Trimble may make plenty of GPS-equipped devices of its own aimed at adventure-minded folks, but its Trimble Outdoors software has also made quite a few cellphones a bit more outdoors-friendly, and it’s now finally found its way to the T-Mobile G1. As with on some other phones, the app will let you plan your trip online and sync it up with your G1, and give you the ability to geotag pictures, log your trip and share it with others, take text and audio notes and, of course, simply use it as a full-fledged GPS navigator. That won’t come free, of course, but the $19.99 app price sure is a good deal cheaper than a separate outdoors GPS device, and you can grab it right now from Android Market.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Software

Trimble Outdoors app will make an adventurer out of your T-Mobile G1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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E3 2009: Lost Planet 2
E3 2009: Lost Planet 2

While every other solid state drive maker is thinking of snazzy new model names to slap on their next-gen wares, OCZ Technology is actually breaking up the monotony with its Vertex Turbo SSD. While we won’t go so far as to say that these things are overclocked (’cause let’s face it, they aren’t), OCZ has bumped the core clock speed and the SDR DRAM cache to 180MHz (compared to 166MHz on the original). These drives also posses a custom firmware designed specifically for performance junkies, and the company claims that users will see read and write speeds of up to 270MBps and 210MBps, respectively. We’re still waiting to hear back on pricing, but you can expect capacities of 30GB (32), 60GB (64), 120GB (128), and 250GB (256) to hit the shelves in short order.

Update: We’ve just received pricing from OCZ:

• 30GB - $139.99
• 60GB - $249.99
• 120GB - $409.00
• 250GB - $774.99

Filed under: Storage

OCZ cranks clock speed, DRAM on Vertex Turbo SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Face it, we’re not normal. Most consumers don’t want to convert their home PCs into media centers. That doesn’t stop them from wanting a single device serving as both their TV and PC, however. That’s where the 22- and 32-inch Bristol ViewSurfer PC/TVs carve out their niche. Each set features a FreeView tuner and an integrated, netbook-like, Atom-based Windows XP computer with 160GB of storage, 1GB of memory, 4x USB, and Ethernet. The PC lacks integrated WiFi, oddly enough, and the TV seems to function in complete isolation from the computer processing — so no integrated DVR, for example. The £500 (about $814) 22-inch model does feature a 1680 x 1050 pixel resolution, well above the 1024 x 600 display found in most netbooks. Not that you’ll be pushing Flash-based video from YouTube or BBC’s iPlayer full-screen as these ViewSurfers are undoubtedly saddled with Intel’s integrated 945GSE netbook graphics. Bristol remains mum about the specs on the 32 incher. Available in October if you’re still game.

Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment, Media PCs

Bristol’s ViewSurfer TVs let you use XP from 10 feet away originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iRiver Clix
iRiver Clix
iPhone 3GS Discoloration Might Be Symptom of Faulty Cases
A small number of iPhone 3GS owners have reported browning of their handsets presumably due to overheating. However, a report suggests the problem is tied to third-party cases. iPhone blog FrenchiPhone cites an Apple technician who laid blame at the covers of some iPhone 3GS units. “After numerous calls to Apple technical service and maintenance of contact [...]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

LG eyes number two phone maker spot for 2012, premium brand in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen plenty of tiny UAVs (or NAVs — Nano Aerial Vehicles — as they’re also known), but none quite like the robo-hummingbird that’s been in development at DARPA-contractor AeroVironment for the past couple of years. While we haven’t heard much about it during that time, the company recently completed its most advanced prototype to date, dubbed Mercury, and it’s taken advantage of the opportunity to show off all the progress it has made. As you can see in the video after the break, the bot is able to fly about and hover in place by mimicking the wing movement of a real hummingbird and, of course, be controlled completely untethered. What’s more, the firm says that the final version will actually look like a real hummingbird as well, and be able to be controlled from up to a kilometer away — even inside buildings, where a hummingbird won’t look at all out of place.

[Via Danger Room]

Continue reading DARPA contractor shows off tiny robo-hummingbird UAV

Filed under: Robots

DARPA contractor shows off tiny robo-hummingbird UAV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple MacBook 2008
Apple MacBook 2008

After some rather impressive RC builds, Firefox 3.5 is all packaged up and ready for public consumption. Mozilla is saying its new browser is more than two times faster than Firefox 3, but what has us more excited is the support for plugin-free “open codec” video and audio playback using Ogg Vorbis and Ogg Theora– it’s still in its infancy, but the subtle glimpse we’ve seen so far of a world without Flash video reducing our CPU to jelly is rather compelling.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Firefox 3.5 arrives originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell XPS M1330 Laptop
Dell XPS M1330 Laptop

Although we get irked by all the names assigned to netbooks, smartbooks, or in this case, viewbooks, we are still pretty excited about the élan’s 1080p capabilities, and now the Netbook News crew are adding to our enthusiasm with a pair of videos investigating the machine’s chassis and software. The UI they looked at is notable for being supplied by NVIDIA, and may therefore give a good indication of what future Tegra-based devices of all shapes, sizes and naming nomenclatures may look and feel like. We like the media-centric approach, which complements the platform’s strengths well, and the chunky navigation icons avoid the pitfalls inherent in a screen of this size (8.9-inches). Click through for the vids, but be warned: super-glossy screens and pink laptop enclosures lay ahead.

