Hasta La Gadget!

You’ve got to hand it to Tokyo’s University of Electro-Communications, the school’s researchers have presented some truly unique methods for interfacing with our electronics — fake finger sliding, a head-mounted video display, a thing that makes it feel like you’ve got insects on your palm, and, of course, the old kissing machine. A few recent inventions have expanded the latter trend, giving us creative new ways of getting intimate with our machines. There’s the tickle interface, for one, which beams images from a connected smartphone creating the illusion that the person on the other end is tickling your palm — made all the more real by tactile vibration hooked up to the rear of the device. And then there’s the older, oddly-named Sense-Roid, sort of a clunkier version of the Hug Shirt, which, among other things, lets you “hug yourself.” Both are demonstrated in a pair of videos after the break. Whatever you do, don’t miss the second one.

Continue reading Tokyo school takes Facebook Poking to a creepy new level (video)

Tokyo school takes Facebook Poking to a creepy new level (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re the kind of person who’s always listening to music and wouldn’t be caught dead headphone-less, pause that song for a quick second and check out Seamless. This lightweight app links your iPhone‘s Music player to iTunes on your Mac in a pretty clever — not to mention Cupertino-esque — fashion. The whole crux of it is the “transition,” which simultaneously fades out a song on one end while bringing it to full blast on the other. All it takes to get started is a quick $1.99 download for your i-device and free Mac-centric companion app. Does it work as advertised, or is it really just a gimmick? Head past the break for a quick rundown of just how seamless this utility really is.

Continue reading App review: Seamless for iOS and Mac (video)

App review: Seamless for iOS and Mac (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Can’t say we’re surprised by this, but turns out Verizon’s decided to delay the launch of its Samsung Droid Charge — originally scheduled for today — at the very last minute. According to an internal email we obtained, the blame’s on “unexpected delays” and no new date has yet been set. This makes sense, considering it wouldn’t do Verizon much good to launch a new 4G Android when its LTE service is still down (for over 24 hours and still counting). Ah well, this 4.3-incher better be worth the wait.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Update: We’re hearing reports that LTE is gradually being restored across the states, and our own Myriam Joire also sees 4G connection in San Francisco. That said, at this stage it’s unlikely that the Droid Charge will resume launch today.

Update 2: Apparently the folks at Target aren’t picking up what Verizon’s putting down, as a tipster has told us it’s releasing the Charge today as planned. Picture’s after the break.

Continue reading Verizon freezes Droid Charge launch indefinitely, blaming ‘unexpected delays’ (update)

Verizon freezes Droid Charge launch indefinitely, blaming ‘unexpected delays’ (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 04:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone: in the latest chapter of the Apple-Samsung dispute over their smartphones’ resemblance, the latter company has just retaliated by filing lawsuits against Apple in three countries. Sammy’s load of ammo includes five patent infringements in South Korea, two in Japan, and three in Germany, though we’ve yet to hear more details about these claims. Now we just sit back and enjoy the show — popcorn, anyone?

[Thanks, Jake L.]

Update: Reuters has shed some light on the actual patents Samsung is alleging are being infringed. The news organization reports they relate to “power reduction during data transmission, 3G technology for reducing errors during data transmission, and wireless data communication technology.”

Samsung strikes back at Apple with ten patent infringement claims originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already knew the dual-core Sensation 4G will be showing up in the states “beginning this summer,” though HTC and T-Mobile have been mum on an actual date — or so we thought. If you look up said phone on Google, you should see a cheeky Adwords ad mentioning a “6/8” date in the link. But wait, there’s more: TmoNews also spotted the same date stamped on the Sensation 4G product shot from last week, which we’ve embedded after the break for your convenience. Of course, anything could change between now and June, but this preliminary date is certainly a good sign for all HTC Gingerbread anticipators — or, you know, you could just get the leaked ROM right now.

Continue reading HTC Sensation 4G launching on June 8th, because Google AdWords says so

HTC Sensation 4G launching on June 8th, because Google AdWords says so originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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