Patterned by Nature: it's big, blocky and earth-approved (video)
Quick quiz: which consumes more power, an "energy-efficient" 55-inch LED TV, or the 90-foot "Patterned by Nature" video installation at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences? It's actually a trick question, because the sculpture does eat less power -- just 75 watts -- but then it only has a fraction of the TV's pixels....

Fanatec's Clubsport pedals V2 bring improved brake and clutch feel to the virtua...

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:53 AM PDT

Fanatec's Clubsport pedals V2 bring improved brake and clutch feel to the virtual speedway (video)


Fanatec's Clubsport pedals V2 bring improved brake and clutch feel to the virtual speedway (video)
Around these parts, we're generally suckers for all things related to racing simulators. As such, we're excited to learn that Fanatec has unveiled its next generation of the Clubsport pedals that we reviewed over a year ago. Dubbed as the Clubsport pedals V2, the company refers to the peripheral as an "evolutionary" update to original, offering a trio of improvements....

Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:08 AM PDT

Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage


Tiny N64 controller guaranteed to cause serious crampage
On the list of nerd pastimes, miniaturization ranks pretty high. So, we're not exactly surprised to see a tiny N64 controller, but we're kind of amazed that this rather extreme hack managed to avoid detection since January. The itty bitty controller isn't a mod, but an original construction built around a PIC microcontroller....

Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U trailer showcases NFC feature (video)

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:08 AM PDT

Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U trailer showcases NFC feature (video)


Leaked Rayman Legends for Wii U trailer showcases NFC feature (video)
If you're counting down the days till the Wii U is released, you might recall that back in January Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata said the console will ship with an NFC chip inside. Well, you can now get a taste of how games will incorporate that feature, thanks to this just-leaked trailer for Rayman Legends....

Social Networking And Gaming Mobile Apps Are Now Neck-And-Neck For Time Spent On...

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:08 AM PDT

Social Networking And Gaming Mobile Apps Are Now Neck-And-Neck For Time Spent On Android, iOS


Social Networking And Gaming Mobile Apps Are Now Neck-And-Neck For Time Spent On Android, iOS
In another sign that something fundamental is changing on the iOS and Android platforms, mobile analytics provider Flurry has found that consumers are spending as much time in social networking apps as they are in mobile games. Games have historically led usage on mobile. The last time that Flurry took a look back in January, it found that half of app sessions were spent in games while 30 percent was spent in...

USC develops printable liquid solar cells for flexible, low-cost panels

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 11:08 AM PDT

USC develops printable liquid solar cells for flexible, low-cost panels


USC develops printable liquid solar cells for flexible, low-cost panels
Solar cells are becoming more viable sources of energy -- and as they become more efficient, they're only getting smaller and cheaper to produce. Liquid nanocrystal cells are traditionally inefficient at converting sunlight into electricity, but by adding a synthetic ligand to help transmit currents, researchers at USC have improved their effectiveness....

Report: 69% Of Tablet Owners Watch TV And Surf The Web Simultaneously

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:21 AM PDT

Report: 69% Of Tablet Owners Watch TV And Surf The Web Simultaneously


Report: 69% Of Tablet Owners Watch TV And Surf The Web Simultaneously
Just watching TV without also using a tablet or smartphone at the same time seems to be on its way out. Earlier this month, Nielsen launched the first part of its report on primetime TV viewers in the U.S. and today, the analytics company is taking a deeper dive into the demographics of those who simultaneously watch TV and use their tablets....

IRL: gfxCardStatus, Nyko Charge Base 3 for PS3 and the OG iPad

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:21 AM PDT

IRL: gfxCardStatus, Nyko Charge Base 3 for PS3 and the OG iPad


IRL: gfxCardStatus, Nyko Charge Base 3 for PS3 and the OG iPad
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Different strokes for different folks. While Darren may have long since sworn off tablets as productivity machines, our very own Billy Steele (a designer by trade, don'tcha know) has been using one to workshop projects with clients....

Business-minded HP 'Slate 8' tablet surfaces in leaked image

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:21 AM PDT

Business-minded HP 'Slate 8' tablet surfaces in leaked image


Business-minded HP 'Slate 8' tablet surfaces in leaked image
This one is still very much unconfirmed, but a "trusted source" recently provided Neowin.net with the image you see above, which purports to be a mockup of a forthcoming business-minded tablet from HP dubbed the Slate 8. That's obviously a Windows 8 tablet and, if the details are to be believed, you can expect a 10.1-inch display, eight to ten hours of battery life, optional pen-based input, a docking station of...

HTC Titan II Review: Initial Impressions (Hands-On Photos)

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 10:21 AM PDT

HTC Titan II Review: Initial Impressions (Hands-On Photos)


HTC Titan II Review: Initial Impressions (Hands-On Photos)
The Titan II is yet another success for the hardware team over at HTC. It feels excellent in the hand, even if it's huge, has a nice balanced weight to it, and the little chin at the bottom gives it some extra pizazz when lined up against other designs on store shelves....

