Increase Your Brain Power by Doing Things the Hard Way [Brain Hacks]

Increase Your Brain Power by Doing Things the Hard Way [Brain Hacks]: "

Despite the many conveniences we now enjoy because of technology, once in a while we might want to forgo some of them just to keep our brains sharp. "Doing things the hard way" is one of the tips for increasing your intelligence suggested by the Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies. More »

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"It Takes as Much Energy to Wish as it Does to Plan." [Quotables]

"It Takes as Much Energy to Wish as it Does to Plan." [Quotables]: "

This quote, from former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, is a good reminder that you can sit on your butt and think about doing something or you can actually use that time to plan on doing it. Having hopes and dreams is great, but having plans to achieve them is better. If you find you're spending a lot of time thinking about doing something, turn it into a plan. You don't necessarily have to act on that plan, but if you decide to you'll be ready. And it definitely doesn't hurt to see what your wishes look like when they're more realistic. They might seem more achievable than you originally believed. More »

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WD's 9.5mm Scorpio Blue 1TB laptop hard drive gets benchmarked

WD's 9.5mm Scorpio Blue 1TB laptop hard drive gets benchmarked: "These days, it's hard to shake the urge to pop a solid state drive into your next laptop, but even if you're down with dropping the requisite coin, the restrictive capacity choices may make it darn near impossible for pack rats to bite. For those fitting squarely into that category, there's Western Digital's newest laptop drive: the 9.5mm 1TB Scorpio Blue. It's one of the first in this form factor (read: the one that slips into most everything smaller than a Clevo) to hit the 1TB milestone, and at just $99, it's a veritable bargain. The benchmarking gurus over at Hot Hardware threw it through the usual gauntlet of tests, pitting it against a 500GB Scorpio Black and a 640GB Seagate Momentus. As you'd likely expect, the 1TB spinner bested the competition in SiSoftware, ATTO and CrystalDiskMark tests, though not by a tremendous margin. Still, taking performance up a notch while also boasting a full terabyte of space makes it somewhat of a no-brainer for capacity freaks, and you can hit the source for a barrage of charts proving as much.

WD's 9.5mm Scorpio Blue 1TB laptop hard drive gets benchmarked originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3D-printed plane takes to the skies, sounds like a Black & Decker (video)

3D-printed plane takes to the skies, sounds like a Black & Decker (video): "

You know what's pleasing about this plastic drone, aside from the fact it flies? It took just a week to design and build from scratch, thanks to the labor-saving wonders of 3D printing. Each component was formed in ultra-thin layers by a laser beam trained on a bed of raw material -- either plastic, steel or titanium powder depending on the required part. If designers at the University of Southampton wanted to experiment with elliptical wings, they simply printed them out. If they thought a particular brand of WWII nose cone might reduce drag, they pressed Ctrl-P. And if they reckoned they could invent a wingless flying steamroller... Er, too late. Anyway, as the video after the break reveals, there's never been a better time for the work-shy to become aeronautical engineers.

Continue reading 3D-printed plane takes to the skies, sounds like a Black & Decker (video)

3D-printed plane takes to the skies, sounds like a Black & Decker (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google launches Hotel Finder, finds a way to recycle Google Maps reviews

Google launches Hotel Finder, finds a way to recycle Google Maps reviews: "

By now, it should be no secret that Google wants to get up in your online trip-planning business (if it wasn't somehow there already). First, there was the announcement that El Goog would buy ITA, the company serving up pretty much all of your online ticketing options -- a deal that still hasn't closed. Then came flight schedule searches and now, the outfit's rounding it all out by throwing hotels into the mix. The company just launched Hotel Finder, a service that lets you -- wait for it -- find a place to lay your weary head in these great fifty states. At first glance, it's little more than a specific use case for Google Maps -- just type in a city or US zip code to get a map with the usual spreads of pinpoints. Though Google won't be the middleman booking your hotel reservation, you can use the tool to fine-tune your search, drawing circles on the map to scour multiple neighborhoods. As you'd expect, you can also whittle the search by price and rating, and read reviews that people originally posted on Google Maps. One thing we're liking about the UI is that you don't have to open a new tab to read the full spill on a hotel -- you can just click the listing to see it expand right there, alongside pretty photo collages. Hit the source link to poke around, though if its bare-bones simplicity turns you off, don't say Google didn't warn you -- the tool is so new that Google isn't calling it a 'beta' so much as an...experiment.

