Chromebook boards Virgin America, checks-in at Ace Hotel for summer vacation

Chromebook boards Virgin America, checks-in at Ace Hotel for summer vacation: "

How do you solve a consumer education problem like the Chromebook? You put it into the idle hands of urbanite travelers -- that's how. The fast-booting neither laptop, nor netbook entity with negligible storage and not-yet-defined purpose will find a temporary summer home at select Virgin America gates and New York's Ace Hotel starting Friday. Jet-setters flying between San Francisco and either Chicago O'Hare, Dallas / Fort Worth, or Boston Logan can get an on-the-fly, marketing-fortified crash course in Chrome OS computing by visiting special 'Chrome zones' located near departure gates. Virgin's also thrown in some free in-flight WiFi to ensure you test drive Google's Cloud-dependent lap-dweller . And if you're one of the millions of tourists planning on seeing the Big Apple in all its humid splendor, the Ace Hotel's got an on-the-house stash that lobby lizards can use, but only guests can take out. But the promotional push doesn't just stop there: all partners involved have bundled specialized travel-planning apps into the experience -- sure to be ripe with cooler-than-thou recommendations. It's a noble attempt by our search giant overlord to make a name for its portable computing entrant, and a helpful distraction from that armrest hog next to you.

Continue reading Chromebook boards Virgin America, checks-in at Ace Hotel for summer vacation

Chromebook boards Virgin America, checks-in at Ace Hotel for summer vacation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 18:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hanako 2 robot acts like a human dental patient, makes us say 'aah' (video)

Hanako 2 robot acts like a human dental patient, makes us say 'aah' (video): "

No, she's not in a state of shock, nor is she hunting for plankton -- she's simply waiting for the dentist to polish her pearly whites, just like any other conscientious robot. Known as the Showa Hanako 2, this humanoid was originally developed last year as a tool for dentists looking to practice new procedures. Now, engineers at Japan's Showa University have updated their dental denizen, adding a motorized head and replacing her PVC skin with a more realistic silicon coating. She also boasts speech recognition capabilities and can execute freakishly natural movements, including blinking, sneezing, coughing and, under more unsavory circumstances, even choking. See her in action for yourself, after the break.

Continue reading Hanako 2 robot acts like a human dental patient, makes us say 'aah' (video)

Hanako 2 robot acts like a human dental patient, makes us say 'aah' (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fuel-electric hybrid air car wants to take flight, needs funding to do it

Fuel-electric hybrid air car wants to take flight, needs funding to do it: "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a... fuel-electric hybrid air car? Well, yes actually, but right now it's more ready-to-go concept than airborne reality. This brainchild of Trek Aerospace designer Michael Moshier and test-pilot Robert Bulaga employs the same ducted-fan tech the duo used in their DARPA-funded, NASA design-assisted, Popular Science 'Invention of the Year' winning SoloTrek. Like its predecessor, this hybrid air car is ideal for those close-quartered take-off and landing situations thanks to its enclosed propulsion system -- good news for birds, trees and even human heads everywhere. Though still in the design phase, the pair hopes a generous round of funding will propel this 1960s Jetsons promise into a world-class fleet. While we can't see the DMV rushing to approve licenses of this sort for the common joe, the copter-car should prove beneficial in roadless third-world nations, and maybe even lend a covered-propeller hand to first-world emergency service units. Pay attention billionaires of the world, this flying car's got your bank account written all over it. PR for the deep-pocketed after the break.



[Image credit via Michael Moshier/Robert Bulaga]

Continue reading Fuel-electric hybrid air car wants to take flight, needs funding to do it

Fuel-electric hybrid air car wants to take flight, needs funding to do it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Thunderbolt cable gutted, a dozen other things found within

Apple Thunderbolt cable gutted, a dozen other things found within: "

You know the rigamarole by now -- product gets introduced, product takes forever to ship, and at long last, product hits the hands of a few lucky souls. And then, the fine folks over at iFixit rip said product limb from limb in the name of science. This go 'round, they found twelve larger chips and a smorgasbord of other bantam components within Apple's first Thunderbolt cable, and they didn't hesitate to suggest that the $50 asking price was at least somewhat justified. A Grant's worth of dissection photos await you in the source.

