If you’re one of the trendy hipsters driving a Smart Fortwo, here’s another way of pimping up your ride: Daimler has announced a Q2 2010 launch for its Smart Drive kit for the iPhone. As pictured above, the kit consists of a cradle for handsfree communication plus charging, and an app that “combines all the features needed on the road” by the means of “extra-large buttons and extra-large letters.” You’ll get access to your usual music library (plus Internet radio), contacts, phone functions and map by Daimler (points-of-interest data from Microsoft Bing). There’s also the handy “Assist” feature that can automatically mark your parking location when undocked, and can provide GPS coordinates to the Smart hotline for roadside assistance. What’s more, Daimler’s currently working on a camera for this kit that can identify speed limit signs, and can then warn you if you’re speeding. Want it? You’ll need to fork out a dear €240 ($326) for the cradle (which may or may not be necessary), then a one-off €9.99 ($14) for the app, and finally the optional annual €49.99 ($68) for on-board European and US maps plus live traffic data. We’ll reconsider if the app can also start our car.
[Thanks, Jason]
Daimler’s Smart Drive kit for iPhone gives you big buttons, a dent in your wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve seen the hacker-friendly, Bluetooth-based Wiimote used for so many purposes by now that it’s hard to get excited about just any amalgamation of accelerometer-based fun. Patrick Flanagan’s ‘Jazari’ project breaks past the yawn factor with a veritable museum’s worth of robotic instruments, which are all controlled from a pair of Wiimotes and some rather intelligent software. It all seems a little too complicated to be live-controlled, but as Patrick himself explains in true music nerd detail, there’s pretty much a button or a twist or a tilt behind every bit of the wild djembe, bongo and cowbell stylings that make up Jazari’s “steamfunk” (his term) music. Check out both videos after the break.
Continue reading Wiimote-controlled ‘Jazari’ robot percussion takes us back to our tribal, Nintendo-hacking roots
Wiimote-controlled ‘Jazari’ robot percussion takes us back to our tribal, Nintendo-hacking roots originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Hey, didja hear the news? PMA is just about upon us, giving all the camera makers a perfect opportunity to refresh their lineup. In no particular order, here’s what Samsung is providing, all set for a Spring 2010 release:
- New HMX-U15 ($230) and HMX-U20 ($250) 1080p HD pocket camcorders shoot H.264 and feature HDMI out, image stabilization, a 2-inch LCD, and some simple edit options. The U20 also throws in a 3x optical zoom and 10 megapixel stills, while the U15 instead takes 14 megapixel stills.
- The TL500 is a 10 megapixel camera with 24mm ultra-wide angle lens with an articulating three-inch AMOLED display, perfect for spying around the corner. It supports RAW format, shoots VGA video, and is due out for a hair less than $450.
- The 10 megapixel TL350 claims 1080p HD video recording with a maximum speed of up to 1,000 frames per second — which invariably drops the video resolution to 138 x 78, but hey, sacrifices must be made. The three-inch AMOLED display and look for it set you back about $350.
- A pair of 12 megapixel point-and-shoots for the lower end, the waterproof AQ100 ($200) and the “scratch resistant” SL605 ($130), both with 2.7-inch LCDs and 5x optical zoom. The former shoots video in 720p and the latter just VGA.
Plethora of pressers after the break, and we’ll be catching our flight to Anaheim shortly to give hands on impressions and take pictures of cameras that’ll put our DSLRs to absolute shame.
Continue reading Samsung’s PMA gifts: HD pocket camcorders, point-and-shoots with AMOLED screens
Samsung’s PMA gifts: HD pocket camcorders, point-and-shoots with AMOLED screens originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Some supposed Nokia X10 “release documents” have been caught on video and are now making their presumably illicit way around the web. Of course, this would be pretty trivial to fake, so do please put on your skepticism pants before reading further. The docs detail a QWERTY sliders handset dubbed the X10, a seeming followup to Nokia’s capacitive-equipped X6, but which runs Symbian S^3. In fact, it claims to be the first phone to do so, with a ARM Cortex A8 600MHz processor to help it out in such a mission, along with 256MB of RAM, 32GB or 16GB of internal storage and a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. The 5 megapixel camera listed is a far cry from the 12 megapixel N87 flagship that Nokia’s said to be prepping for this new OS, but we’re happy to see a front-facing camera for 15 fps video calls. Don’t believe a word of it? We hardly blame you, and you can check out the video for yourself after the break to confirm or allay your suspicions.
Continue reading Nokia X10 Symbian S^3 QWERTY slider revealed in leaked documentation?
Nokia X10 Symbian S^3 QWERTY slider revealed in leaked documentation? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remember the Pennsylvania school district that was accused of remotely flipping on the webcams of students’ laptops? As if the civil suit filed on behalf of those students wasn’t going to be enough trouble for the Lower Merion representatives, now it seems the FBI wants to know just what’s going on, launching an investigation into the practice. For its part the district said that it remotely activated the cams 42 times, and that it only did so with the bestest of intentions: when trying to locate a missing laptop. It would also like to point out that only two employees had the power to flip the switch, and that they only captured images — never sound. Because, you know, surreptitiously watching your kids is so much less menacing when there’s no audio involved.
Spying school district update: turned on webcams 42 times, FBI isn’t sure that’s legal originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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