4/11 Engadget

Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. Engadget MSI's Wind U123 netbook gets unboxed April 11, 2009 at 12:30 pm We already caught MSI's upgraded Wind U120 (which goes by U123, if you must know) sitting pretty at CeBIT last month, but the crazy cats over at PortableMonkey have gone and got a model fresh in the box. Needless to say, this retail edition (which is hitting Japanese shelves any moment now) didn't stay packaged up for long, but we are happy to say that we've been cordially invited to feast our eyes upon the unboxing process. Right out of the gate, we have to share the disappointment in the lack of a rear panel for easily accessing the internal RAM and HDD, but at least the Atom N280 is a (minor) step above what we've grown accustomed to. Check the read link for all the pictorial delight. [Thanks, Peter] Filed under: Laptops MSI's Wind U123 netbook gets unboxed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Cyberdyne said to be mass producing $4,200 HAL robotic suit April 11, 2009 at 11:02 am Years after the HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) suit first debuted, it seems that Cyberdyne's pride and joy is about to get really real. According to a report over at HPlus Magazine, the company is linking up with Daiwa House in order to "begin mass production" of the cybernetic bodysuit. You already know what it does -- inflates the ego, boosts your strength and scores you loads of nerd dates -- but here's the crucial part: $4,200. Of course, there's no hard date on when the first of the 400 annual units produced will be made available, but we'd probably get up with someone about a pre-order if you're serious about going bionic. [Thanks, Phil] Filed under: Robots, Wearables Cyberdyne said to be mass producing $4,200 HAL robotic suit originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Gigabyte T1028 netbook / tablet gets the hands-on treatment April 11, 2009 at 9:07 am We've already seen Gigabyte's T1028 netbook / tablet up close, and even gotten a glimpse of the user manual, but the folks at UMPC Portal have now finally come though with a proper hands-on of the device, which looks to confirm that it does indeed deliver the goods, if not quite justify its $600+ price tag. What's more, as welcome as that swiveling touchscreen is, it looks like it's the little touches that really push this one over the edge, including an all too often omitted ExpressCard slot, built-in 3G, 802.11n WiFi, some actually accessible upgrade options, and an apparently faster than usual 2.5-inch hard drive. Hit up the link below for the complete rundown (including some benchmarks) and, of course, plenty of pics. Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs Gigabyte T1028 netbook / tablet gets the hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 08:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Bandai's Project A.i.R. is a $525 blue grid that blows up April 11, 2009 at 7:03 am Okay Bandai, we get it. After over 50 years of making cheap toys and video games you want to show the world you can make overpriced stuff too. As if your $2,200 Ginza diorama wasn't enough of a statement, now you're producing a $525 box that lights up and blinks like a miniaturized monochrome disco floor. It's called Project A.i.R., or Art In the Room, and it's basically a 5 x 5 grid with blue LEDs covered by some sort of translucent fabric. Inside each square in the grid is a fan that makes the cloth billow, slightly increasing the brightness of that section of the grid. It's an interesting effect for sure, but as you can see in the video below its functionality is somewhat... limited. But is it art? [Via CrunchGear] Continue reading Bandai's Project A.i.R. is a $525 blue grid that blows up Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Bandai's Project A.i.R. is a $525 blue grid that blows up originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments 75-megawatt solar plant to power "first solar city" in Florida April 11, 2009 at 5:11 am Given that Florida has accurately been coined The Sunshine State, it's not at all shocking to hear that America's first "solar city" will be built in the state's southwest corner. Or, at least that's the plan. According to a new report, West Palm Beach-based Kitson & Partners is currently developing a new city near Charlotte County, which will get juiced by a massive 75-megawatt solar plant. Said plant will cost around $300 to build and will be installed by Florida Power & Light; if all goes well, homes will begin construction on a sizable plot of land dubbed Babcock Ranch by 2011. If things don't go so well, we're told that the actual power plant will still be erected and fed into the larger grid. In other words, Florida's gettin' some solar power, with or without this newfangled concrete jungle. [Via Fark] Filed under: Misc. Gadgets 75-megawatt solar plant to power "first solar city" in Florida originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 04:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments BrewTroller simplifies homebrewing, makes it doable while inebriated April 11, 2009 at 3:06 am It's been a mystery for ages, but at long last, it seems a simple DIYer has found a solution. We all know that the best beers are the ones brewed at home, but after a given amount of "test sips," things can easily get a little out of control. In order to simplify the homebrewing process, the brilliant BrewTroller was concocted during a short stint with sobriety. In essence, the system utilizes a Sanguino microcontroller platform which was inspired by the tried-and-true Arduino in order to give brewers complete control over