Google exec praises 'magical software' working in his Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz would love for you to consider its technology akin to magical software. When Google senior vice president Vic Gundotra is the one using those words, however, they might hold a bit more weight. The executive for Skynet Google feels that way because of a close-call he had while driving his S-Class. Traffic had stopped in front of him, but Gundotra didn't notice. His Mercedes did, however, and the electronic nannies brought the car to a complete stop without a lick of input from Vic.



Autoblog, Google exec praises 'magical software' working in his Mercedes-Benz

Netflix app now supports all Android Froyo/Gingerbread devices

Netflix updated its Android application on Friday with support for any smartphone running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Netflix launched an Android app in May of this year, but it initially only supported a handful of high-end devices. Netflix slowly added support for a few more devices over the past couple of months, but anxious users were turning to leaked .APK files to try to get the service up and running on unsupported devices. Now, thankfully, getting the app on your Android phone won't involve any tweaks.

Boy Genius Report, Netflix app now supports all Android Froyo/Gingerbread devices

Mario in a box powered by Teagueduino

Ever wanted to play Mario in a box. We're not sure why you would, but it looks like Adam Kumpf and his team have created what they're calling a video game in a box. It utilizes Teagueduino (which seems to be based on Arduino) and the game they created was basically to showcase what Teagueduino can do. Basically the game is based on Mario and it is literally a side scroller with the landscape and the various monsters and obstacles, such as the mushroom creatures, bricks and pipes, that are continuously rolling.

Ubergizmo, Mario in a box powered by Teagueduino

Samsung is the top smartphone vendor in Western Europe in Q2

The premier market intelligence firm IDC released its Q2 2011 mobile phone shipment estimates in Western Europe today, marking a fundamental shift in the market for mobile phones. For the first time, the smartphone shipments outnumbered the feature phone ones on the Old Continent. This change is mostly attributed to the significant rise of Android OS's adoption (352% year over year) according to IDC. The Google OS devices account for 48.5% of the total smartphone shipments.

As far as manufacturers go, Samsung has the top spot in smartphone shipments with 22% market share, followed closely by Apple, which has 21% of the smartphone market.

GSM Arena, Samsung is the top smartphone vendor in Western Europe in Q2

Sprint may offer the iPhone 5 with unlimited data plans, unlike Verizon and AT&T

Although we still have to wait for an official confirmation on this, it looks like Sprint will finally get the chance to sell Apple's iPhone (starting next month – October). We've already heard that Sprint could offer both the current iPhone 4 model, and the yet to come iPhone 5, and now we're hearing even more details. According to Bloomberg, Sprint wants to provide unlimited data plans to customers who will buy the iPhone.

Unwired View, Sprint may offer the iPhone 5 with unlimited data plans, unlike Verizon and AT&T

NBC iPad app now streams full episodes

Good news for fans of NBC shows - the iPad app that was released earlier this June has received a major update. Users can now stream full episodes of their favorite NBC shows using the app on their iPad tablets, as opposed to just short clips when it first made its debut. Everything that's available on NBC.com (which is pretty much everything on the network) can now be streamed on the iPad. The update also brings new features such as the ability to “follow” a show so that they won't have to search for new episodes each time it is aired. The app is free and available on the Apple App Store.

Ubergizmo, NBC iPad app now streams full episodes

Kettle and Cup Concept Baffles, Terrifies

Try to use this concept kit without simmering your skin, I dare you. It's Friday, which means I'm cranky enough to pick apart an ill-conceived concept design. This week we take a look at Ziv Lichi's Kettle and Mug, aka Hoffee, a rather pretty piece of kitchenware that puts a tea/coffee mug inside the scalding interior of an electric kettle.
It works like this. You put the fluted cup into an identically-shaped receptacle in the middle of the kettle. You then carefully fill the surrounding moat with water, and switch on. As the water boils, the cup heats.

Then, when the water is roiling towards vaporization, the kettle clicks off.

Gadget Lab, Kettle and Cup Concept Baffles, Terrifies

HRT gives fans a hometown hero to cheer on at upcoming Indian Grand Prix

Go to the British Grand Prix and the local fans will be cheering on their hometown heroes Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. At the Australian Grand Prix they'll cheer for Mark Webber. In Spain they pull for Fernando Alonso. In Germany, it's showtime for Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. Not every country with a Formula One race is represented on the grid as well, but India will be when the F1 circus rolls into town in late October.
The subcontinent has only had a couple of F1 drivers in its history with Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan, both of whom have achieved limited success.

