Ford's Driver Alert System keeps you in the right lane, recommends java on occasion

It ain't the first automaker to do so, but Ford's taking a step in the 'stay in your own lane!' direction with a new technology package for the Explorer. The Driver Alert System is slated to launch in early 2012, and it'll tout new lane keeping technologies, including a system that can help detect drowsy drivers. The goal here is to keep sleepyheads from destroying lives - be it their own or others - by suggesting that they pull over, rest and have a sip of coffee if they've been cruising along for an extended period of time.

Engadget, Ford's Driver Alert System keeps you in the right lane, recommends java on occasion

Verizon HTC Rezound to feature wireless charging back cover

Verizon and HTC should officially announce the new Rezound Android smartphone this Thursday, on November 3. As reported more than once until now, the Rezound will come with lots of high-end features, including a 4.3 inch screen with HD resolution (1280 x 720 pixels), and LTE connectivity. Another nice feature of the Rezound, discovered thanks to the FCC, is its wireless charging capability.


Unwired View, Verizon HTC Rezound to feature wireless charging back cover

Gas pumps found to be germiest things we touch

We think Nissan has found its new spokesman for the all-electric Leaf. A microbiologist at the University of Arizona known as "Dr. Germ" says he's identified gas pumps as the biggest biohazard in modern society.

Autoblog, Gas pumps found to be germiest things we touch

Poll: What's broken (or working) for you in iOS 5?

If you haven't updated to iOS 5 by now, let's face it: you never will. It's cool. We get it. Some of us are still using Netscape, too. For the rest of the iOS universe, though, iOS 5 has almost certainly been installed, and now that you've had a few weeks to tinker with it, we're interested in seeing what quirks are being found. We've received a number of reports surrounding call connection issues (on both Verizon Wireless and AT&T), "invalid SIM" warnings, a bug that shows an inbox as being full (when it clearly isn't) and iCloud refusing to load email altogether.

Engadget, Poll: What's broken (or working) for you in iOS 5?

Sony PRS-T1 Reader Wi-Fi Cover with Light Review

I just posted a review of the new PRS-T1 Reader Wi-Fi ebook reader from Sony, and I mentioned that you have to have a light to read in dim or dark rooms.  That's the nature of eInk screens – they have no backlighting, so you'll need an external light of some sort.  I've had lighted cases for all my Sony readers starting with the PRS-505.  I knew I'd want one for the PRS-T1, so I ordered a Sony Reader Wi-Fi Cover with Light (model PRSA-CL10) at the same time as the reader.










The Gadgeteer, Sony PRS-T1 Reader Wi-Fi Cover with Light Review

Deal of the Day -Logitech MK550 Wireless Wave Combo Mouse and Keyboard

Today's LogicBUY Deal is the Logitech MK550 Wireless Wave Keyboard and Mouse Combo for $49.99.  Features: one tiny unifying receiver, ergonomic wave keyboard with Constant Curve design, cushioned palm rest, contoured laser mouse, 2.4GHz wireless operation, 128-bit AES keyboard encryption. $79.99 - $30 off  =  $49.99 with free shipping.  This is the best deal found by LogicBUY and is $5 cheaper than their last mention of the deal. This deal expires October 31, 2011 or sooner.

The Gadgeteer, Deal of the Day -Logitech MK550 Wireless Wave Combo Mouse and Keyboard

Jolicloud heads to the actual cloud, Joli OS gets open-sourced

Mum's been the word from the Jolicloud camp over the past few months - summer vacation, we get it - but the company has apparently been working quite diligently on what's next: the "new Jolicloud platform." According to a mildly vague blog post from the outfit, the next edition of the OS will introduce "the personal cloud," enabling users to access the information stored there from "your iPhone, your Android phone, your tablet, your computer and pretty much any connected device with its API." In related news, Joli OS has been open sourced and is now available to the community, and if you're interested in finding out more about the whole o

Engadget, Jolicloud heads to the actual cloud, Joli OS gets open-sourced

Rumor: Apple's upcoming HDTV will feature Siri Voice Control

Steve Jobs' “I've finally cracked it” comment was referring to using Siri as a means to access content on a television claims an Apple insider. An unnamed source close to Apple told the New York Times that Steve Jobs' comment of “I've finally cracked it” was referring to the use of Siri on an HDTV, not to an actual TV set. According to the report, Apple engineers and designers have been struggling for years to create a new interface for TV and replace the remote control. The goal is to give consumers a way to choose content on their television screen just as easily as they do on the iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.

