Leopard O.S.

Researchers at the University of the West of England have snagged a grant to fund the building of a whole new type of robot — a non-silicon, biological plasmobot, built using plasmodium, a vegetative type of slime mold. The mold, which is commonly found living in forests and gardens, is, according to researcher Andy Adamatzky, a “naturally occurring substance with its own built in intelligence,” which is capable of carrying out complex tasks, like figuring out the shortest path between two points — all on its own. The aim for the plasmobot will be for it to sense objects, span them in the shortest way possible, and carry tiny objects along pre-determined routes, controlled by light and electromagnetic fields. The plasmobot should also be capable of complex “number crunching power,” enabled by parallel inputs and outputs. Long-term uses could include using the bots within the human body to deliver drugs to specific targets. Though much of this is still purely theoretical (and extremely complicated), we look forward to the day when we’re all covered in mold, don’t you?

Filed under: Robots

English scientists set out to build first biological robot using mold originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s sort of interesting that China is where all the Android action seems to be going down lately, but here we are, staring at the LG GW880 — essentially the company’s first Android phone. Of course, “Android” in this case means China Mobile’s custom WiFi-less OPhone platform, which means we’ll probably never see this guy outside of the Middle Kingdom, but it’s a fair look at what LG’s handset designers think an Android set should look like: 3.5-inch WVGA touchscreen, 256MB RAM, GPS, and a five megapixel camera. Honestly? We’re hoping LG has grander plans for those other Android phones it has planned for this year — we’ll just have to wait and see. Hit the read link for a few more shots in the meantime.

[Via Slashphone]

Filed under: Cellphones

LG GW880 leaks out, runs Android on China Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon’s seemingly imminent EOS 7D DSLR may still not be fully official just yet, but there’s certainly no end to the leaks these days, with the camera’s complete video specs only the latest to surface. Assuming this latest rumor is on the mark, it looks like you can expect to get your choice of 24, 25 or 30 fps video at full 1080p, or 50 or 60 fps at 720p, along with an external mic, full manual controls (though not continuous focus, it seems), some in-camera editing options and, of course, and HDMI out port for some big screen viewing. What’s left to know? A price and release date, for starters — but hopefully Canon itself will clear those details up (and confirm the rest) before too long.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon EOS 7D video specs get detailed originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We figured the suits over at T-Mobile USA were on some of that good stuff when they slapped an almost comical $350 (on contract) price tag on HTC’s Touch Pro2, but evidently said “stuff” has made its way into the halls of Overland Park as well. After months of watching evidence mount, Sprint has finally come clean and admitted that HTC’s EV-DO Rev. A-equipped superphone is coming to its network, and with it will come access to Sprint TV as well as NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile apps. The smartphone will go on sale September 8th, though you’ll have to pony up $349.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) in order to secure one on a two-year contract. We’re all about that 3.6-inch WVGA tilting screen, but with Palm’s Pre selling on this very network for a full $150 less, we’re thinking this one won’t appeal to many outside of the WinMo faithful.

Continue reading Sprint follows T-Mobile’s lead, wants $350 for HTC Touch Pro2

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint follows T-Mobile’s lead, wants $350 for HTC Touch Pro2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We figured the suits over at T-Mobile USA were on some of that good stuff when they slapped an almost comical $350 (on contract) price tag on HTC’s Touch Pro2, but evidently said “stuff” has made its way into the halls of Overland Park as well. After months of watching evidence mount, Sprint has finally come clean and admitted that HTC’s EV-DO Rev. A-equipped superphone is coming to its network, and with it will come access to Sprint TV as well as NFL Mobile Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile apps. The smartphone will go on sale September 8th, though you’ll have to pony up $349.99 (after a $100 mail-in rebate) in order to secure one on a two-year contract. We’re all about that 3.6-inch WVGA tilting screen, but with Palm’s Pre selling on this very network for a full $150 less, we’re thinking this one won’t appeal to many outside of the WinMo faithful.

Continue reading Sprint follows T-Mobile’s lead, wants $350 for HTC Touch Pro2

Filed under: Cellphones

Sprint follows T-Mobile’s lead, wants $350 for HTC Touch Pro2 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nikon’s D300s has been filtering out to select retail locations for a few days now, and judging by the box that just arrived on our doorstep, we’d say Nikon (just barely) kept its promise of having these things out by the end of August. The semi-pro body is significantly more sturdy and somewhat heavier than our in-house D90, though the rear LCD sure looks awfully similar. We’re planning on giving the 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor and 720p movie mode a go, but for now, feel free to peruse the gallery below to see exactly what a penny under $1,800 gets you in the DSLR world these days.

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Nikon D300s unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Dell Mini 3i breaks cover for most complete photo shoot to date originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And just like that, Apple’s yearly iPod event is happening. According to an email we’ve just received, it looks like all those rumors we heard turned out to be true. The big A will be holding the proceedings at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco (go figure), and guess what? We’ll be there live.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple holding ‘rock and roll’ themed event, September 9th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We told you when we unveiled our back to school guide that we’d be giving away a bunch of gear, remember that? Well, here we are, ready to deliver. So what do we have in our bag of goodies this time? Let’s just say our winner is going to be one happy camper. A bunch of the companies we featured in the guide have graciously handed over some gear for one lucky reader. The list of gear that will be in your bag is below — so read the rules (seriously, they’ve changed — read them!) and submit a comment to be entered! Good luck.

One randomly chosen winner will receive:

One (1) Acer Aspire Timeline 8000 laptop
One (1) Acer Aspire One D250
One (1) Nokia Surge
One (1) Astak EZ-Reader Pro*
One (1) iLuv iMM153 dock
One (1) Canon Pixma MP490 all-in-one printer
One (1) Timbuk2 customizable Swig bag
One (1) Cocoon Innovations CPS 400 laptop case
One (1) Roku Digital Video Player

Big thanks to the following companies for providing us with gear to give away: Acer, Nokia, Astak, iLuv, Canon, Timbuk2, Cocoon Innovations, and Roku.

* The Astak EZ-Reader Pro will be released during the month of September, and will ship to the winner at that time.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school giveaway, part one!

Filed under: Announcements

Engadget’s back to school giveaway, part one! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We told you when we unveiled our back to school guide that we’d be giving away a bunch of gear, remember that? Well, here we are, ready to deliver. So what do we have in our bag of goodies this time? Let’s just say our winner is going to be one happy camper. A bunch of the companies we featured in the guide have graciously handed over some gear for one lucky reader. The list of gear that will be in your bag is below — so read the rules (seriously, they’ve changed — read them!) and submit a comment to be entered! Good luck.

One randomly chosen winner will receive:

One (1) Acer Aspire Timeline 8000 laptop
One (1) Acer Aspire One D250
One (1) Nokia Surge
One (1) Astak EZ-Reader Pro*
One (1) iLuv iMM153 dock
One (1) Canon Pixma MP490 all-in-one printer
One (1) Timbuk2 customizable Swig bag
One (1) Cocoon Innovations CPS 400 laptop case
One (1) Roku Digital Video Player

Big thanks to the following companies for providing us with gear to give away: Acer, Nokia, Astak, iLuv, Canon, Timbuk2, Cocoon Innovations, and Roku.

* The Astak EZ-Reader Pro will be released during the month of September, and will ship to the winner at that time.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school giveaway, part one!

Filed under: Announcements

Engadget’s back to school giveaway, part one! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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