|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Bandwidth is a precious commodity on military vessels. Ships in the US Navy fleet are generating more data, but the pipe it's getting pumped through isn't getting any larger. What's more, with limited connectivity options on the table, the sea-faring military wing is missing out on all the smartphone and app store fun. Rather than turn green with envy, or turning their dress whites is for camouflage cargo pants, the Navy is beefing up its mobile tech arsenal, beginning with the U.S.S. Kearsarge, U.S.S. San Antonio and U.S.S. Whidbey Island. The ships will serve as test beds for a nautical LTE system, with a range of about 25 miles. The 4G network will serve as a localized platform for wirelessly feeding data to sailors, as well as a way for the enlisted to connect to the outside world. On the backend, the Marines are working on a new satellite broadband service that should be able to provide ships with 300 megabits of shared bandwidth. Satellite internet and off-grid LTE might induce yawns in some, but they're certainly a major part of modernizing our fighting forces. For more info, check out the source link. Navy plans ship-based LTE for close-quarters communication originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 01:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  CNET |  Wired | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's not the cheapest, and it's not the first, but if you've been holding out on picking up an M-Mount adapter for your X-Pro1 with the hope that Fujifilm with launch a Leica-friendly accessory of its own, your patience does appear to have paid off. The camera maker just announced its very own M-Mount Adapter, featuring a 27.8mm distance between the lens mount and the sensor, an aluminum and stainless steel construction, and three levels of distortion correction. After you upgrade your camera firmware to version 1.10 (or later), you'll have access to an advanced M-Mount Adapter Settings menu, which utilizes pre-registered lens profiles and corrections. The software includes presets for 21mm, 24mm, 28mm and 35mm Leica lenses, leaving two additional slots for adding your own settings. You'll need to hang in there for a few more weeks -- the M-Mount Adapter is expected to ship for $200 in June. There's full specs in the PR after the break. Continue reading Fujifilm M-Mount Adapter brings Leica lenses to the X-Pro1 Fujifilm M-Mount Adapter brings Leica lenses to the X-Pro1 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We're all familiar with syncing bookmarks and save-for-later web services like Instapaper, but it's not often that they come with a full web component. Yahoo's hoping to hit the proverbial two birds tonight with Axis, which combines a desktop web browser extension (your choice of Chrome, Firefox or Safari) with a mobile app on the iPad and iPhone. You can bookmark any page and get at it later through a common portal -- hence the Axis name. That unity idea also extends to the idea of browser searching, where you'll see both trending topics as well as immediate answers and visual thumbnails of the top search results. Mobile users can share content through email, Pinterest or Twitter, if that's their inclination. Axis is ready and free to use as of today, although Android users won't get their turn until closer to the end of the year. Engadget had a chance to give Axis a quick spin, and we largely like what we see, even if we'd say it's not for everyone. The desktop browser extension largely stays out of your way until you need it, although we're surprised the social sharing elements are left out. On the mobile side, it's effectively a full, tabbed web browser, and a fairly solid (if simple) one at that. Most of the advantage comes through having the deeper search options just a pull away. Our issues mostly stem from the need for the app and the ecosystem it's leaping into. If you already thrive on (or want to try) services like Instapaper or ReadItLater, you're not going to get significantly more here, especially since you can't save content offline. Choosing iOS also means you can't make Axis your default browser, so any links you get from other apps can't be directly shared with Yahoo's mobile app. Yahoo Axis on desktop, iOS unifies your bookmarks, makes the web visual (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Linux comes in all sorts of flavors -- it's part of what makes the OS so confusing to new comers. To make matters worse, some of the most popular variants are actually based on other distros, such as Linux Mint, the refreshing desktop that's based largely on Ubuntu. So, if you're wondering what's new in the Mint 13, a good place to start is probably our review of the aubergine OS. Of course, Maya has a few wrinkles of its own -- including a pair of desktop options dubbed MATE and Cinnamon. MATE, as you may recall, was introduced in the last version, but Cinnamon is all new (read: a tad unstable) and built on a modern framework using Gnome 3 and Clutter. There have been a few other new additions, including a new display manager in MDM and a switch to Yahoo! as the default search engine. As usual with these things, you can download it and try it out for free at the source. [Thanks, Mohamad] Linux Mint 13 'Maya' released, just in time for the next piktun originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 20:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Linux Mint | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Tivoli Audio is known for radios