New Gadgets
- Kobo Mini gets a big price drop for a limited time
Looking for something, um, stocking-sized later this week? Kobo’s announced a temporary but significant price-drop on its diminutive 5-inch Mini e-reader. From December 21st to the 23rd, the pocket-sized device will have a budget-friendly price of $50 — that’s down from the original $80. You can pick one up for the literati on your list at Best Buy and select independent bookstores. An appropriately mini press release, meanwhile, can be read after the break.
Continue reading Kobo Mini gets a big price drop for a limited time
- Google updates Santa tracking algorithm, reopens North Pole privacy debate
Old Saint Nick may be full of mystery and magic most of the year, but as soon as December 24th rolls around, all eyes are on the jolly fat man, especially in this era of always-on social media. Sure, it’s not the first to track Santa, but Google’s been in on the sled following game since 2004. Naturally, the company has refined its approach a bit over the years, and for 2012, Google’s offering up a new algorithm to track Mr. Kringle and his eight tiny reindeer’s route. The site counting down to the start of the Google Earth tracking is now live and you can also get in on the fun via a new Chrome Extension. As to whether you’ve been naughty or nice, you’ll just have to consult the traditional social media channels.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation, Internet, Software, Google
Via: Google Maps Blog, Google+
Source: Santa Tracker, Google Chrome Store
- Nokia rolling out update with camera fix for Lumia 920 and 820 owners in the US and Canada
Earlier today, Nokia announced software updates for the Lumia 920 and 820 for customers in the US (AT&T) and Canada (Rogers). Highlights include: improved bluetooth connectivity, enhanced battery management and a highly anticipated camera fix. Once an update notification has been received, customers will need to ensure that their device is fully charged and connected to WiFi before initiating the download. If you haven’t received an alert and would like to manually check for the update you can do so by tapping Settings > Phone Update > Check For Updates. Nokia advises that the entire process can take around 30 minutes from start to finish, so you may wanna grab a snack while you wait — or check out the changelog after the break. The choice is yours.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Nokia
Source: Nokia
- Help us pick the winner for our ‘Bring a Reader to CES 2013′ contest!
Dearest Reader,
Thank you for all the heartfelt replies to our previous letter — it really meant a lot. As promised last time we chatted, we’ve done our bit by wading through hours of mostly great video to find just the right entrant to join us in Las Vegas for the next installment of the Consumer Electronics Show. We think we’ve found three great choices, so if it isn’t being too forward, we’d like you to do your bit by pitching in with a single vote. You see, we’re all at odds about which contestant should join us, so we want to combine your thoughts with ours and declare the contest won. Keep in mind, however, that none of the contestants deserve or need any grief for their efforts. If you feel you “could have done better” then next time, please do. Now follow on to see our favorite three and place your vote in the poll below. Cheerio!
Continue reading Help us pick the winner for our ‘Bring a Reader to CES 2013′ contest!
Filed under: Announcements
- The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5pm ET with guest Ashley Esqueda!
We’d say ’tis the season for awesome podcasts, but let’s face it — it’s always the season for awesome podcasts. However, a special guest oftentimes adds a dash of extra spice to our normal cup of hot cocoa, and that’s no understatement with this week’s selection: Ashley Esqueda. You might know her from Mobile Nations, Techfoolery.tv and Tecca, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg of this girl’s resume. So join us at 5pm ET as we welcome Ashley and discuss the latest happenings in mobile!
December 19, 2012 5:00 PM ESTContinue reading The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5pm ET with guest Ashley Esqueda!
Filed under: Announcements, Mobile
- DARPA shows off latest advances to four-legged LS3 robot: voice control, improved autonomy and maneuverability
It’s just been a few months since DARPA was touting the last round of improvements to its four-legged LS3 robot, but it’s already back to show off some more. These latest follow two weeks of real world testing in the woods of central Virginia, where the LS3 (also known as AlphaDog) demonstrated a number of improvements to its autonomy and maneuverability, including the ability to recover from a pretty substantial roll. What’s more, DARPA’s also shown off how the robot can respond to voice commands, as well what it calls “Leader Follow” decision making, with the robot itself determining how best to follow its human counterpart. All that and some sounds to keep you up at night can be found in the video after the break.
Filed under: Robots
Source: DARPA
- Google Apps for Business users receive Quickoffice for iPad as a freebie
If Google recently caught you off-guard with its announcement that Google Apps would move to a $50 per user model, perhaps some free software will help restore balance to your world. Today, the company announced a free version of Quickoffice for the iPad, which is an exclusive perk for users of Google Apps for Business. The software suite allows users to view, edit and create Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, and as proof that integration isn’t lost on Google, all files are stored to Google Drive. For the moment, only iPad users will be treated to this free version of Quickoffice, but Google insists that iPhone and Android versions are on the way. If you’ll recall, this is the same bit of software that Google purchased earlier this year. Nice to see it’s being put to good use.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: App Store
- Buzzed Buzzer helps you become even more annoying while drunk
Sure, we see plenty of specialized technology, day in and day out, but few of these modern movels target an often overlooked segment of the population: the incredibly drunk. Thankfully, Tyler DeAngelo, he of Fifth Avenue Frogger and Check ‘N Chew, is on the case, teaming up Sacha De’Angeli to bring the world Buzzed Buzzer — just in time for New Year’s. The hack uses a standard New Year’s party horn, a small micro controller and a breathalyzer alcohol sensor to create a party noise maker that only works when the user has imbibed a sufficient quantity of booze. There’s a not particularly informative video after the break, but if you really want in on the action, consult the source link below for a full list of instructions, so you can be the loudest drunk at the party. And yeah, if the buzzer works for you, please refrain from blowing it at your designated driver.
Continue reading Buzzed Buzzer helps you become even more annoying while drunk
Filed under: Misc
Source: Buzzed Buzzer
- Engadget’s CES 2013 Preview: Displays
With CES looming like an electrically charged storm of news and announcements, it’s time for us to give you our best bets on what you’ll see come January. During the month of December, we’ll bring you a series of CES preview posts, forecasting what you can expect when the news deluge begins. For more of what’s to come, check out our hub.
Looking for what’s going to be new in home theaters for CES 2013 is largely a good news / bad news situation. The bad news? The list of tech we’re expecting to see (Ultra HD — aka 4K / 8K, OLED, connected TV and second-screen interaction) is almost an exact mirror of the high-profile launches from last year’s show. The good news, however, is that there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic that this is the year we’ll actually see the technology become available and / or more useful in our daily lives.
