World’s largest curved plasma display flows into Japan’s Kansai airport

Sure, we’ve seen 125-inch and a 145-inch curved plasma displays, but there’s a new size champ in town: the international departure area at Japan’s Kansai Airport was just graced with this 200-inch waterfall of a curved plasma. That’s right around 13 feet by 10 feet, which is relatively insane — no word on whether Jerry Jones is going to show up and play Gears of War on it anytime soon.

World’s largest curved plasma display flows into Japan’s Kansai airport originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Spin Masters Motion-Controlled Air Hogs Vectron Wave UFO

At the Time to Play event (a fun mini toy trade event) in NYC yesterday, Spin Master demoed the Air Hogs Vectron Wave UFO (available now, $30 street), to the delight of attendees. OK, especially me. This simple flying toy doesn’t even need a remote control: It’s “motion-controlled,” so you can direct it just by gesturing with your hand (or your head, as in the video). And its “altitude-sensing” technology lets it avoid obstacles.

The toy requires 6 double-A batteries (not included) and is intended for kids ages 8 years and up.

Why HP Buying Palm Is Good for You [Hp]

Rejoice: HP is buying Palm! If the boring beigeness of HP doesn’t kill it in the process, this could only be good for anyone looking for a neat, solid smartphone that beats Google and Apple in many areas. More »

AT&T posts fast facts on iPad 3G data plans

There’s nothing groundbreaking in here, but AT&T has just thrown up a good one-page summary of how this whole WWAN thing is going to go down for new iPad 3G owners come this Friday. As we’ve already known, you’ll be paying $14.99 for 250MB or $29.99 for unlimited (yes, truly unlimited with no 5GB cap) data in addition to free access to AT&T’s comprehensive collection of WiFi hotspots — perhaps the more interesting bits, though, have to do with plan management on the 250MB setup. Basically, you’ll get a warning on your iPad when you get to 20 percent of your allowance remaining, then again at 10 percent, and finally when you run out; at each message, you’ll have the chance to re-up (of course, if you find yourself blowing through 250MB on a regular basis, you probably want the unlimited plan anyhow). Plans renew automatically after every 30 days, and you can check your usage at your leisure from Settings on the device. Sure, you might be cursing the fact that you’ve found a legitimate reason to spend another $30 every month — but at least you’ll be able to set it up and manage it without a call to customer service.

AT&T posts fast facts on iPad 3G data plans originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-on: The new Intel Convertible Classmate

Intel’s globally focused Netbook/tablet, the Convertible Classmate PC, aims to be the ultimate school computer with its rugged design and educational applications. We take the latest one for a test drive.

Zhu Zhu Pets Get Tough: Kung Zhu Battle Hamsters!

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Cepia’s Zhu Zhu Pets, the whimsical motorized hamsters that conquered during last year’s holiday shopping season, are coming back strong in 2010. Really, really strong: Meet Kung Zhu Battle Hamsters, the militant hamster arm of Zhu Zhu, replete with elements “that appeal especially to boys,” according to Russ Hornsby, CEO of Cepia.

The new line will feature Special Forces, Ninja Warriors, Rangers, and the Skull Tribe Battle Hamsters, along with attendant battle gear, vehicles, and training arenas.

Training? According to the company:

Prior to their “training,” you might mistake the Kung Zhu squad for a traditional Zhu Zhu Pet. They dart around, scurry from place to place, and coo and squeak based on the unique environment they encounter. But all that changes when the hamsters encounter the magical “Tablet of Zhu,” a special training ground that transforms the Zhu Zhu Pets into Kung Zhu Special Forces or Ninja Warriors, ready to do battle against each other.

Expect to see the Kung Zhu line in June. Pricing will be thus: Kung Zhu hamsters, $9.99 per, and Kung Zhu armor $7.99.

More pics of the fearsome rodents after the jump.

Lexus shows off hybrid bicycle, won’t sell you one

This Lexus bicycle has apparently been quietly making the rounds since the last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, but the automaker has rolled it out again to coincide with the Great British Bike Ride, and it’s taken the opportunity to dish some details on it. While it’s still just a concept, it does exist in prototype form, and packs a 240-Watt electric motor that’s powered by a 25.9-volt lithium battery pack, which promises to give you a little extra push when you’re tired of pedaling. Being a Lexus, it also follows the “L-finesse” design language, and it relies on the same principles of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system found in the company’s hybrid vehicles to recharge the battery through regenerative braking. Unfortunately, Lexus says it doesn’t have any plans to put the bike into production — but that may be for the best, we’re pretty sure the future of transportation is one-wheeled anyway.

Lexus shows off hybrid bicycle, won’t sell you one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-On (Hands-In?): Scott eVest Hidden Pocket Cargo Pants

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Cellphones, iPods, pocket cameras, and passports need someplace to be stashed when you’re out and about. Check out the Scott eVest Hidden Cargo Pants, $60 direct, which look like traditional khakis but have 10 inside pockets instead of the usual four and special flap closures. The 10 include layered pockets within the four extra-depth main pockets as well as pocket sections (like fingers on glove) at the very bottoms of the front pockets. All this lets you carry an amount of gear (see X-ray photo above left) that would overload ordinary khakis and make you look like the geek you probably are if you carry all this stuff. 

Sprint halves its quarterly customer loss, increases revenue for the first time in ages

If you can find the silver linings, the news is finally getting a little better over at the number three largest carrier in the States after countless quarters of brutal numbers. Sprint still isn’t turning a profit or earning net customer adds, but it’s continuing to stem losses by posting its first sequential rise in revenue in almost three years, clocking just under $8.1 billion for the quarter; that’s still less than the revenue it posted a year ago, but hey, at least it’s an improvement over Q4 2009’s roughly $7.8 billion. All told, that works out to a net loss of $865 million, which is also better than Q4’s $980 million. Net wireless customers fell by 75,000 — considerably better than Q4’s 148,000 — but net postpaid customers fell by a much larger 578,000, suggesting that Boost Mobile’s aggressive marketing is probably working. That’s all well and good, but it also likely means that ARPU is on a downward trend; Sprint claims it was flat sequentially and down a dollar from $56 to $55 year-over-year. All told, it seems the company’s fortunes are improving by baby steps — but is it fast enough? And how much is the EVO 4G going to mix things up?

Sprint halves its quarterly customer loss, increases revenue for the first time in ages originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint hosting EVO 4G-related event next month

The carrier has been sending out invitations to an exclusive event scheduled for the middle of May. Are they planning to announce a release date or price? pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-10473815-251.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Android Atlas/a/p