Engadget

Bionic lens to debut in the next half-decade

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 12th 2008 at 11:01AM

Professor James Wolffsohn from Aston University in the United Kingdom imagines that within the next decade, the cure to near- and farsightedness will not only exist, but will actually be within reach. While the underlying idea of replacing biological lenses with minty-fresh artificial ones isn't necessarily new (think cataract surgery), Wolffsohn's efforts will allow patients to focus both near and far, instead of just plain old, boring far. While the details on how the lenses work are a little scant (read non-existent), apparently eye muscles squeezing the "ultra-flexible" devices allow the actual focusing to occur. The professor has been working with opthology companies to commercialize the specs, and envisions the procedure costing less than £1,000 within the next five to ten years. Sounds good to us, because fancy new lenses or not, as people who stare at computer screens all day, the odds of us going under the laser at some point are a tad on the high side.

French public rail trials RFID / USB combo ticket system

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 4th 2008 at 8:32PM

In an effort to facilitate ticket purchasing, SNCF -- France's public rail system -- will commence a 1,000 user trial of its Weneo smart card system this Fall. Riders will be able to purchase tickets with the small USB dongles at turnstiles via RFID. Once the balance is depleted, users can refill their accounts by plugging the devices into a computer, whereby they're transported to the SNCF's online hub. Since only the rider's account number is stored in the RFID portion of the smart card, this system allows commuters hassle-free ticket purchasing, all while keeping important information privy from hackers - information that some RFID devices seem to have problems keeping secret. If all goes well, SNCF expects to expand the use of Weneo nationwide by 2010.

[Via Wired]

We spy Ford's future Sync plans, nab a Sirius Travel Link hands-on

by Dante Cesa posted Aug 28th 2008 at 3:05PM

Ford invited us to its swanky Premier Auto Group headquarters in Irvine, California to talk about the future of Sync and demo the latest iteration of their infotainment platform coupled with Sirius Travel Link. According to the company, Sync v2.0 debuts in November, bringing tighter integration with Ford's syncmyride.com portal, providing owners with in-depth online vehicle health reports. Also in the cards is E911 support, which automatically places an emergency call as soon as the vehicle detects airbag deployment. Sync 3, scheduled to debut "sometime in 2009," will bring traffic, news, sports and weather to Ford vehicles without requiring navigation or a monthly subscription. On the infotainment front, however, 2009 Ford vehicles with the navigation option can subscribe to Sirius Travel Link for $7 a month, enabling real-time traffic info, coast to coast weather, local gas station listings sorted by price, movie show-times and sports scores. Peep the gallery below for a smorgasbord of screens.

Gallery: Hands-on with Ford's infotainment platform

Crapgadget CES edition, round 14: Hello Kitty with human debris

by Dante Cesa posted Jan 11th 2008 at 6:59PM

Hello Kitty meets hair.

Hands-off with the Chevy Volt hydrogen concept powertrain

by Dante Cesa posted Jan 11th 2008 at 12:39PM

GM spliced and diced a Chevy Volt hydrogen prototype and put it up for the world to see at this year's 2008 CES. Rocking GM's fifth generation fuel cell stack en-lieu of a regular gasoline engine, we wouldn't hold our breath seeing this before the electric version drops in 2010. Peep the gallery below for the full run-down.

Gallery: Chevy Volt at CES 2008

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 37

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 13th 2007 at 12:00AM

Alright everybody, round thirty-seven of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - Coby MP-C951 (20 GB)

Silver - Polaroid CGA-02540: Media Backup - Photo Edition
Bronze - Jansport livewire: kingpin (iPod backpack)

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

Be sure to check back later today for our final grand prize round! We'll have a certain unlocked cellphone, a DSLR, and an HDTV -- one for each of the three Engadgets. See you shortly!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 36

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 12th 2007 at 6:00PM

Alright everybody, round thirty-six of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - SanDisk Sansa Connect (4GB)

Silver - Dynasty Warriors: Gundam (PS3)
Bronze - iTunes Store gift certificate ($15)

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 35 on Engadget Mobile

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 12th 2007 at 12:00PM

This round of the hundred gadget giveaway is all phone gear, so you'll find it over at Engadget Mobile. Head on over!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 34 on Engadget Mobile

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 12th 2007 at 6:00AM

This round of the hundred gadget giveaway is all phone gear, so you'll find it over at Engadget Mobile. Head on over!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 33

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 12th 2007 at 12:00AM

Alright everybody, round thirty-three of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - LG LN735 GPS unit

Silver - Timex i-Control iPod controlling watch
Bronze - Jansport livewire: audio pack (iPod backpack)

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 32

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 11th 2007 at 6:00PM

Alright everybody, round thirty-two of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - Wowwee creepy animatronic Elvis head

Silver - Philips SPC 900NC/27 webcam
Bronze - Mophie shuffle case

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 31

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 11th 2007 at 12:00PM

Alright everybody, round thirty-one of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - Singstar bundle - Singstar Pop (plus two mics, adapter), Singstar Amped, Singstar 80s (PS2)

Silver - Eton Red Cross emergency radio
Bronze - Swag bag #7

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 30

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 11th 2007 at 6:00AM

Alright everybody, round thirty of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - Hava (original)

Silver - Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000
Bronze - Jansport Livewire: alt pack (iPod backpack)

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 29 on Engadget Mobile

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 11th 2007 at 12:00AM

This round of the hundred gadget giveaway is all phone gear, so you'll find it over at Engadget Mobile. Head on over!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 28

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 10th 2007 at 6:00PM

Alright everybody, round twenty-eight of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - MobiNote DVX-POD 7010

Silver - Monster iCarPlay Wireless 200
Bronze - Swag bag #6

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 27 on Engadget Mobile

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 10th 2007 at 12:00PM

This round of the hundred gadget giveaway is all phone gear, so you'll find it over at Engadget Mobile. Head on over!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 26 on Engadget Mobile

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 10th 2007 at 6:00AM

This round of the hundred gadget giveaway is all phone gear, so you'll find it over at Engadget Mobile. Head on over!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 25

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 10th 2007 at 12:00AM

Alright everybody, round twenty-five of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - Logitech QuickCam Pro for notebooks

Silver - Jabra A120s Bluetooth music adapter
Bronze - Desperate Housewives: The Game (Windows)

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!

The hundred gadget giveaway: round 24

by Dante Cesa posted Sep 9th 2007 at 6:00PM

Alright everybody, round twenty-four of Engadget's hundred gadget giveaway! Up for grabs for the next six hours:

Gold - HAVA Gold

Silver - Monster iCarPlay Wireless 200 FM transmitter
Bronze - Swag bag #4

The rules (yeah, there are always rules):

Leave a comment below. You can just say something nice about us, or you can tell us what you'd prefer to win -- but if you're picked you may not necessarily get it.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.) In other words, be careful when commenting and if you submit more than once, only activate one comment, ok?
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory.
Contest is open to anyone worldwide!
Winner will be chosen randomly.
Entries can be submitted for the next six hours. After that we'll move on to the next round of giveaways. Good luck!