Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was delayed into 2011... by 'virtual engine sound' system

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was delayed into 2011... by 'virtual engine sound' system: "

Remember how at the end of last year the US legislature decided to make it mandatory for EVs to churn out an audible noise while in motion? It was all in the name of saving pesky pedestrians from getting in the way of your gliding electro-car, but the new law itself has managed to create a bump in the road for at least one company. Hyundai's Sonata Hybrid was all set to launch in late 2010, equipped with a 'virtual engine sound' system that the user could toggle on and off, however the government's request that it be kept permanently on required modifications to the vehicle's wiring harnesses, UI software and user manuals, delaying its debut into late January. These tweaks had to be done 'amazingly late in the process,' according to Hyundai America CEO John Krafcik, but the delay will at least ensure that all of Hyundai's Sonatas will sound the same. Which is something, we guess.

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was delayed into 2011... by 'virtual engine sound' system originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Under Armour's E39 performance shirt is electric (video)

Under Armour's E39 performance shirt is electric (video): "

If athletic events were accessorized with coffee, comfy pajamas, and a particular knack for sedentariness, well, we'd be champs. Alas, sports are more typically characterized by movement which, we're told, increases the participant's pulse, breathing, and likelihood of turning an arm into a tattooed sleeve. Nevertheless, we can't help but be intrigued by the Under Armour E39 ('E' for electric) compression shirt. The performance tee features a removable 'bug' sensor equipped with a triaxial accelerometer, processor, and 2GB of storage flanked by additional monitors that measure the wearer's heart rate and breathing. A system provided by Zephyr can then analyze the athlete's individual movements and biometric data to help identify performance issues like when the body is moving out of sync thereby slowing down an athlete's linear speed. Scouts, coaches, and trainers can collect the data over Bluetooth from smartphones, tablets, or PCs to measure and potentially improve performance. An athlete measuring a low G-force for their particular sport could, for example, be put on a strength training regimen to help improve explosiveness. In the future, Under Armour sees the data being collected and analyzed in real-time allowing coaches to replace under performing players right on the field. The NFL has already equipped a handful of players with the E39 shirts during its annual Scouting Combine event -- the results of which you can see in the video after the break.

Continue reading Under Armour's E39 performance shirt is electric (video)

Under Armour's E39 performance shirt is electric (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple adds pattern locking to an iPhone app that you can't have?

Apple adds pattern locking to an iPhone app that you can't have?: "

The nine-dot pattern lock option is one of those uniquely Android things -- it's been there ever since the G1, and even if you don't personally use it, odds are good that you recognize it. So when we see it on an iPhone -- apparently on an app used by Apple internally -- you can appreciate why we're going to do a double take. What you're looking at here is one of several screens obtained by 9 to 5 Mac, allegedly showing a version of Apple's employee-only AppleConnect app with support for pattern locking to keep prying eyes out. It seems that the app enforces some minimum gesture length to constitute a secure lock -- and considering some of the forensic science going on there, we bet it's gotta be pretty long. Of course, none of these means we'll see the feature show up in an actual iOS build, but the site says that the company's testing the mechanism in other internal tools... and if nothing else, Apple seems to be acknowledging that lock patterns aren't a terrible idea.



[Thanks, Jacob]

Apple adds pattern locking to an iPhone app that you can't have? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chinese designer makes Megatron tank a steel-toothed reality

Chinese designer makes Megatron tank a steel-toothed reality: "

It doesn't move and it certainly doesn't transform, but we're still not sure we'd stand anywhere near this jagged metal contraption ripped right out of the silver screen. The giant Megatron tank replica from Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen not only looks like it'd grind us up like so much beef beneath its spiky treads, it reportedly weighs five tons and stands eight feet tall. It's allegedly constructed entirely out of scrap metal by a designer known as 'Steel Legend' -- a honorific that we imagine few will dare question now. If only it could take on junkyard Optimus Prime in a Beijing Battle Royale. More pics of the tank at our source links below!



[Thanks, leungxd]

Chinese designer makes Megatron tank a steel-toothed reality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom and Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro get torn down

Motorola Xoom and Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro get torn down: "

The Xoom's big attraction may be the ethereal Honeycomb that oozes within it, but it's still a gadget made of metal, silicon and plastic, so we're as keen as anyone to see what its insides look like. iFixit has dutifully performed the task of tearing one down to its constituent components and found an Atmel touchscreen controller capable of picking up 15 inputs at a time, a Qualcomm MDM6600 chip capable of 14.4Mbps HSPA+ speeds, some Toshiba NAND flash memory, and of course, NVIDIA's beloved Tegra 2 dual-core SOC. The conclusion reached was that the Xoom is relatively easy to repair, though you should be aware there are no less than 57 screws holding the thing together, so free up a nice long afternoon if you intend to disassemble one yourself.



Aside from Moto's flagship tablet, iFixit has also gotten to grips with Apple's latest MacBook Pro, the one that can do Thunderbolt-fast transfers with as yet nonexistent peripherals, though discoveries there were predictably few and far between. The wireless card now has four antennas instead of three and there are some changes made to the cooling systems, but the real reason you'll want to see this is the quad-core Sandy Bridge CPU lurking within -- it's as big and imposing as the performance it promises to deliver.

Motorola Xoom and Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Pro get torn down originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to Tie a Clove Hitch Knot

How to Tie a Clove Hitch Knot: "

Completed clove hitch

This is a fairly simple knot that can be useful for securing ropes to trees, posts, or other things that stand upright. With this knot, it's fairly easy to adjust the length of the rope if you need to. It can be used in lashing ropework and also in sailing, especially as a temporary way to hold things.

There are two methods suggested here. You might like to try both to see which works out best for your needs.

Steps

Method One

1. 
   Pick up the running end of the rope (the end that will be loose after you tie the knot). Wrap it halfway around the pole or timber.
   
2. Cross the running end over the wrapped part of the rope. This will form an 'X' shape. Bring it back around the pole.
   
3. Lift the 'X' part of the knot and slip the running end under this 'X' horizontally.
   
4. 
   Pull the knot tight.
   

Method 2^[1]

1. This is an alternative method of tying the clove hitch. A clove hitch may be tied by forming two loops and putting a pole through those two loops. This alternative technique has the limitation of having to be tied at the end of a pole. However, it is quicker to tie than the above method.
   
2. 

   Make 2 loops as shown
   Make the two loops. An easy way to remember this is to end the left loop above and right loop down.
   
3. 
   Place the left loop over the right loop.
   
4. 
   Insert the pole into the loops. You now have a clove hitch.
   
5. 
   Pull in opposite directions to tighten the clove hitch.
   

Video

Tips

• Remember to first make an 'X' then pull the working end through the 'X'
  
• The clove hitch is an excellent knot for starting and ending lashings.
  

Warnings

• This knot may jam, making it hard to untie in some situations.^[2]
  
• This knot may also slip, which means you should not use it to support large weights or in situations where the knot coming untied under stress could be dangerous.^[3]
  
• In general, this knot is not highly secure, so it is best used for temporary situations.
  

Things You'll Need

• Rope or twine
  
• Pole or timber
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Tie a Palomar Knot
  
• How to Tie a Knot
  
• How to Tie a Bowline Knot
  
• How to Tie a Square Knot
  
• How to Tie a Quick Release Knot
  

Sources and Citations

• Part original source, shared with permission: http://www.nalno.com/rope-work/49-rope-work/141-clove-hitch
  

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King's Quest III Remake Released

<em>King's Quest III</em> Remake Released: "Beetle B. writes 'Not being content with remaking Sierra's King's Quest I, King's Quest II and Quest for Glory II, the Anonymous Game Developers Interactive have released a remake of King's Quest III. Sure, the graphics may not appeal to the young'uns out there, but it's the gameplay that matters, right? Last year, after several legal battles, another game in the King's Quest series made by fans was released (with more episodes to come). And did I mention that they're all free? What other remakes of old adventure games are floating around out there?'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

"

How to Control Multiple Computers with a Single Keyboard and Mouse [How To]

How to Control Multiple Computers with a Single Keyboard and Mouse [How To]: "

If you have two or more computers at one desk, you don't want two or more sets of keyboards and mice cluttering up your workspace, too. You can buy a hardware gadget that lets you share a single keyboard and mouse with several computers (which involves a mess of tangled wires), or you could use a free software solution called Synergy. The Synergy application runs on all the computers you're using—the one that has the keyboard and mouse connected and the one(s) that do not—and lets you control all of them from that keyboard and mouse. That means you can move your mouse off one computer's screen and it will appear on the other, where you can type and work as well. Synergy also lets you share Clipboard contents between computers. If you copy information to the Clipboard on one computer and move your mouse to the other, you can paste it there, even though they're two different systems. More »

"

Don't Delete Your Windows 7 SP1 Backup Files Just Yet [Windows 7]

Don't Delete Your Windows 7 SP1 Backup Files Just Yet [Windows 7]: "

Windows 7 SP1 has arrived on Windows Update, and after installing it, you may be tempted to claim back some of your hard drive space—and many tech sites advise you on how to do so. The How-To Geek suggests waiting a while on that, mostly because you won't know right away if any bugs or crashes may crop up that could warrant a roll-back. When you do decide to clean up, his tips for doing so are sound. [How-To Geek] More »

