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Grid 2 gets out of the garage in summer 2013
Grid 2 is set to launch next summer, Codemasters' Ben Walke writes on the European PlayStation blog. The video above provides a look at some of the new cars, tracks and settings, along with an ESRB warning that assures us this is a US and EU endeavor. Grid 2 will feature "handpicked automotive icons" covering four decades from the US, Europe and Asia, and will take place in Paris, Abu Dhabi, the California Coast and many other "beautiful" cities, Walke writes. Grid 2 will also include an extensive multiplayer system utilizing RaceNet, Codemasters' online tracking system.
Addon Spotlight Alternatives: Unit frames
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. Unit frames have evolved significantly over the course of WoW's life, from static, portrait-driven frames to dynamic and animated hubs of information. I've always treated the unit frames as a centerpiece and counterweight, like a see-saw, using the unit frame's natural duality to its best effect. There are few addons or types of addon that can take on as many shapes and forms as the unit frames do. Not least, the unit frames provide some of the most vital information to the player possible -- your health. For healers, from the very beginning, the group and raid interfaces were unable to cope with the sharp skill incline after reaching level 60 cap. There was nothing that I wanted more than a robust group layout of buffs, debuffs, and easy-to-read healths and percentages, with the ability to make it look the way I wanted to. The idea of something like Grid had not even come up yet. Original unit frame addons were blocky messes of textures and bright blue and green bars. Portraits were taken way, way too far. Kids in the candy store.
ELVIIS Volvo C30 EV charges from any standard outlet, bills the driver (hands-on)
The electric vehicle is still a fresh enough concept that the issue of redirecting the bill when filling up at a public outlet or a friend's house is of little concern. But once EVs gain more traction and the cost of electricity during that monthly dinner party starts to run upwards of 50 bucks, you'll definitely take notice. ELVIIS, a research collaboration between Ericsson and the Viktoria Institute in Sweden, may be the solution. Instead of pulling power from the grid blindly and billing the outlet's owner, the system provides driver and vehicle information to a server before charging begins, then redirects the cost for power consumed to whatever account you've registered with the vehicle, alleviating any concern about unexpected electricity bills. ELVIIS can theoretically serve other purposes, allowing you to select the least-expensive energy source, for example, or set the car to wait to charge until late-night, when rates are lower.We jumped into the passenger seat of one of five existing ELVIIS cars -- built around an all-electric Volvo C30 -- and poked around the charging interface. The project isn't fully operational just yet, and was running in demo mode so there's no way to verify that it works as described, but it definitely appears to be solid, with Ericsson providing financial and development support. Eventually, it will use the car's GPS to identify nearby power outlets -- for now, you need to enter a specific outlet ID. There's also an Android app that allows you to monitor and reschedule charging, so if you programmed your car to be completely charged by 7AM but realized that you need to leave at 6, you can make sure you're covered without getting out of bed. But you don't need to go anywhere to see it in action -- just click on past the break.
The Light and How to Swing It: 3 essential addons for holy paladins
Every week, WoW Insider brings you The Light and How to Swing It for holy, protection and retribution paladins. Every Sunday, Chase Christian invites you to discuss the finer side of the paladin class: the holy specialization. Feel free to email me with any questions you want answered, like why paladins are so awesome. Holy paladins have come a long way from the days of five-minute Blessings and WhisperCast. There's a good kind of complexity that comes from being given choices, and there's the bad kind of complexity that comes from busy work. The developers are constantly streamlining the game and removing outdated mechanics, and I can't complain. Even though addons like PallyPower made our lives easier, the new Blessing system is so simple that we don't need any external help to handle it. Today's holy paladin has different addon needs from the healer of yesteryear. Three of the most important holy paladin addon concerns are unit frames, holy power management, and raid-specific alerts. In Dragon Soul, there are plenty of important things that we need to keep track of. Raid encounters are only going to get more and more complex and chaotic, and we need to be able to quickly get the information we need.
Final Steam Sale of 2011 predicts zombie apocalypse, crime in 2012
The Steam Holiday Sale doesn't stop for anyone or anything -- not the end of a year, an era or the world -- and today, New Year's Eve 2011, is no different. The 13th day of the Steam Holiday Sale offers 75 percent off L.A. Noire, Bit.Trip Runner, the Hitman franchise, Magicka, both BioShocks, Hoard, GRID and the Counter-Strike series, and more titles at various other deduction rates. Check out all the deals before the year and our life as we know it ends.