Apple Thunderbolt cable gutted, a dozen other things found within originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free calls for free! Free! Free! Free!

Free calls for free! Free! Free! Free!: "

Currently burning the living daylights out of the Freebies section over on HotUKDeals is a new app called 0800 Wizard – as you’d have probably gathered by now, it’s absolutely free.

What it does is this – if you’re an iPhone or Android mobile phone user and need to call an 0800, 0808 or 0500 number, you’ll probably have to pay up to 41p per minute as it probably won’t be included in your bundled minutes.

Simply dial in the 0800, 0808 or 0500 number and the app will convert it into a standard 01 or 02 number that will be free as part of your bundled minutes. If you don’t have any minutes or are a PAYG customer, it’ll be charged the same as a standard geographic number.

The app has been getting some rave reviews and it worked for us earlier when we had a bash at it, so we’re giving it A CAUTIOUS BITTERWALLET FOAM THUMBS UP!

"

Oyster Shots Lets You See Unstaged Hotel Photos Before Booking [Travel]

Oyster Shots Lets You See Unstaged Hotel Photos Before Booking [Travel]: "

Most hotel web sites show you pictures of the rooms and suites, but they're often old, staged stock photos. Oyster Shots is a new photo-driven hotel search site that uses undoctored photos taken by Oyster staff and locals to show what a hotel really looks like before booking. More »

"

Cemetery of "giant aliens" found ?

Cemetery of "giant aliens" found ?: "In a highly controversial story this week it has been claimed that 200 bodies have been found in Africa. The bodies are allegedly giant in size and we..."

Warmer oceans causing species migration

Warmer oceans causing species migration: "Poisonous algae and jellyfish are being found in British waters due to warmer ocean temperatures Despite dying out over 800,000 years ago, species of ..."

Man builds the 'hoverbike': the world's first flying motorbike

Man builds the 'hoverbike': the world's first flying motorbike: "It may not be equipped with a laser cannon but Stars Wars fans could soon get behind the controls of a real ‘hoverbike’."

Google unveils Swiffy: turns high maintenance Flash animations into HTML5

Google unveils Swiffy: turns high maintenance Flash animations into HTML5: "

Still hanging on to those sweet site loaders hoping they'd be of use again someday? Perhaps the time has come -- for some ads and animations, that is. Google Labs has cooked up Swiffy, which takes an antediluvian SWF file and creates an HTML5 version that will run in most current browsers (Chrome and Safari, for example). The converted file is pretty close in size to the original; however, the company warns that the project is fresh out of the oven, so it won't convert your entire Flash library just yet. Even still, software that makes existing animations useful without starting from scratch? Sign us up! Check out the source link for the FAQs and some of Swiffy's handiwork, then test drive this bad boy yourself.

Google unveils Swiffy: turns high maintenance Flash animations into HTML5 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 02:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xtreamer's Prodigy media streamer gets upgraded internals, shoots 3D video to your screen for €149

Xtreamer's Prodigy media streamer gets upgraded internals, shoots 3D video to your screen for €149: "

Last time we saw the Xtreamer Prodigy, it was shaping up to be quite the slick little media streamer with a Realtek 1185 chipset running at 500MHz, a plethora of supported codecs, and a fancy flash-based GUI with Android underpinnings. In the months since, the Prodigy hit the gym and now packs Realtek's 1186 silicon clocked at 750MHz and HDMI 1.4 for pumping out video in three dee. There's also Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, and support for up to a 3TB HDD in its 3.5-inch bay, so you can source your videos from home or abroad with the greatest of ease. Currently up for pre-order, this digital media distributing dandy will cost €149 (that's $213 here in the States), but won't ship until September.

Xtreamer's Prodigy media streamer gets upgraded internals, shoots 3D video to your screen for €149 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why is European broadband faster and cheaper? Blame the government

Why is European broadband faster and cheaper? Blame the government: "

Rick Karr is a journalist and frequent contributor to The Engadget Show. Join us below for a live chat at 9:00 PM ET on June 28th.

