Ultrasonic screwdriver sniffs out carbon fiber damage, planes book a check-up with The Doctor

Lighter planes means less fuel, means less money and, hopefully, lower ticket prices. Carbon fiber reinforcements are a major part of this plan; both Boeing's latest bird and the double-decker Airbus make liberal use of the light and strong composite. However, they're not without their own dangers; minute amounts of water can get into the carbon fibers, which then form ice at high altitude, damaging the fiber structures. This sort of miniature damage is - unlike aluminum versions - very difficult to spot.

Engadget, Ultrasonic screwdriver sniffs out carbon fiber damage, planes book a check-up with The Doctor

Hennessey rolls out 800-hp twin-turbo Jeep Grand Cherokee

Eight-hundred horsepower. 0-60 in 3.1 seconds. $235,000. Given those numbers, you'd think we were talking about a supercar, right. Well we are, if by supercar you mean something with otherworldly performance capabilities. But this is no two-seat roadster. This is a Jeep.

To be more specific, this is the latest Hennessey HPE800 Twin Turbo, a new rocket sled based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8.

Autoblog, Hennessey rolls out 800-hp twin-turbo Jeep Grand Cherokee

Mini's Best Test Drive Ever has everything, plus Falconer

Imagine, for a moment, that you're on your way to a car dealership. For the sake of argument, let's say it's a Mini Cooper Coupe you've got your eye on. You arrive at the dealer, hand over your license and get in for a test drive. What's the absolute best thing that could happen.
According to one man, these six words define the test drive that dreams are made of: Stewardess. Salt flats. Paratroopers. Sushi. Falconer.

No, those aren't the six words we'd have come up with either, but, after watching the post-jump video, it's hard to argue with the results. Ask yourself: Have you ever had a better test drive than this? Yeah, neither have we.



Autoblog, Mini's Best Test Drive Ever has everything, plus Falconer

Kia considering coupe, wagon versions of GT

According to a report from Inside Line, Kia is considering creating a number of variants of its GT Concept, including both a coupe and a wagon. If true, that could mean Kia is aiming to create a family of vehicles capable of competing with German luxury automakers like BMW and Audi.

Autoblog, Kia considering coupe, wagon versions of GT

Samsung: No Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S, Original Galaxy Tab

Samsung has provided and update to their future Ice Cream Sandwich plan, and for owners of the Samsung Galaxy S or original 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab the news isn’t so good. Due to a lack of RAM and ROM these devices will not receive an update to Android 4.0. According to Samsung, the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab lack sufficient memory to run the new version of Android  along with the company’s custom TouchWiz interface.

Android Phone

See also:
cherryapple, Samsung: No Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S, Original Galaxy Tab

ASUS looking to enter medical care market

According to Digitimes, ASUS may be looking to expand into a new market, the medical care industry to be exact. Yes, the same company that has produced your computers, your monitors and your tablets is looking to make the jump into the medical care industry, which we guess is not really a bad thing. "Asustek said it plans to cooperate with partners from different fields to develop medicare applications.

Ubergizmo, ASUS looking to enter medical care market

Sales of Nokia Lumia 800 Dismal

Nokia's first Windows Phone-powered handset–the Lumia 800–may have impressive specs, but it seems the consumers are not buying. A recent survey by Exane BNP Paribas shows that the Nokia Lumia 800 has garnered little interest from European consumers, with only two percent of the smartphone-savvy respondents saying they would pick it. Analysts has said there is little to pick on the Lumia 800, especially its software glitch that eats much of the battery life. Nevertheless, consumers remain unimpressed.

Gadget.com, Sales of Nokia Lumia 800 Dismal

Late Steve Jobs won Trustees Award, also gets Bronze Statue

On Wednesday The Recording Academy announced that former CEO and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will receive a posthumous Trustees Award for changing the music industry with iTunes. Jobs is among the list of 2011′s “Trustees Award honorees” which also includes Dave Bartholomew and Rudy Van Gelder. “Steve Jobs helped create products and technology that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books,” the Recording Academy states.

2DayBlog.com, Late Steve Jobs won Trustees Award, also gets Bronze Statue

Dropbox knows you're an early adopter, gives you a sneak peek of its new Android app

Dropbox knows it's not the only cloud storage option for Android, so the company is handing out an early Christmas present to get more green bots on board with its services: early access to its unreleased Android app. This new version, along with the usual debugging, adds a flood of fresh new features such as: bulk uploads, single-tap access to content and speedy offline entry to your favorites folder, just to mention a few.