Fusion Garage's website goes dark -- has it bitten the dust? (update: it's back?)
Perhaps it's the comeback that wasn't meant to be -- Fusion Garage has apparently silenced its radios for over a week on Twitter, and more than a month on Facebook. Potentially worse, its website is now unreachable, displaying only a "Database connection error." Although its Grid10 tablet was set for a delayed October 1st release, some folks over at The JooJoo Forum and on Fusion Garage's Facebook page are reporting that they've yet to receive their tabs, weeks after placing orders. We've fielded more than a few concerned tips saying the same, and sadly, that's just the tip of this iceberg, as there's also been mention of slow correspondence from the company, with wishy-washy responses about what's going on. One forum poster mentions eventually hearing back from its public relations agency -- this after contacting FG for order details -- with an indication that a refund is on the way. We've reached out for an official comment but received nothing but silence. That said, we're hearing we aren't the only ones having a hard time getting in contact with Fusion Garage's executives, leaving us with a sinking suspicion that there will be no third go 'round for the house that Chandra built. Ordered a Grid10 yourself, or still waiting on your free JooJoo replacement? Let us know about your experience in the comments below. Update: We have a comment from Fusion Garage's PR agency: Unfortunately, none of our efforts have resulted in any communication from the company to the customers. Given all of this, we don't have any other choice but to cease working with FG effective tomorrow. Update 9:50AM ET (12/18): Thanks to Josh in the comments who has noticed that Fusion Garage's website is live again, albeit barely breathing. It's devoid of anything other than scattered pictures and text, and notably, its "Store" is all but unreachable. Rest assured, we'll let you know if we hear any new developments from the parties involved. Update 10:57PM ET (12/18): Fusion Garage's store is back up, but orders aren't exactly open. Clicking through to any given product's page shows the message "We are running out of stock. Thank you." [Thanks, Liam] [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Addon Spotlight: Raiding essentials for healers
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. As we get Raid Finder clarifications and new details, the excitement ramps up for this brand new feature coming in patch 4.3. Raiders and non-raiders alike are clamoring for new ways to experience the high-end, endgame content. Since we also now know the role makeup for the Raid Finder, healers will be in demand as each Raid Finder group will be made up of six healers. Healing is one of the most stressful jobs in World of Warcraft right now. The logistics for healing have changed dramatically since the Wrath of the Lich King days with a new emphasis on smart healing versus throughput. What that means is you have limited resources and need to make sure you're using them correctly. Healing is probably the most complicated role out there right now, if only because healers have a lot of responsibility. In the Raid Finder, encounter difficulties will be easier than we've seen before, but the fact is that players will still need their health bars above zero in order to beat a fight. Healer addons can be a divisive topic, so I'm going to stick with the basics for healers in raids. Your own mileage may vary, and you're going to want to try out different setups in order to see what works for you. On the whole, people agree that having some addons to help with healing makes the job that much smoother.