2DayBlog.com, Rumor: Apple's upcoming HDTV will feature Siri Voice Control

Google's Music Store will be in Android Market?

Looks like rumors that Google is gearing up to launch its music store within the next few weeks might actually be true, as one sharp-eyed blogger noticed a slip-up on the mobile version of Google Music. Naturally the error has been corrected, but not before the blog took a screenshot revealing that the Android Market will sell music tracks. For those who aren't already enlisted in the Google Music beta, the site informs visitors that it stores up to 20,000 of your favorite songs online for free. To get started, users must log onto Google Music via their browser on the PC.

2DayBlog.com, Google's Music Store will be in Android Market?

BlackBerry Porsche P9981 Smartphone

RIM and Porsche have collaborated to release the special edition Blackberry Porsche P'9981. The smartphone features a 1GHz processor with a touchscreen display, a full QWERTY keyboard, an 8GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot(up to 32GB), a 5-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording and NFC support. The BlackBerry Porsche P'9981 also has a brushed stainless steel case with a leather backing, custom Porsche fonts and redesigned icons. The handset runs on the latest BlackBerry 7 OS. The BlackBerry Porsche P'9981 retails for a hefty $2,000 each.

TechFresh, BlackBerry Porsche P9981 Smartphone

ARMv8 detailed: 64-bit architecture, AppliedMicro first in line

Thought Windows on ARM was snazzy. Have a gander at this. The outfit's forthcoming ARMv8 architecture, the first ARM architecture to include a 64-bit instruction set, has just been detailed, with a goal to expand the reach of ARM processor-based solutions "into consumer and enterprise applications where extended virtual addressing and 64-bit data processing are required." The ARMv8 architecture consists of two main execution states - AArch64 and AArch32 - and we're apt to see the real benefits hit high-end servers first.

Engadget, ARMv8 detailed: 64-bit architecture, AppliedMicro first in line

Nook Color 2 Reportedly Being Shipped To Barnes & Noble Stores – Arrives Nov 7th

According to The Digital Reader, Barnes & Noble will begin shipping out its all new and improved Nook Color 2 to stores on November 7th. Apparently, B&N will be sprucing up their in-store Nook kiosk to something that resembles more of an actual department, complete with LED TV's and registers for checking out customers on the spot. Still left up in the air are specs and pricing.

Android Phone, Nook Color 2 Reportedly Being Shipped To Barnes & Noble Stores â€" Arrives Nov 7th

Official PlayStation Magazine teases something big for next month

PlayStation owners, it looks like according to the Official PlayStation Magazine, something exciting will be announced next month, and if you have a copy of the magazine, you will realize that the page announcing the upcoming announcement features a huge exclamation mark, which has led many to believe that this upcoming announcement could have something to do with Metal Gear Solid, although there are some other options being considered as well. "I promise you that next month is an equally significant issue in our history (referring to Uncharted 3 of this month's issue). I desperately want to say more, but really mustn't.

Ubergizmo, Official PlayStation Magazine teases something big for next month

Mystery Motorola devices headed for Verizon, could be the long-awaited Xoom 2s?

Is Big Red gearing up for a tag team Moto tablet refresh. From the looks of this internal screen grab (and the oodles of pre-release leaks), that may very well be the case. Despite the lack of official confirmation from both parties, we're pretty certain those two mystery model numbers shown above - MZ617 and MZ609 - belong to the oft in-the-wild spotted Xoom 2 and its 8.2-inch "Media Edition" sibling. Unfortunately, that listed October 23rd date has come and gone with nary a mention of the slates' existence, so we'll just have to content ourselves with evidence of their apparent 4G capabilities and storage configurations.

Engadget, Mystery Motorola devices headed for Verizon, could be the long-awaited Xoom 2s?

As Smartphone Sales Grow, Samsung Surpasses Apple as Top Dog Manufacturer

As Samsung reported their third quarter earnings, one thing was apparent: smartphone sales are on the rise. So much so, that analysts are now handing Samsung the rank of top dog in the global smartphone market. While Samsung didn't give the entire picture, analyst Jae Lee of Daiwa Securities estimated the company to have sold 28 million smartphones. This equates to over 10 million handsets more than Apple at 17 million.
But a few caveats need be applied before popping the champagne cork. Apple had been narrowly winning as of the second quarter with sales of 20 million iPhones.