Google launches Hotel Finder, finds a way to recycle Google Maps reviews originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TheNextWeb | Google | Email this | Comments"

XBee grows up, delivers WiFi to DIYers and Arduino enthusiasts

XBee grows up, delivers WiFi to DIYers and Arduino enthusiasts: "

Good news DIYers, XBee now comes in WiFi flavors. The favorite wireless module of Arduino tinkerers everywhere is growing up and adding 802.11n to its normal compliment of RF and ZigBee options. Development kits are available now starting at $149 per board, with add-on modules like embedded or wire antennas and RF connectors clocking in at $49. It might not seem like a big deal to some of you out there, but anyone who's contemplated building a Tweet-a-Watt or a Yarn Monster will appreciate being able skip adding a ZigBee adapter to their PC. Check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading XBee grows up, delivers WiFi to DIYers and Arduino enthusiasts

XBee grows up, delivers WiFi to DIYers and Arduino enthusiasts originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lockheed Martin's HALE-D airship learns to fly, makes a crash landing

Lockheed Martin's HALE-D airship learns to fly, makes a crash landing: "

Because dirigibles were such a great idea the first, completely non-disastrous time around, Lockheed Martin and the US Army have teamed up to bring the quaint technology back into our hyper-modern era. The lighter-than-air vehicle got a new lease on unmanned flight life when it launched yesterday from its base in Akron, Ohio. The High Altitude Long Endurance-Demonstrator (HALE-D for short) reached 32,000 ft during its maiden voyage before technical difficulties cut the test short, forcing an emergency landing in the deep woods of southwestern Pennsylvania. Despite the flight-aborting hiccup, the global security company is all smiles, citing the successful demonstration of 'communications links, [the] unique propulsion system, solar array electricity generation [and] remote piloting communications.' Future real-world versions of HALE-D could serve as a military 'telecommunications relay system' over foreign terrain -- like Afghanistan -- where radio signals can't penetrate. The Defense Department contractor is currently retrieving the airship from its foresty crash pad, but you can bet some locals already called this close encounter in to the local papers. Skip past the break for Archer's take on our government's latest airborne effort.

Continue reading Lockheed Martin's HALE-D airship learns to fly, makes a crash landing

Lockheed Martin's HALE-D airship learns to fly, makes a crash landing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shocker! British civil servants spend a lot on new PCs

Shocker! British civil servants spend a lot on new PCs: "

The British government just got put on Supernanny's naughty step for paying too high a price for new PCs. A parliamentary scrutiny committee accused civil servants of being naively ripped off by a 'cartel' of big IT firms, who steal charge as much as £3,500 ($5,700) per file-donkey -- that's around ten times the open market rate for a basic machine. However, at risk of pooping on the UK's moral outrage party, an equally moral sense of fairness compels us to play devil's advocate here. After all, the figure of £3,500 covers "infrastructure" and "applications" as well as the plain old computer, and those categories might include a whole array of expensive add-ons, like tailored software, servers, high-speed internet, and even technical support. Of course, we could be wrong about this, in which case Jo Frost can punish us however she sees fit.

