Hasta La Gadget!

This is it: The official video laying out Android 2.0‘s new features, to go along with 2.0 support hitting the SDK today. Man, Android 2.0 is nice.

Highlights of Android 2.0 revealed in the video are a new contacts setup that’s reminiscent of the Hero’s integrated contacts—it pulls them in from multiple sources, supports two-way syncing to any backend and has an awesome new feature called Quick Contact that pulls up every possible way to ping somebody when you touch their icon. Quick Contact can be built into any app too.

Seriously, there’s all kinds of improvements: Searchable SMS, Exchange support, more in-depth camera controls, a better keyboard with full multitouch, a revamped browser with a better UI and HTML5 support, and it goes on.

On the hard spec side, there’s more capable Bluetooth with full 2.1 and new profiles and better support for multiple screen sizes, like WVGA (800×480) & FWVGA (854×480). Oh yeah, and interestingly, it’s Verizon Wireless that shows up in the video adding mild credence to some rumors that they might have a temporary window of exclusivity with the new OS. We’ll see, but it’s seems clear now they’re getting it first, at least. Either way, it’s hard not to be excited about it Android 2.0. [Android Developers, Thanks everybody!]

The YikeBike electric bike is designed for city journeys of up to 9km, reaching a top speed of 20km/h with zero emission. It weighs only 9.8 kilograms and comfortably folds to 67×56×12 cm to fit into your backpack. A small powerful 1.2 kW electric motor replaces all the traditional mechanics.

The YikeBike currently costs $4860. The hype around all electric urban transportation clearly suggests that if found safe and affordable – we will see many of those around.

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Liquavista’s been kicking around in the shadows for years now, and while its stuff has largely been viewed as vaporware, the video waiting for you just past the break changes everything. The company has today revealed three new e-reader display technologies that it’s working on, and all three of ’em are in prototype form ready to wow. LiquavistaBright aims to speed up page refreshes on e-book readers and add support for video playback, and considering just how awful web browsing is on existing e-ink displays, we can hardly wait to surf on this stuff. It’s also toiling away on a LiquavistaColor screen, which is exactly what you think it is. Finally, there’s the elusive LiquavistaVivid, which is planned for “product implementation” throughout 2010 and 2011. Hit the read link if you’re down for looking into the future, and be sure to tell PixelQi its main competition has just come out in a big way.

Continue reading Liquavista’s e-reader displays do video, color and other magic tricks (video)

Filed under: Displays, Handhelds

Liquavista’s e-reader displays do video, color and other magic tricks (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I don’t remember hearing so much talk over a product that nobody has even seen, but the scuttlebutt continues, this time from Australia.

Apple is reportedly shopping its rumored tablet to media companies in Australia to gauge interest in having their products available on the device when its released, …

Originally posted at News – Apple

No matter how bad the global economy gets, you can always rely on there being a select few people with (a lot) more money than sense. Exclusively for them, Dutch outfit Intelligent Design has put together this handcrafted Bluetooth laser mouse, which boasts a neodymium scroll wheel, high quality plastic resin and a grade 1 titanium body. We didn’t know you could handcraft titanium and we challenge anyone to explain what neodymium has to do with good input ergonomics, but then maybe that just shows how little we know about luxurious items like this. So, if you have $1,200 (or €800 in Old World money) to spare, why not add this unnamed mouse to your shopping list, just under the Mnemosyne USB drive? More snaps can be found after the break.

[Via HardOCP]

Continue reading Titanium Mouse by Intelligent Design costs $1,200, might be worth a little less

Filed under: Peripherals

Titanium Mouse by Intelligent Design costs $1,200, might be worth a little less originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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