Your 2 hourly digest for Engadget

Engadget Engadget

Toyota turns to Nintendo DS as in-car GPS remote, won't guide you to Princess Peach May 17th 2012, 08:55 Let's say you liked adding GPS to your Nintendo DS. How about adding a Nintendo DS to your GPS? Toyota is trying just that through a new Smart Navi GPS unit in its Estima Hybrid minivan that will let passengers control the mapping system. Load up the Bluetooth-equipped Kuruma de DS cartridge and you can enter directions from the back seat instead of waiting for the driver's next chance at a red light. The automaker is also hoping to cut the "are we there yet?" levels of ennui to a minimum by providing trivia questions, hand-drawn map notes and a surfeit of tourist info. Mii characters speak out text information, and you can even use the car as a speaker system in the event your Starfox game needs that much more audio immersion. Estima buyers can get the new Smart Navi and Kuruma de DS in Japan on June 1st, although the $2,586 equivalent price for the GPS, the $92 cartridge and the cost of the Nintendo console itself might be too rich when you don't need a navigator to tell you that the princess is in another castle. Toyota turns to Nintendo DS as in-car GPS remote, won't guide you to Princess Peach originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Kotaku  |  4Gamer.net (translated)  | Email this | Comments Gmail and iPhone alums create Electric Imp, connect your toaster to the web May 17th 2012, 08:23 Have you ever wanted to preheat your oven while on the way home from work, or start your sprinklers while vacationing, only to remember you don't have the spare loot lying around for a network of smart appliances? A recent startup (that somehow eluded Kickstarter) called Electric Imp is about to make your wireless control / monitoring fantasies a reality with its soon-to-be-released, $25 web interface. It works much like an Eye-Fi card, and communicates with cloud services as well as other connected devices like your Android or iPhone via WiFi. The company is working hard to get the slots that work with the cards into many of the machines that we usually don't link up to the good ol' www -- but have often wanted to -- and it hopes to have everything in place later this year. This all sounds like a great deal right now, but just wait until your washing machine gets hacked and starts using scalding water on all your darks and delicates. More info at the source. Gmail and iPhone alums create Electric Imp, connect your toaster to the web originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 04:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink All Things D  |  Electric Imp  | Email this | Comments I'm Watch creator explains order fulfillment process, offers 15 percent discount for your patience May 17th 2012, 08:04 We all know that Android 1.6 isn't getting any newer, but it's now clear that customers pining for the I'm Watch will need to dig deeply and muster a final bit of tolerance. According to the Italian smartwatch creator, it's made a few changes to the device, primarily to allow for greater application compatibility -- hopefully this means something other than a stale Donut. As for delivery, the company will send out 300 I'm Watches by June 15th and will then use the next month to solicit feedback and conduct final tests. By July 15th, the company will resume delivery for its outstanding orders and expects to fulfill all current orders no later than September 15th. Customers who'd prefer to back out from the deal will have until July 15th to apply for a refund from the company, and as a goodwill gesture, it's offering a 15 percent discount for all those willing to endure the wait. For the complete details, just hop the break. [Thanks, Darrell] Continue reading I'm Watch creator explains order fulfillment process, offers 15 percent discount for your patience I'm Watch creator explains order fulfillment process, offers 15 percent discount for your patience originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 04:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments Club Jameco borrows from Etsy and Kickstarter, lets DIYers design, sell and buy project kits May 17th 2012, 07:41 Though electronics hobbyists may not have the same resources that the Maker Sheds of the world have to design, package and sell do-it-yourself kits, electronics component distributor Jameco plans to change that. With Club Jameco, enthusiasts can pitch their kit ideas to the electronic component wizards in Belmont, CA and if a project is deemed viable for production, they'll be provided with feedback and have their idea posted for public comment. After the creation of step-by-step kit instructions, a list of materials and undergoing final approval, kits will be sold to the adoring masses. Once projects roll off production lines and into garages, creators will be paid royalties anywhere from five to ten percent based on quarterly sales. Aside from giving DIYers another sales avenue, it's also an opportunity for those who've been wary of piecing together projects to finally dive in sans the added fuss. Hankering to propose a bundle of your own? Per usual, all the particulars can be found in the source link below. Club Jameco borrows from Etsy and Kickstarter, lets DIYers design, sell and buy project kits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 03:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Hack A Day  |  Club Jameco  | Email this | Comments Nielsen: Americans have 28 percent more mobile apps in 2012, look down on the web with disdain May 17th 2012, 07:22 It's not hard to see that Americans love their mobile apps, and Nielsen can now tell us by how much. The average US smartphone owner circa mid-2012 now brandishes 41 apps, a pretty hefty 28 percent increase from a year earlier. They're preferring native apps to the web, as well: they're more likely to spend time with that direct port of Cut the Rope than the HTML5 version. Along with reminding us that smartphone owners are now in the majority in the country, Nielsen has added that there's a total of 84 million Android and iOS users in the US, or more than double what we saw just a year ago. We're a bit disappointed that the figures mostly exclude BlackBerry and Windows Phone owners, although they still paint a picture of a country that's entirely comfortable in its smartphone shoes. Nielsen: Americans have 28 percent more mobile apps in 2012, look down on the web with disdain originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 03:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Nielsen  | Email this | Comments Hillcrest Labs open sources Kylo web browser for TVs, hopes the people want one May 17th 2012, 07:02 We didn't hear much from Hillcrest Labs' Kylo web browser for TVs after it launched in 2010, but now the company is apparently turning its fate over to the community. A Mozilla-based browser, Kylo will work with any mouse but is designed specifically for its Freespace pointer controls. It's available under the Mozilla Public License which means others can use it for commercial products, but so far web connected products have been slow to take off and even Google TV has had trouble pushing a typical browser experience on HDTVs. Interested devs can snag the code at Kylo.tv or GitHub, we'll see if anyone builds anything with more market impact. Continue reading Hillcrest Labs open sources Kylo web browser for TVs, hopes the people want one Hillcrest Labs open sources Kylo web browser for TVs, hopes the people want one originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink   |  Kylo.tv  | Email this | Comments

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions