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Gene editing can end disease and fight global famine
We're looking at the single greatest advancement in genetics since Mendelev started growing peas. CRISPR-Cas9 gene-modification technology is powerful enough to cure humanity's worst diseases, yet simple enough to be used by amateur biologists. You thought 3-D printers and the maker movement were going to change the world? Get ready for a new kind of tinkerer -- one that wields gene-snipping scissors.
ICYMI: Sad unicorn truth, disease-fighting drones and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-781614{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-781614, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-781614{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-781614").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: The news that a type of unicorn walked the earth at the same time as prehistoric humans makes modern-day fantasy novels make a lot more sense. CERN is getting its Large Hadron Collider back online after a hiatus to improve its electrical system. And Ethiopia is using drones to drop sterile tsetse flies over the country, intending for them to breed with the wild natives and cut back on the population of disease-carrying insects, thus lowering risk of illness to humans and animals. We also share that paleontologists mapped the evolution of the largest type of dinosaurs, learning new things about them; and also touched on how vertical farming operations are moving into grocery stores. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
RIFT brings back Unicornalia
As the holiday season swiftly approaches, RIFT reminds us all of an important issue that doesn't get much discussion over the year: Unicorns. Oh, sure, the plight of these noble creatures can easily be dismissed with a waved hand and a claim that "these are fictional animals that do not actually exist," but RIFT's Unicornalia returning is a chance for everyone to adopt a unicorn in peril. During the event, which runs until November 26th, you can provide a home for an Onyx Unicorn or an Opal Unicorn. Both can potentially be received from the limited edition Sparkle Troves in the RIFT store. You can also obtain the Onyx Unicorn as a rare drop from an event in Moonshade Highlands or by completing the "A Rainbow in the Dark" achievement, while the Opal Unicorn can be received via Unicornalia dailies. Please, take time out of your day to consider the unicorns. They're not just for virgins any more.
Feedback Loop: Crowdfunding perils, dying passwords, cameras and more!
It's time for the latest edition of Feedback Loop! We discuss the dark and sometimes disappointing side of crowdfunding, ponder whether passwords are dying, look for point-and-shoot camera suggestions, share the cheapest ways to get HBO and talk about overly hyped gadgets. Head past the break to talk about all this and more with your fellow Engadget readers.
RIFT's Unicornalia event runs through May 29
"They're here, they're horned, and they need your help," according to a RIFT' website update. Trion's latest in-game event features unicorn refugees from the Plane of Life, who of course require plenty of assistance from RIFT's ascended players. Trion also wants you to know that you can acquire onyx unicorn mounts as rare drops from the Hooves and Horns zone event in Moonshade Highlands or by completing the Rainbow in the Dark achievement. Alternatively, you can buy them in the game's cash shop. Opal unicorn mounts can be similarly purchased or acquired through daily quests in Sanctum and Meridian. The event runs through May 29th.
Moto X leaks in more press shots, this time in white
And the saga continues! Hot on the heels of this morning's leaked renders comes a couple more press shots of the Moto X, courtesy of @evleaks -- this time in glorious unicorn white. There's not much more to mention here other than it's a lot easier to spot the mics front and back and to get a feel for the texture that adorns the rear. It looks very much like the svelte handset Eric Schmidt recently flaunted at the annual Allen and Co media conference. Not a fan of the existing hues? Motorola's been pretty clear the phone will be available in custom colors -- we're longing for a beautiful shade of purple ourselves. With the official Moto X launch slated for Thursday August 1st, we're only days away from getting all the details, so stay tuned for more.
Unannounced Motorola Moto X likely spotted in the hands of Google's Eric Schmidt
During the winter, Sun Valley is known for its skiing. This time of the year, however, it's quickly becoming a tech hotspot as some of the industry's top execs gather together at the annual Allen and Co media conference. Among the attendees is Google's Eric Schmidt, who brought along a mystery Motorola phone and couldn't resist showing it off. While Schmidt couldn't "comment on the nature of this phone," according to Variety's Rachel Abrams, it certainly didn't stop him from giving everyone a sneak peek. Multiple images of the device, which appears to feature a carbon fiber-like back and sleek curves, popped up on Twitter from the likes of Gary He and Taylor Wimberly. As it doesn't match the leaked pictures of the upcoming Droid Ultra or Maxx -- but carries an uncanny resemblance to the leaks and FCC diagrams we've seen of the X already -- we're guessing this is the legendary smartphone in the flesh; and judging by Schmidt's willingness to flaunt it, it's quite likely that we won't have to wait much longer before we see even more of it. There's one more shot of the device from the top past the break.
