The IT Lounge

You didn’t seriously think the Mac Mini would be spared, did you? The maniacal customizers over at Colorware have added Apple’s latest bit of desktop furniture to their stable of “have it your way” electronics, with a $250 price tag for the paintjob by itself and a $1,000 levy if you want them to procure the hardware as well. Hey, we know that’s expensive, but somebody’s got to be buying all these crazy-hued gadgets for the company to keep going, right? Anyone willing to own up to it?

Mac Mini suffers chromatic maltreatment at hands of Colorware originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wireless Power Consortium took a big step forward this past week with the confirmation that its precocious Qi interoperability standard has been finalized. Composed of three documents setting out the interface, performance and compliance requirements, the new dictum has set itself the not inconsiderable challenge of making wireless charging universal, so that any Qi-approved phone can soak up juice from any Qi-verified base station, dock or omnitool. This first spec is limited to devices requiring no more than 5 Watts, an appropriately humble early goal, though cauldrons are already bubbling with ideas for laptops and the like. We just hope the impressive list of big time companies on the Consortium will succeed in taking Qi into the mainstream — who here hasn’t dreamt of their phone being compatible with the Touchstone?

[Thanks, MrStringTheorist]

Qi wireless power standard finalized, universal contactless chargers look closer to reality than ever originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wooden computer cases? We’ve been there before, but few offer the simple elegance of this “Modern Danish-styled PC enclosure” photographed by slipperyskip at Collectors Weekly — who jokingly indicates it wouldn’t look out of place on the set of Mad Men. We think an integrated ash tray is a necessity before it could make the cut at Sterling Cooper, but it does appear to have plenty of room on top for scotch glasses. The case is said to be 85 percent complete, and hopefully some of that last 15 percent includes actually putting some hardware in the thing. Pretty as it is, an empty case won’t do you much good.

A modern, Danish case for your modern, Danish computer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week Inhabitat brought you a surge of renewable energy news as groundbreaking projects supercharged every corner of the world. London officially crowned the first skyscraper with built-in wind turbines while Sicily generated solar power in the dead of night with the world’s first solar plant that stores energy using molten salt. And speaking of solar power, China is heating things up with the largest building-integrated photovoltaic plant on the planet.

In transportation news, we scored an exclusive interview with auto manufacturer Edison2, who is currently coming up aces with three ultra-efficient vehicles in the final stages of the Progressive Auto X Prize — and we watched high-tech aviation soar to new heights as Airbus unveiled its vision for a fuel-efficient aircraft of the future.

Finally, we were wowed by the world’s first biomass consuming robot, which actually eats, excretes, and can run for a whole week unsupervised. If you’re thinking “I can do that” then we encourage you to try – why not start training with this exercise-inducing treadmill desk? Don’t forget to wear your spiffy glow-in-the-dark performance wear; your co-workers will love it.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: fuel efficency flies high, turbines touch the sky, and salt that stores sunlight originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

It’s generally a bad idea to extrapolate larger consumer behavior from personal experience and say “if I like it, surely everyone else will as well.” It’s a mistake that happens all the time, but there’s is one case where I will use my personal behavior to at least start the foundation for analysis — when I don’t want a new gadget or technology. Granted, sometimes I’m just not the target audience, but even then I’m usually able to remove myself from the process and say it might not be for me but others will love this. In the case of 3D TV, however, I think my lack of interest doesn’t bode well for the market.

I’m surprised by figures, forecasts, predictions and prophecies all showing a rosy outlook for 3D TV beginning as early as this year, because I’ve seen most of the 3D offerings available and I have no plans to buy — not now and not anytime soon. I should be a part of the core demographic for 3D: I like TV, movies and video games. I’m am early adopter. I have reasonable disposable income. I’m not afraid of betting on the wrong standard. And yet, I’m not buying. Here’s why.