Android Phone, As Smartphone Sales Grow, Samsung Surpasses Apple as Top Dog Manufacturer

Android Ice Cream Sandwich not coming to the LG Optimus 2X

Released back in February with Android 2.2 Froyo on board, the LG Optimus 2X will reportedly not get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. At least that's what LG recently said via its official Facebook account. As you probably already know, LG didn't even manage to update the handset to Android 2.3 Gingerbread in all markets until now, so not offering ICS for it shouldn't come as a big surprise. It's still disappointing, though.

LG didn't mention why it won't bring Android 4.0 to the Optimus 2X.


Unwired View

See also:
itcrowd, Android Ice Cream Sandwich not coming to the LG Optimus 2X

Motorola XOOM 2 Appears in Verizon's Computer System

Verizon and Motorola have yet to make any official statements about a so-called Motorola XOOM 2, but it sure looks like we could be hearing about the new tablet soon. Actually, we should be hearing about two new XOOM models. Both a Motorola MZ609 and Motorola MZ617 have made an appearance in VZW's computer system, the latter of which sporting 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB model designations. This version of the XOOM 2 looks to be the replacement for the original 10.1-inch slate, while the MZ609 will be a smaller “media edition” device featuring either 16GB or 32GB of storage.

Android Phone, Motorola XOOM 2 Appears in Verizon's Computer System

Warpia StreamHD Value Edition announced

For those who had their curiosity stoked by the StreamHD from Warpia but did not want to fork out $170 for this puppy, perhaps the introduction of the Value Edition might just make you prise open that wallet of yours. The Warpia StreamHD Value Edition will cost $40 less – which clearly places it at $140 a pop now, and while forking out more than a Benjamin might not be considered to be “cheap”, it is still easier on your bank account than the non-Value Edition version. At that price point, you will find a similar USB adapter inside, in addition to a wireless receiver as well as an A/V base with an HDMI out.

Ubergizmo, Warpia StreamHD Value Edition announced

Xerox in Leaders Quadrant of 2011 Managed Print Services Report

Uxbridge, UK, Oct 28, 2011 - Xerox has been placed by Gartner, Inc. in the Leaders Quadrant of the 2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Print Services (MPS) Worldwide.[1]The Magic Quadrant is a proprietary research tool developed by Gartner that offers visual snapshots of a market's direction, maturity and participants, and evaluates companies on completeness of vision and ability to execute.Still the market leader in MPS, Xerox continues to save businesses of all sizes up to 30 percent of operating costs with new features such as print governance - automated guidelines that direct users to the most cost-effective, energy-efficient option.

Press Release Distribution, Xerox in Leaders Quadrant of 2011 Managed Print Services Report

New HTC Vulnerability Found – 4G WiMax Left Wide Open For Malware

A new vulnerability was found in HTC devices — this time, specifically involving HTC handsets equipped with WiMax radios and running on Sprint’s 4G network. Developer TrevE discovered the vulnerability on the 20th and thanks to an agreement he made with HTC, didn’t make the exploit public for a total of 5 days, giving the “Quietly Brilliant” manufacturer time to come up with a fix. The vulnerability allows for a potentially malicious app to jump onto your WiMax/4G connection and obtain network information or even botch your 4G connection altogether.



Android Phone, New HTC Vulnerability Found â€" 4G WiMax Left Wide Open For Malware

Ford rushes to fix gearbox problems, but not quickly enough for Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports recently cited issues with the PowerShift dual-clutch transmission in the Ford Focus and Ford Fiesta as one of the primary reasons behind the automaker's fall from grace in its annual Car Reliability Study, but according to The New York Times, the automaker has already worked to solve most of the problems with the gearboxes. Ford has issued a number of technical service bulletins designed to improve drivability at low speeds.

Autoblog, Ford rushes to fix gearbox problems, but not quickly enough for Consumer Reports

Taiwan's Premier expresses concern over Apple's “slide to unlock” patent

A couple of days ago it seemed like Apple scored themselves a major victory when the patent for the "slide to unlock" feature was granted to them. This raised many concerns, especially for manufacturers of Android and Windows Phone handsets, whereby the slide to unlock feature was present in many of their products. While Apple has yet to capitalize on this patent, Taiwan's Premier, Wu Den-yih, has express concern over this patent grant.

Ubergizmo, Taiwan's Premier expresses concern over Apple's “slide to unlock” patent

Pioneer Music Tap plays just about any media

Most of us stash our music collection across a wide range of devices as well as on the cloud, where some tracks are placed on Amazon, while others are cleverly stashed away on iPods of numerous generations, with a fair number of hard drives securing your music collection as well. The Pioneer Music Tap does not really care where all your media is stored though – it will be able to play those.

