New metal mix could lead to cheap, plentiful sodium-ion batteries in gadgets

Lithium batteries very frequently power our gadgets, but the material itself isn't common and, by extension, isn't cheap. Researchers at the electrode Having just 30 total charges means this simplest form of sodium-ion battery technology could be years away from finding a home in your next smartphone or EV, although it's not the only option. 's Chris Johnson has co-developed a more exotic electrode that could produce 200 charges while keeping the battery itself made out of an ingredient you more often find in your table salt than your mobile gear.

Engadget, New metal mix could lead to cheap, plentiful sodium-ion batteries in gadgets

Xamarin's XobotOS opens prospect of Android port to C#, can of worms

Would it be ironic if Android developers did an end-run around Microsoft patents by using Microsoft's own C#. Or if Google kiboshed its Oracle brouhaha with the aid of none other than Redmond. We're asking because Xamarin, the wacky open source implementer of .NET, has ported Android to Microsoft's C# with its XobotOS project. Although just an experiment and unlikely to solve Google's issues, the team showed that running the robot on C# instead of Java gave fewer coding limitations, better battery life and direct graphics access.

Engadget, Xamarin's XobotOS opens prospect of Android port to C#, can of worms

BMW releases slew of 2013 X1 photos, details fuel mileage and pricing

It's hard to believe that BMW has been selling SUV's for 13 years now. When the BMW X5 launched to great controversy in 1999, "crossover" had yet to be coined and not a soul on this planet would have predicted that one day BMW would be offering the two-sizes-smaller X1. Yet it hits dealer lots this fall, in multiple models with a long line of options and trim packages. The most basic choice when it comes to the X1 is whether you want a four- or six-cylinder engine.

Autoblog, BMW releases slew of 2013 X1 photos, details fuel mileage and pricing

Rovio intros Angry Birds Facebook Share & Play, helps you get your feathery fix

Granted it's not quite, you know, organ donation, but Rovio's offering up some Facebook magic of its own. The casual game maker has rolled out the Share & Play feature, which lets users embed their latest Angry Birds level onto their friends' Timelines for some slingshot-happy bragging rights. Sharing goes beyond just Facebook however - you can embed the playable level on other sites as well. Behold: after the break.

Engadget, Rovio intros Angry Birds Facebook Share & Play, helps you get your feathery fix

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 pre-order goes live

Yes, so plenty of people are still buzzing about the Samsung Galaxy S3, but instead of looking at vaporware (at least until the end of May for those living in Europe), why not shift your attention to something more concrete – like the 16GB Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 for instance. This particular tablet is now available for an online pre-order over at retailers such as Office Depot, where you will need to drop $399 for this puppy, or take a walk to the nearest store carrying it when May 13th rolls around.

Ubergizmo, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 pre-order goes live

May the 4th Be With You! Free Pit Droids for iOS!

May the 4th Be With You.  A happy Star Wars Day, I wish you.  To celebrate this Star Wars Day, Star Wars Pit Droids is free to download this weekend from the iTunes App Store. A fun little game it is.  And for free—try it, you should.

The Gadgeteer, May the 4th Be With You! Free Pit Droids for iOS!

Audi, GM, others unite on 20-minute EV charging standard for green drivers in a rush

Fast-charging an EV isn't new in itself, but deciding on a standard for it is. Which is why we're glad to hear that Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, GM, Porsche and Volkswagen have all agreed to a common format for their EV charging ports, the not-very-elegantly-titled a consistent way to power up a car within 15 to 20 minutes, all without breaking a current Type 1 AC charging implementation. The new format will be demoed at the starting May 6.


Engadget, Audi, GM, others unite on 20-minute EV charging standard for green drivers in a rush

Volvo's Mean Green is world's fastest hybrid truck

The engineers over at Volvo have proven that big-rigged trucks can also be fast and fuel-efficient. The Mean Green is Volvo's one-off diesel hybrid truck that has set a world record in speed, being the fastest hybrid truck on the planet. While there are quite a few (even rare) hybrid trucks around, the Mean Green is setting the bar high at 147 miles per hour or 236.5 kph, breaking its previous record of just 135.9 miles per hour last year in June. While it seems that the truck was just racing itself, 147 miles per hour is pretty impressive for a big rigged truck.

