4/13 Engadget

Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. Engadget Brionvega's retro-futurist MP3 / radio stolen from the set of Fahrenheit 451 April 13, 2009 at 1:54 pm Once again, the gang at Brionvega prove that sometimes sexy is enough. The Italian company's been doing its thing since the 1940s, and this radio is actually a refresh of a model that first debuted in 1965. The RR227 (as it's affectionately known) is pretty starightforward -- an AM / FM tuner that sports an SD card slot for MP3 or WMA playback. This bad boy also features headphone out, aux in, and a USB connection. It will run off of European mains power (Yanks will need to get an AC adapter) or, if you're picnicking with a loved one near the Seine, it also runs off batteries. Available in black, white, or red. Retails for €199 (about $260). More pics after the break. [Via Technabob] Continue reading Brionvega's retro-futurist MP3 / radio stolen from the set of Fahrenheit 451 Filed under: Portable Audio Brionvega's retro-futurist MP3 / radio stolen from the set of Fahrenheit 451 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments GM's request for Energy Department funds on hold, Volt looks really afraid April 13, 2009 at 1:36 pm Despite General Motors' problems, the company has affirmed, reaffirmed and swore on its life that the Volt would hit the highway in 2010 come hell, high water or insolvency. That said, we reckon coming through on that vow is going to get a lot tougher without a few more billion from the United States Energy Department. You see, GM had applied for $10.3 from the entity, and $2.6 billion of that was to be set aside for building the all-electric sedan and two derivatives of it (as well as a third hybrid model, we're told). Unfortunately for it, all that cheddar is being held up due to its inability to pass a "financial viability test in order to simply survive." Not surprisingly, GM is assuring the world that the government's final decision won't stop the Volt from going on sale this November, but it also said that bankruptcy wouldn't be needed just a few months ago. Ahem. [Warning: read link requires subscription] Filed under: Transportation GM's request for Energy Department funds on hold, Volt looks really afraid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Nokia making a crazy Sidekick-esque phone for Verizon? (Update: looks like!) April 13, 2009 at 1:09 pm This rumor's got more holes than swiss, but stranger things have happened, so it'll be an interesting scoop to keep an eye on nonetheless. A tipster to Boy Genius Report claims that Nokia is working on a "swiveling E71-type handset" for -- get this -- Verizon, of all carriers, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard and running Series 40. Judging from the mockup here, that sorta puts it in the same vein as the Sidekick -- a form factor most carriers and manufacturers (especially Nokia) have avoided. Given that Espoo's still basically dipping its toes in the CDMA waters -- and the fact that a Verizon device running Series 40 proper seems implausible at best -- we're going to be shocked if this thing sees the light of day. Pleasantly surprised, yes, but still shocked. Update: Since originally running this story, we've been contacted by a number of individuals who claim to have seen this phone in person; Boy Genius Report also emphatically defends the rumors legitimacy, so we're more inclined to think it's real. (Of course, that doesn't make it any less crazy.) Filed under: Cellphones Nokia making a crazy Sidekick-esque phone for Verizon? (Update: looks like!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Engadget's recession antidote: win Radius earphones for iPhone 3G! April 13, 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 set of Radius Atomic Bass Black Aluminum Earphones for iPhone W/ Built-in Mic ready to rock your skull and let you chat it up. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff! Huge thanks to Radius for providing the gear! 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) set of Radius Atomic Bass Black Aluminum Earphones for iPhone W/ Built-in Mic. Approximate retail value is $49.99. 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 Monday, April 13th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck! Full rules can be found here. Filed under: Announcements, Portable Audio Engadget's recession antidote: win Radius earphones for iPhone 3G! