How Seattle buses get up snowy hills

Seattle has taken a white, snowy beating of late, but the city has made it a point to keep its bus services running. Not being the flattest city on record, Seattle's steeper inclines can present a challenge to municipal vehicles. One way around this is, apparently, to use a wrecker to push a bus up a hill. To the casual eye, this looks like a potential avalanche of lawsuits; a single mistake could make a lot of people very unhappy. However, the practitioners seem so familiar with the act that it comes off as if it's a regular occurrence.

Autoblog, How Seattle buses get up snowy hills

Barrett-Jackson 2012: First 2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427 Convertible sells for $600,000 (video)

Earlier this week we showed you the recently-unveiled 2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427 Convertible at Barrett-Jackson. Chevrolet didn't just bring the car to display, though, and announced that it would be auctioning the very first production example for charity. There was plenty of excitement as the Corvette was brought up on the auction block, and bidding quickly skyrocketed past the six-figure mark.

Autoblog, Barrett-Jackson 2012: First 2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427 Convertible sells for $600,000 (video)

White Samsung Galaxy Note To Hit UK On January 23rd

Samsung is reportedly preparing to launch the white version of its Galaxy Note in the UK on January 23rd. The handset will initially be available exclusively from John Lewis with 250 GBP of free music, films and e-books for the first 100 customers. Starting February, the White Samsung Galaxy Note will hit other UK retailers. As a quick reminder, the Galaxy Note packs a 5.3-inch 1280 x 800 Super AMOLED touchscreen display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, S Pen technology, a 2MP front-facing camera, an 8MP rear-facing camera with 1080p Full HD video recording and runs on Android 2.3 OS.

TechFresh, White Samsung Galaxy Note To Hit UK On January 23rd

Tamaggo 360-Imager Panoramic Camera

Check out this upcoming panoramic camera from Tamaggo, the Tamaggo 360-Imager. Adopting the panomorph technology, this compact camera allows you to capture 360-degree high-resolution, navigable images with just one click. As for the specs itself, it packs a 14-megapixel image sensor, a 2.0-inch touchscreen display, an intuitive orientation sensor, WiFi, Bluetooth, a mini USB port and a built-in rechargeable Li-Polymer battery. The Tamaggo 360-Imager will go on sale in Q2 2012 for $200.

TechFresh, Tamaggo 360-Imager Panoramic Camera

Sony Ericsson ST25i (Kumquat) spotted in the wild

Sony [Ericsson] looks to be sticking to the design trends set with the Xperia S for the rest of their 2012 lineup, as evidenced in this leaked image of the handset currently codenamed Kumquat. The Sony Ericsson ST25i may have a goofy placeholder name, but it carries the sleek styling that had us praising Sony's newly unveiled handsets at CES. Also present is the clear bar housing the antenna of the device. Specs include a 3.5-inch display at 480×854, a 1GHz dual-core CPU, and a 5MP camera with 720p video recording.

Android Phone, Sony Ericsson ST25i (Kumquat) spotted in the wild

UK: HTC Evo 3D now just £249.99

The HTC Evo 3D can now be found heavily discounted at a few retailers in the UK. ASDA, for example, will send one your way for just £249.99. That's SIM-free and unlocked, of course. If for some reason you'd like to spend a bit more for the same device, there's also Expansys, which now charges £284.99 for the Evo 3D.
It's unclear at this point if these are permanent price drops or if they represent a limited time promotion.

Unwired View, UK: HTC Evo 3D now just £249.99

Untethered jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 now available

. Following news earlier on Friday that an untethered jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 was almost ready, an updated version of Greenpois0n has been made available for download. The new build makes use of pod2g's “corona” exploit and is the result of combined efforts from the iPhone Dev Team, the Chronic Dev team and pod2g.

Boy Genius Report

See also:
cherryapple, Untethered jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 now available

Amazon Kindle Fire Holiday Steam Subsiding, Says Rumor

It's no secret that Amazon enjoyed a very healthy holiday season with the launch of their $200 Kindle Fire tablet but, as you might expect following the season, demand seems to be waning. According to DigiTimes, who often have their ear to the components street, orders for Kindle Fire components have been halved from 6 million to 3 million. The drop-off looks to be more significant than that, though, as their source notes that orders for both the Kindle Fire and the competing Nook Tablet are expected to get as low as 800,000 to one million units per month over the course of Q1 2012.