Ubergizmo, Volvo's Mean Green is world's fastest hybrid truck

RIM: Future BlackBerry Phones to Have Physical Keys Despite Full Touchscreen

Despite what RIM announced that upcoming BlackBerry models running on BB 10 operating system will come in full touchscreens, the Canada-based smartphone maker squashed down rumors that its future phones will not use physical keyboards. “It would be wrong–just plain wrong,” RIM's CEO Thorsten Heins said. This statement comes despite the future BB phones having a virtual keyboard, as confirmed in a prototype Heins unveiled just this week.

Gadget.com, RIM: Future BlackBerry Phones to Have Physical Keys Despite Full Touchscreen

Samsung Galaxy S III – Android 4.0 on a 4.8″ Super AMOLED display

It's real. It exists. Samsung's next Galaxy model is indeed known as the Galaxy S III, a phone Samsung's pitching as “a phone that listens” to the user. It does come with a physical Home key beneath its 4.8″ display, which sits between Back and Menu options. This goes against Google's new Android design philosophy somewhat, but then Samsung is big enough to do whatever it damn well likes these days.

The Galaxy S III's display runs at 1280×720, there's a large 2,100mAh battery inside, plus a front-facing camera rated at 1.9megapixels.



Eurodroid, Samsung Galaxy S III â€" Android 4.0 on a 4.8″ Super AMOLED display

Kawanezumi leather mouse is luxurious to the touch

I am not quite sure about you, but when a computer peripheral like the humble mouse gets a fashion makeover as in this case, you know that the world is all out of whack. After all, most of us have been doing just fine with plastic as the material of choice for our mice over the decades, so just what justifies the existence of the Kawanezumi leather mouse.

Ubergizmo, Kawanezumi leather mouse is luxurious to the touch

Liquidmetal Co-Inventor Claims Apple is a Few Years Away from Large Liquidmetal Products

With all the recent rumors floating around the internet about the next iPhone 5 allegedly coming in a casing made from liquidmetal in addition to all the concept phones various fans have created with the same feature, Atakan Peker who is allegedly one of the inventors of the material, shed some light on the issue during an interview. While speaking to the folks over at BusinessInsider (via 9to5mac), Peker said that Apple is still a few years away from using the material on a larger scale like for MacBooks.

Ubergizmo, Liquidmetal Co-Inventor Claims Apple is a Few Years Away from Large Liquidmetal Products

Heico Sportiv gears up to mod new Volvo V40

The emergence of the V40 is arguably the biggest news to come out of Volvo since Ford sold it to Geely. Just as with any new car – European hatchbacks especially – the aftermarket will follow shortly with modifications, and in the case of Volvo, that means Heico Sportiv. The German tuning house specializes in Gothenburg's finest. The firm already has a new ECU module for the T5 engine in the V40 that brings output up from 237 horsepower to 266 and from 236 pound-feet of torque to 269.

Autoblog, Heico Sportiv gears up to mod new Volvo V40

This business case will charge your devices while on the go

If you travel often for work and attend conventions, the last thing you'll want is a dead phone, right. If that's a situation you'd love to be able to avoid, you might be interested in checking out one of Hammacher Schlemmer's products; a oxford woven cloth business case with a built-in charger. Yup, the back itself packs a 6,000mAh battery of its own that will be able to charge an iPhone about three times before finally requiring a charge itself (which should take 3.5 hours to fully recharge).

Ubergizmo, This business case will charge your devices while on the go

Earphone Speaker Keychain is a pretty novel idea

It used to be that you would walk down the street and you could immediately point out an Apple user simply by the striking white color cord of their earphones. If you're looking to be even more noticed, then this Earphone Speaker Keychain from ThinkGeek is a gadget you most definitely will not want to miss. As pictured above, it is somewhat reminiscent of the iPod's white earbuds and the cool thing is that it's actually a speaker.

