Jan 12

AT&T ‘evaluating’ support for iOS Personal Hotspot, no plans yet

Posted in: Apple, att, iPhone, mobile hotspot, MobileHotspot, Today's Chili

Although you’d think AT&T would be all over the Verizon iPhone‘s new personal hotspot feature if only just to keep feature parity with its biggest competitor, the carrier is taking a more measured approach — an AT&T spokesperson just told us that they’re “evaluating the feature, but have no plans to announce at this time.” Given that the iOS 4.3 beta just brought hotspot support to the GSM iPhone, we’re guessing that the holdup is more tactical than technical — Verizon still hasn’t announced its iPhone data plan pricing or hotspot tax, and we’re assuming AT&T’s just waiting for some numbers before announcing support sometime around, say, February 10th. We’ll see.

P.S.- We’re also thinking it would be sweet it AT&T supported WiFi hotspot with 3G iPad and its contract-free data plans, but we’re just wishing one wish at a time here.

AT&T ‘evaluating’ support for iOS Personal Hotspot, no plans yet originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 12

Video: Futuristic EN-V Car Runs on Electricity, Drives Itself

Posted in: R&D and Inventions, Today's Chili, videos

          

The future of auto isn’t flying cars. It’s puny, slow, electric-powered pods that can drive themselves.

That’s what General Motors thinks, at least. The EN-V (pronounced “envy” and short for Electric Network Vehicle) line of cars is GM’s concept vehicle that’s energized by electricity and hydrogen. It has a maximum speed of 25 mph, and it’s controlled with a touchscreen steering wheel and wireless technologies.

CES 2011GM predicts that in roughly 20 years, 80 percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas, which means congestion, parking and environmental issues will become major problems.

So, future drivers might consider the EN-V. Each EN-V vehicle measures about one-sixth the size of a traditional car; it’s powered by a battery so you won’t be polluting with gas. The pod is also equipped with a wireless antenna and GPS sensors communicating with a network to enable autonomous driving.

Tap a button and the EN-V will use its geoawareness to automatically park in a spot. Six of these EN-Vs can squeeze into one parking space.

Or if you’re feeling especially lazy (or drunk), you can also choose to automatically follow another EN-V — the sensors ensure you move in the same direction and constantly retain a safe distance from the EN-V in front of you.

The steering-wheel touchscreen even includes a videophone to chat with other EN-V drivers, since you don’t have to pay attention to the road when the car is driving itself.

“We call it virtual ballet,” said Dr. Chris Borroni-Bird, program director for GM’s AUTOnomy group. “Clearly you can see benefits for this in terms of your daily life and saving energy.”

While it’s difficult to imagine an EN-V in your neighborhood in the near future, these cars will likely be very affordable thanks to their small body size and light weight, Borroni-Bird said.

You won’t want one of these, however, in a city with lots of hills like San Francisco: The EN-V is a self-balancing vehicle, and company officials told me it’s not good at handling steep inclines just yet.

Check out the video above for a driving demonstration of the EN-V in a Las Vegas parking lot at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show.


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Jan 12

Sony to announce PSP2 at January 27th Tokyo meeting?

Posted in: playstation, psp, rumor, rumors, sony, Today's Chili

Sony has a January 27th meeting in Tokyo to discuss “business [overview] and strategy.” That much is true (and confirmed by Joystiq to Sony). What we don’t know is whether MCV and VG247’s sources are worth their weight in Lucida Grande. Both sites claim to have heard this meeting will be the launch platform for the PSP2. (VG247, for its part, has previously published pictures of an apparent PSP2 dev kit.) No major trade show debut, just a Tokyo meeting of unknown spectacle… then again, 3DS’ unveil was a random press release, so stranger things have happened. We’d wager on another PlayStation Phone non-confirmation at the very least, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Sony to announce PSP2 at January 27th Tokyo meeting? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 12

New metallic glass promises super strength

Posted in: Today's Chili

Researchers led by Caltech come up with a substance they say is stronger and tougher than any other material. Sadly, it probably won’t show up in cell phones.

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Jan 12

Sprint drops Galaxy Tab down to $300, undercuts everyone but US Cellular

Posted in: Android, GalaxyTab, Google, price, samsung, Sprint, tablet, Today's Chili

What now, Verizon? Just a few days after Big Red lowered the price of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab to $500 off-contract, Sprint’s version has shed $100 — which means you can now score it for $300 on a two-year deal. As long as you’re willing to put your name on the dotted line, that now means that Sprint can put you into a Tab for less money than anyone but regional carrier US Cellular, which offers it for a bargain-basement $200. Interestingly, Sprint’s shift comes on the heels of an LTE-tweaked version of the Tab for Verizon with a faster processor and better camera, suggesting that a WiMAX model could definitely be in the works these guys — which might be what this “industry first” event is all about early next month. Pure speculation on our part, but it’d make some sense.

