Jul 19
Eight hilarious, disturbing, and even useful iPad apps designed specifically for feline friends, and a few for their owners.
Jul 19
Toyota clarified that its electric Rav4 small SUV would go on sale to the public in 2012.
Originally posted at The Car Tech blog
Jul 19
Fluffy clouds! Wispy clouds! Sunset clouds! Xtreme clouds! The 143 photographers who entered this week’s Shooting Challenge have all your basic and custom cloud needs covered. More »
Jul 19
iRiver Story HD review
Posted in: e ink, e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Google, review, Today's Chili
When it was unveiled back in January, the Story HD, iRiver’s first entry into the US e-reader market, boasted all manner of exciting technologies, including an “HD” display and a souped-up (in e-reader terms) processor. Things have changed in the past six months, thanks in part to new Nook and Kobo devices. The other week, however, iRiver pulled out a pre-release surprise that turned plenty of heads: a partnership with Google Books. Are these features enough to make the company competitive in an already crowded market dominated by the Kindle? Find out the answer to all that and more in the review below.
Gallery: iRiver Story HD review
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iRiver Story HD review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 19
Cisco announces today its Linksys WES610N Wireless-N Dual-Band Entertainment Bridge that can extend an existing wireless network to up to four Ethernet-ready devices.
Jul 19
Toshiba Tablet Stumbles Out of the Gate
Posted in: honeycomb, problem, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili, Toshiba
While the device worked during Wired.com’s testing period without issue, numerous customers have experienced problems with Toshiba’s new Thrive tablet. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com
Toshiba confirmed on Tuesday malfunctions with its newly released Android tablet, promising a fix to come soon.
In a series of message board complaints on Monday, customers reported problems waking the tablet from its sleep mode. Instead of normally pressing the power button on the side of the device to turn on the screen, a number of users needed to do hard reboot — or a complete restart of the system software — in order to use the tablet. The complaints from forum members were first reported by Engadget.
“Toshiba is aware a limited number of Thrive Tablet users are experiencing Resume issues when in Sleep mode,” the company declared in a statement issued to Wired.com. ” We are aggressively working to implement a fix that resolves this issue and will push an update as soon as possible.”
It’s rough news for Toshiba, as its new tablet product launches in a market packed with Android slate offerings. Beginning in February with the Motorola Xoom, close to a dozen new Android-powered tablets have been released in 2011. Most attacks on Android’s tablet-optimized version, Honeycomb, focus on a “not quite finished” quality of the software. Toshiba’s issues right out of the gate only exacerbate the beta-like feel of Honeycomb, which may bar customers from picking up a Thrive.
A number of Thrive owners posted their efforts in figuring out a workaround solution to the problem, with varied success. Some fixes included removing the battery and plugging the device into an A/C charger, tweaking the screen power setting so that it won’t turn off (a horrible battery drain), and other more complicated workarounds.
But as one forum user states, “for the average consumer, that is a lot of hoop jumping for something that should just work.”
During Wired.com’s period of testing of the Thrive tablet, we did not observe any issues with sleep mode.
Toshiba also plans to issue a software update to the tablet with system enhancements, most likely in an effort to distract from the negative attention.
“Toshiba will push an update to enhance the multi-tasking capabilities of the device within the next 48 hours,” the company said in a statement. “As a general practice, Toshiba recommends users download the latest system updates.”
Toshiba has yet to give an ETA on a fix for the Thrive’s sleep issues, but customers should expect an over-the-air update soon.
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Jul 19
Sony’s latest tablet teaser plunges deeper into the rabbit hole, still tells us nothing
Posted in: ad, Android, commercial, honeycomb, sony, tablet, teaser, Today's Chili, video
Ready for yet another S1 / S2 teaser video that tells you more about the marketing team’s potential extra-curricular indulgences and absolutely nothing new about the tablets? Well, drop those tabs and strap in for some doll-voiced la la la’s as Sony leads us even deeper into the late-night realm of desktop toys and the tablets they love. Shots of the stylish slates displaying video and gaming functionality are all but hidden in a “filled with fun” maze of booby-trap triggered contraptions. It’s a romp through the sort of endearing Tim Burton-esque, high-art nightmare Sony’s dabbled in for past Playstation campaigns — so we’re not too surprised. Hit the break to hitch a ride on this video wonderland.
Sony’s latest tablet teaser plunges deeper into the rabbit hole, still tells us nothing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jul 19
Anthony David Adams joins us on today’s episode in hopes that one of our listeners has the next object that will allow him to trade his way into space. He started with a toy spaceship and five trades later, he already has a ticket for a One Zero G Space Flight, so hit him up if you want to make him an offer.
While he’s trading his way up, Anthony’s also looking to build space exploration kits replete with Space HD Video Exploration Modules for at least 100 school districts, so sign up your local school at the Students in Space Project Web site. If you’d like to donate to the SpaceKits Project, PayPal donations are accepted at donate@onetoyspaceship.com.
On top of all that, Anthony brings our listeners a chance to win a free Nook and a watch from Nooka, the company designing the packaging for the Students in Space kits! The contest is simple:
- Like OneToySpaceship.com
- Leave a comment on this blog post that answers this question: I want to go to outer space because________ and I am willing to trade ____________.
- Send out a tweet linking to the contest, and that’s it!
Thanks again to Anthony for coming in today, and be sure to listen to the full episode to hear how he got started with the space project, why it’s necessary to make redundant backups of our intergalactic hard drive, and how he plans to be the first member of the Parsec High Club.
Episode 863
Ep. 863: Where we’re broadcasting live from outer space
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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast
Jul 19
Samsung camera patent application adds simulated depth-of-field to point-and-clicks
Posted in: camera, patent, patent application, PatentApplication, photography, Photos, point and shoot, PointAndShoot, samsung, Today's Chili 
High-end DSLRs are pricey and a tad complicated for the everyday user, but that doesn’t stop most folks from wanting to take professional-looking shots of their own. Enter Samsung with a patent application that could add simulated depth-of-field discernment to your average point-and-click and smartphone camera. According to the filing, a dual-lens setup — similar to the 3D cameras we’ve seen hit the market — delegates full-resolution image capture to a primary lens, while its secondary partner calculates object distances. The data is then merged with the initial image “to create a depth map” with simulated blur, saving you from tedious Photoshop drudgery. No word on whether this neat trick will make its way to consumers’ hands — but with 3D still the reigning buzz, we’d upgrade that possibility to a very likely.
Samsung camera patent application adds simulated depth-of-field to point-and-clicks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 13:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jul 19
For a while, leaving your cell unattended seemed like the biggest threat to phone security. But this recent business is a reminder that there are savvier ways someone can violate your phone—without even touching it. More »
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