Thinking that Banksy is cool has become so mainstream that it’s almost not cool anymore. But Banksy has never been more mysterious as his street art still magically manifests out of nowhere. And how many of his pieces have you seen? And where oh where can you even see them? This iPhone app tells you where. More »
An Irish couple is over the moon after getting some robotic help carrying little Lucy to term.
Mergers and acquisitions can sometimes take some unexpected turns, but that’s not the case with Garmin’s purchase of former rival Navigon. The company said last month that the acquisition would be complete by “late July” and now, on July 26th, it’s announced that the deal is in fact done. There’s still no financial details being disclosed, but execs from both companies are expectedly tossing around words like “excited” and “pleased,” and they’re promising plenty of integration and new opportunities going forward. Obviously, they’re betting they’ll be better as partners than rivals in the face of mounting challenges. Press release is after the break.
Continue reading Garmin confirms its acquisition of Navigon is complete
Garmin confirms its acquisition of Navigon is complete originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 17:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Available for Android and iOS, this app makes it a snap to share a calendar, task list, grocery list, and more with every member of your family.
Originally posted at iPhone Atlas
If you’re the type to stock your walls with Lord of the Rings-style elvish daggers (or, you know, build full-scale Portal gun replicas), then you’ll love this official Mass Effect 3 mockup commissioned by the folks at Bioware. Arduously crafted by self-proclaimed graphic design dork Harrison Krix, the N7 assault rifle replica made its facsimile debut at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. With only a fortnight to work with, the DIY, prop-making hobbyist took the made-for-cosplay gun from a glued wood, styrene and PVC-detailed master concept to paint weathered, final collector’s edition mold. It’s an impressive feat you can view in heavily photographed detail at the source, but there’s still one thing we’re waiting on Krix to bring to life — that space-skipping SSV Normandy.
Mass Effect 3 N7 replica gets real world debut for your Spacer pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
This American Life had an amazing story this past weekend about patent trolls. It was pegged to Intellectual Ventures, and various others who litigate rather than innovate. But the real patent trolls are being traded on the NYSE. More »
Mac accessory maker extends its line of fancy leather cases for literary types to the iPhone 4, and, in a novel twist, turns it into a wallet too.
Services like Spotify, which had an anything but subtle launch last week, help solve the evergreen issue of limited local storage by streaming millions of tracks to your devices. But streaming services require cell reception to operate (unless you’ve elected to store music locally), and often carry monthly fees. We’ve spent a fair amount of time testing Kingston’s Wi-Drive, which lets you access music, videos, and other files from a handful of devices simultaneously over WiFi — assuming you’ve loaded that content to the portable media server’s 16GB ($130) or 32GB ($175) of built-in storage. The device worked well during our review process earlier this month, and now you can pick up one of your own at sites like Amazon and Newegg, or at Fry’s and J&R US retail outlets. The server is likely to be a better fit for families than individuals simply looking to boost their iOS device storage, due to both price and capacity limitations, but if you need to stream media to several devices at once during your next road trip, for example, then the Wi-Drive may be worth the investment.
Kingston Wi-Drive for iOS hits stores today, lets you create your own portable music server for $130 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
Kingston | Email this | Comments
Consumers were willing to wait hours to be among the first to grab an iPad 2 the day of its release. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
It’s a testament to your brand name and image when a plurality of consumers are willing to buy your product without even trying it… or even seeing it with their own eyes.
A recent survey of close to 3,000 people found that 35 percent were willing to purchase Apple’s next-gen iPhone when it hits the market.
Altogether, 2,852 consumers responded in the Experian PriceGrabber survey. Of respondents, 7 percent said they’d nab the iPhone 5 within its first week on the market, 14 percent wanted to get it within the first month, and 51 percent said they’d buy the iPhone 5 within its first year of release.
“Our survey data confirms the strong following Apple has built around its iPhone, with more than one-third of consumers planning to upgrade to the latest model only a little over a year following the release of the iPhone 4,” said PriceGrabber general manager Graham Jones, in a press release.
Apple has nearly always had a cult following of loyal users, but in recent years, particularly since the release of the first iPhone, that devotion has spread. Not all may consider themselves “fanboys,” though (and in fact, many will vehemently deny it). The company’s media events are heavily anticipated and product releases are swathed in rumor. Almost two million iPhone 4 devices were sold its opening weekend, and when it hit Verizon, sales records broke in a mere two hours. With such a popular brand, and such a successful line of smartphones, it’s not surprising that people can’t wait to get their hands on an iPhone 5 — even if they don’t know what it looks like yet.
So what makes Apple such a desirable phone manufacturer that consumers are willing to bet on it, sight unseen?
One factor: Apple’s well-curated, well-populated App Store presents consumers with a wide variety of quality apps to choose from. Other app stores still just don’t stack up, either suffering from a lack of content, a lack of profit (for developers), the presence of malware, or sudden app removals.
If you’ve got a problem with an Apple product, Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores offer a convenient, reliable way to get help or get a fix. Apple even has an app for its App Store, so you can easily schedule appointments if, for instance, your iPhone’s home button suddenly quits functioning.
If you’re planning on giving a phone as a gift, according to the PriceGrabber survey, you can’t go wrong with Apple: 69 percent of respondents said they would prefer receiving an iPhone 5 as a gift over other upcoming smartphone models such as the Droid Bionic, Galaxy S II, or BlackBerry Curve.
With all this hype and anticipation, I would not be surprised if iPhone 5 sales end up blowing past sales records out of the water.
HBO Go’s the future of TV…and also the past. Here’s one cable-cutting editor’s summer trying out HBO’s mobile service.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
