Treo Pro up and vanishes from Palm website

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/treo-pro-up-and-vanishes-from-palm-website/

Well, this was probably bound to happen someday, but we still can't not sniffle a bit... the Treo Pro seems to have disappeared from Palm.com. The site has of course been mainly trafficking Palm's webOS devices -- the Pre and Pixi -- as of late, but until very recently, it still listed its last non-webOS device, the Window Mobile Treo Pro, a much older phone first outed in August of 2008. If you're hell bent, of course, there are still plenty of places to get one of these bad boys, so we're not going to sound the death knell yet -- but it will be missed.

Filed under: Cellphones

Treo Pro up and vanishes from Palm website originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nanosys and LG Innotek agree deal for newfangled LED-backlit displays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/nanosys-and-lg-innotek-agree-deal-for-newfangled-led-backlit-dis/

For the nitty gritty of how Nanosys' proprietary LED backlighting technology works, check out our earlier coverage here -- what you really need to know is that the company promises a significantly wider color gamut from its displays, while reducing power consumption by up to 50 percent. Quantum dot LEDs have shown their faces before, but now there's the big hulking heft of LG Innotek -- LG's component manufacturing arm -- behind what Nanosys is offering, which indicates we might actually see the release of nanotech-infused displays within the first half of this year as promised. The early focus appears to be on mobile phones, which gives us yet another next-gen feature to add to our list of requirements for our next phone. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading Nanosys and LG Innotek agree deal for newfangled LED-backlit displays

Nanosys and LG Innotek agree deal for newfangled LED-backlit displays originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/lg-expo-mobile-projector-hands-on/

As Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets go, LG's eXpo on AT&T is very near the cream of the crop -- it's got Snapdragon and a biometric scanner, after all -- but we all know that the spec sheet doesn't tell the whole story with this one. Really, people care about this phone because of the trick $179 pico projector that you can optionally bolt underneath. Besides being insanely cool, the concept makes sense considering the eXpo's target demographic -- business users probably want to be able to share documents and PowerPoints on the go, right?

Gallery: LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on

Continue reading LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on

LG eXpo Mobile Projector hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Philips Second Gen LivingColors Make Paint Twice as Obsolete [Lighting]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/wMVyp1hrGFg/philips-second-gen-livingcolors-make-paint-twice-as-obsolete

We found the original Philips LivingColors lamp to be pretty astounding with its multi-million-color glow. Now the lamp gets an impressive v2 makeover.

The latest LivingColors lamp produces 16 million colors through a combination of 7 LEDs—an overall quality of light that's 50% brighter than version one.

And while the intuitive remote and bulbous shape remain mostly unchanged, you'll now have the option to purchase an opaque version (which we're guessing produces a more directional light flow) along with a more typical metal base stand. Look for the update in Europe soon, with models ranging from about $230-$350. [geekandhype via Unplggd]

Tesla pulls in $465 million government loan to build Model S electric sedan

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/tesla-pulls-in-465-million-government-loan-to-build-model-s-ele/

The Detroit News is reporting that Tesla has closed on a $465 million low-cost loans from the Energy Department to work on its next electric vehicle, the Model S sedan.The funds will apparently be used by the company to build manufacturing plants in California. The loan, which closed on Monday and was approved back in June, will come from the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program, which has about $25 billion to dole out to automakers manufacturing energy efficient vehicles. The Model S will, when complete, boast an up to 300-mile driving range, and will hit up to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. It's supposed to hit production in 2012 with an output of 20,000 units (that means cars) per year.

Tesla pulls in $465 million government loan to build Model S electric sedan originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Skype 2.1 Beta 2 Puts Screen Sharing in Linux [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Dnf_6xV8Sic/skype-21-beta-2-puts-screen-sharing-in-linux

Linux: Skype doesn't update its Linux beta too often, but good things arrive when it does. This go-round, screen sharing gets added to the mix, interfaces can be styled, and a lot of annoyances were chopped down.

Image by Kabatology.

If you were irked about being unable to quote IM sections from Skype conversations, that got fixed in Skype 2.1 Beta 2. If you're amazed at how irksome connecting Skype through PulseAudio, the default audio engine in Ubuntu and a few other distributions—you're not getting much help here. With that out of the way, your Linux-friendly editor will point out the big list of improvements and fixes in this release.

Skype for Linux 2.1 Beta 2 is a free download for Linux systems only. If you've discovered a few smart Skype fixes on your Linux system, or want to see something else fixed up, tell us about it in the comments.

Skype Download for Linux [via Kabatology]

Browse Flickr Photos Full Screen Sans Add-Ons [Flickr]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/P0GxGnT5YAk/browse-flickr-photos-full-screen-sans-add+ons

You'll find no shortage of browser add-ons for the popular photo-sharing service Flickr, many of them focused on making the site more immersive. You can browse images in full screen with a simple hack however, no add-on necessary.

