Apr 19
Lucasfilm fires a tow cable and trips up one man’s dream to build a fully functional, full-scale AT-AT walker from “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Apr 19
Robogames 2011: Flame Throwers, Rocket Launchers and Endless Robot Mayhem
Posted in: Hacks, Mods and DIY, robotics, Robots, Today's Chili
Walking into the arena, the first thing you notice are the noises: booming, clanging, the sound of metal crashing upon metal a short distance away. Followed by the smell of flames and burning rubber.
Welcome to Robogames.
Robogames is an annual robotics competition that features more than 50 different events, including combat, sumo, hockey and mech warfare. Dubbed “the Olympics of robots,” this year’s event took place April 15 to 17 in San Mateo, California, with a colorful array of robots in attendance.
The three-day event has much to see and learn, with electronics, robotics and educational-toy distributors’ booths lining the path to the back of the auditorium, where the largest fighting stage is located. The completely enclosed structure separates spectators from the carnage within by a scratched-up sheet of Lexan polycarbonate over aluminum support beams. Other competition areas included a maze, a mini soccer field and a smaller, enclosed “ComBot” stage with four 2-foot tall buildings. And of course, plenty of bots were just mingling with the public.
Apr 19
DirecTV’s $30 per rental premium video on-demand service launches Thursday
Posted in: 1080p, satellite, Today's Chili
If the actual trip to the movie theater was the only thing preventing you from checking out Adam Sandler, Brooklyn Decker and Jennifer Aniston in Just Go With It, you can still check it out before it arrives on Blu-ray or DVD starting Thursday thanks to DirecTV’s new premium video on-demand service. The Hollywood Reporter mentions Sony’s flick will be the first one on the service and is already available for preordering on the new Home Premiere service, available only to customers with the satellite company’s HD DVRs, which is about 6 million people. As far as DRM, HDMI is required but only a “digital watermarking technology” is mentioned. The next several flicks planned for the service include The Adjustment Bureau (Universal), Cedar Rapids (Fox) and Hallpass (Warner Bros.); they will be available for two weeks at a $29.99 pricetag, in 1080p with 48 hour viewing windows. Movie theater owners don’t seem thrilled by the new service, we guess the next question is whether or not you are — the poll is after the break.
Continue reading DirecTV’s $30 per rental premium video on-demand service launches Thursday
DirecTV’s $30 per rental premium video on-demand service launches Thursday originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 19
Samsung Ready to Battle Apple in Patent War
Posted in: Apple, ipad, iPhone, samsung, Smartphones, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili
In a lawsuit filed Friday, Apple accused Samsung of copying the iPad and the iPhone, and the Korean giant is threatening to retaliate.
Apple’s lawsuit named some Samsung phones and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, claiming that their similarities with Apple products were beyond the realm of coincidence. The Cupertino, California corporation has accused Samsung of committing patent and trademark infringements.
“Samsung will respond actively to this legal action taken against us through appropriate legal measures to protect our intellectual property,” the South Korean company said in a statement.
Samsung added that it has successfully built its own intellectual portfolio based on its own technologies.
Most interesting to note is that Apple is a customer of Samsung: The Korean company is the supplier of some components for Apple, and it manufactures some of the A4 and A5 processors that power the iPad, iPhone and Apple TV.
Given the relationship between the two companies, the lawsuit shows that Apple isn’t afraid to sue anyone when it comes to its intellectual property, notes Nilay Patel, a former copyright attorney and former Engadget editor. Patel posted a full analysis of the lawsuit at This Is My Next Podcast.
Apple’s lawsuit, which went public today [.pdf], includes a collection of images (above) comparing Apple packaging, hardware and software with Samsung’s. Occasionally the images are stacked side by side to depict similarities.
In addition to claims of patent infringement and trademark infringement, Apple lists examples of “trade dress” infringement, which is basically a trademark for design elements.
The elements listed under “trade dress” infringements include “a rectangular product shape with all four corners uniformly rounded,” “the front surface of the product dominated by a screen surface with black borders,” “a metallic surround framing the perimeter of the top surface,” and other characteristics used to describe a flat slab with a touchscreen.
“It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” an Apple representative said in a statement. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”
Apr 19
AT&T affirms: Windows Phone 7 NoDo rollouts start today for Focus and Quantum owners
Posted in: att, firmware, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, HTC, LG, samsung, Software, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Today's Chili, update, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7, Wp7
What’s this, a rollout hitting as planned? Believe it or not, the leaked memo we spotted a few days back has now proven true, with Microsoft’s long-awaited NoDo update (complete with copy-and-paste) being pushed out today for select LG Quantum and Samsung Focus users. The update itself has been looping around for some time, but this marks the first launch of it on AT&T’s airwaves. We’ve confirmed with the carrier that the folks in Redmond are indeed pushing it out as we speak, but there’s no word yet on how long it’ll take for everyone to get served. Let us know how the new build’s treating you in comments below… should you be lucky enough to get it, that is.
[Thanks, Sean]
Update: Microsoft also confirms this rollout, and says that the update is currently being tested on the HTC Surround. Thanks, Jeff G.!
Update 2: In case the upload speed is restricted on your updated Focus, wpcentral has published an easy how-to on reactivating HSUPA. Thanks, zblack!
AT&T affirms: Windows Phone 7 NoDo rollouts start today for Focus and Quantum owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 19
97 Gorgeously Golden Photos [Photography]
Posted in: photography, shooting challenge, Today's Chili, top
For two hours a day the world is at its most beautiful. These 97 remarkable photos celebrate that time. More »
Apr 19
USB iHub is the perfect knockoff accessory for your Apple-centric existence
Posted in: Apple, kirf, peripheral, Peripherals, Today's Chili, usb, video
So, you waited in line for an iPad 2, snatched up an iPhone 4, and even bought one of those unofficial white conversion kits. You work all day on a MacBook Air with a Steve Jobs figurine sitting next to it on your desk — you’re exactly the person that the $9.99 iHub was created for. It’s not an official Apple product but, as far as knockoffs go, this is one of the more accurate facsimiles we’ve ever seen. This four-port USB hub looks quite a bit like an Apple TV, has a glowing logo up top, and comes in your choice of white or black. Even the packaging is convincingly Apple thanks to the clear plastic lid that lets you peek the wares within. Glimpse the glamor shots and the video below — we promise they’re 100-percent authentic, even if the iHub is not.
Gallery: The iHub 2
Continue reading USB iHub is the perfect knockoff accessory for your Apple-centric existence
USB iHub is the perfect knockoff accessory for your Apple-centric existence originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 19
AT&T has not yet approved the BlackBerry Bridge app to be downloaded, which prevents BlackBerry owners from tethering their BlackBerrys to the PlayBook. Fortunately, CrackBerry.com has provided a workaround.
Originally posted at Dialed In
Apr 19
If the forecast from Strategy Analytics becomes reality, it could lead to tablet sales surpassing those of every other consumer category except TVs and PCs.
Originally posted at iPad Atlas
Apr 19
Evernote gets major Android update
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe popular note-taking service brings a few desktop features to the Android client.
Originally posted at Android Atlas
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