Conrad Quilty-Harper

Engadget Editorial Policies

The unique content on Engadget is a result of skilled collaboration between writers and editors with broad journalistic, academic, and practical expertise.

In pursuit of our mission to provide accurate and ethical coverage, the Engadget editorial team consistently fact-checks and reviews site content to provide readers with an informative, entertaining, and engaging experience. Click here for more information on our editorial process.

Stories By Conrad Quilty-Harper

  • engadget
    0
    EVs and Transportation
    EVs and Transportation By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    BMW tests IP networked iDrive car

    BMW has started testing an IP solution for its cars that uses standard ethernet to connect car components to the central computer. The testbed could potentially lower costs: if not due to the physical component cost, then as a result of the IPv6 protocol's future-proof design. BMW even feels satisfied that the IP network can cope with safety features, which may be undermined somewhat by the inevitable attempts at high-speed LAN parties in the back seat.[Via Autoblog]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Laptops
    Laptops By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    OLPC orders surge as Peru requests 260,000 XOs

    All steam ahead for the OLPC Foundation, which recently received an order from Peru for 260,000 of the little XO laptops. Also news is that Mexican billionaire and Negroponte's chum Carlos Slim has purchased 50,000 for his country. That's against a background of $2 million sales a day on the Give One, Get One program. Clearly, the OLPC Foundation is the most successful program out there for getting laptops into the hands of schoolchildren.[Image credit]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Smartphones
    Smartphones By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Brick is back with the Mini MOB retro mobile

    Is the mobile phone really mature enough for brick phones to make a retro comeback? According to the makers of the ironically named Mini MOB, the answer to that is yes. The Mini MOB is definitely designed in the retro brick phone style, but at only 3.5 cm wide, it could probably be considered a scale model. It includes some pretty standard specs -- camera, MP3 player, 128 MB card for the SD slot -- but also happens to have an amazing battery life of 30 days standby, and a full 72 hours of continuous talk time! That's almost enough to get us interested in picking one up, but at £160 ($320+) it ain't an easy decision.[Via TechDigest]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Mobile
    Mobile By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LII: AT&T CEO scoffs at Verizon's "Any Apps, Any Device" plan

    Even 6 months ago, it would have been inconceivable to imagine the CEO of the biggest cellphone operator in the US sniping at its primary competitor's hints at becoming more open. The key point being that none of the cellphone operators in the US are actually "open" by any objective definition, so maybe AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson should have bitten his tongue rather than stating that his company is "probably one of the most open networks in the world," in a mild rebuke to Verizon's open network plan for 2008. Also Randall, stating that "all of the handsets we sell are Java-equipped" might be a little unwise considering that AT&T's flagship handset, and probably the most widely publicized handset (ever?) is clearly not. At least the debate is moving forward: hopefully his statement that "[all carriers] are all going to be open over time" will come to fruition with a little more gentle prodding coupled with the occasional kick up the arse.[Image source]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    News
    News By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Yet more 32GB and 2GB Creative Zen confirmation

    As if the last two reports about a 32GB Zen from Creative weren't enough for you, here's another for a lazy Saturday. This time, Crave claims to have an unspecified confirmation that a 2GB and 32GB Zen is coming, and it's coming in flash form. Would that make this the highest capacity flash PMP out there? It'd certainly be pipping Sansa to the post.[Thanks, Cody B.]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Reviews
    Reviews By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Sony XEL-1 OLED TV unboxed

    Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV -- with its 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a ridiculous 3mm thin enclosure -- has been unboxed over at TV Snob. Next to all of its accessories, the XEL-1 looks rather less appealing when compared to the clean press shots. In particular, we're left a little confused as to what the deal is with that ugly external power brick: isn't that what the big box underneath the screen was for?