Engadget

See also:
digitalblog, Dropbox knows you're an early adopter, gives you a sneak peek of its new Android app

Sprint's EVO View 4G gets Android 3.2.1 Honeycomb update

. Sprint announced Thursday that it is releasing the Android 3.2.1 (Honeycomb) update for irs HTC EVO View 4G tablet. The slate originally launched running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), an operating system designed for smartphones.

Boy Genius Report, Sprint's EVO View 4G gets Android 3.2.1 Honeycomb update

Wahoo Fitness' iPhone 4S-compatible Blue HR heart rate monitor ships in January for $80

Remember that Wahoo Fitness Bluetooth 4.0 heart rate monitor we showed you last month. Here she is again. The company's proper unveiling of the device will come at CES 2012, linking up exclusively (at first, anyway) with the iPhone 4S and other Bluetooth Smart Ready devices. By tapping into the Blue HR and harnessing your fitness app of choice (a nice touch, we must say), you'll have access to heart rate data, music playlists, phone, maps, etc., all in one place.

Engadget, Wahoo Fitness' iPhone 4S-compatible Blue HR heart rate monitor ships in January for $80

Audi testing revised R18 at Sebring with possible hybrid power

After dominating Le Mans-class endurance sportscar racing for years now, Audi is left with little to prove. Plus, with sister-company Porsche returning with an LMP1 program of its own, and Bentley reportedly considering the same, rumors have been circulating that the four-ringed automaker could quit while it's ahead. It's something that rivals old (like Peugeot) and new (like Toyota) were undoubtedly rooting for, but no such luck: Audi isn't going anywhere but the finish line.

Autoblog, Audi testing revised R18 at Sebring with possible hybrid power

Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V to come in champagne gold color

There is nothing quite like champagne gold to add a touch of elegance and class to a situation, and the same principle applies when it comes to smartphones and other gadgets. If you think that the current range of shades which color the Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V are too bland for your tastes, you might want to keep a lookout for the upcoming Champagne Gold color model. Too bad this particular shade will be made available only to the Taiwanese market, where it is said to hit store shelves from early next year onwards, and Sony Ericsson has remained mum as to whether this particular color will arrive in other markets after that.

Ubergizmo, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V to come in champagne gold color

SSD prices falling faster than HDD prices

While SSDs remain considerably more expensive than hard drives on a per GB level, the flash-based storage devices are coming down in prices much faster than HDDs have. According to the data released, SSD memory cost 120 times as much as HDD memory in 2007, but only 32 times as much in 2011. The average price for a HDD per GB was $0.075 in 2011, the SSD cost $2.42 per GB. The lowest per GB price for a SSD was $1.50, while HDD could be purchased for $0.053 per GB. According to Pingdom, the 2011 average price per GB for the SSD is about the same as it was for HDD in 2002.

2DayBlog.com, SSD prices falling faster than HDD prices

Radeon HD 7970 official: 28nm, 2,048 Stream processors, and a $549 price for January 9th

AMD today launches the Radeon HD 7970, its first graphics card built at a 28nm production process and the first member of its Southern Islands family of GPUs. As its name suggests, the HD 7970 is the replacement for AMD's fastest single-GPU graphics card to date, the HD 6970. The new card increases transistor count from 2.6b to 4.3b, cranks the engine clock speed up from 880MHz to 925MHz, and adds 33 percent more Stream processors, jumping from 1,536 to 2,048.

2DayBlog.com, Radeon HD 7970 official: 28nm, 2,048 Stream processors, and a $549 price for January 9th

Dell Streak 5 receives official Android 2.3 Gingerbread ROM

Dell might have stopped selling the Dell Streak 5 in the US, never mind the fact that this little puppy has been cleared for use at the Pentagon, but that does not mean the Texas-based computer manufacturer has stopped all forms of support for the Streak 5. In fact, Dell has just rolled out the official Android 2.3 Gingerbread ROM for said device. If you are one of the few folks out there who own a Dell Streak 5, just head on to the link here and begin the 155MB .pkg file download.

Ubergizmo, Dell Streak 5 receives official Android 2.3 Gingerbread ROM

Game of Thrones details revealed

We all know how many gaming widows were produced since Skyrim was released for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms, and it goes to show what kind of stranglehold RPGs have on a large number of the gaming population. Well, here is news that there will be another RPG for you to kill time with – Game of Thrones. This particular title will feature new characters who might end up in the book series, while delivering a really intimate look at the world of Westeros. Cyanide Studio is the developer, having released a trailer on Game of Thrones today that might potentially erase the disappointment which accompanied Game of Thrones: Genesis.

