Exclusive: Motorola MB520 Kobe / Diablo for AT&T in the wild

Remember that midrange, Android-equipped MB520 Kobe from Moto we told you about a few days back? Well, it’s stepping out for the first time this evening with a little help of our dear brother from another mother, Mr. Blurrycam. As we’d heard before it’s definitely destined for AT&T bearing Android 2.1 with Blur (complete with Blur logo on back), though our tipster tells us we can expect an update to 2.2 over the air. Along with “Kobe,” the codename “Diablo” is apparently being tossed around internally, though decisions have been made on what to call it when it hits shelves. A Droid X competitor it’s not — but coming off the Backflip debacle, it’s baby steps for Moto’s Android relationship with AT&T, right? Hit the break for more shots.

[Thanks, Napoleon]

Exclusive: Motorola MB520 Kobe / Diablo for AT&T in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony unveils RDP-X50iP speaker dock

Sony releases details on its new portable speaker dock for the Apple iPhone and iPod, named RDP-X50iP. The speaker boasts a 40-watt digital amplifier, aux input, and remote control, and sells for around $200.

Oregon bike lane gets Mario Kart treatment

Pranksters graffiti a bike lane in Portland to look like a Mario Kart track–and it’s awesome.

Mitsubishi debuts three full HD 3D televisions… coming to a sweet home theater near you

Mitsubishi Japan has announced three brand new, full HD tvs for your home theater-loving pleasure. Much like the Panasonics recently unleashed, all three boast the ability to record to their hard drives or Blu-ray. Spec-wise, they’ve got full HD, backlit LCDs, 1TB HDDs, a ten speaker Diatone system, USB and SD slots, and HDMI. The sets, which come in 40, 46, and 55-inches, also come with a pair of 3D glasses. They’ll be available in Japan in October for roughly $3,500, $4,700 and $5,900, respectively.

Mitsubishi debuts three full HD 3D televisions… coming to a sweet home theater near you originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile Charm arrives with new Android design

Will the latest Motorola handset be able to pull BlackBerry users over to Android? pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20014738-251.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Android Atlas/a/p

Now Sharper Image Launches an E-Reader

Just as the e-readers market seemed poised for a shakeout, Sharper Image–a store best known for its R2-D2 droids and ionic air purifier–has decided to jump in with a new e-reader.

Sharper Image has announced ‘Literati,’ a device with a color screen that will retail for $160. The device will be powered by the Kobo e-book store. Literati will have Wi-Fi connectivity, wireless book downloads and free reading apps.

The Literati has been created after an “extensive two-year design and development process,” says Sharper Image, and will ship nationwide in early October.

The Literati comes to market at a time when upstart e-readers are disappearing. Price wars by the big three e-reader makers–Amazon, Sony and Barnes & Noble and competition in the category has taken its toll on companies. Earlier this month, Foxit announced it will stop development on its eSlick e-reader. Plastic Logic canceled its plans to bring its e-reader to market, while Cool-er’s e-readers have been listed out of stock in the U.S. for months.

Meanwhile, bigger e-reader makers are ramping up their marketing efforts. Barnes & Noble has started aggressively selling the Nook reader in its stores. Amazon new, improved Kindle e-reader also seems to have turned into best-seller with Amazon racing to keep up with the demand.

Literati will wade into this fiercely competitive market. The color screen on the device is interesting. Though the company hasn’t offered any details about it, it is likely to be an LCD display. But the device doesn’t have a big price advantage over its rivals. The Literati costs just $20 less than the $190 Kindle.

What it has going for it is an impressive retail distribution network. The Literati will be available in stores such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, JC Penney, Kohl’s and Macy’s.

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Amazon loses exclusive deal with Andrew Wiley

Amazon‘s exclusive digital distribution deal with star literary agent Andrew Wiley looks like it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be; in fact, it seems to have fallen through before the ink dried on the contracts. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Andrew Wiley is “largely abandoning” the agreement it struck with Amazon after 13 of the 20 titles supposedly included in the deal — published by Random House — came up for debate. The books, which included works by John Updike, VS Naipaul and Dave Eggers, among others, will now be digitally distributed by Random House itself to Amazon. While neither Wiley nor Amazon commented on the failed deal, we have a feeling that the Kindle maker will still sleep just fine this evening.

Amazon loses exclusive deal with Andrew Wiley originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kaspar the friendly robot helps autistic kids

A child-size humanoid bot with a face inspired by comics is being used to teach interaction skills to kids who may lack an instinctive understanding of social cues.

Link Wireless A/V Extender Brings Your Desktop Display to the Couch

450x450_27774_IMN_Link_LQ.jpgThe wireless display revolution carries on with the Link Wireless A/V Extender announced today by Imation. Able to project HD video output from your computer to your high-def television or projector, the Link is fully compatible with both Windows XP or greater, and at least Mac OS 10.4. 

It works via a USB 2.0 transceiver connected to your PC or Mac which sends 720p video (and 1080p stills) to your HDTV via a 10-inch receiver connected through your TV’s HDMI or VGA port. Better yet, the drivers are included within the transceiver for Windows users (Mac lovers get an install disc) for true plug-and-play functionality. 
This device comes in the wake of Intel’s WiDi technology that serves essentially the same purpose. However, since WiDi is done using a special Netgear device via a custom Wi-Fi network, the content you push to your HDTV is subject to those nasty DRM rules. This shouldn’t be the case with Imation’s tech since it’s simply pushing the signal via wireless USB. Not to mention WiDi technology has to be built into said computer’s network adapter, which only a few (like Sony’s Vaio S and the Toshiba E205) have since emerged. 
With a “line-of-site” range of 30 feet, you shouldn’t have any problem connecting your TV across the room to your desktop with this gadget, according to Imation. The manufacturer claims that the Link Wireless A/V Extender is available now through Amazon for $149.99, but the product has yet to appear on the online store. Stay tuned!

PLX intros OBD-II dongles for Android, iPhone

Android phones and iOS devices can now talk directly to your car’s computer thanks to the PLX Kiwi Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-20014728-48.html” class=”origPostedBlog”The Car Tech blog/a/p