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Entertainment
    Entertainment By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Guitar modded to integrate laptop with music visualizer

    Old laptops are a geek modder's best friend: this particular example is one of the better mods we've seen to incorporate an old lappie, with a guy called Ben sticking his old machine behind the strings of an electric guitar. He then linked up the sound produced by the guitar to a visualizer in the laptop, allowing it to pump some psychedelic-looking sound waves out to onlookers. Beats the usual sticker decorations, dontchafink?[Via Technabob]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Reviews
    Reviews By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Guitar Hero: it shreds, and, yes, it blends

    Quick, before some pretentious post-postmodern indie band rips the idea and integrates it into their set: check out the video after the break of the will it blend dude sticking a Gibson X-Plorer's fender into one of their machines. Yeah, we're total suckers for the Guitar Hero games, and we love to see Guitar destruction as much as the next rock fiend, so you can probably guess the result.[Via Joystiq]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    News
    News By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Don't tase me, bro! The UN says it's torture!

    In a month that has seen several people killed after being tasered, a UN committee of ten experts has ruled that tasers constitute torture and are capable of killing. This flies in the face of the manufacturer's statement, which is that any resulting deaths after a taser is used are "attributable to other factors." Intended to prevent officers from having to use lethal firearms, the taser has arguably become well established as just another tool in a regular officer's arsenal for use in scenarios where a firearm would never be considered. As for what effect this ruling will have on the sale of tasers, we're guessing "not much" until all the involved parties come into agreement about the lethality (or lack thereof) of the taser.

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Laptops
    Laptops By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Does the Asus EeePC violate the Linux GPL?

    A group of Linux users have spoken out against Asus and their apparent non-compliance with certain aspects of the General Public License attached to Xandros Linux distro that comes with the Eee PC. This flustered controversy centers around Asus modifying a module of the Linux kernel without distributing the source code, something that breaks the rules of the license. Your average Eee PC owner isn't going to give a damn about such a trivial point, so end users can safely ignore this debate. As for whether Asus will step up and do what it should have done from day one, that'll depend on how loud the developers involved make their case. Type harder guys![Via Slashdot]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Gaming
    Gaming By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and DDR get cheap rip-offs

    When you're out trawling for a copy of the rapidly selling out Rock Band, you may run into a cheap knock-off or two of the rhythm game genre. Our tipster spotted several units including a Guitar and DDR imitation in Macy's, and a Drum game in another store. All of them plug directly into a TV, but none are particularly cheap at around $40 each. The usual target audience for these kind of gadgets are unsuspecting parents looking for a present for the kids, so make sure you include a rigorous education program in the perils of game rip-offs when you hand in your holiday wish-list.[Thanks, Seth]Read - Guitar SuperstarRead - Dance ManiaRead - Drum Star

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Accessories
    Accessories By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    USB remote (doesn't really) store away in a PCMCIA slot

    If you're gonna make a remote that stores away in your laptop's PCMCIA slot, you probably shouldn't make it so it sticks out. Unfortunately, that's exactly what the USB Media Remote from USB Geek does, and it also includes a USB dongle that sticks out too. Frankly, we'd rather go for any other option than deal with all the hassle that this $30 gadget promises to bring.[Via Everything USB]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Laptops
    Laptops By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    UK OQO announcement early next month?

    OQO has been sending out invitations to a London press conference which will include a pre-launch unveiling of an unspecified product. They're also announcing what jkOnTheRun calls an Anytime / Anywhere Computing Environment, which is so vague that it could mean almost anything. The CEO of the company will be at the event too, so we know this probably isn't going anything as insignificant as a point update to existing models.[Via Boy Genius Report]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Nintendo
    Nintendo By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Play Famicom games on your DS with the Cyber Familator cart

    Using a simple but bulky cart from Japan, it's possible to make your DS play Famicom games. It'll also play NES games if you can get your hands on an adapter for the different cart shape. Mark this down on your shopping list before you make your compulsory, once-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Akihabara. [Via Technabob]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Mobile
    Mobile By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    T-Mobile USA making announcement about 3G on December 6?

