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Barnes & Noble Nook review

The mainstream bookseller pushes into the digital age -- can it compete?

When we first caught wind of Barnes & Noble's Nook -- a device clearly positioned to give the Amazon Kindle and Sony's options a run for their money -- we were understandably interested. As voracious readers and lovers of fresh gadgetry, a new contender on the e-reader scene is more than welcome. When we discovered that Barnes & Noble's offering would not only feature a full color touchscreen component, but would run Google's Android OS as well... let's just say we were pretty much in gadget-hog-heaven. We weren't without our reservations, mind you; the appearance of this device made for some pretty heated conversations amongst the staff over whether or not we were seeing the dawn of a truly commercially viable e-reader. Of course, for us the proof is always in the pudding, and since B&N is about to launch a full assault against the current offerings, it's our duty to turn over a report. Is the Nook the answer to our e-reader prayers, or just a stepping stone to greener pastures? We've taken a long, hard look at the device -- so read on for the official Engadget review.

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Stanford wants to roll its own paper batteries

It was only a couple of months ago that MIT was wooing us with the energy-preserving properties of carbon nanotubes, and in a classic act of oneupmanship Stanford has now come out and demonstrated paper batteries, which work thanks to a carbon nanotube and silver nanowire "ink." We've seen this idea before, but the ability to just douse a sheet of paper in the proper magical goo and make a battery out of it is as new as it is mindblowing. Battery weight can, as a result, be reduced by 20 percent, and the fast energy discharge of this technology lends itself to utilization in electric vehicles. The video after the break should enlighten and thrill you in equal measures.
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Buffalo outs USB 3.0 ExpressCard adapter, we see a trend coming

After our adventure in figuring out the particular ExpressCard version of the StarTech USB 3.0 adapter, here's Buffalo joining the fray and, naturally, there's zero indication about whether this is an ExpressCard 1.0 or 2.0 device. The difference is that with the latter you can get all the way up to 5Gbps theoretical throughput, which is just above the USB 3.0 max rating of 4.8Gbps (typically advertised as 5Gbps), whereas the former hardware will get you only up to 2.5Gbps. Considering there's a pair of USB SuperSpeed ports on there, you'll want to make doubly sure you're getting what you think you are. Or, given that early bird UK e-tailers are listing it for £35 ($57; no stock yet), you could just order one up and pray to Cthulhu that you get the maximally awesome stuff.

Qisda-sourced 'multimedia router' hits the FCC

Ever wish your wireless router was more than just a router? So have the folks at Qisda, apparently, who have come up with this wild concoction of a device that certainly does many things and may or may not actually do any of them well. Sort of like a less huggable, less rollable mash-up of a Chumby and a Rolly, this touchscreen-equipped, speaker-packing "router" will let you view YouTube vidoes, tune into internet radio stations (or FM radio, for that matter), access media stored on its internal memory (but not your local network, it seems), and even double as a clock radio, to name a few features. Oh, and as a router it'll do 802.11n, but packs just one spare Ethernet port. Of course, all of this news comes to us courtesy of the FCC, which means there's no details on things like price or availability, but there are plenty of less than flattering pics, dissection photos, and test reports. Hit up the link below to dive in.

First production Pandora case has been assembled (update: video!)

Pandora fans are definitely partying tonight. Michael Weston and crew have uploaded the first pics of manufacturing test unit built using the mass production parts -- as team member Craig Rothwell noted over at the GP32X forums, even if minor tweaks are deemed necessary, for all intents and purposes this is the first production unit. There's plenty more pics in Weston's Photobucket gallery, including a veritable sea of internal boards (seen after the break). Rothwell says more pics and video are coming but gave no indication of when -- if you think you can temper your excitement, it might be best to sleep tonight and check in on things again tomorrow.

Update: Video showing first boot of this ARM Cortex-A8 gaming handheld with PowerVR SGX programmable GPU after the break!

