Hasta La Gadget!

With the onset of MiFis, smartphone hotspots and other methods of tethering your computer to the ‘net, USB modems aren’t exactly the most popular devices on the block anymore. It doesn’t mean they’re not desirable to business folk, however, so most carriers keep at least one or two in their lineup. AT&T just introduced the Beam, its latest dongle from Sierra Wireless, which offers the usual LTE domestically (700/AWS) along with tri-band HSPA+ (850/1900/2100) and quad-band GSM / EDGE.

The key feature here is its built-in 96×64 black-and-white LCD panel, which displays signal strength, data usage and other stats. Finally, it offers mobile hotspot capability, GPS and microSD card support (up to 32GB), and will work on Win 8 / RT laptops and tablets. Dimension-wise, it weighs 1.91 ounces and measures a stout 1.97 x 2.58 x 0.46 inches (50 x 65.5 x 11.7mm). If that fits your purposes, the Beam can be all yours starting May 10th for $20 and a two-year commitment.

Filed under: Peripherals, Wireless, Mobile, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

There are two ways that you can go about building a blowup space capsule. One is to construct an enclosure that self-destructs at a moment’s notice to disappear any evidence of the night before. The other is to build an inflatable bounce house-like contraption. NASA has decided on the latter. Yep, the space agency has just inked a $17.8 million contract with a Las Vegas firm known as Bigelow Aerospace, which has been given the task to build an inflatable capsule that’ll serve as a bonus room for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Known as the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module — or BEAM, if you’re looking to get somewhere in a hurry — the enclosure will measure 4 meters long and 3 meters wide, and will be transported to the ISS in a deflated state via the SpaceX Dragon capsule in 2015. Once attached to the aft port of the Tranquility node, astronauts will monitor the BEAM for two years to study conditions such as temperature and radiation levels.

As you’d hope, much of Bigelow’s efforts are dedicated to ensuring the safety of the BEAM’s occupants. To that end, it’s currently developing a Kevlar-like shielding that’s resistant to high-speed impacts from space debris and micrometeoroids. The hope is to prove the inflatable structure’s suitability for use in space tourism and research. Once the test period is complete, the BEAM will be jettisoned from the ISS, at which point it’ll burn up upon reentry into the atmosphere. For a peek at the installation process, be sure to hit up the source link.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Via: New Scientist

Source: NASA

Another prototype from DoCoMo aimed at Nihon‘s commuters, the i beam concept tablet forgoes any touch at all, allowing the user (once they’re at the specified ‘sweet spot’) to navigate around apps and screens using your eyes. Two sensors along the bottom edge of the tablet track both of your eyes and after a slightly laborious configuration setup, we were able to tour around the prototype slabs features without laying a finger on it. The navigational dot was a little erratic, but we’ll put that down to prototype nerves. The tablet was otherwise able to follow our eye-line and fulfill what we wanted it to do.

Returning to the home screen by targeting the kill box in the top right corner proved to be the most difficult thing — we soon resorted to tapping at the screen for that. DoCoMo showcased an eye-controlled game, alongside picture galleries, a web browser and a reader app. The e-book client seemed to be the most heavily involved, with the ability to look up words with a hard-stare, and flip pages by eyeing the two lower corners. The Japanese carrier isn’t planning a consumer launch any time soon — and the hardware comes with a pretty pronounced chin at the moment, but if you like staring at someone staring at a tablet, our eyes-on is after the break.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo’s i beam tablet prototype is driven by your eyes (video)

Filed under: Tablets, Alt

NTT DoCoMo’s i beam tablet prototype is driven by your eyes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you found yourself on the wrong network for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Stellar smartphone, consider this: The Galaxy Victory. This little slab was leaked to Android Central recently, sporting similar specs to Verizon’s upcoming budget device. Like its cousin, the Victory appears to have a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a TouchWiz flavored serving of Ice Cream Sandwich and a 4-inch 800 x 480 display — but it sets itself apart with a five-megapixel rear facing camera and quad-band GSM support. The handset also plays nice with Samsung’s TecTiles accessory, as well as Google Wallet, Beam and other NFC standards. An internal employee promotion from Sprint pegs the device for a September release, but makes no mention of price or specific availability.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE surfaces for Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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