Latest Humble e-book Bundle lets you pick your own price for unicorns, Wheaton
For the next two weeks, you can snag four e-books for whatever price you want with the second Humble e-book Bundle. As always, each contribution benefits whoever you prefer, be it the authors, charity, Humble itself or a combination of the three. If you want access to all six books, as per the Humble pricing model you need to kick in a sum greater than the average $9.40 donation. For less than a few gallons of gas you'll net Wil Wheaton's Just a Geek and Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn in addition to the other four tomes shown below. The sun hasn't set on the first day of this six-pack promo and over $150K's been donated so far. Reading-on-the-beach season's half over, so get crackin'! The Last Unicorn - Peter Beagle Just a Geek - Wil Wheaton Little Brother - Cory Doctorow Boneshaker - Cherie Priest Spin - Robert Charles Wilson Shards of Honor - Lois McMaster Bujold
LG Nexus 4 shows up in white at Google I/O (hands-on)
A checkerboard-style glitter pattern with a white background? Yes, please. We've always been impressed by the elegant look and feel of LG's Nexus 4, announced alongside Android 4.2 last October, and now Google is making an ivory version of the device available to (hopefully) the masses. The twist: it still hasn't been officially announced, despite the fact that a conference like I/O would be the perfect time and place to do so. While Google chose not to take advantage of the situation to show the unicorn Nexus to the world, real-life units have been discovered floating around Moscone West. Androidandme's Taylor Wimberly happened upon one of them at the show and was gracious enough to give us a brief moment or two with the device. There isn't any surprise associated with this particular beaut, as it's packing the same design and specs as we've already seen in the original black model (sorry, LTE hopefuls). The pattern on the back actually doesn't stand out as much as it does on the black version, as it happens to blend in with the white a little more. We also noticed the same set of tiny nubs on the bottom that mysteriously appeared on the black version a few months ago. Lastly, the white Nexus is rumored to be the first device with Android 4.3 when it officially launches, but this particular version we saw only sports 4.2.1. There's not much else for us to write about the new color, but let's face it -- you're here for the pictures, which you can gaze upon below. %Gallery-188722% Myriam Joire contributed to this post.
Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S 4 running stock Android 4.2
Despite being officially unveiled at Google I/O, the stock Android version of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 has remained the unicorn of the show, seldom seen by anyone not closely associated with the company's top brass. We ran into Android VP Hugo Barra at the show, who was happy to give us a few brief moments with the upcoming device. There is still a lot of mystery around the $649 phone ahead of its June 26th launch, but we've been able to glean a few additional details nonetheless. While the model in Hugo's hand was a pre-release model and therefore subject to change between now and the official release, the hardware and overall design are identical to what we'd find on AT&T or T-Mobile's model: it sports a Snapdragon 600 chipset, 13MP camera, 16GB of internal storage, a 1080p display and LTE support (a perk for stock fans who were disappointed that the Nexus 4 came without it). Google isn't officially declaring this a Nexus device (not yet, at least), but the GS4 at least exhibits many of the same qualities, including an unlocked bootloader and the promise of prompt system updates. The firmware is pristine as well: it's Android 4.2.2 in exactly the same form it would take on a run-of-the-mill Nexus. Samsung's onslaught of smart features -- the S-branding, Air Gestures, special camera modes and the like -- are all absent here, leaving the user with an experience completely untouched by the manufacturer. The phone appears to respond a tad faster without the TouchWiz experience, but we'll need to spend more time with it before coming to any solid conclusions. Sound like the perfect phone for you? Make sure you're in the Google Play Store on June 26th so you can grab one for yourself. In the meantime, enjoy our gallery of images below!%Gallery-188611%
Be a pretty unicorn in PixelJam's Retro Unicorn Attack: Challenge Edition
Figuring out new ways to make believe that we're a pretty, pretty unicorn takes up about 80 percent of our day, so we always appreciate it when someone else does the majority of the grunt work for us. Imagine then our appreciative, wistful sigh upon learning of PixelJam's new game with Adult Swim, Retro Unicorn Attack: Challenge Edition.As retro and/or pixelated as its name and developer imply, Retro Unicorn Attack is an endless runner that tasks the player (a beautiful and majestic unicorn, obviously) with collecting fairies and dashing through vortexes, while avoiding obstacles and generally falling to a horrible death. The game is, besides being adorable and addictive, also quite difficult. Players can upload their best scores to a global leaderboard, hence the Challenge Edition subtitle.