that rarely deviate from a tried-and-true formula (save for that snazzy crystal-encrusted Model One), but the company is still capable of surprises. Exhibit A: it's gearing up to release its first pair of headphones. The new Radio Silenz noise-cancelling cans have 40mm drivers in the wooden ear cups, and a "Defeat" button mutes your tunes so you can hear someone talking to you without taking the headphones off. Tivoli says the AAA battery will give you 50 hours of listening. The Radio Silenz will go on sale for $160 in June. Just because Tivoli is venturing into headphone territory doesn't mean it is losing touch with its roots. In addition to the cans, the company has two new radios, the PAL BT and the Model One BT, both of which support Bluetooth streaming. The $300 PAL BT sports a 2.5-inch, battery-powered speaker, while the $260 Model One's 3-inch speaker is encased in a lovely, retro wooden design. Tivoli will also sell a $200 BluCon wireless Bluetooth receiver. All three products will reportedly launch in late summer. Tivoli enters headphone game with Radio Silenz, has new PAL BT and Model One BT radios originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Gizmodo, (2) | Tivoli Audio, (2), (3), (4) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Some of us aren't convinced that phablets will last as more than a short-term success. That hasn't stopped ABI Research from predicting that enough of the size XXL smartphones will sell to block all natural sunlight. The study team sees phones like the Galaxy Note and Optimus Vu as just the start, with help from Huawei, HTC and others leading to a crescendo of 208 million phablets shipped in 2015 alone. Of course, as with many of these predictions, the estimate is based on a little bit of knowledge and a lot of speculation about the market's tastes: the researchers have a hunch that the values of navigation, reading and the web will steer us to big screens, and they're including devices just over 4.6 inches like the One X or the upcoming Galaxy S III. There's a bit of evidence to support the claims -- Samsung sold five million Notes in five months, and HTC has seen some brisk One X sales -- but that's still no guarantee that regular-sized smartphones will have to fight in the shade. Continue reading ABI: Galaxy Note and other phablets will ship at 208 million a year by 2015, blot out the sun ABI: Galaxy Note and other phablets will ship at 208 million a year by 2015, blot out the sun originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | ABI Research | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  When he isn't tinkering around with McLaren F1 supercars and Batmobiles, Gordon Murray is working on fuel-efficient -- or even fuel-independent -- city cars. Autocar just got its hands on the gas-powered T.25 and battery-powered T.27, and reports a pleasant experience with the three-seaters. We already knew that the T.27 crashes well and offers efficiency comparable to an astounding 350MPG, but we learned even more info today. The 74MPG T.25 will cost £6000 ($9467) should it ever go into production, while the T.27 would theoretically run you a grand more, but also get you 100-130 miles between four-hour charges. The body and interior is simple and innovative which becomes evident before you even get inside -- stepping behind a windscreen that pivots forward on struts. Neither travels at high speeds (90mph for the T25 and 65mph for the T.27, though it's faster off the mark), but these cars don't aspire to compete with Formula 1 racers; they're going for efficiency and simplicity -- and evidently doing it pretty well. Autocar takes Gordon Murray's T.25 and T.27 city cars for a spin, gives us its impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Autocar (1), (2) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Chalk one up for an at least temporary resurgence in PC gaming. Blizzard can vouch that Diablo III has set a new record for the fastest-selling PC game to date: at 3.5 million copies trading hands through Battle.net downloads or retailers in the first 24 hours, and 6.3 million after a week, that's a whole lot of people battling the biggest of Prime Evils in a very short time. Naturally, a Blizzard-obsessed South Korea is accounting for even more activity, where over 39 percent of play at local gaming houses can be pinned on the action RPG, and the tally doesn't even include the 1.2 million bonus copies coming through a World of Warcraft annual pass promo. Before console gamers start packing up their PlayStations and Xboxes in symbolic resignation, D3 isn't the record-setter for the most copies of any game sold in one day -- that distinction goes to Modern Warfare 3's 6.5 million copies spread across multiple platforms. That's still enough to spur on some furious clicking and possibly a glut of dead mouse buttons, but you'll be glad to know there are suitably-themed replacement mice waiting in the wings. Continue reading Diablo III becomes fastest-selling PC game ever, deluge of broken PC mice likely to follow Diablo III becomes fastest-selling PC game ever, deluge of broken PC mice likely to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's been a long, long while since Creative spruced up its Sound Blaster audio hardware, so a teaser for something new certainly has us intrigued. The page mentions little beyond an Axx name and that there will be a "whole new generation" of the technology uncovered on May 30th. There's a contest to win whatever the device might be if you're astute enough to predict the future