Nikon Coolpix P500 reviewed, zooms to infinity but not beyond

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It's been more than a year since the Coolpix P100 hit the review panels, and now it's time for the new kid on the block to step up. The fine folks over at Photography Blog seem to find that the P500 performs similarly to the P100 -- the Achilles heel still being image quality, suffering from the same washy retention of detail. The overall handling and controls haven't changed much either -- a second control wheel, the ability to mount an external flash, as well as dedicated ISO and white balance buttons are all still missing. With rather modest changes, the P500 gives you another dose of what the P100 served up -- convenience in a compact package. Besides being able to zoom 10x more with that 22.5-810mm monstrous lens, and take larger pictures due to a 2 megapixel increase, the P100 is still faster (with a f/2.8 lens) and smaller, not to mention $100 cheaper. It's difficult to say that the P500 is ready to grab the reins from the P100 entirely, but that miniature telescope of a lens sure makes it a contender. Hit up the source for the full analysis.

The Engadget Podcast returns... tomorrow at 5PM ET!

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The Engadget Podcast. What is it? Is it a living, breathing thing? Is it something that has to be seen to be believed? Is it more than just an hour-long stream of aural intensity, finely hewn and focused on the world of consumer electronics? It's a mystery that even The Most Interesting Man in the World is having trouble solving, but we're going to assume things will get a lot clearer when it returns to your regularly scheduled programming block tomorrow evening. Newly appointed Editor-in-Chief Tim Stevens and the perpetually lost Darren Murph will be your guides to somewhere, tomorrow joined by two special guests from the Engadget Mobile podcast team: international man of mystery Vlad Savov and mobile debutante Myriam Joire. It's a foursome that'll almost definitely make your workday woes vanish into thin air. Tomorrow. Here. 5PM ET... ish.

Elderly Georgian lady disconnects Armenian internet for half a day... by accident

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A 75-year old lady from Georgia (the country, not the state) has perpetrated an impressive feat of international sabotage in what seems to have been an accident of extremely bad luck. While foraging for copper wire near her home in the village of Ksani, the unnamed septuagenarian managed to come across a critical fiber optic cable, one responsible for serving internet connectivity to "90 percent of private and corporate internet users in Armenia" and some in her own country as well. Her swift strike at the heart of said bit-transferring pipeline resulted in all those folks being thrown offline for a solid 12 hours, while the Georgian Railway Telecom worked to find and correct the fault. In spite of her relatively benign motivations, the lady now faces three years in prison for the damage she caused. We'd say all's well that ends well, but this doesn't actually seem like a very happy ending at all.

Liquid-cooled Wii takes console mods to a ridiculous extreme

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There are console mods and there are console mods... and then there's this -- a completely custom Nintendo Wii built from steel and cooled by two liquid-filled containers that would look more at home in a mad scientist's laboratory. Not surprisingly, this mod took a long time to complete. Bit-tech forum member Angel OD began the so-called "UNLimited Edition" project way back in December, 2009 and, after a few diversions, finally finished it this past weekend. Be sure to hit up the links below for a look at the complete build process, and a few more shots of the finished product.

HP's keyboard-less webOS phone and Verizon Pre 3 leaked?

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Our good friends over at PreCentral have just received a couple of juicy scoops, even for this time of the day. According to their proven tipster, what we're looking at here is an upcoming webOS phone sans keyboard -- a first for Rubinstein's crew, as many of you might already know. While there's not much detail to go with this pic, it appears that this here slate's just slightly bigger than the Pre 3, and that the little spot above the screen could be either a front-facing camera or merely a proximity sensor. Following PreCentral's logic, this could very well be the Stingray that showed up in the list of codenames back in November -- the similarly sized Pre 3 is Mantaray, whereas the smaller Veer is Broadway, leaving Stingray and Windsor unclaimed. But of course, we wouldn't place our bets just yet.

Speaking of the Pre 3, the same tipster also sent in a spyshot of said phone connected to Verizon. While we already know that this slider packs both CDMA and GSM radios, this is actually the first prototype seen running on the former. Alas, the mysterious tipster is again keeping a tight lip about this leak. Picture after the break.

Microsoft and Toyota to partner on smarter charging systems for EVs (update: yes)

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Today at 3:00pm EST Microsoft and Toyota are holding a little webcast and, while they're staying mum on just what the topic of discussion will be, we're hearing they've been having some heart-to-hearts about making dumb power grids a little smarter. The details naturally are yet to be unveiled, but we're presuming it'll be similar to what Microsoft and Ford have worked on for the Focus Electric, technology that enables the car to know when rates are cheapest and only charge up then, also providing detailed data on the car's power consumption. The Tesla-powered RAV4 EV will be Toyota's first pure electric vehicle, and while it surely won't be as invigorating to drive as the similarly Tesla-powered Roadster, thanks to Microsoft maybe it'll be a little smarter. It'll certainly be cheaper.

Update: Sure enough. Toyota and Microsoft have announced a ¥1 billion (about $12 million) deal to extend Microsoft's telematics wizardry (which powers Toyota's Entune system, among many others) to help "link people, automobiles and homes for integrated control of energy consumption." Interestingly it's all going to be built on Azure, Microsoft's cloud operating system that, apparently, works in cars as well. That and lots more PR speak after the break.

Apple granted patent for a 'reduced size multi-pin connector,' namedrops USB 3.0 and DisplayPort

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Apple has just collected the US Patent Office's approval to add another to its vast hoard of patents. This one, numero 7,918,689 in the USPTO annals, describes a multi-pin male plug connector and a corresponding female receptacle, with the innovation being a reduction in size thanks to a single row of contacts. You can think of it as Apple's next generation of 30-pin connectors, or rather the next generation as the company envisioned it back in late 2008, the date of filing for this document. Back then, while the age of the click wheel was still upon us, Apple wanted to transfer USB 3.0 and DisplayPort signals over its newfangled plug, aspirations that were codified in claim 11 of its patent. We may now be a solid 30 or so months removed from that doc hitting the Patent Office's inbox, but the desire to have advanced data transfer tech integrated straight into the company's proprietary connectors is unlikely to have withered. Would it be a stretch to expect Apple's now working on a similar solution for the Thunderbolt interconnect -- whose plug looks identical to the one used for DisplayPort -- that is presently gracing its MacBook Pro line?

Isis NFC payment system gets its first market in Salt Lake City, Utah, launches in 2012

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Like 3D on high-end HDTVs, NFC-based payment systems seem set to invade our mobile lives whether we like them or not. Isis, a collaborative venture between AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and a bunch of banking big timers, has today announced the first market for its rollout of a contactless payment scheme, and it's none other than Salt Lake City, Utah. That'll surely raise eyebrows in locales that may consider themselves more tech-savvy, but we reckon starting off with a city of a smaller scale might be good for getting this "mobile wallet" system off the ground. And then there's the added benefit of Isis snagging a deal to enable compatibility with the entire Utah Transit Authority footprint. If all plans are executed properly, that should mean that by summer 2012 the good people of SLC will be able to NFC their way around town with just their smartphone in hand, while also swiping it through checkouts like some form of highly advanced techno-humans.