Grid10 review
TabCo reveals itself as Fusion Garage Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (video) Second chances aren't always easy to come by, and when Fusion Garage disappeared off the map following the unabashed failure of the JooJoo tablet, we certainly didn't expect those doors would be opening again. But open they did, swinging wide as the company treated itself to a product launch of the sort usually reserved for big-named companies with big-named devices. This time it's the Grid10 tablet, a $299, 16GB, 10.1-inch slate that plays nice with Android while simultaneously thumbing its nose at the OS Google built, instead relying on the completely custom-built GridOS. This new challenger can run Android apps despite not actually running Android itself, purporting to give users another, better choice of armament in these tablet wars. Is it truly better, or is it just different? The answer is waiting for you just after the break. %Gallery-134822%
Microbial fuel cell produces hydrogen from wastewater without wasting energy
Back in 2005, Bruce Logan and his team of Penn State researchers developed a microbial fuel cell capable of converting poop into power. Now, Logan has refined his system to the point where it can produce hydrogen from wastewater or biodegradable organic materials without using a drop of grid electricity, and without emitting even a hint of carbon dioxide. His approach, outlined in the September 19th issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, involves something known as reverse-electrodialysis (RED) -- a process that harvests energy from the ionic discrepancy between fresh and salt water. Logan's bacterial hydrolysis cell (pictured left) features a so-called RED stack that's comprised of alternating positive and negative ion exchange membranes, which it uses to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Normally, this process would involve about 25 pairs of membranes, but by using RED technology in conjunction with electricity-producing exoelectrogenic bacteria, Penn State's team was able to extract hydrogen with just five membrane pairs. All told, Logan's cells proved to be about 58 to 64 percent energy efficient, while producing between 0.8 to 1.6 cubic meters of hydrogen for every cubic meter of liquid that passed through the system. The researchers' results show that only one percent of that energy was used to pump water through the cells, which are completely carbon neutral, as well. According to Logan, this breakthrough demonstrates that "pure hydrogen gas can efficiently be produced from virtually limitless supplies of seawater and river water and biodegradable organic matter." Somewhere, the US Navy is taking scrupulous notes. Full PR after the break. [Image courtesy of Penn State / Bruce Logan]
Fusion Garage hacks $200 off of Grid 10 tablet, aims to play the undercutting game
Looks like we're all indebted to HP in one way or another. Since the TouchPad fire sale began, we've seen a noticeable southward shift in tablet pricing -- it's as if iPad rivals finally figured out that battling on price was just about the only way to make a dent in Apple's enviable market share. Now, we're seeing Fusion Garage wipe a full $200 from its Grid 10 tablet... before the thing even ships. If you'll recall, the outfit was aiming for a September 15th release date here in the States, with initial pricing for its 16GB model set for $499 (WiFi-only) / $599 (WiFi + 3G). Out of the blue, those pre-order rates have plummeted to $299 / $399 this morning, giving prospective Grid OS adopters entirely more motivation to buy in. It seems that Amazon hasn't received the memo quite yet, so those hoping to get in the low-cost line should scurry down to the source link. Naturally, we'll be bringing you a full-on review as soon as we procure one, and we're guessing that just became a lot more relevant to your interests. Update: A Fusion Garage spokesperson told Engadget that the company had planned to launch with the lower price all along, but negotiations with an ODM made it impossible to announce the price earlier. The company also added that the Grid 10 will experience a slight shipping delay, being pushed back to October 1st due to a "new criteria in [the] Adobe Flash Player (FP) 10.3 approval process." Update 2: Looks like UKers can also get in on the fun! Those prices are listed at £259 (WiFi-only) / £359 (WiFi + 3G). [Thanks, Jeff]
Engadget Podcast 253 - 08.19.2011
Sometimes, you just can't handle it all. There is so much to learn about consumer electronics every week that you simply can't handle the stress. Don't despair: we, The Engadget Podcasters, are here to help. Let us do the tough work of digesting acquisitions, spinoffs, Grids, Xiaomiphones, and a pocketful of BlackBerrys while you lay on the chaise and have grapes fed to you by your loved ones...or whatever it is you people do to relax these days. Just make sure to listen, let the news wash over you, and feel the knots in your neck and back go the way of the TouchPad.Host: Tim Stevens, Brian HeaterGuests: Dana Wollman, Josh FruhlingerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: S&M00:02:30 - Editorial: Engadget on the death of HP's webOS devices00:03:38 - HP may spin off PC business, shift focus to software and services00:05:10 - HP will 'discontinue operations for webOS devices', may spin off Personal Systems Group00:22:55 - Google acquiring Motorola Mobility00:28:45 - Verizon embraces Google's Moto Mobility deal, hopes for an end to patent disputes00:38:30 - TabCo reveals itself as Fusion Garage, unveils Grid 10 tablet and Grid 4 smartphone (update)00:41:25 - Fusion Garage Grid 10 tablet and Grid 4 smartphone hands-on00:46:48 - The Engadget Interview: Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan00:53:11 - BlackBerry Bold 9930 review00:55:25 - BlackBerry Torch 9850 review00:56:30 - BlackBerry Torch 9810 review00:58:14 - Xiaomi Phone hands-on (updated with video)01:02:07 - Motorola Photon 4G review01:02:58 - The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is less than two weeks away!01:04:43 - The Engadget Show returns Friday, August 19th -- win a ticket to the taping!01:09:28 - Listener questionsHear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)Contact the podcastSend your questions to @tim_stevens.Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005)E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot comTwitter: @tim_stevens, @bheater, @fruhlinger, @danawollman
