Gadget picks: August 2012

Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

Wall Street Journal to offer free WiFi hotspots in NYC and San Francisco during September

Engadget Podcast 307 - 08.24.2012

Evernote introduces Evernote Business, updates iOS application to version 4.4

Samsung Galaxy Stellar rumored to hit Verizon for $100, hopes to lure you in with Amazon apps

ITC decides Apple didn't violate Motorola WiFi patent after all, tosses case back to judge

Apple v. Samsung jury finds Apple's patents valid, awards it nearly $1.05 billion in damages

Jury finds Apple did not infringe on Samsung's patents, awards no damages

Twitter set to become the newest addition to the Linux Foundation

Apple, Samsung respond to the jury's decision; September 20th court date set for injunction hearing

Lexibook kids-tablet coming to the US, makes fifth-graders dream of an Aakash

Harvard makes distortion-free lens from gold and silicon, aims for the perfect image (or signal)

Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 now working on Linux through Google Chrome, more or less

Hisense building budget-friendly Google TV set-top box, will put Android in your living room for under $100

ITU approves NHK's Super Hi-Vision as 8K standard, sets the UHDTV ball rolling very slowly

ASUS Transformer Pad Infinity TF700KL coming to Germany, that's L for LTE

The Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine: paper sketchbooks and journals get connected

Breaking down Apple's $1 billion courtroom victory over Samsung

Meet the OwnFone: a customizable mobile phone that epitomizes simplicity

AllThingsD: 'iPad Mini' to get its own event in October after new iPhone reveal

Video of protein movement within a neuron shows how our brains renew themselves

Thursday, August 23, 2012

MasterCard denies BitCoin card rumors, BitInstant says it's still on track

Pentax intros X-5 superzoom camera with 26x lens, tiltable LCD

Xiaomi Phone 1S ships August 23rd with avalanche of backorders

Everything Everywhere completes sale of spectrum to Three, waits for regulators approval

Qualcomm confirms its role in LG superphone with quad-core Snapdragon S4

LG Optimus Vu to bow on Verizon as the Intuition, stylus not included?

Google Chrome for iOS update brings sharing to G+, Facebook and Twitter

Nikkei: ITU near recommending NHK's Super Hi-Vision as official TV standard

Wireless Sensor Tags alert you to movement and temperature changes, fit on your keyring

HTC Thunderbolt, Droid Incredible 2 go back to the future with leaked Ice Cream Sandwich ROMs

University of Michigan connects 3,000 cars for year-long safety pilot

LG Display starts volume production of in-cell touch screens, we have a hunch as to who wants them

IRISNotes 2 looks to undercut Livescribe, digitizes your scribbles for $99

Facebook for Android app updated with messaging emoji, easy event creation and a bit more

EcoXPower charges a smartphone, bicycle headlight and tail light with pedal power

Flickr Android app gets updated, touts refreshed UI and camera selection

JBL's newest Jembe desktop speakers are Bluetooth-enabled, now on sale for $99

Sony Mobile moving HQ to Tokyo, cutting 1,000 jobs in Sweden

ZTE's alleged 'Blade III' smartphone gets photographed ahead of official announcement

Nokia announces In-Location, 22-strong industry alliance for mobile indoor positioning

Sony axing Liverpool game studio, ends Psygnosis' 28-year history

Plusnet pushes its UK-fibre-optic broadband to 76Mb/s

Engadget Mobile Podcast 150 - 08.23.2012

TV Guide Mobile relaunches for iOS with a new look, links to streaming video and social networks

Samsung adds more S-Pen friendly apps for British Galaxy Note 10.1 users

VMware intros Fusion 5 virtualization software with support for Win 8, integration with Mountain Lion

Red posts high frame-rate video demonstration to smooth out misconceptions

Acer Aspire V5 review: an 11-inch Ivy Bridge laptop for $550

Live2D drawing technology from Cybernoids adds a little 3D spice to your hand drawn images

Microsoft reveals new logo after 25 years, proves that it's (still) okay to be square

Tencent and TCL unveil Ice Screen: a 26-inch Android-based smart TV

Google mapping out Canada's Nunavut territory with local community, Street View trike