Android Phone, Amazon Kindle Fire Holiday Steam Subsiding, Says Rumor

New photos of old Sony Ericsson WP7 phone prototype surface

Early last year we saw a a prototype from Sony Ericsson that was running Windows Phone 7. The company never did announce a WP7 device, but now more shots have cropped up of what appears to be the same device. It's a prototype of the same model, but this one has a white back and keyboard. The prototype has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and recognizable Sony Ericsson styling (the back looks a lot like the back of a Neo, for one).






GSM Arena, New photos of old Sony Ericsson WP7 phone prototype surface

Watch as a motorcycle rides on top of the world

It takes guts to ride a motocross bike. Tuned practically to the point of blowing themselves to bits, every pound stripped away so that only the bare necessities are left and sitting on top of a foot-plus of suspension travel, it takes a deft hand to tame these race machines. Which makes the feat you'll see in the video after the break all the more amazing. It's one thing to strap on your gear and head out to the relatively safe confines of an off-road track.

2DayBlog.com, Watch as a motorcycle rides on top of the world

More Sprint Devices Receive Security Updates – HTC Evo and Design 4G Added To The Mix

The HTC Evo 3D has already received it's “security update” removing that nasty Carrier IQ spyware from devices and staying true to their word, Sprint has begun issuing updates for the rest of their Android lineup. The HTC Evo 4G and HTC Evo Design 4G are next in line to receive their over-the-air updates and although “Carrier IQ” wasn't specifically mentioned in the changelog, we expect that's what is alluded to in “security update.” You can check see all the changes down below for yourself, along with more a little more detail to that upcoming Samsung Epic 4G OTA we told you guys about a few days ago.

Android Phone, More Sprint Devices Receive Security Updates â€" HTC Evo and Design 4G Added To The Mix

GM retakes global sales crown with over 9M units shifted in 2011

Look who's back on top again. Just 30 months since General Motors emerged from bankruptcy, the Detroit-based automaker can once again call itself the world's largest. GM sold just over 9 million vehicles globally in 2011, its highest sales total ever, while chief rival Toyota may slip as far as third place, according to TheDetroitBureau.com, which reports that Volkswagen will pass Toyota to claim the runner-up spot. Led by a record-setting 4.76 million sales year from Chevrolet, GM saw sales rise in all four of its reporting regions. The company says it now claims 11.9 percent of the global market. Sales in the U.S.

Autoblog, GM retakes global sales crown with over 9M units shifted in 2011

Samsung announces Star 3 and Star 3 DUOS

Exactly one year after the Samsung Star II was announced, Samsung unveiled its successor. The Samsung Star 3 and its dual-SIM version Star 3 DUOS are entry-level featurephones that aim to deliver simplified user experience at an attractive price. The Samsung Star 3 featurephones pack a 3" QVGA touchscreen, a 3.2 megapixel fixed-focus camera, a microSD slot and run on the company's latest TouchWiz UI. The connectivity department offers quad-band EDGE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, FM radio and a 3.5mm audio jack.










GSM Arena, Samsung announces Star 3 and Star 3 DUOS

Webroot Engages Former Symantec Executive to Support Global Expansion

Industry Veteran Will Drive Aggressive Market Growth and Strategic Worldwide Business Development London UK, January 19, 2012: Webroot, a leader in delivering Internet security as a service, today announced that it has engaged Dieter Giesbrecht as executive consultant to advise on the company’s go-to-market strategy.

Press Release Distribution, Webroot Engages Former Symantec Executive to Support Global Expansion

AntiCrop App Un-Crops Your Photos

AntiCrop un-crops your images. If only it could fix blurry focus, too. It's easy enough top crop a photograph when you left to much space around the the subject (or just to get rid of some annoying junk at the edges of the frame). But what about the other way around? When you shot too close, for example? Or when you need to rotate an image slightly without having to chop off the corners?

Now, it's just as simple, with a new universal iOS called AntiCrop. It does one thing: un-crop your images.

Fire it up and skip the (presumably good) instructional video (you never read the manual, right?).