Shocker! British civil servants spend a lot on new PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nielsen: Android accounts for 39 percent of smartphones in the US, Apple is the top device maker

Nielsen: Android accounts for 39 percent of smartphones in the US, Apple is the top device maker: "

Nielsen's just released a study confirming what some other studies have already concluded -- that Android devices account for the single largest swath of smartphone users in the US, with 39 percent OS share as of the second quarter. That compares with 28 percent for iOS, although Apple still reigns as the country's top-selling device maker. Simply put, that's a reflection of the fact that Apple is the only outfit churning out iOS devices, whereas a bevy of companies led by HTC, Motorola, and Samsung have helped make Android the dominant OS in the states. And let's not forget about RIM, another hardware / software shop, which still commands a 20 percent chunk of the market. Rounding out the list, Windows Phone and Windows Mobile account for nine percent, largely thanks to sales of HTC handsets, while webOS and Symbian each eked out two percent. At this point we don't doubt that Android is the most ubiquitous mobile operating system this side of the Atlantic, although it's worth noting that Nielsen based its results on a sample of roughly 20,000 people -- all of whom are postpaid subscribers.

Nielsen: Android accounts for 39 percent of smartphones in the US, Apple is the top device maker originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When the balloons inflated, so did man's career

When the balloons inflated, so did man's career: "

When he was just a high school kid hawking balloons with Mickey Mouse's picture on them, Treb Heining never imagined that his affection for those little helium-filled orbs would blow up into anything more than a fun summertime job.

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Galaxy Tab 10.1 Vs. iPad 2 Review

Galaxy Tab 10.1 Vs. iPad 2 Review: "DeviceGuru writes 'DeviceGuru's 10-inch tablet smackdown pits Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 against Apple's iPad 2. At price parity the iPad 2 is probably a better bet for the average user since it's a more stable, near-perfect device with a rich assortment of apps for nearly every possible function you'd like to perform on a tablet, reasons the post. However, with the Samsung tablet's cost of goods rumored to be around $215 versus $260 for the iPad 2 for comparable models, Samsung could drop its 10-inch tablet's price to $425 and pose a serious challenge to Apple's device. But will they...?'

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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HTC Ignite and Prime surface on Dutch e-tailer, may indeed be coming soon

HTC Ignite and Prime surface on Dutch e-tailer, may indeed be coming soon: "

Second time's a charm? Here's hoping. Just months after seeing the so-called HTC Ignite and Prime surface alongside the Pyramid (which already launched as the Sensation 4G), it seems as if the remaining duo have found a home over at The Phone House. For those unaware, that's the Dutch version of the UK's Carphone Warehouse, a top-tier mobile shop that doesn't steer folks wrong too often. The Ignite looks to be a Windows Phone 7 handset with an 800MHz processor, 3.7-inch display and an otherwise understated motif. The Prime, on the other hand, sports a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 5 megapixel camera and Microsoft's homespun OS. There's no mention of a price tag on either (nor any other specifications), but that whole 'coming soon' thing most certainly has our interest piqued.



[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HTC Ignite and Prime surface on Dutch e-tailer, may indeed be coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPowerUser | The Phone House | Email this | Comments"

Sony, Sharp and Fujitsu earnings all bring bad news, only Toshiba says something nice

Sony, Sharp and Fujitsu earnings all bring bad news, only Toshiba says something nice: "

Plenty of Japanese earnings news today and, as with Nintendo, most of it's pretty dire. Sony's hit from the earthquake and PSN outtage has inevitably contaminated this quarter, but it's suffered from slow Bravia TV, PC and camcorder sales too. Together, these factors contributed a hefty ¥15.5 billion ($200 million) loss in the three months to the end of June, compared to a ¥25.7 billion profit for the same quarter last year.

Meanwhile, Fujitsu also lost ¥20.4 billion, which it largely attributed to a 6.7 percent decline in Japanese sales following the disaster. However, sales in other countries also fell 5.3 percent, reflecting a stronger yen and general lack of consumer demand.

Despite everything, Sharp managed to make an operating profit of ¥3.5 billion -- but this was down an eye-watering 84.4 percent on the same period last year. Like Sony, the company is suffering from weak demand for TVs, and says it's switching one of its main TV panel plants to make smaller panels for mobile devices instead -- including the iPhone and iPad.