The Engadget Interview: Fusion Garage's Chandra Rathakrishnan
The most telling moment of our conversation with Chandra Rathakrishnan came at the end, just before the recording device shut off. The interview wrapped, and we politely thanked the Fusion Garage CEO for taking the time to speak with us. "Thank you for taking the time," he echoed, adding, "And for giving us another chance." Rathakrishnan never goes so far as to use the word "failure" to describe the company's poorly received JooJoo tablet -- at least not during the course of our interview -- but it seems clear that he harbors few illusions with regards to what the device truly was: a misfire. A grandiose experiment that was rushed out the door far too fast, with far too few resources. The device's origins weren't all that pretty, either. The company teamed up with TechCrunch to offer up a $200 internet tablet dubbed the CrunchPad -- a plan that soon soured, with the two parting ways on a less-than-positive note. Fusion Garage rebranded the CrunchPad the JooJoo, and began a long journey of delays and price hikes. Despite its best efforts, it missed the boat, failing to release the device ahead of Apple's industry shaping iPad. When the 4GB tablet finally hit the market, it carried a $499 price tag -- more than double its initial utopian target. Read on for the full interview.
Addon Spotlight: Adding on to the Blizzard Raid Frames
Each week, WoW Insider's Mathew McCurley brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which focuses on the backbone of the WoW gameplay experience: the user interface. Everything from bags to bars, buttons to DPS meters and beyond -- your addons folder will never be the same. One of the great joys of writing Addon Spotlight is watching the evolution of addons and their relationship to World of Warcraft over time and how the effectiveness and usefulness of certain addons wanes and waxes like the phases of the moon. Blizzard's new raid frames have not replaced my own custom job, but they have been getting progressively closer to a complete package, as I discussed only a few weeks ago. But there are ways, friends, of adding on to even the Blizzard default raid frame setup to give them just a bit more substance. Today, I've got three little additions to the default Blizzard raid frames that can help you with targets, marks, and debuffs. If you like options, these addons will add a ton of them to the Blizzard standard setup, making the entire package look a little more like Grid. So sit back, relax, and check out these new additions to the Blizzard default raid frames.
Nissan's 'Leaf to Home' system sends power back to your house or the grid
The Nissan Leaf may look like a car, but it turns out it will soon also be an emergency power generator on wheels. The automaker just took the wraps off its new "Leaf to Home" system in Japan this week, which promises to let you send power stored in the car back to your house in the case of an outage, or even back to the grid (letting you charge the car during off-peak hours and profiting when demand is high, for instance). Of course, that also requires more than your basic charging station (this one ties directly into your home's electricity distribution panel), and it's not quite ready for consumer use just yet -- Nissan expects it to be available in Japan by April of next year.
Reader UI of the Week: Recover from corruption with Icewalker
Each week, WoW Insider and Mathew McCurley bring you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com, and follow Mathew on Twitter. Reader UI is no stranger to UI crashes and corruption issues. Believe me, I've had my fair share of UI crashes that completely and utterly obliterated my entire setup. It is a sad state of affairs when your settings just decide to up and leave on you. Not fun, right? Losing your user interface in a crash or through some corruption issue is annoying and demoralizing, to be sure. However, rebuilding usually takes less time than you think and sometimes adds new and unique aspects to your UI that weren't there before. In destruction comes organized rebirth, or something like that. Icewalker sent in his UI with the sad tale of UI failure and starting over, which I felt for. Poor, innocent UIs getting corrupted, probably from Old God influence, just puts me in a bad mood. So today, we will take a look at Icewalker's new, basic UI and grieve together for all of those user interfaces lost in senseless crashes and the wanton ways of home computing.
Codemasters takes down GRID PS3 and PC servers
Fans of Codemasters' 2008 racing title GRID received some bad news this weekend: The multiplayer servers for the PC and PS3 versions of the game have been taken offline. A post on the publisher's forums explains, "This follows the decision by a third party provider to decline the offer of an extended contract to continue online play on these platforms." The provider apparently decided the 360 SKU's servers were worth saving -- Xbox Live players still have access to the game's full range on online features. We wish Codemasters would really think these kinds of actions through before executing them. You guys know what the repercussions for this outage will be, right? Jilted PS3 and PC players are going to get into real-life illegal street racing. Do you really want to be responsible for people falling into that lifestyle, Codemasters? Do you?
