Hasta La Gadget!

Harman Kardon has announced a new sound-bar home theater system, the SB 16, which carries a high $600 list price.

Carol Browner is the director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy. Or, at least, she was. Yesterday White House officials announced that the country’s top green energy administrator would be leaving her post.

“Carol is confident that the mission of her office will remain critical to the president, and she is pleased with what will be in the [State of the Union address] and in the budget [next month] on clean energy,” a White House representative told Politico. “The president’s commitment to these issues will of course continue, but any transition of the office will be announced soon.”

There’s currently no word on who will replace Browner or when the position might be filled.

Browner was the first ever person to hold the postion of director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, a role she began in January 2009. Prior to that, she spent eight years as the director of the Environmental Protection Agency. She hasn’t announced where she’ll be going next.

Oh yes. After all the unbearable teasing since we unveiled the first ever photos of the PlayStation Phone, we’ve finally managed to get hold of the real deal for an in-depth preview. Honestly, we couldn’t wait any longer with this thing floating around in China; we’d otherwise have to wait until MWC, where we expect the phone to be launched as the “Xperia Play” (and we shall refer to this name henceforth). Before you pop the cork for us, do bear in mind that what we’re seeing here is subject to changes, so don’t be alarmed by any missing features or exposed cables in our preview. When you’re ready, head right past the break to find out what Sony Ericsson’s cooking up.

Continue reading Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview

Exclusive: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (PlayStation Phone) preview originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We love us some corporate intrigue, and there’s some intrigue of the highest order coming out of Finland today: local rag Kauppalehti claims that Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila had wanted the outspoken Anssi Vanjoki to step up, but was instead forced to endorse Microsoft executive Stephen Elop as Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo’s successor to lead the embattled company by a team of American investors who demanded a CEO from the left side of the Atlantic. How “forced,” exactly? Ollila was allegedly in line to be ousted if he didn’t throw his weight behind Elop, which — as IntoMobile points out — is a bit odd considering that Ollila himself is leaving next year. All told, something seems fishy here; it’s possible that Ollila is simply trying to save face with Finns (and / or Vanjoki himself) as he prepares to leave Nokia… or it’s possible that hordes of vicious Americans with skin in the game collectively tightened the vice grips. Either way, Elop seems to be cleaning house in light of the Symbian move, so it’ll be interesting to see whether he can steer the ship back on course here in 2011.

Nokia chairman wanted Vanjoki for CEO, American investors forced him to pick Elop? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Writer is another keyboard case for the iPad, but this one seems to be small and slim enough to carry with you, and better than my previous favorite solution, an Apple Bluetooth keyboard.

The case folds to just under an inch thick and around a pound in weight (iPad included), and folds out around a hinge that includes its own light-up battery indicator. The keyboard also sucks itself to the case via magnetic strips, and these also let you slide it back and forth the obtain any screen angle you like. Worried about the keys butting up against the screen when it’s closed? So was I, but the top side of the keyboard has rubber nubbins to stop the two from touching. The keyboard also switches off its Bluetooth radio when you close the lid, just like a real laptop.

The iPad is a fantastic writers’ device. Prop it up in portrait-orientation, stream some music to your speakers with AirPlay and use the Apple Bluetooth keyboard along with a full-screen text-editor and you’re as close to a typewriter as you could wish for, only without all the effort, and with the addition of a delete key. The only problem with Apple’s keyboard is that, while it has brightness, iTunes and volume controls, it lacks a home button and a screen lock. The Writer has these, along with a questionably useful start-photo-slideshow key.

The Writer is being hawked on Kickstarter, the site where the public can kick in a pledge to get projects made. Adonit, the company behind the Writer, already have a bunch of prototypes out for review and testing, so this looks pretty close to market. The minimum total pledge of $10,000 has almost been met (as of now, founders Kris Perpich Zach Zeliff have raised $7,800). You can buy in for $89 (the final retail price will be $99).

It might just be the coolest-looking keyboard-case we’ve yet seen. On the other hand, I might just stick with my existing iPad / external keyboard combo, if only for the lack of the home key. Otherwise, it might be a little too easy to check the Twitter when I should be writing.

Adonit Writer: iPad Case + Keyboard [Kickstarter]

Adonit Writer product page [Adonit]

See Also:

• Aluminum Shell Hides iPad Keyboard
• iPad Keyboard: Pricey and Awkward, But a Must-Have for …
• IPad Keyboard Dock Works with iOS4
• ThinkGeek Joins iPad Keyboard Case Cavalcade