Hasta La Gadget!

Who said there’s no such thing as a second chance? After resurrecting the RAZR brand just last week with Motorola’s newly minted Droid member, Verizon’s now gearing up for a pre-order deluge on the 27th. That’s right, starting tomorrow morning at 8AM EST, Big Red’s dual-core 4G LTE handset’ll ship out to eager subs who plunk down the $299 on contract price before November 10th. If you’re not the early bird type, you’ll have to sit tight a wee bit longer as plans for an in-store launch have yet to be announced. Of course, you could always hold out for that eventual Galaxy Nexus to make its first place carrier debut, or even cross your toes for a Nokia Lumia 800 (one can hope, right?). Whatever your preference, this holiday season’s sure turning out to be a cornucopia of high-end mobile options. Check out the official presser after the break.

Update: Droid Life got a hold of an internal Verizon screen that pegs the Droid RAZR’s off contract price at $650. Still no word on an actual retail date for the device, but we’re sure that’s right around the corner.

Continue reading Droid RAZR pre-orders go live on Verizon tomorrow, ships to Blur fans before November 10th (updated)

Droid RAZR pre-orders go live on Verizon tomorrow, ships to Blur fans before November 10th (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, we hope you weren’t expecting to have PlayBook 2.0 up and running on your BlackBerry tablet any time soon, cause it’s been officially delayed till at least February. Word has come straight from the mouth (well, keyboard) of David Smith, senior vice president for the PlayBook project. In a blog post Smith announced that RIM would be holding back on the release to ensure many of the new features, including native email and enterprise app deployment, work as advertised. The OS update will be getting a decently long beta test, with it rolling out to some in the Early Adopter Program “shortly.” Sadly, it seems that some features have fallen by the wayside with the focus on polish — namely, BBM. Since the messaging service relies on a one-device per-PIN model, getting it on the tablet has proved troublesome. For now users will have to rely on BlackBerry Bridge and their RIM handsets to get their BBM fix. Considering the company’s track record, we wouldn’t be shocked if the OS update slips even further into the future — remember an email client was promised within 60 days of launch… that was back in April.

RIM confirms PlayBook OS 2.0 delayed until February, still no BBM in sight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, Nokia wasn’t only firing its first Windows Phone salvo — there was also a volley of Series 40 handsets, with the Asha family. First up is the dual-SIM capable Nokia 200. The phone itself bears a strong resemblance to the C3-00, with a non-touchable screen and QWERTY keyboard, priced, pre-tax, at €60 (about $85). Nokia promises admirable battery-life and a rainbow of color choices.

Up next is the Nokia 300, pairing a 2.4-inch resistive touchscreen with a numbered keypad, with a long narrow frame very similar to last year’s Nokia C3, but now toting a 1GHz processor, five megapixel shooter and a €85 (about $120) bounty. Meanwhile, €115 (about $160) will net you the Nokia 303, which brings together both touchscreen and QWERTY input and rocks a 3.2 megapixel camera. While Nokia’s first Windows Phones remain the stars of the show, these sub-$200 prices and pre-2012 arrival will tempt residual Series 40 fans still out there. Skip on past the break for a brimful of Asha.

Zach Honig contributed to this post.

Continue reading Nokia Asha 200, Asha 300 and Asha 303 hands-on (video)

Nokia Asha 200, Asha 300 and Asha 303 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This case is made from old truck tire tubes and pool-table felt. I can almost smell the testosterone

Regular readers will know that I’m a sucker for bags and cases of all kinds (the Lady has implemented a one-in-one-out policy at home, meaning I have to dispose of an old bag before buying a new one). I’m also a fan of recycling things, especially inner-tubes. Even so, Karen Booker’s iPhone and iPod Touch sleeve goes one better.

This super-tough and slick-looking sleeve is sewn from old rubber truck tubes, but the coolest part is the lining, made from green baize reclaimed from pool tables.

I have a man-purse (or murse. Or as we say over in Europe, a “bag”) made from old truck tubes and it is tough as boots and ages like leather. So If I wasn’t the kind to go commando with my phone, I’d likely pick up this case. And what in the world could be more manly than truck tires and pool?

Booker’s sleeves cost $22, and are available now from her Etsy store, along with a bunch of other recycled bags and cases.

IPhone and iPod touch Sleeve Sculpted from Recycled Truck Tire [Etsy via Werd]

See Also:

• IT Clips Turn Inner-Tubes into Bungees, Belts
• $91 Worth of Rubber Bands From One Recycled Inner-Tube …
• Rubber Wallets Made From Old Inner-Tubes
• (Almost) 1001 Uses for Old Inner Tubes
• How To: Make an iPod Nano Case from a Bike Inner-tube
• Rubber Bags Made from Bike Inner Tubes

Before reading this post, I recommend you set the scene by listening to the theme from Terminator 2. If you have Spotify, here’s the track. I’ll wait.

Now, watch this:

Researchers in the Sano Lab, at the Nagoya Institute of Technology in Japan, have built a robot that can walk forever without power, sensors or even an electronic brain. It is powered solely by the potential energy acquired by strolling downhill.

Instead of a regular bipedal gait, the robot has two sets of two legs, in inner and outer pairs. It moves forward by falling and then catching itself, powered by gravity.

The researchers hope to make this commercially available in a couple of years as an aid for those who have difficulty walking. I have trouble seeing any further than total robot apocalypse, but I’ve always been cynical.

Then again, I guess it won’t be too hard to escape these malevolent marching hordes — just make sure you run uphill. In fact, it can’t be long before they all end up in the Dead Sea in Israel, which — at 424 meters or 1,391 feet below sea level — is the lowest point on Earth.

Passive Walking Robot Propelled By Its Own Weight [DigInfo TV]

See Also:

• Robots Evolve More Natural Ways of Walking
• Adorable Walking Robot Sets Distance Record
• Creepy Dog Robot Planned for the US Military