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ITC preliminary ruling says Motorola’s Droid series doesn’t violate Apple patents

shaun — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:14:22 +0000

As myriad legal tussles roll on between smartphone manufacturers, Apple’s suffered a knock-back by the International Trade Commission. Apple first lodged its complaint against Moto in October 2010, accusing its Droid family of violating the patents found in its own phones. This was countered by a volley of patent violation complaints from Motorola. Granted, this is still a preliminary ruling, but looks like Motorola may have won this round of legal drudgery.

ITC preliminary ruling says Motorola’s Droid series doesn’t violate Apple patents originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Army’s A160 Hummingbird drone-copter to don 1.8 gigapixel camera

shaun — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:14:30 +0000

Starting in July of 2012, the United States Army will deploy three Boeing A160 Hummingbird drones to Afghanistan as part of a one-year trial program. Unlike the Predator drones already in combat, the A160 is a rotor-based aircraft capable of vertical take-offs and landings. What’s more, the craft will be affixed with the DARPA-developed ARGUS-IS imaging system — which boasts a 1.8 gigapixel camera the Army says can “track people and vehicles from altitudes above 20,000 feet.” The A160 Hummingbird platform will provide the Army with the ability and flexibility to: take off and land without a runway; fly for twelve hours or more without refueling; and monitor up to 65 enemies of the State simultaneously. Test flights of the unmanned chopper are scheduled for early 2012 in Arizona, but residents hoping to get a glimpse of the A160 in action best have great eyesight — the ARGUS-IS system can see targets from almost 25-miles down range. Oh, and don’t forget to smile when you look up. You want to look your best for the eye in the sky, right?

US Army’s A160 Hummingbird drone-copter to don 1.8 gigapixel camera originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 23:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Senseg’s tactile display gets demoed on a tablet, products anticipated within 24 months

shaun — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:14:22 +0000

We’ve seen Senseg’s tactile display technology demoed on a few different devices in the past, but CNET has now gotten a quick look of the company’s latest tech on a tablet, along with some additional word on its future. As with previous prototypes, the screen doesn’t rely on any moving parts as some other tactile displays do, but instead employs an electrostatic field-based system that allows different parts of the screen to produce varying degrees of friction. As Senseg notes, that opens up a number of interesting possibilities for gaming, as well as other applications where you may not always want to look at the screen. Of course, that tablet is still very much a prototype, but Senseg’s Dave Rice says that he’s “optimistic” we’ll see actual products using it “within the next year,” although he notes that could extend to 24 months. See the video after the break or at the source link below.

Continue reading Senseg’s tactile display gets demoed on a tablet, products anticipated within 24 months

Senseg’s tactile display gets demoed on a tablet, products anticipated within 24 months originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wave Glider robots set out to explore the seven seas, break the Guinness record

shaun — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:14:19 +0000

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, nope, it’s Liquid Robotic’s four Wave Gliders on a mission to snag the Guinness World Record for longest distance traveled on Earth by an automaton. Setting out today from the San Francisco Bay, the autonomous sea-faring crafts will travel far and wide to gather data about the world’s oceans. Powered by the water’s movement, the vessels are fuel-free, using “flapping” wings to move forward without human command. Tricked out with various solar-powered sensors, the robots can capture location, weather, temperature, wave height, barometric pressure and more throughout their travels. The 198.4 pound machines cost between 0,000 and 0,000 each depending on how many sensors are built-in — a small price for scientists or commandeering pirates hoping to learn more about the 95 percent of ocean that has yet to be explored. Let’s just hope they don’t run into one of these guys.

Wave Glider robots set out to explore the seven seas, break the Guinness record originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Foxconn chairman signs letter of intent for ‘intelligent robot kingdom,’ we cower in fear

shaun — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:14:20 +0000

It looks like FRIDA and friends are about ready to get comfy over at Foxconn. Following the company’s August announcement that it would infiltrate its ranks with one million robots in the next three years, Focus Taiwan is reporting that the manufacturer’s parent company, Hon Hai, is moving forward on its plans to build an “intelligent robotics kingdom” in the Central Taiwan Science Park. Chairman Terry Gou reportedly signed a letter of intent with Taichung mayor Jason Hu last Saturday, confirming its plans to erect a plant dedicated to the production of robots and automation equipment. That robo-mecca is expected to draw some serious scratch, with an estimated production-value boost of NT0 billion (about billion) and the creation of 2,000 jobs. How many of those positions will be filled by headless automatons remains to be seen.