Nexus 4 trots out in white, sets unicorn fans aflutter (update: more shots)
We're pretty fond of unicorns white phones here at Engadget, especially rare ones like the white Nokia N9. So you can imagine our excitement when we came across this photo of a white Nexus 4 over at Phone Arena. While rumors of a white Nexus 4 have been swirling around the intertubes for some time, a picture speaks a thousand words, right? We took a long, eagle-eyed look at this image and didn't see any signs of trickery. Obviously this doesn't mean a white Nexus 4 is on the way -- it could just be a dummy handset and / or a one-off prototype. Still, if last year's white Galaxy Nexus is any indication, there's a chance this is the real deal. We've reached out to Google and LG for comment, so stay tuned -- it sure would be lovely to add this beast to our stable. Update: The folks over at Tinhte managed to grab a closer look at the device. Hit the second source link for a full photo tour -- we've added another shot of the back (in full glittering glory) after the break.
White Motorola RAZR i lands in the UK on December 22nd
If owning one of the first Intel-based phones just isn't unique enough, there's now a rarer color option. The Motorola RAZR i is coming to the UK in a seasonally appropriate white, starting with local reseller Phones4U on December 22nd. The look will be familiar to some of those who've bought a Droid RAZR M on the other side of the Atlantic, but it may be easy to forgive any not-quite-complete color exclusivity through the contract price: Phones4U is giving the white RAZR i away for free to those who sign up for a contract worth at least £20.50 ($33) per month. While other stores might not carry the Atom-powered RAZR until after the holidays, Brits scrambling to find a last-minute tech gift might just have been given a reprieve.
Sprint confirms HTC EVO 4G LTE in white, battle of carrier-specific phone colors rages on
Not to be outdone by that red Galaxy S III over at AT&T, Sprint has confirmed that its inadvertent ad posting wasn't just a fluke: it's bringing out a white version of the EVO 4G LTE. Strictly speaking, it's more of a aluminum-with-white-accents trim, but we'll let that slide given that the back and kickstand are now decidedly less smudge-prone. The white EVO will cost as much as that Galaxy S III variant (and the black EVO) at $200 on a contract. Sprint will start selling the white hue on July 15th -- and unlike AT&T, it should have phones on shelves rather than leave customers to online window shopping.