HTC Pyramid to launch on April 12th under the name of HTC Sensation?

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When HTC extended an invitation our way to come "see what's next" on April 12th in London, plenty of you were already guessing that its long-rumored 1.2GHz Pyramid device would seize that opportunity to make its debut. Now Pocket-lint has apparently confirmed those inklings, with word from an insider affirming the new Android smartphone's launch for that day and also adding that its retail name will be the HTC Sensation. HTC has already filed a claim to trademark that tandem of words, which lends an extra dash of credence to this revelation. Frankly, so long as all the mighty, EVO 3D-emulating specs we've been hearing about this device turn out to be true, we don't care if HTC calls it the Watermelon. Actual availability in stores is said to be expected "in the coming months," leaving a bit more waiting to be done whatever happens on April 12th. Ah well, they do say good things come to those who wait.

Ubisoft's Battle Tag lands at the FCC, we're already out of breath

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Remember when we just about passed out from exhaustion following a rather short demo of Ubisoft's nouveau laser tag setup? Well, judging from its appearance over at the FCC, it looks like the RFID-packing Battle Tag is ready to play. Unlike some of our more fruitful dives into the commission's archives, this one doesn't uncover a whole lot about the product that we didn't already know. Internal photos show an RFID reader, used to communicate with ammo packs for reloading, and a thorough examination of the game's user manual revealed the accompanying software is compatible with Windows only. So, no, we won't be exposing any big secrets here, but for laser tag aficionados, whoever they may be, today is a good day. A Battle Tag setup for two is now available via Ubisoft for $130.

Sanyo Eneloop Mobile Booster provides $79 of USB power-suck

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What was a Japanese-only device has finally made it to the US shores. Sanyo's Eneloop Mobile Booster (aka, KBC-L2) battery supplies 5V 500mA of juice to a pair of simultaneously connected USB devices or 1,000mA to a single, more power-hungry tablet. The 5,000mAH Lithium-ion pack is baked right into the device (rechargeable Eneloop AA owners should check out Sanyo's Mobile Booster stick) and charges fully in about seven hours from an AC circuit or 14 hours from a relatively feeble USB jack. Available now for $79.99.

Dish Network wins Blockbuster auction for $228 million in cash

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The question of what's next for Blockbuster has been partially answered, now that Dish Network has announced its $320 million bid was enough to win a bankruptcy court auction for the rental giant's remaining assets. After "certain adjustments" are made and the deal closes, it's expected to cost just $228 million in cash but what exactly Dish plans to do with the 1,700 stores and innumerable copies of Little Fockers is unclear. Executive VP Tom Cullen stated in the press release (after the break) Dish looks forward to reestablishing "Blockbuster's brand as a leader in video entertainment," but in a world where Netflix, Redbox and iTunes exist that could be easier said than done.

Intel rolls out 10-core, 20-threaded Xeon E7s, shows everyone who's boss

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Someone deep down in Intel's development dungeons must be laughing a haughty laugh of disdain at us mere mortals getting excited about dual-cores in smartphones. The old Chipzilla has just turned out its 10-core Xeon E7 processor family, which can work on 20 simultaneous computational threads courtesy of the company's Hyper-Threading knowhow. Needless to say, there aren't that many casual workloads that will ever properly harness such extremely parallelized prowess, but then Intel isn't really gunning for the Facebook crowd here anyhow. The new E7s are for those dealing with truly data-intensive tasks, meaning that Facebook itself would be a good candidate to buy up a few, provided it's tempted by such things as 40 percent performance improvements over the Xeon 7500 tied to dynamic power adjustment for increased energy efficiency. Pricing for the Xeon E7s starts at $774 and climbs up to $4,616 per 32nm chip, with the usual proviso that Intel won't sell them in batches of less than 1,000. More details follow in the press release and video after the break.

[Thanks, Khan]

da Vinci Robot pwns Operation, deems our childhoods forlorn (video)

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What happens when a robot with immaculate dexterity comes to grips with a notorious board game from our childhood? Just ask Johns Hopkins University students, who successfully removed the wish bone from an Operation board using the da Vinci Robot. If you're familiar with the game, you'll know how incredibly difficult it was to prevent that ear-piercing noise from occurring-- even with our tiny fingers. Of course, we should have expected that a robot -- especially one capable of folding a tiny paper airplane -- would be able to accomplish this feat with such ease. Be sure to peep the pseudo-surgery in video form below the break.

Elgato updates EyeTV iOS app, does the AirPlay dance

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If you've been longing to use your EyeTV HD to sling content from your AirPlay-enabled iOS device to your designated Apple TV 2 setup, listen up. Elgato has pushed an updated version of the EyeTV iOS app (version 1.2.3) that enables Apple's wireless streaming technology to play nicely with your ATV2 or third-party AirPlay device. Remember, the app costs $4.99, but wouldn't you rather watch Seinfeld reruns on the living room 74-incher? Yeah, us too.

HTC Desire solves dodecahedron Rubik's Cube, will blow your mind (video)

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If this image doesn't have you completely dumbfounded, scroll down and watch the video. Sufficiently awestruck? Good. Now, for a little background on exactly how someone got a pile of Legos and a smartphone to solve the devil's puzzle Megaminx. The aptly titled Megaminxer enlists the Mindstorms NXT kit to do the dirty work and an HTC Desire, running a custom Android app, as the brains of the operation. Said app uses the phone's camera to take individual images of each of the puzzle's 12 faces, then processes the information and sends a signal via Bluetooth to the NXT controller, which in turn goes to town. Unfortunately, there's no explaining how they got the Android to dance like that, but, really, why ruin the magic?

[Thanks, Stuart]

Bacteria's disciple improves upon technique, crafts N64 handheld capable of GoldenEye split-screen

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This isn't the smallest portable Nintendo 64 we've seen, nor the most elegant, creative or complete -- in fact, it's pretty much a straight clone of Bacteria's iNto64, but with a spiffier paint job and one critical improvement. Yes, that is an extra controller port you see in the foreground of the image above, and if you click your way below, you will indeed be able to watch its creator engage in some wonderfully retro split-screen Mario Kart 64 and F-Zero X races, not to mention the obligatory GoldenEye death match and a wee bit of Quake 2. Ahhh, memories. 

[Thanks, Alon T.]

Samsung's 3D TV experience is getting cheaper: two pairs of glasses packed in, $50 for extras

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As the battle between active and passive 3D glasses display technology heats up, Samsung has responded by announcing its cheapest pair of active shutter 3D glasses will cost $50 (previously $130) beginning May 1st. Additionally, all of its 3D-capable 2011 HDTVs will come with two pairs of glasses packed in, unless the purchase is eligible for the Megamind/Shrek starter kit that already comes with them. This move comes just as FPR-based displays from LG, Vizio, Toshiba and Philips hit the marketplace. LG specifically focused on the cost of glasses as a selling point over Samsung in recent ads that ran heavily throughout the NCAA Tournament (embedded after the break.) LG is charging $10 per pair for its RealD-compatible Theater 3D glasses while Vizio has pairs on its website for $29.99 or two for $44.99.

