Sony Vaio S line gets mild refresh with second-gen Core CPUs

Press Release:SONY UNVEILS NEW VAIO® S SERIES LAPTOP WITH 15 INCH FULL HD DISPLAY. Full-featured and portable HD PC weighs just 4.4 pounds. SAN DIEGO, August 31, 2011 – Sony today unveiled an all new VAIO S Series laptop

with a 15.5-inch Full HD 1080p display featuring a slim and light design and optional sheet

battery for all day mobility.

Engadget, Sony Vaio S line gets mild refresh with second-gen Core CPUs

Sacha Baron Cohen's gold-plated Dartz spied

Sacha Baron Cohen is currently working up his next contribution to cinema. The Dictator is a spoof flick built around a persona very similar to Saddam Hussein, the former ruler of Iraq. Cohen has turned to Russian SUV manufacturer Dartz to supply a few vehicles for his motorcade, and the automaker responded with a set of gold-plated Kombat wagon models.

Autoblog, Sacha Baron Cohen's gold-plated Dartz spied

Sprint's contract termination fee balloons to $350 ahead of iPhone 5 launch

Though late to the finish line, it looks like Sprint is finally ready to follow AT&T and Verizon Wireless' lead and bump its contract termination fee to $350 for “advanced devices.” Sprint confirmed on Wednesday that it will soon increase its early termination fee (ETF) from $200 to $350 beginning in early September. The 75% increase will impact subscribers who purchase subsidized smartphones, tablets, netbooks and notebooks, and the ETF will continue to be prorated as it is currently. The change is set to go into effect on September 9th according to a company spokesperson, and the timing is anything but curious.

Boy Genius Report, Sprint's contract termination fee balloons to $350 ahead of iPhone 5 launch

Fed nixes costly mandatory street sign replacement program

If your nearest stop sign is looking a little worse for the wear, you should reach out and let your local government know. Up until recently, that sign was one of the hundreds of thousands that were set to be replaced by 2018, according to a mandate formerly on the books. Now, however, the Obama administration is getting rid of that rule so that local governments can decide if and when a sign needs to replaced. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and representatives from nearly all 50 states, the mandated 2018 sign swapping would've cost millions of dollars that didn't need to be spent.

Autoblog, Fed nixes costly mandatory street sign replacement program

Novitec does its thing with the Alfa Giulietta

Though you might not know it today, there was a time when Alfa Romeo challenged Ferrari on the race track. In fact Alfa was taking trophies and titles long before the horse ever pranced – that's where Enzo got his start, after all. But these days, now that they're sister companies, Ferrari makes the supercars and races for top honors while Alfa Romeo makes hatchbacks. If that just don't seem right to you, there are some engineers at Novitec who apparently feel the same way.

Autoblog, Novitec does its thing with the Alfa Giulietta

Apple loses iPhone prototype in a bar, again

Apple employees must love a good drink. An Apple employee has, yet again, lost an unreleased iPhone prototype in a bar, according to CNET. The iPhone was lost in Cava22, a bar in San Francisco's Mission District, late last month and Apple quickly tried to recover the lost device. The Cupertino-based company tracked the phone to a house in San Francisco's Bernal Heights where investigators spoke to “a man in his twenties” who had been at Cava22 the day the iPhone was lost.

Boy Genius Report, Apple loses iPhone prototype in a bar, again

DROID BIONIC teaser campaign begins

Verizon Wireless just had a high-security briefcase hand delivered to our office, and it sure looks like the Motorola DROID BIONIC hype machine has started. First off, the briefcase is covered with the DROID logo, and there's also a plaque on the briefcase that says that this is #2 of four pieces in existence. Sure enough, a visit to www.droiddoes.com/bionic allowed us to input a special code engraved on the object inside the case. So what is inside the briefcase. Check out our gallery below for images and hit the jump for the text engraved on the inside of the case.
Zero-in with pinpoint precision.