Ubergizmo

See also:
alldigits, Earphone Speaker Keychain is a pretty novel idea

Major League Gaming takes smartphone games seriously, announces Xperia Mobile Gaming Arena

If OpenFeint's lightweight social connections and leaderboards lack the competitive edge your inner hardcore gamer craves, maybe Major League Gaming's latest mouthful will satiate your demands for satisfaction. The Xperia Mobile Gaming Arena presented by Sony Mobile (we told you it was a mouthful) hopes to give smartphone toting gamers a serious cross-platform battleground, offering iOS and Android users competitive leaderboards and up to $10,000 in prizes. Currently the smartphone gaming platform only supports Gameloft's Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation, but MLG hopes to enlist more competitive titles in the coming months.

Engadget, Major League Gaming takes smartphone games seriously, announces Xperia Mobile Gaming Arena

Cube H500HD Full HD PMP

Planning on getting yourself a new Full HD PMP anytime soon. If you're, why don't you take a look at this H500HD from Cube. The player is packed with a 5.0-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen display, an 8GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, an e-book reader, OTG function, a TV-out, a USB 2.0 port, a built-in lithium battery and supports up to 1080p Full HD video playback. The H500HD sells for $71.99.

TechFresh, Cube H500HD Full HD PMP

Toshiba Excite 13 tablet cameos at the FCC

We've heard about Toshiba's gargantuan tablet and that it's heading to the U.S. soon. Just today, the FCC confirmed the appearance of said tablet – the Toshiba Excite 13. And the best part is that it's coming soon to retailers near you in June. Another Excite 10 is also scheduled to arrive earlier in the coming weeks as well as a smaller Excite 7.7 that will land in June as well.

So what's so spectacular about this giant tablet? Well, the Excite 13 will feature NVIDIA's nasty Tegra 3 quad-core processor and 13.3-inch screen with a 1600 x 900 resolution. It has a 10.1mm body and it weighs around 2.2 pounds.

Ubergizmo, Toshiba Excite 13 tablet cameos at the FCC

Amazon once again offering refurbished Kindle Fire for $139

Amazon has replenished its stock of refurbished Kindle Fire units and is once again offering them for a steal of a price. For the next 16 hours (or until sold out) the online retailer is offering the certified in working order tablets for $139, a savings of $30 off the normal price of a refurbished unit (and $60 off a new one). The price includes the same one-year warranty you get with a new one.

Android Phone, Amazon once again offering refurbished Kindle Fire for $139

Satechi Announces the Divoom iBase Dock Station with Stereo Sound for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

The new Divoom iBase Dock Station for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad from Satechi can charge your Apple iOS device.  It has four full-range neodymium dynamic drivers inside to deliver high quality audio for music playback.  The Divoom is round, with a 6.25″ diameter.  A small vertical support near the 30-pin connector keeps your iOS device secure.  There's also a 3.5mm aux-in jack for use with other audio devices; a 3.5mm audio cable is included.  The Divoom is $44.99 at Satechi or for $49.99 at Amazon.com. Related Posts:.

The Gadgeteer, Satechi Announces the Divoom iBase Dock Station with Stereo Sound for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Ford adding third shift to build more EcoBoost V6s, 250 jobs saved in Ohio

Ford's twin-turbocharged 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6 has proved popular with customers, with more than 180,000 finding homes in driveways and garages since launching in 2009. Ford has but a single facility in the United States turning out this engine, Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1. Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 is also home to the 3.7 liter V6 that kicks out over 300 horsepower in the Mustang and continues to sell at full tilt in the F-150.

With two belles of the automotive ball under a single roof, Ford is adding 250 workers and a third shift of production at the Cleveland engine plant to keep up.

Autoblog, Ford adding third shift to build more EcoBoost V6s, 250 jobs saved in Ohio

RIEGL VZ-400 scanner recreates crime scene in 3D glory

Don't you just love it how the team at CSI are extremely adept at solving murder cases within an hour – and even so, after throwing in a few commercial spots. Well, truth can be stranger than fiction at times, and we are here to talk about the RIEGL VZ-400 high-tech scanner which is capable of rotating around a crime scene in 360 degrees so that it can later build detailed 3D images of the “captured” area for further perusal.

Ubergizmo, RIEGL VZ-400 scanner recreates crime scene in 3D glory

T-Mobile announces Prism for May 6th, only $20 on contract

T-Mobile has announced their latest budget Android handset, the Huawei-made Prism. The phone features a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 3.2MP camera, and 3G connectivity all for the price of $19.99 on a new two-year agreement (and after $50 mail-in rebate). The T-Mobile Prism runs Android 2.3 and is about as entry-level as it gets, but the price is right for those looking for a low-cost path to the smartphone age. The Prism will be available exclusively from Best Buy starting May 6th before reaching Walmart stores on May 9th.

Android Phone, T-Mobile announces Prism for May 6th, only $20 on contract

GM first proposed $3B controlling stake in Isuzu

General Motors initially wanted to buy one-third of Isuzu Motors Ltd, which would give it the right to veto board decisions, but has scaled back how much of the Japanese company it might try to buy, according to a new Reuters report. At current stock prices, GM would have paid more than $3 billion for a controlling share of the truckmaker, which specializes in small trucks and diesel powertrains. GM is now considering buying a 10 percent share, anonymous sources tell Reuters, which would make it the largest single owner of stock in the company.

Autoblog, GM first proposed $3B controlling stake in Isuzu

Nokia 808 PureView rolls out this month (in India and Russia first)

Nokia has announced that its new 808 PureView Belle smartphone is now ready to be released in select markets around the world. The first countries to get the handset (sometime this month) will be India and Russia. Likely the best camera phone made until now, the Nokia 808 PureView features a 41MP Carl Zeiss sensor with pixel oversampling technology, which should allow photos to have "previously unseen levels of details." The handset will come with a suggested retail price of €450 ($590) before taxes and subsidies.

Unwired View, Nokia 808 PureView rolls out this month (in India and Russia first)

STATS: Android 4.0 now on nearly 5% of Android hardware

Google has once again updated its Platform Version data, showing how the Android ecosystem was put together during the two-week period ending May 1st. Google gets these numbers by counting devices that access the Play Store, so it comes with a few caveats about accuracy. But anyway. It was a good month for the various versions of Android 4.0, which is now installed on 4.9% of all Android devices – quite a steep rise from the 2.9% of the market it was powering last month.

Eurodroid, STATS: Android 4.0 now on nearly 5% of Android hardware

Sony unveils its first Ultrabook, the VAIO T13 / T11

Finally escaping its plate glass prison at CES, Sony's unveiled its first Ultrabook, the VAIO T13 and T11. It's set for release next month and currently packing a Sandy Bridge Intel core i3-2367M processor (no 3rd generation processor just yet), within a 323mm frame that weighs in at around 1.6kg for the 13-inch version. Storage is a hybrid of a 320GB HDD and 32GB SSD, hoping to juggle fast start-up times with capacity, while a HD web cam beams out from above the 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) display - no word on the res of the 11-incher.






Engadget, Sony unveils its first Ultrabook, the VAIO T13 / T11

April 2012: Not How It Appears Edition

Industry Had Three Fewer Days To Sell. The sales figures you see above aren't quite what they seem. If you look at just the left column where the battle between green and red cells is almost at a draw, you might think that April 2012 was a step backwards in terms of sales momentum for the auto industry. That column, however, is practically irrelevant this month.

Shift your head a little to the right and read the DSR (Daily Sales Rate) column. That's the important column this month.

Autoblog, April 2012: Not How It Appears Edition

Motorola posts $86 million Q1 loss, tops revenue estimates

. Motorola Mobility on Tuesday reported its financial results for the first quarter. The struggling vendor managed $3.08 billion in sales, narrowly topping Wall Street's $3.03 billion revenue estimates as Motorola continued to work toward the finalization of Google's $12.5 billion acquisition.

Boy Genius Report, Motorola posts $86 million Q1 loss, tops revenue estimates

Parking lot owner's joyride in customer's car caught on film

There are plenty of reasons to steer clear of a cruise. We typically shy away from the idea of cramming ourselves onto a vessel filled to capacity with overweight American tourists, all waiting to descend on some unsuspecting port of call like a scourge of consumerist locusts. Now, we have another reason to pass on the big boats. WFTV discovered a parking lot owner in Cocoa, Florida was taking customer vehicles out for little joy rides. The news crew promptly set up a little sting by renting a red Chevrolet Corvette Convertible and installing a GPS tracker.

Autoblog

See also:
techblog, Parking lot owner's joyride in customer's car caught on film

Barnes & Noble's Nook e-readers getting NFC, says CEO

Now that all of that Microsoft-related news is out in the open, Barnes & Noble's CEO William Lynch is ready to talk about the future. Fortune sat down with him to discuss the deal and what's next for the Nook. The answer to the latter is, at least in part, . The exec talked up plans to begin embedding NFC chips into the readers, offering up a bit of synergy between physical books and their electronic counterparts. Says Lynch:We can work with the publishers so they would ship a copy of each hardcover with an NFC chip embedded with all the editorial reviews they can get on BN.com.

Engadget

See also:
gadgetsblog, Barnes & Noble's Nook e-readers getting NFC, says CEO

Motorola Mobility loses $86 million in Q1, device shipments way down

Well, the first quarter of 2012 is officially over Motorola Mobility, and the financial news is rather sobering for the company. While revenues were up, the climb was modest, to just $3.1 billion. And that small bump in incoming cash was not enough to stave off another quarter of loses. In fact, after losing $80 million in Q4 of 2011, Moto lost $86 million in Q1 of 2012. The company continued to bleed cash in large part because shipments of mobile devices dropped off dramatically. Only 8.9 million devices were shipped in the quarter, down from 10.5 million in the last part of 2011.

Engadget, Motorola Mobility loses $86 million in Q1, device shipments way down

Attop YD-711 Avatar Licensed RC Helicopter Review

Sigh. I love remote control stuff, especially helicopters, but I may well be the worst RC ‘copter pilot ever. I got the cool looking YD-711 2.4GHz 4-channel Avatar licensed RC helicopter from Attop, and broke one of the blades within about 10 minutes of actual flight time. More on that later.
The ‘copter is packed in a rather flimsy display box, but it's well-secured in it. Because of the lightweight nature of the toy, you have to be a little careful detaching it from all the wire ties used.





The Gadgeteer

See also:
hightech2012, Attop YD-711 Avatar Licensed RC Helicopter Review

Inexpensive Nanotube Sensor Measures Ripeness of Fruit

 . As fruit matures, it releases ethylene which is a gas that initiates the ripening process. Once the ripening process begins, more ethylene is released and the process accelerates. Currently produce warehouses that store and ripen fruit make use of gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy systems that cost about $1,200 to measure the levels of ethylene which in turn reveals the ripeness of the fruits in storage.
A scientist from MIT has reportedly been working on something that might change that soon.

Ubergizmo, Inexpensive Nanotube Sensor Measures Ripeness of Fruit

Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 — This May!

Scheduled to be available on May 13 for $199.99, the new Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 runs Andorid 2.3 Gingerbread. This device is suitable for whoever wants to experience the Android ecosystem without the costs of smartphone, yet with style. Featuring a 4.2″ display with WVGA (800×480) resolution, this player is more than enough for enjoying videos, games, and browse the world wild web. Users can also utilize the Bloetooth to connect to other phone and switch the Galaxy Player to act as a high-end headset.


Trendy Gadget, Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 â€" This May!

Washington Post on the verge of buying Digg?

 . Another phase awaits for the popular news aggregator Digg. It appears that Digg is not done yet. The Washington Post is rumored to be on the verge of hiring the tech team of Digg, if not buying the entire company. Unfortunately, the publisher's move is yet to be revealed. There have been reports that Digg's tech team will be working on the publisher's Social Reader Facebook app.

Digg started in 2004 when Kevin Rose founded the social bookmarking site. There have been rumors too that the Post might acquire the whole ship. Digg has been considered by many as one of the sites that has led to the expansion of the web 2.0 era.

Ubergizmo, Washington Post on the verge of buying Digg?

Microvision laser head-up displays projects visual data on windshields

Japan's Pioneer Corporation is planning to release its first head-up display product that will used by the major car makers in Detroit by the year 2016. Pioneer's head-up display is based on Microvision's novel display technology that has the capability to project visual data on windshields and the driver's view of the road. Microvision's displays are more vibrant, compact and efficient – thanks to its image projector that uses semiconductor lasers and a microscopic mirror.

Ubergizmo, Microvision laser head-up displays projects visual data on windshields