Aug 17
The latest rumors floating about the next version of Apple’s smartphone say that it will hit the streets on October 7, with preorders to begin September 30.
Originally posted at News – Apple
Aug 17
Dell’s S2330MX Ultra-Slim monitor makes rival LCDs hit the treadmill
Posted in: Displays, LCD, Today's Chili, video
Was it really only a month ago that Dell released the remarkably priced U2421M? The folks at Round Rock are already at it again with another impressive widescreen — the unromantically named (yet impressively thin) S2330MX. Lurking behind the catchy moniker is a 23-inch display (did we mention it’s thin?), LED backlighting and a DVI to HDMI adapter. Let’s face it, the power cables are gonna be thicker than the monitor — it’s very thin, you see. No word on pricing but, you can order one from tomorrow, August 18th. You can see how excited Scott Bates is in the official announcement video below.
[Thanks, George]
Continue reading Dell’s S2330MX Ultra-Slim monitor makes rival LCDs hit the treadmill
Dell’s S2330MX Ultra-Slim monitor makes rival LCDs hit the treadmill originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aug 17
In the timeless masterpiece Armageddon, by auteur Michael Bay, Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck were sent into space to blow up an asteroid headed straight for Earth. Now, in real life, scientists are going to do the same thing. More »
Aug 17
AP, Google offer $20,000 scholarships to aspiring tech journalists, we go back to school
Posted in: Google, money, Today's Chili
Love technology? Love journalism? Well, the AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship program might be right up your alley. The initiative, announced earlier this week, will offer $20,000 scholarships to six graduate or undergraduate students working toward a degree in any field that combines journalism, new media and computer science. Geared toward aspiring journalists pursuing projects that “further the ideals of digital journalism,” the program also aims to encompass a broad swath of students from diverse ethnic, gender, and geographic backgrounds. Applications for the 2012-2013 school year are now open for students who are currently enrolled as college sophomores or higher, with at least one year of full-time coursework remaining. Hit up the source link below to apply, or head past the break for more information, in the full presser.
AP, Google offer $20,000 scholarships to aspiring tech journalists, we go back to school originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
The AP-Google Online News Association (1), (2) | Email this | Comments
Aug 17
TableDrum App Uses Everyday Objects as Drum Triggers
Posted in: iPhone, Music, Software and Operating Systems, Today's ChiliHave you ever been stuck on a train/plane/bus or in a restaurant/classroom/meeting with a finger drummer? Finger drummers are those fidgety idiots who can’t help but tap-tappity-tap away at anything that will make an annoying noise: tabletops, the arms of seats, tupperware lunch boxes, anything. The louder and more obnoxious the better, it seems.
I don’t know whether this new iPhone app — TableDrum — will actually make things better or worse, but if you use it away from other people, it can certainly be fun. The app uses the iPhone’s mic to detect your annoying tappings and then triggers a sample of a proper drum. Thus the table can become a tomtom, a coffee pot can trigger a snare and a saucer can be a cymbal.
Before writing this piece I paired up the sound of my keyboard to trigger the high-hat. It’s pretty cool.
You assign a sound by long pressing the drum you want, and then tapping the real world object a few times. The app is surprisingly good at picking up the right sound, and also controls output volume based on how loud your taps are. Thus a light touch on my coffee pot gives a soft cymbal sound, whereas a good whack with the side of my thumb gives me a loud crash.
The app costs $4 (currently on sale for $1), and you get one drum kit. Further kits can be bought via in-app purchase.
Will you make great music with this app? Nope. Will idiot finger drummers be able to add yet another arrow to their arsenal of annoyances? Hell yes.
TableDrum product page [TableDrum via Oh Gizmo!]
See Also:
- USB Drums
- Drumstick Pencils Could Ruin Your Life
- Mix Stix Make Bad Cooks Even More Annoying
- Hand-Sharpened Pencils, Just $15
Aug 17
Nintendo to release streamlined Wii in the UK, at reduced, holiday season price
Posted in: console, game, nintendo, price, release, Today's Chili, uk, update, wii
It may be a while before we see the Wii U hit the market, but it looks like a refreshed version of its predecessor will be hitting the UK market just in time for the holiday shopping rush. According to the UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine, the refreshed controller will sport a streamlined look and adjusted configuration, designed for horizontal orientation, rather than vertical. It will also be included in a “Family Edition” bundle scheduled for a holiday release, alongside a Wii Remote Plus, Nunchuk console, and editions of Wii Party and Wii Sports. The downside, however, is that the slimmed-down Wii won’t be compatible with GameCube games or controllers, though it will reportedly be sold at a reduced, unspecified price. No word yet on whether Nintendo has a similar update in store for markets outside of the UK, but we’ll let you know as soon as we find out.
