The IT Lounge

The Honda U3-X might look all futuristic and highly portable, but it doesn’t pack much speed — probably for the sake of stability. The Segway? Far too bulky, plus it’s so yesterday (sorry, Woz). This brings us to the YikeBike — a bizarre-looking foldable electric bicycle that was announced back in September. Since then this mini whizzer’s been given a slight bump to its top speed (now 25km/h or 15.5mph) and range (10km; 40-minute charge time), while weighing just 22 pounds thanks to its carbon fiber composite frame. Once you’ve folded the bike up, you can even wear it using the supplied shoulder strap to go on the bus or subway.

During our hands-on, we started off with a bit of a wobble while adjusting to the backward handles, but five minutes later we learned to ignore the conventional cycling posture and leaned slightly further back, plus we got the right grip for the throttle (right) and brake (left). We also found the indicator, front light and horn buttons to be easily accessible by our thumbs. As you will see in the video after the break, we were traveling at fairly high speeds towards the end. The only problem that couldn’t be fixed was our legs being a tad short for the pedals, but word has it that YikeBike’s planning on releasing a smaller model in the near future. No word on US availability yet, but if you happen to be carrying £2,995 / €3,495 / $4,659 somewhere in Europe, then you’re eligible to pre-order now for a June delivery — just in time for the summer breeze.

Continue reading YikeBike foldable electric bicycle hands-on

YikeBike foldable electric bicycle hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been browbeating Nokia for using DRM to “protect” its Comes with Music offering ever since the service launched back in December of 2007 — a time when the industry was just beginning to shed its DRM shackles. Now get this, the idle talk is over, Nokia just launched its all-you-can-eat (for 12, 18, or 24 months, typically) Comes with Music service in China without any DRM at all. India is on deck as Nokia looks to hook more emerging markets on the (kind of) free music drug. That means you no longer have to strip the DRM illegally to play your downloaded content on devices other than your main PC and Nokia Comes with Music handset. And yes, you can keep the tracks for life after your CWM subscription expires.

At launch, Chinese consumers will have a choice of eight (ok, seven really) CWM handsets (X6 32GB and X6 16GB, 5230, 5330, 5800w, 6700s, E52 and E72i) with prices starting at a local equivalent of €140 (the CWM service fee is baked in to the cost, mind you) excluding taxes and subsidies. Suspiciously, Nokia’s not making the usual boast about the millions of tracks available in the CWM catalog. It is, however, reassuringly supported by all the Big 4 music labels in addition to some Chinese indies, as you’d expect. Sorry, no word on when they’ll strip the DRM from its European CWM stores and we’re still not clear when CWM will finally see a US launch. Hopefully soon as a service like this could go over very, very well Stateside — a market that Nokia is desperate to crack. Get on to the other side of the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Nokia’s all you can download Comes with Music service is finally DRM free… in China

Nokia’s all you can download Comes with Music service is finally DRM free… in China originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen more designer iPod docks than we can shake a stick at, but we’ve never laid eyes on one quite like this. Part pipe organ, part black monolith, this one-of-a-kind work of art is called the Pulse Music Box, and actually uses that brass organ crank to control the volume from the amp and stereo speakers tucked inside its black tiled frame. Creators Johannes Tjernberg and Rasmus Malbert told Moco Loco the dock’s design was inspired by the classic Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times; hopefully, we won’t have to drag them through the bowels of a giant machine to get hands-on. We hear the creation’s currently headed to Milan, probably to take part in the 2010 Milan Furniture Fair — and sorry potential buyers, we can’t seem to get a lock on whether or not it’s for sale.

Continue reading Pulse Music Box evokes 1930s factory life, also happens to play tunes

Pulse Music Box evokes 1930s factory life, also happens to play tunes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like the e-reader wars are heating up, retail-style: we just found out that Target will be selling the Kindle later this month, and now multiple sources are telling us that Best Buy will start selling the Barnes and Noble Nook on April 18th — a rumor we can back up with this shot of Big Blue’s inventory system. We’re also informed that units are arriving at stores right now, so keep your eyes peeled — we’re assuming an overeager stocker will let one slip out onto the floor sooner or later. You know you can take a photo and tip us right from the Engadget smartphone apps, right?