[Thanks, xmrgamerx]
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MacBook inhabits a Linksys router after ill-advised casemod

Apple products are known far and wide for their design. Linksys products, on the other hand, are not. That's why this latest laptop mod strikes us as a little odd. When a technically-proficient gentleman named Tyler wanted to get his hands on "a working, genuine" Mac as cheaply as possible, he did what any self-respecting (and frugal) geek would do: he scrounged New Egg and eBay for MacBook parts. Why he would then turn around and cram 'em into an old router is, quite frankly, beyond us. Had he asked, we would have suggested something a bit more classy: perhaps a flashing pyramid? Why not a Timex Sinclair ZX81? Or maybe even a toaster? That said, this achievement -- while puzzling -- certainly seems to have been pulled off with not a little technical skill. If you're curious to see how it all went down (including copious step-by-step pics) hit the source link. And prepare to scratch your head in wonderment.

The daily roundup: here's what you might've missed

A visual recap of the day's articles
Dec 8th 2009 | 43 Articles
12:01 am
8 Comments
Pandigital crams Zink technology within Portable Photo Printer
1:11 am
249 Comments
HTC Bravo pictured more lucidly
12:48 am
104 Comments
Dell Vostro V13 is $450, .65 inches thick -- and only official in Singapore
1:59 am
7 Comments
First Nooks begin shipping as demo units hit stores
1:31 am
24 Comments
Sony Reader Store goes 100% EPUB on Friday
3:12 am
11 Comments
Hanwha SL-888 laptop cooling stand for casual, classy blogging
2:44 am
37 Comments
Maplock chains GPS unit to steering wheel, dares thieves to interfere
4:06 am
25 Comments
Optima OP5-E resurfaces with English OS, gets lengthy video review
5:04 am
10 Comments
Seagate's first Pulsar SSDs ready to blast the enterprise
6:03 am
33 Comments
Cowboys Stadium first to demo real time conversion of 2D HDTV video into 3D
7:10 am
126 Comments
Joojoo tablet hands-on
6:23 am
23 Comments
Seagate's 7mm Momentus Thin 2.5-inch hard disk for slim, high-capacity laptops: a world's first
8:09 am
8 Comments
Sugar on a Stick OS goes to 2.0, gets Blueberry coating and creamy Fedora 12 center (video)
7:47 am
63 Comments
Molinker is no more on the App Store -- ratings scam results in expulsion
8:58 am
21 Comments
JVC's Everio GZ-HD620 crams 1080p sensor and 120GB storage into world's smallest HDD camcorder
8:30 am
23 Comments
WHDI specification hits 1.0 -- is this what wireless HD has been waiting for?
10:02 am
65 Comments
IEEE will push next 802.11 to 1Gbps speeds, two-letter designations in 2012
9:38 am
16 Comments
Motorola MT710 bringing its Droid-ish good looks to China this month
9:19 am
11 Comments
Haier's Theater PMP sports a 3-inch touchscreen, recession-friendly price
10:55 am
40 Comments
Nokia ships E72 and 5800 Navigation Edition to the US of A
10:28 am
45 Comments
Android-based Archos 5 Internet Tablet surfaces in 8GB form for $250
12:02 pm
31 Comments
Powering Google's PowerMeter: testing TED 5000 and AlertMe Energy
11:38 am
119 Comments
Dell Vostro V13 hands-on impressions: 'yes'
11:19 am
21 Comments
Magazine publishers announce joint digital distribution scheme
1:01 pm
19 Comments
ZyXEL to debut 'world's first' LTE router at CES 2010
12:36 pm
39 Comments
Apple ordered to pay damages in Opti patent case, Apple appeals
1:58 pm
18 Comments
Shuttle gears up for CES with 'we are not alien' campaign, ominous video
1:28 pm
95 Comments
Google Chrome hits beta for Mac and Linux, extensions available for extra-smug Windows and Linux users
3:12 pm
37 Comments
Acer Liquid A1 starts shipping its Android wares in the UK
2:46 pm
58 Comments
Google blocks hacked Navigation from international use
2:27 pm
60 Comments
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Laptops
3:54 pm
47 Comments
UK man builds life-sized Dalek, furthers intergalactic evil
3:33 pm
16 Comments
HexoLight brings light shows to your videogame concerts
4:49 pm
29 Comments
PS3 firmware 3.15 to add PSP Mini support, simplified console migration
4:22 pm
15 Comments
Sony Ericsson Satio back on sale, software update available
6:01 pm
120 Comments
Wireworld's Platinum Starlight HDMI cable is only $1,000, better than your HDMI cable
5:30 pm
44 Comments
Switched On: Apple's song remains the same
6:31 pm
48 Comments
Sony's PlayStation motion controller patents venture into abstract realms
8:10 pm
23 Comments
Aluratek Libre eBook Reader PRO sports monochrome reflective LCD, $179 pricetag
7:16 pm
33 Comments
Samsung teases Bada at event, questions still outnumber answers
9:09 pm
32 Comments
Touch Bionics offers ProDigits for those missing their amateur ones
10:07 pm
13 Comments
Pandora sets its sights on in-car music streaming
11:11 pm
0 Comments
The daily roundup: here's what you might've missed