name, but this may be a softball question given the not-so-subtle hints. Between terrible puns about the "axx-traterestrial" coming and winners getting to "axx-perience" the technology first, we have a feeling that any name that doesn't put "Axx" front and center is out of the running. Creative teases Sound Blaster Axx with the most forced puns we've ever seen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Creative | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Looks like rumors of major cost-cutting measures at HP are true: the company along with its fiscal Q2 results has just outlined plans to slash 27,000 jobs by the end of its fiscal 2014. The drop, or about eight percent of its workforce, is being offered an "early retirement" if it doesn't want to wait to be let go involuntarily. The move is intended to streamline HP's operations and save between $3 billion to $3.5 billion a year by the time the cuts are done. As for the results themselves, they explain all too clearly why the cuts are inbound: HP 's profit dropped a massive 31 percent to $1.6 billion, and its revenue dropped three points to $30.7 billion. CEO Meg Whitman touted the results as exceeding an earlier glum outlook, but with the enterprise, printer and services groups all dragging the company down, it's clear that HP is in the same boat as a struggling Dell. Continue reading HP cuts 27,000 jobs, profit tumbles 31 percent in Q2 HP cuts 27,000 jobs, profit tumbles 31 percent in Q2 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  LG has been coy quiet about details of its 55-inch OLED TV since we saw its hyper-rich organic colors at CES, but it just nailed down a number of details at a Monte Carlo Monaco event. The 55EM9600 has seen its display base get visibly bigger now that the screen isn't being specially perched at a trade show, but the redesign and using a carbon fiber back has let it shed an extra millimeter of thickness, down to 4mm (0.16 inches). The steadier footing puts all the AV connectors at the back, while a trio of USB ports sit on the side for those who often share media from their cameras and flash drives. LG wouldn't give our Spanish team definite release info about the OLED set, but there's been repeated murmurs of a European price of about €9,000 ($11,313) and a possible release as soon as July, just inside LG's official target of the second half of the year. Certainly not the most frugal TV you can buy at this size if that's true, then, but it'll certainly get everyone's attention -- now where's our US details? Update: There's now a swishy promo video below, plus some English language details at the source link. Update 2: For those who'd like a bit more reading material, we've added the full PR after the break. Update 3: LG has also helped settle some of the details that it can share at this early stage: July isn't looking likely, but the price could be on the sunnier side, tentatively edging closer to €8,000 ($10,063). Continue reading LG's 55-inch OLED TV gets official design, possible €9,000 price tag (update 3: LG fills in more) LG's 55-inch OLED TV gets official design, possible €9,000 price tag (update 3: LG fills in more) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget Spanish (translated) | LG UK Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | LG has been coy about details of its 55-inch OLED TV since we saw its hyper-rich organic colors at CES, but it just nailed down a number of details at a Monte Carlo event. The 55EM9600 has seen its display base get a bit bigger now that the screen isn't being specially perched at a trade show, but moving more equipment to the base and using a carbon fiber back has let it shed an extra millimeter of thickness, down to 4mm (0.16 inches). The steadier footing puts all the AV connectors at the back, while a trio of USB ports sit on the side for those who often share media from their cameras and flash drives. LG wouldn't give our Spanish team definite release info about the OLED set, but there's been repeated murmurs of a European price of about €9,000 ($11,313) and a possible release as soon as July, just inside LG's official target of the second half of the year. Certainly not the most frugal TV you can buy at this size if that's true, then, but it'll certainly get everyone's attention -- now where's our US details? LG's 55-inch OLED TV gets official design, possible €9,000 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget Spanish (translated) | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Rounding off a busy day of shooting with Nokia's new imaging mistress, the company's Vesa Jutila, Head of Symbian Product Marketing, hooked us up with some more developments for the 808 PureView, specifically to do with NFC. He told us that picture sharing would be possible across devices -- not limiting itself to fellow PureView smartphones, and differentiating it from another hotly anticipated future smartphone. We'd err against using it on those full 38- or 34-megapixel images though, as they will often measure over 10MB and it could take some time. Further, Nokia's already applied for Mastercard and Visa accreditation to get those mobile wallets up and working. We're curating our own exclusive image gallery as we speak and they're likely to whet your appetite for more oversampling goodness. Expect a fully-fledged review with a final model in the not-too-distant future. Nokia 808 PureView enables NFC image share, mobile payment apps to come originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Microsoft's Kinect