Autoblog, HRT gives fans a hometown hero to cheer on at upcoming Indian Grand Prix

Nvidia CEO: No Mobile Strategy Means “Deep Turd”

Tuesday Nvidia president and chief executive officer Jen-Hsun Huang said that a vast majority of the company's revenue will be generated by its mobile processor business and not its long-standing graphics card division. In fact, revenue from Nvidia's mobile chip arm is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2015 - its PC-based GPU business will only grow to $7 billion in the same timeframe. Those numbers speak volumes about where the industry focus is pointing.

2DayBlog.com, Nvidia CEO: No Mobile Strategy Means “Deep Turd”

Asus Eee Slate B121 business tablet

Love getting all dressed up in a suit, and heading off to corporate meetings is your cup of tea. Well, then make sure you have the right kind of tablet device to go along with you, and an iPad is way too casual, while the BlackBerry PlayBook does have an air of authority, the lack of decent apps have proved to be its Achilles' Heel. Hopefully Asus' latest Eee Slate B121 business tablet will not suffer from that fate, as it intends to deliver power, portability and security features in a single device, targeting businesses, health care facilities, and other institutions as the market of choice.

Ubergizmo, Asus Eee Slate B121 business tablet

Nikon announces the D3100 Red Edition pack in Japan

Love Nikon's D3100 DSLR. Wanna look Different too. Here you are Nikon's new D3100 Red kit.


Akihabara News, Nikon announces the D3100 Red Edition pack in Japan

Logitec Japan introduces the LDT-1Si41, a new 1Seg Digital TV battery pack for iPhone4

Like most of people around the world, Japanese are addicted to TV, and it is not surprising that a company like logitec is working hard on launching new 1Seg products for iPhones in Japan. With just a few weeks away from the announcement of the iPhone5, Logitec released this morning in Japan the LDT-1Si41, a Battery Pack sleeve for iPhone4 that also comes with a 1Seg TV tuner giving you the possibility to not only watch TV shows in Japan but to also record them.




Akihabara News, Logitec Japan introduces the LDT-1Si41, a new 1Seg Digital TV battery pack for iPhone4

Robopocalypse coming soon to a theater near you, Spielberg to smother it in PG

The Robopocalypse is coming - just not in the way you'd feared. DreamWorks and Twentieth Century Fox have joined movie-making forces to reanimate Daniel H. Wilson's fictional (for now)literary account of a future, robot-helmed doomsday. The studios have thrown some guy named Steven Spielberg behind the lens of this cinematic cautionary tale, and plan to scare the bejeezus out of us all when it premieres July 3, 2013 - that's if we make it past the Mayan end of the world.

Engadget, Robopocalypse coming soon to a theater near you, Spielberg to smother it in PG

AT&T To Release Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G On September 18th

AT&T is reportedly planning on releasing the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G on their network starting on September 18th. The handset is said to retail for just $49.99 with a new 2-year contract agreement. Coming in a midnight blue shade, the handset offers a 4.0-inch 854 x 480 touchscreen display, a 1GHz processor, a VGA front-facing camera, a 5.0-megapixel rear-facing camera, a PSP-styled keyboard, PlayStation games, HSPA+ support and runs on Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread OS.

TechFresh, AT&T To Release Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G On September 18th

Apple takes top spot in sixth consecutive J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey

J.D. Power and Associates released its 2011 U.S. Wireless Handset Customer Satisfaction Study, Volume 2 on Thursday, and Apple took the top spot among smartphone manufacturers for the sixth consecutive time. The iPhone maker had a score of 838 on a 1,000-point scale and was trailed by HTC, which had a score of 801. Samsung was ranked highest in the traditional handset category with a score of 718 and was followed closely by LG (717), Sanyo (716), and Sony Ericsson (709). The survey also found that customers with 4G-capable devices were more satisfied than those with 3G phones.

Boy Genius Report, Apple takes top spot in sixth consecutive J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey

Robocrab arms turn on the charm, woos female successfully

We might laugh at the crustacean now, wondering how the heck did it fall for a robot, but think about the future when robots cross the Uncanny Valley and become so lifelike, I won't be surprised to hear of humans and robots (who passed the Turing Test, of course) lobbying for them to get their marriages recognized at federal and state level. I digress – to keep things in perspective, researchers actually waved four sets of Robocrab arms in order to attract the attention of a live female, and one of them was successful enough that she ran towards the set – only to be disappointed, I suppose.

