A federal court grants EchoStar’s petition to take another look at the long-running legal dispute over DVR technology patents. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20005031-260.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Circuit Breaker/a/p
Green is red-hot, and gadget-maker Dexim is capitalizing on that with its latest iPhone accessory. The Dexim DCA199 Foldable Solar-Powered P-Flip can charge up your iPhone 3G or 3GS is a mere 15 hours. Mere? Well, major. If you get 15 hours of sunlight, you may be living at the equator. Dexim says the P-Flip will extend talk time up to 8 hours, game playing or video watching up to 15 hours, and audio playing up to 60 hours.
Besides charging, the P-Flip can hold your iPhone vertically or horizontally for hands-free viewing, and folds up for easy travel. You can get the charger from Dexim’s site for $79 or, not surprisingly, from SkyMall.com.
The five-map add-on will debut on Xbox Live on June 3, with the other platforms receiving it at a later date.
Motorola Motoroi getting Android 2.1, bound for UK? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Chinese workers are planning to sue a Taiwan-based manufacturer who makes iPhone components for Apple. They say they were poisoned by a chemical used to clean LCD screens.
The 44 workers of Wintek in Suzhou, China, are alleging they were poisoned by n-hexane, a chemical that can cause damage to the peripheral nervous system and the spinal cord, according to Stratfor, a global intelligence agency.
Stratfor’s report said that since August 2009, 62 Wintek workers have been hospitalized due to n-hexane poisoning.
Wintek, which makes LCD and touch panels for consumer devices, began using n-hexane instead of alcohol sometime last year to clean screens, because apparently it dried more quickly and reduced streaks. Stratfor notes that the manager who decided to use n-hexane has since been fired.
The Guardian reported that after the chemical switch, workers immediately noticed the pungent smell of n-hexane but did not know it would affect their health.
“We hadn’t even heard of occupational illnesses before,” Wintek worker Xiao Ling said in an interview with The Guardian.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Wintek.
Apple works with several Asian suppliers who provide components for its iPhones, iPads, iPods and Macs. The company earlier this year published its supplier responsibility report, describing the company’s efforts to ensure its partners around the world comply with responsible business practices.
In its report (.pdf), Apple said it audited 102 facilities in 2009, up from only 39 just two years ago. The company also claimed it trained 133,000 supervisors and workers on workers’ rights and management responsibility.
Global Post ran an extensive report late last year detailing the labor violations committed at supply chains all over Asia. The report based its findings on six months of interviews with workers and activists. Some claimed they worked in sweatshop-like conditions, such as hourly wages below a dollar and firings with no notice.
From Barron’s
See Also:
Photo: dschulian/Flickr
We’ve still got thousands of unanswered questions (well, maybe not thousands, but definitely dozens) about RIM’s upcoming BlackBerry 6 platform — and it’s starting to look like we might be answering those questions at retail by way of this Bold 9800 slider that’s been making the rounds lately. BGR claims that the handset is lining up for a mid- to late-June release on AT&T, with the carrier having placed a substantial million-plus unit order to lock it up as an exclusive for some undetermined length of time (much as Verizon has managed to do both with the Storm and the Storm2). We hate to point out the obvious, but from a PR perspective, June’s not the best month to be announcing and / or releasing anything that isn’t an iPhone — and when you look at the 9800’s form factor and the baby steps that BlackBerry 6 seems to make toward boosting consumer appeal, we don’t think you can make an argument that this is a sufficiently different market segment the same way you could with, say, the 9700. In other words: we wouldn’t be shocked to see this date slip a bit, assuming the rumor pans out.
BlackBerry Bold 9800 slider coming next month as an AT&T exclusive? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 13:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Cooper Cooler Rapid Blitz Chiller is the perfect example of an appliance you don’t think you need until you need it. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-13553_1-20004842-32.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Appliances and Kitchen Gadgets/a/p
Google on Friday said it will soon make its Nexus One smartphone available in more retail stores, and that it will eventually shut down its Web store in exchange for this increased brick-and-mortar presence.
“While the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the Web store has not,” Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering at Google, wrote in a blog post. “It’s remained a niche channel for early adopters, but it’s clear that many customers like a hands-on experience before buying a phone, and they also want a wide range of service plans to chose from.”
Google unveiled the Nexus One in early January. Users could purchase the device online at www.google.com/phone for $529.99 unlocked or $179.99 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile.
There were soon reports, however, that sales were somewhat sluggish, and in recent weeks, Verizon Wireless and Sprint versions of the Nexus One have been abandoned.
On April 30, Vodafone became Europe’s first carrier to sell the Nexus One. Google said Friday that going forward, it will follow this model rather than Web sales.
Liftoff, right on schedule!
Update: 3: 40 PM 5-14-10
It’s been over an hour, and I still can’t shake the sensation–the heart-pounding, head-thumping thrill–of witnessing a space-shuttle launch.
Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully launched, for the last time, from pad 39A at 2:20 PM EDT amid a massive plume of white smoke and orange flames. It was a picture-perfect launch. I overheard one NASA Administration official say during the post-launch news conference, “Atlantis is telling us, ‘Please use me again.'” I agree.
You can view more of my photos from the launch and NASA Tweetup event at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulanoff/sets/72157623931612379/
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See my previous journal entries and more photos, after the jump
What’s up, yo? Oh, sorry, we meant, what’s up, FroYo? The Engadget Podcasteers dig deep on the new version of the Android Cellular Telephone And Other Connected Devices Operating System as the line between telephone and computer becomes less and less important. And Joanna Stern, Supreme Laptop Knowledge Warrior Princess, becomes the first and last female to ever be on a technology podcast in the Great Tech Journalist Civil Rights Movement of May 14-15th, 2010.
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Special guest: Joanna Stern
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Never Gonna Give You Up
Hear the podcast
02:57 – Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ and Flash run like butter on Nexus One (update)
07:22 – Android 2.2 ‘Froyo’ to include USB tethering, WiFi hotspot functionality
10:28 – Sprint selling HTC EVO 4G on June 4 for $199
11:35 – Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G put through its bandwidth-sucking paces
21:55 – NPD: Android ousts iPhone OS for second place in US smartphone market
28:45 – HTC files patent complaint against Apple, asks for ban on iPhone, iPad, and iPod
29:22 – HTC’s complaint against Apple examined
38:00 – AMD promises better battery life and thermals with new Neo CPUs, more power with Phenom II platform
42:15 – Lenovo officially rolls out new IdeaPad Z Series
43:14 – HP unleashes seven new ProBooks, cuddles up with AMD
44:10 – HP Envy 14 and 17 officially official, Envy 13 slowly waves goodbye
46:25 – Sony VAIO P Series gets an accelerometer, touchpad (Updated: starts at $799)
49:45 – Archos 7 Home Tablet review
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Download the podcast
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Contact the podcast
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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Podcasts, Tablet PCs, Wireless, Internet
Engadget Podcast 196 – 05.14.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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