May 14
Scientists have developed microscopic bots composed of DNA that can follow instructions and work together like an assembly line.
May 14
Um, suicide is not funny. Especially when it’s the eighth attempt — this one resulting in death, sadly — in three months by employees at a Foxconn facility in China. Yes, the very same factory we reported on last month that produces the gadgets we love so dearly. But check this little snippet from DigiTimes, translating the original Chinese language site Jinbw:
“Terry Guo, chairman of the Foxconn Group, has sought the aid of an exorcist in an attempt to put an end to the recent run of negative incidents at the plant.”
Seriously? And here we thought that improving working conditions might better serve employees. Engadget Chinese did some digging and confirms reports that Foxconn will bring in a monk(s) to perform a religious service meant “to bring peace to employees” — not necessarily meant to ward off evil.
In other news Foxconn just announced consolidated net profits of US$568.73 million for the first quarter of 2010, up 34.8 percent on the year.
Foxconn chairman ‘has sought the aid of an exorcist’ to stop suicides originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 06:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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May 14
Apple Rejects Wi-Fi Sync App for iPhone
Posted in: apps, iPhone, Phones, Today's ChiliApp Store rejections appear as often as panhandlers around Union Square, but the refusal to let Greg Hughes’ Wi-Fi Sync app into the store deserves a special mention. Hughes’ application works in tandem with a helper app on your Mac and enable iTunes and your iPhone or iPad Touch to sync wirelessly over your local network.
Why is this notable? First, because it is insanely useful, and something that the iPhone should just do already. Second, because Apple admitted that the application doesn’t break any rules. The app is completely legit. An Apple representative told Greg over the phone that “the app doesn’t technically break the rules [but] it does encroach upon the boundaries of what they can and cannot allow on their store.”
UPDATE 5/14/2010: An Apple spokesperson contacted Wired to say that the app was rejected for technical reasons, including reading and writing data outside the app’s container, and security issues.
This is the very heart of the App Store approval problems. Rules are fair enough, however dumb or restrictive they might be, as long as they are made explicit and everyone knows how to play the game. But these arbitrary decisions are the equivalent of Apple playing a game of soccer and then declaring that scoring with your head is now illegal because it means you’re winning, and it’s Apple’s ball. And Apple is going home now, so there.
There is good news. If you’re willing to jailbreak your iPhone, you can buy the app for $10. Suck it, Apple.
Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone: now available on Cydia! [Get Wi-Fi Sync]
Wi-Fi Sync app rejected by Apple, headed to Cydia for $9.99 [Engadget]
See Also:
- 5 Things Apple Must Do to Look Less Evil
- Google’s ‘Don’t Be Evil’ Mantra Is ‘Bullshit,’ Adobe Is Lazy …
May 14
Samsung preparing for 42-inch OLED TV trials in 2011?
Posted in: OLED, prototype, samsung, Television, Today's Chili, TV
It’s approaching mid 2010 and you know what’s missing. Jetpacks. Jetpacks and those 30-inch and larger OLED TVs we were promised. Hell, the largest OLED TV available for retail currently is only 15-inches… if you can both find and afford it. Now OLEDNet claims that Samsung Mobile Display — you know, the cellphone AMOLED guys — is purchasing equipment in preparation for bringing its 5.5 generation facility on-line in the first half of 2011. That should give Samsung the ability make 42-inch AMOLED TVs on a trial basis by the end of the twenty-eleven. But with relatively cheap LCDs steadily closing the gap on OLEDs size, contrast, and power savings advantages, well, we’ll believe it when we see the first big screen OLED TVs in our living rooms. And with 3D LCDs (and plasmas) all the rage amongst distracted and financially-vested television manufacturers, we don’t see that happening anytime soon.
Samsung preparing for 42-inch OLED TV trials in 2011? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 06:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
May 14
For this week’s Crave giveaway, we’re serving up a solar iPhone charger from Novothink.
May 14
Kug, a Combination Kettle and Mug
Posted in: household, Today's Chili
The Kug is a single-serve kettle and mug, hence the ugly, caveman glottal-stop of a name. Originally intended as a lightweight way to make a morning cuppa for arthritis sufferers who had trouble lugging full-sized kettle full of boiling water from counter to cup, the Kug may now make it to a kitchen or desk near you.
The Kug consists of two cups and one girl (kidding. It’s two cups, one base). The inner cup contains the liquid and can be removed for cleaning. The outer cup contains the electrics, a heating element and a power dock which couples with the base unit (itself plugged into the mains). The Kug is switched on by twisting the indicator on the outer cup toward the plus-sign on the base, and you can park this arrow anywhere between plus and minus to keep the tea (or coffee) hot.
The designers, Ben Millett and Alan Harrison from the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland, are in talks to get the Kug to market this year. I’ll be buying one, if only to keep me away from all the clever brainiacs in the Wired Kitchen who insist on talking to me and asking difficult science questions before my first coffee of the day.
Kug [The Kug via Daily Mail]
May 14
“Damn thing ate my dollar.”
Gold-dispensing ‘Gold to Go’ ATM is itself a gold-plated marvel originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 05:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
May 14
The Lian Li T1 Spider is not meant for the average consumer. Then again, you aren’t the average consumer are you? The T1 is an open-air test bench for quickly assembling and disassembling Mini-ITX systems for benchmarking purposes. As such, it’s built to handle components like a standard Mini-ITX motherboard on the top, a 5.25-inch slim CDROM, 3.5-inch hard disk, and an ATX PS/2 power supply unit. But man, we think it’s a fine looking creature regardless. Available May 21st for an expected ¥13,800 (about $149) in black or ¥15,800 ($170) in fire-ant red.
Lian Li’s T1 Mini-ITX Spider case escapes on May 21 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 04:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
May 14
Boeing’s unmanned Phantom Ray makes dramatic video debut, set to take off this December
Posted in: RobotApocalypse, Today's Chili, video, wargadget
The big new trend among wargadget makers seems to be the elimination of the fleshy operator, and we’re seeing it happening with helicopters, boats, and even space shuttles. The Phantom Ray is Boeing’s take on how we can do the same to jet fighters, and it’s had its official unveiling in St. Louis this week. Primarily intended to serve as a reconnaissance and intelligence drone, this 36 foot-long airborne robot will be able to cruise at speeds of up to 614mph, and will even do a bit of suppression fire when you need it to. It’s designed to be undetectable by radar and offers a minimal heat signature for missiles to lock on to, as its engine is buried deep within the body. Sounds ominous indeed, but the Phantom Ray will serve as the testbed for even more advanced technologies and will take its first flight in December of this year. See its grand debut on video after the break.
Boeing’s unmanned Phantom Ray makes dramatic video debut, set to take off this December originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 03:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
May 14
Sharp ships 1GHz IS01 developer’s edition in Japan, minus all the goodies
Posted in: Android, GoogleAndroid, MID, Today's Chili
Hoping to get your hot little hands on the tinker-friendly edition of Sharp’s Snapdragon-powered IS01 Android MID? If you live in Japan, today’s your lucky day — assuming you’re willing to overlook the possibility that the developer’s version has been thoroughly neutered. According to a Japanese press release, JN-DK01 dev kits are now shipping, but apparently sans cellular modem (no phone calls, no 3G data) and without API support for FM and 1Seg connectivity. You’ll still get to play around with that 960 x 480 multitouch LCD, experiment with IrDA and download Android Market apps over WiFi, but we’re not quite seeing the point of working with a cheap-feeling Android 1.6 device stripped of its coolest toys.
Sharp ships 1GHz IS01 developer’s edition in Japan, minus all the goodies originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 May 2010 02:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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