iRobot patents "Celestial Navigation System" for the Roomba

While Roomba's automated approach to floor cleaning might've been novel for its day, its random bumbling is starting to look dated, particularly in comparison to laser-guided, ultra smart vacuums like the Neato XV-11. Well, iRobot is naturally not going to take this lying down, and the company has received a patent for a new "Celestial Navigation System" based on IR beacons bounced off walls and ceilings that the Roomba can track and calculate its position from. It doesn't sound as fancy as Neato's completely self-contained system, and it'll require the setup of multiple beacons throughout the house to make the bot self-sufficient, but we're guessing it requires less processing and gadgetry on board to pull off -- which hopefully means Roomba can stuff this into bots cheaper than Neato's $400 XV-11. Mint, which was supposed to ship this summer from Evolution Robotics, uses a similar system to the one iRobot is proposing and has a rumored price of under $250.

iRobot patents "Celestial Navigation System" for the Roomba originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your Android Apps May Be Sweet-Talking Advertisers Behind Your Back

A study conducted jointly by Penn State University, Duke University and Intel Labs has found that some Android apps surreptitiously send user information to remote servers at ad networks and analytics firms. Some of the apps send users' geographic locations to remote ad networks; others send a unique hardware identifier and, in some cases, the phone number and SIM card serial number to developers, the team stated.

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First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia

Super Hi-Vision is still very experimental, but the BBC and NHK's first UK-to-Tokyo SHV broadcast trial of a live musical set by the The Charlatans hints it is inching closer to commercial viability. A NHK-developed camera -- one of three in existence -- made it all possible, and featured a specialized lens and optical data transmitter to handle the retina-confounding 7680 x 4320 pixel signal. This SHV trial was also the first to use a blazingly fast 24Gb/s internet connection to broadcast in lieu of more expensive satellite transmissions used in previous tests. As if the brouhaha wasn't bleeding-edge enough, a lucky few at the BBC could even view the show on a prototype 103-inch plasma television developed by NHK to see a mere quarter of the signal's massive resolution. Sure, this may not be the kind of event kids will learn about in class someday, but it certainly makes us feel like giddy little school boys. To learn more, watch a behind the scenes BBC video on the event embedded after the break.

[Thanks, Matt]

Continue reading First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia

First Super Hi-Vision broadcast from UK to Japan is one for the geeklopedia originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple TV teardown reveals 8GB flash storage, 256MB RAM, leftover iPad parts

"Of course the new Apple TV gets a teardown, silly," is what we would tell you should you have the audacity to question its inevitability. But alas, we're too busy analyzing every photo of iFixit's gallery to even dignify your raised eyebrow with an unprovoked response. The site gives it 8 out of 10 in its metric of repairability, opining it might be "the most eco-friendly set-top box of all time." With that said, here are the big takeaways we're seeing so far: 8GB of storage provided care of a Samsung K9LCG08U1M NAND Flash chip, and the same one found in the iPad. Speaking of which, there's also the exact same markings on its Apple A4 processor as the iPad and new iPod touch, K4X2G643GE (not the same as the iPhone 4, as it turns out), the exact same Broadcom BCM4329XKUBG 802.11n WiFi / Bluetooth / FM chip as the iPad, and at 256MB, the same amount of RAM. Also interesting and of note are the solder pads near the side of the logic board, which look to be a perfect fit for an Apple dock connector. At any rate, with all that's under the hood, we expect the jailbreak community to have an absolute field day.

Apple TV teardown reveals 8GB flash storage, 256MB RAM, leftover iPad parts originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wooden Wristwatches Embrace Anachronistic Time-Telling

Ask anyone, and they’ll say the kids today think wristwatches are a thing of the past: smartphones are so much more “now.” WEWOOD’s wooden watches forego touchscreens and brushed aluminum to embrace old-school craftsmanship and style.
Each watch costs about $120, and is made from Ebony, Maple, Guaiaco, or Red Wing Celtis woods. The Italian [...]

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Wield the Force with the Lightsaber Pen from ThinkGeek

If the pen is mightier than the sword, the lightsaber pen must be mightier than … everything!� ThinkGeek has three Star Wars Lightsaber Pens to help you hone your skills.� The pens arrive in a collector’s tin, and you can choose from red, green, or blue.� They are only $19.99 each – a small price [...]

Filed in categories: Gear, News

Tagged: lightsaber, Pens, Star Wars

Wield the Force with the Lightsaber Pen from ThinkGeek originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 9:00 am.

