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Researchers at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Electronic Nano Systems ENAS in Chemnitz led by Prof. Dr. Reinhard Baumann have unveiled tiny, printable batteries that they hope to put into production for pennies apiece. The new battery prototype is primarily composed of a zinc anode and a manganese cathode that can be screen printed and covered with a non-printed template cover. Each mercury-free battery weighs less than one gram, and can individually produce about 1.5 volts of electricity. By placing several batteries side by side, however, up to 6 volts can be generated. The institute has already produced these little power houses in the lab, and hopes to see them into production by the end of the year. The batteries have a relatively short lifespan, making them suitable for applications such as powering greeting cards. All we can say is that this battery would have made the card we got two years ago that sang “Word Up” much, much awesomer.

[Via Physorg]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Tiny, printable batteries promise to change the face of obnoxious greeting cards forever originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s on-again, off-again deal with China Unicom to officially bring the iPhone to China may still be up in the air, but it looks like it could now also be facing some trademark issues that could potentially further hold up its release. Apparently, China’s Hanwang Technology owns the trademark for “i-phone” in the country, which could force Apple to make a deal with ‘em before it enters the market (sound familiar?). Interestingly, Apple does actually own an “iPhone” trademark in China, but it apparently only covers computer hardware and software, while Hanwang’s trademark covers mobile phones. According to Hanwang, however, the two aren’t actually in talks just yet, and it’s not saying what it plans to do if Apple decides to go crazy and announce a move into China without its blessing.

[Via mocoNews.net]

Filed under: Cellphones

iPhone facing potential trademark issues in China? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has won an all-out “bidding war” over the film rights to Atari’s classic Asteroids video game. We’re not entirely sure who all was involved in this “war,” but the conflict couldn’t possibly be prompted over the universal themes tackled by the story of the plucky little triangular spaceship and the asteroid field it inhabits. As the Reporter, um, reports: “As opposed to today’s games, there is no story line or fancy world-building mythology.” Michael Bay is rumored to be very interested in directing.

[Via George Ruiz]

Filed under: Gaming

‘Asteroids’ heading towards the big screen? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, it’s no secret that plenty of folks have been talking about a UMD-less PSP since day one, but it looks like that’s been the case behind the scenes at Sony as well, at least according to the company’s head of product planning, Naoya Matsui. Speaking with GameBusiness.jp, he said that Sony has “planned to release a PSP model without a UMD drive since the very beginning,” but that if “we’d simply released the hardware, there wouldn’t have been much for everyone to enjoy,” adding that Sony “needed to prepare the right environment for it first - things like the transferal of content with the PS3 and PSN, and PC software to manage content like music and movies such as Media Go.” Matsui further went on to explain that Sony also had to wait until the “delivery of digital content was on par with the delivery of physical media,” which it obviously thinks has now finally happened.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony exec says UMD-less PSP was “always the plan” originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Somehow or another, D-Link managed to combine a NAS, digital photo frame, secondary display and 802.11n router into a single device, and when the Xtreme N DIR-685 Storage Router was announced way back at CES this year, we were certainly interested to see how such a conglomerate would go over. At long last, the do-it-all wireless router is finally making its way out to the public at large, and with an MSRP of $299.99 (sans any internal HDD space), it’s definitely one of the pricier routers out there. We’ve taken this strikingly unique device into our lairs for a few days of testing, and if you’re interested in seeing if this bad boy is worth the price of admission, you’ll need to follow us past the break.

Gallery: D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on

Continue reading D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on and impressions

Filed under: Displays, Storage, Networking

D-Link’s Xtreme N DIR-685 storage router hands-on and impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you need a flash drive or USB hub there are many useful and, more to the point, tasteful options out there. But if you want to saddle a hapless co-worker or relative with a silly, embarrassing, or just plain crapulant gag gift suitable for the current technological moment? Look no further than the following assortment of crapgadgets. Your illustrious Engadget eds have hand-picked a wonderful assortment of devices tailor-made to evoke awkward responses at office birthday parties and the like. So, without further ado…

Read - No Green Thumb Required: USB Fever 4-Port Flower Pot Hub
Read - USB Airplane Hub with built-in fan
Read - Robot USB Drives would make a cute gift
Read - USB Artillery Hub
Read - USB Octopus Hub

View Poll

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Crapgadget: ‘Gee… thanks?’ edition originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given the hype surrounding Apple’s iPhone, we’re actually surprised that we haven’t seen more holes to plug over the years. In fact, the last major iPhone exploit to take the world by storm happened right around this time two years ago, and now — thanks to OS X security expert Charlie Miller — we’re seeing yet another come to light. Over at the SyScan conference in Singapore, Mr. Miller disclosed a hole that would let attackers “run software code on the phone that is sent by SMS over a mobile operator’s network in order to monitor the location of the phone using GPS, turn on the phone’s microphone to eavesdrop on conversations, or make the phone join a distributed denial of service attack or a botnet.” Charlie’s planning to detail the vulnerability in full at the upcoming Black Hat conference, but Apple’s hoping to have it all patched up by the end of this month.

