Filed under: Handsets, Others

When the New York Times sent one of its ace reporters to Shenzhen to check out the KIRF scene, they came to a startling conclusion: these things are really quite popular. And why not? Your iPhone might be a terrific device, but is it really $400 superior than the Hi-Phone, or the iorgane? Well, it’s probably $400 better than the iorgane — we’ll give you that one. The article sites a general lack of concern from the Chinese government, new technology such as Mediatek’s turnkey circuit board solution, and a significant drop in the price of parts as reasons that knock-off phones are so prominent in that part of the world. There’s also a bit of cultural pride at work, too: purchasing “shanzhai” technology is sometimes seen as a way to thumb your nose at the large players in the industry and throw some work to your local bandit. That stated, we do have to cry foul at the way the paper lumps our beloved Meizu M8 in with the usual assortment of knock-offs: the thing sports nary an Apple (or “organe”) on its handsome exterior. Check out the price breakdown on a typical $40 KIRF after the break.

[Thanks, Ben]

Continue reading Keepin’ it real fake, part CCIII: New York Times undercover edition

Keepin’ it real fake, part CCIII: New York Times undercover edition originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Popularity: 2% [?]

ADAC, the famous German drivers’ association, thinks that the VW Passat TSI EcoFuel Trendlne with natural gas (CNG) is the most environmentally friendly automobile in Europe. This is the result of ADAC’s ECOT, in which the car scored 92 out of 100 points. The vehicle received special awards during the pollutants test (50/50 points) as well as real-world fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions, 139 g/km, where it got the remaining 42 out of 50. The vehicle used 4.9 kg of natural gas per 100 km. The second place went to the Toyota Prius with 89 points out of 100.

[Source: Auto News]

Filed under: Volkswagen, Natural Gas, Europe/EU, Germany

ADAC states Passat EcoFuel is the greenest vehicle in Europe originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 2% [?]

We’re all used to space automobiles making a fiery ascents into the heavens whilst sitting atop large, earth-shaking rockets that fill the sky with light and hearts with awe. What’s a tiny more uncommon is a spacecraft that relies on the same technique make a gentle return trip. Ships landing under rocket power have been bandied about for decades, but now the Russians seem intent to make it a reality for their next space capsule. The current Soyuz capsules do use rockets to cushion landings, firing at the last seconds before touchdown, but still descent is largely managed by a series of parachutes. This next-gen ship would forgo such frilly things in favor of rather more pyrotechnic ones, a change that sounds rather exciting but, to be honest, somewhat less than reliable. Given our choice we’d probably take a halo of silk above rather than a pack of explosives below, thanks.

[Via BBC News]

Filed under: Transportation

Next Russian space capsule could land on a gentle cushion of fire originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed under: Industry, Displays, Plasma, Runco

With companies heading for the exits at chez plasma, smaller vendors — most of whom don’t have in-house plasma manufacturing — are left in a precarious position. In what might well be the waning hours for plasma Televisions, high-end brand Runco is staying in the game for one last (high margin, we imagine) round. LCDs are catching up to the image quality of even top-tier plasmas, but there’s still a performance gap in areas that some consumers value. Somehow we didn’t imagine Runco outlasting Pioneer in the plasma game, but it’s “business as usual” for Runco plasma TVs spanning the 50-inch to 103-inch range; perfect for that “secondary” TV for guests who don’t want to watch what’s on your $40,000 Runco VideoWall, don’t you think?

Continue reading Runco sticking by plasma displays

Runco sticking by plasma displays originally appeared on Engadget HD on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The SwirlyTeam has released a swift update for SwirlyMMS, a homebrew application that lets iPhone users send MMS messages. This bumps the application up to version 1.2.1. The developers describe this update as minor, with the most notable change being that the text in an MMS now has a bigger font and a white background. This update also includes a few bugfixes along with improved error handling and error messages. SwirlyMMS version 1.2.1 is now available on Cydia. Related articles: SwirlyMMS v1.2: send MMS messages through your iPhone Features that the iPhone doesn’t have

Via [apple.qj.net]

Popularity: 2% [?]