Panasonic G5 mirrorless camera gets September 13th release date in Japan

Apple posts OS X 10.8.1 update, mends your Mountain Lion

Apple seeks patent for hearing aids that deliver speech at an even keel

Gigabyte P2542G gaming laptop hands-on

Pandora Android app update: new UI, song history and song lyrics for impromptu cubicle concerts

ZTE-made Concord arrives at T-Mobile and Walmart, caters to the starter crowd at $100 contract-free

Facebook updates iOS app, says it's 'rebuilt from the ground up' to be twice as fast

Netflix inks deal with Weinstein Co.-owned Radius-TWC, films coming to watch instantly next year

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Nikon's Coolpix S800c: an Android-powered point-and-shoot camera for $350

Nikon intros flagship Coolpix P7700 for prosumers, diminutive Coolpix S01 for fashionistas

4K, 84-inch 'ultra' HDTV from LG is ready to start shipping now in Korea, worldwide next month

Hulu launches redesigned site with bigger artwork, 'tray-style format' of suggested shows

GoNote 10-inch hybrid netbook / tablet bringing Ice Cream Sandwich to UK classrooms next month

Facebook adds mention tagging to Open Graph for more efficient name-dropping

Pioneer launches rekordbox mobile app, prep your XDJ-AERO set ahead of time

Logitech's Washable Keyboard K310 doesn't mind a good scrubbin', hits shelves this month for $40

Rare iPhone prototype hits eBay, branded with 'deathstar' test logo (updated with video)

RIM promotes UK and Ireland head in preparation for BlackBerry 10

Amazon's political reading map shows which way your neighbors are leaning

Nokia Windows Phone 8 devices said to arrive on Verizon this year

Tritton Warhead 7.1 two-way headset for Xbox 360 now shipping

Kingmax intros speedy, SandForce-packing SATA III Client Pro SSD

Nikon Coolpix S800c hands-on: a closer look at the Android camera (video)

iRobot's AIRarm prototype bot has an inflatable arm for manipulating objects, was built at DARPA's behest

Twitter warned by Indian government to kibosh inflammatory tweets

Google adds saved search settings, keeps them tied to your account across browsers and devices

Brother crams all-in-one functionality into a pint-size package for Business Smart series

Spotify accounts tip Canada launch, possibly expanding to Asia and South America

Inmarsat brings prepaid model to satellite phone calls

Nikon Coolpix S01 hands-on (video)

Audyssey's Wireless Speakers can plug into your computer, stream tunes over Bluetooth (ears-on)

Google Octane benchmark tests JavaScript in the real world, scales to mobile sizes

Mainland China, Taiwan send first data over direct fiber optic link, take steps towards peace and harmony

Sky's Now TV service hits Xbox, beckons you forth with 30 day free trial

AT&T confesses: its network couldn't handle unchecked FaceTime over cellular

The Oatmeal does it: $850,000 raised for a Tesla Museum

Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 to play nice with Unity game engine

Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S III, courtesy of DailySteals!

Intel brings Medfield to Russia with the MegaFon Mint

Amazon launches India Kindle Store, swap rupees for good reads

Engadget's back to school guide 2012: accessories

Archos readying 9.7- and 8-inch versions of its 101 XS tablet

Archos announces 101 XS tablet with built-in keyboard dock, arriving in November for $400

Archos 101 XS review: a tablet that puts the keyboard center stage

Xbox Essentials Pack coming in October for $80

Vizio Co-Star teardown supplies the tech specs we never had

YouTube's Elections Hub is a one-stop channel for the latest US political happenings

BMW DriveNow EV car sharing comes to San Francisco Bay Area, ParkNow follows suit

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

IEEE pushes for Ethernet standard between 400Gbps and 1Tbps, hopes to head off big data crunch

Microsoft opens $14.99 Windows 8 upgrade registration for purchasers of Windows 7 PCs

Liquidware team crafts laser tripwire that tweets intruder alerts, keeps fake sharks at bay (video)

Alpha Range iOS game requires a pico projector and laser pointer, we go hands-on (video)

NetTalk updates Android application with fresh UI, new in-app features

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 9:30PM ET

RadioShack No Contract Wireless may be getting ready to launch September 5th

Motorola's latest ITC complaint against Apple targets newer iOS devices and Macs, messaging and sync

