Pininfarina’s stunning tree-shaped Antares EV charging station should be more than a prototype
Despite being first showcased in May, Pininfarina’s Antares has just slipped across our desks — and frankly, it’s a concept too gorgeous for us not to share. The beautiful tree-like structure — comprised of steel and aluminum — supports 20 photovoltaic cells, which the Italians reckon can produce up to 4.6 kilowatts, or just about enough juice to top up two fifty-mile range EVs. That’s the plan anyway; we’ll supposedly know more later this year, but given Pininfarina’s past EV efforts, maybe not. Either way, consider this our formal pre-order request for two — they’d look perfect right outside Engadget HQ.
Pininfarina’s stunning tree-shaped Antares EV charging station should be more than a prototype originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Leave a commentD-Link MainStage WiDi 2.0 adapter puts your laptop on the TV, is less dangerous than it sounds
It was only a matter of time before D-Link entered the WiDi fray. Even though Intel is pushing manufacturers to pack the wireless display tech into practically every laptop (and even a few tablets), options for actually getting that feed on your TV have been scarce. The decidedly nondescript MainStage adapter gives you at least one more choice and, since it boasts WiDi 2.0, you can beam 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound to your home theater from up to 33 feet away — all while you continue to browse and chat on the small screen. You can find them now in all the usual places (Newegg, Best Buy, Amazon, etc…) for $129.99, but our neighbors to the north in Canada will have to wait till July to get their hockey-loving mittens on one. Check out the PR after the break.
D-Link MainStage WiDi 2.0 adapter puts your laptop on the TV, is less dangerous than it sounds originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 23:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Nokia: iDoalotmore talking about Symbian than a zombie OS deserves
When you’ve got an OS in the final throes of life, your choices for stimulating interest are a little limited. Having exhausted the usual avenues of introducing pink and gold-plated versions of its older phones, Nokia is now resorting to the mobile industry’s standby marketing crutch: poking fun at Apple. Its latest ad campaign in India features the tagline iDoalotmore, which takes a rather overt shot at Apple’s iPhone and general tendency to preface its wares with an “i.” Sadly, there are no spec-for-spec smackdowns over on the accompanying promo site, but you can learn all about Symbian’s excellent features and radically new rounded icons. Or are they iCons now?
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Nokia: iDoalotmore talking about Symbian than a zombie OS deserves originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 May 2011 08:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Leave a commentFujitsu to launch 7-inch Android tablet later this year, might be priced lower than $400
Fresh off the Japanese launch of its LifeBook TH40/D Windows 7 tablet, it appears that Fujitsu is gearing up to release a new seven-inch Android slate. According to DigiTimes, Fujitsu’s forthcoming slab is scheduled to hit the market during the third quarter of this year and will run on Android 3.1 Honeycomb. It’s unclear whether or not the device will sport the same stylus support and sliding keyboard that its Windows 7 counterpart features, but Fujitsu is reportedly planning on selling the tablet for anywhere between about $350 and $700, which effectively ranges from “bargain” to “blimey.” We’re certainly hoping that the final price falls on the low end of that spectrum, but we’ll have to wait and see if our dreams become a reality.
Fujitsu to launch 7-inch Android tablet later this year, might be priced lower than $400 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 May 2011 12:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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World Bank report finds selling virtual goods in games more profitable than ‘real’ economy
A report commissioned by the World Bank’s infoDev unit has cast fresh light on one of the more fascinating aspects of our brave new interconnected world: the virtual economy. The “third-party gaming services industry” — where wealthy but impatient players have someone else grind away at online games for them in exchange for monetary reward — is one of the focal points of the study, chiefly owing to it having generated revenues in the region of $3 billion in 2009 and now serving as the primary source of income for an estimated 100,000 young folks, primarily in countries like China and Vietnam. What’s encouraging about these findings is that most of the revenue from such transactions ends up in the country where the virtual value is produced, which contrasts starkly with some of the more traditional international markets, such as that for coffee beans, where the study estimates only $5.5 billion of the $70 billion annual market value ever makes it back to the producing country. The research also takes an intriguing look at the emerging phenomenon of microwork, which consists of having unskilled workers doing the web’s version of menial work — checking images, transcribing bits of text, bumping up Facebook Likes (naughty!), etc. — and could also lead to more employment opportunities for people in poorer nations. To get better acquainted with the details, check the links below or click past the break.
World Bank report finds selling virtual goods in games more profitable than ‘real’ economy originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Apr 2011 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Disney Junior, more Flexible than Disney Senior
This coming February Disney is introducing a new channel and programming block, called Disney Junior, that will replace SOAPnet and Playhouse Disney, respectively. Playhouse Disney currently airs through the main Disney Channel and is aimed at the preschool range of kids, typically 2 – 5. Disney Junior will keep airing through the Disney Channel and expand its audience to include 7-year-olds and new content. Playhouse Disney also operates as a full channel in more than twenty markets overseas. SOAPnet is a channel about soap operas so… um, yeah, it makes perfect sense for people that watch soap operas to be rewarded with a new kids channel. (I’m guessing they don’t give away cable channels like toothpicks at a restaurant so Disney is probably using its cable real estate to reshuffle). Anyway, Disney Junior will carry favorites like Handy Manny and Special Agent Oso. Announced back in May of 2010, Disney Junior presented its new identity in late October of 2010.
As you can see, the new logo can take on all kinds of personalities from characters of Disney Junior’s programming and it does it without being obvious or pandering to its audience. Kids (and parents) will recognize the spots of the dalmatians, the stylings of Handy Manny, and even subtler cues like Donald Duck’s bow tie. It doesn’t have to put the literal images right then and there. Even without the different costumes the logo is an effective, chunky, tightly letterspaced logo. If I have one complaint it would be whatever is happening between Disney’s “D” and Junior’s “J”, where the counterspace of the “D” blocks the “J.” I assume it created some visual clutter, but it just looks odd to this logo blogger. Nonetheless, a very nice and appropriate identity. A video of the animated logos above can be seen here.
Thanks to Josh Myers for the tip.
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Mophie Juice Pack Plus ‘more than doubles’ iPhone 4 battery life
Fan of the original 1,500mAh Mophie Juice pack for the iPhone 4? Sure, we certainly were when we reviewed it a few months back. So let us introduce you to the new Mophie Juice Pack Plus featuring a bigger 2,000mAh battery that more than doubles the life of Apple’s non-removable iPhone 4 battery. Unfortunately, the extra oomph bumps the price from $79.95 to $99.95 and adds another 1mm of bulk to the pack — not that a minor size bump should matter too much when you’re already strapping your svelte phone to a battery sled. It’s available now in black with yellow, Engadget Mobile magenta, and classic Engadget cyan coming soon.
Continue reading Mophie Juice Pack Plus ‘more than doubles’ iPhone 4 battery life
Mophie Juice Pack Plus ‘more than doubles’ iPhone 4 battery life originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 04:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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HTC Mondrian render teases AT& U-verse Mobile for Windows Phone 7, looks fatter than last time
Not that the connection between AT&T and HTC’s Mondrian WP7 handset was under much doubt anymore, but here’s the first image purporting to show the carrier-branded version of the device. The render is provided by 911sniper, whose long and distinguished record of leaking legit HTC ROMs leads us to believe it is indeed the real deal. It’s curious then to juxtapose the somewhat bulky Mondrian on show here against the press imagery recently unearthed by BestBoyZ — are we still looking at the same device? Our eyeball geometry would suggest not. Anyway, there’s not too long left to go until Microsoft tidies this alphabet soup of codenames up for us, and until then we suggest just enjoying that tantalizing tile titled AT&T U-verse Mobile.
