Topic: Alt - Engadget

By Brad Molen posted Jun 18th 2013 10:45AM 0

Engadget Giveaway: win one of two ChromeBook Pixels, courtesy of Gogo! Alt

The ChromeBook Pixel is a stunningly beautiful piece of machinery. With costs ranging from $1,300 to $1,500, however, it means you're shelling out even more than most standard ultrabooks and laptops. It also comes with 12 free Gogo passes and a full terabyte of Google Drive storage to sweeten the deal, fortunately, but who wants to buy a computer of any kind when you can win one instead? Gogo's hooking two lucky readers up with a 64GB LTE Chromebook Pixel (this particular model is valued at $1,500), so this is one giveaway you'll definitely want to sign up for. You can grab up to three entries: you get two just for showing up, and the third is yours if you Like Gogo on Facebook. Head to the widget below and take a chance!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Michael Gorman posted Jun 5th 2013 8:16PM 0

Visualized: a history of augmented and virtual reality eyewear Alt

We've seen the prototypes that led Google to Glass, but there are many devices that predate Mountain View's smart specs, and Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, California was able to gather and display a historic number of such headsets this week. From Steve Mann's handmade WearComp 1 and EyeTap prototypes to Glass-like precursors from Optinvent and Vuzix, it's quite the comprehensive collection -- over thirty devices in all. While they may make their way into a museum some day, we're bringing pictures of them all to your screen right now. Enjoy.

0 Comments

By Brad Molen posted Jun 4th 2013 11:00AM 0

Engadget Giveaway: win an Octa-core Samsung Galaxy S 4, courtesy of SellCell.com! Alt

Samsung has sold over 10 million units of the Galaxy S 4 worldwide, and we have one of them in our possession and just waiting to find a home. This particular version is the GT-I9500, which is an unlocked international model that sports the octa-core Exynos chipset, and we have SellCell.com to thank for the opportunity to hand it out to a lucky reader! If you're looking to sell your phone and get something new, the website -- which bills itself as the "number one mobile phone and tablet trade-in price comparison site" -- invites you to come and see how much your phone is worth. So head below and enter via the widget for your chance to grab an octa-core GS4 for yourself!

Winner: Congratulations to Martin K. of Sunnyvale, CA for winning the Octa-core GS4!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Darren Murph posted May 28th 2013 4:05PM 0

Do you live in San Francisco? Do you want to write for Engadget? Alt

Oh sure, you love gadgets -- but do you have the chops to write about them? We'd love to know if you think you do, because we're looking to actually pay people to do this stuff. Professional writing experience, particularly in our industry, is greatly preferred. That said, what we really care about is that you can write skillfully about gadgets with wit, concision, authority and blinding speed, even if you haven't cut your teeth in the tech sector just yet. Oh, and being obsessed with Engadget is good, too. We're looking for a freelance editor in the San Francisco area.

Want to apply? Read on!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Brad Molen posted May 28th 2013 10:57AM 0

Engadget Giveaway: win a pair of V-Moda CrossFade M-100 headphones! Alt

Engadget Giveaway win a pair of VModa CrossFade M100 headphones!

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer -- and if you're like us, that means it's time for some sweet summer sounds. It's fitting, then, that V-Moda is our giveaway partner this week. The headphone manufacturer has three pairs of wired CrossFade M-100s up for grabs. These $300 cans received top honors in our holiday gift guide, so it's well worth tossing your hat in the virtual ring in the hopes of grabbing one. As usual, sign up through the widget below. Good luck!

Winners: Congratulations to Bryan H. from Simpsonville, SC, Eric Y. from Bellevue, WA and Michael H. from Big Lake, MI for winning this week!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Melissa Grey posted May 24th 2013 4:30PM 0

Growing Up Geek: Melissa Grey Alt

Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. This week, we have our new associate editor, Melissa Grey!

DNP Growing Up Geek Melissa Grey

Sometimes, the formative moments in your life happen when you least expect them. One such moment occurred for me in 1997, as I watched my brother pilot Cloud Strife through the ruins of the Forgotten City while Aerith Gainsborough clasped her hands in prayer. We'd taken turns playing Final Fantasy VII on and off for days. He bemoaned my stubborn inclusion of Red XIII in every party and we both developed gambling habits at the Gold Saucer on the outskirts of North Corel. We argued about the validity of Yuffie Kisaragi's existence and watched in awe as Sapphire Weapon emerged from the sea to attack Junon. We laughed. We cried. We experienced a game unlike anything we'd ever played before, but nothing could have prepared us for what happened next.

