Hasta La Gadget!

If you managed to catch the last Engadget Show, you inevitably saw our own Paul Miller carve it up a bit on Tony Hawk: Ride. Of course, Mr. Miller is known ’round these circles as a “professional skater,” so there’s a solid chance he could’ve handled just about anything the guys and gals at Activision threw his way. The reality of the matter is that not everyone feels safe and secure on something resembling a skateboard, and now we’re being let in on the world of prototypes that were used to land on the final design. Within the read link you’ll find randomly placed arcade buttons, trucks with no wheels, a terrifying amount of sensors and a comical amount of duct tape. Yeah — even the whiz kids that make your dreams a reality start with duct tape. Go on, have a peek if you’re in disbelief.

Tony Hawk: Ride prototype skateboards employ arcade buttons, duct tape, love originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading DroboPro RAID array causes reviewer to fall madly in love (video)

DroboPro RAID array causes reviewer to fall madly in love (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know, our GPS gift guide has already been erected, but if you’re in the unfortunate position of needing a high-end gift for someone who’ll actually be in San Juan del Sur over the holidays, there’s hardly a better option than this. The TomTom XXL 540S World Traveler Edition is exactly what you think it is: it’s an XXL 540S, but with maps for the United States, Canada and Europe (what — no Central America?). The 5-inch touchscreen is still there, as is the company’s IQ Routes, ‘Help Me!,’ an increased 4GB of storage, advanced lane guidance and 7 million points of interest. It’s expected to hit retail shelves in both the US and Canada early next month for $349.95 (US) / $399.95 (CAD).

TomTom XXL 540S World Traveler Edition: perfect for that dude you’re jealous of originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s new, not a refurb, and it’s nicely stocked–though for a few bucks more, you can get desirable extras like a 6-cell battery and Windows 7 Starter. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-13845_3-10405057-58.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Cheapskate/a/p

This Dragon Skin armor has been knocking about since 2007, but now that piezoelectrics and intelligence have been thrown into the mix we couldn’t stop ourselves from taking a peek at it. The armor’s strength is derived from a reptilian arrangement of overlapping ceramic and titanium composite discs, which simultaneously block incoming rounds and dissipate the impact to a wider area. What’s interesting about the new design is the two piezoelectric sensors attached to each end — one of them transfers a low voltage of power through the armor in the form of vibration, which the other picks up, and the reported energy loss is interpreted as armor degradation. Gnarlier still is the ability of these sensors to generate electricity from bullet impacts, which can then themselves give you an indication of what sort of bullet hit you. Capable of being applied to soldiers and vehicles alike, this could make the real act of soldiering a whole lot more like a video game (minus the whole “infinite respawn” thing), with HUDs showing you how much “shield” you have left. You can see an old(ish) video of the original armor after the break.

Continue reading Dragon Skin body armor gains piezoelectric sensors, keeps bullet-stopping abilities

Dragon Skin body armor gains piezoelectric sensors, keeps bullet-stopping abilities originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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