Barnes & Noble Nook arriving at Best Buy, will go on sale April 18 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Targeted at the enterprise, there’s plenty of stuff in the Latitude E series (which has been floating around here and overseas, but is finally official) that Joe Consumer couldn’t care less about, like “Distributed Device Management” and “Client Configuration Toolkit” to handle massive rollouts of identical computing environments across a company. Still, there’s plenty of Latitude left over for those of us with simpler, lower volume tastes. The new E6410 (14.1-inch, pictured) and E6510 (15.6-inch) start at $1,129 and $1,164, respectively, with a rugged version of the 14.1-incher, the E6410 ATG rounding out the crew. All the laptops offer Core i5 and Core i7 processors and DDR3 RAM, with options for discrete NVIDIA NVS 3100M 512MB (non-switchable) graphics and the Latitude ON instaboot auxiliary system. Of course, outside of those basics you can go wild with the configuration options Dell is so well known for. 4-cell batteries come standard on the 1-inch thick systems, but you can ramp up to a 9-cell, or even add on a 12-cell battery slice, and Dell promises roughly an hour per cell with the integrated graphics. The ATG model can be configured exactly like the E6410 outside of a lack of discrete graphics, but adds in MIL spec STD 810G for shock, vibration, temperature, humidity and altitude resistance. Check out a family press release after the break.

Continue reading Dell refreshes Latitude E series with latest Intel chips

Dell refreshes Latitude E series with latest Intel chips originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is the Apple logo on your MacBook not brash enough for everyone in the coffee shop to see? Is that streamlined aluminum appearance too Pro for you? Time to enter the newly opened KARVT online store, where unabashed Apple fans can finally add the sophistication of “100% real authentic wood” to their beloved machines. Most popular tastes can be accommodated, with different shades of cherry, bamboo, pine, and walnut on offer, and there’s even an artists’ section where some design flair is added to your timberrific purchase. The skins will fit on any recent Apple laptops, and prices are $35 for the wood grain or $50 for the artsy ones, with deliveries starting on May 1. Bargain or what?

KARVT wooden MacBook skins — because sometimes aluminum just isn’t enough originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve had a Nexus One in daily use for a couple months now with relatively little drama, but Google’s official support forums for the so-called superphone appear to be piling up a good head of steam on a handful of issues troubling owners. Perhaps the highest profile among them is the 3G signal strength issue — a problem that predates the Nexus One’s first and only firmware update — but users are complaining about everything from unresponsive touchscreens, to failed text messages, to problems with the ambient light sensor, and there are enough “me too” responses in the support threads to warrant some serious attention. We know Google hasn’t been sitting on its hands behind the scenes, so this is probably more of a timing issue than anything else — could it be that they’re waiting for Flash 10.1 before pushing the next release?

[Thanks, Ramon]

Nexus One complaints mount, no firmware update in sight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know, the last thing the world needs is another home tablet (see Sony Dash, HP Dreamscreen and Chumby), but bear with us for a second on Intel’s Intelligent Home Energy Management proof of concept. Instead of providing just the typical weather, Pandora, and video memo apps, the Atom Z530-powered screen also manages your home’s energy consumption. The idea is that the WiFi-enabled device works with your local energy company to provide data as well as suggestions on how to lower that insane monthly bill. It also apparently can update you as to what government subsides are being offered and deals on more power efficient appliances. If that all sounds too earthy to you, we at least can tell you it’s one beautiful gadget — the 11.2-inch capacitive OLED screen is simply stunning and the user interface that’s been built on top of Windows XP isn’t so bad looking itself. For now the whole thing is just a concept, but Intel was quite confident in saying that we will see gadgets with its Home Energy platform popping up sooner or later. We just hope someone picks up that beautifully designed hardware. Don’t you worry you can see it too in the video demo after the break.

Continue reading Intel’s Intelligent Home Energy Management device is an OLED beauty, sadly just a concept

Intel’s Intelligent Home Energy Management device is an OLED beauty, sadly just a concept originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, Plastic Logic perhaps isn’t for sale, but what about that long-awaited QUE proReader of theirs? Well, we just got an update on that front. A hapless tipster who pre-ordered the devices way back on January 9th just got an email from Plastic Logic saying they should expect a June 24th ship date now. Pre-orderers at least have the opportunity to confirm or deny that they still want the device, and won’t be charged until it ships. So, will it be worth the wait? And more importantly: what color will your hovercar be?

[Thanks, Shane B.]

Plastic Logic expects to ship QUE proReader in June originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now this is an interesting one. Classic British amp maker Orange Music had a bit of a surprise behind its booth at the 2010 Musikmesse show. The O PC is, well, a guitar amp and a PC rolled into one convenient package. We didn’t catch the processor, but there will be an option to use either the NVIDIA GeForce 9300 or ramp up to the 512MB ATI Radeon 5670. Standard fare is there, USB ports and WiFi, but no clue as to processor / memory. On the aural side of things, there’s a stereo option for plugging in an extension speaker, a 1/4-inch guitar jack, basic EQ knobs, and yet-to-be-finalized modeling software — nothing trial, everything full version, assures the Orange rep. Once that’s sorted, the estimated ship time is two to four months, with price unmentioned. Video presentation after the break.

[Thanks, Hessel]

Continue reading Orange Music puts PC into guitar amp — ours is not to reason why

Filed under: Desktops

Orange Music puts PC into guitar amp — ours is not to reason why originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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