Pandora sets its sights on in-car music streaming

Pandora has already come a considerable way from its rather modest beginnings, but it looks like the company unsurprisingly has some even grander ambitions for the near future, including a variety of options for in-car music streaming. That word comes straight from Pandora's Chief Technology Officer, Tom Conrad, who told attendees at the SF Music Tech Summit that the company is now working with various car manufacturers (including Ford) to better integrate Pandora music streaming into vehicles. That will apparently first come in the form of in-dash or hands-free controls to let folks use a docked device running Pandora and then, "within a few years," evolve to include full-fledged Pandora services built right into various in-car entertainment systems. Details are otherwise a bit light, but Conrad reportedly hinted that he'd have more to say at CES.

Touch Bionics offers ProDigits for those missing their amateur ones

Touch Bionics has been at this bionic prosthetics business for a while now, already providing i-Limb solutions to those deprived of the use of their hands or arms. The company's latest innovation is to reduce all that tech down to the level of individual fingers, with its freshly announced ProDigits being able to replace anywhere between one and all of your precious little piggies. Relying on a traditional myoelectric regime -- which reacts to muscle signals from the residual hand -- or pressure from the remnant finger for its input, this invention can even be tweaked by doctors (over Bluetooth) to adjust the finer motor functions on a per patient basis. Costing up to £40,000 ($65,000), these new prosthetics will be custom-built for each person, and there are plans to apply to have them made available through national health insurance -- in countries that are into that sort of thing. Video after the break.
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Aluratek Libre eBook Reader PRO sports monochrome reflective LCD, $179 pricetag

The stranglehold E-Ink has had on the e-book market is slipping. We've seen the tantalizing promises of Pixel Qi, mixing a color LCD with a low-power reflective display, but in the here and now we've got a new LCD-based e-reader from Aluratek. Extensively dubbed the "Libre eBook Reader PRO," the unit uses an unnamed 5-inch monochrome reflective LCD panel, with 24 hours of continuous use off a battery charge. Not as great as E-Ink, but it should be plenty for most people, and the resultant $179 price is hard to knock. The Libre is ePUB and PDF compatible, and comes with a 2GB SD card -- just the right sort of barebones-yet-functional we appreciate. We'll have to see how well that LCD performs in person before we pull the trigger, but for people looking for an alternative to the premium devices out there (or something with a faster page refresh rate), it might just fit the bill.

Samsung teases Bada at event, questions still outnumber answers

We've just come back from the Samsung Bada mobile platform launch event in London, and frankly the presentation was no more than an app developer and investor magnet -- no hands-on opportunity and no direct answers regarding the hardware. The only mention of a Bada phone is that something's coming out in the first half of 2010. That said, today Samsung did bring in representatives of five strong Bada app partners: Twitter, Capcom, EA, Gameloft and Blockbuster. Needless to say mobile gaming is high up on Bada's agenda, but the brief presence of Twitter's Head of Mobile, Kevin Thau, solidified Samsung's dedication for integrating SNS (social networking services) sites on mobile handsets. Yes, just like many fish in the sea. Read on to see how Bada aims to be "an ocean of endless enjoyment."
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Sony's PlayStation motion controller patents venture into abstract realms