If you've stayed with friends who live in European cities, you've probably had an experience like this: You hop onto their WiFi or wired internet connection and realize it's really fast. Way faster than the one that you have at home. It might even make your own DSL or cable connection feel as sluggish as dialup.



You ask them how much they pay for broadband.



'Oh, forty Euros.' That's about $56.



'A week?' you ask.



'No,' they might say. 'Per month. And that includes phone and TV.'



It's really that bad. The nation that invented the internet ranks 16th in the world when it comes to the speed and cost of our broadband connections. That's according to a study released last year by Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission.

Continue reading Why is European broadband faster and cheaper? Blame the government

Why is European broadband faster and cheaper? Blame the government originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Groovedown Downloads Grooveshark Tracks to Your Hard Drive; Is the Easiest Way to Download Single MP3s [Video]

Groovedown Downloads Grooveshark Tracks to Your Hard Drive; Is the Easiest Way to Download Single MP3s [Video]: "

Windows (and Mac/Linux with Wine): Grooveshark is one of the best music streaming services around, but if you find a track on Grooveshark that you want to keep for yourself, Groovedown will download it right to your hard drive. More »

"

There’s no hiding airline card fees anymore, say OFT

There’s no hiding airline card fees anymore, say OFT: "

Remember when consumer champs Which! launched their super complaint against airlines and other travel companies for hiding charges from consumers during the booking process? Of course you do!

And remember how the likes of Ryanair – who rely on this type of trumped-up charge to pocket millions – retaliated and attacked Which! in a manner that once again proved you can’t have too little dignity in business? Yes, that’s right!

Well, guess who won? The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has today ordered all travel companies to make all debit or credit card charges clear from the onset, instead of burying them six pages into a booking form. The government went further, though – it also wants the law changed so that charges for debit cards are abolished altogether.

The likes of Ryanair had argued that the fees can already be avoided by customers if they used a pre-paid Mastercard, but the OFT said that it still meant charges were essentially compulsory – such cards still have to be sourced, ordered and activated before they can be used.

While the action won’t necessarily see these charges reduced, it will mean they’re included in the headline price of tickets and seats at the beginning of the booking procedure, rather than at the end. The changes are expected to take place within the next six months.

Ryanair has yet to respond to the action; juvenile name-calling and pithy threats will no doubt ensue shortly.

"

Andy Rubin: over 500,000 Android activations a day, and growing

Andy Rubin: over 500,000 Android activations a day, and growing: "

You may have noticed that Steve Jobs isn't nitpicking anymore over how Google measures the number of Android activations. It probably has something to do with the fact that, no matter how you slice it, at this point Android's growth is outpacing that of the iOS. In fact, according to Andy Rubin, 500,000 new Android devices are activated every day, and that number is continuing to grow. Heck, as of December that number was only 300,000 -- that's a 60-percent increase in just over seven months. At this rate there will be more Android phones than people in just a few short years. There might not be enough food and potable water to sustain the Earth's ever growing population, but at least everyone will be able to tweet about it.



[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Andy Rubin: over 500,000 Android activations a day, and growing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fring optimizes its four-way video calling app for smiley iPad 2 owners

Fring optimizes its four-way video calling app for smiley iPad 2 owners: "

Sure, you could have fired up Fring to make four-way video calls from your iPad 2 this whole time, but you'd have saddled with an iPhone-sized interface on your 9.7-inch IPS screen. And, as we say around the Engadget compound -- tablet optimized or get the frack out. OK, we don't really say that, but everything is better when it's designed for the screen you intend to use it on. So, we're very pleased to tell you that Fring has been updated with proper iPad support (cue cheers). Basically there's no reason to use Facetime now, with its lame single-caller and WiFi only limitations. Hit up the source link if you're in the group video chatting mood.

Fring optimizes its four-way video calling app for smiley iPad 2 owners originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yokohama EV sets new Pikes Peak Hill Climb record, leaves Leaf blowing in the wind

Yokohama EV sets new Pikes Peak Hill Climb record, leaves Leaf blowing in the wind: "

Remember the unmodified Nissan Leaf that dared to take on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb? No, it didn't win the electric vehicle class, but it did have the honor of playing second fiddle to a new paladin. By pairing the motor they used to set last year's EV record with a new high-performance cooling system, Team Yokohama managed to shave nearly a minute off of their previous record-setting time, completing the course in 12 minutes and 20 seconds. The Leaf? It leisurely drifted through the finish line at 14 minutes, 33 seconds. Not the quickest way to the top, but let's be fair -- if it's a choice between being comfortable or being king of the hill, we'll stretch our legs, thanks.

Yokohama EV sets new Pikes Peak Hill Climb record, leaves Leaf blowing in the wind originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 01:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video): "

Make no mistake, Microsoft isn't playing coy in the smartphone market any longer. The folks in Redmond are making a significant jump forward in the mobile arena, announcing that the upcoming version of Windows Phone, codenamed 'Mango,' will be heading to a device near you in time for the holidays. As its competitors have raised the bar of expectations to a much higher level, Microsoft followed suit by adding at least 500 features to its mobile investment, which the company hopes will plug all of the gaping holes the first two versions left open.



We received a Samsung Focus preloaded with the most recent developer build (read: not even close to the market release version) and we had a few good days to put it through its paces. It's still far from completion, as there were several key features that we couldn't test out; some weren't fully implemented, and others involved third-party apps that won't be updated until closer to launch. Yet we don't want to call this build half-baked -- in fact, it was surprisingly smooth for software that still has at least four months to go before it's available for public consumption.



At the risk of sounding ridiculously obvious, we're mighty interested in seeing the final result when all is said and done this holiday season. As a disclaimer, we can't guarantee that the stuff we cover here will actually look or act the same when it's ready to peek out and make its official introduction in Q4; as often happens, features and UI enhancements are subject to be changed by the Windows Phone team as Mango gets closer and closer to release. Let's get straight to brass tacks, since there's a lot of details to dive into. It'd be best to grab a large beverage (we'd recommend a Big Gulp, at least), find your most comfortable chair, and meet us after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video)

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango in-depth preview (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA teases a pair of mystery laptop GPUs running Crysis 2 (video)

NVIDIA teases a pair of mystery laptop GPUs running Crysis 2 (video): "

Did someone say controlled leak? NVIDIA's come clean about the fact that it has some news to share tomorrow, but until then, it's being oh-so demure about what it has up its sleeve. Behold, an unnamed GPU -- two of 'em, in fact! -- running Crysis 2 in SLI mode. What you see in the short clip below is the DirectX11 version of the game running at 1080p resolution with tesselation enabled and a high-resolution texture pack. All told, the game appears to play smoothly, even with the settings cranked to the max. So just what is this thing? Looks like we'll find out in the morn, folks.

Continue reading NVIDIA teases a pair of mystery laptop GPUs running Crysis 2 (video)

NVIDIA teases a pair of mystery laptop GPUs running Crysis 2 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's A6 processor may come courtesy of TSMC, Samsung left to wonder why

Apple's A6 processor may come courtesy of TSMC, Samsung left to wonder why: "

Apple's fondness for anorexic handhelds knows no bounds, and if this alleged deal with the Asian foundry holds water, expect to see its waistband tighten further. Rumoured back before the iPad 2 launch, the house-that-Steve-built's reportedly been eyeing Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp to produce an 'A6' for its upcoming iPhone refresh. While it's easy to dismiss this purported move as a direct diss to Samsung, what's more likely is that Cupertino's engaging in a competitive bit of size does matter -- specifically, the A5's 45nm process. A transition to newer, lower power 28nm ARM chips would give Jonathan Ives' employer a distinct market advantage, dwarfing even TSMC's current 40nm in the process. While it's all still just speculation for now, only time and an iPhone 5 tear-down will tell for sure.

Apple's A6 processor may come courtesy of TSMC, Samsung left to wonder why originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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