The cheap pair of Samsung glasses is the SSG-3100GB model with replaceable battery pictured above and while it promises the new, lighter Silhouette-designed SSG-3700GR glasses will also get cheaper, no new price has yet been announced. A 62% price reduction is nothing to sneeze at, but it looks like customers will still need to buy into 3D -- and that active glasses beat passive on picture quality and viewing angle like it says in the press release (after the break) -- to spur sales of the new TVs.

Samsung Galaxy S II gets upgraded to 1.2GHz, delayed until May or June?

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Well, it looks like there's some good news and some bad news for those holding out for a Samsung Galaxy S II. GSM Arena is reporting that Samsung has decided to upgrade the phone's dual-core processor from 1GHz to 1.2GHz, something that was first revealed on Samsung Estonia's Facebook page and has apparently be confirmed by GSM Arena itself from an "internal source." The bad news is that it seems you'll also have to deal with a bit of a delay. Some UK retailers are now listing a release date of May 6th, while Samsung India has tweeted that the phone's global launch has been delayed by "at least" a month, and that it won't roll out before June.

P.S. There's no indication as to how this upgrade will affect the Tegra 2 version of the phone, which was confirmed to be on track last month.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sprint EVO View 4G tablet to launch with Honeycomb, Flyer can't be far behind (update: maybe not)

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If you want a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 tablet with 1.5GHz and dual cameras, you want an HTC Flyer. If, however, you want that with WiMAX data and a talk show name, you'll want Sprint's special flavor, the EVO View 4G. At CTIA we were told that it was, of course, Android, but now Sprint's confirming that it'll come right out the door with Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb. That's the tablet taste that makes everybody come a runnin', and that this sucker will have it at launch (sometime "this summer") might just be good news for those pining for the WiFi-only Flyer, which as of last report would not be getting its own sweet taste until sometime after launch.

[Thanks, Leo Z]

Update: Well, that didn't last long. Sprint has now tweaked the page to simply read the "latest version of Android," and a spokesman tells Android Central that while the "plan is to offer Honeycomb," it's still "too early to determine whether or not Honeycomb will be available at launch."

Acer releases third-gen Aspire Timeline X laptops with Sandy Bridge, but only in Taiwan for now

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If you've been waiting for Sandy Bridge to land on Acer's Timeline X laptops, then today's your day. Well, it depends, as these new machines are only available in Taiwan for the time being. Just a few hours ago, the lucky folks over at Engadget Chinese managed to get up close and personal with these bad boys: we have a couple of 13.3-inch 3830TGs (pictured after the break), a 14-inch 4830TG, and a 15.6-inch 5830TG (pictured above). With the exception of Core i3-2310M on one of the 3830TGs, these laptops all come with Core i5-2410M, NVIDIA GT540M (with 2GB DDR3 RAM), 640GB hard drive, 2GB DDR3 RAM, and USB 3.0 ports. As for multimedia, sitting below the 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit LCDs are Dolby Home Theater speakers by Kenwood, and additionally, the two larger models also pack a DVD Super Multi DL drive.

Compared to the previous-gen Timeline X range, the most notable difference here is the new chiclet keyboard brought over from the Ethos range, which should trap a lot less dirt thanks to the tighter gaps. You'll see that the new Timeline X ID has gone for a more tranquil look -- the touchpad no longer has a silver trim around it, and likewise, the edges around the body are no longer tapered. Also gone is the removable battery underneath, but given the impressive portability (4.12 pounds, 4.67 pounds, and 5.49 pounds, respectively), we won't miss this feature too much. On the contrary, there's now an extra mouse button, presumably for offering better left and right-clicking. So far so good, and if you're digging these laptops as well, then they can be yours for between NT$32,900 (US$1,133) and NT39,900 (US$1,374). Head over to Engadget Chinese for the whole stash of hands-on photos.

DARPA BOLT initiative wants real-time spoken translation, Douglas Adams' ghost says it's about time

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Thanks to online tools like Google Translate we're now able to communicate with people in nearly any language -- maybe not perfectly, but well enough to get the general idea across, and livened up by the occasional humorous mistranslation. Now DARPA wants that done wholesale and with military precision, launching the BOLT initiative. That stands for Boundless Operational Language Translation, and DARPA is giving interested parties until May 19th of this year to submit proposals for how they'll manage to achieve the department's lofty goals, which include written and spoken translation into English of "multiple languages." If you're thinking of competing you can find all the details at the source link, though curiously you won't find a single Vorgon dialect mentioned.

Dell to trial mushroom-based packaging on servers, hugs IT hippies

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We've already seen Dell embracing the bamboo woods to package its products, so what's next for Round Rock's green fingers? Mushrooms, apparently. Unveiled at the Fortune Brainstorm Green conference yesterday is a biodegradable cushioning tray, which is grown -- yes, grown -- out of a mold stuffed with old cotton hulls, mushroom spawn, and nutritious agricultural waste. While it does take about five to ten days for the mycelium (aka mushroom root) to form the desired shape, the merit of such process is that all the energy required for the manufacture is provided by the recycled waste, thus reducing other energy dependencies. What's more, this fungal packaging has already passed Dell's extensive lab tests "like a champ," and it'll soon be trialed on Multipack packaging shipments for the PowerEdge R710 servers. If you want to thank Michael, he'll be in his usual tree house.

Survey says AT&T drops more calls than Verizon, these bar charts don't lie

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Wondering which carrier you should buy your iPhone on? There's a survey for that. ChangeWave Research has released the results of a poll that hit 4,068 users distributed across Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Among those four, VZW came out ahead when it comes to dropped calls, with 1.4 percent of respondents indicating they'd received one in the past three months. AT&T, meanwhile, came in last with 4.6 percent. If you look only at the iPhone 4 users the numbers change a little, 1.8 percent vs. 4.8, but the conclusion stays the same. No, this conclusion sadly will not get you around your ETF, but maybe making a pouty face at the AT&T store will help.

Update: AT&T let us know it has some doubts about these results. We're not statisticians but we will, out of fairness, link over to this GWS survey from last year that showed 98.59 percent success rate for non-dropped calls. How do your numbers compare?

Geminoids meet their human doppelgangers for a photo op you'll never forget (video)

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Three of the well-dressed individuals above are humans (at least they say they are). The other three are Geminoids -- lifelike robots created by professors Hiroshi Ishiguro and Henrik Scharfe in their image and that of one other willing assistant, all of whom got together for a little photo op last month. Creepy? You should see what else has come out of their lab. Video after the break.