Foxconn chairman signs letter of intent for ‘intelligent robot kingdom,’ we cower in fear originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Nov 2011 04:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RIM recovers, BlackBerry services coming back online

shaun — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:14:22 +0000

Well, that was quick. Mere hours after holding a press conference stating that it didn’t know when BlackBerry users would have their BBM, internet, and email working again, services have begun to come back online. Apparently email is up across the globe, as is BBM. Web browsing, however, continues to be “temporarily” unavailable to those on EMEIA networks in Europe, the Middle East, India, Africa and Latin America. There is of course a considerable backlog of messages to get through, but the good news is that all the BlackBerry bits and bytes are flowing freely once again. Hit the source link to get the info straight from the horse’s mouth.

RIM recovers, BlackBerry services coming back online originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Department of Homeland Security developing system to predict criminal intent

shaun — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 07:14:19 +0000

We’re not exactly lacking in opportunities for Minority Report references these days, but sometimes they’re just unavoidable. According to a new report from CNET based on documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the US Department of Homeland security is now working on a system dubbed FAST (or Future Attribute Screening Technology) that’s designed to identify individuals who are most likely to commit a crime. That’s not done with something as simple as facial recognition and background checks, however, but rather algorithms and an array of sensors and cameras that can detect both physiological and behavioral cues that are said to be “indicative of mal-intent.” What’s more, while the DHS says that it has no plans to actually deploy the system in public just yet, it has apparently already conducted a limited trial using DHS employees — though no word on the results of how well it actually works, of course. Hit the source link below for the complete (albeit somewhat redacted) documents.

US Department of Homeland Security developing system to predict criminal intent originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autom lady-bot will help you lose weight, love you regardless

shaun — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 17:14:28 +0000

Aw, this little cutie is so adorable — until she denies you pizza and cheese fries. Autom, the 15-inch talking droid we first caught a glimpse of last year, is back and available for pre-order. Using the LCD touch screen, hungry dieters are prompted to enter daily calorie consumption and exercise habits — to which the robot will respond kindly to keep you motivated. With face-tracking capabilities and a killingly sweet death stare, Autom is always watching, which might just make you feel guilty enough to skip the dip. The lady bot costs 5 for the deposit, 8.46 for the device and another .95 monthly, though early birds can get 6 months free and ten percent off the monthly charge for ordering on the company’s website. Slated to ship in 2012, apparently aiding the impending robot apocalypse doesn’t come cheap. Check out little Autom in action after the break.

Continue reading Autom lady-bot will help you lose weight, love you regardless

Autom lady-bot will help you lose weight, love you regardless originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judge rules in favor of employees fired over Facebook post, orders them back to work

shaun — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:14:24 +0000

The National Labor Relations Board has weighed in on the role of social networking at the office, determining that employees can’t be fired for what they post on Facebook — as long as they use the platform to talk about improving their workplace. The NLRB’s ruling, announced on Wednesday, stems from an incident last year, when an employee at the Hispanics United of Buffalo non-profit organization went on Facebook to complain about a co-worker who accused her of slacking off at the office. Other colleagues soon chimed in on the woman’s wall post with a slew of profanity-laced comments, before the targeted employee noticed the thread and reported it to a supervisor. Citing the agency’s zero-tolerance policy on cyber harassment, the boss fired the five employees who participated in the online discussion — including one who went on to file a complaint with the NLRB. Last week, administrative law Judge Arthur Amchan finally issued a verdict in the case, determining that the employees retained the right to talk about “their terms and conditions of employment,” as stipulated under the National Labor Relations Act. Because this particular Facebook thread involved discussion of “job performance and staffing levels,” Amchan ordered Hispanics United to reinstate the employees. The decision marks the first time that an administrative judge has ruled on a Facebook-related workplace case, though the NLRB says it’s received “an increasing number of charges related to social media in the past year” — so it likely won’t be the last. You can read the Board’s statement in full, after the break.

Continue reading Judge rules in favor of employees fired over Facebook post, orders them back to work

Judge rules in favor of employees fired over Facebook post, orders them back to work originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Sep 2011 08:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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142 electric vehicle charging stations head to Massachusetts, Nantucket and MV not included

shaun — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:14:20 +0000

Things are lookin’ up in New England — particularly for those who crisscross Yawkey Way with an electric vehicle. A grand total of 142 EV charging stations are slated to hit The Bay State in the coming months, with 25 communities across the commonwealth to get gifted. Boston reports that the majority of ‘em will be in “common commuter or traveler spots,” places like downtown parking garages, MBTA lots, shopping malls, etc. The bulk of the boxes will be part of the ChargePoint network, and we’re told that the rates for recharging will be set by “municipalities on public land and by property owners on private land,” depending on where each box is planted. So, is the charging station rollout between NY and MA the new Yankees vs. Red Sox? Nah, but a techie can dream.

142 electric vehicle charging stations head to Massachusetts, Nantucket and MV not included originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 24 Jul 2011 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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