PIGORASS quadruped robot baby steps past AIBO's grave (video)

Does the Uncanny Valley extend to re-creations of our four-legged friends? We'll find out soon enough if Yasunori Yamada and his University of Tokyo engineering team manage to get their PIGORASS quadruped bot beyond its first unsteady hops, and into a full-on gallop. Developed as a means of analyzing animals' musculoskeletal system for use in biologically-inspired robots, the team's cyborg critter gets its locomotion on via a combo of CPU-controlled pressure sensors and potentiometers. It may move like a bunny (for now), but each limb's been designed to function independently in an attempt to simulate a simplified neural system. Given a bit more time and tweaking (not to mention a fine, faux fur coating), we're pretty sure this wee bitty beastie'll scamper its way into the homes of tomorrow. Check out the lil' fella in the video after the break.

Continue reading PIGORASS quadruped robot baby steps past AIBO's grave (video)

PIGORASS quadruped robot baby steps past AIBO's grave (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/02/pigorass-quadruped-robot-baby-steps-past-aibos-grave-video/

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The Wedding Crashers

Nobody expected AT&T to have an especially easy time convincing regulators to allow it to buy up rival wireless carrier T-Mobile. AT&T announced its intentions last Spring to purchase the fourth-largest U.S. carrier from parent company Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion, and critics from all corners wasted no time expressing why they thought that would be a very bad idea.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/73209.html

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Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls

Nortel, once one of the biggest telecoms company in the world but now in the death throes of bankruptcy, has selected Google's $900 million bid for its patent portfolio as the stalking horse bid. This doesn't mean that Google will automatically win Nortel's massive array of telecoms patents, but it does mean that Google is the preferred buyer.

Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google's relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel's portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It's worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.

Mashable speculates that the patents -- which are nearly all telecoms-related -- will be used to defend against Oracle's attacks on Android's use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.

Google bids $900 million for Nortel's patents to protect against litigation trolls originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/google-bids-900-million-for-nortels-patents-to-protect-from-li/

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Archos A100S tablet hits the FCC, does the opposite of a full reveal

It looks like the folks at Archos are keeping our friends at the FCC busy this summer. Following in the footsteps of the mysterious A70S2 tablet and the coy A80S, the A100S internet tablet is now making its way through the regulatory gatekeeper. Like its predecessors, this filing hasn't given us much to go on; it comes with the typical confidentiality requests, which means we won't get any of the juicy bits until the FCC lifts the curtain on October 15th. Until then, we'll keep our Ice Cream Sandwich dreams afloat. If FCC test reports are your thing, feel free to hop on over to the source link below.

Archos A100S tablet hits the FCC, does the opposite of a full reveal originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/02/archos-a100s-tablet-hits-the-fcc-does-the-opposite-of-a-full-re/

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Microsoft releases sexy Bing app for iPad

It's still a bit odd seeing Microsoft deliver apps for Apple's mobile platform. And it's even stranger still to see one as sexy as the new Bing app for iPad, which brings a slick, immersive search experience to Apple's tablet.

Just as a regular search on bing.com will, the Bing app for iPad tailors the results it displays based on what you're searching for. There are loads of custom views, covering everything from movies and maps to weather and shopping. The app also offers a heads-up display of currently trending searches, complete with related images, which is an iPad-exclusive feature.

Navigation is a breeze thanks to multitouch controls, allowing users to flick or swipe through results. And while the development team refers to the app as "touch and decide," Bing Voice Search is also built in -- making it easy to start a query without using the iPad's on-screen keyboard.

The Bing app for iPad is available for download now from the App Store.

Microsoft releases sexy Bing app for iPad originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/microsoft-releases-sexy-bing-app-for-ipad/

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The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5PM ET!

We're not going to let a Burning Man get in the way of our weekly podcast, are we? That's a negatory, as the Engadget Mobile Podcast lives on in Myriam Joire's absence. Co-host Brad Molen is still behind the mic offering his soothing sounds, and in to help him hit the weekly rant quota are special guests Zachary Lutz and Dante Cesa. Join us, won't you, for another round of mobile goodness? Be here at 5PM ET (2PM PT, 9PM GMT) for Episode 102.

The Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5PM ET! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/02/the-engadget-mobile-podcast-live-at-5pm-et/

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Creative Zen X-Fi3 hands-on (video)

This tiny thing in our hands above is the latest PMP from Creative. Portability is clearly the thing here -- the Zen X-Fi3 is extremely tiny and light. It has a little color screen on it, as well, but don't get too excited on that front -- unfortunately the player doesn't sport a touchscreen, so you've got to use the controls on the bezel, which aren't particularly responsive. The interface, fittingly, is also pretty barebones on that front, offering the basic sort of scroll-through menus that defined music players for years.

The highlight of the device -- aside from its exceedingly small size -- is its Bluetooth transfer capabilities. The X-Fi3 keeps with the company's commitment to audio fidelity, thanks to the apt-X codec, which supposedly offers audio quality similar to a wired connection when streaming. On that front, the device also handles FLAC files.

The player will run €99 and €140 for the 8GB and 16GB versions, here in Germany. It should be going on sale in the middle of this month.

Continue reading Creative Zen X-Fi3 hands-on (video)

Creative Zen X-Fi3 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/02/creative-zen-x-fi3-hands-on-video/

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Introducing the A-Fold iPad Case

Aside from relentless hoarding of apps, perhaps there would be no other habit that would come close to purchasing accessories for one?s iPad. From protection screens, silicone cases, and leather covers, to peripheral devices and gadgets, there are a lot of distinct items available in the market. However, there is one item that stands out above the rest in terms of uniqueness and functionality. Meet the A-Fold iPad Case, which is a new product by Moss to increase and improve [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/introducing-the-a-fold-ipad-case/

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