Gadgets Control

Posted Mar 26th 2008 4:48PM by Ryan BlockFiled under: Transportation Sometimes even the plugged-in Engadget reader needs to pick up and head out for more relaxing climes. Well, for our fourth birthday this month we’re treating six lucky people to two round trip tickets destined for anywhere Virgin America flies. We wouldn’t want you traveling in something that doesn’t have power, network, and a seatback terminal, though, so you don’t have to sweat about completely unplugging to get from point A to point B. Check out the rules below, and good luck! Leave a comment below. It is in honor of our fourth birthday, after all, so we wouldn’t mind a bit of adulation — but it’s up to you. (Read the full post about ‘Happy birthday: take a trip in America’s largest flying gadget (part 4)’…)

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Ah, Honeywell, thank you for the gift of hovering spy drones so we can always have someone to watch over us. Yes, that image you see isn’t a prop from a 1984 movie (which would still be timely, by the way), but a spy drone that can fly a 100 waypoint flight plan at 57 MPH, at a 10,500 foot altitude. Apparently, these Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) are already in place over Iraq and Afghanistan, which are hopefully watching out for enemies. They are waiting for FAA permission to be used here in American soil. According to Reuters, the Miami-Dade police department hopes to deploy these MAV guys “soon”. I was kind of hoping that we would see these flying eyes later rather than sooner, honestly. (Read the full post about ‘Micro Air Vehicles from Honeywell may be Dispatched Soon’…)

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Posted Mar 26th 2008 9:36AM by Thomas RickerFiled under: GPS, Household, Portable Audio, Portable Video Motorola just announced a new portable DVB-H TV to followup its DH01. The name? DH02, of course. The new mobile TV now features a GPS receiver and Tele Atlas maps, an HSDPA / GPRS back-channel for interactive media, and new “auto-flip” portrait to landscape (presumably via accelerometer) touch-screen display of unspecified dimensions. The UI takes advantage of the touch-screen with an “intuitive click, drag, and scroll” navigation. Moto does call the WQVGA display high-resolution — which is anything but high if the DH02 carries the same 4.3-inch display of the DH01. (Read the full post about ‘Motorola’s DH02 mobile TV with PVR gains GPS and HSDPA, loses R’…)

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Posted Mar 26th 2008 9:59AM by Darren MurphFiled under: Robots We didn’t even flinch when we heard that hovering drones employed by Big Brother were going to work in the UK, but somehow those buggers have managed to wander over to America’s east coast. Granted, the pilotless drones — crafted with good intentions by Honeywell — that are slated to report in to the Miami-Dade police department aren’t exactly the same, but they are expected to be used for similar duties. (Read the full post about ‘Hovering drone could report for work at Miami-Dade police station’…)

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Posted Mar 26th 2008 12:52PM by Darren MurphFiled under: HDTV, Home EntertainmentIn a somewhat perplexing (okay, maybe not so much) release from Verizon, it is essentially crawling to the FCC and begging that it assist the telco in bolstering its own market share. How so? By enabling cable subscribers to jump ship without even notifying their cable company, that’s how. More specifically, it’s seeking to banish “a significant obstacle to consumer choice and competition in the market for bundled communications services” by allowing disconnect orders from the new provider (read: Verizon) to take the place of, you know, the customer calling up their carrier and shutting things down. (Read the full post about ‘Verizon whines to FCC: make it easier for us to gain market share’…)

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PowerPage reviews the LG Voyager and writes, “The camera quality is decent. Having the ability to capture video is very cool. The camera application also offers plenty of options that the iphone lacks. However, the quality still doesn’t come close to my super-old Canon S200 (2 megapixel) camera.” Read more about the LG Voyager. Tags: computers, video games, TV, gps (Read the full post about ‘LG Voyager Review - PowerPage’…)

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Anyone know what this thing is? Here is KityKity’s description: This is not a mouse. But sometimes I forget and grab it. I have no idea what this thing is and I’m intrigued. Anyone out there have an idea? Tags: cable, cool gear, PDA, wi-fi (Read the full post about ‘What IS it?’…)

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When it comes to essential tools for computer workers, very few things outrank the importance of a good chair. We spend a lot of time talking about monitors and ergonomic keyboards, but when it comes to overall health and comfort, the right seating can make a tremendous difference. If you haven’t done your research you might think that a $50 faux-leather chair from Staples is what you are looking for, but if you are spending 40+ hours a week sitting in front of your computer then it is well worth it to invest in a high performance model. Awhile back we had a chance to check out the Knoll Life Chair and now we are going to follow that up with this look at the Haworth Zody. (Read the full post about ‘Review: Haworth Zody Chair’…)

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This webcam is modeled after a robot-like persona holding a ball of your choice (choose from a basketball, a soccer ball, a baseball or a pigskin) in it’s left hand, bringing a 1.3 megapixel video sensor, a 300k camera resolution and an integrated microphone to your desktop. With the help of flexible arms and legs, mounting this webcam will be a snap. Unfortunately, there is no word on pricing and availability as at press time. Tags: electronic toys, sat-nav, mobile phone, gear (Read the full post about ‘MPC-095 Sporty Webcam’…)

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A quiet buzz is going around this morning after word of iphone shortages are cropping up in NYC Apple stores.  Some sites are questioning if this is the sell-down prior to intro of the iPhone 2.0, as this method is right out of the Apple play book.  We see it with just about every ipod introduction. The buzz builds with Digg founder Kevin Rose predicting iPhone 2.0 will have GPS and dual cameras.  Hmmm, his predictions have not always come to fruition.  Could a surprise introduction be happening next Tuesday? I don’t buy it.  Apple isn’t dumb.  While AT&T stores still have inventory, Apple wouldn’t give the outward appearance that the iPhone 2 is imminent, threating sales (Read the full post about ‘Breaking: iPhone 2.0 “on the water”?’…)

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