Ubergizmo, Game of Thrones details revealed

NHTSA closes investigation into 2010-2011 Ford Mustang shifter issues

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has concluded its investigation into 2011 Ford Mustang vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. The agency looked into a total of 364 reports of shift quality issues supplied by Ford and they've reportedly determined that owners have experienced no loss of mobility or any unreasonable safety risk due to the problems. According to Inside Line, Ford identified several possible issues that could have contributed to difficulty shifting, including cold transmission fluid, clutch stay-out at high engine speeds, gear clash and loosening clutch plate bolts in early production vehicles.

Autoblog, NHTSA closes investigation into 2010-2011 Ford Mustang shifter issues

Sonic in short supply as Chevy closing in on all-time sales record

It's been a good year for Chevrolet. The company marked its 100th anniversary in 2011 and is set to beat its all-time sales record. That's not a bad way to celebrate if you ask us, particularly just a couple of years removed from the bankruptcy of its parent company. The automaker has sold 4.8 million units worldwide through November, and December isn't looking to slacken the pace. Chevrolet managed to carve out nearly half a percentage point of additional global market share this year. What's more, sixty percent of the company's vehicles are now sold outside of the U.S. in a bid to move Chevy more into the global arena.

Autoblog, Sonic in short supply as Chevy closing in on all-time sales record

Here is how Android 4.0 with HTC Sense looks like

The first HTC Sense-d Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM broke cover, folks. Thanks to the effort of a team of developers over at XDA, we now have a chance to see what changes are coming to the HTC devices, which are bound for upgrade. In this particular case, the ROM has been flashed to an HTC Sensation. As you can notice from the screenshots above, the HTC Sense 3.5 dressed ROM will offer a significantly different experience than the stock UI, which we've experienced on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.





GSM Arena, Here is how Android 4.0 with HTC Sense looks like

HTC testing new software that will skirt around ITC's ruling

Most of you guys may have probably heard about how the ITC handed down its ruling which was basically in Apple's favor and would ultimately result in the removal, and possible ban, of several of HTC's products in the US market. Well that piece of news wasn't too long ago but it looks like HTC may have already figured a way to skirt around the ruling. According to HTC's Chief Executive, Peter Chou, it was revealed that the company was already testing a "fix" that would basically comply with the ITC's ruling and would make their products sellable in the US market.

Ubergizmo, HTC testing new software that will skirt around ITC's ruling

Older Symbian-running Nokias to get Belle in February 2012

We had a false start but this time it's for real. The Belle update for older Nokias is officially scheduled on the Finnish company's calendar for February 2012. The Nokia Belle. wait, what. It seems that Nokia have given up on the Symbian name and is now calling the OS simply "Nokia Belle".

We'll get back to that in a minute. For now, here are the relevant details about the update - existing owners of Nokia N8, E7, E6, X7, C6-01, C7 and Oro can expect Belle in February next year.

Also, several models (N8, C7 and C6-01) are headed to shops with Nokia Belle out of the box.

GSM Arena, Older Symbian-running Nokias to get Belle in February 2012

Say goodbye to Symbian, say hello to Nokia Belle

Symbian is already on its last legs as a mobile OS, now Nokia is giving it a bit of a kick while its down by ditching the name it grew up with and rebranding the latest version simply Nokia Belle. That's right, the Symbian title we've all come to know and love is being retired by Nokia, and with very little fanfare. In fact, the switch is relegated to a parenthetical aside in an update on the status of Belle at the official blog of the Finnish manufacturer. Here's the announcement in its entirety: "The all new Nokia Belle (previously Symbian Belle)..." That's it.

Engadget, Say goodbye to Symbian, say hello to Nokia Belle

Lenovo ThinkPad X130e delayed until February 2012

Are you one of those who have been looking forward to a spanking new Lenovo ThinkPad X130e. Well, sorry to be a wet blanket by bringing this bit of news, but its seems that the Lenovo ThinkPad X130e will not be making it to your home before the year is over, missing out on the original December 20th shipping date, but rather, you can only start to place orders for the Lenovo ThinkPad X130e from February next year.

Ubergizmo, Lenovo ThinkPad X130e delayed until February 2012

Apple granted yet another patent

It seems that patents are the key to conquering any market these days, as you can see through the Apple vs HTC and Apple vs Samsung cases. Cupertino has received yet another patent recently, where this particular patent enables users to switch to an app even when they are taking a call. CBS News reports that patent number 8,082,523 is known as “Portable electronic device with graphical user interface supporting application switching”, and it might prove to be another bullet in Apple's considerable arsenal in the current patent war concerning mobile technology.