At first glance, PeeWee PC’s Pivot Tablet Laptop is a formidable rival to the long-standing OLPC XO. Unfortunately, the lofty price tag puts it in a class of its own, but it’s still a solid machine for those looking to a learn a bit (or just give their kids a wholesome distraction). Debuting today, the three pound convertible tablet boasts a spill and drop-resistant shell, a carry handle, a presumed 10-inch touchscreen display and a 6-cell Li-ion battery. Within, you’ll find a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, two USB 2.0 ports, a 60GB HDD, 1.3 megapixel camera, Ethernet, WiFi, Windows XP Home, a proprietary security suite to keep children from picking up a new favorite stalker and ten age appropriate software and game titles. If your kid’s been bugging you for a new netbook, you can quell the squealing by snapping one of these up this day starting at $599.99. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading PeeWee debuts drop and spill-resistant Pivot Tablet Laptop

Filed under: Laptops

PeeWee debuts drop and spill-resistant Pivot Tablet Laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Filed under: Handsets, LG, RIM, Verizon Wireless, EV-DO, CDMA, BlackBerry OS

We’re getting a few tasty tiny morsels seeping out of the Verizon camp this morning, and we just wanted to pass them along — nothing Earth-shattering here, but Niagara fans are definitely going to want to learn a new term:

• The BlackBerry 9630 Niagara will definitely be known as the Tour. (Boy Genius Report now has it pegged for July at $199, which certainly seems plausible.)
• The next BlackBerry Storm firmware will be released in May (we’re still anticipating this to be 113 until we hear otherwise). Update: 4.7.0.141 is circulating within the company now, so that might be our golden build!
• The Voyager’s replacement — the VX11000 — will be known as the enV Touch.
• The carrier is “investigating” raising the 5GB cap on its data plan with the LTE rollout, since subscribers will presumably be consuming more.

Verizon tidbits: Storm firmware saga continues, Niagara is the Tour, and more originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been 28 months since we watched Bob Lutz drive onto the stage at Cobo Hall in Detroit and step out of the Chevrolet Volt concept. In the intervening period, a corporate drama of epic proportions has transpired as Lutz has gone into semi-retirement, Rick Wagoner has been ousted as CEO and the U.S. government and the UAW are about to take a 90% ownership stake in General Motors.

In the midst of this corporate chaos, a dedicated group of hundreds of engineers, scientists, designers, technicians and drivers have tried to keep their heads down and out of the line of fire as they worked to make the Volt a production reality. From the time we first saw the original concept, GM has selected a battery supplier (LG Chem), defined the final powertrain configuration and released the production design, among countless other tasks. After more than a year of pestering GM, the call finally to get behind the wheel of a Volt prototype. the results after the jump.

Pics Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: Chevrolet Volt powertrain mule w/VIDEO

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM, First Drive

First Drive: Chevrolet Volt powertrain mule w/VIDEO originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Others, Camcorders

It’s been about a day after forever ago since we’ve seen a new camcorder from Genius, but if you’re scouting a low-end, low-cost option that’ll still capture clips at a halfway respectable resolution, you’re in luck. Similar to many of the DXG offerings, the G-Shot HD520 provides 720p footage for under $150, and it can also capture 11 megapixel still shots when things slow down a bit. The six-ounce device records in MPEG-4 / H.264 format and features a 2.5-inch LCD and room for up to 8GB of storage — you know, in case you fill up the 32MB that are included, which will probably never happen. It’s available now from a smorgasbord of legitimate on the internet retailers. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Genius G-Shot HD520 camcorder does 720p for $149

Genius G-Shot HD520 camcorder does 720p for $149 originally appeared on Engadget HD on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Popularity: 2% [?]

That’s right: last week at SAE World Congress, Raser Technologies unveiled a prototype Hummer H3 that gets 100 miles to the gallon. Insane, right? We agree. Raser partnered up with FEV to turn the famously non-environmentally sound gas guzzler around. The prototype boasts an E-REV power train engine, and three lithium ion battery packs under the rear of the vehicle. The batteries provide enough juice for about 40 miles, when the range extender starts up, providing an additional 400 miles — averaging about 100 MPG — before it needs to be plugged in again. The company is looking to begin up low volume production by 2011, though there’s no word on possible pricing at this time. Hey — who states electric cars have to be small, tasteful affairs? Fierce! One more shot after the break.

[Via Inhabitat, Autoblog Green]

Continue reading Raser Technologies develops 100MPG Hummer H3 just to spite Al Gore

Filed under: Transportation

Raser Technologies develops 100MPG Hummer H3 just to spite Al Gore originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Popularity: 2% [?]