There was some more upbeat news from Toshiba, however, which has managed to stay in the green. It reported a slight rise in net quarterly profit to ¥470 million due to demand for its power systems and home appliances. At least that's a note worth ending on.

Sony, Sharp and Fujitsu earnings all bring bad news, only Toshiba says something nice originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OOP Tetris cartridge begs you to buy it now for $1 million

OOP Tetris cartridge begs you to buy it now for $1 million: "

It may shock you to know that you're a simple lottery win away from picking up a Like New copy of Tetris for the Sega Mega Drive (that's the Genesis to us Yanks). That's right, for the low price of $1 million American, you can pick up an original Japanese Mega Drive cartridge signed by the game's creator, Alekséi Pázhitnov on eBay. No word on whether the Russian game designer will actually hand deliver the red-boxed piece of gaming history if you're the lucky winner.

OOP Tetris cartridge begs you to buy it now for $1 million originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: Apple's officially over the optical drive, for better or worse

Editorial: Apple's officially over the optical drive, for better or worse: "

I don't like it. Not one iota. But frankly, it doesn't much matter -- Apple's officially done with the optical drive, and there's no evidence more strikingly clear than the mid 2011 refresh of its Mac mini. Last year, that bantam box arrived with a $699 price tag, pep in its step and a personality that could charm even the most hardened desktop owner. This year, a $599 model showed up on my doorstep promising the same, but instead it delivered a noticeable drop in actual functionality. Pundits have argued that you could tether a USB SuperDrive to the new mini and save $20 in the process compared to last year's rig, but does relying on a cabled accessory go hand-in-hand with beauty and simplicity? No, and I've every reason to believe that Apple would agree.



Despite the obvious -- that consumers would buy a mini to reduce the sheer burden of operating a convoluted desktop setup -- Apple's gone and yanked what has become a staple in both Macs and PCs alike. For years, ODDs have been standard fare, spinning CDs, DVDs, HD-DVDs (however briefly) and Blu-ray Discs, not to mention a few other formats that didn't do much to deserve a mention. Compared to most everything else in the technology universe, the tried-and-true optical drive has managed to hang around well beyond what it's creator likely had in mind, but it's pretty obvious that 2011 is to the ODD what 1998 was to the floppy drive. At least in the mind of one Steven P. Jobs.

Continue reading Editorial: Apple's officially over the optical drive, for better or worse

Editorial: Apple's officially over the optical drive, for better or worse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A King Size with your Big Mac? The McDonald’s hotels in Switzerland

A King Size with your Big Mac? The McDonald’s hotels in Switzerland: "

We’d never seen this video before until today and judging by the viewing figures, few people have. So how many of you knew that in 2001, McDonald’s opened two hotels in Switzerland?

At a time when the fast food chain found its stock declining, the CEO of McDonald’s Switzerland spearheaded an attempt to diversify the business: “Our restaurants serve 74 million customers in a country with a population of 7 million – if only one in 1,000 of those guests choose the Golden Arch Hotel, the project will be a success.”

Despite everything going in their favour – location, brand awareness, marketing – the Golden Arch Hotels failed and were sold on after just two years – nobody wanted to stay in hotel associated with McDonald’s.

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Garry’s Mod: Over 1 million sold

Garry’s Mod: Over 1 million sold: "We mentioned him earlier today, but our pages are once again graced by Garry Newman, the one-man-band behind Garry's Mod. A favourite around the GamePron offices for his creative approach to pirates, we're now happy to report that the innovative sandbox title has surpassed one million sales."

Compare Airline Baggage Fees and Airline Credit Card Rewards in One Handy Infograph [Saving Money]

Compare Airline Baggage Fees and Airline Credit Card Rewards in One Handy Infograph [Saving Money]: "

Baggage fees are an unfortunate part of air travel on most airlines now, but one way you can avoid those ridiculous fees is by using credit cards affiliated with the airlines. Nerd Wallet's infographic shows which cards help avoid the fees and get you to elite status faster. More »

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