Accelerator program kicked off over a month ago, but at the time we were only made aware of the participant start-ups' names, not their innovations. So, when Microsoft offered us the opportunity to talk with the folks behind four of the program's participants -- Freak'n Genius, GestSure Technologies, Kimetric and Styku -- we jumped at the chance. Join us after the break to see what this quartet of fledgling companies has planned to propogate the Kinect effect further than ever. Continue reading Kinect Accelerator company profiles: Freak'n Genius, GestSure Technologies, Kimetric and Styku Kinect Accelerator company profiles: Freak'n Genius, GestSure Technologies, Kimetric and Styku originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Freak'n Genius, GestSure Technologies, Kimetric, Styku | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The search for Bigfoot continues and, no, that's not a nod to a very special episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Though Harry and the Hendersons did its best to humanize that Himalayan monster of myth, a group of well-heeled European scientists are seeking to go beyond the Hollyweird fantasy to actually prove the creature's existence using advanced genetic techniques. Part of a collaborative effort between Oxford University and the Lausanne Museum of Zoology, the Collateral Hominid project aims to gather material from public and private cryptozoological collections for analysis to determine whether that elusive species branched off from bears or our neanderthal forebears. Project head Prof. Bryan Sykes hopes the research, the results of which will eventually make the rounds of peer-reviewed journals, will dispel skepticism that has surrounded this controversial creature by providing " a mechanism for... identification that is unbiased, unambiguous and impervious to falsification." Basically, these real-life Mulder & Scullys want incontrovertible DNA proof that these fantastic ape-like beings are simply the stuff of evolution. Whatever the case, the truth is most certainly out there, folks -- it's just likely encased in fossilized dung.
[Image courtesy Worch.com] Continue reading Oxford makes big push into Bigfoot research, enlists Swiss zoologists for DNA study Oxford makes big push into Bigfoot research, enlists Swiss zoologists for DNA study originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PhysOrg | Oxford University | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  For all intents and purposes, the original Xbox, with its NVIDIA GPU, 8-10GB hard disk and custom Pentium III processor was a high-end PC for its time -- albeit, one that connected to a television. What Microsoft didn't realize back then, though, was that when you put that kind of hardware in the hands of hackers and enthusiasts, it's only a matter of time before people start doing more than just playing Halo. Fast forward to 2003, the year the Xbox Media Center was born. Nowadays, it's simply referred to as XBMC, since it runs on more than just your Xbox. In brief, XBMC is an open-source software solution that enables a plethora of media streaming capabilities on all sorts of devices. What once was limited to the original Xbox, can now be put to use on everything from a bare-bones Linux desktop to an Apple TV. In this how-to, we'll show you how to build a simple XBMC setup using XBMCbuntu. Catch us after the break for the full step-by-step. Continue reading How-To: XBMC 11 the XBMCbuntu way How-To: XBMC 11 the XBMCbuntu way originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Outdoor concerts, European music festivals, keggers -- whatever your concept of summer fun is, GameStop's adding its own EXPO to the list. Previously the exclusive province of its own employee horde, the gaming retailer's opening up its annual conference to the pasty-faced public for the first time this year. You'll have to be a PowerUp Rewards member to get an invite for the video game-centric shindig, but after that, entry is merely a two-tiered level of commitment away -- general admission costs a mere $35, while the VIP perks'll ring up at a $100 premium. The happening's set to take place during the Dog Days of August -- the 29th to be exact -- in San Antonio, Texas, where interested gamers can gawk and, presumably, play upcoming releases, rub shoulders with notable industry types and just feel like a member of a greater geek community. Sure, it's no Lilith Fair Redux, but you gotta take what you can get. Official presser after the break. Continue reading GameStop's annual EXPO opens up to general public, monitor tan required for entry GameStop's annual EXPO opens up to general public, monitor tan required for entry originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  In the US, Asia and Australia they've already had their fill of the HTC One XL. But, in Europe, they've had to make do with the lame ol' HSPA+ One X. That is, until now. German carrier Vodafone has announced that it'll be the first to bring the XL home, complete with triband LTE in tow. Just like the American "One X," the new Euro XL ditches the quad-core Tegra 3 for a 1.5GHz dual-core S4, primarily because the NVIDIA solution doesn't support LTE. Though, as an added bonus, we're sure it helps extend the life of that 1,800 mAh cell inside. Vodafone will get the handset first in early June in a nice matte black, while Deutsche Telekom and O2 Germany will score the device later -- potentially in white. If you want yours contract free, it'll cost you €699 from Vodafone or €659 from HTC. HTC One XL coming