Ubergizmo, Robocrab arms turn on the charm, woos female successfully

Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to support Apple's iOS Newsstand

Adobe announced on Wednesday that its Digital Publishing Suite will offer support for Apple's Newsstand feature in iOS. Newsstand will allow users to purchase popular newspapers and magazines directly from their iOS device. “With more than 600 titles created to date, the industry-leading Adobe Digital Publishing Suite includes full support for Newsstand subscriptions, which can significantly boost sales and advertising revenue by combining greater content discoverability with flexible payment options required by readers,” Adobe said in a statement.

Boy Genius Report, Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to support Apple's iOS Newsstand

iPhone 4 shipping times increased, iPhone 5 imminent?

While the iPhone 4s/5 has yet to be officially confirmed (rumors don't really count), it's only natural that if Apple were to roll out a new handset this year, they would at the same time start to cut down on production of the previous generation's model. The iPhone 4 has consistently been listed as 24 hours shipping time in the past, but it seems that the time has been increased to 1-3 days. The two carriers who are carrying the iPhone 4, AT&T and Verizon, have both listed the iPhone 4's estimated shipping time to be between 1-3 business days.

Ubergizmo, iPhone 4 shipping times increased, iPhone 5 imminent?

Mouse Computer M-Book P Series

Mouse Computer has announced the availability of the M-Book P Series in Japan. This Build-To-Order(BTO) laptop comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD display, an Intel Core i7-2960XM processor, a 16GB of RAM, a 1TB of HDD, USB 3.0, a 1.5GB nVidia GeForce GTX560M graphics, a Blu-ray drive, and Bluetooth 3.0+HS. The Mouse Computer M-Book P Series is priced at 209,790 Yen or around $2,711.

TechFresh

See also:
techage, Mouse Computer M-Book P Series

Toyota trades miles for knots with new Ponam-35 boat

Toyota doesn't just make crafts for landlubbers. The Japanese automaker is venturing into the ocean, and this isn't the first time that Toyota engineers have put on life jackets. In the late 90's, Toyota tried its hand at building a boat targeted at towable watersports enthusiasts. The Toyota Epic was a Lexus-engined ski boat that was built for a few years before the automaker backed away in 2001. Now, Toyota is ready to head to sea with a very different type of craft.
Called the Ponam-35, this nearly 40-foot cruiser is a stylish ship that gets power from two diesel V8 engines sourced from the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Autoblog, Toyota trades miles for knots with new Ponam-35 boat

HTC Titan and Radar with Windows Phone Mango available for pre-order in the UK

Expected to hit Europe starting October, the HTC Titan and Radar (which both run the new Windows Phone Mango OS) will of course be released in the UK, too. And it looks like this will happen on October 15 – that's according to Amazon UK, which currently takes pre-orders for the two WP handsets. Amazon is asking £489.99 (about €555) for the HTC Titan, and £349.99 (about €396) for the HTC Radar.


Unwired View, HTC Titan and Radar with Windows Phone Mango available for pre-order in the UK

Fish scales end up as artificial bone

Normally, what do you do when you decide to eat a fish. Descaling it would be the normal practice, as eating a fish with its scales on isn't exactly the most efficient way of digging in. Ever wondered whether there is a way to “recycle” those scales into something else more useful. Junzo Tanaka's research group at Tokyo Institute of Technology might have stumbled upon a potential goldmine, after managing to use fish scales to develop artificial bone.

Ubergizmo

See also:
digitalblog, Fish scales end up as artificial bone

Sony hires ex-homeland security official

A former director of the U.S. National Cyber Security Center now serves as Sony's Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer. Sony Corporation has reportedly hired on a former official of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as the company's new Senior Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer.

The news arrives months after Sony took a thorough beating from unknown hackers, which resulted in the leaked information of 100 million PSN, SOE, Qriocity music and video service user accounts, and the temporary closings of each.

2DayBlog.com, Sony hires ex-homeland security official

NVIDIA CEO: quad-core tablets to launch this year

NVIDIA's chief executive officer and president Jen-Hsun Huang confirmed that the company's quad-core processor, currently codenamed “Kal-El,” will be available in tablets by the end of this year. “We're the only people seriously on the dance floor with Qualcomm," Huang told Forbes in a recent interview. "We're really the only two active players.” Earlier this year, NVIDIA said it expected to ship quad-core tablets and smartphones in 2011, but Huang suggested to Forbes that smartphones may not hit the market until 2012. Read on for more.

Boy Genius Report, NVIDIA CEO: quad-core tablets to launch this year

GameStop to start selling iOS devices

It has been reported that at an annual trade show in Las Vegas last week, GameStop made the announcement that it will soon be offering the entire line up of Apple's popular iOS devices - the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. GameStop decision to sell iOS devices comes as no surprise, seeing how iOS devices are just as popular as other handheld consoles when it comes to gaming. Selling iOS devices, especially with the iPhone 5′s release rumored to be just around the corner; would bode well for GameStop, and with the holiday season coming up as well - another outlet where consumers can buy an iPhone or an iPad definitely wouldn't hurt.

