Chinese designer makes Megatron tank a steel-toothed reality

Chinese designer makes Megatron tank a steel-toothed reality: "

It doesn't move and it certainly doesn't transform, but we're still not sure we'd stand anywhere near this jagged metal contraption ripped right out of the silver screen. The giant Megatron tank replica from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen not only looks like it'd grind us up like so much beef beneath its spiky treads, it reportedly weighs five tons and stands eight feet tall. It's allegedly constructed entirely out of scrap metal by a designer known as 'Steel Legend' -- a honorific that we imagine few will dare question now. If only it could take on junkyard Optimus Prime in a Beijing Battle Royale. More pics of the tank at our source links below!



[Thanks, leungxd]

Chinese designer makes Megatron tank a steel-toothed reality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink M.I.C Gadget, Cloned in China | Zcool | Email this | Comments"

Nexus S 2.3.3 update adjusts screen's color temperature, we go eyes-on

Nexus S 2.3.3 update adjusts screen's color temperature, we go eyes-on: "

We've been hearing reports about Nexus S' Android 2.3.3 update adding a yellow tint to the screen and even washing out its colors, but according to Google's Ry Guy, said patch is indeed intended to tweak the display's color temperature. Here's the full quote from Google's support forum:

'With your new OTA complete, you may notice a slight difference in the way colors are displayed on your Nexus S. For Nexus S, we have adjusted the color temperature settings to more accurately reflect darker colors at all brightness levels. The Gingerbread UI being darker, we found that the colors were not as accurate when the device was being used at lower brightness levels. For example, some users reported that the initial color temperature was too high leading to some darker greys having a reddish tone; with the new color temperature this is no longer the case.'

So while this display tweak is well-intentioned, it looks like many commenters on both the forum and XDA-Developers aren't too happy with this. Being curious geeks that we are, we went ahead and manually updated our own Nexus S (and by the way, be sure to match your build number with the appropriate patch). As you can see in our comparison photos (shot with the same manual camera settings and medium screen brightness), the new overall color temperature is no doubt subtly warmer, although the dimmer brightness settings no longer suffer from the aforementioned red tone. Interestingly, we actually approve this change, and the Super AMOLED display certainly doesn't look washed out to us, nor do we see any noisy dithering that some have reported. Surely we can't be alone. Well, there's only one way to help solve this mystery: if you happen to be a fellow Nexus S owner who's applied this update, why not chime in below?



[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Gallery: Nexus S 2.3.3 update adjusts screen's color temperature, we go eyes-on

View Poll

Nexus S 2.3.3 update adjusts screen's color temperature, we go eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Community | Google, XDA-Developers | Email this | Comments"

HTC Incredible S, Desire HD, Desire Z and original Desire will all be eating Gingerbread by the end of June

HTC Incredible S, Desire HD, Desire Z and original Desire will all be eating Gingerbread by the end of June: "

When it launched the Incredible S at MWC a couple of weeks ago, HTC promised the new 4-inch device would be quick to get a Gingerbread update and now it's giving us a definitive schedule for it by saying that Android 2.3 will be distributed to its new flagship phone by the end of Q2 2011. We're not sure four months of sitting by the window waiting for the OTA update to float in necessarily matches up to our definition of 'quick,' but there are much better news for owners of HTC's older devices. The Desire HD and Desire Z -- both released in September 2010 -- will also be leaping away from Froyo and up to Gingerbread and will be joined by the original Desire, which was announced way back at last year's MWC. That handset was essentially HTC's own-brand Nexus One, so we already knew it was capable of running Gingerbread, but it's still rare to see a device go through two significant Android updates (the Desire began life with Android 2.1). All these old Desires are placed on the same update schedule as the Incredible S, whereas the newly announced Desire S and Wildfire S will ship with Gingerbread preloaded.