    If we ignore all the nonsensical parts of this Inquirer article, then we see that T-Mobile USA might be about to make an announcement regarding their US 3G offering. According to a rep, the company will be making an announcement on December 6th on the subject, which sounds to us like the Government might have finally shifted off of T-Mobile's turf. That's all the relevant details we have, so set your calendars if 3G networks news announcements are your kinda thang.[Thanks, Frank P.]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Gaming
    Gaming By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    The "999,999,999 in 1 Super Game" system

    We have no idea if this thing is real, but if it is you can probably expect to pick one up from nondescript street markets across China. With a claim to fame of one less than a billion games included, the "999999999 in 1 Super Game" should give the "big three" consoles a run for their money.[Thanks, Rico]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Reviews
    Reviews By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Rock Xtreme 770 notebook with GeForce 8800M GTX reviewed

    NVIDIA's recently rolled out GeForce 8800M GTX has already made its way into a laptop, specifically Rock's Xtreme 770, specially updated to integrate the new chip. The 770 features a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, a 7200RPM 200GB HDD, 2GB of RAM, a 17-inch 1920x1200 display, and that all important GeForce 8800M GTX graphics card. The new card is certainly no disappointment, kicking the 8700M by a factor of two in most gaming benchmarks (although that also says a lot about the 8700M's lackluster performance.) The bottom line with the 8800M GTX is that it enables acceptable performance in Crysis at reasonable resolutions, which is more than can be said of most desktops. However, you might want to hold off until the GPU reaches lappies other than the Rock Extreme 770, which costs £2,199: that's over $4,500 at the current exchange rate.[Thanks, Angelus Cat]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Science
    Science By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Smart closet tells clueless geeks what to wear

    If you count yourself as one of a legion of the "clothes clueless," then this smart closet could be the end of your troubles. It sounds as if you'll need a wardrobe full of RFID tagged clothes for it to work -- although the specific technology isn't clear -- but once your clothes are wired sown up, your wardrobe will inform you when you "accidentally" choose the same clothes the second time you meet the same person, and will give you advice on the correct shoes to go with your outfit, among other hints. Of course, the inventors have overlooked an array of paradoxes here (if you're organized enough to set this up, you've gotta have some common sense) but we like the wackiness of the idea anyway. If the future's anything like this, we better be ready for a whole lot of patronizing machines.[Via The Raw Feed]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Amazon
    Amazon By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Amazon Kindle gets official

    Although the article doesn't contain much more information about the Amazon Kindle that we hadn't seen before, Newsweek's cover story on the device is the first official confirmation that the device exists. Featuring an interview with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the article lays down the feature set -- $399, 6-inch E-ink screen, no backlight, EV-DO "Whispernet" on Sprint for over the air book purchases -- and the company's vision for digital books replacing "the last bastion of analog." Books will go for $9.99, and users can even subscribe to newspapers and "select blogs" for monthly fees. Also news is that the Kindle gets 30 hours of battery life, and can fully recharge in only two. One thing's for sure, this is looking way more compelling a package than previous attempts at the eBook idea.[Thanks, Alex]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    EVs and Transportation
    EVs and Transportation By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    TomTom to make $4.2 billion bid for Tele Atlas

    The predicted bidding war between Garmin and TomTom over a takeover of Tele Atlas has certainly come to fruition, with TomTom all set to go ahead with a $4.2 billion bid taking place on Monday. Garmin stepped back from the brink on Friday, after offering a measly $3.3 billion. Tele Atlas's management must certainly be happy that the company didn't jump earlier, because it was only a few months ago that TomTom's offer was $2.5 billion. Does anyone else get the feeling that these numbers are starting to lose their meaning?

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Accessories
    Accessories By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    JVC's build-it-yourself speaker set, but why would you?

    A self-assembled speaker set that costs $370 isn't the best value proposition we've ever seen, but we're sure a few of you could figure out why to opt for an unbuilt set of speaker components. Maybe you just need a little more control over the build quality, or maybe JVC's just trying to pass off putting together a box full of speaker bits as a bit of fun. Either way, you'll have to head to Japan to pick up the set of 85mm cones and cherry wood cabinets: yeah, it's get-it-yourself too.[Via Gadget Lab]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    News
    News By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Earthlink considers "strategically" withdrawing MuniFi investments