Toshiba's Satellite L Series continues its world tour, adds 2D-to-3D conversion

[img]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/04/toshiba-satellite-l-series-l770.jpg[/img]Back at CES, Toshiba unveiled a batch of low-cost Satellite L Series laptops in the US, and now it's taking its show on the road, with new models on tap for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. These include the 13.3-inch L730 and L735, the 15.6-inch L750 and L755, and, if you're hankering for a desktop replacement, the hulking 17.3-inch L770 and L775. This latest spin on the L Series boasts 3D support, connecting to 3DTVs over HDMI and, in some cases, converting 2D content to 3D. As in the States, shoppers abroad can add up to 8GB of RAM, and will get their choice of Intel Core i3 and Core i5 processors and various AMD CPUs, including triple- and quad-core options. Also look for multitouch trackpads, 5,400RPM hard drives as large as 750GB, 1.3 megapixel webcams, a mix of USB 3.0 and sleep-and-charge USB 2.0 ports, and a choice of integrated Intel HD graphics or a discrete NVIDIA GeForce 315M card with up to 1GB of video memory. No word yet on when they'll go on sale or how much they'll cost, but those curious for more can hit the source link for the full spill.

Samsung confirms WiFi-only Galaxy Tab availability: April 10th, $350

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We've already seen it turn up on a few retail sites, but Samsung has now finally officially confirmed the launch details for its WiFi-only Galaxy Tab. It will be available online and at retail stores across the US on April 10th for $349.99. Specs otherwise remain the same as the 3G version, including a 7-inch 1024 x 600 display, 32GB of internal storage (with a microSD card slot for up to an additional 32GB), rear and front-facing cameras, and Android 2.2 with support for Flash 10.1 -- from the looks of things, it's also only available with a white back. Full press release is after the break.

Dell Streak 10 to launch mid-June with Honeycomb, possible name change in the works

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Dell's Windows 7 Rosemount tablet may not make it to the beach with you this summer, but that doesn't mean the company won't have an Android alternative when it's time to start applying sunblock. According to Forbes, the 10-inch Android-powered slate we got an oh-so-quick glimpse of at CES should be ready to hit the market somewhere around mid-June, just a little bit later than we'd previously heard. The publication also hints that the tablet heretofore referred to as the Streak 10 may not retain that moniker when it's time to launch, but it will most definitely be running Honeycomb, though we're not sure if it'll keep the Stage UI. Either way, summer 2011 is shaping up to be the season of Honeycomb, and we're excited to see just what each manufacturer will do to differentiate themselves in the increasingly-crowded space.

Sprint launches Novatel MiFi 3G / 4G mobile hotspot

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This one's been floating around since way back in December, but Novatel's new 3G / 4G MiFi has is now finally available from Sprint -- albeit only via direct ship, Sprint retail channels will get it on April 17th. It will run you $79.99 on a two-year contract, and comes packing Novatel's rather novel MiFi OS, which is actually a stripped-down version of LInux that lets you take advantage of various widgets and applications. It's also GPS enabled, and has a microSD card slot that allows for up to 32GB of shared storage. Full press release is after the break, and you can check out a few early reviews of the device at the more coverage links below.

Disney World's Haunted Mansion gets interactive upgrade, digital spooks (video)

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It may not be as scary as Walt Disney World's Hall of Presidents, but the Florida theme park's Haunted Mansion just got a ghostly upgrade. The ride's grand finale, which previously positioned hitchhiking ghosts -- by way of half-silvered mirrors -- alongside unsuspecting visitors, is now reportedly using a series of digital mirrors and sensors to make things more interactive. As opposed to just popping up next to passengers, Disney's Ezra, Gus, and Phineas are now equipped to rip your head off, blow it up balloon-style, and send it flying. Sure it sounds scary, but this is Disney, the same company that didn't see the nightmare-inducing capabilities of a robotic Obama. For a peek at the new creepers, peep the video after break.

MSI spits out four more Sandy Bridge laptops, including tasteful-looking F Series gaming rigs

[img]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/04/msi-fx620dx.jpg[/img]If it seems like MSI is dropping a lot of laptops this week, you're not imagining things. The company just announced the FX620DX and FX420 gaming rigs and two mainstream notebooks, the FR720 and FX720, some of which join the 16 laptops it unveiled at CES. The FR720 and FX720 are both beastly 17-inch desktop replacements, with prices ranging from $710 to $900 depending on whether you opt for an Intel Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 CPU, and whether you stick with integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics or spring for one with a discrete NVIDIA GeForce GT520M card.

As for the gaming machines, we have to say they're pretty conservative-looking, with black lids made from a non-peeling, scratch- and smudge-resistant material, and a handful of chrome accents and blue LEDs thrown in for good measure. The 15.6-inch FX620DX packs either a quad-core Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M with 1GB of video memory, and a 720p webcam. The 14-inch FX420, meanwhile, comes with that same quad-core Core i5 CPU and AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics, also with 1GB of memory. The FX620DX also comes with either a 1920 x 1080 or 1366 x 768 display, while the more diminutive FX420 just offers the latter. Other than that, though, these machines share the same DNA, including an six shortcut buttons, HDMI and VGA port, 4 USB ports (two of 'em USB 3.0), six-cell batteries, and hard drives ranging from 500GB to 750GB with speeds of either 5,400 RPM or 7,200 RPM. MSI hasn't announced pricing or availability for the F Series, but hit the source link to peep these laptops' very discreet designs.

Commodore USA puts the new C64 up for pre-sales, unveils far-less-retrotastic VIC-Slim

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Now that Commodore USA has sufficiently piqued your curiosity with a revamped Commodore 64 prototype, it's ready to capitalize on the idea. Quite literally, we might add. $595 buys you the basic basic model with an 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom D525 chip, NVIDIA ION 2 graphics, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive -- which it promises to deliver by "early June" -- with hundred-dollar increments adding premium features like an additional 2GB of memory, a Blu-Ray drive, up to 1TB of storage, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth. However, if you're simply looking for a compact keyboard computer (rather than reliving 80's nostalgia) there's another option on tap -- a likely rebadged thin wedge of a machine that Commodore's calling the VIC-Slim. Even at just $395, though, something tells us it won't be the "wonder computer" of 2011.

Android chief Andy Rubin tackles open source qualms, says Honeycomb isn't 'one size fits all'

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Google got a lot of flak for withholding the Android 3.0 source code, and plenty more when Businessweek sources claimed the company had set aside its open stance to dictate from a throne, but today the man who would allegedly sit atop the royal seat says it isn't so. Andy Rubin, the man in charge of Android, says that "there are no lock-downs or restrictions against customizing UIs" nor "any efforts to standardize the platform on any single chipset architecture" as have often been rumored before, and that when Honeycomb is finally ready for phones, Google will indeed release its source code. Overall, he claims that Android's position when it comes to open source hasn't changed since day one -- which is nice for those who would like to believe that Google's still sticking to its motto -- but that's not likely to appease companies cut out of the loop simply because they weren't part of the early adopter club. If Google's methods will reduce fragmentation, though, who are we to judge?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Toyota sells one million Prii in US alone

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Thank you Toyota, for teaching us the plural of Prius, because somehow, "Toyota sells one million Priuples" just doesn't jive. That's right, the Japanese automaker announced Wednesday that it has officially sold its one millionth Prius on American soil. It's reportedly also reached a couple of other sales milestones in the last six months, with worldwide Prius sales reaching two million in October and overall Toyota hybrid sales exceeding three million in March. Now that's a whole lot of Prii. Full PR after the break.