Ubergizmo, Apple granted yet another patent

Amazon reportedly considered a RIM purchase, 'commercial partnership' still on the table

According to those all-knowing "people with knowledge," Research in Motion could've been cut down to a single CEO company - that is, if Amazon would've pushed through with its purported takeover wishes. Based on a new Reuters report, the same company shipping out your grandmother's holiday gifts was hot-to-trot on the idea of buying RIM, but those desires seemingly cooled after the BlackBerry maker decided that it'd rather "fix its problems on its own." Wildly enough, the report states that an investment bank was hired earlier this summer "to review a potential merger with RIM," but no formal offer was ever extended.

Engadget, Amazon reportedly considered a RIM purchase, 'commercial partnership' still on the table

Olympus VG140 14MP Digital Camera For Only $79.99

Here's your chance to own one of this Olympus VG140 digital camera for only $79.99 (normal price $119.99). This compact camera packs a 14-megapixel CCD image sensor, a 5x optical zoom lens, a 3.0-inch LCD display, a 49MB of internal memory, an SD/SDHC card slot, a USB 2.0 port and 720p HD video recording capabilities.

TechFresh, Olympus VG140 14MP Digital Camera For Only $79.99

Toyota confirms NS4 plug-in hybrid concept and production Prius C for Detroit

Toyota is bringing a new concept to the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. The company calls its NS4 showcar an "advanced" plug-in hybrid, though it hasn't shared any more information beyond the vehicle's name. While we can't say for certain, odds are the concept will give us a glimpse of what the company has planned for future hybrid design instead of boasting any tangible next-generation technology. As you may recall, Toyota and BMW recently partnered up to create a new lithium-ion battery pack, so it may be some time before we see the tech debut, even in a concept vehicle.

Autoblog, Toyota confirms NS4 plug-in hybrid concept and production Prius C for Detroit

ARCHOS Unveils the First Android Honeycomb Tablet under $200

Should Amazon be worried that ARCHOS has just announced a 7 inch Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) tablet for $199. If I were faced with a buying decision between the Kindle Fire and this new ARCHOS 70b Internet Tablet, I would pick the ARCHOS due to the specs alone. The processor is faster than the Fire's at 1.2Ghz, it has an HDMI out port, a SD card slot and the full app market. It won't be in stores till January, but that's just a hop, skip and a jump away. Which tablet would you choose between the two? Full press release after the jump.

The Gadgeteer, ARCHOS Unveils the First Android Honeycomb Tablet under $200

IBM says mind control next big thing in human-computer interaction; GLaDOS offers cake reward

From the ongoing Google-Apple turf war on voice recognition to Microsoft's gesture tracking with Kinect, humans continue to push the envelope on how to interact with computers and devices. Now IBM says mind control will be the next field to see a big leap, predicting breakthroughs within the next five years. Keep in mind that they're not talking about controlling humans a la Gorilla Grodd . yet. Instead, they're talking about controlling computer actions and devices via brain waves. IBM software guru and potential Borg recruit Kevin Brown (pictured right) has already been using a headset to move cubes on a computer screen at will.

Engadget, IBM says mind control next big thing in human-computer interaction; GLaDOS offers cake reward

ASUS Transformer Prime 64GB could be delayed until Q2 2012 for Europe

With NVIDIA's Tegra 3 quad-core processor powering the ASUS Transformer Prime, it's definitely a desirable tablet, so much so that we reported that Best Buy customers were receiving emails about how their orders have been cancelled or are unable to be fulfilled due to massive backordering. Now it looks like if you are living in the UK and you were hoping to get your hands on the 64GB model, you could be out luck as well. According to reports, customers who were looking to get their hands on the 64GB model of the Transformer Prime may have to wait until Q2 2012 before they receive their products.

Ubergizmo, ASUS Transformer Prime 64GB could be delayed until Q2 2012 for Europe

Huawei Mercury (Honor) with Android launched by Cricket

Cricket Wireless has announced the availability of the Huawei Mercury, its best Android smartphone to date. Initially known as Huawei Glory (and introduced in Europe and Asia as the Huawei Honor), the Mercury should be available at Cricket starting today for $249.99 (no long-term agreement required). Cricket doesn't say what version of Android the Mercury comes with, but it's most probably Gingerbread (the Honor runs Gingerbread anyway).

Unwired View, Huawei Mercury (Honor) with Android launched by Cricket

Broadband MEA Expands Content and Reach for 2012

The Middle East and Africa’s premier broadband event to include larger programme with more operators and industry players than everLondon, 20 December 2011 – Broadband MEA, the region’s premier broadband event, is expanding its programme in 2012, making it the most informative and insightful conference yet.