to Germany, drags LTE with it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 14:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Unwired | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It appears that the jury has come to a conclusion in the Oracle v. Google trial, determining that Android does not infringe Oracle patents. Judge William Aslup of the US District Court for Northern California exonerated the search giant following a trial that lasted three weeks, ruling that Google did not infringe on six claims in US Patent RE38,104, along two claims in US Patent 6,061,520. Jurors were dismissed following today's ruling, with the trial's damages phase reportedly set to begin on Tuesday. According to The Verge, the jury did determine that Google was responsible for two counts of minor copyright infringement, relating to the order of Java APIs and several lines of rangeCheck code, which could be matched with a maximum penalty of $150,000 for each count. Regardless, it appears that the lawsuit, which dates back to 2010, when Oracle filed against Google for copyright and patent infringement related to Sun's Jave code, could finally be coming to a close. Jury issues verdict in Android suit, finds that Google doesn't infringe Oracle patents originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge, CNET | US District Court | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  As mobile operators continue to move toward the promised land known as "the future," it grows ever more important for them to make some room for it. AT&T announced today that it has started the process of refarming its 2G 1900MHz spectrum in New York City, which should alleviate some of the growing demand on the carrier's 3G and 4G networks within the city. AT&T isn't volunteering specific details on how long the transition will take, and it's only saying that the freed-up bandwidth will be used for high-speed services. There are still plenty of customers on 2G-only devices that will be affected by the transition -- they may still have service for now, but it will likely degrade as the process goes forward -- but the company is reaching out to them and offering alternative options, such as free 3G-capable phones. Let's just hope those don't come with fresh contracts attached. Drift your eyes below for the full press release. Continue reading AT&T begins refarming 2G spectrum in New York City AT&T begins refarming 2G spectrum in New York City originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 13:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Fierce Mobile | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Having already made headway into the digital frontier last year, video game subscription service GameFly is now ready to expand its sphere of influence into the world of mobile. The company's aspiring for greatness, announcing this morning that it plans to begin publishing iOS and Android titles as early as this summer. And that's not all, folks: we can expect to see the GameFly GameStore, a gaming-oriented competitor to the Play Store and Amazon AppStore, sometime this fall. In addition to its goal of being the biggest and baddest kid on the block, GameFly intends to don the role of philanthropist, setting aside a fund to assist struggling devs who might just need a few extra bucks to finish the next mobile masterpiece. If you fall in this category, the company's already accepting submissions, so read through the press release below to get all the necessary details. Continue reading GameFly to begin publishing smartphone apps, will launch its own Android game store GameFly to begin publishing smartphone apps, will launch its own Android game store originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The year is 2009. In history books, it'll widely be recognized as the year that most of America -- heck, the world -- would prefer to forget. Job after job was lost, bank after bank fell, and humanity as we knew it plunged into "the worst recession since the Great Depression." It's also the year that Palm attempted a comeback with webOS, and as it turns out, the year that yet another accessory company was born. While such an occurrence may be forgettable on a macro scale, economic researchers and lovers of technology alike have reason to take notice -- and, indeed, ask questions. So, that's exactly what I did. Beyond growing a technology startup in a me-too field during the worst economy that I've personally been a part of, it's also not often that I find compelling consumer electronics companies far outside of New York City and San Francisco. Twelve South just so happens to be located in a nondescript nook in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina -- just a beautiful trip over the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge from historic Charleston. Three years after its founding, the company now fittingly counts a dozen employees on its roster, and despite entering a market flooded with iAccessory after iAccessory, it has somehow managed to grab its own slice of an increasingly large niche. As with all good success stories, this particular outfit has plenty of twists, turns and run-ins with Lady Luck to tell about; for those interested in seeing how the "stay small" mantra is keeping Twelve South firmly focused on the future ahead, take a peek beyond the break. Continue reading Opening the Book(Book) on Twelve South: between the covers of a Mac-exclusive accessory maker Opening the Book(Book) on Twelve South: between the covers of a Mac-exclusive accessory