Acer unveils svelte and spiffy Aspire Z5761 all-in-one, on sale in May

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Yes, laptops and tablets are all the rage these days, but there's still quite a few of us who enjoy the expansive screen real estate of their sedentary computing brethren. That's why Acer's unleashed a sleek and svelte new all-in-one dubbed the Aspire Z5761. This latest AIO keeps the same fabulous form factor of its cousin, the AZ3750, but sports a larger 23-inch Full HD display, your choice of Sandy Bridge Core i5-2400s, Core i5-2500s, or Core i7-2600s CPUs, up to a 1.5TB SATA II HDD, a Blu-ray or SuperMulti drive, NVIDIA GeForce GT440, GT435M, or GT420 graphics, and a hybrid TV-tuner card so it can do double duty as your boob tube should you be so inclined. Connectivity comes courtesy of gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and eight USB 2.0 ports. In addition, the system's preloaded with the company's Clear.fi tech, so you can grab multimedia content residing on other Acer devices (assuming you have any) with the greatest of ease. Touching down for £799 ($1305 for those of us residing on the right side of the Atlantic), this desktop dandy is set to go on sale in early May -- we know, we can't wait either. Full scoop's in the press release after the break.

Telus recruits Leonard Nimoy to help you improve your Facebook status

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Sharp has George Takei to tell you about the fourth pixel it can't show you, and now Telus has hired none other than Leonard Nimoy to help out with another difficult task: improving your Facebook status messages. Using the WWLNS application -- that's What Would Leonard Nimoy Say? -- you can submit potential status messages to Mr. Nimoy and see what he thinks before you actually post them. Apparently, we've been writing in haiku without even realizing it. Of course, you will have to "Like" Telus in order to try it out yourself -- clever, Telus, very clever.... logical, even. More Nimoy after the break.

PogoPlug Video and Buffalo CloudStor now shipping, streaming your stuff all over the place

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Yes, you've seen these guys before, and now the latest PogoPlug offspring are ready to ship. Both PogoPlug Video and its storage-sporting cousin, the Buffalo CloudStor, put their own unique twist on the firm's remote access service. As you might recall, PogoPlug Video, which is now available exclusively from Best Buy for $200, allows you to hook up your external hard drives and share streaming video, music, and images to devices anywhere with internet access. Buffalo's CloudStor, on the other hand, provides the same cloud-based access, with a little something extra. It's the first PogoPlug branded gadget to sport integrated storage, and comes in three iterations, ringing in at $150 for 1TB, $210 for 2TB, and $250 for the 2TB Pro version. Now you can share all your favorite kitten clips, without ever uploading them to YouTube. Isn't that precious?

HTC's market capitalization reaches $33.8b, overshadows Nokia and RIM

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Nokia once said that going with Android was like "peeing in your pants" for temporary warmth. Well, even if that warmth doesn't last forever, it has now helped one of its upstart competitors, HTC, to rise beyond Nokia in terms of market valuation. This is a somewhat beguiling metric to compare companies by -- market cap measures the value of a company's shares available on the market, and not every company has the same proportion of its overall value available in stocks -- but it illustrates well the diametrically opposite directions in which the two mobile phone makers are moving. Bloomberg informs us that HTC's stock has risen by 33 percent this year, while Nokia's has shrunk by 19 percent. Surpassing Nokia now means HTC is the world's third most valuable smartphone maker. Of course, neither Nokia nor RIM is sitting idly by and letting the Taiwanese whippersnapper have things its own way, however both companies' roadmaps for re-conquering the smartphone high-end seem to stretch far off into the 2012 distance. As for HTC, we expect it to launch another Sensation of a device on Tuesday.

Nexus S with AT&T bands available in white for $600, headed to Fido and Rogers

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It's been a long time in coming, but it looks like Google and Samsung's love child, the Nexus S -- a favorite around these parts -- is finally available with AT&T's 850 and 1900 MHz 3G bands from online retailer Negri Electronics, for $600 in your choice of black or white. It's not the first time we've seen the elusive Samsung GT-I9020A in the wild: it's already appeared both in the hands of the FCC and on the Bluetooth SIG's website. We've also seen pictures of a Nexus S with a white battery cover before. And here's more: we already knew the AWS version of the Nexus S was coming to Canada via Mobilicity, but according to MobileSyrup, you'll soon be able to pick up the Nexus S on Fido and Rogers for C$500 contract-free or C$100 with a three-year commitment, and these two carriers use the same 3G frequencies as AT&T in the US. So, until we hear something official from Samsung or Google, hit up our plethora of source links below.

Google creating YouTube 'channels', spending $100 million on original content?

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You can do quite a lot with a sufficiently large catalog of semi-popular footage, but original content is king, and today the Wall Street Journal is reporting that YouTube will sink $100 million into original programming. The idea, according to the usual anonymous sources, is that Google will reshape the home of Keyboard Cat into a television network of sorts -- with channels for different topics -- and a good number of them featuring "several hours of professionally produced original programming a week." That sounds like a drop in the bucket compared to the raft of footage that YouTube's amateurs put out, of course, and it wouldn't be the first time we've seen Google invest in original work, but we'd be lying if we said we wouldn't enjoy kicking back with even a smidgen of the pulse-pounding possibilities that some 4096-pixel-wide footage could offer. YouTube is reportedly attracting talent right now, say the WSJ's spooks, and intends to ease users into the idea of channel surfing starting later this year.

Osborne 1 celebrates its 30th birthday, and that of the portable computing revolution

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On April 3rd, 1981 -- thirty years ago today -- Adam Osborne unveiled the Osborne 1 at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. It had a 4 MHz Zilog Z80 CPU, two single-sided floppy drives, 64K of RAM, and a five-inch monochrome CRT display. Nothing particularly special there, even back in the day. No, what made the Osborne 1 extraordinary was the fact that the 24-pound plastic machine had a carrying handle on the back -- and at the bargain price of $1,795 with software included, it became one of the first mass-produced portable computers to succeed. Which, of course, spurred competitors to create an army of even more luggable, loveable machines. Shortly after helping to change the course of history, Osborne and his computer fell into a spiral of pain, but the next time you admire the way your ultralight slides into a manila envelope, you'll know who to thank. Find a short but sweet chronicle of the Osborne 1 at our Technologizer link.

