Month: February 2012

Continue reading Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), offers Ice Cream Sandwich on a seven-inch platter (updated)

Samsung unveils Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0), offers Ice Cream Sandwich on a seven-inch platter (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from Engadget

Being able to wave your hand through the air and control a physical object — as if by magic — is everyone’s dream. And if you say it’s not yours, then you sir or ma’am are a liar. That’s why we had to stop at the Regal Elite booth on the floor at Toy Fair. The company was showing off the Force Flyer, an RC helicopter you pilot with an accelerometer-equipped glove. The patented tech, called Glove Force Technology, adds a level of physical interactivity that’s more Wii than RC. A small joystick you hold in your palm controls thrust, while tilting and moving your hand through the air gets the chopper to perform acrobatic maneuvers — or plummet to the ground if you’re an Engadget editor. The Regal Elite staff seemed to have pretty good control of the Force Flyer, which gives us hope that our difficulty in keeping the toy airborne was due more to our lack of familiarity and not with the quality of the device. The glove controller on hand was still a prototype (as is much of what’s on the floor at Toy Fair), hence the New Balance logo, but the actual internals are around 80 percent complete according to a rep. The smaller, indoor Force Flyer should be hitting the market in late April for $49.95, followed by a larger outdoor version. Check out the gallery below and video after the break for more.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Continue reading Force Flyer accelerometer-controlled RC helicopter, we go gloves-on (video)

Force Flyer accelerometer-controlled RC helicopter, we go gloves-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from Engadget

What do you do after reporting “blow-out” earnings and instituting larger, pricier, data plans? If you’re AT&T, why not go for the jugular by doubling upgrade fees? Per the above leaked memo, that’s exactly what Ma Bell plans to do come February 12th, upping the existing $18 fee to a new high of $36. That might sound familiar, as it’s much in the same vein as cross-town rival Sprint, who went through the same kerfuffle back in September. We’ve pinged AT&T about the price hike and will update when we hear back.

Update: AT&T sent us the following statement confirming the increase:

Wireless devices today are more sophisticated than ever before. And because of that, the costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased and is reflected in our new upgrade fee. This fee isn’t unique to AT&T and this is the first time we’re changing it in nearly 10 years.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

AT&T doubling its upgrade fee to $36 on February 12th (update: confirmed) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from Engadget

Hertz has been offering up electric vehicles amongst its fleet of rental cars, and now it’s getting ready to pull the plug. The company is teaming with Evatran to test out the those cool little Plugless Power discs, installing some at its corporate headquarters this month. Hertz, along with a number of other companies will be logging “feedback on daily usage routines, user interfaces, and any additional functionality needed.” No word on when such technology might see wider distribution.

Continue reading Hertz charges into EV Plugless Power pilot program, can’t say it three times fast

Hertz charges into EV Plugless Power pilot program, can’t say it three times fast originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from Engadget

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Videos, Cadillac, Luxury

Five years ago, GM engineers, a variety of partner companies, and Carnegie Mellon University built a Chevrolet Tahoe that autonomously traversed 60 miles of urban traffic in less than six hours, taking home the DARPA Urban Challenge win. Later this year, some of that technology will make its way to production in the 2013 Cadillac XTS.

The list of active safety systems in the XTS is easily on par with what the Germans offer, including adaptive cruise control, intelligent brake assist, forward collision alert, automatic collision preparation, lane departure warning, blind spot alert and a heads up display (hit the jump for the full, exhaustive list).

The incorporation of all these systems is something GM is calling “sensor fusion,” which combines multiple inputs and serious processing power to, in the words of Bakhtiar Litkouhi, GM Research and Development lab group manager for perception and vehicle control systems, “provide advisory, warning, and control interventions to help drivers avoid collisions and save lives.”

It’s also the first step in bringing both semi-autonomous and fully autonomous vehicles to market, something Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are all actively working on.

Get a brief primer on the philosophy behind sensor fusion in the video and accompanying release below the fold.

Continue reading Cadillac XTS to feature safety tech developed from autonomous vehicles

Cadillac XTS to feature safety tech developed from autonomous vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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from Autoblog