[Thanks, Johannes]

HTC Incredible S, Desire HD, Desire Z and original Desire will all be eating Gingerbread by the end of June originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 08:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM shows off Terrain SUV with noise cancellation, says silence equals fuel efficiency

GM shows off Terrain SUV with noise cancellation, says silence equals fuel efficiency: "

GM claims its new Terrain has other SUVs beat when it comes to fuel efficiency, and they're citing active noise cancellation -- a concept near and dear to audiophiles everywhere -- as one of the driving factors that puts it 4MPG above the competition. Basically, the Terrain's enlisted a new one-touch 'Eco mode' that allows its four-cylinder engine to run at a lower torque, decreasing engine speeds, and thus saving gas. The thing is, this increased fuel efficiency comes with a 'low-end frequency boom,' which is where the noise cancellation sets in: two microphones built in to the car's headliner detect the boom, prompting a frequency generator to pump counteracting sound waves through Terrain's speakers. Simply put, GM's just getting rid of an unpleasant hum. So a quieter car isn't necessarily a greener car, but we'll take a more fuel efficient SUV any day. If you're picking up what GM's laying down, check out the full PR after the jump.

Continue reading GM shows off Terrain SUV with noise cancellation, says silence equals fuel efficiency

GM shows off Terrain SUV with noise cancellation, says silence equals fuel efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barnes & Noble updates Nook Android app, promises a Honeycomb version this spring

Barnes & Noble updates Nook Android app, promises a Honeycomb version this spring: "

On the heels of the announcement that it's grabbed 25 percent of the US e-reader market, Barnes & Noble has decided to give the world a heap of details on its Android developments. First up, we've got an updated Android app, and while it's not exactly a drastic upgrade, version 2.5 has been refreshed with a new library grid view (apparently optimized for 7-inch tablets), a book download progress bar, and a wish list feature. Okay, so they're rather minor updates, but our guess is that the Nook Honeycomb app that's being promised for some time this spring will be far more exciting. Yep, it's a lot of B&N Android, but while we're on the topic, we've got to admit we're wondering about the whereabouts of that Nook Color app store, which was announced back in November. Look not everyone has rooted there's, okay? Alright, we've totally digressed -- hit the gallery below for some screens of the new app or the source link to try it out on your own.

Barnes & Noble updates Nook Android app, promises a Honeycomb version this spring originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Android Market (Nook) | Email this | Comments"

AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G now on sale, $149.99 at Amazon or RadioShack (update: $129.99 at Walmart)

AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G now on sale, $149.99 at Amazon or RadioShack (update: $129.99 at Walmart): "

The hotly reviewed and already rooted Atrix 4G is now on sale at AT&T. As expected, the privilege of buying direct from the carrier will set you back $199.99 with a two-year contract in the range of $39.99 per month for the Nation 450 on up to $69.99 for the Nation Unlimited with another $15 per month for a 200MB DataPlus plan or $45 per month for a Data Pro 4GB + tethering plan. Or shop on over to Amazon (or RadioShack) who lists the same HSPA+ device for $50 less with a 24-hour ship time. Remember, if you just have to have the laptop dock then you'd best do it now while it's offered with the handset in a $499 bundle (after $100 mail-in rebate and purchase of the Data Pro plan with tethering add-on) -- the same laptop dock purchased separately will cost you $499.99. No, really.



Update: Walmart is offering the Atrix 4G handset for a measly $129.99 for those of you activating a new account before Thursday.



[Thanks, Zizo and Hoodean]

AT&T Motorola Atrix 4G now on sale, $149.99 at Amazon or RadioShack (update: $129.99 at Walmart) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 02:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | AT&T, Amazon, RadioShack | Email this | Comments"

Robot hand hits 20WPM, nearly ready to embrace infinite monkey theorem

Robot hand hits 20WPM, nearly ready to embrace infinite monkey theorem: "

Robot hands have been grabbing, crushing, drawing and otherwise actuating for years, but have you ever seen one properly type? That's the primary purpose of a new Virginia Tech design. Engineers built this Dexterous Anthropomorphic Robotic Typing (DART) hand to mimic the real deal as best they could, down to individually-actuating three-segment digits and 110 degrees of wrist rotation in a package the size of a real human arm. Using a total of 19 servo motors and high tensile strength wire for the tendons, they managed to create a single mechanical paw that can achieve an estimated 20 words per minute while typing. Next, they plan to cover it in silicone skin and add piezoelectric sensors to provide tactile feedback. Imagine that: the next time a secret family member severs your arm with a focused plasma beam, you'll know where to go for replacement. Find a quick video and the full scientific paper at the links below.

