Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
Rumors have swirled that Microsoft is developing a high-powered 7-inch gaming tablet dubbed Xbox Surface, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of Microsoft’s homegrown hardware brands. Such a move would change the landscape of Microsoft’s Xbox and portable game initiatives. It would mark a reversal for the company, which has stayed out of the increasingly challenging handheld space in favor of promoting Windows Phone as part of its ecosystem battle. However, it would be in keeping with Steve Ballmer’s promise (or is it OEM warning?) to expect more hardware from Microsoft. As the tablet was partly Apple’s answer to the netbook, it could also be Microsoft’s answer to the PlayStation Vita.
Continue reading Switched On: The time is right for Xbox Surface
Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Microsoft
Switched On: The time is right for Xbox Surface originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Extra information when driving can be useful, but also distracting. Enter BMW‘s new M Performance sport steering wheel — which offers a whole bunch of data and information while letting you keep your eyes (mostly) on the road. Essentially it’s a high-grip Alcantara wheel, with a small OLED display at 12 o’clock, and two LED meters on either side. There are three readout modes: EfficientDynamics, Sport and Race. The former will tell you average fuel consumption, speed as well as oil and water temperature. Sport mode will tell you lateral g-force data (that cleverly remains on the display until you bring the wheel back to its neutral position) while the LED strips provide cues for gear shifts. Like to take things out on the track? Lap times, with section splits, and even a drag-style Christmas tree mode will help you get those times down. How much for this king of steering wheels? A racy $ 1,700. Speed past the break for a video of the goods in action.
Filed under: Transportation
BMW’s Performance sport steering wheel brings vehicle data right to your finger tips (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Nov 2012 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Talk about building up the tension! Yep, our favorite Austrian daredevil is back out on the New Mexico desert, hoping the weather will hold, and he can finally fall into the record books. Don’t forget, you can catch up on Felix Baumgartner’s long journey to Roswell in our project overview, but if you’re just here for the jump, no problem, as you can watch right here too. Currently conditions are looking like they might just go in Baumgartner’s favor, despite some initial concerns about wind levels. But, as we found out earlier in the week, anything can change in an instant. Hold on to your hat (and your breakfast), and hop past the break to watch the events unfold live.
Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull Stratos preparing for next record breaking space jump attempt, watch right here (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Weather may have delayed Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking “space dive” by another (no doubt torturous) 24 hours, but all going well, the wait is almost over. In just over an hour, proceedings will kick off, and you can watch them live, right here. The latest reports indicated that conditions remain favorable, with the team sending a weather balloon up into the stratosphere earlier this morning. The fun begins at 8:30am eastern, but all you need to do is grab a coffee then head past the break for the live feed.
Continue reading Watch Felix Baumgartner’s space dive live right here at 8:30AM ET (video)
Watch Felix Baumgartner’s space dive live right here at 8:30AM ET (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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These are some moon shaped ice cream cakes designed for Häagen-Dazs by Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. Nice try guys, but we all know the moon is made of cream cheese. “You mean green cheese?” Don’t be ridiculous.
The white moon consists of a pistachio biscuit base, layers of macadamia nut ice cream and meringue and a coating of raspberry ice cream. The orange moon has crunchy chocolate at the bottom, layers of nutty ice cream and salted caramel and a coating of vanilla ice cream.
Which moon do you want? I want the white one. Well, I want the REAL one, but I’ll settle for the white ice cream one. “You’ll get nothing and like it.” I’ll get nothing and pout like a child. “I love it when you’re sad and angry — they look good on you.” Yeah? So do bras. I like the lacy ones where you can still see my nips.
Thanks again to chichi, who agrees the best ice cream cakes are shaped like dinosaurs.
Question by : What is the best android from Verizon right now? Was thinking of getting an iphone until I realized it doesn’t have my beloved swype feature. I guess I’ll be upgrading to a better android. Which one is the best one out there right now?
Best answer:
Answer by Daltongalaxy nexus, razr, razr max.
Give your answer to this question below!
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After a ‘fair’ use of YouTube on the Motorola Xoom, the right speaker died and from since it’s producing an horrible sound… Video Rating: 5 / 5
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Microsoft’s Bill Cox, senior director of Windows Phone marketing communications, has reacted to the Samsung vs. Apple verdict today. Moments after the jury awarded $ 1.05 billion in damages to Apple for Samsung’s violation of various software, hardware design patents, and trade-dress dilution, Cox tweeted that “Windows Phone is looking gooooood right now.”
Windows Phone is looking gooooood right now.
— Bill Cox (@billcox) August 24, 2012
Samsung failed to win any damages from its Apple patent counter-suit after the jury determined that no monetary damages are owed for its claims. Samsung had claimed that Apple violated five patents with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and others. Today’s verdict is a big win for Apple, although the…
Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference opens up tomorrow, with Tim Cook taking the stage at 10AM PT to deliver what’ll have to be… well, some fairly important company news. He asked us back in March to look forward to more in 2012, and if the deluge of rumors is indication of what’s to come, this could very well be the most monumental WWDC in recent memory. Or, you know, maybe we’ll just hear that iOS 6 is indeed coming after iOS 5. Our own Tim Stevens and Darren Murph will be on hand at Moscone West in San Francisco to bring you second-by-second coverage, and if you’re looking for a bookmark, you can return here tomorrow to catch the liveblog. We’ll also be broadcasting live outside of the venue (sorry, Apple won’t allow video streaming from within!) before and after the fireworks, so be sure to keep it locked for a full day’s worth of mayhem.
P.S. – Toss your best guesses on what’s coming in comments below!
Gallery: Apple WWDC 2012 at Moscone West in San Francisco, California
Apple’s WWDC 2012 keynote is tomorrow — get your liveblog right here! originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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