maker originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  What's in a name? For the Samsung Galaxy Appeal, everything. The moniker of AT&T's new Android GoPhone fits the manufacturer's current legal situation perfectly, though admittedly its side-slider QWERTY-packing form factor is the least likely of Sammy's lineup to catch the attention of Cupertino's team of suits. Joking aside, the 4.3-ounce Appeal offers Android 2.3, a 3.2-inch HVGA (that's 480 x 320) display, 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7225A processor, 3MP rear camera and 512MB of RAM. It's also made with 80 percent recycled material and has a microSD port and 1,300mAh battery. The Appeal will begin its wireless sojourn on June 5th at Walmart for $150, and will pop up at other AT&T outlets beginning July 15th. Head below to find the legal team-approved press release. Continue reading AT&T launches Samsung Galaxy Appeal GoPhone, available at Walmart on June 5th for $150 AT&T launches Samsung Galaxy Appeal GoPhone, available at Walmart on June 5th for $150 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Google gave its official search app an iPad remake late last year, and now it's smaller iPhone and iPod touch devices getting the new UI's treatment. As of Google Search App 2.0, the smaller iOS devices see a big emphasis on full-screen navigation, with an automatic full-screen mode and a dedicated full-screen photo search making the most of the limited display real estate. You can now swipe back to search results like you could with the iPad, and it's overall much faster in the app to hop between different search types as well as web apps like Calendar or Gmail. There's still something in it for you if you've already been deep into the iPad port's interface, as the tablet and the iPhone alike can now save photos directly to the iOS camera roll. You'll need at least iOS 4.2 to live in Google's non-Android mobile universe, but those that measure up can leap in through the source link. Google Search for iPhone gets the 2.0 remake, full-screen search and swipes aplenty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 12:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink MacStories | App Store | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Seagate and LaCie have gotten friendly before -- the former company's drives are in the LaCie 2big Thunderbolt HDD, for instance -- but the storage makers are about to get even cozier. Today, Seagate announced its plans to buy a 64.5-percent share in the French company, which is currently valued at $186 million. The acquisition will combine the two outlets' product portfolios and, according to the press release, "accelerate Seagate's growth strategy in the expanding consumer storage market, particularly in Europe and Japan." The deal should go through by late 2012, and Seagate will bring over LaCie CEO Philippe Spruch to head the consumer storage products division. Continue reading Seagate to buy LaCie for $186 million, expand its storage empire Seagate to buy LaCie for $186 million, expand its storage empire originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  When last saw the Social Bicycles (SoBi), there wasn't a heck of a lot to report on. The whole thing was little more than a concept, a Kickstarter page and an early prototype. Flash forward just under a year later, and it's beginning to look a lot like a real, consumer-facing product. The New York startup showed off its bike and a couple of apps today at TechCrunch Disrupt. The concept here is not too dissimilar from a Zipcar -- you locate a bike using the Android or iOS app, find it on the street, enter your PIN, pull out the lock and you're good to go. If you're feeling particularly enterprising, you can can pick up bikes to rent up for $1,300 a piece, if you order less than 50 or $1,100 per, if you go for more. The wireless data, meanwhile, runs $15 per bike, per month. The company has both consumer and business-facing apps. On the administrative side of things, you can track the bikes and set boundaries for return. Incentive programs are set up, giving customers credits, should they do something like get a bike from outside a designated hub and return it to one. Continue reading Social Bicycles announces availability by end of summer, we go hands-on (video) Social Bicycles announces availability by end of summer, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  There's plenty of cool stuff to see on the floor of this year's TechCrunch Disrupt, but nothing's likely quite so eye-catching as Incantor, a mobile game that utilizes your smartphone and, naturally, a magic wand, to bring fantasy-style action to the real world -- or as the game's creators put it, to "bring World of Warcraft to real life." The wand speaks to your handset via Bluetooth, detecting your gestures and generating "spells." Hold your phone in portrait, and you'll get personal information, including your character level, spell bag, etc. Flip it to landscape, and you'll get a Google Map overlay, showing you other players in your area. There are 13 different game play modes in all, and you can play as a group or solo. Moveable Code was only showing off one wand at the show, but the company expects to make 10 available in all, representing different classes. Interested parties can find out more at the Kickstarter link in the source below. Beta testing will begin in early Q4, with widespread availability coming by year's end. The wand, which offers up feedback based on gameplay (including interactions with