BitInstant founder says BitCoin debit card to launch within next two months

Maxthon web browser arrives in bite-sized form for iPhone

Israeli donkeys get WiFi-equipped for historical theme park

Sony NEX-5R and NEX-6 allegedly get pictured, flaunt WiFi logos (updated with leaked press shots)

Back in the BBS days: how-to helps newbs navigate to a pre-internet playground

Ofcom approves Everything Everywhere's early 4G plans, starting next month (update)

Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September

TechBASIC 2.3 links iOS to world of sensors through Bluetooth, no pesky computers in the way (video)

Panasonic expands smart home appliance line, adds Android Smart App, cloud services

T-Mobile and Orange to rebrand as Everything Everywhere, sell 4G spectrum to rival Three (update)

Samsung spending $4 billion to renovate Austin chip factory

Google grabs glove-based input patent, could spell out gesture control

Apple gets patent for process that replaces unwanted media with user content

ooVoo updates its iOS and Android apps to support four-way video calls

MakerPlane lets you build an experimental aircraft with digital printers

Acer launches Liquid Gallant, Liquid Gallant Duo in preparation for IFA

Jawbone takes a cue from Colorware, will let customers order the Jambox speaker in custom colors

Diamond Multimedia outs AMP1000 Android set-top box: Gingerbread-based, 1080p, sells for $120

Canon announces PowerShot SX500 IS, SX160 IS superzoom cameras ahead of Photokina

Insert Coin: Instacube is a hip, Android-based digital photo frame for your Instagram feeds

Barnes and Noble sees quarterly sales surge, losses fall to $41 million

Skype adds photo sharing to iPad and iPhone app, soups up performance for both

Sony Xperia J gets a pre-unveiling hands-on, suggests we'll get exactly what we pay for

Robot Hall of Fame voting begins for class of 2012, Johnny 5 learns where BigDogs sit

TomTom refreshes Navigation app for iOS, adds social features

FCC report says 19 million americans still without broadband access

MetroPCS outs LG Motion 4G in tandem with unlimited all-you-can-eat plan

PSA: XBox 360 Dashboard Beta re-opens, offers 500,000 more slots

Motorola Defy Pro arrives in Rogers stores for $275

Listen to the Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 2PM ET!

All-weather motorcycle helmet heats and cools your face, protects grey matter (video)

LG Motion 4G for MetroPCS hands-on (video)

Monday, August 20, 2012

PSA: Nintendo 3DS XL now available in US, AC adapter included

AT&T may discontinue subsidized tablet sales, will still offer slates at full price

Switched On: The watch and the workhorse

Motorola Droid RAZR HD guides slip out to the web, pop the hype balloon (video)

Autonomous Wave Glider bot launched to track sharks, beam real-time data to your iPhone and iPad

Refresh Roundup: week of August 13th, 2012

Micromax intros supersize-on-a-budget Superfone Canvas A100, more moderate Pixel A90

How would you change Canon's PowerShot G1 X?

OnLive officially announces asset acquisition, notes that its newly formed company will keep OnLive name

Bioshock custom rig is Big Daddy of pinball machines, gives players a taste of Rapture

LG Optimus Vu goes global, trades Snapdragon processor for NVIDIA Tegra 3

Best Buy names Hubert Joly as new CEO, will take on leadership in September

Cowon's X9 PMP now shipping, features up to 110 hours of music playback

Samsung teases Galaxy Note II, 'a small and light thing' (video)

HTC to lose its $40 million investment from OnLive's financial restructuring

Syfy for iPad app adds Sync feature, second screen content launches Tuesday with Face Off (video)

Sony announces new Exmor RS cameraphone sensor: upgraded signal processing, HDR video recording

Slacker Radio embraces Pussy Riot through 'Protest' station

Netflix nabs a million UK subscribers, promises to 'invest heavily' to outbid Sky for movie rights

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 arrives at the Carphone Warehouse

Samsung Galaxy S Duos goes official: launches in Europe next month

Nook headed for UK as Barnes & Noble goes international, dabbles in the Queen's English

CE-Oh no he didn't!: Tesla's Elon Musk calls the Fisker Karma a 'mediocre product at a high price'

Synaptics spills more details on ForcePad, a pressure-sensitive trackpad coming to laptops in 2013