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Apple prepping component suppliers to ship 4m new iPhones? April 13, 2009 at 12:31 pm The shady iPhone component news chatter is starting to heat up as WWDC inches closer -- today we've got China Times saying that Apple's already placed an order for four million new iPhones to be delivered by the end of Q2. That's a whisper that lines up nicely with those earlier reports suggesting Cupertino's trying to lock down 100 million 8Gb flash chips from Samsung and placing orders for other components in preparation for a June launch, but we're a little skeptical of this one, since it claims that a new EDGE model is in the works along with a 3G version and a China-only variant potentially running on TD-SCDMA. Not moves we'd ordinarily expect Apple to make, but anything's possible -- we'll be keeping our eyes peeled. [Via Slashphone] Filed under: Cellphones Apple prepping component suppliers to ship 4m new iPhones? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Augmented reality on hand at museum in the Netherlands, threatens to make learning cool April 13, 2009 at 12:09 pm This is not the most prurient example of augmented reality we've seen, and it may not have an obvious movie tie-in, but we will give it bonus points for being educational. Visitors to an exhibit titled "A Future for the Past," currently at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, can peep context specific info and virtual reconstructions of Satricum and the Forum Romanum, superimposed on large scale photographs of each respective site. There are two types of hardware on hand -- both the MovableScreen-packin' iMac stationary display and the UMPC devices allow the user to seemingly view through the photos, exploring specific points of interest. There's no telling how much a setup like this would run you if you wanted to, for example, let your friends and neighbors virtually peruse that massive Lego city you built in the garage, but make sure you let us know when you get it up and running. That would be so sweet. Video after the break. Continue reading Augmented reality on hand at museum in the Netherlands, threatens to make learning cool Filed under: Displays Augmented reality on hand at museum in the Netherlands, threatens to make learning cool originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch just wants your kiss (and $2,100) April 13, 2009 at 11:47 am While certainly not the most expensive iPod we've ever seen, the limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch is definitely amongst the priciest. Sold only as part of an ultra rare kit that includes a luxurious book of Prince photographs from Kraken Opus, this touch (of unknown capacity) comes preloaded with 40 minutes of "exclusive" footage along with a live soundtrack from Indigo Nights. Of course, it's also doused in purple and splashed with Prince's symbol 'round back, but even with only 950 kits available, we still say the $2,100 price tag is far too lofty. Hate to break it to ya, Opus, but those hedge funds are no longer partying like it's 1999. [Via All Things Digital] Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch just wants your kiss (and $2,100) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments $22 iPod Shuffle shocker: components tiny, inexpensive April 13, 2009 at 11:23 am When iSuppli recently reported that the parts and packaging of the iPod Shuffle 3G cost only $21.77, a mere twenty-eight percent of the unit's retail price, PMP Today asked a most reasonable question: Where are the new Shuffle KIRFs? According to Business Week, Samsung is making a killing on these things, supplying not only the unit's ARM-based processor ($5.98), but the storage ($6) on at least a few of the units as well. The lithium ion battery, described by iSuppli as "the smallest we've ever seen," has an asking price of $1.20. As for things like capacitors and resistors, they're being described as "about the size of a grain of salt" and cost fractions of a penny each. Of course, none of this takes into account things like paying engineers and designers, and royalties paid to patents owned by other companies. Not that the KIRFsters of Shenzhen worry about these sorts of things. Maybe the wherewithal required to produce a phony Shuffle is (for the time being) beyond the capabilities of the pirates? Or maybe they're just having too much fun cranking out NOKLAs. Read - iPod Shuffle 3G Costs $22 to Make: Where are the Clones? Read - Deconstructing Apple's Tiny iPod Shuffle Filed under: Portable Audio $22 iPod Shuffle shocker: components tiny, inexpensive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments MSI details Wind U123 variants, introduces GX403 gaming laptop April 13, 2009 at 10:59 am Earlier this month, MSI let loose details on its slimmest ultraportable yet and its oh-so-promising Wind U123 netbook. Today, it's fully detailing the U123 lineup and formally introducing its newest gaming / multimedia