Ubergizmo, GameStop to start selling iOS devices

Samsung SMX-F70 Camcorder

Samsung is back with its latest camcorder namely the SMX-F70. This SD camcorder is powered by a CMOS sensor with progressive (1280x720) recording, at 30 or 25 frames per second for NTSC or PAL systems, respectively. The video recorder has a powerful 65x intelli-zoom and 52x optical zoom Schneider Kreuznach lens so that every detail can be picked up, even when focusing on a distant background scene. What makes the Samsung SMX-F70 more interesting is that it has an intelligent Smart Auto feature, allowing you to select shooting modes depending on the light and subjects to give you the best possible picture. No word yet on pricing.

TechFresh, Samsung SMX-F70 Camcorder

Sony launches party pack of noise-cancelling headphones, your personal discotheque awaits

To the joy and delight of babysitters everywhere, Sony announced a boatload of new noise-cancelling headphones and earbuds to keep you sane in loud situations. Leading the pack are the $200, on-ear active / passive MDR-NC200D headphones, which have a 40mm drivers in each ear, 22-hour battery and folding design. For $150, users wanting portability can cop the smaller in-ear MDR-NC100Ds, which have a lower price tag and 13.5mm drivers. Both headphones feature Sony's "Artificial Intelligence Noise-Cancelling" technology, which claims to automatically reduce ambient noise by around 98.2 percent - because you know, precision matters.

Engadget, Sony launches party pack of noise-cancelling headphones, your personal discotheque awaits

Sony Tablet S now on sale - in Germany

Good news for Sony Tablet S fans living in Germany - it looks like you won't have to pre-order the device to get your hands on it. Sony seems to have skipped the pre-order stage for the tablet over there and has gone straight to selling the device. Folks in the country can now purchase the 32GB Tablet S from the official Sony store for €578.99 ($599) while we'll have to wait until September 16th to get it stateside. However, those of you who want the smaller 16GB version or the 3G version - you'll need to wait a bit longer.

Ubergizmo, Sony Tablet S now on sale - in Germany

Flybus relies on flywheel to stash kinectic energy

The Flybus sounds like a dream to ride on, and no, it will not suddenly sprout wings and take to the skies, but rather, it will be able to take advantage of the kinetic energy generated whenever it brakes, winding up a flywheel which will feed energy back into the wheels whenever the acceleration process begins. Capable of winding up to 60,000 rounds per minute, this would eventually translate to emissions-free energy, helping both gas powered and electric vehicles all the more efficient.

Ubergizmo, Flybus relies on flywheel to stash kinectic energy

Sony hires former U.S Department of Homeland Security official to boost defenses

Following a major security breach earlier this year, Sony made good on its promise to bolster its security by hiring a former official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to serve as its chief information security officer and senior vice president, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Philip Reitinger formerly served as the director of the U.S. National Security Center. “Certainly the network issue was a catalyst for the appointment,” a Sony spokesman told Reuters.

Boy Genius Report, Sony hires former U.S Department of Homeland Security official to boost defenses

iOS 5 and iCloud training commences - iPhone 5 launch near?

Great news for those of you awaiting for news about the next generation iPhone's launch - it might be happening sooner than you think. While no invitations have been sent out for any special Apple event yet, it has been reported that iOS 5 and iCloud training has begun, which is something that Apple Store employees usually go through a couple of weeks before the launch of a new product or service. Since the iPhone 5 will be running on iOS 5, and Apple usually releases a new version of iOS together with the iPhone it could mean that the iPhone 5 announcement is in a couple of weeks time as well.

Ubergizmo, iOS 5 and iCloud training commences - iPhone 5 launch near?

Sonnet announces RackMac mini Xserver, makes Apple desktop IT life seem more legit

We're sure a few of you have made that recently revamped Mac mini your office server, but now you can give it the look of a grown-up server room. Thanks to Sonnet, you'll soon be able to rack mount your Thunderbolt sportin' dainty PC within a 1U shell. The company has announced that, upon the system's expected arrival in November, it'll be decked out with a PCIe 2.0 X4 slot, a 75W power supply and a Thunderbolt daisy-chain port. This Apple speed-port adapter will enable use of that massive Thunderbolt display even in server or metadata controller mode.

