Leopard O.S.

Continue reading HDI headquarters walkthrough: details galore on the new face of in-home 3D

HDI headquarters walkthrough: details galore on the new face of in-home 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s pushing out a few more scraps of info about the iPad in conjunction with the launch of pre-orders. One of the quirkier details is that what was previously known as the mute switch on the iPad — similar to the one on the iPhone — is now known as the “screen rotation lock” on Apple’s website. We suppose it makes more sense for this sort of device, both due to the “hold it any way you feel like” marketing push, and since it’s less likely to start ringing in the middle of a Remember Me screening than your iPhone is. In other news, it’s been confirmed that iBooks will be able to sync free (non-DRM’d) ePub titles in from iTunes, which is good news for people who want to use an existing ePub stash of theirs with Apple’s fancy page-flipping interface. Also on the books front, it was clarified today that the iPad can indeed use VoiceOver screen-reading for reading pages of books out loud — we knew the screen reading tech was on the iPad, but now it sounds as if it will be more directly integrated into iBooks. Apple also clarified today that folks who sign up for the 250MB iPad data plan will receive pop-up alerts when they’re running short on data, similar to battery warnings, at the 20 percent, 10 percent and zero marks. There’s an account management pane that lets you sign up for or cancel service, add another 250MB, or swap to an unlimited plan. But wait, there’s more! Apple’s also confirming a few more iPhone OS 3.2 features, like the addition of Google’s “Terrain” view in maps and a slightly revamped iPod app UI. 3.2 also brings some nice video tweaks like support for additional formats (AVI and MJPEG) and native uploads to Facebook — further boosting the iPad’s external camera friendliness.

iPad mute switch magicked into a ’screen rotation lock’ overnight, a flurry of other tidbits emerge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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United puts the kibosh on in-flight video chat, one family seriously ‘bummed’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d had some indication that Europe would be seeing Motorola Milestones running Android 2.1 roughly around this time, and it looks like we are now finally starting to get a few more specifics. According to Mobile Bulgaria, that country’s leading carrier, Vivacom, will begin selling Milestones equipped with Android 2.1 “by March 20th,” which should no doubt be just part of a broader European rollout in the coming days / weeks (that will hopefully extend to Canada as well). Unfortunately, things still aren’t any clearer for Droid users in the US, but you can be sure we’ll be watching every development on that front.

Motorola Milestone with Android 2.1 hitting Bulgaria by March 20th, rest of Europe to follow? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Japan busts out Mickey Mouse-ified S Series Walkmans originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lazy humans, your dream has come true: a robot that could carry food and drink from the kitchen straight to your couch-borne position without you having to get up. It’s the Toshiba Wheelie, a balancing bot that zips around on two wheels like an autonomous Segway, but with the added bonus of retractable runners on the front and back to keep it from toppling should it ever suffer an abrupt power failure. It sports stereo cameras on top and a laser range finder as well, enabling it to find its way around (or under) obstacles. The demonstration video below shows it propping a plate of steak and mixed veggies on its head before taking them for a ride around a demonstration space — impressive, but given it lacks the arms to pick up the plate in the first place we’re thinking this one’s usefulness is sadly rather limited. He also can’t talk, which means rhyming is right out, but he is kinda cute.

Continue reading Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video)

Toshiba’s Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn’t do burnouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There are 2,073,600 pixels in a 1080p TV, yet Carnegie Mellon student Chloe Fan has blown our minds by showing that you only need 64 of them to have a little fun with Super Mario Bros. She wired an Arduino to an 8 x 8 LED matrix through a breadboard, then scaled the first level of the game down to a resolution that makes the 160 x 144 resolution Game Boy look positively high def. The controls are similarly simplified: one button to move Mario (the slightly more orange dot) right, and a second to jump. She also wired up a separate board to play the game’s theme song, as you can see in the embed below, but be aware: the video ends before the theme song does, meaning you’ll be humming it to yourself all day long.

Continue reading Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video)

Carnegie Mellon student shows that 64 pixels is enough for Mario (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last time we heard anything about the launch schedule for Google’s Chrome OS it was summer of last year. At that time we were told a rather vague “second half of 2010″ and, now that we’re entering the second quarter of the year, forgive us if we were starting to get a bit doubtful about that timeline. But, Google’s Eric Schmidt is here to assuage our fears, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and indicating the little OS is still on track for that same, rather vague release window. That we’re still not getting a more specific date makes us think we’re probably looking at a release toward the end of the second half of this year, but just the same it seems like you shouldn’t wipe that Chrome-powered netbook off your wishlist for this upcoming holiday season just yet.

Eric Schmidt confirms Chrome OS is on schedule, on target originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And the intellectual property rollercoaster continues. The BBC is reporting that Microsoft’s appeal against a judgment granting $240 million in damages due to content in Word that infringed on patents held by i4i was today rejected, leaving the Redmond giant with a huge fine to pay atop its undoubtedly sky-high lawyer bills. In the latest ruling, the judges state their belief that Microsoft was explicitly aware of i4i’s patents before implementing the relevant XML code into Word, which is about as damning as these things can get. Still, Microsoft might be able to appeal yet again, depending on a panel ruling on the matter, and if all else fails, this can be taken all the way to the Supreme Court. Crazy or what?

Microsoft loses second Word patent appeal, on the hook for $240 million in damages originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/iPad_ready_for_pre_order_will_you_buy_one’; After years of rumor and speculation, Apple’s now taking orders for its iPad tablet. And now that cash money is involved we’ll finally see if Apple has a success on its hands by filling the void between smartphones and netbooks/laptops — something Microsoft and its hoard of vendors just haven’t been able to muster. Today’s order is delivered on April 3rd (in the US) for free and orders are limited to two per customer. But rather than wait for analysts and Apple’s financial reports to tell the tale, let’s get a jump on things with an informal poll: are you ordering the iPad?

View Poll

iPad pre-order is go — will you buy one? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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