Sony Xperia GX makes Japan debut today

The Xperia GX passed muster at the FCC labs a few weeks back and is filling shelves of NTT DoCoMo stores starting today. If you like your smartphone screens big and high-resolution, you'll probably be very happy with the Xperia GX's 720p 4.6-inch display, wrapped in a curved frame similar to last year's Xperia Arc. There's no word on whether the phone will remain a Japan-only exclusive, but Sony is likely to have something new to show off at European trade show, IFA, in only a few weeks. Arguably more of a looker than the Xperia S, perhaps we'll see a global model -- there's a pentaband 3G radio in this iteration -- sidling up next to an Xperia tablet in Germany very soon.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Xperia GX makes Japan debut today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 04:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NTT DoCoMo (Twitter)  |  NTT DoCoMo  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Google brings NYC subway alerts to Maps, makes public transit a little more bearable

Google has offered up New York City subway information via Maps for some time now, but as anyone who's navigated the 100-plus-year-old transit system will happily tell / complain to you, such information is only so useful without info on the requisite service changes -- a lot of work goes into maintaining something that old. Google's upping its game by bringing services changes to Maps for Android and its web-based counterpart. Clicking on one of the 468 stations in Maps will bring up relevant maintenance information, as well as step-by-step instructions for navigating around it. Until Boingo rolls out WiFi to more stations, however, you might want to check your status before going underground.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

Google brings NYC subway alerts to Maps, makes public transit a little more bearable originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Google  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

BAE Systems' NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin' going on is yours

Just in case GPS and GLONASS didn't make for enough of an acronym soup, BAE Systems wants to add one more to the navigation broth. NAVSOP (Navigation via Signals of Opportunity) uses some of the basic concepts we know from cell tower triangulation and WiFi location-finding to lock down a position, but goes much further to geolocate from nearly anything that pushes out a signal, such as nearby radios and TVs. It doesn't even need to know what kind of signal it's looking at, and it can get its position in places there's no GPS to work from, whether it's in an urban canyon or the natural kind. BAE is most excited about the prospects of ending GPS jamming against soldiers and UAVs, once and for all: not only is the new technology mostly impervious to attempts to block its signal, it can use the jamming attempt itself to get the position fix. Thankfully, the company's roots in defense aren't precluding use for civilians, so there's a chance that future smartphones might never have to use guesswork to get their bearings -- provided that governments around the world sign off on the idea, that is.

BAE Systems' NAVSOP does positioning without GPS, makes sure the only jammin' going on is yours originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BBC  |  BAE Systems  | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Video: Stop-motion engine rebuild makes it look too easy

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Videos, Humor

The Triumph Spitfire is an interesting piece of engineering. There's plenty to love about the pint-sized convertible. It weighs so little, an enraged internet writer can pick it up enough to scoot it sideways in the garage with his bare hands. Early examples were drop dead gorgeous and foolishly simple to work on, and parts are perfectly easy to find. But there are drawbacks, though. For one, the machines are about as safe as trying to tie your shoe laces with a rusty blender, and reliability is a term we can confidently say was never muttered in the Triumph offices of the day.

Then there's the power problem. Four-cylinder models were propelled by an anemic 1.3-liter engine with around 75 horsepower when equipped with dual SU carbs. This isn't a machine we'd call quick.

Still, the cars command a surprising loyalty from fans, and one die-hard Spit owner recently went through the headache of completely tearing down and rebuilding the tiny four-pot. He was also kind enough to film the whole process in stop motion. The toil took 11 months, and the quick film features over 3,000 images. Check out the video for yourself below.

Continue reading Stop-motion engine rebuild makes it look too easy

Stop-motion engine rebuild makes it look too easy originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

View the original article here

Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on)

Well hello there again, Gigabyte X11. Hot on the heels of yesterday's leak, Gigabyte's just made its 11.6-inch X11 laptop (or is that an Ultrabook?) official. At 975g (34.4oz) it claims the title of "lightest notebook on earth" -- and weighs even less on Mars. Design-wise, you're looking at a 16.5mm (0.65-inch) to 3mm (0.19-inch) thin Macbook Air-like body made of real carbon fiber (!) with an aluminum hinge. Under the hood you'll find unspecified third generation Intel Core processors (read Ivy Bridge), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Mobile Intel HM77 Express chipset with Intel HD Graphics 4000, a 128GB SSD, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth v4.0.

Ports include power, USB 2.0 and mini DisplayPort on the left side plus microSD, combo audio and USB 3.0 on the right. While the specs also mention gigabit Ethernet, there's no sign of it anywhere in the press shots. The display is a 1366x768-pixil LED-backlit affair dotted with a 1.3 megapixel webcam. A chicklet keyboard, buttonless trackpad and 4730mAh 7.4V Li-ion polymer battery (likely sealed) complete the package. There's no information on availability, but prices will range from $999 to $1299 with Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional in tow. Expect more information when we get our hands on this sexy beast at Computex next week.

Update: Our colleagues over at Engadget Chinese just got some hands-on time with this svelte black slab.

Gallery: Gigabyte X11 PR shots and specs

In addition, Gigabyte's announcing two 14-inch laptops -- the U2442 and U2440 -- which feature third generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce graphics. Unfortunately, we're still busy drooling all over the X11 gallery, so we'll direct you to the full PR after the break for more information.

Continue reading Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on)

Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here

Intel to show third-gen Ultrabooks at Computex, makes USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt a necessity

When Intel first unveiled its grand plans for Ultrabooks at last year's Computex, many of the fireworks were consciously reserved for Ivy Bridge-based variants in 2012 -- well, they're here. This year's show in Taipei will show off the third generation of the skinny, MacBook Air-inspired platform, and Intel is toughening up the design requirements in the process. The thickness requirements are the same as last year, at 18mm for systems with screens under 14 inches and 21mm for bigger machines, but high-speed ports are now mandatory to get that coveted "Ultrabook" label and the full marketing weight of Intel's $300 million Ultrabook Fund: if a PC doesn't have either USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt, it's out of the running. Intel also wants security built-in, rather than optional, as well as guarantees that a system is quick and responsive when it's fully awake. Not that this would be terribly hard with the low-voltage Ivy Bridge processors launching at the same time, mind you.

Just to reinforce the importance of it all, Intel is noting that the flood of Ultrabooks is about to pick up in a big way as the category hits the mainstream. We were promised 75 Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks this year in a presentation back at CES; that number's now up to 110, 30 of which will be Windows 8-friendly touchscreen models and another 10 opting for the convertible tablet route. At least some of those lightweight portables should pop up at Computex next week, and you can be sure we'll be investigating as many of them as we can to see just how well Intel's partners have advanced the game.

Intel to show third-gen Ultrabooks at Computex, makes USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt a necessity originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments]]>

View the original article here