Ubergizmo, Pioneer Music Tap plays just about any media

MTV Music Meter works with your Samsung Smart TV

Do you own a Samsung Smart TV. If you have answered in the affirmative, then you might be interested to know that there is a new music discovery experience application for your Smart TV known as the MTV Music Meter. Basically, the MTV Music Meter will provide you with a daily list of the top 100 artists that are trending right now, where this list is dynamically determined by the real time buzz across the Internet – in addition to music content about these artists.



Ubergizmo, MTV Music Meter works with your Samsung Smart TV

Canon Announces Pixma Pro-1 Photo Printer

Canon has announed its latest photo printer during a media event in New York. The Pixma Pro-1, according to Canon, is the “world's first A3+ printer with 12 separate inks.”. The printer comes with 12 ink cartridges: the Photo and Matte black inks, three gray inks of different shades, Cyan, Photo Cyan, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Yellow, and Red. Do not feel worried about having to replace cartridges very often, as the ink tanks are 2.5 times larger than from older Pixma models. It is also more advanced to the previous Pixmas because of its double the amount of input resolution at 1,200 dots per inch.

Gadget.com, Canon Announces Pixma Pro-1 Photo Printer

Government Censorship? Google's Got Your Back

There's a lot of crazy stuff going on in the world right now. Look no further than the Occupy ___ (fill in the blank) protests taking place around the world. While I don't want to get into any political debates (this is after all, only an Android blog), many protesters have been capturing videos of police brutality using their Android powered handsets and quickly uploading them onto YouTube. If you think the U.S. government and various law enforcement agencies are happy about this, well — they're not. Apparently, Google has received over 757 content removal requests for items on Google's servers from services like YouTube.

Android Phone, Government Censorship? Google's Got Your Back

Ice Cream Sandwich is officially a no go for Google Nexus One

As the first device to bear the Nexus moniker, the Google Nexus One is still a highly revered Android smartphone. Sadly however, its owners will not be able to (officially) enjoy an update to the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. According to Hugo Barra - Android's product management director at Google, the hardware of the device is "simply too old to run the new operating system."Google Nexus S on the other hand, will get the ICS update shortly after the Galaxy Nexus hits the shelves.

GSM Arena, Ice Cream Sandwich is officially a no go for Google Nexus One

FlashHarp USB now comes in a necklace format

Now here is a special gift which you can get for your geekette – if there is such a word, which would be the FlashHarp USB necklace, merging both fashion and technology in one fell swoop. Basically, this will not only function as a lovely accessory to look at, it is also a USB flash drive for you to stash away data wherever you go, and functions as a working, playable harmonica to boot – makes me wonder whether Davy Jones would have preferred to stash this away under his tentacled beard instead of a crummy key, no.

Ubergizmo, FlashHarp USB now comes in a necklace format

The King of Soundtracks 94-XIII Trailer

Atlus's pre-order bonus for The King of Fighters XIII is “The King of Soundtracks 94-XIII”. It consists of four discs that contain more than 100 tracks from 13 King of Fighter games series.

TechFresh, The King of Soundtracks 94-XIII Trailer

Angry Birds to ride Russian rockets into space, follow iPads bound for bored cosmonauts

Slingshots and unbridled rage might be enough to launch Rovio's furious fowl across the battlefield, but they'll need some outside help if they hope to break free of Earth's atmosphere - it's time to call the cosmonauts. Two upcoming Russian space launches are scheduled to ferry a pair of iPads and a plush Angry Birds toy to the International Space Station.

Engadget, Angry Birds to ride Russian rockets into space, follow iPads bound for bored cosmonauts

Yahoo! Maps powered by Nokia

Now this is a rather interesting twist – Yahoo. Maps is being powered by Nokia, who would have thought. I guess there were clues to such a partnership already, as Nokia and Yahoo. did join forces last year to create an alliance which leverages each others' strengths in email, instant messaging, maps and navigation services.

Ubergizmo, Yahoo! Maps powered by Nokia

Wearable fabrics get smarter

I figured out that since we have stuff like smart cars, smart TVs and smartphones, why not make another everyday item ‘smart' as well. I'm talking about wearable fabrics that will not only keep you nice and warm, shielding you from the elements, but has a semblance of intelligence as well. According to John Volakis, the director of the ElectroScience Laboratory at Ohio State University, he and his team are currently working on "smart textiles" which comprise of wearable fabrics that come embedded with electronics.