Gadget Lab

See also:
technologypulse, AntiCrop App Un-Crops Your Photos

Symantec confirms hackers had breached its network in 2006

Symantec spokesman Cris Paden said on Tuesday that unknown hackers breached its network back in 2006 and obtained the source code to Norton Antivirus Corporate Edition, Norton Internet Security, Norton Utilities, Norton GoBack and pcAnywhere. The news follows the release of Symantec's Norton Utilities source code on Friday by a hacker associated with Anonymous and Lords of Dharmaraja. Previously Symantec said that some of its code had been lifted from the server of a third party, but after a thorough investigation, the security firm has discovered that its network had indeed been compromised after all.

2DayBlog.com, Symantec confirms hackers had breached its network in 2006

T-Mobile “Secret” Data Promotion Leaked – Free Mobile Hotspot On 5GB or 10GB Data Plans

Not yet down for the count, T-Mobile is attempting to stay competitive in 2012 with a pair of new “secret” promotional data feature bundles. Starting January 25th, T-Mobile will begin throwing in both their Smartphone Mobile Hotspot and MobileLife Album Plus services for free with either the Unlimited-Premium 5GB or 10GB plans. All-in-all, customers can look forward to about $20-$15 worth of savings.

Android Phone, T-Mobile “Secret” Data Promotion Leaked â€" Free Mobile Hotspot On 5GB or 10GB Data Plans

'The Mighty 190' gives props to an underappreciated Benz classic [NSFW]

There's plenty you could say about the Mercedes-Benz 190 series. It's built like a tank, for starters. You might even call it an enduring icon of the 1980s. And considering that it ended production – replaced by the first C-Class – in 1993, the fact there are still scads of them out on the road speaks to its reliability. We wouldn't exactly call it Pimpin', though the cousin that proudly inherited our grandfather's 190D might beg to differ. As would these two hip hop impresarios.

Follow the jump and you'll be treated to "The Mighty 190", a rap video tribute to the soon-to-be classic Benz sport sedan.



Autoblog, 'The Mighty 190' gives props to an underappreciated Benz classic [NSFW]

New Features Roll Out to Google+ Mobile Site, Coming Soon to Android App

A few new features have rolled out to the Google+ mobile site allowing users greater interaction with top content. A new “What's Hot” pane can be accessed by swiping right of your main “Circles” feed. Doing so will showcase the current top posts from all Google+ users. To see who is making content hot, users can now click the +1 count on a post to see all that gave extra kudos.

Android Phone, New Features Roll Out to Google+ Mobile Site, Coming Soon to Android App

Teens build mini TVN Dominator tornado chase vehicle

There are few things that can't be accomplished with a little PVC pipe, some chicken wire, cardboard boxes and spray paint. Just ask the innovative chaps in the videos after the jump. As part of a Halloween celebration last year, the quartet of youths took it up on themselves to recreate a scale version of the tornado-chasing Dominator from TVN. The finished product looks pretty good given its humble roots, and since the project uses a Honda Recon ATV for a chassis, it gets down the road with a quickness.
The guys behind the project nailed all of the relevant details, right down to a mock Bosch sponsorship and a plethora of wiper blades.









Autoblog, Teens build mini TVN Dominator tornado chase vehicle

Vogel Flex Mount universal mounting system

Vogel has just announced its Flex Mount universal mounting system, making it the most recent member of the RingO family that basically allows you to place your tablet just about anywhere at home – in the living room, at the kitchen, in a car, or even at the office. Maximum flexibility is guaranteed here compared to its competitors, and thanks to its patented universal tablet mounting system, the RingO Flex Mount sports a fully-adjustable arm that has full swivel and tilt, letting you adjust your tablet to the perfect position.

Ubergizmo, Vogel Flex Mount universal mounting system

Sony Xperia SmartTags in action

We do know that both the new Sony Xperia S and Xperia ion will ship with NFC (Near Field Communication) capability, where select countries employ this as a mode of paymen, allowing you to swipe your handset in exchange of a drink. Of course, there are other uses than just to make financial transactions, and this is where Sony's Xperia SmartTags come in. These simple NFC tags are more or less modern cue cards, where they are read by the smartphone before being led to perform a particular task.