other players), should run you around $60 when it hits the market. You can play the game sans phone, but we're told its not quite as fun. Either way, sparring, quests and games capture the flag should get people outside a bit more than PC-based MMORPGs. Sunscreen, however, is not included. Check out a video of Incantor's creators demonstrating the game after the break. Continue reading Incantor brings World of Warcraft to real life (hands-on) Incantor brings World of Warcraft to real life (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Kickstarter | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It can't go faster than 34MPH and it's already a year late for its planned deployment in Afghanistan, but Northrop Grumman's Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) is now set for its maiden flight. The test run is scheduled for sometime between June 6th and 10th over Lakehurst, New Jersey, whose residents ought to be forewarned that it is not a solar eclipse or a Death Star, but simply a helium-filled pilotless reconnaissance and communications airship that happens to be the size of a football field. After floating around for a while, the giant dirigible is expected to journey south to Florida, where it'll be fitted to a custom-built gondola that will carry the bulk of its equipment, and by which time her enemies hopefully won't have come into possession of an air force. Army spy blimp to launch within weeks: 300 feet long, $500 million, 'multi-intelligent' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 08:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Wired | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  When NVIDIA's Jen-Hsun Huang talked of $199 Tegra 3 tablets, we were nothing but skeptically hopeful. Now, it seems those were more than just words. During a recent stockholder meeting, VP of Investor Relations, Rob Csongor, revealed the firm's strategy to deliver on this budget quad-core promise. Announcing the "Kai" platform, Csongor stopped short of giving specifics, but implied that the architecture or hardware borrows much of the "secret sauce" from Tegra 3, and will enable lower-priced higher-performance devices. Jump on the source link, and listen in from about 33 minutes, if you want the full spiel. NVIDIA outlines Kai platform, hopes to make good on quad-core $199 tablet promise originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | NVIDIA (Audio) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's still very much a concept, and not something being described as a business venture, but author / designer Douglas Coupland is hoping that his new "V-Pole" design will serve as something of a model for cities looking to build out their technology infrastructure. As you can see, it's a rather nondescript (albeit brightly-colored) pole on the outside, but Coupland sees the inside being packed with an array of the latest technology, including Alcatel-Lucent lightRadios for wireless connectivity (both WiFi and cellular), an LED street light on top, and connections to nearby wireless charging stations for electric vehicles. As for the "V" in the name, that stands for Coupland's home city of Vancouver, which he sees as a natural fit for the pole -- something the city's mayor apparently agrees with. Douglas Coupland's V-Pole unifies wireless connectivity and EV charging in an LED streetlight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink OpenFile | V-Pole | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Casio's apparently feeling a need for speed as the company just announced its new zippy compact camera, the "Exilim" EX-ZR300. According to Casio Japan, the 16.1-megapixel shooter boasts a startup time that's just a shade under a second and can take continuous shots at .26-second intervals. The EX-ZR300 also features a 24-300mm, f/3.0-5.9, 12.5x zoom lens that can focus as quickly as .12 second. For lighting buffs, ISO range starts at 80 and can go all the way up 12,800. In short, this compact camera is quick and sensitive enough to capture those blackmail-worthy moments at the next company party. Users can also transfer their incriminating evidence wirelessly thanks to Toshiba FlashAir technology. Want video to go with your embarrassing photos? You'll be happy to know that the EX-ZR300 can shoot video up to 1080p as well. Expect Casio's compact blackmail machine, er, camera in Japanese stores on June 8. Casio Japan says its new Exilim EX-ZR300 compact camera is fast and furious originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Digital Photography Review | Casio Japan | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  What's a spankin' new Android phone to do hot off its CTIA 2012 debut? Why, stop by the FCC for an inside-out coming out party. The Kyocera-crafted handset outlined in the docs looks to be the recently unveiled Hydro, as the device's model number -- C5170 -- matches that of the unit we got hands-on with in New Orleans. The filings don't spill much of the middleweight mobile's guts, but we were able to discern radios for CDMA 1900MHz, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth, as well as the existence of a 1,500mAh battery. We're still in the dark as to where this waterproofed, ICS-laden phone'll end up, but if our magic 8-ball's any indication, all signs point knowingly to Sprint. Hit up the source below to rifle through the RF tests for yourself. Kyocera Hydro bares all for the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 May 2012 04:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