Reader UI of the Week: Diligent planning with Amaus
Each week, WoW Insider brings you a fresh look at reader-submitted UIs as well as Addon Spotlight, which spotlights the latest user interface addons. Have a screenshot of your own UI that you'd like to submit? Send your screenshots along with info on what mods you're using to readerui@wowinsider.com. Reader UI of the Week is here to turn your UI frowns upside down. Each week, WoW Insider community members send in their own UI creations for us to marvel at, learn from, and occasionally question why people do the crazy things that they do. All in all, it works out pretty well and people seem to have fun. Why should I stop the fun from happening? This week, we're going to take a look at Amaus' user interface, which includes some impressive pre-planning as well as layout control. I've preached over and over that the first step in interface creation for players new to old should be drawing a picture of what you want and where you want it. Not only does it give you a sense of scope, shape, and size, but the drawing gives you a template to work from when you finally get ready to move each addon into place. When the real deal starts to happen, you'll be glad that you had that drawing.
Beacon Power completing construction of 20-megawatt flywheel plant, the world's largest
Remember Beacon Power, that startup using 2,800-pound flywheels to cut noxious emissions? Well, three years later, the company is wrapping up construction of its first plant, a 20-megawatt operation that just happens to be the world's largest. The Stephentown, NY facility is home to 200 of these flywheels, which store and output energy as needed, essentially matching the power supply with the demands of the grid. The result, the company promises, is reduced energy waste and stable electrical frequencies hovering around 60Hz. And while the plant's already up and running at 18 megawatts, it won't be until later this month that Beacon finishes building it out so that it reaches its full capacity. Full PR and champagne-popping celebration plans after the break. %Gallery-125247%
BMW, Porsche, others announce support for HomePlug's EV networking spec
The HomePlug Powerline Alliance already wants to tether your entire household to the Internet, and it may soon extend its reach to your garage, as well. At Computex today, the company announced that Audi, BMW, Daimler, Porsche and Volkswagen have all agreed to support its HomePlug Green PHY (GP) technology as their EV charging interface of choice. The networking specification would allow electric car owners to link their plug-ins to the Smart Grid via the same ports used to charge their batteries, opening up new, Powerline-based possibilities. Once your EV hooks up to the network, it may be able to conduct system checks in real-time, for instance, or provide instant feedback on performance or the condition of your battery. The low power GP spec will also be interoperable with HomePlug's forthcoming AV2 spec, though it's still not clear when we can expect to see Germany's automakers incorporate it into production. Zip past the break for the full PR.
Spiritual Guidance: How to become a better priest, starting with your UI
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Spiritual Guidance for discipline, holy and shadow priests. Dawn Moore covers healing for discipline and holy priests, while her archenemy Fox Van Allen spawn camps poor, defenseless gnomes. Dawn also writes for LearnToRaid.com, produces the Circle of Healing Podcast, and plays white knight to those loveable gnomes. When I first started raiding a few years ago, I was an obnoxiously overconfident priest determined to prove to the world that I was the best discipline priest who ever lived. Fast forward two years, and I'm still trying to get comfortable with the reality check that resulted from meeting amazing priests like Kinaesthesia or Kras. I realized I wasn't competitive enough, dedicated enough, and that my growing ability to self-critique every tiny aspect of my play was holding back me back more than it was pushing me forward. How I wish I could be that overconfident idiot again. On the bright side, the whole thing has left me quite good at helping other priests identify what they need to do to get to the next stage of their development as players (without becoming overly paranoid from self-awareness). So when I recently met someone who was up against a massive wall in his development, I decided I ought to tap into that ability in a more formal way by writing an article about it. Bob (we're going to call him Bob) wrote me and described various problems he was having as a healer, explaining that raid damage was unmanageable and that he couldn't keep up. I thought for a while he might have been going OOM, but as we talked more and more, I realized certain things he said just didn't making sense. Eventually, I asked him for a picture of his UI and was immediately horrified by what he sent me. Thus today, we're going to talk about addons and setting up your first healing priest UI.