[Via HotHardware]

Filed under: Cellphones

Apple patching nasty iPhone SMS vulnerability originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Few details were available when Archos announced its new lineup of PMPs last month, but today we can provide you with fuller specs and news of imminent UK availability. The new flagship model, 3 Vision, comes with a 3-inch touchscreen, 8GB of storage, microSDHC card slot, video playback, and a few less significant features like a voice recorder, calendar, stopwatch and an FM transmitter for streaming music to your Hi-Fi. Positioned as a direct competitor to the iPod touch, the new Archos will cost nearly half as much at £90 ($148). Other models detailed today include the 2 Vision — a 1.8-inch version of the foregoing that loses video playback but gains a 16GB option likely to be priced at £50 ($82) — and the Archos Clipper, a 2GB no-frills player priced at £20 ($32). For those looking to get a head start on everyone else, the 8GB 2 Vision is already available through Archos’ online store for £40 ($65).

[Via Pocket-lint]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Archos Vision PMPs get UK pricing, August release originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alright, so you know the drill by now. A patent application doesn’t necessarily mean an actual product is on the way — but it’s always fun to speculate, right? And this latest trio of applications from Apple certainly provides plenty of speculation fodder. The most notable of the lot is an application for a “multi-touch display screen with localized tactile feedback,” which Apple seems to be at least considering as a possibility for the iPhone (or iPod touch). Like some similar systems, Apple’s application covers a screen that uses a grid of piezoelectric actuators that can be activated at will to provide vibrational feedback when you touch the screen. Apple even goes so far as to use a virtual click wheel on an iPhone as an example. Other patent applications include a fairly self-explanatory RFID reader embedded in a touch screen, and a fingerprint identification system that could not only be used for security, but to identify individual fingers as an input method — for instance, letting you use your index finger for play/stop and your middle finger to fast forward.

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds

Apple patent applications offer glimpses of haptic screens, RFID readers, fingerprint ID originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got an 8GB Lexar Retrax on offer. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Big thanks to Lexar for providing the gear!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Lexar Retrax.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Thursday, July, 2nd, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Filed under: Announcements

Engadget’s recession antidote: win an 8GB Lexar Retrax! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that guy who uber-hacked his Eee PC with a GPS, Bluetooth, draft-n WiFi, FM transmitter, SDHC card reader, modem, USB hub, 2GB RAM? Well, we got one more for him. This enterprising gentleman, fed up with suffering through the three-finger scroll of his Eee PC 901, integrated the trackball of his Apple Mighty Mouse into the netbook’s palm rest. Of course, this took some time and effort: in the end, the trackball leads had to be unsoldered from the mainboard, the trackball itself soldered to the mainboard, and the whole shebang installed under the surface of the netbook itself. But you know what? It works. That is, until the Mighty Mouse itself craps out — as they have been known to do. Still, it’s all in a day’s work for a heroic modder. Right? Hit that read link for the step-by-step, but not before you peep the vid after the break.

Continue reading Shadowy modder gives Eee PC a risky back alley trackball implant

Filed under: Laptops

Shadowy modder gives Eee PC a risky back alley trackball implant originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everybody’s favorite fuzzy little Apple clone maker is back from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (we’re still waiting on that revelatory outing of creditors that Apple is so hungry for), and already has a new product in the offering. Psystar’s new Open(7) hardware runs Intel Nehalem Xeon, which should provide a nice performance jolt to hackintosh land. Psystar is also going to start using a new bootloader called Darwin Universal Boot Loader, which will eventually be released to open source. Oh, and just in case you were wondering: a little bit of bankruptcy hasn’t softened the company’s confrontational spirit: Psystar says it’s ready to “emerge and again battle Goliath,” and that when “life gives you apples, make applesauce.” It’s kind of cute, really.

[Via TUAW]

Filed under: Desktops

Psystar bounces back from Chapter 11, intros new high-end hardware originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No mention was made of a Hero with 3G that’d work on Rogers or AT&T back at its announcement a few days ago, but HTC has been getting awfully good at making phones that work properly around these parts — so we can’t say we’re entirely surprised to see a Hero approved for WCDMA on Bands II and V gracing the FCC today. For the record, Bands II and V are 1900 and 850MHz, respectively, which is exactly the combo AT&T subscribers would need to flip the switch on high-speed data. We’re not sure if this negates rumors that the Hero would be coming to Sprint, but if we can just get this version released and in our hands, you know… maybe our minds would be operating with a little more clarity.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

HTC Hero hits FCC with US 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Knitting is one of those acquired crafting skills we just never fully warmed up to. We’ll embroider, crochet, or quilt until the sun sets for the last time on the day of the apocalypse, but knitting is just so… boring sometimes. Luckily, ingenious artist Merel Karhof has a solution for the monotony of the knit - purl - knit - purl routine. She’s designed and invented a machine that knits all on its own, harnessing the ever-present power of the wind. Called the Wind Knitting Factory, the automatic knitting machine itself looks like a cross between an old-timey coffee grinder and a medieval torture device (which we like about it very much), and knits a scarf in about two hours. This isn’t likely to be the type of thing that every hits the retail market, but we’ll tell you this: if it did, we’d be first in line. Hit the read links for video, more photos, and an explanation of the machine’s design.