laptop. As for the former, users can soon expect to see a U123, U123H and U123T; the first is the standard fare model, while the second gets equipped with a 3.5G (HSDPA) WWAN module. The U123T gets gifted with an integrated TV tuner, but sadly, there doesn't seem to be a way to get both extras bundled into one mega-U123. Moving on, there's the 14.1-inch (1,280 x 800) GX403, which sports a Core 2 Duo CPU, NVIDIA's GeForce GT 130M (512MB) graphics card, Turbo Drive overclocking, 4GB of system RAM, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, HDMI output, 4-in-1 card reader, USB / eSATA sockets and an optional Blu-ray drive to boot. Mum's the word on pricing or availability, but you can catch a glimpse of it just beyond the break. Read - Wind U123 versions Read - MSI GX403 Continue reading MSI details Wind U123 variants, introduces GX403 gaming laptop Filed under: Laptops, Portable Video MSI details Wind U123 variants, introduces GX403 gaming laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments SandForce breaks into SSD market with speedy SF-1000 processors April 13, 2009 at 10:33 am With SSD prices still well above the point of affordability, we're thrilled to see more entrants joining the burgeoning market. Big players like Western Digital and Corsair are being greeted by small timers such as PhotoFast, Fusion-io and SandForce, the latter of which has just escaped "stealth mode" in order to launch its first solid state drive processor family. The chips utilize DuraClass technology and promise to address "key NAND flash issues allowing MLC flash technologies to be reliably used in broad based, mission critical storage environments." More germane to our discussion is the nice boost in transfer rates and lower cost of production; we're told that the SF-1000 crew sports a standard 3 gigabit-per-second SATA host interface connecting up to 512 gigabytes of commodity NAND flash memory, and that it delivers 30,000 IOPS and 250MB/s performance (sequential 128KB read or write transfers) with 100 micro-second latency. If all goes well, select OEMs will be launching SSDs based on this processor later this year, so we'll definitely be keeping our eyes peeled. [Via GadgetMix, thanks Kamal] Filed under: Storage SandForce breaks into SSD market with speedy SF-1000 processors originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Dell smartphones planning whirlwind Asian trip courtesy of China Mobile? April 13, 2009 at 10:07 am China Mobile may or may not have lost out to China Unicom in the bid to (officially) bring the iPhone to the most populous nation in the world, but it seems the provider might still have an ace up its sleeve -- Dell. The Texas-based company, which may or may not be actually making smartphones, is said by analyst Zhang Jun to be in final negotiations with the Hong Kong-based provider to ship those actual devices to Asian shores, devices that were supposedly shunned by providers elsewhere on the globe. Talk of Dell's handsets running Android seems to fit in nicely with China Mobile's requirements to use its custom-baked operating system (which has a crunchy Android filling), as does Dell's apparent upcoming release of a TD-SCDMA-packing Mini 10 to Chinese netbookers. So is this a match made in heaven or an analyst daydream? Sadly we won't know until August, when this supposed deal will supposedly be done. Something tells us Unicom and Apple will still be debating by then, too. [Via mocoNews] Filed under: Cellphones Dell smartphones planning whirlwind Asian trip courtesy of China Mobile? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Special edition Mintpass goes dark, gets DMB April 13, 2009 at 9:48 am Tired of pale gadget offerings? Live in South Korea? If "yes" on both counts you may want to keep your eyes open for what looks to be a special edition of the tiny CE-powered Mintpad MID. It not only offers the rich, ebony exterior that its pasty predecessor could only dream of, but also adds DMB functionality for capturing all the digitally broadcasted media floating through the Asian aether. The announcement page for the Mintpad DMB was hastily pulled after fans picked up on it, but this tease proves to be true look for the dark device to sell for ₩239,000, about $180, or a $30 premium over the vanilla version -- of which we're still waiting on that promised domestic release. [Via Pocketables] Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Wireless Special edition Mintpass goes dark, gets DMB originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Poor Mans Netbook sees more potent successor, created a monster April 13, 2009 at 9:29 am Do you know what the new hotness is? We'll tell you -- computers