Hasta La Gadget!

Can’t wait for another Engadget Show to roll around? Well you’re in luck, friend. We’re going to be hitting the stage again come December 20th, and this one is set to be a killer.

The last show of the decade will be dedicated to just that: the decade. We’re going to be talking about the most important gadgets of the past 10 years — both good and bad — and we’ll be joined by the perfect guest. Peter Rojas, the founder of both Gizmodo and Engadget (and now gdgt!) will take the stage with Josh, Paul, and Nilay to discuss what has been arguably the most important 10 years in gadgetry.

We’ll also have a few surprises, as well as some giveaways, so don’t miss it — you’ll be sorry if you do!

The show takes place at the Tishman Auditorium at Parsons The New School for Design. As you may already know, we film live in front of an audience once a month — but if you can’t make it, don’t worry. We’re bringing the video back home to Engadget (and as a free download here, in the iTunes Store, or the Zune Marketplace) for your viewing pleasure.

The beautiful venue (which you can see in a photo after the break) is located at 66 W. 12th Street between 5th and 6th Aves. Seating is limited and tickets will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis — which means if you want to join us in the audience for the show, you’ll have to arrive early and be prepared for a little wait.

Here are the facts you need to know about the show:

• The show is graciously sponsored by Sprint, and hosted by Parsons The New School for Design
  
• The total show length will be around an hour

Here is what you need to know if you want to be part of the audience:

• There is no admission fee — tickets are completely free
• The event is all ages
• The venue seats just over 450 people
• Parsons students are welcomed, and we encourage them to come!
• Tickets will be available for pickup at the Tishman Auditorium at 2PM on the 20th, and we’re strongly encouraging people to get their tickets and not stand in line — if you have a ticket, you’ll have a seat!
• You’ll need to hold onto your ticket stub to be eligible for the giveaways
• You cannot pick up tickets for other people — if you want your friend to get a ticket, bring your friend!
• The show begins at 5PM, and doors will open at 4:30PM

If you’re a member of the media who wishes to attend, please contact us at: engadgetshowmedia [at] engadget.com, and we’ll try to accommodate you. All other non-media questions can be sent to: engadgetshow [at] engadget.com.

Continue reading The Engadget Show returns Sunday, December 20th!

The Engadget Show returns Sunday, December 20th! originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TechCrunch was certain that rumors of a pending honest-to-goodness Google Phone were the real deal, and now according to the site, Google employees are already tweeting with the devices in hand. If you believe what you see on Twitter, Google drones were given the HTC-designed handsets at an all-hands staff event, and the phone is quite a looker. One tweet reads “ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It’s beautiful.” while another says the phone is “Like an iPhone on beautifying steroids.” One other, non-Google user on Twitter who’s seen the device says that the device is a bit thinner than the iPhone, has a trackball (a la Hero), and has no physical keyboard… which sounds like the Bravo / Passion we’ve seen a lot of lately (and we hear is coming to the US soon). Apparently the device is running Android 2.1, is unlocked and AT&T-ready (no word on 3G status, but this could line up with our speculation about this being the carrier’s first Android phone), and will be due sometime in January. We’re guessing if that last bit is true, it will coincide with a CES announcement, but anything could happen at this point. If the device is out in the wild in such a big way, an end of the year press release wouldn’t shock us either; of course, it’s entirely possible that this is going to end up becoming the Android Dev Phone 1’s true successor or an elaborate prank on Google’s part in response to the rumors that have been building steam over the past couple weeks (they’re crafty and they have a sense of humor — it could happen). Anyhow, check out one of the tweet-tears after the break, and stay tuned for more info!

Update: Google all but confirms that devices are floating around on campus in a post on its blog:

We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.

Not only that, but TechCrunch has more details on the device, claiming it will be a Google controlled, HTC-built model actually dubbed the “Google Phone,” and will feature a “super high resolution OLED display,” a Snapdragon CPU, a mic on the back of the phone that helps to eliminate background noise, is “really, really fast,” and most importantly, will be sold unlocked. Essentially, TC claims that the phone will function on any GSM network you throw at it — we assume that means an extremely rare pairing of both T-Mobile and AT&T 3G bands in the radio. Of course right now this is all speculation and hearsay — until we get some solid facts (and maybe a device or two on camera), don’t pull out the credit card just yet.

Update 2: Jon Gruber over at Daring Fireball says that the Google Phone is identifying itself as “Nexus One” (a Blade Runner reference) in its user agent string, though apparently Sony is calling its Android UI “Nexus” as well. Furthermore, a tweet from the man claims that he’s heard the phone sports 3G for T-Mobile only, thus seriously dashing hopes that this would play nice all over the US of A. Again, grain of salt everyone.

Continue reading Google employees given HTC-made Google Phones, January launch imminent?

Google employees given HTC-made Google Phones, January launch imminent? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shuttle reportedly set to debut Pine Trail-based all-in-one at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on April 30, 2007 by CyberNet.

Object Desktop is a nice little suite of applications that can really change the way your Windows computer looks and feels. The $50 suite includes programs to replace icons, modify the right-click menu, skin Windows, and much much more. There are so many different programs that you can install with Object Desktop that we had a hard time covering them all in our detailed review.

Things are going to be changing soon…Object Desktop 2008 is going to take customization even further by utilizing some of Vista’s native features. One of the most needed changes in my opinion is the Stardock Central, which is where you manage and install all of the applications that are part of the Object Desktop suite. It looks like it is finally getting an overhaul:

Click to Enlarge

One of Stardock’s most popular applications, which is included in Object Desktop, is probably WindowBlinds. Version 6 is promised to bring a ton of new features to the table including the ability to add a blur effect to transparent skins. That means you can actually enable the blurring on all skins that support transparency, and not just new skins that are made with the blur effect in mind:

Click to Enlarge

And you can also skin the Vista Sidebar in WindowBlinds 6:

Click to Enlarge

Stardock has also teamed up with TweakVista.com to provide a new application called, well, TweakVista. This program will give users the chance to customize their Vista installation even further, with options like choosing the level of security for User Account Control (UAC) prompts:

Click to Enlarge

There aren’t any details available in terms of possible pricing changes, but Stardock did announce that Object Desktop 2008 will have a “big brother” called Object Desktop Ultimate. Current Object Desktop subscribers will receive the Ultimate edition for free when it is released, but the new subscriber cost is still a mystery.

Betas for these programs are scheduled to be available in the next few weeks, so if you’re looking to test out the latest skinning software for Windows you might want to think about purchasing an Object Desktop license soon!

Read more information on Object Desktop 2008
Object Desktop Homepage

Source: WinCustomize

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Capstone’s CMT-380 has proven that turbines, batteries and an unconditional love for Ma Earth actually can get along within the confines of an automobile, and now it looks as if the same type of technology will be touching a lot more lives in and around New York City. DesignLine, a New Zealand-based company with an “experimental turbine hybrid” of the same name, is currently being used in three buses in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and unlike petrol-powered alternatives, these are said to be as “quiet as a tomb.” They’re also environmentally friendly, omitting internal combustion altogether and relying on spinning turbines to recharge a Li-ion battery that powers the wheels. If the trial goes over well, 87 more of the $559,000 buses could be ushered into operation, and you’ll know one’s coming due to the shocking absence of creaking, sputtering and black haze rounding the bend to your stop.

[Thanks, Yossi]

DesignLine turbine hybrid buses take off in NYC, could multiply soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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