[Thanks, Kamal]
HTC Mondrian render teases AT& U-verse Mobile for Windows Phone 7, looks fatter than last time originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 06:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Two Triangles are Better than One
The Dutch public broadcasting organization VPRO (an acronym that translates into “Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcasting Company”) started its life in 1926 as a religious radio broadcaster. Over the years it became more liberal and less religious until, in the sixties, it planted itself firmly in the avant-garde by being the first television broadcaster showing a nude woman on national television. Since then the VPRO never left its nonconformist role, with slight stubbornness purposefully choosing those programs, topics and formats that the other broadcasting companies passed over. Although not well known outside of the Netherlands, the VPRO is the real deal. It continuously airs intelligent, cultural and quirky programs, the stuff that makes TV interesting.
So the recent redesign of their 29-year-old logo predictably caused a stir, being one on those projects that every designer in the Netherlands will have an opinion about. Amsterdam based graphic design agency Thonik had the honor and, as far as I am concerned, they did a good job of updating the old logo with a fresh new wordmark.
That the VPRO opted for a visual continuation of the old logo, feels a bit like a missed opportunity however. Their viewers being almost by default an audience that can appreciate ground-breaking new directions.
“vpro” is now set in lowercase, but some equity is maintained by keeping the triangle… heck, they even doubled it. The triangles and centers of the “p” and “o” are used to play a formalistic game of shape and color, creating a seemingly unlimited number of possible marks. With inventive use of just these few elements a playful extension of the style is possible.
Show reel with previews on program indents.
I like that the new identity is colorful and vibrant, and has enough “weirdness” to fit with VPRO as a brand. There are some minor points like the circle of the “p” not being the same as the “o,” something that is shown in the explanation of the logo, but seems to have been abandoned later.
More pressing is that the idents for the programs (a sneak peak can be seen after 0:24 in the show reel above) do not seem to benefit from the outspoken flatness that works so well for the logo and printed matter. They feel a little too simplistic to do justice to the in-depth and imaginative programming of the VPRO. Although this flatness is somewhat of a statement in a media landscape of flashy, rotating 3d logos, it is not a new one after Max Kisman’s iconic, 8-bit like idents for the same broadcaster in the 1990s. That being said, these are sneak peaks so a final judgement might best be saved for the future.
On its own, this new identity definitely passes muster, only question that remains is why the choice was made to update the logo instead of creating something new altogether. If there was ever a client to push the envelope, this would have been the one.
The logo in action on existing program guide covers.
Titles for Dorst, an online youth magazine of VPRO, set in the bespoke typeface created by Bold Monday (sample below).
Images via Fontanel.
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Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 to hit US for less than $300 unlocked, we go hands-on
Last time we heard of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X8 it was crawling around the FCC, but last night we found the little thing in a more welcoming, though equally as judgmental place — our hands. Formerly codenamed the “Shakira,” we were hoping the Android phone would be a bit more modern and slim, but sadly that’s just not the reality of the rather chunky smartphone. Just like its X10 Mini and Mini Pro siblings, the 3-inch handset runs Android 1.6 with Sony’s rather-deep custom skin — a Sony rep on hand told us there would be an upgrade to 2.1 sometime in Q4. That seems a bit late, but there’s no doubt that the X8 is a lower-end phone with its 3.2 megapixel cam and 600MHz CPU. The X8 we saw was wearing a white cover, though were also told there would be other interchangeable cover options available when it hits the market soon. Other than that we found the prototype (it was clearly marked that!) to be rather responsive and the UI to be quite intuitive, however the onscreen keyboard was extremely cramped for typing a URL into the browser. In comparison to the hoards of powerful Android smartphones we’ve seen in the last month or so, the X8 is certainly lackluster, but the little thing may just be an affordable unlocked choice when it hits the US for less than $300 soon.
Gallery: Sony Ericsson Xperia X8
Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 to hit US for less than $300 unlocked, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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