The IT Lounge

Impossible Project’s Polaroid film goes on sale this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Viliv S10 Blade gets reviewed, Best Buy now selling Viliv devices originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In what is becoming a depressingly familiar tale, Hillcrest Labs has just released a free new browser based on Mozilla with a TV-friendly UI designed for control from the couch, but despite these friendly and standards-compliant underpinnings, Hulu has already managed to block the Kylo browser, mere hours out of the gate. Apparently Hulu worked fine in testing all the way up to launch, and Hillcrest Labs is looking for a solution as we speak. Hillcrest, Boxee feels your pain.

Meanwhile, we played around with Kylo a bit using one of those Loop pointers for gyroscope-based cursor control, and found the mousing experience just as intuitive as ever, setup non-existant (we tested on a Mac, but it’s easy on a PC as well), and the browser nicely unobtrusive and distance friendly. Typing with the onscreen keyboard is about exactly as nice as typing with your mouse, which is to say “not preferred,” but completely doable in a pinch. The address bar has the same sort of URL prediction we’ve come to know and love in modern browsers, though we wouldn’t mind if it pulled in our Firefox history to round out the database from the start. In theory we also think the Loop pointer could provide some sort of more intuitive control for zooming and panning, but overall it’s a simple, clean UI that should at least beat out your PS3 or Wii browser for this sort of duty — if you’re smart enough and rich enough to get your PC or Mac plugged into your TV, or have an extra one to spare. The browser also of course works with any old mouse you might having lying around, but Hillcrest Labs sure hopes you’ll make the Right Choice. Check out a video of the browser and Loop pointer in action after the break.

Continue reading Hillcrest Labs builds TV-friendly Kylo browser for its Loop pointer, Hulu promptly blocks it

Hillcrest Labs builds TV-friendly Kylo browser for its Loop pointer, Hulu promptly blocks it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Motorola’s Android-powered i1 launching at CTIA

Motorola’s Android-powered i1 launching at CTIA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was a monumental week for efficient transportation as China unveiled plans to connect its high speed rail network all the way to Europe. We were also excited to see Solar Roadways unveil the first prototype of an energy-generating road that stands to transform our freeways into power conduits. Meanwhile, one 74 year old man is going solo and blazing his own trail across the states aboard a solar powered stroller.

Inhabitat also showcased several amazing feats of architecture this week. One of the world’s first skyscrapers with built-in wind turbines is rising above London, while designer Enrico Dini has created a gigantic 3D printer that is able to create entire buildings out of stone.

Finally, we explored all sorts of ways that people are getting wired – literally. Students at the University of Washington are working on a set of solar-powered augmented reality contact lenses that may just bring terminator vision to the masses, while Spanish scientists are working on nanochips that can be that can be implanted into human body cells to detect diseases earlier. And in case you haven’t heard, “me-fi” is the new WiFi as researches have discovered a way to transmit 10mbps broadband data through a human arm.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: high speed rail, augmented reality, and body broadband originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tata Motors’ Nano lights up the streets of Mumbai originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We realize that the e-reader market is about as crowded (not to mention overwhelming) as a Walmart on Black Friday, but ever since the dual-screen Spring Design Alex surfaced and we mistook it as the Barnes & Noble Nook, we’ve been incredibly intrigued by it. Though its 6-inch E-Ink display and 3.5-inch Android LCD form factor may seem like a riff on the Nook, the Alex has quite a few more tricks up its sleeve, including a full Android browser and the ability to extend what appears on the LCD to the E-Ink screen. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the unorthodox extras baked into the $399 Alex. Still, games and gimmicks only get you so far, and you’re probably wondering if it has what it takes to pull up next to the the majors like the Kindle or Nook and knock them from the top. We’ve got that answer and lots more details on what it’s like to use two screens rather than one just after the break in our full review. Join us, won’t you?

Continue reading Spring Design Alex review

Spring Design Alex review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It wasn’t too long ago that we were berating Nintendo for its seemingly silly patent application relating to a football-shaped soft appendage for the Wii Remote controllers. As it turns out, we may have underestimated the consumer interest in just such a product. While Ninty’s application is still under review, CTA Digital has taken the opportunity to introduce its own “soft, realistic accessory” for the ballers that just can’t get their Madden on without the feel of a rubbery pigskin substitute. It’s ambidextrous, it comes with a wrist strap, and it has absolutely no right to exist in a society of right-thinking Homo sapiens. But it does. At least price and availability aren’t yet public, so hopefully you’ll have forgotten about this abomination by the time of release.

Wii football controller brought to life by CTA Digital originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Was Sony’s last VAIO E laptop, the blue one with a pink keyboard, not garish enough for you? Maybe these new models will saturate your questionable color palette. The E series has gotten a bit smaller and also a bit bigger, adding 14- and 17-inch models to the lineup. The 14-inch, 1600 x 900 VPCEA1S1E models include Intel Core i3-330M processors at 2.13GHz, 4GB of DDR3 memory, 500GB disk drives, and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 graphics. The 17-inch, 1920 x 1080 VPCEC1S1E moves up to Core i5-430M processors at 2.26GHz, 1TB of storage, Radeon HD 5650 graphics, and replaces the smaller unit’s DVD player with a Blu-ray drive. All offer 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, and HDMI output for your media entertainment. No word on price or availability, but we have confirmed you can get them in black if you’re not feeling quite so colorful on a Monday.

Sony’s new 14- and 17-inch VAIO E laptops invite you to taste the rainbow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The more we hear about the next generation of rechargeable batteries, the more nanotechnology seems integral to the case, as scientists work to improve the capacity of electrodes in the popular Lithium-ion chemical battery structure. Silicon nanowires are an exciting future possibility, and one current solution uses nano-structures made of iron phosphate. But the firm we’re highlighting today, EcoloCap, has decided to revisit our versatile friend: the carbon nanotube. The company has just spread the word that its Nano Lithium X battery can generate a minimum of 200 amp-hours with a single cell (a Tesla requires 6,831) at half the cost of a traditional Li-ion and with greater than 99 percent efficiency. Truth be told, we don’t know if the tech actually exists, and we’d never even heard of the company before today — but if this solution does materialize with the voltage to match its longevity, it’ll bring a badly needed eco-boost of competition to a market with far too few players.

EcoloCap claims nanotube-infused Lithium-X battery has 99 percent efficiency, fuels our long-range EV dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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