Hasta La Gadget!

PadFone. Well, as silly as it sounds, the name sure speaks for itself. Unearthed by our friends over at Pocketnow, this USPTO trademark document was filed by ASUS merely four days ago. Such timing suggests that this could very well be the final name of the company’s eccentric “pad or phone” combo, which is to be unveiled at Computex next week. As expected, no specifics are detailed in this application, but it does mention “electronic pens for computer touch screens” — possibly hinting that the PadFone will be compatible with N-Trig’s DuoSense or similar stylus technology.

Alas, that’s all we have for now until ASUS lifts the curtain on Monday, but let us point you to Notebook Italia’s brilliant mock-up to quench your thirst for the time being — we, too, suspect that the phone would slide onto the back of its companion tablet, hence the bump. That said, do bear in mind that this phone is already proven to be not as tacky looking, but is likely closer to a full-fledged Android handset. Anyhow, check out the artist’s impressions after the break.

Update: Oh hey, remember Windows SideShow? Good times.

Continue reading ASUS ‘PadFone’ to be the final name of the phone-docking tablet?

ASUS ‘PadFone’ to be the final name of the phone-docking tablet? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Eurocopter X3 hybrid sets new speed record of 430km/h, readies for next search and rescue mission

Eurocopter X3 hybrid sets new speed record of 430km/h, readies for next search and rescue mission originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hybrid cars are sleek, efficient, and even occasionally sexy. Cheap they are not, however, though Toyota hopes to stir up the market in 2014, with affordable plug-in models that also boast much-improved mileage ratings. That year’s Prii will ship standard with plug-in, and will quietly conquer at least 90 highway miles per gallon (compared to about 50 mpg for current models), according to Autoblog. The 2014 Prius will also be priced comparably to current non-plug-in models — around $25,000 — assuming Toyota can successfully reduce the cost of batteries and other key components. We can only hope that fuel prices aren’t any higher three years from now, but even if they are, at least you’ll still be able to afford to commute in something larger than a Vespa.

Update: Oops! Toyota responded to this report saying “there is no formal plan to make all Priuses [sic] plug-in by 2014.” Not even a possibility, Autoblog was told. Ah well.

All 2014 Prius hybrids to roll with plug-in and 2011 pricing, Hoitz and Gamble rejoice (update: not true) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 May 2011 19:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like rare earth elements are getting slightly less rare. According to a research note released by Goldman Sachs today, the world’s rare earth supply deficit will probably reach its apex this year, before converting into a surplus by 2013. Goldman’s analysts constructed their projections based on evidence that many Western companies have begun building their own mines, in response to China’s overwhelming market dominance. Today, the People’s Republic produces about 90-percent of the world’s rare earth minerals — a group of 17 elements that are used to manufacture many of the flat screen TVs, hybrids and cellphones we’ve come to know and love. Over the course of the past few years, China has only consolidated its hold on the industry, thanks to economic policies aimed at nationalizing private mines and implementing restrictive export quotas. As a result, global rare earth prices have skyrocketed, forcing mining companies in the US and elsewhere to look inward and harvest their own deposits. The only downside, however, is that even if global supply spills into a surplus within the next two years, prices probably won’t cool down until 2015. But at least the horizon looks brighter than it has in recent months.

Global rare earth supply deficit should turn into a surplus by 2013, Goldman Sachs says originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung has yet to announce a revised release date for its Sliding PC 7 Series tablet / laptop hybrid, but the 2.2-pound netvertible slider is already available for pre-order on Amazon. According to Amazon’s listing, the 7 Series should ship with many of the same specs we noticed at this year’s CES: a 10-inch touchscreen with 1366 x 768-resolution, dual front and rear cameras (1.3 and 3.0 megapixels, respectively), a 32GB SSD, 2GB of RAM and, of course, Intel’s 1.5GHz Atom Oak Trail Z670 processor, which was originally scheduled to launch in March, before being pushed back to May. The slider will also run on Windows 7 Home Premium, and come equipped with 802.11b/g/n WiFi. When it debuted earlier this year, the Series 7 boasted optional 3G and WiMax features, as well as a six-cell battery that claimed to last up to nine hours on a single charge. Amazon doesn’t mention either of these specs in its listing, but everything else checks out with what we’ve already heard. And, at $649, it’s even a little cheaper than we expected.

Update: Looks like you’ll have to wait a bit longer to order your Sammy slider, as the Amazon source link now leads to nowhere. [Thanks, Jake]

Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series now available for $649 Amazon pre-order (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 08:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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