Continue reading Video: Mobinnova lan sporting a custom Tegra UI

Filed under: Laptops

Video: Mobinnova lan sporting a custom Tegra UI originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Designer Rhea Jeong’s Void LP player seems devoid of reality, but it was inspired by the very real and very cute “Vinyl Killer,” a little VW Bus that can propel itself around a record and play the tunes with its tinny speaker, naturally wearing out the precious LP in the process. The Void LP takes the concept of a self-sufficient speaker, amp and needle (the red ball), and then tosses them all into the air with a magnetic saucer. We’re sure it sounds terrible, and it seems a little fantastical, but one thing’s for certain: we want.

[Via The Rock and Roll Star]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household

Rhea Jeong’s Void LP player concept cheats at gravity originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know, at one point chrome accents and glossy plastics were novel additions to previously staid consumer electronics — now they make us want to punch a hole in the nearest smarmy LCD display. While HP has tried its best to be the worst offender in its consumer line, Toshiba is really giving it a shot with the M500 and U500 series laptops — the U500 is pretty outlandish, but at least it offers a ribbed, almost-desirable matte surface of sorts, while the M500 (pictured) makes everything else look tame in comparison, and has the plentiful finger smudges to prove it. Both of the laptops offer chrome trim, overdone speaker grills and light-up accents. The textured trackpads are probably a love it or hate it thing; in fact, most of these “style” choices could be termed as such, but we’re sure you’ve ascertained by now where we stand. Sure, the so-called general consumer apparently eats it up, but the charm is lost on us. On a gentler note, the M505 we looked at was running Windows 7, something we more commonly see being demoed on a touchscreen PC or something otherwise Windows 7 specific. Obviously it’s not shipping with that OS yet, but the pining is palpable.

Filed under: Laptops

Toshiba’s new Satellite M500 and U500 mid-tier laptops “shine” in the flesh originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ReQuest S4 2500 Music Server
ReQuest S4 2500 Music Server
iPhone 3GS Driving 400-Percent Growth in YouTube Uploads
Video uploads to YouTube have increased 400 percent a day since the launch of the iPhone 3GS, according to YouTube. In a blog post, YouTube officials Dwipal Desai and Mia Quagliarello cited three factors driving an overall growth of 1700 percent in uploads in the last six months: new video-enabled phones on the market, improvement of [...]
The Futuristic Automotive Top 10
Honestly, this is probably only the first of a few top 10s dealing with the automotive category from YD; we be driving. Today’s list is the future. From wild wheels to perfect seats to flying cars, this is the way we’ll be crashing into each other when tomorrow rolls around. …

Nettop? All-in-one? Sometimes you just want a good ole’ fashioned desktop, and that’s where Gateway’s new DX and SX PCs come into play. The SX small form factor, pictured above, has packed in a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Quad with GMA X4500 integrated graphics, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 640GB HDD, a 18x DVD writer, multi-card reader, nine USB 2.0 ports, multi-card reader, firewire and eSATA, HDMI and VGA outputs, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit. Asking price for that setup is $499, but if you’re looking to game, we don’t see much room for adding a hipper graphics card. On the slightly heftier side, the DX mini-tower boasts either an Intel Core 2 Quad or AMD Phenom X4 with NVIDIA GeForce G210 / ATI Radeon 4650 graphics cards, respectively, up to 8GB DDR3 and 1TB HDD, eight USB 2.0 ports, and all the other amenities of the SX for a starting price of $750. Both models are expected for release end of June, which means pretty much now-ish. To top it off, the company’s also just released a new FHD display series in 21.5, 23, and 24-inch varieties, and it looks like there’s been a spec refresh to its LX and FX desktop lines. Full press release after the break.

Continue reading Gateway unveils DX mini-tower and SX small form factor PCs

Filed under: Desktops

Gateway unveils DX mini-tower and SX small form factor PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Garmin Nuvi 680 GPS
Garmin Nuvi 680 GPS
iPhone 3GS Trounces Predecessors, Rivals in Web Browser Speed Test
A benchmark test conducted by an iPhone analytics company indicates the new iPhone 3GS is three times faster with web browsing than the iPhone 3G and the Palm Pre. Conducted by Medialets, the test involved running a JavaScript benchmark called SunSpider using the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G, T-Mobile G1 and Palm Pre. (SunSpider tests the core [...]