temperature and the like. When connected to a simple menu-driven display, it removes the need to bang out a paragraph of code while tipsy in order to tweak the flavor ever so slightly. Hit up the read link to have a look at the progress, but make sure you strap on those Beer Goggles first. [Via HackedGadgets] Filed under: Misc. Gadgets BrewTroller simplifies homebrewing, makes it doable while inebriated originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Homemade NES purse is so voguish, so for sale April 11, 2009 at 1:33 am C'mon, don't even front here -- you can't deny the frisson in taking one look at the masterpiece above. We know, there's a never-ending stream of NES-related doodads flowing from every possible direction, but it's not everyday that you get the opportunity to actually purchase one of these amazingly beautiful creations. Designer inhope has clearly and definitively one-upped that other NES purse with the Nintendo Controller Purse, and you can be the proud owner of one for just $39.99. An irrefutable bargain, we say. [Via technabob] Filed under: Gaming, Wearables Homemade NES purse is so voguish, so for sale originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments How would you change HP's MediaSmart Server ex485 / ex487? April 10, 2009 at 11:54 pm Now that you've had a few months a stream all manners of media throughout your home and backup your small cadre of computers via one of HP's new MediaSmart Servers, we're interested in seeing just how you'd change this bad boy. HP popped in a faster processor and a bit more RAM in order to make sure these, um, actually worked as advertised, but we're certain even that hasn't satisfied the hardcore critics in attendance. Have you been totally satisfied with your ex485 / ex487? Has the server handled all the Windows Home Server functions with ease? Are you noticing any lag? Are you happy with the file support, heat output and overall styling? Feel free to rant uncontrollably in comments below -- just keep it under control. Filed under: Storage, Networking How would you change HP's MediaSmart Server ex485 / ex487? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Packard Bell's new DOT S and DOT M netbooks for Europe April 10, 2009 at 11:02 pm Acer-owned Packard Bell is taking Acer's latest and greatest netbooks and rebadging them for the European market. The 10.1-inch DOT S swipes most of its specs from the Acer Aspire One D250, while the DOT M (pictured) goes for the 11.6-inch Aspire One's guts. There do seem to be a few aesthetic differences, however, with a fancy textured palm rest, silver touches to the trackpads and a tweaked lid. The DOT S will be available this week for 299 Euros, while the DOT M hits at the end of this month for 399 Euros. Filed under: Laptops Packard Bell's new DOT S and DOT M netbooks for Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple releases iPod Shuffle VoiceOver Kit 1.0.1 upgrade April 10, 2009 at 10:03 pm You know what really gets on our nerves? When we're listening to Van der Graaf Generator (look it up!) on our newfangled iPod Shuffle and it pronounces the band's name wrong. Seriously, this is an important function. Without it working flawlessly, how are we going to know the names of the tracks we purchased on the iTunes store and placed on the device ourselves? Thankfully, someone at Apple has heard our prayers, and as of today the VoiceOver Kit 1.0.1 is available via Mac OS X software update (we're assuming that it'll pop up on the company's website at some point). The 17MB download corrects pronunciations for several artist names, as well as correcting a few "minor bugs." What bugs? Apple hasn't said. They also haven't said which names will now be pronounced correctly in that cold, robotic voice, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that Klaatu is among them. Remember Klaatu? They were pretty sweet. Apple releases iPod Shuffle VoiceOver Kit 1.0.1 upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Is Amazon developing a larger screen Kindle? April 10, 2009 at 8:58 pm With raging success, you can always count on one thing: copycats and rivals. Okay, so maybe that's two, but you catch the drift here. Not long after Amazon launched its Kindle 2 to much fanfare, Hearst confessed that it was looking to produce a competitor with a screen that was about the size of a standard sheet of paper. In a presumed effort to keep up with the Joneses, The Wall Street Journal is now reporting that Amazon is looking to develop yet another Kindle (something we've definitely heard before) with "a larger screen," which would obviously help it appeal to newspaper companies looking to easily transition their content to a large form factor e-reader. Not surprisingly, Amazon refused to comment on the "speculation," but the report did note that there was at least some chance that the newfangled device would debut before the 2009 holiday season. [Thanks, bo3of] Filed under: Displays, Handhelds Is Amazon developing a larger screen Kindle? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Michael Arrington drops science on CrunchPad, still won't sell us one April 10, 2009 at 8:15 pm In case you missed it (we all have our off days, it's fine) we got our hands on a mess of leaked CrunchPad photos yesterday, and we have to say -- the device looks pretty damn good. Now that the cat's out of the bag, a certain Michael Arrington has shed a little light into what's going on over there at CrunchGear HQ. He says that the "significant step forward" for the device has been in regards to the software stack -- it's now entirely customized, including the (Linux) OS and browser. It also sports an Intel Atom chip; previously, the device has been running Ubuntu on a VIA chipset. "The total software footprint is around 100 MB," he writes, "which is a solid achievement." And last but not least, the industrial design and hardware for this bad boy is being done by an outfit in Singapore called Fusion Garage. It looks like the project is in good hands. But anything beyond that -- including, sadly, a timeframe -- is still anyone's guess. Filed under: Handhelds Michael Arrington drops science on CrunchPad, still won't sell us one originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Video: Samsung NX outfitted with massive lens, teased on rotating platform April 10, 2009 at 7:56 pm Eager to get a few more dirty details on the heretofore elusive Samsung NX Series camera? Sorry, bub. Now that we've destroyed your wildest dreams, ruined your Friday and infuriated you beyond description, we will point out that Sammy has a new teaser video of the camera for all to view, and it's looking mighty special. The curvaceous cam is seen behind glass on an endlessly rotating platform, complete with a fairly large lens, a fairly large rear LCD monitor and... not much else. There's no audio to speak of (or hear, for that matter), but it's still a mesmerizing watch. Peek after the break if you're sitting squarely in the "yes Jim, tell me more!" camp. [Via 1001 Noisy Cameras] Continue reading Video: Samsung NX outfitted with massive lens, teased on rotating platform Filed under: Digital Cameras Video: Samsung NX outfitted with massive lens, teased on rotating platform originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Is this the Zune HD? April 10, 2009 at 7:01 pm Uh. Looks like something is happening -- big time -- in Zune land. We present what might possibly be your first look at, yes... the Zune HD. In the gallery below, you can see images from what appears to be a forthcoming marketing campaign for Microsoft's new PMP. We don't have any word on specs right now, though we've got a sneaking suspicion this will have an HD display. Update: Based on discussions with sources, it's looking very likely that the device in these images is -- in fact -- a new Zune on its way to market. Gallery: Is this the Zune HD? [Thanks, Anonymous tipster] Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Is this the Zune HD? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Exhaustive netbook battery comparison finds a clear winner, no victims April 10, 2009 at 6:46 pm It's hardly the first netbook battery comparison to appear in the Thunderdome that is the internet, but this latest thirteen-strong round-up from Australia's NetbookReview is one of the more comprehensive to emerge as of late, with it only slightly compromised by a few netbooks that aren't available in the site's home country. Not surprisingly, the netbooks equipped with six-cell batteries came out well ahead of their less well off counterparts, with the MSI Wind U115 Hybrid leading the way with an impressive time of 6:56. That was obviously aided in no small part by the netbook's dual SSD / hard drive setup, and by a less commonly used 5100mAh six-cell battery, as opposed to the 6600mAh version used in the second and third place Eee PCs (which each clocked in around the four-hour mark). Bringing up the rear were the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 and Dell Mini 12, neither of which were able to eek out even two hours of use. As you might expect, however, all of the tests involved a worst-case scenario, so you can expect to get a good deal more juice from all of 'em if you're not spending every waking hour watching WMV files. Filed under: Laptops Exhaustive netbook battery comparison finds a clear winner, no victims originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Funai wins a round vs. Vizio, trade commission blocks TV imports April 10, 2009 at 6:14 pm Just when it looked like the long-running patent dispute was tipping Vizio's way, the U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled in favor of Funai, issuing an order to block imports of Vizio HDTVs. According to Bloomberg the ban is still eligible to be reviewed by President Obama while the patent case itself is still being reviewed by an appeals court, but if Vizio wants to keep its shipments flowing it will have to post a bond of $2.50 per television. We've put a call in to Vizio to find out what this means for its immediate future -- and that sweet LED backlit display from CES -- and confirmed that while this order goes into effect immediately, you should still be able to find sets on shelves and they will continue to do business as usual during the presidential review period, but feel free to read its press release in response after the break for more details. Continue reading Funai wins a round vs. Vizio, trade commission blocks TV imports Filed under: Displays, HDTV Funai wins a round vs. Vizio, trade commission blocks TV imports originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Xbox 360 Elite bundle rumored to include Halo 3 and Fable 2 for $400 April 10, 2009 at 5:40 pm Don't get all loony just yet -- this one's still a long, long way from panning out -- but ArsTechnica has it from a reliable mole that Microsoft is gearing up to ship an even more attractive Xbox 360 Elite. One that comes bundled with hits Halo 3 and Fable 2 for the same $400 that the console alone runs you now. We already heard last month that Microsoft was considering phasing out the standard Elite in favor of bundled "limited edition" models, so that certainly jibes. Though, we will caution you that the last time Ars's mole spoke of console price drops, he / she didn't completely nail it. While said mole did