Man steers R/C car with his hands, not to mention an HTML5-based web app (video)

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With the right Arduino board, an R/C race car, a couple paperclips and the MacGyver spirit, we imagine most anyone can hack together a creative remote control these days... but how many can open-source an HTML5 web app that'll do the deed from any tablet, phone or PC? Gaurav Manek crafted just such a thing, and he'll demonstrate it for you on an Apple iPad in the video immediately above. What's more, he's also got a Kinect hack that uses Microsoft depth camera (with Code Laboratories' NUI SDK) to control the very same with the wave of a well-placed hand -- we're already envisioning fisticuffs should he and a lab partner try for some head-to-head racing action. That said, you don't need to wait for an illustrious creator to have all the fun. Why not download his source code at our links below and give it a go yourself?

Logitech ratchets up the competition with M325 wireless mouse

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You know that pseudo-tactile feeling you get when you fondle your mouse's clicky scroll wheel, the one that satisfies your obsessive need to touch everything? Logitech wants to give you more clicks, and smoother scrolling to boot. This M325 wireless mouse's new "micro-precise" scroll wheel features 72 tiny ratchets, making our self-counted 22-ratchet mouse wheel seem downright barbaric by comparison -- not that we ever really considered the number of teeth our mice had before now. The rodent's 18-month battery life won't quite live up to your 2-year Couch Mouse, but at least they can share a Logitech Unifying Receiver. Your scroll wheel of tomorrow can be had for $40 later this month, or £30 right now for lucky folks in the UK.

ContourGPS Connect View app hands-on

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The $350 ContourGPS sits among the top-tier of consumer-friendly helmet cams, but it's always posed one major problem: you can't really tell where it's pointing. Sure, it shoots a pair of wicked lasers out of the front, but it's always a challenge to gauge the extents of its 135 degree lens. We knew there was a secret trick in there waiting to be unleashed, which we got to play with at CES, and now here it is. Contour has released its Connect View functionality for iOS, letting you view live footage from the camera right on your phone. Keep reading for our full impressions.

Crucial's M4 / C400 SSD reviewed, hitting store shelves in late April for an undisclosed sum

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When Micron's RealSSD C300 came out, there were no competitors in sight -- 355MB / sec read speeds and a SATA 6Gbps interface made for an unbelievably spritely (though also finicky) solid state drive. Today, that's simply not the case, as Intel's SSD 510 and OCZ's Vertex 3 are furiously fighting for the crown in the high-end consumer SSD space. On or about April 26th, the C300's successor will hit the market branded as the Crucial M4, but this time it won't be the cream of the crop, as even though it's assuredly a speed demon, it's actually shown up by its predecessor in a few tests. In particular, AnandTech noted that the drive seems to have sacrificed sequential read performance in exchange for faster write speeds -- and was worried slightly about Crucial's delayed garbage collection routine -- but overall, reviewers are coming away fairly happy with the speedy performance they're seeing. Still, the most crucial variable, price, has yet to be revealed -- over a year later, the C300 remains an expensive drive, but the new C400 uses Micron's 25nm NAND flash, which could make solid state storage cheaper.

Read - AnandTech

Read - The Tech Report

 Read - Hardware Heaven

Read - Tom's Hardware

Rube Goldberg Machine to set new world record, bring forth apocalypse

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If you've never seen the rise and fall of humanity as told by a series of pulleys, levers, and CO2 rockets, now's your chance -- a team of Purdue engineers have built a contraption that not only tells the history of the world through the end of days, but is also a contender for the world's largest Rube Goldberg machine. The Purdue team's "Time Machine" catalogs a history of dinosaurs, war, and rock 'n roll before finally culminating in a cataclysmic inferno and efflorescent renewal in 232 steps -- narrowly beating out the previous record of 230 set by Ferris State University in 2010. Impressive, but not officially the "world's largest" just yet-- the team is submitting a video of a flawless run to Guinness World Records to certify the historic thingamajig, hopefully eking out a victory with its two step lead.

Switched On: Techonciliation

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

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"Don't throw the past away. You might need it some rainy day."

-Peter Allen, from the song "Everything Old Is New Again"

During the late '90s and early '00s, the hype bubble grew large about a number of ideas that never reached critical mass. WebTV was going to democratize the Internet, but it devolved into a market niche after being acquired by Microsoft. WiFi providers such as MobileStar and later Cometa Networks hoped to build vast WiFi networks that would compete with cellular plans. Those bubbles popped back in the day, but curiously, companies are now willing to pump some energy back into them. The question is whether they are in any better position to float this time around.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: Renewable art touches the sky, an electric Audi TT, and cryogenic energy

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. 

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This week Inhabitat saw renewable energy projects blast off around the world as Kenya announced the construction of the largest wind farm in Africa and a team of Georgia Tech researchers developed a heart-powered nanobattery that can charge your gadgets on the go. We also learned that the mixture of saltwater and fresh water in estuaries could provide for 13% of the world's power needs, and we took an in-depth look at a cryogenic energy system that produces electricity from liquefied air. Finally, we showcased photographer Mitch Epstein's haunting photos of "American Power" which recently won the Prix Pictet prize. 

It was also an epic week for architecture as the Pritzker Prize - the world's highest architecture honor - was awarded to Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura. We also saw a high-tech solar skyscraper with a mind-bending wavy facade rise in Seoul, and we shared 15 visions for skyscrapers of the future -- from vertical farms to shipping container towers and oil rig cities. 

Finally, this week we saw a bright future dawn for green transportation as a team of students unveiled a hyper-modified electric Audi TT that is powered by solar energy. We also learned that the European Union is considering banning gas cars by 2050, and we took a look at Microsoft's new database that tells you the cheapest place to charge your EV. Last but not least, we brought you a 10-seater pedal-powered party bike, and we showcased a stylish LED-lit jacket designed to keep cyclists safe at night.

TDK's new line of Boomboxes and audio gear now officially available

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TDK has slowly been rolling out some of its new audio gear since it first showed off the line at CES in January, but it's now finally officially announced that the whole lot is readily available across the US and Canada. That includes both its two-speaker and three-speaker Boomboxes, its "room-filling" Sound Cube, a set of high-end headphones, and even a belt-drive turntable -- those range in price from $249 for the headphones to $499 for the three-speaker boombox. Of course, while TDK is boasting quite a bit about the sound of the gear, it's also placing a heavy emphasis on their appearance, for which it can thank design firm Ziba. Don't miss the more coverage links below for a bit of insight into how it crafted the products.

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro successor spotted as SK17i, sports Gingerbread

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Looking for your fibrous dose of gadget leak? Look no further than China which has, again and again, outed several spy shots of what appears to be the Xperia X10 Mini Pro's successor. Dubbed the SK17i and codenamed "Mango," this time we're looking at some proof of Android 2.3 on this little Sony Ericsson slider, along with a homescreen UI not dissimilar to that of the X10 Mini and X8 series. Other than that, we're not seeing anything new here, though we can't help but wonder if the unused Xperia Duo trademark has finally found its rightful owner -- you know, maybe Duo as in a two-part slider phone? As always, only time will tell.

[Thanks, @Tehpriest]

Next-gen iPod nano chassis hints at camera?