in suitcases. Big, brawny, rugged suitcases. After seeing the Poor Mans Netbook offered up to the least poor bidder on eBay, one Daniel Spalding has concocted a more powerful successor dubbed the Poor Mans Notebook. Within the near-bulletproof suitcase, he managed to shove an 8-inch touchscreen (1,024 x 768 resolution), 2.5GHz dual-core E5200 CPU, 4GB of DDR2 RAM, 64GB OCZ solid state drive, WiFi / Bluetooth 2.1+EDR modules and a GeForce 7100 graphics set. He won't deny that it purrs like a vacuum cleaner when really taxed, but c'mon, it's a computer in a suitcase -- cut the thing some slack. Filed under: Desktops, Laptops Poor Mans Netbook sees more potent successor, created a monster originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Former Motorola CFO alleges that company lied about financial data, Santa Claus April 13, 2009 at 9:04 am There have been no shortage of legal wranglings in the electronics space lately, usually between two well-entrenched corporations, but this one's a little more interesting: a former officer taking the offensive against his former office. Paul Liska, previous head of all things financial at Motorola, is alleging that the company has been misleading investors for quite some time regarding the performance of its Mobile Devices unit, and that when he raised his concerns to the board he was given an escorted trip out the building for his troubles. Moto, on the other hand, is saying that the company's current financial mess is all thanks to a scheme concocted by Liska himself, who then attempted to blackmail the company before trying to paint himself as a whistleblower. That's an awful lot of intrigue, but given the thrilling, cut-throat world of chartered accountancy (as depicted in Monty Python's documentary The Meaning of Life), truly anything can happen. [Via Phone Arena] Filed under: Cellphones Former Motorola CFO alleges that company lied about financial data, Santa Claus originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Carriers could be forced by EU to support VoIP services April 13, 2009 at 8:37 am We've seen it time and time again -- carriers using their power to strong-arm consumers into paying services that could very well be free. Over in Europe, the almighty EU is considering "binding guidelines" that could force wireless operators to allow VoIP services such as Skype to run over their cellular networks. It should be noted that all of this is still very preliminary at the moment, but if the Union can somehow force carriers to support these so-called "innovative services," we could see a very favorable (for consumers, anyway) domino effect. As it stands, each EU country has the ability to decide individually on how they deal with blocked internet services, but obviously an EU-wide mandate would seriously shake things up. Or cause unstoppable riots, one. [Via Electronista] Filed under: Cellphones Carriers could be forced by EU to support VoIP services originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments EU automaker loan may lead to fuel-sipping hybrid Jag XJ April 13, 2009 at 8:06 am Don't call it a bailout. The European Union has agreed to fund a £307 million loan to the newly minted Jaguar Land Rover conglomeration, known as JLR by those on the inside -- like Tata who owns it. However, unlike the US's rather open-ended (and dire-looking) cash infusions, this offer was made specifically to help the company up its eco-cred. JLR pledges to start with a so-called "Limo Green" version of the next generation XJ luxury sedan (that's the current, decidedly dark one pictured above). The model will use a Volt-like series hybrid drive train, in which the electric motor (or motors) powers the wheels and an onboard gasoline engine serves only to recharge on the go, a combination that should deliver 57 mpg -- three times the current machine's 19 mpg combined figure. The only question now is whether this future-Jag will still smell like leather and tweed smoking jackets, or will the whole thing reek of ozone and patchouli. [Via GM-VOLT] Filed under: Transportation EU automaker loan may lead to fuel-sipping hybrid Jag XJ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 07:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Zune HD website exists, may mean nothing at all (update: means nothing at all) April 13, 2009 at 7:06 am We've gotten a handful of tips about zunehd.net being online, so we thought we'd take a moment to address it. Yes, zunehd.net exists, and yes, there's a big, nasty Zune HD logo hanging out on it right now. Unfortunately, since the site appears to be registered via a proxy, there's really no way of telling if its legit or just someone with money to burn. That said, we have every reason to believe that the Zune HD is the real deal, and this very well could be another sign that something magical is about to happen. Keep your eyes peeled, but keep a grain of salt handy. Update: Thanks commenters! According to this post on Zunited, the Zune HD site is registered to someone named Zac Altman -- a "Zune guru." They have those? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Zune HD website exists, may mean nothing at all (update: means nothing at all) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 06:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Book Time shrugs off e-readers, turns paper pages for you April 13, 2009 at 6:39 am Oh sure, the e-reader may be just fine for some, but for the traditionalists in attendance who just can't enjoy a novel without turning those crisp, cool pages as you plow through yet another masterpiece, this invention is the one to care about -- particularly when you're fingers are frozen in place and you're just too dilapidated to do anything but read and comprehend. The absolutely genius Book Time creation managed to nab a Robot of the Year award over in Japan, as it holds down books and periodicals and automatically flips pages and pins down edges to keep sheets from flapping about uncontrollably. We can't quite tell if this thing's voice activated or not (we're hoping so), but either way, you can check out the hot paper turning action for yourself just past the break. [Via NewLaunches] Continue reading Book Time shrugs off e-readers, turns paper pages for you Filed under: Robots Book Time shrugs off e-readers, turns paper pages for you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Tesla's Roadster rolls 241 miles on single charge, annoys petrol pumps April 13, 2009 at 3:26 am If one drives the Roadster "as it was intended to be driven," you'll probably only get around 125 miles out of it before things slowly grind to a halt. If you toss on your economy shoes and take things a bit easier, it's apparently possible to get well over 200 miles on a single charge. As the story goes, Tesla's first all-electric whip managed to cruise 241 miles in a Monte Carlo e-rally, running from the town of Valance in France to the Principality of Monaco. Better still, the vehicle's battery meter showed 36 miles left on the "tank" when it crossed the finish line, giving it a theoretical range of around 280 miles. If all these figures hold up under critical scrutiny, Tesla will set the world record for the longest distance traveled by a production EV on a single charge. Now, if only it could set the world record for most EVs actually produced by an EV company, we'd really feel the need to celebrate. [Via Slashdot] Filed under: Transportation Tesla's Roadster rolls 241 miles on single charge, annoys petrol pumps originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 April 13, 2009 at 1:01 am HP's MediaSmart Server ex487 (1.5TB) and ex485 (750GB) both received copious amounts of praise when launched late last year, but considering just how many issues the original two had (the ex470 and ex475), it wouldn't take much to best 'em. Today, HP is issuing its second firmware update of the year for the series, but the first ever for the newest duo -- and make no mistake, it's a big one. The v2.5 update adds in loads of new features, far too many to cover in this space, in fact. If you're interested in hearing more, follow us past the break for all the details. Continue reading Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage, Networking Firmware update brings file conversion, iPhone access to HP's MediaSmart ex485 / ex487 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Western Digital 1TB DVR Expander pre-orders up at Amazon, Apricorn add-ons get a face lift April 12, 2009 at 11:49 pm We understand, you're not ready to let go of the BSG season finale just yet even though Tiger and Phil are charging up the back nine at Augusta, but keeping a lot of HD on the DVR can fill up space quickly -- which is where these two come in. Amazon is now taking pre-orders of the long-awaited 1TB edition of Western Digital's TiVo compatible (or other eSATA enabled box) DVR Expander, although no ship date is listed, and Apricorn took our advice on its fugly 500GB, 1TB or 1.5TB sized boxes, giving them a sleek new look. It's dual USB 2.0 / eSATA compatible, but not TiVo, so Scientific Atlanta 8300, DirecTV and DISH ViP owners can claim this one at $219 for the 1.5TB, while the WD will set you back $183. Read - Apricorn Unveils New Look for the DVR Expander Read - Western Digital WDG1S10000N My DVR Expander 1TB eSATA (Black) Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment Western