Ubergizmo

See also:
gadgetsngadgets, Sony Xperia SmartTags in action

Use BabyPing and Your iOS Device to Monitor Your Child

With a traditional baby monitor, you have a camera for the child's room and a monitor that you carry around with you so you can see what's happening with the baby.  You'll need a power source for the monitor, and that means finding an outlet in the room you're in or keeping the monitor supplied with batteries.  With the BabyPing monitoring system (from a newly-created division of Y-cam Solutions Ltd), you won't have to worry about lugging around a separate monitor.  Place the BabyPing camera in the baby's room, connect it to your home WiFi network, and use your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch as your monitor.  The free app “offers a wea

The Gadgeteer

See also:
hitech, Use BabyPing and Your iOS Device to Monitor Your Child

AOC e2352Phz flicker-free 3D monitor

So your neighbor just got a new 3D monitor, and was showing it off to you the other day. You managed to keep the green-eyed monster at bay in this game of one upmanship, but deep down inside, you were already plotting your revenge. Well, your moment has arrived in the form of the AOC e2352Phz, which is touted to be a flicker-free 3D monitor that delivers 23″ of viewing goodness to the masses, doing away with eye fatigue and dizziness which were caused by conventional 3D displays.

Ubergizmo, AOC e2352Phz flicker-free 3D monitor

Ruf stretches Porsche Panamera for China

You think the prom limo market in America has a propensity for stretching anything with wheels. Just look at China. Instead of buying larger sedans there, wealthy Chinese buyers have a taste for stretching smaller ones. So while BMW, for example, already offers a larger 7 Series, they've developed a stretched 5 Series for the Chinese market. We thought that a little strange at first, but this one takes the cake.

Since the Porsche Panamera has one of the nicest interiors on the market, one aftermarket tuner of note has developed a stretched version specifically for China.

Autoblog, Ruf stretches Porsche Panamera for China

World's fastest slot car race is oddly mesmerizing

The Finnish aren't known for their high-energy personas, and we thought it might be because they save their adrenaline dumps for rally cars and snowmobiles. Turns out they also like to let their slot cars showcase hidden Type A personalities. At a place called Autorataharrastajat ry, some very serious racers run slot cars at barely watchable speeds on an eight-lane track. It looks like some sort of scaled-up atomic experiment at the Large Hadron Collider and sounds like Transformers. We're not actually sure if this is the world's fastest slot car action, but it certainly looks like it could be.

2DayBlog.com, World's fastest slot car race is oddly mesmerizing

Gears of War 3: Fenix Rising now available

Last month we detailed Gears of War 3′s upcoming DLC - “Fenix Rising” and after almost a month of waiting, it's finally available for download. In case you didn't read about the new content, users will get four new character skins: Recruit Clayton, Thrashball Cole - Limited Edition, Savage Marauder and Savage Kantus - Limited Edition; new maps - Academy, Anvil, Depths, Escalation, and the Slab. The DLC also includes a new experience system that lets players rank up through level 100 four times to unlock exclusive emblems and weapon skins.

Ubergizmo, Gears of War 3: Fenix Rising now available

Epson's New Wide-Format Artisan 1430 Printer

The new wide-format Artisan 1430 inkjet printer from Epson gives you prints up to 13″ X 19″.  This printer has  advanced color and lighting correction for amazing photos, and it includes Adobe® Photoshop® Elements for more editing features.  You can print Ultra Hi-Definition prints (5760 x 1440 optimized dpi) on paper or photo paper, and you can print on CDs and DVDs.  Photos are smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant thanks to Claria® Hi-Definition Ink, and they'll last up to four times longer than photo lab prints.

The Gadgeteer

See also:
dailygadgets, Epson's New Wide-Format Artisan 1430 Printer

Android 4.0 update for WiFi Motorola Xoom rolling out now to everyone

Last week we reported that select Motorola Xoom owners were receiving the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. If you were not one of the lucky testers, not to worry as you can shelve your jealousy as it appears that the update is now rolling out to all Motorola Xoom WiFi owners. As usual as with most OTA updates, it is currently being pushed out in batches. It seems that there is an update file available online should you choose to install it the manual route, but if it sounds a bit too complicated for your tastes, you will either have to wait until it is your turn to receive the update, or you could attempt to fetch it manually.

