Ant-Roach inflatable robot can carry a family, scare the kids (video)

This 15-foot inflatable pneumatic beast is a confusing mix of child-like inflatable wonder and cold, brutal, robopocalypse-beckoning science. The Ant-Roach (half-anteater, half, er, roach) is still a concept device, with inflatable actuaters on the legs doing the heavy lifting — apparently up to 1,000 pounds. Manifolds are peppered along the beast’s underbelly, with a microcontroller obeying its soft-stomping orders by wireless signal. While it battles for our inflatable robot affections, you can check it ( just about ) conquering shallow water right after the break. P.S. We’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the same lab has also developed an inflatable robot arm. Check it out after the break as well.

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Ant-Roach inflatable robot can carry a family, scare the kids (video)

Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video)

Start with some Arduino and Gameduino hardware, add a splash of PLAN-13 satellite tracking software from 1983, and finish with a healthy dose of libertarianism. The result? A neat little hack called Angst, designed and built by Mark VandeWettering (aka Brainwagon). It can store details of up to 750 satellites on 128KB of EEPROM memory and display their predicted orbits in all the glory of SVGA display. Don’t get lazy though — the most reliable way to track those pesky snoops in the sky is still to don your anorak, step outdoors and snoop right back . Continue reading Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video) Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:21:00 EDT.

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Arduino geek develops Cold War Angst, starts spying on satellites (video)

European Galaxy Nexus owners complain of erratic volume issue (video)

Samsung’s new flagship smartphone isn’t having the smoothest of beginnings. The strange ROM that cropped up a few days ago turned out to be an isolated incident, but now the forums are abuzz with an audio issue that looks a lot more serious. Essentially, the handset’s volume control appears to have a mind of its own, flitting randomly between mute, full blast and everything in between. The problem has so far only been observed on European phones using the GSM 900MHz band, and it’s exacerbated by the cellular modem either boosting itself in a low reception area or switching between 2G and 3G connections. A user poll over at the XDA Developers forum suggests around 60 percent of owners have experienced the fault. There’s a video after the break, complete with a disappointed kid in the background bugging his dad for answers. Continue reading European Galaxy Nexus owners complain of erratic volume issue (video) European Galaxy Nexus owners complain of erratic volume issue (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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European Galaxy Nexus owners complain of erratic volume issue (video)

STHoldings withdraws more than 200 record labels from Spotify, does so with gusto

STHoldings stormed its way out of Spotify this week, leaving only a trail of choice words in its wake. On Wednesday, the distributor boldly withdrew more than 200 of its record labels from Spotify, Rdio, Simfy and Napster, following the release of a study that cast the music subscription industry in a rather unfavorable light. According to the research, carried out by NPD Group and NARM, cloud-based services like Spotify and Rdio deter consumers from purchasing music via other channels. Amid concerns that these companies may “cannibalise the revenues of more traditional digital services,” STHoldings decided to withdraw its catalogue of more than 200 labels. In fact, of the 238 labels consulted on the decision, just four expressed a desire to remain with Spotify, et al. “As a distributor we have to do what is best for our labels,” STHoldings explained, in a statement. “The majority of which do not want their music on such services because of the poor revenues and the detrimental affect on sales. Add to that the feeling that their music loses its specialness by its exploitation as a low value/free commodity.” The distributor went on to quote one of its labels with a line that rhymes with “duck modify.” In comparatively subdued response, Spotify said it respects STHoldings’ decision, but still hopes that the labels “will change their minds.” The Swedish company also contested STHoldings’ study-backed arguments against it, claiming that it has “already convinced millions of consumers to pay for music again,” and assuring that artists’ revenue streams will “continue to grow.” Read more about the study, the stats and the spat at the links below

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STHoldings withdraws more than 200 record labels from Spotify, does so with gusto

Freescale Home Health Hub wants to usher in the era of connected medical devices

Freescale has its little silicon hands in all sorts of things: e-readers , smartphones , tablets , even refrigerators . Now the manufacturer is looking to make a dent in the healthcare industry with a connected platform called Home Health Hub (HHH). The i.MX28-based HHH isn’t an actual product, but a reference platform for others to build on. The ARM9 processor is connected to a host of networking interfaces, including WiFi, Bluetooth (as well as its low-power implementation), Zigbee , sub-1GHz and Ethernet. The Hub is supposed to be just that, a central point for connecting various medical devices like blood pressure monitors or glucometers that then feeds data to a tablet. Developers and other interested parties can get their hands on the reference platform from Digi International as the iDigi Telehealth Application Kit for $499. Check out the full PR after the break. Continue reading Freescale Home Health Hub wants to usher in the era of connected medical devices Freescale Home Health Hub wants to usher in the era of connected medical devices originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 18:07:00 EDT.