As a sword-wielding Sephiroth fell on Aerith like an avenging angel, I felt the Earth tilt on its axis. It wasn't simply the unexpected plot twist that left me reeling. No, it was deeper than that. I realized in that moment that the figures on my screen had transcended the jagged stacks of polygons that made them. They had become real to me. The loss of one of them, fictional as it was, cut me to the quick. It was then that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to devastate people the way I had been devastated. I wanted to build worlds as fantastical as Midgar and populate them with characters as richly layered as Vincent Valentine. I wanted to tell stories. I wanted to be a writer.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Brad Molen posted May 22nd 2013 11:00AM 0

Engadget Giveaway: win a 32GB silver HTC One on AT&T! Alt

No, not that One. Or that other One. It's definitely not this One either. Rather, we're talking about this One -- you know, the HTC flagship kind -- and the folks at AT&T have a unit ready for you to win. This particular model is of the 32GB persuasion, and it's currently up for grabs. It's not unlocked to all carriers and doesn't come with free service, so we have to limit this contest to our US readers. Two entries are all yours, and you can snag a third for the price of answering a simple question about BlinkFeed. So head below to the Rafflecopter widget and enter! Good luck.

Winner: Congrats to Robert L. of Whiteland, IN for winning this week's giveaway!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Brad Molen posted May 16th 2013 11:00AM 0

Engadget Giveaway: win one of two CASIS patches, signed by Shepard Fairey! Alt

Remember CASIS, the folks in charge of granting the public access to the national lab onboard the International Space Station, who were looking for the next great research project to send into space? Well, CASIS is still in the process of choosing the most deserving from among our reader submissions, but in the meantime, it's looking to give away a pair of the mission patches -- signed by their creator, famed designer Shepard Fairey -- from the inaugural orbital experiment scheduled to arrive on the ISS this fall. To enter for a chance to win one of these exclusive bits of space history, you need only venture beyond the break to read the rules of engagement and fill out the entry form. Best of luck folks, may the force of Fairey be with you.

Winners: Congrats to Ryan D. of Dunkirk, MD and Jonathan P. of Elkton, MD for winning the CASIS patches!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Myriam Joire posted May 15th 2013 10:58PM 0

Google AirShow streams Google I/O live from several RC blimps (hands-on video) Alt

Yes, there's a fleet of camera-equipped, remote-controlled blimps live-streaming a bird's-eye view of Google I/O on YouTube, right now. It's called Google AirShow and it's taken over the airspace within Moscone Center. We briefly chatted with Chris Miller, a software engineer with AKQA (the company that put the dirigibles together for Google), about the technology used in each aircraft. It all begins with an off-the-shelf model airship that's flown manually via standard a 2.4GHz radio. Each blimp is outfitted with a servo-controlled USB camera and 5GHz USB WiFi dongle which are both connected to a Raspberry Pi board running Debian, VLC and Python. A custom-designed Li-polymer battery system powers the on-board electronics. The webcam encodes video as motion-JPEG (720p, 30fps) and VLC generates a YouTube-compatible RTSP stream that's broadcast over WiFi. Python's used to pan the servo-controlled camera via the Raspberry Pi's PWM output. The result is pretty awesome. But don't just take our word for it -- check out the gallery and source link below, then watch our hands-on video after the break.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Brad Molen posted May 14th 2013 11:00AM 0

Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S 4 on AT&T, courtesy of Otterbox! Alt

See that package above? That phone-and-case combo could find a home in your hand, thanks to Otterbox. The company, which is well known for its durable cases, has an AT&T-branded Samsung Galaxy S 4 to hand out to one of our lucky readers! Additionally, the winner will receive one Defender case (valued at $50) and one Commuter case (valued at $35) specifically designed for the GS4. The phone is locked and doesn't come with service, so those of you who aren't AT&T fans may need to get creative with it. Hit up the Rafflecopter widget below to enter, and good luck!

Note: Because the GS4 is locked to a US carrier, this week's giveaway is unfortunately limited to our US readers. We should have some Canadian and UK giveaways coming up in the near future, however, so stay tuned!

Winner: Congratulations to Don Z. of Oakbrook Terrace, IL for winning this week's contest!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Brad Molen posted May 7th 2013 11:00AM 0

Engadget Giveaway: win one of four gaming prizes, courtesy of Diamond Multimedia! Alt

It's always better when more prizes are involved, right? In the case of this week's giveaway, Diamond Multimedia, a company specializing in gaming hardware, is hooking our readers up with four of them. The first two winners will receive a Radeon HD 7850 video graphics card (valued at $200 each), while the next two will get either a GC1000 USB game console video capture device ($130) or a VStream Wireless USB PC to TV HD content streamer ($100). Start your engines, enter using the widget below and good luck!