Engadget

See also:
gadgetsdaily, Sonnet announces RackMac mini Xserver, makes Apple desktop IT life seem more legit

2012 Toyota Camry Solara coupe imagined

If we're honest, our memories of the Toyota Camry Solara aren't exactly fond. And as much as we'd like to look back on Toyota's Red Hat Society coupe and convertible through a pair of rose-tinted glasses, we'll be content with our currently Solara-less lives. But now there's a new Camry, and a whole new world of possibilities. Is it possible that the Solara name (or, at least, form) could be resurrected.

Autoblog, 2012 Toyota Camry Solara coupe imagined

Bing updates homepage

Microsoft has started rolling an updated version of its Bing search engine to the public, which features some changes in the page's layout. Text links to sections such as images, videos, and shopping have been moved to the top navigation bar, and the “popular now” bar at the bottom has been given a larger font size as well. Overall the front page does look cleaner, though I'm still not a fan of the image background they've got going on – Google's cleaner, blank background does it for me. Other than that, the site still functions in the same way as how Bing normally works. To view the changes you'll need Windows 7 and IE9.

Ubergizmo, Bing updates homepage

Land Rover delivers first Evoque to a horseback rider (video)

You might figure that horse riding enthusiasts would be diametrically opposed to SUV drivers, but you'd be wrong. At least in the case of Zara Phillips. The British equestrian competitor has been a Land Rover brand ambassador for several years now, and was lucky enough to snub Victoria Bekham take delivery of the very first Range Rover Evoque this weekend. The first model to roll off the production line, Philips' Evoque is a five-door in Stornaway Grey with a 2.2-liter diesel and six-speed automatic.



Autoblog, Land Rover delivers first Evoque to a horseback rider (video)

MSI X370 with AMD E-450 upgrade arrives stateside

Strip out the old E-350 Zacate APU from MSI's thin-and-light X370, replace it with a brand new 1.65GHz E-450 Llano engine with around 20 percent higher CPU and graphics benchmarks, and what do you get. The X370-205US, that's what, or equally the 206US white variant.

Engadget

See also:
gadgetsngadgets, MSI X370 with AMD E-450 upgrade arrives stateside

An Introduction to The Mutewatch

TweetEmail. The stand-out feature for the Mutewatch will be the vibrating alarm which can actively adjust its strength given data from the motion sensor. The Mutewatch is powered by an internal battery which is rated for 1-2 weeks of use depending on the application (more vibration and screen use will render less battery life). Replenishing the battery's charge is done via a usb connection and a fill up should take about 2 hours. The Mutewatch is a rare example of a product that looks like a design study but is still going into production.




Watch Report, An Introduction to The Mutewatch

DIY Breadbox Charging Station for Organized Homeowners

It is not usual to find gadgets-related articles in a decorating magazine like Better Homes and Gardens. However, it has provided an inspiration for homeowners who own a lot of gadgets and find it too messy to see them littered about while being charged. It is time to turn on your inner Martha Stewart and create a multiple charging station using a flip-top bread box. All you need are are the following: a flip-top breadbox (old or new); surge protector; rubber grommets, sized for power cord; power drill with metal and wood bits; one-fourth-inch MDF board; a ruler; an optional spray paint; and an optional label maker.

Gadget.com, DIY Breadbox Charging Station for Organized Homeowners

NVIDIA CEO sees major growth in mobile processing, quad-core tablets coming this year

During a sitdown with reporters yesterday, NVIDIA Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang discussed his company's near- and long-term financial outlook, while providing some insight into the chipmaker's quad-core future. According to Huang, NVIDIA expects to rake in between $4.7 and $5 billion in revenue during fiscal year 2013, with revenue from its mobile chip unit projected to mushroom tenfold by 2015, to a whopping $20 billion. Huang acknowledged that these predictions could be affected by external factors, including the ongoing patent wars between tablet and smartphone manufacturers, but didn't seem too concerned about their immediate impact.

Engadget, NVIDIA CEO sees major growth in mobile processing, quad-core tablets coming this year

Dropsync Updated In The Android Market – Adds Enhancements and Bug Fixes

Dropsync which is one of my “must have” Android apps was recently updated in the Android Market. Quite frankly, this app is what the official Dropbox app should have been. Dropsync allows for real two-way syncing just like the Dropbox folders you have installed on your homecomputer. That means if you add a picture on your desktop computer, it's automagically synced and available in your device. It works the other way around as well. Take a picture on your phone and watch as it's already waiting for you on your laptop when you get home.



Android Phone, Dropsync Updated In The Android Market â€" Adds Enhancements and Bug Fixes