Synaptics enters the keyboard market, announces the ThinTouch keyboard aimed at Ultrabooks

Origin whips out dual-wielding EON17-SLX laptop with SLI / CrossFireX support

Digispark, Arduino's unofficial kid brother, takes Kickstarter by storm (video)

Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G shows off all sides, sticks with new name

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 teardown shows easy fixes, skimpy battery

Curiosity rover warms up its laser with basaltic rock blast

Green Day make cameo in Angry Birds Facebook offering as mascara-wearing egg thieves

Engadget's back to school guide 2012: portable audio

Sony sells 2.2 million PS Vitas worldwide, will redirect marketing toward 'younger audience'

Ben Heck creates hands-free wheelchair attachment for expectant father

BBC not bringing iPlayer or live streaming to Windows Phone 8, blames Microsoft

Curiosity landing video assembled from high-res images (video)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

XBMC for Android available in nightly builds for that risky media fix

Fisker completes investigation of latest Karma hybrid EV fire, issues vehicle-wide cooling fan recall

Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 Student Edition Bundle officially hits stores tomorrow, yours for $250 until Sept.1st

Alt-week 8.18.12: Graphene sponges, zero-g athletics and tweets in space

Ceton's Media Center Companion apps for mobiles hit RC status, add new features (video)

Motorola posts Android bootloader unlock page, lets just one device pass muster

Facebook to backup its servers with low-power storage devices at 'Sub-Zero' data center

Mobile Miscellany: week of August 13th, 2012

Ask Engadget: What's the best entry-level DSLR?

Sony quietly outs Xperia SL: dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S3, four hues

Harvard stores 704TB in a gram of DNA, may have us shopping for organically-grown storage (video)

Premium Collection hot shoe covers are cufflinks for your cam, let you dazzle up that DSLR

Georgia Tech develops self-charging battery that marches to the owner's beat

Volkswagen 2013 Jetta Hybrid sets speed record, gives new meaning to hypermiling

Pikachu Yellow 3DS XL to hit Japanese shores, require a pre-order for purchase

NASA maps out proposed travel plans for Curiosity, decides to head for the hills

Inhabitat's week in green: solar powered toilet, pollution-fighting mural and the world's largest rooftop wind farm

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.

Bluetooth Bulb lets you switch on, time, dim and color your lighting from your phone (video)

Finland sets new mobile phone record... by throwing one

Saturday, August 18, 2012

New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall

Distro Issue 53: Will the S Pen-wielding Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 rise above its tablet foes?

Sony starts pushing Android 4.0 update to Xperia P owners, Xperia U and more coming soon

Gamescom 2012 wrap-up

GameStop's cloud streaming will spurn consoles, hang with PCs, tabs and TVs only

Custom ROM brings Android 4.0.4 to the Desire HD, does what HTC wouldn't

Engadget Mobile Podcast 149 - 08.16.2012

Lenovo reveals K860 LePhone, quad-core Exynos and a 5-inch screen

Engadget's back to school guide 2012: digital cameras

Fujitsu making laptops from unwanted CDs and DVDs

iPhone reportedly vulnerable to text message spoofing flaw

Google Street View expands to cover swaths of Brazil and Mexican ruins, won't substitute for a vacation

HP creates Mobility division to focus on consumer tablets, taps ex-MeeGo maven Alberto Torres to run it

How 3D printing changed the face of 'ParaNorman'

Skype for Windows 8 preview, user interface revealed in web leak

Engadget HD Podcast 311 - 08.17.2012

OnLive reportedly shutting down, new company forming in its wake (update: OnLive says 'of course not')

Samsung gets green-light for $822 million R&D HQ in Korea

Campaign to build Nikola Tesla museum hits $500k in less than 48 hours, hopes to raise $850k

AT&T: FaceTime over cellular feature to be included in Mobile Share plans at no extra charge, not available for other data plans

Motorola schedules press event for September 5th, dubs it the 'day's main event'

Xiaomi Phones may enter Europe next year, because China ain't big enough

Source: OnLive undergoing buyout in wake of dire financials, laying off 'at least 50 percent' of staff

FCC Fridays: August 17, 2012

Post-acquisition Motorola files fresh ITC complaint against Apple

OnLive hits reset after being dragged down by expensive servers, confirms service will continue