Coda gives up on federal government loans, for now

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 09:34 AM PDT

Coda gives up on federal government loans, for now


Coda gives up on federal government loans, for now
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Coda Automotive Who needs the federal government when you have a big Chinese company behind you? That's what electric-vehicle maker Coda Automotive appears to be asking, now that the Los Angeles-based company has withdrawn its two-year-old request for $334 million in U.S. Department of Energy loans, according to Automotive News. Coda didn't believe that the projected loan, part of the DOE's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Program, was going to be funded...

Crackdown On Download Bots Meant Installs For Top iOS Apps Took A Dive In March

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 09:34 AM PDT

Crackdown On Download Bots Meant Installs For Top iOS Apps Took A Dive In March


Crackdown On Download Bots Meant Installs For Top iOS Apps Took A Dive In March
Downloads for the top 200 free apps in the U.S. iTunes app store took a 30 percent dive in March, according to Fiksu, a Charles River Ventures-backed company that helps mobile developers find users cheaply. The culprit? Two things. One is that we're just coming out of the very lucrative holiday season, when downloads spike and people get new phones that they're eager to experiment with through trying tons of apps....

Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera review

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 09:33 AM PDT

Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera review


Fujifilm X-Pro1 mirrorless camera review
Fujifilm confirms X-Pro1 at CES Fujifilm X-Pro1 interchangeable lens camera preview Sony Alpha NEX-7 mirrorless camera review Hear any mention of retro-styled cameras with exorbitant price tags and it's hard not to get suspicious. That kind of talk brings to mind Leica's incessant re-branding of Panasonic Lumix models, or those unicorn limited editions out of Japan that just leave us baffled....

Ford Confirms GT500 Horsepower: 662

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 09:33 AM PDT

Ford Confirms GT500 Horsepower: 662


Ford Confirms GT500 Horsepower: 662
The numbers on the 2013 Shelby GT500 are stunning. Do they matter?

Nintendo aims to flog 18 million 3DS, up to 10.5 million home consoles this fisc...

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 08:47 AM PDT

Nintendo aims to flog 18 million 3DS, up to 10.5 million home consoles this fiscal year


Nintendo aims to flog 18 million 3DS, up to 10.5 million home consoles this fiscal year
All eyes are on Nintendo, now that it has revealed losses of $460 million. Buried in all of the financial paperwork were the revelations that it sells the 3DS at a loss, its plans for digital distribution and its projected sales figures for this year. It aims to flog 18.5 million 3DS handhelds and 10.5 million Wii consoles by March 31st 2013....

TheWhoot Co-Founders On Taking The Flakiness Out Of Social Planning

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 08:47 AM PDT

TheWhoot Co-Founders On Taking The Flakiness Out Of Social Planning


TheWhoot Co-Founders On Taking The Flakiness Out Of Social Planning
Back in the day, before the cell phone, people had to be where they said they'd be. There was no such thing as flaking out, and if you did, you were just a bad person. But these days, even when we make a firm commitment, the convenience of cell phones makes it really easy to flake out at the last second. But co-founders Ryan Coyne and Will Quartner think that going out...

Nokia 808 Pureview goes up against Nokia N8, should probably pick on someone its...

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 08:02 AM PDT

Nokia 808 Pureview goes up against Nokia N8, should probably pick on someone its own age (video)


Nokia 808 Pureview goes up against Nokia N8, should probably pick on someone its own age (video)
Aside from a brief video ad to show off its own motion-capture chops, it's gone a little quiet on Nokia's 808 PureView. The imposing 41-megapixel cameraphone, or phone-camera, is Nokia's latest Symbian device so why not run it (almost) side-by-side with the Nokia N8? The screen looks substantially more impressive on the 808 PureView, which is 0.5 inches larger than its older relative, but that brighter showing probably has more to...

Nintendo's gunning for retailers, expanding eShop offerings for Wii U, 3DS

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 08:02 AM PDT

Nintendo's gunning for retailers, expanding eShop offerings for Wii U, 3DS


Nintendo's gunning for retailers, expanding eShop offerings for Wii U, 3DS
Nintendo is going to sell its 3DS and Wii U games through the eShop as well as on the high street. Concerned about the money wasted in "inventory," the company will let consumers choose where they get their fix from. The first two games to get the treatment will be New Super Mario Bros 2 and Onitore Brain Training (working title) for the handheld, with more expected in the future....

2013 Ford Escape 1.6L EcoBoost officially rated at 23/33 MPG

Posted: 27 Apr 2012 07:13 AM PDT

2013 Ford Escape 1.6L EcoBoost officially rated at 23/33 MPG


2013 Ford Escape 1.6L EcoBoost officially rated at 23/33 MPG
Filed under: MPG, Ford When we drove the all-new Escape recently, Ford was still awaiting official EPA certification for fuel economy. Now, though, the numbers are in, and the Blue Oval can confidently state that it offers the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the small crossover segment... with an automatic transmission, that is. The hero engine for the new Escape is Ford's new 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four, offering up 178 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of...