    In a statement so laden with PR speak that it'd bring even the most heartless PR flack to the brink of wretching, Earthlink's CEO has announced that the company is to withdraw investment in Municipal WiFi schemes unless the "model" of these networks becomes more closely aligned with Earthlink's undefined "strategy." Translation? Earthlink ain't making a big enough return on its investments in MuniFi projects, and the shareholders are getting antsy. This could leave various cities high and dry without WiFi, although Earthlink apparently won't be able to simply walk away from the contracts that they've already signed. This could be a major setback for blanket WiFi coverage in cities across the US, although we doubt it'll be long before someone else picks up the baton (either that, or the cities will probably drop it.)[Via Slashdot]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    News
    News By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Vonage loses appeal, now owes Verizon $117.5 million

    A follow-up to our earlier story regarding Verizon's patent lawsuit against Vonage: the latter company has lost its appeal against the former, and is now looking at having to pay the full $117.5 million settlement, plus $2.5 million to charity. It's been a bad few days for Vonage indeed, with the company's shares dropping 87 percent since IPO, and a tenth of its workforce out of a job. When you've hit rock bottom, the only way is up, right?[Via Slashdot]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Reviews
    Reviews By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Dell XPS One reviewed

    PC Mag has reviewed the Dell XPS One, the machine which we originally revealed on these here pages. The unit they got their hands on was the top-end $2,399 model -- what, you think Dell would risk lumping 'em with the budget range? -- and the overall impression was very good if you limit yourself to the praise of the PC's numerous features. A built-in HDTV tuner with remote, Blu-ray, and 802.11n round out the 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, and 500GB HDD. The reviewer also thought that the design was a strong aspect of the XPS One, matching the iMac for aesthetics and minimalism. From there it's downhill: the Radeon 2400 HD graphics card is crap for gaming, and the unit as a whole isn't price competitive thanks to the 20-inch 1680x1050 screen. Will you wait for the 24-inch model?

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Reviews
    Reviews By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-T2 reviewed

    CNET has a review of Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-T2 up, and the verdict seems to be "well above average," with a 7.4 score. The case is bit on the podgy side, although if you don't mind that it's well designed otherwise with a hefty lens protector taking up the front and a large 2.7-inch touchscreen taking up the back. That touchscreen has problems, with the review pointing to responsiveness issues. The 4GB internal storage is also nice, but the ridiculous proprietary cable means if you lose the one in the box during your vacay, you're screwed. Image quality and performance is nothing to go crazy over, and you'll probably be happy with it if you've used an equivalently priced digicam recently. Overall, the flaws in the integrated storage and the touchscreen mean this is a bit of a letdown. Go for the T200 instead.

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Apple
    Apple By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    China Mobile in talks with Apple over iPhone

    Bringing the iPhone to Europe was big, but potentially bigger for Apple is the Chinese market, which probably explains why China Mobile CEO Wang Jianzhou is in talks with the company over its much publicized handset. Mr. Jianzhou admitted in a speech at the GSM Association's Mobile Asia Congress that he doesn't like the revenue sharing agreements that Apple has managed to wrangle: you and every other mobile executive worldwide, Wang! But who knows, maybe the fact that China Mobile has 349.66 million subscribers will be enough for Apple to make one two very big exceptions and do a more traditional deal. Whatever happens, the Chinese market is likely to throw some curveballs at Apple's usual pitch.

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
  • engadget
    0
    Nintendo
    Nintendo By Conrad Quilty-Harper

    Work your Wiimote with your fingertips

    An ingenious little hack enables anyone with a Wii, a powerful infrared emitter, and some reflective tape to control their Wii with their fingertips, as demonstrated in the creator's YouTube video. The "hack" involves sticking the reflective pads on your fingertips, and placing a Wiimote close to an infrared emitter, with the result being that the Wiimote thinks it's moving when in fact your fingers are. The hack won't work very well with your Wii -- can't press dem buttons! -- so it's limited to gimmicky Minority Report-style demos on your PC. Besides, isn't the whole point of couch potato gaming that you don't have to lift a finger?[Via Hackaday]

    By Conrad Quilty-Harper Read More
Back
Next