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Beats by Dr. Dre launching Beatbox iPod dock, along with LeBron and Bieber-branded headphones

Dr. Dre knows a hit when he sees one, and the already sprawling Beats lineup is getting five new products to hit just about every demographic you can imagine. First off is the Beatbox, a high-end portable iPod dock with 5.25-inch bass drivers and 2-inch high frequency drivers which will retail for $400. Next up is a LeBron James-branded set of athletics-friendly earbuds dubbed the Powerbeats. The $170 headphones include dual drivers and a design that lets in external noises. Meanwhile, the Beats Pro blows the lid off with a $450 pricetag and audio pro-style quality and performance. At the cheap end we have iBeats, a $120 pair of i-device friendly cans for the less discriminating, and our personal favorites: JustBeats. JustBeats are better than all the other headphones and we heart them and they're totally worth $200 for the on-ear and $120 for the in-ear versions because Justin Bieber is totally down to earth and sexy and probably the best singer ever. All of these should be landing in the next few weeks; we know you'll make the right decision.

Update: Oh, and just so you know: we still hate Monster. You just can't pass up some Bieber, you know?

Gallery: Beats by Dr. Dre launching Beatbox iPod dock, along with LeBron and Bieber-branded headphones

Continue reading Beats by Dr. Dre launching Beatbox iPod dock, along with LeBron and Bieber-branded headphones

Beats by Dr. Dre launching Beatbox iPod dock, along with LeBron and Bieber-branded headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You Can Deposit Checks to PayPal Via Mobile Pictures Within the Next Couple of Days [Apps]

You can already do a lot with PayPal on your phone: pay for Android apps, bump handsets to send money. And according to PayPal exec Laura Chambers, you'll soon—this week soon—be able to take a picture of the front and back of a check and deposit it into your account. Only iPhone was mentioned; it's not clear if Android devices will get the same functionality right away. More »

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HTC Hero a celeb on 'Hawaii Five-0'

The Fall season brings new colors of leaves, the return of children to school, pumpkin pie (om nom nom), and new TV shows. If you've had your boob tube set to CBS in the past few weeks, you've probably seen "Hawaii Five-0" advertised a billion times. What you might of not noticed was the HTC Hero that appeared on the television series first episode. In its brief few minutes of fame, and its short lived life, the Hero was used and then tossed out the window of a moving car. More screens after the break. Thanks, Android Amateur!

Posted originally at Android Central

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X3 Gyroplane Uses 15 Blades to Race at 253MPH [Video]

Looks like the autogyros, a.k.a., gyrocopters, are definitely back in fashion. Following the Sikorsky X2 demonstrator, here is the latest one, the Eurocopter X3. It uses twin five-blade turboprops in addition to its main five blade rotor. More »

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Apple releases iTunes 10.1 beta to test in-app iOS 4.2 AirPrint

Alongside iOS 4.2 beta 2, Apple has also released iTunes 10.1 beta for developers to help them get their apps ready for the new firmware due in November. This is a pre-release version of iTunes 10.1 beta to support testing of printing from your iOS app. Be sure to backup your iTunes content prior [...]

Apple releases iTunes 10.1 beta to test in-app iOS 4.2 AirPrint is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review

How do you judge a pair of headphones in this pristine, digital age when you?re listening to a new track from J�nsi and Alex that has analog noise added for effect? I have no idea, but boy, does it sound ethereal and haunting. The track is ?Dan�ell In The Sea?, which may not be your [...]

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Reviews, iPhone, iPad, iPod related

Tagged: Audio, Headphones, iPad, iPhone, iPod, portable

Bowers & Wilkins P5 Headphones Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 25, 2010 at 12:00 pm.

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BlackBerry Devcon 2010 keynote now ready for your streaming pleasure

Can't get enough PlayBook in your life? We understand how it is. After all, it's not every day that you hear of ultraslim 7-inch tablets that promise to take your BBM life to another level. RIM must sympathize with your eagerness as well, since it's now made its Devcon 2010 keynote available for streaming online -- replete with Mike Lazaridis' impassioned speech about a "no compromise" tablet that's enterprise-ready, multimedia-friendly, and even comes with "a full gigahertz of RAM" (19 minutes into the video). It's stirring stuff, and you might even learn a bit more about the QNX-built BlackBerry Tablet OS underpinning the whole thing. The source link is where you'll find the full 142-minute show.

[Thanks, Moazam]

BlackBerry Devcon 2010 keynote now ready for your streaming pleasure originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 05:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu Plus Storms Onto Roku and Tivo Premiere [Video]

Looks like we're going to have to edit our streaming video box breakdown: Hulu Plus is coming to both TiVo Premiere and Roku. They join Boxee and PS3 the only boxes to offer the service for now. More »

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