Hasta La Gadget!

What’s that? You had dreams of being the first person in the world with an iPad Mini installed in your 2012 Toyota’s dashboard? Well consider those dreams dashed, as Tampa, Florida’s Soundwaves is way ahead of you. Like, “they already did it” ahead of you. That regular old iPad you’ve got in your car? Boooring.

The folks at Soundwaves had a dashboard setup fabricated ahead of the Mini’s launch this morning, and filmed themselves performing the installation (see for yourself below the break). Beyond having a freakin’ iPad embedded in the dashboard being sweet unto itself, this installation also works in concert with the in-car speakers and a separate music control device. Now all the guys at Soundwaves have to do is install, like, six more iPads in the car and Xzibit will be totally on board.

[Image credit: Soundwaves / Thanks Rob!]

Continue reading Yes, there is already an iPad Mini installed in a car dashboard (video)

Filed under: Displays, Misc, Tablets, Apple

Yes, there is already an iPad Mini installed in a car dashboard (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Facebook, YouTube  | Email this | Comments

China’s supercomputer development is as much driven by national reputation as by military prowess and science; the country chose to build the Sunway BlueLight MPP with domestic chips knowing that it wouldn’t get the absolute performance crown. It won’t be quite so modest the next time around. China’s National University of Defense Technology wants the Tianhe-2 supercomputer due in 2015 to crack an extremely high 100 petaflops, or five times faster than the record-setting Titan over in the US and a whopping 40 times faster than the Tianhe-1A. Before we hand the crown over, though, Top 500 supercomputer chart keeper Jack Dongarra notes to ITworld that China might have to sprint if it wants the symbolic title: the EU, Japan and US are all striving for the same benchmark, and they’re not backing off anytime soon. The nation’s trump card may have to be long-term plans for an exaflop-strength supercomputer by 2018, at which point we suspect the bragging will simmer down. For awhile.

Filed under: Misc, Science

China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer could hit 100 petaflops in 2015, may have a race on its hands originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  ITworld  | Email this | Comments

Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com.

Just in case its dance moves weren’t enough to move buyers, Microsoft’s new slate is popping up in TV shows themselves, like tonight’s episode of NCIS: LA. As seen in the clip, character Eric Beale confidently flips his Windows RT-powered Surface out (and naturally, makes use of its kickstand and Touch Cover — gotta hit all the check boxes) to figure out what’s going on and even multitasks with some simulated videoconferencing. All in all it’s more realistic than when the other Microsoft Surface made a cameo in CSI: Miami (also included after the break), and is probably worth the promo fee by showing a use case enabled thanks to those features — of course, with no cell access built-in, it’s not immediately clear how he got online, but this is TV. So who did it better, tablet-style: this one, the PlayBook on White Collar, Cisco’s ill-fated Cius on NCIS: LA last year or the iPad in Entourage?

[Thanks, Mitchell]

Continue reading Screen Grabs: Microsoft Surface goes to work on NCIS: LA

Filed under: Misc, Microsoft

Screen Grabs: Microsoft Surface goes to work on NCIS: LA originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  YouTube  | Email this | Comments

What happens when you gut a pumpkin and replace its insides with heat-shrink tubing, solder, 128 LEDs, eight AA batteries, an Arduino board and clever programming? You get what self-proclaimed tinkerer Nathan Pryor calls “Pumpktris.” Over the years we’ve seen the classic puzzle game Tetris ported to some amazing things, but a piece of fruit? Just in time for Halloween, this high-tech spin on the jack-o’-lantern features a fully playable Tetris game controlled from the pumpkin’s joystick stem. Whether you’re a hardcore do-it-yourselfer, or a diehard Tetris fan hoping to top the system’s high score (9,800 points), you can build your very own Pumpktris. Of course, its creator estimates it’ll take around 12 hours or longer to build the custom LED matrix and joystem and carve up the gourd of your choice. If you’re up to the challenge, you can find a complete walkthrough of the project at the source link below. However, if you’d just like to see this quasi-organic gaming rig in action, check out the groovy video after the break.

Continue reading Holy Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Tetris ported to a jack-o’-lantern (video)

Filed under: Misc, Gaming

Holy Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Tetris ported to a jack-o’-lantern (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink CNET  |  HaHa Bird  | Email this | Comments

The Duracell Powermat and the Power Matters Alliance are charging forward in their quest to make wireless charging of smartphones all the more ubiquitous, today announcing the appointment of several notable companies to the PMA’s shareholder board: Google, AT&T, and Starbucks. Subsequently, said appointments will result in various initiatives involving the wireless charging standard — select Boston-area Starbucks will get PMA standard-based wireless charging spots, AT&T is selling PMA standard-based charging devices in “select markets,” and … uh … Google is just kinda throwing its support in. Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist (best job title ever?) Vint Cerf already serves as honorary member of the PMA’s board, so perhaps that’s more than enough.

Ah, and of course, if you’re into charging mobile devices wirelessly while getting $2,500 Remy Martin bottle service, Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club is also supporting PMA-based wireless charging spots. Of course. For a full list of spots, check the PR below the break.

Continue reading Boston-area Starbucks testing wireless smartphone charging; Starbucks, Google and AT&T back PMA standard

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Peripherals, Google, AT&T

Boston-area Starbucks testing wireless smartphone charging; Starbucks, Google and AT&T back PMA standard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments