Filed under: Networking

This truly may be a world's first: a cable modem you don't feel incredibly pressured to relegate to the rear of your networking stash. Yes friends, that succulent device you see above is Virgin Media's shockingly stunning 50Mbps cable modem, which unsurprisingly relies on DOCSIS 3.0 technology in order to provide such 1337 speeds. It's still not as speedy as Ambit Broadband's channel bonding modem, nor can it hold a candle to whatever Sigbritt Löthberg had going on in Sweden, but 50Mbps isn't anything to sneeze at. No word on pricing just yet (don't worry, you'll pay it), but it should be available for UK-based speed freaks before the year's end.

[Via TrustedReviews]

Virgin Media shows off stylish 50Mbps cable modem originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Transportation

Like it or not California, it's about time you folks ponied up for a serious rail system. With the recent passage of Proposition 1A, the wheels have started to churn on a sophisticated bullet train system that will eventually link San Diego in the south with Sacramento in the north, with stops at most every major city in between (LA and San Francisco included). The 800-mile network of trains would operate at upwards of 220mph and cost around $45 billion to construct, but it'll create 320,000 permanent jobs by 2030 and reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuel by 12.7 million barrels of oil per year. Unfortunately, there's no set time frame for completion just yet, but we wouldn't be surprised to see this one finished before that Anaheim - Las Vegas maglev project even gets off the ground.

[Via BoingBoing]

California high-speed train system to link NorCal and SoCal at 220mph originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Laptops

After toying with our heartstrings for like, ever, Dell finally gathered up the courage to formally introduce its 12-inch netbook late last month. After arriving at the testing facilities of Laptop Mag, critics quickly found a lot to love about the relatively expansive display, "excellent" battery life and spacious keyboard. In all fairness, there really wasn't anything to complain about on the surface; the first kvetching we heard was soon after bootup -- er, a fair while after bootup, we should say. The biggest knock on Dell's Mini 12 was its sluggish performance under Vista, not to mention the lethargic hard drive shoved in there. In sum, critics frankly pointed out that the "Mini 12 doesn't have the right hardware to handle this OS," and recommended holding off for one with WinXP / Ubuntu if you were dead set on the design.

Dell Inspiron Mini 12 reviewed: bigger, not necessarily better originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An engine firing takes India's Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft into orbit around the Moon.

Filed under: Cellphones

AT&T BlackBerry Curve 8900 on eBay, not cheap originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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