"

Intel Thunderbolt: a closer look (updated with video)

Intel Thunderbolt: a closer look (updated with video): "

So what's this Thunderbolt stuff, and why is it in your new MacBook Pro? Intel just broke it down for us, and now we'll do the same for you. Simply put, Thunderbolt's a familiar-looking port, a brand-new chip, and a cord, which allows devices to pipe two data streams simultaneously -- in both directions -- over a single cable at up to 10 gigabits per second to start, primarily using PCI Express x4 for data and DisplayPort for video. The Thunderbolt controller chip -- required for the system, but Intel says it's hardware-agnostic and doesn't require an Intel processor or chipset to use -- acts as a miniature router of sorts that rapidly switches between the two bidirectional channels of data.



Sounds great, but why would you want to buy into yet another copper cord? Intel defends that Thunderbolt will be backwards and forwards-compatible depending on the cable used. Representatives explained that the basic system can work with any other PCI Express 2.0-compatible I/O system with, say, a FireWire or eSATA adapter doing the dirty work --Intel wouldn't specifically comment on USB 3.0 -- and that the port you'll find in new MacBook Pros and storage devices can actually take an optical cable when those are cost-effective enough to roll out, because Intel will eventually bake the optical transceivers into the cables themselves. In the meanwhile, you can get up to three meters of range out of a basic cable, plus a fairly generous 10 watts of power over the bus, and since Thunderbolt devices are designed to be daisy-chained, you may be able to get another three meters for each device you add on that sports a pair of the ports.



Though Intel wasn't talking about likely prices for the chips or cables in even the most general terms, Promise and LaCie had prototype devices on hand headed to the market soon -- get a peek at them and a closer look at the cable in our gallery below, and we'll have video up in a little while too.



Update: Looks like LaCie's product now has a name and vague release date: it's the LaCie Little Big Disk, coming this summer, with a pair of solid state drives inside.



Update 2: Video after the break -- get a load of Thunderbolt streaming four 1080p clips from a MacBook Pro and attached Promise NAS simultaneously!

Gallery: Intel Thunderbolt, Promise Pegasus and LaCie Little Big Disk close-up shots

Continue reading Intel Thunderbolt: a closer look (updated with video)

Intel Thunderbolt: a closer look (updated with video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacBook Pro (early 2011) with Thunderbolt hands-on

MacBook Pro (early 2011) with Thunderbolt hands-on: "

We just got our new 15-inch MacBook Pro review unit, and although it looks almost exactly the same as the previous MBP, it has that fancy new Thunderbolt icon on the side, which ought to make I/O nerd hearts flutter the world over. Unfortunately, there aren't any Thunderbolt peripherals on the market yet, so we can't really test the new connection yet, but we can report that backwards compatibility with Mini DisplayPort performs as advertised and that all of our display adapters worked without issue -- the first time we can ever remember Apple switching a standard and not requiring all new dongles.



As for performance, we were given the $2,199 configuration with a 2.2GHz quad-core Sandy Bridge Core i7, discrete AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics, 4GB of RAM and a 750GB HD, which clocked a preliminary GeekBench score of 9647. We'll have tons more testing in our full review, including detailed comparisons of the discrete chip with Intel's new integrated HD Graphics 3000.



Apple did give us a quick demo on the new system with a prototype Promise RAID unit and a stock Cinema Display connected over Thunderbolt -- remember, Thunderbolt just uses a Mini DisplayPort connector, so displays can be daisy-chained right in. Apple's demo was a variation of the same thing Intel's been doing for a while -- they played four uncompressed HD video streams off the RAID simultaneously, which pegged the Thunderbolt throughput meter at 600-700MBps. We also watched a 5GB file transfer in just a few seconds -- all very impressive, but we're definitely anxious to try some of this stuff ourselves once Thunderbolt devices start shipping sometime in the spring.



Apple also told us that Thunderbolt is running on copper and not optical cables (like the Light Peak protoypes) so that it can support bus-powered devices -- there's 10 watts of power available on the bus, up slightly from FireWire's 8 watts. Up to six devices can be daisy-chained from one port, and since Thunderbolt is based on PCI Express, it can even support FireWire and USB adapters. That's great news for the future of the interface, but the MacBook Pro still has two USB 2.0 and one FireWire 800 port, so it's not of critical importance right this second.



We'll have much, much more in our full review -- check back in a few days!



Update: We got a closer look at Thunderbolt working with some peripherals this afternoon -- believe us, you don't want to miss the video demo.

Gallery: MacBook Pro (early 2011) unboxing and hands-on

MacBook Pro (early 2011) with Thunderbolt hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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