Matt Haughey was never really happy with the interface at Flickr, it always seemed like he could never get the images as big as he wanted without excess fiddling and fighting with the interface. He increased the default image size but that wasn't enough. His solution relies on a clever mouse-less version of the slideshow:

1. From whatever page you access contact photos, a user's photostream, and/or a photoset, click on the slideshow link

2. As soon as the slideshow loads, hit the pause button on the lower left

3. Use your keyboard's left/right keys to navigate through the set of photos at full screen. If your mouse pointer isn't in the very top or very bottom of the browser, all slideshow chrome will fade in a couple seconds leaving you with giant photos on a clean crisp full browser display

We tested it out—see the screenshot above—and it is a quick and painless way to enjoy completely full screen images sans any visual clutter or downloading add-ons.

Have your own clever hacks for getting more out of services without resorting to using add-ons and Greasemonkey scripts as bandages? Let's hear about it in the comments.

How to Enjoy Bigger Photos on Flickr [AWholeLottaNothing]

The Apple Tablet: 'A First-Generation iPhone That's Met Its Match With a Rolling Pin' [Rumor]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mxuwU7DlTw8/the-apple-tablet-a-first+generation-iphone-thats-met-its-match-with-a-rolling-pin

According to AppleInsider's sources, this flickr image is the closest mockup of the Apple Tablet that anyone has seen to date. And yes, it's essentially a big, first-gen iPhone that's "met its match with a rolling pin."

Rather than a plastic back, AI claims the Tablet will have the same, two-tone aluminum look of the original iPhone. But while this image is thought to be very close to Apple's final design, it doesn't sound like a full-fledged OS X will be on board. Why? The Tablet will have an iPhone-inspired Home button (along with a 10-inch screen, 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speaker grills, a microphone, GPS, 3G connectivity and a 30-pin dock connector, if AppleInsider has it right).

Personally, I never grew tired of the iPhone's original look, and I'd love to see the design in tablet form. What about you? [AppleInsider and flickr]

ATM Card Skimmers Are Getting Frighteningly Sophisticated [Scams]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZfaReaW-XqQ/atm-card-skimmers-are-getting-frighteningly-sophisticated

The above card skimmer, found on a Citibank ATM in Woodland Hills, CA, secretly scans your account information and PIN number, which it then wirelessly sends to a scammer. Would you have spotted it?

Card skimmers have been around for a while now, but they're only getting more sophisticated and hard to detect. This one features a tiny pinhole camera that records victims' PIN as they punch it into the keypad, and it was clearly molded to fit and work with this exact ATM.

What can you do to protect yourself? Just be aware. Look at all the ATMs in the bank you're in to make sure they all look the same. Look for hidden cameras or extra seams that seem out of place. Look for odd protrusions or elements that have colors that don't match the rest of the machine. If you're paying attention, you should be OK. But if you aren't, you're at risk for giving up your checking account to a scammer. [Krebs on Security via Cynical C]

First YouTube, Now Vimeo: How HTML5 Could Finally Kill Flash Video [HTML5]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/pWU1vvMiin8/first-youtube-now-vimeo-how-html5-could-finally-kill-flash-video

Flash powers almost all the video on the web nowadays, so it's obviously good enough. But is there a better way? YouTube, and now Vimeo, who're both giddily jumping into bed with HTML, sure seem to think so.

Vimeo's new HTML5 system is just like YouTube's, in both execution and technical details, in that it'll only work with a few browsers—Safari and Chrome, for now—and that it's compatible with most, but not all, of the company's video libraries. It's something that most people won't bother to try at this point, and if they do, they're probably be underwhelmed, since HTML5 video playback is almost indistinguishable from Flash video playback. (Moving pictures!)

But it's primed to be something that everyone ends up using, and that would be a Very Good Thing. Flash video performs terribly on Mac OS X and Linux, and on the few mobile devices that do support it, playback is uniformly terrible. And generally speaking, it's a plug-in. We whine about having to install Silverlight to use Bing Maps or watch some kinds of video, but it's a plugin the same way that Flash is.

HTML5 allows certain types of video to be rendered in the browser natively, like JPEGs or GIFs are now. It's an objectively simpler, more efficient solution, and disregarding the massive infrastructure built up around Flash video, it would be the obvious choice.