Robot hand hits 20WPM, nearly ready to embrace infinite monkey theorem originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | PhysOrg | Email this | Comments"

Masdar City's driverless pods now whisking students around on a limited basis (video)

Masdar City's driverless pods now whisking students around on a limited basis (video): "

Oh, sure -- Masdar City's driverless pods may not make nearly as many stops as your average metro, but it essentially matches the usefulness of the subway station in Pyongyang. And with a lot less energy waste, to boot. If you'll recall, these driverless pods were planned years ago, and while the ambitions have been quelled somewhat thanks to the economic crunch, that hasn't stopped students and engineers from using 2GetThere's pods, magnets and a fiber optic system to create a two-stop transfer system at the university. For now, they're whisking students between a pair of drop points that are 800 meters apart, traveling 15 miles per hour and instilling fear into everyone who dares step inside. As for the future? Only The Jetsons truly know, but you can take a glimpse in the video just past the break.

Continue reading Masdar City's driverless pods now whisking students around on a limited basis (video)

Masdar City's driverless pods now whisking students around on a limited basis (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green | | Email this | Comments"

TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together

TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together: "

Kind of crazy that we haven't seen more accessories that combine the Apple Bluetooth keyboard with the Magic Trackpad yet, but TwelveSouth has it covered with the Magic Wand, a simple aluminum half-tube that takes your two Apple wireless peripherals and joins them as one. Cute. Of course you're still stuck with duplicate sets of batteries, and you'll have to somehow deal with the fact that you just spent $30 on a piece of metal that creates a godless keyboard chimera monster, but if you can get past that the Magic Wand is shipping now. Video after the break.

Continue reading TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together

TwelveSouth Magic Wand brings your keyboard and Magic Trackpad closer together originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MacNews | TwelveSouth | Email this | Comments"

Samsung wants to sell 10 million 3D TVs this year, LG plans on 5 million

Samsung wants to sell 10 million 3D TVs this year, LG plans on 5 million: "

Here's one way to solve a chicken-and-egg dilemma: crank out 15 million chickens. That's seem to be the plan for Samsung and LG, anyway -- Samsung plans to sell 10 million 3D TVs this year, up five times from the two million it sold last year, while LG plans to sell some 5 million. Now, it's unclear whether this increase in sales will come as a result of consumer demand for 3D or simply because almost all new TVs will be 3D-capable, but we're hoping that pesky 3D content problem will get a lot better once more people can actually view it -- assuming anyone actually wants to wear the glasses, that is.

Samsung wants to sell 10 million 3D TVs this year, LG plans on 5 million originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | USA Today | Email this | Comments"

US Justice Department and FTC looking into Apple's new subscription policy

US Justice Department and FTC looking into Apple's new subscription policy: "

Apple unveiled its new app store subscriptions earlier this week with a decent amount of controversy and even an official statement from Rhapsody saying it would not comply with the new regulations. The new policy requires any company offering subscription services to offer the same service, at the same price (or less) through Apple, with Apple skimming 30 percent off the top. It also no longer allows apps to have links to external sites where purchases can be made. Now, reports the Wall Street Journal, antitrust enforcers in the US are having a preliminary look into the new arrangement. So, what does that mean? Well, these kinds of pre-investigations are pretty common, so it could mean nothing at all. Or, it could lead to a more formal investigation into if the policy violates antitrust laws. When asked for comment on the story, unsurprisingly, no one at Apple, the FTC, or the Justice Department would comment. We'll keep our eyes on this one and let you know if anything more exciting happens.