Press Release Distribution

See also:
itworld, Broadband MEA Expands Content and Reach for 2012

ITC sides with Apple, bans sale and import of some HTC phones (updated)

The ITC has issued a ruling in favor of Apple Inc., banning the sale and import or certain HTC phones in the US. The ruling, which was widely expected to finally be handed down today after being delayed twice, finds that HTC violates a pair of patents held by the Cupertino company regarding the formatting of data (such as phone numbers) in otherwise unstructured documents (such as emails) allowing users to interact with them. The ban isn't scheduled to be enacted until April 19th of 2012, giving HTC and Google plenty of time to address the court's concerns.

Engadget, ITC sides with Apple, bans sale and import of some HTC phones (updated)

British Telecom sues Google over six US patents

Google broke all sorts of records with its Android operating system, but its rapid growth is coming at a pretty high price. There's already a lengthy list of companies that want a piece of the search giant's healthy income and we just heard there's a new addition to it. British Telecommunications plc (more commonly known as British Telecom) has filed a lawsuit with the Delaware US District Court, claiming that Google is infringing six of its patents with its services and the Android platform.

GSM Arena, British Telecom sues Google over six US patents

Verizon System Shows HTC Fireball, Details Unknown

If a Verizon inventory screens are to be believed (and they usually are quite trustworthy), a new 4G LTE device is coming our way courtesy of HTC. The HTC Fireball has appeared in the carrier’s computer system without even the slightest hint as to what it could be. The best we can do is speculate on the Fireball’s model number ADR6410L, which falls between the ADR6425 ( HTC Rezound) and ADR6400 ( HTC Thunderbolt) . With consideration to this fact, it is possible that the Fireball will be a mid-range device with hardware that falls between the range of those two devices.

Android Phone, Verizon System Shows HTC Fireball, Details Unknown

Apple rumored to be in talks with media executives over the future of TV

While we can't say for sure that Apple is indeed planning a television set of their own, more and more rumors are starting to surface that appear to point towards the rumored device becoming a reality. The latest set of rumors are suggesting that Apple's executives are currently in talks with executives from media companies on "their vision for the future of TV", at least according to The Wall Street Journal.

Ubergizmo, Apple rumored to be in talks with media executives over the future of TV

GP Bullhound advises Centralpoint on sale of Van den Ende & Deitmers’ stake to Greenfield Capital Partners

GP Bullhound, the technology investment bank, has acted as the sole advisor to Centralpoint on the sale of Van den Ende & Deitmers’ stake in the company to Greenfield Capital Partners. Centralpoint is the leading online supplier of computer products for the Dutch B2B segment.In recent years, Centralpoint.nl has more than doubled its turnover to become a top 5 player in the Dutch online ICT and hardware segment. Based on this strong performance, Greenfield Capital Partners now wishes to be involved in the next phase of the Company as a major shareholder.

Press Release Distribution, GP Bullhound advises Centralpoint on sale of Van den Ende & Deitmers’ stake to Greenfield Capital Partners

Trine 2 Launch Trailer

Check out the launch trailer for Atlus' latest side-scrolling action platform and puzzle video game ‘Trine 2′. The game is available now on both Mac and PC, and will hit PSN and Xbox Live on December 20th and December 21st, respectively.

TechFresh, Trine 2 Launch Trailer

Hammacher High Definition Video Pen

Hammacher has launched a spy camera that is disguised as an ordinary ball-point pen. The gadget features a built-in 1.3-megapixel camera that captures up to five hours of AVI video at 1280 x 720 resolution or up to 20,000 JPEG images on its built-in 8GB of internal storage space. The gadget draws its power from a rechargeable lithium battery that offers up to two-hour of recording time. You can recharge its battery using a USB adapter or an included AC adapter. You can also backup pictures and videos via a built-in USB 2.0 port. The Hammacher High Definition Video Pen retails for $149.95 a pop.

TechFresh, Hammacher High Definition Video Pen

Sports Tracker arrives for Windows Phone, motivates runners with statistics

Tired of running and sweating with nothing to show for it but improved stamina and a svelte physique. Well, the stats tracking app that's turned fitness buffs into numbers geeks has now arrived for Windows Phone, which joins its siblings for Android, iOS and Symbian. A free application, Sports Tracker allows runners and bicyclists to track their distance, speed, caloric burn and more. From there, users may upload their workout info to Sports Tracker's website or their favorite social network - although, the latter seems likely to bring the ire of couch-prone friends. But don't worry, we still support your efforts. So, push harder.

Engadget, Sports Tracker arrives for Windows Phone, motivates runners with statistics