Luckily, YouTube accounts for a hefty chunk of said architecture, their catalog is rendered in HTML5-friendly h.264 format already—that's how you watch in on the iPhone and Android, by the way—and with help from smaller sites like Vimeo, they could actually get the ball rolling on, you know, murdering Flash video. In a world where everybody's browser fully supports h.264 HTML5 video—a world that's a few years away, at least—we wouldn't have to wait years for Flash support in our new phones, wouldn't have to settle of chugging video playback on near-new machines, and we wouldn't have to put up overladen, poorly-designed proprietary Flash players getting in the way of our content. We'd just have...video. [CNET]

Clay- and Water-Based Hydrogels: Possible Alternative to Plastic [Guts]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dMzzIagawEk/clay+-and-water+based-hydrogels-possible-alternative-to-plastic

Plastic polymers are efficient, cheap and easy to make—but not very environmentally friendly. Hydrogels had previously not been really considered a viable alternative, because they're, well, gels. But by attaching them to clay, that's all changed.

Turns out the water-based (duh) hydrogels had a great affinity for attaching to glass, so researchers tested out its relationship with something fairly similar: Clay. And lo and behold, it sticks! That gives it a bunch of properties that make it a possible alternative to plastics:

This notably improved mechanical properties over other hydrogels, as it could be molded into shapes that are free-standing and relatively robust and would undergo self-healing when cut. Less than 0.4 percent of it is petroleum-derived, so improved versions may provide an appealing green alternative to polymers. The best aspect, however, may be its simplicity: all you need are three ingredients, a beaker of water, and something to stir with.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether these new hydrogels actually take off as a plastic replacement, but it looks like now they might have a fighting chance. [Ars Technica]

One Man, One Mouse, Three Hours [Image Cache]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/JvZwYflgv_I/one-man-one-mouse-three-hours

It only took graphic designer Anatoly Zenkov a few hours of Photoshop work to log this exhausting, web-like trail with his cursor. Here's how he recorded it, and how you can too. [Flickr]

This EMP Cannon Stops Cars Almost Instantly [Emp]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dkwuL3NEzjk/this-emp-cannon-stops-cars-almost-instantly

We've heard of electromagnetic pulses cutting steel in milliseconds, but apparently they can also be used to stop moving cars just as fast. The cannon demonstrated in the video here is still a prototype, but it definitely seems to work.

The idea is that an electromagnetic pulse would be used to disable a car's microprocessors, chips, and whatever other electronics are keeping it running. The final "cannon" system, built by Eureka Aerospace, will apparently a bit smaller and lighter than what we see in the video—it'll be suitcase-sized and about 50 pounds—and it will "stop cars in their tracks up to 656 feet (200 m) away."

I wish they tested that cannon on a moving car, but it does just what it should by disabling the car's electrical system. Only trouble is that even once the system is perfected and in use it can still be foiled easily: By using a pre-1970s car which doesn't "rely on microprocessors." Whoops. [Flight Global via Pop Sci]

HP molds itself an entry into the 3D printer market

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/hp-molds-itself-an-entry-into-the-3d-printer-market/

Don't let HP's involvement confuse you, there's a very good chance John Q. Consumer won't be able to afford a 3D printer anytime soon. But the company is dipping its toes into the industry thanks to a deal with Stratasys. The latter will produce an "exclusive line of 3D printers based on Stratasys' patented Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology." Those will be sold under HP branding targeted at the Mechanical Design (MCAD) market. The specific product details are still shrouded in mystery (that's just a quick Photoshop, left), but for perspective, Stratasys' cheapest printer is the uPrint, which can mold 8 x 6 x 6-inch models for a smidgen under $15,000. Still interested, despite price deterrent? Don't forget there's some DIY options for you out there for less than a grand.

HP molds itself an entry into the 3D printer market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3D stole the show at CES 2010

Source: http://hd.engadget.com/2010/01/21/3d-stole-the-show-at-ces-2010/

Not sure why we've been putting this off, but we'll just come right out and say it: there's no doubt that this was the year for 3D at CES. We walked the show floor for countless hours and can tell you that just about everyone was showing something related to 3D at their booths. Most of these demos required a bit of a wait to experience them (thanks, hype), and everywhere you went people were talking about 3D. Granted, not all of that talk was positive, but it was talk nonetheless. Whether or not the technology will be seen in history as a success in the market place is obviously still up in the air, and much like a finely crafted episode of Lost, 3D at CES this year was littered with more questions than answers.