accurately suggest that a $400 PS3 would hit America before the 2007 holiday rush (it happened in late October of that year), the whole "$100 PS2" thing took a full two years to come to fruition. Then again, E3 is just around the bend... [Via Joystiq] Filed under: Gaming Xbox 360 Elite bundle rumored to include Halo 3 and Fable 2 for $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Sprint puts a vacation blackout on May -- Palm Pre launch likely? April 10, 2009 at 5:14 pm Well, we're circling in, folks. Hot on the heels of learning that Sprint employees have the Palm Pre in hand for training, there's word from all sides that Sprint has put a vacation blackout on the month of May for retail employees, which would seem to imply that the Pre will be launched sometime in there. We saw similar vacation freezes on AT&T's end for both iPhone launches, and those ended up fairly accurate. We haven't seen this memo personally, or threatened any Sprint employees for confirmation with shivs fashioned out of Samsung Instincts yet, so we'll keep an eye out for any other information to confirm or deny. Meanwhile, check out this Pre holster! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds Sprint puts a vacation blackout on May -- Palm Pre launch likely? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments T-Mobile UK event same day as USA's, will be BlackBerry-focused April 10, 2009 at 4:41 pm T-Mobile UK has decided to throw a little shindig for members of the press the very same day as its Yankee cousin -- this coming 21st -- but there's a very important distinction with the UK event: it drops a hint about what they'll be announcing. It turns out that they'll be launching an "exciting new BlackBerry collaboration," which we can only take to mean a new handset; now, the only question is whether these events are synchronized. If they are, that means we'll be getting new RIM goodies on T-Mobile USA, but if it isn't, this means precisely zilch for American subscribers. Historically, the US branch has been pretty out of sync with it European counterparts (for some good reasons, by and large), so we'd be surprised if the same announcement was coming out of both groups -- besides, we're clueless what new BlackBerry device would prompt the US side to throw an event this month. That said, let's have your thoughts: would you rather see the Magic, a Sidekick, or a BlackBerry? [Via Unwired View] Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds T-Mobile UK event same day as USA's, will be BlackBerry-focused originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Intel applies "stars" ratings to processors, processors lose self-esteem April 10, 2009 at 4:14 pm It looks like those confused by the multitude of Intel processors out there needn't linger in indecision any longer, as Intel itself has now come up with a new scheme that it hopes will help simplify the buying process significantly. As you can see above, that consists of a new rating system that gives processors between one and five stars, which Intel says indicates "relative performance, not a price-performance type of thing." As you might expect, the five-star rating is reserved for the like of the Core i7 and Core i7 Extreme, with the one-star ranks apparently occupied solely by various Celeron processors -- the Atom, it seems, is in a class all its own. Somewhat less notably, Intel has also taken the opportunity to roll out some spruced processor logos, which should already be showing themselves in stores along with displays featuring the new star rating system. [Thanks, Simon B] Filed under: Desktops, Laptops Intel applies "stars" ratings to processors, processors lose self-esteem originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Wearable blood pressure monitor: portable and fashionable April 10, 2009 at 3:43 pm We've seen some wild ideas when it comes to blood pressure -- including, yes, underpants -- but this newest device, a small monitor attached to the hand, which can be worn 24 hours a day for continuous monitoring, strikes us as having the potential for extreme usefulness. The monitor works differently than regular old blood pressure cuff, using a method called pulse wave velocity, which measures the pulse at two points along an artery. Built by a team of engineers at MIT, this prototype could boast a lot of advantages over monitors, including its portability, its ability to see long-term patterns of rises and falls in pressure, and of course -- you wouldn't have to be at the doctor's office to use it -- which is bound to take a little stress out of the equation. The device is moving toward commercial production and Harry Asada, leader of the MIT team, sees the possibility for monitoring conditions such as sleep apnea in the future as well. Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Wearable blood pressure monitor: portable and fashionable originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Engadget Podcast 141 - 04.10.2009 April 10, 2009 at 3:16 pm That's right everyone -- it's the Engadget Podcast. If you're down with gadgets, chatting, and just kicking it ill, you're in the right place. Hear your friends Josh, Paul, and Nilay discuss the week in technology, and expound on their belief that the P.U.M.A. is a dangerous rickshaw, Acer has stepped up to the netbook plate in a big way, and Microsoft might not be totally on the level with its new ads. Ready to get the blood boiling? Dip your toes into the jacuzzi of chat that is the podcast, and enjoy! Note: There appears to be some very weird timing issues going on with our audio in this installment. If it seems like we're talking over each other more than normal, don't be too alarmed. We're looking into it now. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Producer: Trent Wolbe Song: Back In Black 01:40 - Engadget's wild ride in the P.U.M.A. 15:35 - Peapod the friendly Neighborhood Electric Vehicle in the flesh 24:40 - Acer launches first NVIDIA Ion-based nettop: AspireRevo 35:15 - Acer announces Aspire Timeline thin'n'lights -- $699 to $899 46:15 - Microsoft's second Laptop Hunters commercial: Giampaulo buys an HP HDX Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com. Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 141 - 04.10.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Media Files Engadget_Podcast_141.mp3 (MP3 Audio, 43.3 MB) Verizon netbook webinars starting soon -- launches imminent? April 10, 2009 at 2:44 pm We've known for months now that Verizon was looking to add WWAN-enabled netbooks to its growing repertoire of devices, and now it looks like hard facts are about to flow. An internal Verizon Wireless announcement has informed employees that managers will be required to attend a sure-to-be-invigorating netbook webinar to explain to them exactly what these not-at-all-recognized machines are. The lower level folks will have to suffer through the same slide deck a few days later, which leads us to believe that the carrier is just hours, days or millenniums away from spilling more details about this whole initiative. Can we offer a pinch of advice, VZW? Subsidize 'em deep, offer more than two and cut the asking price on your HTC Touch Diamond by at least 50 percent. [Thanks, Anonymous] Filed under: Laptops Verizon netbook webinars starting soon -- launches imminent? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Yahoo Japan plans facial recognizing, content personalizing billboards April 10, 2009 at 2:11 pm Sometimes it seems like the worlds of science and marketing are in a constant struggle to present us with the future described in science fiction. Whether its flying cars, the OS from Minority Report, or robots that play "rock, paper, scissors," the old saw is true: you can't fight progress. And now it looks like Yahoo Japan has jumped into the fray, with a little help from Comel, a Japanese company that manufactures billboards. The two firms are collaborating on electronic signage that photographs passersby, analyses it using NEC's facial analysis technology, and guesstimates his or her age. Once the demo is confirmed, the device spits out appropriate advertising content. According to the poorly translated press release, the "face image data" is then erased, saving only a record of the passerby's age and sex -- so you Civil Libertarians can rest easily. Right. [Via Trading Markets] Filed under: Displays Yahoo Japan plans facial recognizing, content personalizing billboards originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Second version of HTC Cedar graces FCC with its presence April 10, 2009 at 1:39 pm Remember how the portrait QWERTY Cedar garnered FCC approval a little while back? Yeah, well, forget that ever happened. Actually, don't -- it's a totally valid approval -- but that was the Cedar "200," and now we're seeing a Cedar "100" come rolling through. It's really common for HTC to create multiple versions of the same basic device using the same codename, differentiating them only with different three-digit numbers on the tail end, and that appears to be the case here; both versions of the Cedar are CDMA, so we could be looking at models for Sprint and Verizon, for example. Kinda puts the damper on the "why doesn't [insert carrier here] get any good phones?" complaint for just a moment, doesn't it? Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds Second version of HTC Cedar graces FCC with its presence originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple anxiously awaits the selling of their billionth App download celebration April 10, 2009 at 1:22 pm Apple's going all out in anticipation of a landmark for the company -- the downloading of one billion apps in the App store. Not bad for nine months of work, if you think about it: over 110 million a month, in fact. About 27 million a week... well, you get the idea. Oh yeah, they're giving away a bunch of stuff too, so be sure to check that out if the mood strikes you. Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Apple anxiously awaits the selling of their billionth App download celebration originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Engadget's recession antidote: win Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS! April 10, 2009 at 1:00 pm This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff / companies stop sending things. Today we've got a copy of rand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS on offer. This little guy comes with a sweet pair of chopstick styli and a Chinatown Wars t-shirt, too! Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! The rules: Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too. You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine. Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad. Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) copy of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Ninetendo DS, with a set of chopstick styli and t-shirt. Approximate retail value is $34.99. If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, April 10th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here. Filed under: Announcements Engadget's recession antidote: win Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments   This email was sent to yinvisibledetector@gmail.com.  Create Your Account Don't want to receive this feed any longer? Unsubscribe here.