Winners: Congratulations to Arthur Y. of Brea, CA, Abe G. of Toledo, OH, Isamel V. of Oxnard, CA and Mike H. of Arvada, CO for winning this week!

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Ben Gilbert posted May 6th 2013 2:30PM 0

Inside the third-annual White House Science Fair Alt

Engineering the future inside the third annual White House Science Fair

The White House West Wing, as ever, is very busy. It's nearly time for White House Press Secretary Jay Carney's daily press briefing, which today (April 22nd) will reveal that the Boston bombing suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, won't be tried as an "enemy combatant." Just upstairs, the atmosphere is thankfully less intense. In the East Room and surrounding chambers, over 100 students -- STEM-based competition winners from 40 different states -- are making their best efforts to remain chipper while explaining projects they've no doubt discussed dozens (if not hundreds) of times before.

Later this afternoon, President Barack Obama will address the dozens of attendees -- accomplished students and educators, as well as folks like Bill Nye ("The Science Guy"), Levar Burton (of Reading Rainbow fame) and Kathryn D. Sullivan (the first American woman to walk in space). He'll characterize the students' projects as "really cool," and he'll call out some lucky winners by name while speaking to the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States.

Today is the culmination of years of work for many attendees, and it's an important day for the current administration as well. The White House Science Fair is an annual highlight of its "Educate to Innovate" initiative -- the Obama administration-led program that directs both public and private funds to a variety of programs, all aimed at bolstering STEM education in the US. It's a long-term, ambitious plan, and one that the White House is re-dedicating itself to in its proposed fiscal year 2014 budget: a planned reorganization coupled with $265 million, "redirected from within the Department [of Education] and from other agencies."

Beyond the occasional PR bump that events like the White House Science Fair bring, the Educate to Innovate initiative is largely one that won't reap dividends for some time. In 20 years, however, it may be the most important component of Obama's legacy.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Mat Smith posted May 5th 2013 3:30PM 0

The After Math: The (homemade) hammer of Thor, Virgin space flights and an atomic movie Alt

Welcome to The After Math, where we attempt to summarize this week's tech news through numbers, decimal places and percentages.

This week's After Math appears to have taken on a comic book theme. Want to make your own Thor hammer? How about your very own Atomic Watch -- rather than those radio-wave-based excuses of a timepiece? We've also got the very real prospect of civilian flights to outer space and, er, Kobe Bryant advertising Lenovo smartphones. Stranger things have happened, right? Join us after the break.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Alexis Santos posted May 4th 2013 1:27PM 0

Eyes-on with Cornell University's laser tag dunebots (video) Alt

Cornell University may be the host of the Cornell Cup competition, but that doesn't mean it can't bring its own robots to join in on the fun. This year, students brought along a few bots, dubbed dunebots, outfitted with all-terrain wheels and equipped with laser tag turrets. The rugged rig features a pair of cameras, a dustproof and water resistant chassis, air intakes capped with filters, and other components for suspension and steering. Not only does the team plan on releasing code and documentation for the project, but the hardware was designed with modularity in mind, so others can build their own modified versions.

Taking the robot into battle requires two pilots armed with Xbox 360 controllers: one directing where it travels, and another aiming the turret and firing. Driving the buggy over the web is also possible, though it takes a few seconds for it to react. The group also baked in voice controls, to boot. If you're not watching the car duke it out in person, you can even tune in over the web and watch a live video stream from one of its onboard cams. Its top speeds haven't been firmly nailed down, but the team says the bot was running at approximately 35 percent of its full potential, since it was deemed too fast for conference attendees. Hit the jump to catch us talk with the effort's Computer Science lead Mike Dezube, and to see a dunebot in action.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments

By Alexis Santos posted May 4th 2013 9:12AM 0

Eyes-on: University of Pennsylvania's TitanArm exoskeleton (video) Alt

TitanArm already took home silver in a competition for senior projects at the University of Pennsylvania, and now the team behind it is visiting Orlando to compete in the Intel-sponsored Cornell Cup for embedded design. We stopped by the showroom and snagged a few minutes with the crew to take a look at their creation: an 18-pound, untethered, self-powered exoskeleton arm constructed for less than $2,000.

To wield the contraption, users attach the cable-driven mechanical appendage to themselves with straps from a military-grade hiking backpack, and guide it with a thumbstick on a nunchuck-like controller. If a load needs to be held in place, the wearer can jab a button on the hand-held control to apply a brake. A Beagle Bone drives the logic for the setup, and it can stream data such as range of motion wirelessly to a computer. As for battery-life, they group says the upper-body suit has previously squeezed out over 24 hours of use without having to recharge.

Read the Full Story | 0 Comments