Hasta La Gadget!

If you were given the choice, would you prefer a smartphone with a physical QWERTY keyboard, or would you prefer one that came with a full touchscreen instead? Well if you have chosen the former, it seems that Sprint might be your carrier of choice as the company has recently announced the LG Mach. The phone will be released this fall and is expected to be compatible with the carrier’s 4G LTE network.

According to David Owens, Vice President of Product at Sprint, “People actually like the comfort of a physical keyboard and say there are fewer errors. They want a two-handed device.” The LG Mach will feature a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 4” display and will come with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich preinstalled. No word on whether it will be bumped up to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean but for the physical keyboard lover, you can expect to fork out $100 for the LG Mach together with a new two-year contract.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: LG Optimus G headed for AT&T and Sprint with different cameras, LG Cayenne LS860 spotted in the wild again,

Toyota has been forced to recall a whopping 7.43m cars worldwide over fears that a dodgy power window switch could pose a fire risk, the latest in a series of embarrassing safety stumbles for the Japanese firm. The problem, which affects a span of Toyota vehicles from the cheapest through to some of the company’s most expensive models, is down to unevenly applied grease to the driver’s side electric window control which, the car company warns, could lead to excess heat, melting or smoking of components, and even an impromptu armrest fire.

In the US, approximately 2.5m vehicles will be affected, including the Yaris, RAV4, Camry and Camry Hybrid, Highlander, and Corolla. All of the impacted cars date between the 2007 and 2009 model years, with the issue being inconsistently applied lubricant to the inside of the switch that could become carbonized and stop doing its essential lubrication work.

“The driver’s side PWMS may experience a “notchy” or sticky feel during operation. If commercially available lubricants are applied to the switch in an attempt to address the “notchy” or sticky feel, melting of the switch assembly or smoke could occur and lead to a fire under some circumstances.

The “notchy” or sticky feel may be caused by an uneven application of the grease during the switch assembly process at the supplier. If the grease is not applied evenly, frequent use of the switch and normal operation may cause the grease to become carbonized and may eventually result in the deterioration of its lubricating properties” Toyota

Outside of the US, there will be roughly 1.4m recalls each in Europe and China, while Toyota says around 650,000 will be affected in Australia. 500,000 cars in the Middle East and 450,000 in Japan will require attention as well.

No accidents or deaths have occurred from the fault, Toyota insists, and it can be addressed with the reapplication of a different grease. Earlier this year, Toyota was forced to recall 778,000 cars after a risk of suspension collapse was discovered, while several hundred thousand cars – including models from Toyota’s premium Lexus marque – have been recalled for stuck accelerator risk.

Those who believe their Toyota may be affected can check their VIN number at the company’s recalls site to see the status. Toyota says it will be contacting owners in late October if their cars are impacted, with the repair to be completed free of charge and in a process taking roughly an hour.

7.43 million Toyota recalls over flaming switch fears is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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As we get closer to Windows 8’s October 26th launch, expect the floodgates to open on a barrage of tidbits, insider peeks and revelations. One such early arrival is these four clips, lasting just under a minute, that demonstrate some of the new features that’ll soon arrive on your computer, tablet or hybrid. We’ve included them for you after the break, but be warned — there’s no Alex Clare blasting in the background like those catchy Internet Explorer ads, so we’ll just have to sing it ourselves. On three… “and it feels. like. I. am. just. too. close. to. love. you…”

Update: Looks like all four videos have been pulled. Good thing you only have to wait two weeks or so to view them through more official channels.

Continue reading Four Microsoft Windows 8 demo videos sneak online (update: pulled)

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Microsoft

Four Microsoft Windows 8 demo videos sneak online (update: pulled) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’ll be another two weeks before Windows 8 PCs go on sale, but if you like, you can pick out your gesture-enabled peripherals now. Logitech just announced two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized to support gestures in Windows 8. Starting with the mice, the Touch Mouse T620 has the same design as the M600 announced earlier this year, except it supports Win 8 gestures out of the box. (The M600 will get a software update allowing it to work the same way.) Similar to its predecessor, the T620’s entire top surface is touch-enabled, which means you can do things like swipe the right side for the Charm Bar, or swipe from the left to rotate through open programs. You can also double tap with one finger to return to the Start Screen, and double tap with two fingers to show the desktop.

Moving on, the Zone Touch Mouse T400 has a touch strip that you can use to move up and down through pages, as well as scroll through the live tiles on the Start Screen. In a brilliant twist, though, the touch strip itself is comprised of two buttons, which you can use to toggle open apps or bring up the Start Screen, depending on which end you press. Finally, the Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 is a Magic Trackpad-style touchpad with a spacious glass surface, which seemed impeccably responsive during our brief hands-on with it. Unlike the two mice, which run on AAs, the T650 has a rechargeable battery, which you can re-juice over USB.

All of these accessories use proprietary 2.4GHz wireless technology instead of Bluetooth, which means you’ll need a free USB port to accommodate the accompanying transceiver. The dongle can pair with up to six Logitech peripherals at once, but that’s a bummer if you also happen to own gear made by a Microsoft or HP. As you might have guessed, these are compatible with Windows PCs only, though you could use them with Win 7 if you so chose. Look for all three this month, with the Touchpad T650 priced $80, the Touch Mouse at $70 and the T400 at $50.

Continue reading Logitech outs two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized for Windows 8

Filed under: Peripherals

Logitech outs two wireless mice and an external trackpad, all optimized for Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sling Media has recently unveiled the new Slingbox 500 that delivers live streaming of your favorite TV shows, sport events, recorded programs and premium contents in Full 1080p HD-quality to smartphones, tablets, laptops and connected devices. This media streamer also features built-in Wi-Fi, integrated IR emitters for controlling a set-top box, HDMI, component and composite. The Slingbox 500 will go on sale in the U.S. on Sunday, October 14, 2012 for $299.99. [Sling Media]