Update: US Cellular wrote in to let us know that the $200 promotion on its version of the Tab has actually expired — now, you get two for the price of one at $399 after a $100 mail-in rebate. In other words, if you just want a single Tab, Sprint’s the best deal in town right now.

Sprint drops Galaxy Tab down to $300, undercuts everyone but US Cellular originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 12

The latest on the Nintendo 3DS

Posted in: Today's Chili

With CES 2011 in the books, we’ve got some new information on the 3DS to share.

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Jan 12

Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said

Posted in: awesome, robot, Today's Chili, video

Yes, this is definitely a post (and video!) about a hand-built, robotic head of author Philip K. Dick, who died in 1982, leaving the world a trove of literature which could be turned into films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly. Sadly, he did not leave a robotic head of himself. It may surprise you to find out that this is actually not even the first robotic head of Philip K. Dick, it’s apparently the second. This newly-built robo-PKD is meant to replace one that was famously lost in 2006, and was built by Hanson Robotics and Dutch public broadcasters VPRO. The video after the break is creepy and amazing, but it’s nothing compared to the VALIS Trilogy.

Continue reading Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said

Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 12

Case-Mate Announces Verizon iPhone Accessories

Posted in: case, iPhone, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, verizon

Verizon_iPhone_Case-Mate3.jpg
It’s been a little over 24 hours since Verizon announced it will be selling the iPhone 4 in February, and the accessories manufacturers are already jumping at the chance to sell their iPhone cases to new Verizon iPhone customers. Just how different will the AT&T iPhone case be from a Verizon iPhone case? That’s yet to be determined. That being said, Case-Mate has announced its line of Verizon iPhone accessories.

Its new line of cases will vary in a range of colors, textures, and materials. They’re not available for sale just yet, but you can sign up to get e-mail updates and arrival notifications when they are.

Some of the cases look familiar, like the Vroom, and the Gelli, but there are many new designs that are sure to tickle your fancy. Personally, I like the Waddler and the Monsta.

You can see the complete list of products after the jump

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Jan 12

ThinkPad X220t images surface, look exactly as you’d imagine

Posted in: laptop, leak, lenovo, slate, tablet, thinkpad, Today's Chili
Are you a rabid ThinkPad fan? Does the sight of black plastic and a red nub in the center of the keyboard drive you into a frenzied gadget lust? You’ve seen the X201 (and even its sad, Atom-powered KIRF) so how about a peek at its presumed followup? According to 51nb.com, the self-described “gate to the professional notebook users,” the ThinkPad X220t rocks a DisplayPort interface, VGA port, two USB 2.0 ports (although they could be upgraded to USB 3.0 as this thing gets ready for prime time), an SD card reader, capacitive touchscreen and stylus. And like its predecessor, it will flip ’round into slate mode. You know, for when you’re in that sort of a mood. But pictures speak louder than words — even pictures that have had the background cut out and rendered drop shadows thrown in for good measure. See for yourself after the break.

Continue reading ThinkPad X220t images surface, look exactly as you’d imagine

ThinkPad X220t images surface, look exactly as you’d imagine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jan 12

The US+U Swivel Pro iPad Case Fits Your Palm

Posted in: case, ipad, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili

US+U Swivel Pro

Remember the Colorware Grip for iPad, that case that’s pretty much a shell for your iPad with a handle on one side for easy transport? Well, the US+U Swivel Pro is an iPad case that takes the concept to the next level. 
Instead of giving you a handle, you have a full grip on the back that you slide your hand into and hold the iPad in one place. If you need to switch from portrait to landscape mode, you don’t need to change your handhold, simply rotate the iPad to the orientation you prefer and your hand stays put, thanks to the swivel grip on the back. 
The case also features a kickstand with variable height so you can work or watch videos on your iPad, along with openings for your power and volume buttons and dock connector. 
The US+U is made of synthetic leather and the inside is micro-suede so it won’t damage your device. Best of all, 3% of the purchase price of the US+U Swivel Pro goes to one of five charities that you can choose from when you make the purchase. It is available now for $69.99 list price.
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