Maker Faire Bay Area 2012, in pictures: 3D printers, unicorns, tesla coils and zombies (video)
Did you miss Maker Faire Bay Area 2012? Did you go but want to relive the experience a little? Well look no further: we came, we saw, we conquered. As one of our friends acutely observed, you couldn't throw something this year without hitting a 3D printer. Below you'll find pictures of said 3D printers, but also unicorns, Tesla coils and yes, even zombies (!) -- all lovingly curated from the hundreds of shots we took at the event this past weekend. Craving something with a bit more meat? We've made a convenient list of our Maker Faire posts. Once you're done digesting that, hit the break for our lovely video montage. Hands-on with the Electric Imp at Maker Faire (video) Raspberry Pi hands-on and Eben Upton interview at Maker Faire (video) Hands-on with the MakerBot robot petting zoo at Maker Faire (video) The Engadget Interview: Ben Heck talks Raspberry Pi at Maker Faire (video) Electric Motor Werks hands-on at Maker Faire (video) %Gallery-155867%
HTC One X review
More Info HTC One X hands-on at MWC 2012 (video) HTC Sense 4 review HTC One S review It's been a difficult year for HTC. After several successful quarters, things have started looking less rosy in recent months with the company facing stiff competition and suffering from apparent brand dilution -- the results of launching too many handsets with forgettable names, making too many compromises for the carriers, continuing to rely on Sense, and lacking an iconic flagship to take on Samsung's mighty Galaxy S II. We knew something important was coming for Mobile World Congress after HTC timidly revealed the Titan II at CES -- after all, the company has a long history of innovation. A few days before flying to Barcelona and after being sworn to secrecy, we were quietly whisked into a San Francisco conference room with clear instructions: no pictures or video. There, in the middle of the table, was a white phone that instantly caught our eye -- the HTC One X. To write that we came away impressed after briefly using it is a massive understatement. This was obviously a halo device made for geeks like us, something designed to take on the Galaxy Nexuses of the world, something with the mother of all spec sheets, something running Ice Cream Sandwich with a significantly thinner and lighter version of Sense. Better yet, there were two other handsets with the same impeccable attention to detail -- the One S and the One V. HTC was finally showing some vision again with strong branding, gorgeous design and a polished user experience. While first impressions go a long way, there's a lot to be learned about a product by living with it for a few days. So is the One X truly HTC's comeback device? Are we still delighted? Is this the Engadget phone? Hit the break for our full review.
Oh hey, AT&T's White Lumia 900
On AT&T? Couldn't imagine what a White Nokia Lumia 900 would look like with Ma Bell's branding on it? Then feast your eyes on the picture above. Just remember, it's not arriving on April 8th like its Cyan and Black cousins. A phone that stylish requires you to patiently wait until the 22nd.
Leica's M9-P to be offered in unicorn-guise, $31,770 and Japan-only
Currently drowning in more cash than sense? Do you also call the land of the rising sun home? Excellent, as we've found the perfect camera just for you: the elusive white variant of Leica's M9-P. Restricted to only 50 units, the unicorn shooter will go on sale come June for a cool 2,620,000 yen (or around $31,770) -- a hefty premium over the regular (read: black and chrome) permutations which cost $7,995. Granted those pedestrian versions don't come wielding an insane f/0.95 50mm lens out of the box. And if this ridiculous combo is priced out of your league, you could always go after its cheaper, yet also delectable white predecessor -- although we'll hazard you're going to need more than just luck finding it.
White Galaxy Nexus hands-on: a taste of vanilla-flavored Ice Cream Sandwich (video)
When it rains it pours. Hot on the heels of last week's fabulous white Nokia N9, we just received Samsung's freshly minted "chic white" Galaxy Nexus thanks to our friends at Negri Electronics. This handsome phone -- which is spec-wise identical to the HSPA+ version we reviewed last year -- sheds the default gunmetal gray skin for a lovely satin white finish. Further differences include a chrome camera pod (instead of black) and a much smaller dot-pattern on the textured battery cover. The handset, which is running Android 4.0.2, goes by the name "yakjuxw", meaning that unlike its official "yakju" cousin, it won't be getting software updates directly from Google. Still, the bootloader is unlocked, making it relatively painless to switch ROMs. What's most intriguing about this particular unit, however, is that it shipped with a North American charger instead of the expected UK adapter. Is this an unannounced US / Canadian market device? Go ahead and ponder that while you savor a taste of vanilla-flavored Ice Cream Sandwich in our gallery below, then watch our unboxing video after the break.
White Nokia N9 hands-on: behold the last unicorn (video)
Let's keep this short and sweet. This is the rare snow-white Nokia N9 and it's absolutely stunning. We first captured a glimpse of it at Nokia World and now we've obtained a specimen. The only difference between this piano-lacquer white handset and its more pedestrian sibling is the (likely less durable) shiny clearcoat finish covering its machined polycarbonate body and the leather pouch replacing the silicone case normally supplied in the box. Everything else is exactly the same as the matte black phone we reviewed last year. We've attempted to document the exquisite beauty of this mythical beast -- sadly the last of its kind -- in our hands-on gallery below. Go ahead and take a look, then hit the break to watch our unboxing video. Just be warned that there's a strong chance you'll drool profusely whilst ogling these pictures. At least the white Lumia 800 and 900 are just around the corner, right?