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Freescale Home Health Hub wants to usher in the era of connected medical devices

How-to: use Google Music from anywhere (yes, outside of the United States)

Now that Google Music has finally clawed its way out of the realm of beta-ware, anybody in the US can sign up to play without an invitation. Of course, that leaves many folks out of the equation, so we thought it a good time to point out at least one other route to let you get involved in the service, no matter where you live. See, the rub seems to be that Google checks your IP address on your first attempt to log in, and accept its terms of use — only the first time, and yeah, you’re definitely going to be ignoring that doc by following this guide. So, in essence all we need to do is find a way to gently tiptoe past that gatekeeper and we’re home free. Keep in mind that while you can upload your music, buying new tracks isn’t going to happen until it rolls out in your neck of the woods in a more official way — but hey, most of a good thing is still a good thing. There are various means to get this done, and we’ve found a pretty straightforward route, and if you’re up to it click on through to the guide. Continue reading How-to: use Google Music from anywhere (yes, outside of the United States) How-to: use Google Music from anywhere (yes, outside of the United States) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:02:00 EDT

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How-to: use Google Music from anywhere (yes, outside of the United States)

SwiftKey X 2.2 arrives for smartphones and tablets with support for 35 languages

If you’re unhappy with your current Android keyboard, TouchType would like to think that it delivers a better option. The company’s popular input alternative, SwiftKey X , has just received a major update with support for 35 languages, along with full localization for the major European ones. Even if you happen to speak plain ol’ English, the software promises better accuracy and prediction than before with a new multitouch framework. There’s even something for those who like to go really alternative, as Dvorak and Colemak layouts have been added to the mix. Topping it all off, version 2.2 introduces support for Ice Cream Sandwich, along with a host of user interface refinements — which you’ll find in the gallery below. After a quick run around the block with SwiftKey’s latest, we must say that we were quite pleased. Then again, we happen to really like Android’s stock keyboard, too. As for the complete list of languages, just check the PR after the break

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SwiftKey X 2.2 arrives for smartphones and tablets with support for 35 languages

aTV Flash (black) leaves beta, grants your Apple TV media-playing super powers

We’re definitely of the opinion that the dedicated devs who do all the heavy lifting so you can tweak and hack your pile of gadgets deserve a little something for their troubles. That being said, Firecore’s aTV Flash (black) is still going to be a tough sell at $30 (now that it’s left beta). But, before you go, perhaps you’d like to know what that chunk of cash will enable your 2nd-gen Apple TV to do. For one, it blesses Cupertino’s hobby set-top with an all new media player that can open AVI, MKV, MP4, ISO and host of other file formats. There’s also an HTML5 browser for surfing the web and streaming media. Want more apps? How about a Plex client and Last.FM radio

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aTV Flash (black) leaves beta, grants your Apple TV media-playing super powers

ZTE Light Tab 2 hands-on: another 7-inch phone to stuff your generous pocket

Following the likes of Samsung’s original Galaxy Tab , here’s yet another option for fans of comically-sized phones: the ZTE Light Tab 2, an obvious follow-up to the original Light . In fact, this 7-inch Android 2.3.5 slate was announced back in June and was expected to launch around October, but the ZTE folks here at Mobile Asia Congress still couldn’t shed light on its actual availability (pun intended). It sure makes one wonder if any carrier’s picked up this tablet. Anyhow, here’s the lowdown: the 12.6mm-thick package comes with a 1024 x 600 non-IPS LCD and a capacitive touchscreen, garnished with a 1.4GHz Qualcomm single core chip, 4GB of ROM, 512MB of RAM, a 0.3 megapixel front-facing camera, a 3.2 megapixel imager on the back, a generous 3,400mAh battery and, of course, 14.4Mbps HSDPA connection that supports voice call. Despite the soon-obsolete OS version, the UI response on the new Light isn’t bad at all, and the body felt solid. Take a look at our quick hands-on video after the break. Alternatively, there’s also the 7-inch Froyo-powered T72 tablet (yes, Froyo) featuring an “iOS-like UI.” Seriously, that was what we read on the spec sheet ! Again, we couldn’t get a date out of ZTE, but feel free to check out this shameless device after the break, if you must. Gallery: ZTE Light Tab 2 hands-on: another 7-inch phone to stuff your generous pocket Continue reading ZTE Light Tab 2 hands-on: another 7-inch phone to stuff your generous pocket ZTE Light Tab 2 hands-on: another 7-inch phone to stuff your generous pocket originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EDT

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ZTE Light Tab 2 hands-on: another 7-inch phone to stuff your generous pocket

Visa dubs upcoming digital wallet service ‘V.me,’ looks to differentiate product line

You may be using a Visa digital wallet next year, even if the brand name says otherwise (my Visa account was hacked twice in the past 18 months to procure vast amounts of premium shampoo and Xbox Live account add-ons, so maybe it’s a good thing). Recently, the company announced that it will be using the name V.me to distinguish its upcoming digital wallet from its other services. The service, which is expected to launch in early 2012 following a private beta period, will allow customers to fund the account via their Visa card, a MasterCard account or their bank account. Taking a lead from competitors such as PayPal, Amazon.com and American Express, customers will be able to log in through a user name and password as opposed to keying in their 12-digit account number each time. A PayPal-esque send and receive money feature is also in the works, allowing for users to shoot money to each other on the fly. The company has also stated that it will be developing mobile-friendly applications for shopping from a smartphone or a tablet, the apps eventually allowing people to pay using near-field technology. And if someone can buy $500 worth of premium shampoo on an innocent man’s card just by pointing their smartphone on it, that’s technology in action. Visa dubs upcoming digital wallet service ‘V.me,’ looks to differentiate product line originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:39:00 EDT.

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Visa dubs upcoming digital wallet service ‘V.me,’ looks to differentiate product line

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