We've seen plenty of PlayStation motion control patents from Sony, some of them surprisingly similar to what we've actually observed of the as-yet-unnamed controller. This new one, however, gets a little odd. The basic structure seems familiar, but Sony's recently-filed patent application deals with add-ons in wild ways that not even the peripheral-happy folks at Nintendo have envisioned. Our favorite is probably the double-ender (Fig. 6B for those of you following along at home), which is probably the most assured recipe for a little brother's bloody nose to be run by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office since the longstaff was invented. So, does this mean more cash to shell out for a "full" PS3 motion control experience? We can't imagine Sony being gung-ho about that strategy in the face of the (as yet) add-on free Project Natal, but we suppose we'll just have to wait and find out.

Motorola Droid finally rooted?

Every time an Android phone launches, a stopwatch quietly starts ticking, because we all know it's just a matter of time before the thing gets rooted. This time around, it's a big one: it appears that the mighty Droid has fallen to the hands of hackers looking to drop whatever they please onto the phone's firmware -- and anyone enjoying Cyanogen's works over in the HTC world understands full well the benefits of being able to do this. We'll hold off on cracking open the bubbly until we start to see some practical benefits to the root, but this is a stellar way to start if it's legit and functional.

[Thanks, Eliot]

Wireworld's Platinum Starlight HDMI cable is only $1,000, better than your HDMI cable

You idiot. Where did you buy those cables? Walmart? You probably think you're getting the whole 1080p, don't you! Boy, you couldn't be more wrong. What the big box doesn't want you to know, with their cheap-ass $150 cables is that there are, um, waves and some, uh... electromagnetic spectrats. And they eat your pixels! Yeah, that's right! Pixel-eating EM spectrats! Not even making this stuff up. How much did you spend on that TV? $1,000? You did buy that $1,800 power cable from Furutech, right? Well, don't you think you should spend at least that much on the all-important cables that are going to funnel the dynamic 1080p transmissions from your Blu-ray player to your TV? Here, try this Platinum Starlight HDMI cable from Wireworld. It has a patent-pending DNA Helix conductor design formed by the gods themselves out of 24 solid silver conductors. Hell, $1,000 is probably a bargain for one of these one meter cables. Your eyes are worth it, after all. You're welcome.

Switched On: Apple's song remains the same

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Lala's business model of selling and hosting digital music was a complete abhorrence to an innovative music startup -- named Lala. When the site launched, it was a CD trading service that held up the integrity of the album and the virtues of physical content ownership in an online music market of single-track downloads and subscription-based music rentals. To its trade-by-mail CD service, Lala added CD sales, playlist creation, and for a short time even owned a former broadcast radio station. It had to ultimately scale back, though, on what would have been its most audacious move, giving away full streaming of the major labels' catalog -- all in the name of driving song purchases.

Lala's shifting strategies through the years may have led many to think that its recent acquisition by Apple would represent radical changes to Apple's music approach. Lala lives on a Web page, streams from the cloud, and gives users, including Google search users, one full free play of any song in its library. But Lala's business model was always, at its core, more like iTunes' than any number of streaming music companies -- from the custom radio of Pandora to the subscription downloads of Rhapsody. Those services, however, have long been better at Apple at fostering music exploration when compared with iTunes' 30-second samples.
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PS3 firmware 3.15 to add PSP Mini support, simplified console migration

Didn't the PS3 just get a firmware update? Something about posting all your hard-earned trophies onto your Facebook page? Yes, that sounds right. If you thought that was a big deal, wait 'til you get a load of this: According to the European PlayStation blog, yet another firmware update is imminent. And this one is pretty sweet -- seems that not only will console owners now be able to play PSP Minis, but if you've already bought a Mini for your portable and wish to play it on your PS3, you'll be able to download it to your console for free. Also included in the 3.15 update is a simplified utility for transferring data from one PS3 to another. Pretty great, right? Gamers, be sure to hit the source link for the deets.
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“It's a well-made machine with a significant issue of a price to performance imbalance.”
$300

Average cost of a netbook

Netbook revenue is up 264 percent from last year, and has contributed to an overall lowering of the average PC cost by 19 percent.

 

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