Samsung Galaxy S III on Verizon gets one-click bootloader unlock, freedom is just a Google Play away

Crackle's free movie streaming expands to the Nook Tablet, Android and iOS apps updated for TV playback

Steam to debut Big Picture beta soon, make couch potatoes of PC gamers

3D@Home Consortium and International 3D Society combine, don't make 6D

Sony unveils NEX-EA50EH pro camcorder with nary a dog or pony (video)

CM10 nightly builds now rolling out to select devices

LeapFrog's child-friendly LeapPad 2 goes on sale for $100, is ready for sticky fingers

Sky Sports TV app for Android now available, brings live events to the UK and Ireland

MIT 'microthrusters' are the size of a penny, could reposition tiny satellites

DSLR gets dollop of Raspberry Pi for future home-baked camera accessories

Android Open Source Project targets Sony Xperia S, wants to get experimental

ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 gets Jelly Bean update, TF700 looks at watch impatiently

Apple responds to iPhone text message spoofing, reminds us how secure iMessage is

OnLive's alternative to bankruptcy: just what is an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors?

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Motorola Droid 4's Android 4.0 upgrade clears Verizon hurdles, brings global roaming soon (update: starts today)

Google+ appeases audiophiles with new Studio Mode for Hangouts on Air

Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET

Must See HDTV (August 13th - 19th)

Samsung SGH-T899 for T-Mobile emerges on the web with potential Windows Phone 8, LTE

Judge cuts international Galaxy S and S II, Galaxy Ace from Apple lawsuit against Samsung

FTC considering new settlement process so companies can't deny wrongdoing

Google+ offers custom URLs for verified accounts, other profiles to come 'over time'

Samsung's defense against Apple patents begins with DiamondTouch table, LiveTile UI prior art

GE, Urban Green Energy set up first integrated, wind-powered EV charging station (video)

RIM accidentally leaks BlackBerry Bold 9730, leaves a lot to the imagination (Update: it was a typo)

Acer Iconia Tab A110 allegedly caught brandishing Jelly Bean in press shots

HBO and Blinkbox offer second season of Game of Thrones online before DVD / Blu-ray release in UK

Researchers create super-efficient microbial fuel cell, dream of selling excess electricity

Gartner: worldwide mobile phone sales dipped 2.3 percent while users wait for next iPhone

Verizon's Viewdini appears on iOS: works on any network, hunts video from 11 sources

Visualized: Mars' Gale Crater in seamless 360 degrees

Berg's Little Printer up for preorder at $259, ready to churn out smiley news and gossip in '60 days'

Phones4U now accepting pre-orders for LG's Optimus 4X HD, first 50 gets Cheryl Cole tickets

Telenav's Scout gives iOS users offline navigation in exchange for ten bucks

Acer launches 14-inch TravelMate P243 $700 business laptop in the US

Avatar Blu-ray 3D Collectors Edition finally comes to retail in October (video)

Cornell students build spider-like robotic chalkboard eraser out of Lego, magnets, fun (video)

iRobot trots out Looj 330 gutter-cleaning robot, three entry-level Roombas (video)

YouTube's new app for the PlayStation 3 rolling out, allows remote control from smartphones

Tencent reveals how it gets users to pay for its service

Google's smartphone patent doesn't mind which end you talk into

'Meet the new way' at tomorrow's Samsung event: Note 10.1 on the horizon?

Microsoft Surface for Windows RT tablet coming October 26th for $199?

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon review: the definitive Ultrabook for pros

Pebble team posts UI preview, provides an early look at how you'll interact with the E-Paper Watch

Apple gets patent for in-cell touch display with impeccable timing

RealPlayer leaves beta, becomes fully-fledged Android app

PS Vita and PS3 cross-buy feature revealed: buy one copy, get the other free

Sony patents a two-way folding device, wants you to have extra screen real estate where you need it

PlayStation Vita Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified bundle announced, pricing MIA

PlayStation Mobile detailed: different screens, same games

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 hits the UK on August 22nd, starts at £300 for WiFi-only model

Canon recalls 68,200 EOS Rebel T4i DSLRs, says rubber grips can lead to skin rash

Researchers measure 3D objects using just a camera and projector, can tell if you've ironed your shirt (video)