Nintendo to release streamlined Wii in the UK, at reduced, holiday season price originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
SlashGear | The Official Nintendo Magazine (UK) | Email this | Comments
Aug 17
Third generation Smart Fortwo ditches Tesla powertrain, gains two wheeled cousin
Posted in: bike, Cars, electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, Today's Chili
Time and tide wait for no man, folks. Nearly nine months after delivering the first electric Fortwos to snuggie-toting yanks, Daimler’s gone and announced its faster and longer-lasting successor. It’s not an entirely new car mind you, rather an extensive under the hood nip and tuck that replaces the Tesla powertrain with a more potent unit sourced from EM-motive. Up 34 horses from the previous model, the 74 horsepower EV now scoots from 0-60 in a “lively” 13 seconds — a vast improvement over the 23.4 second (!) time of its predecessor. It’s got a larger 17.6kWh battery pack too, which increases range a smidge to 87 miles. And this isn’t another EV trial: it’ll be produced in volume and sold (not leased) in 30 countries at an undisclosed price.
Joining the revised city dweller is the matching Smart Ebike. The electrically assisted bicycle gives meat bags a choice of four levels of laziness as it propels them 60 miles between charges. At €2,900 (or around $4,000) it’s no bargain, but you didn’t think transportational color coordination came cheap, did you? Expect more on both come September when they are officially unveiled at IAA Frankfurt, but our friends at Autoblog Green have plenty of pics for your perusal at the source below.
Continue reading Third generation Smart Fortwo ditches Tesla powertrain, gains two wheeled cousin
Third generation Smart Fortwo ditches Tesla powertrain, gains two wheeled cousin originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aug 17
For an internal drive, Samsung’s new 830-series SSDs are pretty hot looking
Samsung’s new 830-series SSDs are blisteringly fast and also offer curiously redundant good looks. The solid state disks don’t speed themselves up with any radically new internals. Instead, they are using the SATA 3 interface to talk to the computer in which they sit, which is itself enough to potentially double the data throughput.
I say potentially, as SATA 3 is essentially just a fatter pipe, offering up to 600 MB/sec (6Gbit/sec) speeds. To actually exploit that bandwidth, the drives themselves will have to pump the data through pretty fast. Still, some SSDs have already saturated SATA 2’s bandwidth, so this is great news.
The sleek brushed finish of these drives is odd, though. The 830-series is designed to work as an internal drive and so you’ll only see it when you open up your computer to swap one in or out. Still, we love this kind of obsessive attention to detail. The drives will be officially launched in October, when we shall find out just how much Samsung wants for its 64, 128, 256 and 512GB boxes.
Samsung SSD 830 Series to Deliver SATA 6Gb/s Speeds to Consumers [Business Wire press release]
See Also:
- LG-Hitachi HyDrive Puts SSD into CD/DVD
- Hacker Replaces MacBook Optical Drive With Speedy SSD
- 2TB SSD Runs Crazy Fast, Burns Desks
Aug 17
NYC to trial mobile payment parking system, Lovely Rita looks for a new gig
Posted in: app, car, mobilepostcross, money, new-york, smartphone, Today's Chili, Transportation
Tired of burning your hard earned cash on parking fines? You might wanna move to New York City, where the Department of Transportation will soon begin testing a “pay by phone” parking system. The mobile payment technology, which has already been introduced in cities like Washington, DC and Atlanta, essentially allows drivers to pay for their parking spots without ever having to interact with those menacing, metallic meters. After registering online, users would be able to pay for curbside real estate by entering the number of the nearest meter and the amount of time they’d like to purchase into a customized app, or by texting it to the city’s Department of Transportation. The system would also alert users whenever their allotted time is about to expire, allowing them to add more money directly from their handsets, rather than trudge back their cars. At this point, the plan is to roll out the pilot program to some 300 parking spots over the next few months, most likely in outer borough neighborhoods with plenty of commercial outlets and, presumably, automobiles.
NYC to trial mobile payment parking system, Lovely Rita looks for a new gig originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink NBC New York | The New York Post | Email this | Comments
Aug 17
BoomCans: Cheap and Cheerful Portable Speakers
Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, speakers, Today's Chili
Hopefully the BoomCan won’t sound as tinny as its name suggests
Portable speakers are awesome. And while I’m not sure if Scosche’s BoomCan is awesome without testing it, it’s not going to cost much to find out: the little pocket-sized speaker is just $25.
The BoomCan has a single 35mm driver, mounted in a cylinder and pointing upwards. It hooks up to any device using a 3.5mm jack, and runs for up to seven hours on its rechargeable li-ion battery. It also has a line-out connection so you can daisy-chain a bunch of speakers together.
I have almost stopped using my proper home-stereo speakers. It’s just too convenient to beam music over Bluetooth the a SuperTooth Disco or a JawBone JamBox, and the sound is good enough. The BoomCan needs a wire, and is unlikely to come anywhere near the sound quality of a $200 speaker, but it’s still rather handy. And one thing is pretty certain: There’s no way on Earth that this could sound worse than the speaker built into the iPad 2.
BoomCan product page [Scosche. Thanks, Mark!]
See Also:
- Bike Mount for Foxl's 'Audiophile' Portable Speaker
- SuperTooth, a Block-Rocking Portable Bluetooth Speaker
- Altec Lansing Orbit: Stripped Down Portable Speaker
- Bass-Bustin', Battery-Powered Speaker Invented by Rocket Scientist …
- Great Balls With Wire: Razer Ferox Notebook Speakers
Who's in charge here?
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.