Winwatch wants RFID tags in your next wristwatch — what could possibly go wrong?
Looking to simultaneously trick your employees into thinking you love them and keep better tabs on their whereabouts? If so, you should definitely look into handing out Winwatch-approved timepieces as “performance incentives,” which should be sporting an oh-so-telling RFID tag in the near future. The Switzerland-based outfit has just announced plans to patent an RFID-enabled crystal gasket that would be placed in luxury wristwatches, and while they’re pushing it as a way for companies to weed out counterfeit products, we’re sure the privacy advocates in attendance can think of far darker applications. Samples are slated to start shipping out later this autumn, which means your window to snag a non-voyeuristic watch is hastily closing.
[Via ABlogToRead]
Filed under: Wearables, Wireless
Winwatch wants RFID tags in your next wristwatch — what could possibly go wrong? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Video: Nokia N900 used to control British art installation
The new Nokia N900 is only a week old, but it’s already being put to some interesting uses — like this nifty little video wall commissioned by Nokia at the onedotzero adventures in motion festival in London. A custom Maemo 5 app sends messages to the display, and then the phone’s accelerometer can be used to control the animation. Sure, it’s not the most super-original phone+art installation we’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly quite pretty — check the video after the break.
Continue reading Video: Nokia N900 used to control British art installation
Filed under: Cellphones
Video: Nokia N900 used to control British art installation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Samsung doles out 640GB S2 portable, 2TB S3 Station HDDs
Whatever Toshiba can do, Samsung can do… um, equally well? Evidently that’s the game being played over at IFA, as the latter company has issued a 640GB portable hard drive of its own nary 24 hours after Tosh did likewise. The unspeakably cute S2 portable is getting a much-needed capacity bump, making the largest drive in the line 640GB. In related news, the company’s 3.5-inch S3 Station external HDD has seen its maximum storage level creep north to 2TB, though storage freaks will have to wait patiently until “early next year” in order to take one home. Prices for both remain a mystery, but if we had to guess, we’d put the MSRPs about a penny under whatever Toshiba settles on. Call it a hunch.
[Via HotHardware]
Filed under: Storage
Samsung doles out 640GB S2 portable, 2TB S3 Station HDDs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
HTC Touch Pro2 graces Verizon on September 11
Alright, so maybe a square Nokia isn’t your style — we understand. Maybe you’d like something a little more businesslike, something with a little more Exchange ActiveSync flair and a keyboard with room to spare. What you’re looking for, we reckon, is the Touch Pro2 — and now that Sprint and T-Mobile both have it, it’s Verizon’s turn to get real with HTC’s latest QWERTY beast. Knowing full well that this is a businessperson’s dream, HTC and Verizon have gone ahead and stuffed EDGE in there to keep you connected while you’re abroad; otherwise, you’ve got the same WVGA resolution, 3.2 megapixel cam, GPS, and WiFi as the other guys, and just like Sprint, you’re signed up for that all-important 3.5mm headphone jack. Global capability doesn’t come cheap in this case, though: expect to pay $299.99 on a two-year deal before a $100 mail-in rebate.
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
HTC Touch Pro2 graces Verizon on September 11 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Nokia N97 sells two million units in three months, Nokla sells two dozen
Well, maybe Nokia recently announced a 66 percent yearly drop in Q2 profit. And perhaps N97 reviews have been, how we say, less than stellar. But there definitely seems to be a fan base for the handset: according to Mobile News, sales of both this guy and the 5800 XpressMusic combined to total 10 million in the last 10 months, with sales for the former adding up to a whopping two million since its launch three months ago. In fact, half of the XpressMusic sales were generated since the launch of the N97 — certainly suggesting that the younger sibling successfully raised the company’s profile and brought its fellow handset along for the ride. Does this make Nokia the “undisputed leading player in the smartphones space,” as the company’s chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo put it? By sheer volume of devices, perhaps — but mindshare continues to be a problem that we’re guessing they’re eager to see if Maemo 5 and the N900 can solve. The CEO of Nokla could not be reached for comment.
[Thanks, David D]
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia N97 sells two million units in three months, Nokla sells two dozen originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Loopt strikes deal with AT&T for background monitoring on iPhone
Well, it’s not quite the sort of background application that most folks have been hoping for on the iPhone, but Loopt has nonetheless scored something of a first for its location-based iPhone app. As Silicon Alley Insider reports, the company has struck a deal directly with AT&T that’ll let it monitor your location whenever you have a network connection, regardless of whether you have the Loopt app open or not. That, as you might have surmised, is done entirely on a server-to-server basis, and it’ll initially be made available as a part of free 14-trial program limited to 5,000 users, after which it’ll run them and everyone else $3.99 a month (added to your AT&T bill). Feeling lucky (or quick)? You can put your name and number into the hat by hitting up the appropriate read link below.
Read – Loopt Always-On Location Trial Sign-up
Read – Silicon Alley Insider, “Loopt Location To Update In The Background On iPhone”
[Via MacRumors]
Filed under: Cellphones, Software
Loopt strikes deal with AT&T for background monitoring on iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Optima’s Maemo-running OP5-E MID demoed on video, priced
We’ve already gotten a quick look of Optima’s new OP5-E MID, but those really curious about the first non-Nokia Maemo device will no doubt want to check out this new video courtesy of techvideoblog.com, which offers nearly ten minutes of turning, tilting and attempts to decipher a Chinese-language interface. The Optima exec on hand also confirms a few details about the device, including the fact that it does indeed pack built-in 3G, and that it’ll apparently sell for “around $500.” Head on past the break to check it all out for yourself.
Continue reading Optima’s Maemo-running OP5-E MID demoed on video, priced
Filed under: Handhelds
Optima’s Maemo-running OP5-E MID demoed on video, priced originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Seven Samurai chipmakers set to take on Intel
You know, it’s been nearly forty years since Intel introduced the first microprocessor, and even at this late date the company comprises a whopping eighty percent of the global market for CPUs. But not so fast! Like an electronics industry remake of The Magnificent Seven (which is, of course, an American remake of The Seven Samurai) NEC and Renesas have teamed up with a stalwart band of companies, including Hitachi, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Panasonic, and Canon, to develop a new CPU that is compatible with Waseda University professor Hironori Kasahara’s “innovative energy-saving software.” The goal is to create a commercial processor that runs on solar cells, moderates power use according to the amount of data being processed (a current prototype runs on 30% the power of a standard CPU), remains on even when mains power is cut, and, of course, upsets the apple cart over at Intel. Once a standard is adopted and the chip is used in a wide range of electronics, firms will be able to realize massive savings on software development. The new format is expected to to be in place by the end of 2012. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Seven Samurai chipmakers set to take on Intel originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Translator
By N2H
-
Gadgets Gallery