Ubergizmo

See also:
technologypulse, Wearable fabrics get smarter

Class-action suit filed against RIM after BlackBerry outage

. BlackBerry users have filed a class-action lawsuit against Research In Motion after the company's massive service outage earlier this month, the Financial Post reported on Wednesday.

Boy Genius Report, Class-action suit filed against RIM after BlackBerry outage

Verizon's Motorola Droid RAZR goes on pre-order tomorrow for $299

Announced last week as one of the most exciting Android devices ever (and also the thinnest - only 7.1mm), the Motorola Droid RAZR will be officially available for pre-order in the US starting tomorrow, October 27. As you've probably already heard, Verizon is the only US carrier that's going to offer the Droid RAZR - and it will do it for $299 on contract, promising to ship in "no later than November 10." November 10 is likely also the date when users will be able to buy the new Droid in stores.

Unwired View, Verizon's Motorola Droid RAZR goes on pre-order tomorrow for $299

Sprint fixes privacy bug on HTC devices

Nice to know that mobile carriers still have the best interests of its subscribers' heart, what with Sprint's latest outing by delivering an update for HTC devices running on Google's Android mobile operating system that will (hopefully) see the end of a privacy-related bug. Basically, if you are rocking to Sprint and are using the EVO 4G, EVO 3D, EVO Shift 4G, EVO Design 4G, EVO View 4G and HTC Wildfire S, an over-the-air update (you can also perform a manual update if you want to, of course) will be able to make sure your smartphone is more secure.

Ubergizmo, Sprint fixes privacy bug on HTC devices

US's most powerful nuke dismantled

It's time to bid farewell to the last B53 bomb in America. Disassembly of the country's most powerful remaining nuclear bomb - touted to be six hundred times stronger than the one dropped on Hiroshima - started yesterday at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. The B53 that was put into service back in 1962, weights 10,000 pounds and was the size of a minivan. If you're wondering why it was so powerful and huge, it's because back then the size of the bomb had to compensate for its lack of accuracy.

Ubergizmo

See also:
techcrunch, US's most powerful nuke dismantled

No Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus One

Several days ago we reported that a port for Android's Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 had made its way onto the first ever Google Nexus device, the Nexus One. Unfortunately it appeared that the port looked a bit laggy on the Nexus One, but still looked passable, giving those still on the Nexus One device hope that perhaps Google will be releasing an official Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 update for their device. The bad news is that that won't be happening. According to Google's product management director for Android, Hugo Barra, the Google Nexus One will not be receiving the update after all.

Ubergizmo, No Ice Cream Sandwich for Nexus One

Nokia Lumia 710 – some thoughts and hands-on

In addition to Lumia 800 flagship, Nokia launched another Windows Phone today - Nokia Lumia 710. And even without a huge marketing budget of Nokia 800, Lumia 710 has the potential to be a rather big thing. Nokia really went out of its way to bring the price of this Windows Phone down. At EUR 270 before taxes and subsidies - Lumia 710 beats most of its Windows Phone competition and is spec'd to go heads-on with mid range Android handsets. Especially in unsubsidized markets where carriers have little control over device sales.



Unwired View, Nokia Lumia 710 â€" some thoughts and hands-on

Nokia Lumia 800 hits UK carriers this November, Xbox 360 used as bait

Nokia fanboys and girls across the British Isles are getting the Lumia 800 love as early as November. Confirmed on a trio of carriers earlier today, Espoo's "first real Windows Phone" is slated to hit Vodafone, Orange and 3 UK sometime next month, though no specific street date has yet been revealed. You can hit up the operators' respective sites now to sign-up for the availability updates, or go whole hog with an in-store pre-order in the case of 3 UK. At least one of these networks is sweetening the pot for potential subs, as Orange's enticing lure of a free Xbox 360 with handset upgrade is sure to reel in bargain hunting customers.

Engadget, Nokia Lumia 800 hits UK carriers this November, Xbox 360 used as bait

IRIS 9000, A HAL-Alike Controller Dock for iPhone 4S and Siri

ThinkGeek's IRIS 9000 turns your iPhone 4S into HAL. I don't know how they keep doing it, but noveltyware purveyors ThinkGeek have just knocked another one out of the park. And I for one welcome the new IRIS 9000 voice control module for Siri, which pretty much turns your iPhone 4S into HAL 9000.
The module consists of a dock with speaker, microphone and ominous glowing red eye. It also comes with a small remote.

Gadget Lab, IRIS 9000, A HAL-Alike Controller Dock for iPhone 4S and Siri