Continue reading 3D stole the show at CES 2010

3D stole the show at CES 2010 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic VPC08 MID/phone appears on video, fails to steal xpPhone's thunder

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/viewsonic-vpc08-mid-phone-appears-on-video-fails-to-steal-xppho/

Maybe it's all the talk of the ITG xpPhone that's made ViewSonic's VPC08 come out of hiding, but the phone/MID contraption is finally making a video appearance and revealing why it's so damn thick. Unlike the xpPhone the VPC08 is actually an ordinary feature phone with a 2-inch display stuck on top of an Atom Z500-powered 4.3-inch MID. Uh, innovative? Not so much since it doesn't appear that the two work in conjunction, but we do know that the phone supports EV-DO, and that the MID portion packs 512MB RAM, an 8GB SSD with Windows XP, and WiFi. For those that are at all interested in holding this mega-device up to an ear, it looks like it will be sold only in China for a whopping 4800 Yuan ($705). No word if that price includes pants with extra-large pockets. We'll be waiting for the Moorestown-powered LG GW990 to get Atom in a phone, but we do urge you to check out this beast of a "phone" in action in the video after the break.

Continue reading ViewSonic VPC08 MID/phone appears on video, fails to steal xpPhone's thunder

Filed under: Handhelds

ViewSonic VPC08 MID/phone appears on video, fails to steal xpPhone's thunder originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsair pushes speed envelope with 2,333MHz Dominator GTX RAM modules

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/corsair-pushes-speed-envelope-with-2-333mhz-dominator-gtx-ram-mo/

Corsair and speed generally run in the same circles, so it follows logic to see said memory outfit cranking out the planet's fastest Intel XMP-certified RAM. The 2,333MHz Dominator GTX now has Intel's stamp of approval, and it easily surpasses the company's 2,000MHz stuff that was king of the castle just yesterday. As the story goes, each module is "hand screened" and tested to the hilt before being shipped to end users, which apparently explains the $200 per 2GB stick that you'll be asked to lay down. Speed kills... the wallet.

Corsair pushes speed envelope with 2,333MHz Dominator GTX RAM modules originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Origin's Genesis gaming desktop gets reviewed: blisteringly fast, but oh-so-pricey

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/21/origins-genesis-gaming-desktop-gets-reviewed-blisteringly-fast/

The latest high-fashion gaming outfit (known as Origin 'round these parts) has just started shipping its beastly Genesis out, and if you've ever wondered what five large could get you in the land of desktops, wonder no more. The crew over at Hot Hardware managed to procure a darn-near-loaded machine, complete with a Core i7-920 CPU (overclocked from the factory to 3.8GHz), 6GB of Corsair DDR3 RAM, twin ATI Radeon HD 5970 GPUs, a liquid cooling system, 80GB SSD boot drive and pretty much every other top-of-the-line component you could imagine. How'd it stand up to testing? Well. Really well. It crushed every benchmark that dared get in its way, and we're told that when pressed, the company's explanation of its warranty was truly best in class. What's interesting is that the MSRP of the test unit can be halved by simply opting for a few marginally weaker pieces, and we're guessing that the overall performance wouldn't suffer a huge deal. Hit the source link for all the bars, charts and in-depth analysis you can handle.

Origin's Genesis gaming desktop gets reviewed: blisteringly fast, but oh-so-pricey originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twin Video camera has two lenses, two mics, one body

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/twin-video-camera-has-two-lenses-two-mics-one-body/

Ion Audio, who seem to enjoy doing unconventional work in the electronic peripherals space, are back with a two-way pocket camcorder that records both sides of a conversation, literally. Strapped with pairs of microphones and cameras, it is capable of doing picture-in-picture or split-screen recording, and can selectively switch between the audio streams depending on which side you want to hear at which time. Just skip along past the break and all will be elucidated -- price is not yet specified, but the Twin Video cam should be arriving at some point in the first half of this year.

Continue reading Twin Video camera has two lenses, two mics, one body

Twin Video camera has two lenses, two mics, one body originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM-based processors to overtake x86 competition in netbooks and MIDs by 2013?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/arm-based-processors-to-overtake-x86-competition-in-netbooks-and/

We suppose industry analysts must be paid on account of just how grand their prognostications are. ABI Research know-it-alls have come out with their own spectacular claim today by asserting their expectation that x86 processors -- still dominant the world over -- will be swept aside in the rapidly developing "ultra-mobile device" space by the ascension of ARM-based processing architectures. That the Cortex CPUs have grown in popularity (and power) is undeniable, but who realistically expects Intel to sit back and watch all this happen? The x86 patriarch has even gone and created an Atom SDK, so we hardly expect the forecast table above to become reality. We're just happy to see that ARM's lower power profile is attracting investment -- it's always good to see a threat to Santa Clara's chokehold on the CPU market, and AMD's sleepwalking through the past few months hasn't helped things. Now if only those Tegra 2 smartbooks were on retail shelves instead of inside prototype shells, we could get started on this supposed revolution.

ARM-based processors to overtake x86 competition in netbooks and MIDs by 2013? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:26:00 EST. Pl! ease see our terms for use of feeds.

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