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Here's yet another juicy leak from China to go with your breakfast. Delivered by the same folks who brought us the sixth-gen iPod nano display module leak, this time we have what appears to be a chassis for the next touchscreen nano. According to Apple.pro, the circular hole at the top right is likely to house a little camera, which would bring back the good old days with the camera-donning fifth-gen nano. Obviously, to make space for such an imager here, the spring-loaded clip on the back would have to be downsized and shifted, which would explain why the four screws are off-centered here, unlike those on the current-gen nano (as seen in iFixit's teardown shot after the break). That said, let's not forget that this rumor is coming straight out of KIRFdom, so we'll remain skeptical until this baby pops out around September time, as has been the case with most nano launches in the past.

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide gets PC-assisted Froyo update

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Gingerbread may not be a very likely option, but T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide users can now get a dessert of another sort (albeit a slightly stale one), as the phone has finally received an update to Android 2.2 (a.k.a. Froyo). Unfortunately, there's apparently no over-the-air update planned, and the software required for the installation is Windows-only, so anyone with a Mac looking to upgrade will have to find a PC-using friend willing to help them out. If you're all set to go, however, you can download the update from HTC at the source link below.

[Thanks, Frenchy]

redsn0w untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 released for Windows and OS X, lacks iPad 2 support

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If you've been waiting for a nice, easy jailbreak solution for iOS 4.3.1, then today's your lucky day: Dev-Team's just released redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 for both Windows and OS X, allowing us mere mortals to free our supported devices -- iPhone 3GS, 4 (GSM); iPod touch 3G, 4G; iPad 1; and Apple TV 2G -- with a few simple clicks. Alas, there are a couple of caveats: the iPad 2 isn't supported here, as Cupertino has somehow managed to tighten up its security to fend off hackers (for now); and ultrasn0w users have also been told to hang tight until there's a compatibility fix -- Dev-Team will announce on Twitter when this becomes available. As for those who are eligible for this new jailbreak, head over to Dev-Team's website for the download links, and make sure you have the corresponding IPSW files handy as well -- you can find them over at iClarified or on your favorite search engine.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Kinect used to make teleconferencing actually kind of cool (video)

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No matter how hard Skype and others try to convince us otherwise, we still do most of our web communications via text or, if entirely unavoidable, by voice. Maybe we're luddites or maybe video calling has yet to prove its value. Hoping to reverse such archaic views, researchers at the MIT Media Lab have harnessed a Kinect's powers of depth and human perception to provide some newfangled videoconferencing functionality. First up, you can blur out everything on screen but the speaker to keep focus where it needs to be. Then, if you want to get fancier, you can freeze a frame of yourself in the still-moving video feed for when you need to do something off-camera, and to finish things off, you can even drop some 3D-aware augmented reality on your viewers. It's all a little unrefined at the moment, but the ideas are there and well worth seeing. Jump past the break to do just that.

Acer's 7-inch Iconia Tab A100 priced at £300 in UK, launching April 20th

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Boy oh boy, these Taiwanese companies are seriously gunning to take the bottom out of the Honeycomb tablet market. After we saw ASUS stride forward with very competitive pricing on its 10-inch Eee Pad Transformer, we're now being treated to Acer's riposte, an eminently reasonable £300 ($483) price tag attached to its 7-inch Iconia Tab. Nothing is really skimped on here, you get the dual-core Tegra 2 and Android 3.0 one-two punch of hardware and software that's become so popular lately, and of course the RAM is 512MB, not KB as indicated on Amazon's listing. Perhaps the 8GB of storage will be a little on the light side, but given the price, we consider that a most forgivable shortcoming. Amazon notes the release date as April 20th in the UK and we doubt the rest of the world will have to wait much longer either.

Sony's Howard Stringer confirms Honeycomb tablet in US by summer (update)

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Ready to taste a sweet Honeycomb tablet with a Sony twist? You'd better be -- Japan's Nikkei is quoting Sony chief executive, Sir Howard Stringer, saying that the company's first Android 3.0 tablet will be on sale by the end of summer. Better yet, it'll pop for retail in the US first, according to the report. This lines up nicely with the reported September launch of a PlayStation Certified Tegra 2 "S1" tablet featuring a 9.4-inch display and unique "wrap" design that we first told you about back in February. Or will it be the S2 clamshell? Who knows, Howard isn't saying. The new tablet tattle was apparently uttered at the same event where Howard spilled the beans about Apple's plan to use Sony sensors. Come on Howie, quit the teasing and just come out with it you saucy Welsh minx.

Update: Sony told Japanese site AV Watch that it will release the tablet before the end of this year. It's unclear if the comment relates to the domestic Japanese model or if it's meant to temper expectations after the company's rogue CEO spoke out of turn. Regardless, it's coming.

Visualized: 1,235 potential alien planets

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The tiny black dots set against their glowing host stars above represent 1,235 potential alien planets discovered by NASA's Kepler mission. With any luck, at least one of them has never heard of Justin Bieber.

Blaze's U-Move controls your Wii, makes you jog to play effectively (video)

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Now that your Wii Balance Board is safely tucked underneath the couch and you've long ago discovered that every standard Nintendo title can be played with the flick of a wrist, you might be wondering how you'll ever convince yourself to exercise again. Well, there are certainly a few dangling-carrot solutions to your problem, and here's one that actually makes sense -- the Blaze U-Move, a Nunchuk replacement (with built-in pedometer) that effectively locks your joystick in place. The idea is that unless you're moving, your avatar can't move, and when you do, it can -- each time you jog in place, you're building up virtual momentum. That certainly sounds like a much more graceful and practical solution than others we've seen, which turn off the entire controller or (Miyamoto forbid) cut power to your entire game machine. This way, you can stop running when you need to do some precision aiming, and set your mind at ease regarding your save game. Yours for £20, or about $32 in US currency.

Panasonic's first rewriteable 100GB BD-RE XL discs launch later this month

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For those stuck between the flexibility of HDD storage and the archiving ease of BDXLs Panasonic is finally ready to bridge the gap with its new triple layer BD-RE XL discs, set to arrive April 15th in Japan. Being the first rewriteable BDXL is the LM-BE100J's claim to fame, which works out since the 10,000 yen ($118 US) asking price means buying two is probably out of the question. The latest burners from Pioneer and Buffalo already support the new discs, owners of other hardware may want to double check their spec sheets before ordering.

webOS VP flies the coop, joins Numenta as marketing guru for imminent product launch

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You probably don't know who Joe Hayashi is -- well, unless you skimmed his bio immediately above -- but he just departed one company that you might care about, and went to another one. Hayashi was VP of webOS product development at Palm / HP, and now he's become the VP of marketing at Numenta, also known as the place where Palm's founder (and two former CEOs) decided to stay after the Folio tanked. Numenta's kept fairly quiet during its six years of operation, except to describe a concept called "hierarchical temporary memory" which could lead to a form of artificial intelligence based on human learning schemes, but we imagine if it needs a marketing guy, the company's about ready to actually create something. For its part, Numenta agrees -- it's publicly stated that we'll see the technology in some sort of product later this year.

