Friday, February 24, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

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Cirque's proximity and grip sensor knows your left from your right, won't let you turn up your car stereo
Feb 24th 2012, 11:57

Today's driving laws are awash with restrictions designed to help cut down on distracted driving -- no texting, no TV, no phone calls and no fun. The good 'ol car stereo has managed to stay off the ban list, but rest easy, cautious driver, if it were to be outlawed, the folks at Cirque could build one that wouldn't respond to the driver's commands. The outfit's latest sensor tech can distinguish the user's right hand from their left, making it possible for future vehicle controls to ignore input from the driver. Cirque says the "proximity sensing with grip detection" technology will allow devices to react contextually to how they are used, creating more customized interactions for future automobiles, medical terminals and other consoles. Fine by us, as long as they don't ban our beats. Peep the video up top for a quick demo, or read on for the outfit's official press release.

Continue reading Cirque's proximity and grip sensor knows your left from your right, won't let you turn up your car stereo

Cirque's proximity and grip sensor knows your left from your right, won't let you turn up your car stereo originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic adds ViewPad G70, E100 and P100 to its tablet collection
Feb 24th 2012, 11:36

In addition to the ICS phone trio, ViewSonic's also just announced three new tablets ahead of the MWC party. Pictured on the left is the 7-inch "super light, super slim" ViewPad G70 -- to be sold alongside the E70 -- featuring Android Ice Cream Sandwich, 1GB RAM, 4GB storage, microSD expansion, a two-megapixel imager and a 0.3-megpixel front-facing camera, along with various ports including mini HDMI, micro-USB and mini-USB. Oddly enough, ViewSonic hasn't confirmed the G70's processor specs, but we'll let you guys know when we do.

Another ICS tablet in this lineup is the 9.7-inch ViewPad E100. While we're still waiting for its press shots, we're told that this slate packs a 1,024 x 768 IPS display, a 1GHz chip, and the usual selection of connectivity like HDMI, USB and microSD. All of this comes in a package weighing 620g and at 9.1mm thick.

Last but not least, we have the Windows 7-powered ViewPad P100 pictured on the right, featuring a 10-inch 1,280 × 800 IPS display, a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600 and a camera on both the front and the back. No deets on pricing and availability just yet, so stay tuned as we scan the MWC show floor next week.

ViewSonic adds ViewPad G70, E100 and P100 to its tablet collection originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViewSonic goes dual-SIM with ViewPhone 4s, 4e and 5e, all packing Android Ice Cream Sandwich
Feb 24th 2012, 10:51

When you're ready, here's yet another load of pre-MWC goodness. This year ViewSonic decided that merely slapping Ice Cream Sandwich on its new ViewPhones isn't good enough, so instead, the company's just-announced 4s, 4e and 5e also come with an extra SIM slot. Starting from the left we have the ViewPhone 4s featuring an impressive 3.5-inch 960 x 640 Super Clear IPS LCD (which, from the sounds of it, should be very similar to Apple's Retina Display from LG), along with a five-megapixel camera, a VGA front-facing imager and a 1GHz chip. Pictured in the middle is a similar-looking ViewPhone 4e but packing a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 LCD, a slower processor at 650MHz only, a three-megapixel camera and one extra touch button than its sibling; all of this made with budget in mind, obviously, though somehow ViewSonic's very proud of its 10.3mm thickness.

If 3.5-inch displays aren't your cup of tea then you'll have to jump straight to the 5-inch ViewPhone 5e, but so far all we've been told is its 800 × 480 screen resolution. Could there be more in this dual-SIM beast? Stay tuned to our MWC coverage and you'll know as soon as we do.

ViewSonic goes dual-SIM with ViewPhone 4s, 4e and 5e, all packing Android Ice Cream Sandwich originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple chomps Chomp to improve App Store search
Feb 24th 2012, 10:28

Apple Chomps Chomp
If we were Tim Cook, we wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of wasting some of that $100 billion on something extravagant, like a crystal iPhone dock or private theme park. Instead the boys in Cupertino remain dogged in quietly acquiring start-ups and hoping no-one notices. Chomp is the latest technology company whose staff will find themselves with a pass for the Infinite Loop car park. It's an app discovery business with technology reportedly far in advance of the App Store's current keyword-based search and given that there are 500,000 apps, it's unsurprising that people aren't finding what they need. You may recall that Chomp powered Verizon's Android searches too, a situation we don't expect to last very long as soon as it's time to renegotiate that contract. The companies will be mixing their sauces together in the hope of making some good goulash, although as usual, we don't expect to get a taste for a while.

Apple chomps Chomp to improve App Store search originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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