US Justice Department and FTC looking into Apple's new subscription policy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 00:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments"

Lenovo LePad set for a global June LeLaunch

Lenovo LePad set for a global June LeLaunch: "

Lenovo's ready to get specific with dates now that Google's got itself an honest to goodness tablet OS. A company spokesman said that its LePad tablet -- first announced by that name back in June 2010 but previewed at CES all the way back in January 2010 -- will ship in its home country of China in March before making its way to the global stage in June. Unfortunately, Lenovo isn't saying anything about final specs or which countries are first on its list -- we already knew it was coming to the US in 2011. The company's also not talking price. Last time we saw LePad in January it was sporting Android 2.2 with a custom 'LeOS' skin riding a 1.3GHz Snapdragon processor and 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel display with a price just north of $500. Question is: will Lenny set it free with vanilla Honeycomb or will it feel compelled to apply the LeOS skin in order to avoid becoming just another Android tablet?

Lenovo LePad set for a global June LeLaunch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | PCWorld | Email this | Comments"

Kno says some tablets will ship within 60 days, doesn't explain pre-order delay

Kno says some tablets will ship within 60 days, doesn't explain pre-order delay: "

We were somewhat taken aback when Kno confirmed its textbook tablet had been delayed without a word on when production would resume, but the company now says pre-orders will experience up to two months' delay before they ship out, and not all of them will. eBookNewser and CrunchGear report that shipments could be delayed until as late as April 14th, and that the first shipment will be restricted 'to a limited number of students and teachers.' Kno still hasn't provided a reason for the delay, but we think that the newly closed-off website says a lot. 'You now need an invitation to get a Kno,' it reads, 'There aren't enough to go around.'

Kno says some tablets will ship within 60 days, doesn't explain pre-order delay originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CrunchGear | eBookNewser | Email this | Comments"

HTC Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab vs. iPad... fight!

HTC Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab vs. iPad... fight!: "

In a world of 10-inch dual-core Androids, HTC has opted to tread its own path by cranking up processor speeds, sticking to a 7-inch form factor and eschewing the latest Honeycomb build for a Gingerbread version it could customize more comprehensively with Sense. All that's well and good, but sometimes all it comes down to is how these gadgets look and feel. So to help you wrap your mind around the Flyer's new aluminum body, we present a couple of comparison galleries with it set against two devices that need no introduction. Get clicking!

Gallery: Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab... fight!

Gallery: Flyer vs. iPad... fight!

HTC Flyer vs. Galaxy Tab vs. iPad... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 06:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba's nameless Honeycomb tablet flaunts its removable battery

Toshiba's nameless Honeycomb tablet flaunts its removable battery: "

We've seen a lot of identically spec'd Honeycomb tablets in the past few weeks, and Toshiba's forthcoming Android 3.0 tablet has a lot of the same -- a 10.1-inch display, NVIDIA Tegra 2, and dual cameras -- except it boasts something the others don't... a removable battery. We don't know exactly why other tablet manufacturers, like Motorola, Samsung, and LG, aren't opting to include swappable cells, but Toshiba's tablet, which is still supposed to drop in April, will allow you to pull out that 2030mAH battery when it's drained and replace it with an extra if you so choose to buy one. Obviously, we're hoping the battery lasts long enough on a charge that you won't have to resort to that, but there's something to be said for knowing you've got back up. Need some visual proof of this one? Hit the break to witness the quick pull and don't mind the messy innards -- Toshiba assures us this is still a very early sample.



Note: We're assuming the actual capacity of the battery may change since we just pulled those 2030mAH / 23Wh numbers off the sample we saw.

Gallery: Toshiba tablet with removable battery

Continue reading Toshiba's nameless Honeycomb tablet flaunts its removable battery

Toshiba's nameless Honeycomb tablet flaunts its removable battery originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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