Larry Page takes over as Google CEO today, ready to show Tim Cook how it's done

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The Page-machine, the Larry-meister, the chief of all Google execs. As announced in late January, Google's top decision-making position is today changing hands from the trusty grip of Eric Schmidt to the slightly less proven hold of co-founder Larry Page. Monsieur Page should be familiar with the role, having performed it until Schmidt was hired back in 2001, but the Google of a decade ago was quite a different beast from the multi-tentacled, omnipresent one it is today. It's probably a good thing, then, that Schmidt is remaining on Google's board in the role of Executive Chairman, with a focus on outward-facing deals and partnerships, while Page takes care of strategic and product development decisions. The other original Google gangster, Sergey Brin, is still a big part of the company's triumvirate at the top, but his attention will be dedicated to developing new projects -- things like that gigabit broadband network Google's just started building in Kansas City, Kansas. As to us, our undivided focus will be placed on coming up with fresh "do no evil" jokes.

Refactr turns whiteboard into giant 3DS AR card, proves bigger is better (video)

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If you haven't already seen our demo of the 3DS' rather impressive bag of augmented reality tricks, then let us take this opportunity to show you -- once again -- why we're excited about the thing's AR capabilities. The folks over at software development firm Refactr have done some tinkering and found that all you need to make your very own 3DS AR card is a white board, some dry erase markers, and a projector. By tracing the outlines of that mysterious question mark card on to a shiny white surface, they found that conjuring the device's AR interface is actually quite simple, and mostly a matter of contrast. Going big, in this case anyway, not only makes for a good time -- as evidenced by the video below -- but it should also put to rest any questions about whether or not these things are sprinkled with pixie dust, Juju powder, or some other magical substance.

Evoluce releases Kinect-based 'Win & I' gesture interface for Windows 7

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We've already seen Evoluce toy around with using a Kinect to control Windows, but it's now taken things one step further with its new "Win & I" software, which promises to let anyone do the same with minimal effort. That comes in both a home edition that offers gesture controls for Windows 7 itself, plus Media Center and other applications (which could be particularly handy for a home theater), as well as a business edition that apparently adds some extra controls specifically tailored to Microsoft Office, and PowerPoint in particular. Head on past the break for a quick video demonstration, and hit up the link below to snag the software if you're interested -- the home edition runs €20, or just under $30 (Kinect not included, obviously).

Update: Well, it looks like Evoluce already has a bit of competition. Upstart company So Touch has now also released its Air Presenter software that will let you liven up your next presentation with more gesturing and hand-waving than usual.

SpaceX teases 'something big,' suggests we check back April 5th (video)

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Okay, okay, so the last time a company teased "something big," they were exaggerating a tad, but this video here comes from SpaceX, maker of giant rockets. So when the only commercial organization that shot a hunk of burning metal into orbit and retreived it back on Earth tells us to look out for something with "five new engines" and "two new rockets" on 11:15AM ET on April 5th, you'd best believe we're going to have our tails firmly pressed into comfy chairs and popcorn at the ready to watch it. Spoiler alert: it's probably the Falcon Heavy. 

[Thanks, Doug]

Commodore USA's all new C64 finds a friend in Tron on the road to availability

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Been a bit skeptical of Commodore USA's promise to bring back the venerable Commodore 64 with some up-to-date PC specs? We can't blame you, but the company is now working to change some minds, and is finally proving that it is in fact the real deal. In addition to revealing some pictures of an early prototype a little while back (pictured after the break), the company has also somehow managed to team up with Disney, and it will be promoting the new C64s with an ad included with every copy of Tron: Legacy (pictured above). Still no word of an actual release date, unfortunately, but Commodore USA will apparently be launching a new website tomorrow to coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release, so hopefully it will have a few more details to share then. In the meantime, you can check out more prototype shots at the link below.

Brooklyn Motorized looks to bring classic styling to new-age electric motorcycles

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One of the most beautiful things about motorcycles is that their styling is rather less restrained than your average automobile. Bikes have covered just about every shape and size, largely ignoring crash testing results and aerodynamic concerns, and the upcoming electric motorcycle from Brooklyn Motorized certainly makes little concession for either. It's a scooter-sized thing, with about a 60MPH top speed and a 30 mile range, figures that don't fare particularly well to the competition from Brammo or Zero. But, this two-wheeled wonder is designed for apartment living, the battery pack coming out of the frame for easy charging indoors -- something Zero is only just starting to get behind. Also, cost here is expected to be less than $6,000, which could be plenty enticing indeed. That is, of course, if you don't have very far to go.

Bionic eye closer to human trials with invention of implantable microchip

[img]http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/04/bioniceyeinside.gif[/img]We've had our eye -- so to speak -- on Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) for sometime, and with the invention of a new implantable microchip it's coming ever closer to getting the bionic eye working on real-deal humans. The tiny chip measures five square millimeters and packs 98 electrodes that stimulate retinal cells to restore vision. Preliminary tests are already underway, and clinicians are in the process of screening human guinea pigs for sampling the implants -- the first full system is still on track for a 2013 debut. In the interest of future success: here's mud in your eye, BVA! Full PR after the break.

Vizio Theater 3D HDTVs show up on Amazon, confirm rumored pricing

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The 32- and 42-inch versions of Vizio's E3D series HDTVs are now listed for preorder on Amazon at $499 and $699 just as our tipster indicated. The E3D320VX and E3D420VX are currently expected to ship in 3-5 weeks, which should also allow buyers interested in the new FPR-based Theater 3D technology to be among the first pick one up without heading to Walmart. Of course you still can if you want to, a 48-pack of paper towels should go well with your new 3DTV and its dual-sided QWERTY remote.

[Thanks, Phil Z.]

Welcome to Engadget

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Hello, and welcome to Engadget. I'll be your new host, Tim Stevens, taking over as Editor-in-Chief and leading you through this wonderful land of technology and innovation... maybe checking out a couple of KIRFs on the way, too. Though our site isn't changing I wanted to introduce myself because, well, we're going to be spending a lot of time together, you and I. So come on in, let's get to know each other.

Google bids $900 million for Nortel patent portfolio, will use it as shield against patent trolls

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Google and Nortel have agreed on the princely sum of $900 million to start off a "stalking horse" auction -- wherein outside parties are still free to outdo Google's bid -- for the acquisition of Nortel's rather vast patent portfolio. The sale comes as part of the latter company's bankruptcy selloff and involves some 6,000 patents and patent applications, which encompass both wired and wireless communications, semiconductors, data networking, voice, and the internet -- going so far as to even touch on web search and social networking. The thing is, Google's not really enamored with these tidbits of intellectual property to the tune of nearly a billion dollars. No sir, a rather bitter blog post from the company this morning makes it quite clear that Google's acting in order to bolster its own intellectual property library and to "create a disincentive for others to sue." Both Android and Chrome get obliquely mentioned in Google's announcement as benefiting from the move, which should be completed by June of this year pending other bids and regulatory approvals.