European Union retailers to be required to accept e-waste without charge, says Parliament

Not sure what to do with your old, outdated electronics? If you live within the European Union, getting rid of your e-waste may soon be as easy as dropping by the local electronics shop. In an effort to increase electronic waste collection from four kilograms per capita to 20, the European Parliament has approved plans that would require electronic retailers with a retail space of 400 square meters or larger to accept e-waste for disposal, free of charge. The new rules will be implemented over the next seven years, and are part of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive — a measure that also aims to limit illegal e-waste exports to developing countries. Between keeping your house uncluttered with old gadgets and keeping developing nations clean, what’s not to like? European Union retailers to be required to accept e-waste without charge, says Parliament originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

OrcaM sphere constructs detailed, digital 3D models of wares while you wait (video)

Ever wanted a 3D digital copy of all those Little League trophies? Well, the NEK has whipped up something to lend a hand that’s a bit larger than another recent scanner . Enter the OrcaM, an Orbital Camera System capable of producing an accurate, digital 3D model of objects up to 80cm (about 31.5 inches) wide and weighing up to 100kg (around 220lbs). Making use of seven shooters simultaneously, the system photographs the object while projecting various light and shadow combinations in order to determine the ware’s geometry. The OrcaM is able to reproduce high-quality digital reproductions with a geometric accuracy less than millimeter (nearly .04 inches). As if that wasn’t enough, it produces complete color, texture and reflectivity maps so that every minute detail is accounted for.

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OrcaM sphere constructs detailed, digital 3D models of wares while you wait (video)

LG X3 supposedly leaks, to challenge HTC Edge as first quad-core phone?

Your next tablet is going to rock a quad-core chip, so why not stuff that same silicon into your next phone too? Per PocketNow , that’s apparently what LG has up its sleeve with the forthcoming X3. Evidently, the four-core Tegra 3 device will also tote a 1280 x 720 4.7-inch display, 16GB of storage, Ice Cream Sandwich and NFC all in a svelte 9mm package. The whispers didn’t stop there, of course, indicating it’ll also wield 21Mbps HSPA support coupled with 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. So will the X3 be the world’s first quad-core phone, much in the vein of LG’s G2X that preceded it? Or will it be beaten to the punch by HTC and Samsung ?

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LG X3 supposedly leaks, to challenge HTC Edge as first quad-core phone?

Engadget Podcast 277 – 01.20.2012

The Engadget Podcast believes in the future. And for each future to shine more brightly than the one that came before it, the present must do its part to fill its future with knowledge. Knowing this, we’ve voluntarily blacked out this podcast with the indomitable Marks-a-Lot of education — education about education, and the derivatives of nesting education within itself. RIYL C-SPAN, Mad Money , Hackers , Bad Lieutenant . The Engadget Podcast approves this message. Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater, Darren Murph Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: La Isla Bonita 02:30 – Apple’s education announcement: what you need to know 03:45 – Apple launches iBooks 2 e-Textbook platform (video) 11:38 – Apple announces free iBooks Author OS X app for publishing books to the App Store 16:10 – Apple revamps iTunes U and intros dedicated app (video) 20:07 – Federal prosecutors shut down Megaupload file-sharing site, founders charged 00:30:27 – Samsung wasn’t interested in buying RIM, still isn’t interested in buying RIM 00:32:02 – Google’s Q4 results: $2.71 billion profit, $8.13 billion in revenue, Wall Street disappointed 00:40:30 – Kodak files Chapter 11 bankruptcy, expects to complete restructuring by 2013 00:41:00 – Kodak says smile Samsung, you’re being sued for infringing five digital imaging patents 00:47:00 – Apple files German lawsuit against Samsung, targets Galaxy S II, nine other smartphones 00:50:52 – Microsoft’s Windows 8 hardware requirements: some good, some not-so-good 00:55:17 – One-quarter of South Korean phone owners have a Galaxy S II, according to Samsung 00:56:35 – Sony dashes Dash development: is Bieber’s favorite tablet on the way out? 00:57:08 – Yahoo’s Jerry Yang quits the company he co-founded, walks away from Alibaba as well 01:01:15 – Introducing our new liveblog viewer! 01:18:01 – The Engadget Show is live tomorrow with Red Cameras, MakerBot and the coolest gadgets of CES! Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically

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Engadget Podcast 277 – 01.20.2012

Microsoft spoiling Canadians, Germans as Xbox Live gets more local stations

Remember when Microsoft couldn’t stop dropping names of companies it was partnering up with to bring media to your Xbox 360 ? Well, days after CES drew to its natural conclusion, Redmond’s gaming division is throwing a few more “locally relevant” names out for users in Canada and Germany. If you live in the cold bit to the north of the United States, you can expect to see Astral Media’s Disney XD and Real Sports / Maple Leaf Sports rolling up on your console from today, while German gamers will be able to get teutonic mitts on Mediathek/ZDF at the same time. There’s more details in the press release after the break, where Microsoft promises that we’ve not seen the last of its continued entertainment expansions. Continue reading Microsoft spoiling Canadians, Germans as Xbox Live gets more local stations Microsoft spoiling Canadians, Germans as Xbox Live gets more local stations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near