Digital 1TB DVR Expander pre-orders up at Amazon, Apricorn add-ons get a face lift originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments iTunes Store's new pricing scheme effects the charts, that Lightspeed Champion guy expresses surprise April 12, 2009 at 10:06 pm An interesting sidenote on the intersection of music and commerce: Billboard reported last week that the iTunes Store's new variable pricing plan has had a bit of an impact on sales rankings on individual tracks, giving $.99 songs an advantage over their $1.29 counterparts. According to the magazine, numbers for Wednesday, April 8, show that the iTunes Top 100 chart had 40 songs at the $1.29 price point, and 60 at $0.99 -- the premium songs slid an average of 5.3 places, while the $0.99 songs gained roughly 2.5 chart positions. On Thursday the trend continued, with the 53 songs priced at $0.99 rising roughly 1.66 places on the chart, while the remaining songs -- priced at $1.29 -- lost an average of two chart positions. None of which answers the most pressing question: When will Miley Cyrus's reign of terror come to an end? Filed under: Portable Audio iTunes Store's new pricing scheme effects the charts, that Lightspeed Champion guy expresses surprise originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Researcher plans to use GPS to study asthma triggers April 12, 2009 at 8:26 pm You wouldn't expect GPS tech to have an impact on asthma research, but the University of Wisconsin-Madison's David Van Sickle says it will -- he's planning on tagging sufferers so he can learn when and where they reach for their inhalers. The data will hopefully make sorting out environmental triggers of the disease much easier -- it took scientists eight years to prove that soybean dust near the Barcelona harbor caused a massive asthma outbreak in the 80s, a timeline that might have been dramatically shorter if location information had been available from the start. The plan's still in the early stages, but would-be participants can sign up already -- let's just hope the tracker is slightly more attractive than Kogan's enormous watch unit. [Via CNET] Filed under: GPS Researcher plans to use GPS to study asthma triggers originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Palm Pre Touchstone to be an entire product line, not just a charging dock April 12, 2009 at 6:11 pm Although Palm's reps basically stick to the same script when giving out those lengthy Pre walkthrough demos, every now and again they'll let something interesting slip -- like the fact that the Touchstone inductive charging dock is just the first product in an entire line of Touchstone wireless products. It's not clear if that simply means that "Touchstone" will be Palm's wireless power branding, or if there will be Touchstone products that do more than simply charge devices, but we're certainly eager to find out more -- and hopefully soon. Video clip after the break. [Via PreThinking] Continue reading Palm Pre Touchstone to be an entire product line, not just a charging dock Filed under: Cellphones Palm Pre Touchstone to be an entire product line, not just a charging dock originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Lime green PSP in the works? April 12, 2009 at 3:44 pm Sony might think the DSi is just for kids, but it's never had any problems pumping out candy-colored PSPs -- and the next hue off the line might be lime green, if this image supposedly leaked from inside a Sony factory is any indication. It's, uh, seasonally appropriate, at the very least -- anyone revved up by this? [Via Joystiq] Filed under: Gaming Lime green PSP in the works? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Camera-packin' Garmin Oregon 500 navigator on sale in UK April 12, 2009 at 1:38 pm Wouldn't you know it? That leaked Garmin Oregon 500 is indeed a real, bona fide product, and it's on sale now for argonauts over in the UK. The outdoorsy navigator officially boasts a rugged 3-inch sunlight-readable touch panel (400 x 240 resolution), a tough, waterproof casing, a built-in electronic compass, barometric altimeter (seriously!), AA battery support, USB connectivity, a microSD card slot and a bundled carabiner clip to really set it apart. Oh, and there's also an integrated camera for automatic picture geotagging, which seems to be a pretty rare commodity in GPS units these days. We're not quite sure it's rare enough to justify the lofty £353.97 ($519) price tag, but thankfully that's not our call to make. [Thanks, Jordan] Filed under: Digital Cameras, GPS Camera-packin' Garmin Oregon 500 navigator on sale in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | 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.