Ubergizmo, Android 4.0 update for WiFi Motorola Xoom rolling out now to everyone

AMD to undercut Intel with cheaper ultrabooks

. AMD is reportedly planning to undercut Intel by offering cheaper ultrabook components later this year. The notebooks are expected to cost between $700 and $999, which is a good deal cheaper than the $999-$1,200 price tag that many ultrabooks carry now. DigiTimes notes that AMD's technology will not add any new innovative functions but will instead be focused on delivering consumers thin and light devices at a much more wallet-friendly price.

Boy Genius Report, AMD to undercut Intel with cheaper ultrabooks

Toshiba Protege M930 Convertible Windows 8 Tablet

The new Toshiba Protege M930 convertible Windows 8 tablet has a 13.3-inch LCD display with a 1280 x 800 pixels resolution. Weighing at only 4 pounds, the tablet PC is powered by an Intel i5 Core processor with a 4GB of RAM and a 256GB of solid state drive (SSD).

TechFresh, Toshiba Protege M930 Convertible Windows 8 Tablet

Detroit Auto Show sees strongest opening weekend in years

The 2012 Detroit Auto Show is off to a galloping start. Organizers estimate more than 750,000 people are expected to show up to take in the newest hardware from the world's automakers. Sunday saw 102,918 people attend the exhibition, which is an increase of more than 3,800 people from last year. Likewise, Saturday turned out to be the largest opening day for the Detroit Auto Show in five years. All told, 195,024 people strolled through Cobo hall to take in the sights. This year, the show features more than 500 vehicles, so there's plenty to see.

And it's not just wild exotics and far-flung concepts, either.

Autoblog, Detroit Auto Show sees strongest opening weekend in years

Samsung promises all-day battery life from new smartphones in 2012

. Samsung understands that battery life is a big problem when it comes to smartphones. The company is looking to fix that, however, promising that all Samsung smartphones coming out this year will last all day on a single charge with average to moderately heavy use. “When you wake up to when you go to bed, we don't want you feeling anxiety about your battery life,” Samsung VP of product innovation Kevin Packingham said in an interview with CNET. Motorola recently announced the DROID RAZR MAXX, a variant of the DROID RAZR featuring a massive 3,300 mAh battery.

Boy Genius Report, Samsung promises all-day battery life from new smartphones in 2012

HTC confirms Sprint is removing Carrier IQ from devices

. Last month, Sprint disabled the controversial Carrier IQ software across all devices on the company's network. Further reports claimed the company was instructing manufacturers to prepare updates that would remove the software completely. HTC, one such manufacturer, confirmed as much when speaking to The Verge. “HTC can confirm that we're working with Sprint to provide maintenance releases that will remove Carrier IQ and provide security enhancements and bug fixes beginning in January,” said an HTC representative. We can only assume that other Sprint devices will follow, though there is no time frame to report.

Boy Genius Report, HTC confirms Sprint is removing Carrier IQ from devices

Liquid Image Ego – Stream your exploits, feed your ego

Coming in June from Liquid Image is a new POV Action Camera. The Ego measures 1.6 x 1.2 x 2.5 inches,  has a 136° wide angle and an LCD preview screen.  Capable of 180p footage at 30 fps and 12MP stills, the camera comes standard with wireless remote and uses microSDHC up to 32GB. Controls have been pared down to only 2 buttons.

The Gadgeteer, Liquid Image Ego â€" Stream your exploits, feed your ego

Asus Transformer Prime experiences Ice Cream Sandwich failure for some

While the majority of Asus Transformer Prime owners would probably have been pleased with the Ice Cream Sandwich update on their respective tablets (which was also demonstrated recently), there is a small group of Transformer Prime owners who are left far more frustrated than before. It seems that several owners have already filed complaints that their tablets display a serial number error, whereby this acts as a doorstop that prevents the update from installing – at least according to the flurry of activity that is happening on the XDA Developers forum.

Ubergizmo, Asus Transformer Prime experiences Ice Cream Sandwich failure for some

Motorola DROID Bionic Testers Receive Another Minor OTA Update

It looks like the DROID Bionic is queued up for another OTA update as build 5.9.902 is beginning to show up on testers' devices. Amazon MP3 was added, VCast Music was removed and a few other changes (see below) can be found since 5.9.901. If any of you soak testers are getting these updates let us know how they're faring for you. [via Droid Life].

Android Phone, Motorola DROID Bionic Testers Receive Another Minor OTA Update