Continue reading Entelligence: 3D TV falls flat for me

Entelligence: 3D TV falls flat for me originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Once upon a time in 2007, there was a little-known game called Shadowrun, that let gamers on both Xbox 360 and PC destroy one another for sport. Such is the environment that Microsoft facilitated, but alas, it wasn’t for long, as the moment Shadowrun flopped the cross-platform feature was dropped, though it resurfaced once or twice in third-party titles as the years shot by. Outspoken HP exec Rahul Sood (of Voodoo fame) spins a slightly more complex yarn, however: he says Microsoft killed the project when it found that “mediocre” PC gamers could wipe the floors with the very best players on Xbox. Now, we’re not confirming his story, and there are plenty of other possible explanations if you follow the money, of course, but we can’t help but feel a hint of admiration for the longevity of gaming mouse and keyboard. Here’s hoping we can all leave our predilections at the door as developers pit Android vs. iPhone.

HP’s Rahul Sood says Microsoft killed Xbox vs PC online gaming due to keyboard-mouse superiority originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A candybar slate from HTC with a 3.7-inch SLCD and 1GHz Snapdragon processor — sounds about right for the Desire, but this little puppy is actually running Windows Phone 7 (presumably a developer build, given the apps catalog). According to our tipster, the three buttons under the screen are touch-sensitive à la Nexus One, the camera boasts 8 megapixels of memory retention, and the “hardware is ready.” What you’re not seeing, however, is any sign of skinning — no Sense on this one, we’re afraid. The company is apparently in talks with two US carriers, including Verizon (we’d presume Sprint given the CDMA connection, but we’ve no insight here). Are we looking at the rumored VZW-bound HTC Spark from June? Unfortunately we can’t confirm anything at this point, so for now, just enjoy the tantalizing snapshots.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Mystery HTC Windows Phone 7 device: in the wild and lacking any Sense originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While high-end QWERTY sliders loaded with Android aren’t nearly as uncommon now as when HTC’s Vision first leaked onto the scene, it appears this particular handset may be destined for T-Mobile with its (alleged) 1GHz processor, spacious keyboard and 3.7-inch WVGA screen. Of course, we’d heard that the Vision would appear on T-Mobile before, and our worries are the same as then — there’s no telling whether the phone will actually land stateside, or if it’s destined for T-Mobile Europe instead. Either way, our tipster tells us it could arrive with a different moniker: T-Mobile may call it the “G1 Blaze.”

HTC Vision headed to T-Mobile in new spy shot, dubbed G1 Blaze? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The HTC HD2 did it, and so did the iPhone 3GS (assuming you jailbroke), but now you can get your blocky amnesiac ex-SOLDIER action on Android courtesy of ZodTTD and yongzh. Their PSX4Droid app just launched on the Android Market for $5.99, and — despite a few glitches — it emulates PlayStation games like a charm, complete with multiple scaling modes and save states. Watch a Galaxy S rock the likes of Final Fantasy VII and Ridge Racer after the break, plus Crash Bandicoot on a Nexus One and some paired Wiimote action with a Dell Streak. Then, challenge yourself to adhere to intellectual property law instead of immediately hunting down ROMs and a BIOS file. We dare you.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading PSX4Droid brings spiky-haired protagonists to your Googlephone (video)

PSX4Droid brings spiky-haired protagonists to your Googlephone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not certain how many screen suppliers Apple has at this point, but LG is certainly a major player, so our ears tend to perk up when the Korean manufacturer admits it can’t stay ahead of the game. LG CEO Kwon Young-Soo told reporters the firm just can’t keep up with incredible demand for the iPad’s brilliant 9.7-inch IPS display, and suggested that Cupertino might actually have to slow international expansion as a direct result. “Apple may have to delay launches of the iPad for some countries due to tight component supplies and strong demand,” he said, adding that even if the firm were to increase production capacity, supplies would remain tight through early 2011. Residents of Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and The Netherlands came in under the wire, but it sounds like there may be another wait for the rest of the world.

LG: ‘Apple may have to delay launches of the iPad for some countries’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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