Read - Merel Karhof’s blog
Read - Show RCA Wind Knitting Factory

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Wind powered knitting machine takes the tedium out of your heirloom production originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, we’re all been-there-done-that with portable SNESs these days, but we’ve never seen it done like this. Marshall posted his creation, dubbed the “SUPERTENDO,” to Ben Heck’s forums, which seems to imply (along with the looks) that he took some queues from similar designs already floating around those parts. What really sets this one apart, however, is the vacuum-formed chassis and the instant “make me an offer” move to a sale — being owned by a major faceless media conglomerate ourselves, we like to see a guy who’s out for a buck. A quick hands-on Video is after the break.

[Via benheck.com]

Continue reading SUPERTENDO portable SNES hack elevates an artform to something impressively commercial

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

SUPERTENDO portable SNES hack elevates an artform to something impressively commercial originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now here’s a way to make us show up for the previews. O2 has evidently figured out that getting moviegoers involved in the action is a good way to get more fundaments in seats, and starting next week, the first in-cinema interactive 3D game will be rolled out in 20 Vue theaters around the UK. The title, dubbed Asteroid Storm, will rely on two overhead cameras that recognize hand raises down below. In short, moviegoers simply move their hands to direct a damaged spaceship out of an asteroid belt, but there’s no word on whether or not “everyone’s a winner.” Here’s hoping not, chumps.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

UK moviegoers treated to industry’s first interactive 3D game originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh sure, we’ve seen countless drum machine hacks over the years, but there’s just something special about one that’s so simple, yet so fulfilling. D-Touch is hailed as a visual markers recognition system “that enables the development of low-cost tangible user interfaces and mixed reality applications,” and here, we’re seeing it used to create movable sounds. Users simply print out the cubes, fold ‘em up, add lentils and arrange them on the highly sophisticated A4 sheet of paper. We get the feeling this one won’t cost you much to replicate, so why not hit the read link for more instructions after digging into the vid just beyond the break?

[Via Engadget German]

Continue reading Video: D-Touch drum machine keeps heads, hands bobbing

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Video: D-Touch drum machine keeps heads, hands bobbing originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s a fact: the world really doesn’t need another mildly tweaked Aura. Sorry, it just doesn’t. That being true and all, we’re still pretty jazzed to see Motorola giving the ultra-luxurious handset another go with the moon-themed Celestial Edition. Word on the street has it that this here handset won’t deviate much from the predecessor, but it will come pre-loaded with multimedia from the original moon landing mission, a laser etched quote honoring the 40th anniversary of the journey and a price tag that’s far, far beyond stratospheric. We’re told that it’s all set to go on sale next month, but good luck finding one.

[Via phoneArena]

Filed under: Cellphones

Motorola’s Aura Celestial Edition soon taking “giant leaps” for “mankind” originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the original Sputnik burnt out after only 3 months in orbit, here’s an homage that promises to be rather more resilient. IDEA, Japan’s answer to you know who, is offering a 30cm tall (11.8-inches) self-sufficient ambient light that pretty much does its own thing. Integrated sensors detect when the light should be on, while inconveniences like power cords and on/off switches are completely done away with. The light’s batteries are recharged by the sun at a rate of 2 to 5 hours sunlight for 8 hours operation, while its waterproof design means it can be dumped outside to collect rays during the day and even provide garden lighting at night. It’s quirky, to be sure, but the obvious design cues taken from the Russian satellite should make true geeks smile with glee. You can find a gallery of the various color choices courtesy of Engadget Japanese below, and if you’re passing by the land of the rising sun later this month you can snap up your very own solar light ball for ¥1575 ($16).

[Via Engadget Japanese]

Filed under: Household

IDEA’s Solar lamp glows like a Sputnik heatshield originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, well, there it is. The world’s first and only Snapdragon phone available for retail, Toshiba’s TG01, is up and dancing on Orange’s UK site with a “coming soon” badge. Soon meaning the July 9th London press event, presumably, where this 9.9-mm slate running WinMo on a 4.1-inch 800×480 pixel display should get a shove out the retail door. Yes, Windows Mobile 6.1, why do you ask?

[Via CoolSmartPhone]

Filed under: Cellphones

Toshiba’s TG01 outed on Orange UK originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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