Sony Ericsson’s tearful breakup continues with more woe as as the venture had to eat a pre-tax loss of €247 million (roughly $317 million). Bosses cited “unfavorable macro-economic conditions” and the Thai flooding as the reasons for the loss. Ericsson probably won’t mind having such an unfavorable penultimate quarter with the company, given that it’s set to receive €1.05 billion (around $1.9 billion) when Sony buys out its share of the joint telecoms business within the next month. Continue reading Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near Sony Ericsson swallows $317 million pre-tax loss as end draws near originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Microsoft introducing ReFS file system with Windows server 8

Hungry for a shiny new file system? Windows 8′s got your back, or at least, Windows server 8 will. In his latest Building Windows 8 post, Steven Sinofsky introduces the Resilient File System, or ReFS, as a “next generation file system” built on the foundations of the NTFS. By reusing NTFS’ API / semantics engine, ReFS hopes to retain a high level of compatibility with NTFS features. Underneath the existing semantics engine, the new file system introduces a new storage engine that hopes to protect against latent disk errors, resist data corruption, uphold metadata integrity, grant large volume, file and directory size — and well, just build a better storage system in general. It’s all quite complicated, but if you feel up to the technical snuff, click through the source link below. Microsoft introducing ReFS file system with Windows server 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Microsoft introducing ReFS file system with Windows server 8

Tango Networks offers cloud-based Google Voice integration to carriers

Tango Networks is aiming to assuage the pain of US mobile users attempting to manage two phone numbers using a single device. Dubbed the Abrazo Multi-line Service, the cloud-based product aims to bring Google Voice integration to “all mobile phones” and allow wireless users to manage multiple numbers without the hassle of additional software — meaning your RAZR 2 can join the fun. Calls placed to handsets utilizing Abrazo will ring all phones in your Google Voice roster and users can choose which caller ID number to display for outgoing calls. The service will also offer a single Message Waiting Indicator light and leverage GV’s low-cost international calling rates. Abrazo Multi-line Service is currently in the trial phase with North American mobile operators. The full press release from Tango is after the break. Continue reading Tango Networks offers cloud-based Google Voice integration to carriers Tango Networks offers cloud-based Google Voice integration to carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:04:00 EDT.

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Tango Networks offers cloud-based Google Voice integration to carriers

GoBandit WiFi helmet cam hands-on

Extreme sports junkies are no strangers to the vast selection of helmet cams just waiting for them to record their wicked shenanigans, so we were expecting to see nothing drastically new when we stopped by the GoBandit booth at CES 2012 . There was one thing, however, that stuck out to us as we played with the company’s top-tier model, the GoBandit Live : WiFi. And let’s be very careful with words here, because these full HD cams don’t find WiFi hotspots — they are WiFi hotspots. This means that not only can you upload your vids to another device, you can broadcast them live. Here’s how it works: download the companion iOS app (the company’s working to have Android compatibility soon), activate the cam’s WiFi and either load your vids or view them live. The model GoBandit had on hand was still a prototype model, so unfortunately we weren’t able to put it to the full test yet, though we at least were able to snap a few pics for the gallery below. Available in March, it comes in two flavors: the Live, which offers GPS and WiFi, and the Race, which doesn’t. The pair will go for $419 and $319, respectively

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GoBandit WiFi helmet cam hands-on

Turtle Beach XP400 wireless gaming headset hands-on

Turtle Beach announced a duo of new XBOX 360 and PS3 gaming headsets on day one of CES , and we were able to spend a bit of time with one of them, the XP400 , on the show floor. It’s Turtle Beach’s flagship gaming headset, featuring adjustable Dolby 5.1 virtual surround sound, a non-AD2P dual-pairing Bluetooth radio for picking up phone calls during gaming sessions, a 15 hour rechargeable battery and dual-band 2.4/5GHZ built-in WiFi. The actual over-the-ear pieces have a much better layout from previous models, though there are almost as many buttons as there are on the controller you’d be wielding — with volume up / down, chat volume up / down, mute, Bluetooth pairing, limiter button and tone buttons. The included dual-band WiFi adapter that connects to your gaming console of choice is small and pretty minimalistic in design. The adjustable surround angles feature seems useful but we can’t help but to feel it’s a bit gimmicky — we have a hard time figuring out which setting is better. One feature that we really like is the new Limiter function, which allows you to keep the volume relatively high to listen for those footsteps (lower in volume) but won’t blow your ear drums out when a RPG rocket (explosion-like volume levels) hits you in the face. The sound was also crisp and loud as we completed our spec-op mission at the Turtle Beach gaming booth, where the headset’s noise-blocking abilities proved to be particularly handy

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Turtle Beach XP400 wireless gaming headset hands-on

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