Boy Genius Report, DROID BIONIC teaser campaign begins

Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi merge LCD operations

Mergers often end up with some corners being cut (cost savings in corporate parlance), resulting in a leaner and often meaner entity. Of course, there will be collateral damage along the way, but then again that is to be expected. The latest news that is going around would be three Japanese giants, Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi working together to merge their liquid-crystal display (LCD) operations by taking advantage of the $2.6 billion government-backed funds in order to hold their ground against fierce competition from rivals who hail from South Korea and Taiwan.

Ubergizmo, Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi merge LCD operations

FTS Wins Western European Content Billing Deal

FTS' Leap™ Billing to enable innovative content and M2M billing and superior customer experienceHerzliya, Israel | August 31, 2011: FTS, a global provider of billing, customer care and policy control solutions for communications and content service providers, today announced that it has been selected by a Western European content provider to implement its Leap™ Billing, a comprehensive end-to-end billing and customer care solution. The service provider offers innovative content services combining Video on Demand (VoD) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications.

Press Release Distribution, FTS Wins Western European Content Billing Deal

Airsketcher Robotic Fan reads a room, zooms in on target

A fan that can read. Just what the heck is the world coming to these days. What you see above is the Airsketcher Robotic Fan that will feature a camera located right smack in the center of the fan, where said camera will be used to read various patterns that are printed on cards. Imagine a smart fan that is capable of tracking a particular person in the room, focusing all the airflow on said person wherever he/she is, even when walking across the room.



Ubergizmo, Airsketcher Robotic Fan reads a room, zooms in on target

WikiLeaks hacked, website crashed

The WikiLeaks website did happen to crash on Tuesday in what seemed to be a hacking attempt, coming after the accelerated publication of tens of thousands of once-secret State Department cables raised fresh concerns surrounding the exposure of confidential US embassy sources. According to WikiLeaks, “WikiLeaks.org is presently under attack” where an hour later, the site and the cables posted there could no longer be accessed. WikiLeaks of course turned to their Twitter account, while directing its followers to look for cables on a mirror site or a separate search system – cablegatesearch.net.

Ubergizmo, WikiLeaks hacked, website crashed

App review: Android Pro Widgets by Dr. Appche

If you are a big fan of the HTC Twitter or FriendStream widgets, Android Pro Widgets is a shoe-in for you if you don't have a phone with HTC Sense. Android Pro Widgets have a few features and offer more customization than the stock HTC widgets that are included in Sense. The widget pack includes widgets for Agenda & Calendar, People, Bookmarks, Messaging, Facebook and Twitter. Scrolling through status updates or messages is really smooth and the Facebook widget's integration into the official Facebook is one of the best we've seen in a long time.

HTC Source, App review: Android Pro Widgets by Dr. Appche

Samsung Galaxy S II family portrait, plus one in a box

With the simultaneous launch of three Galaxy S II phones in one event, a family portrait is a given. Well, except T-Mobile decided that its variant isn't quite ready for the limelight just yet, so with that one we could only get a side-by-side shot with our very own European version outside the acrylic box.







Engadget, Samsung Galaxy S II family portrait, plus one in a box

For the TouchPad Hungry, HP to Produce One More Run

Who would have known that discontinuing a product would be just the ticket to spur on stock-clearing sales. Well, HP experienced the phenomenon first hand after announcing they would cease production of hardware related to webOS, dropping the price of platform's first tablet to just $99. Due to unprecedented demand, HP has decided to produce one final run of TouchPad's to fulfill the desires of the tablet hungry.

Android Phone, For the TouchPad Hungry, HP to Produce One More Run

Sky Go trolley lets you watch sports while shopping

How big of a sports fan are you. Would you consider yourself a sports fanatic to the point where you have to watch sports wherever you go and are always checking the scores on your smartphone. Well if you live in the UK, the next time your wife asks you to follow her to the supermarket, you can surprise her by agreeing without any fuss. So why would a sports fanatic be so eager to go the supermarket? Well Sky Go has introduced a new Sky Go trolley that has a built in iPad that is loaded with the Sky Go app.

Ubergizmo, Sky Go trolley lets you watch sports while shopping

Samsung Galaxy S II US event LIVE COVERAGE

The Samsung event, which will see the announcement of the US Galaxy S II versions is just about to start and we are covering it live for you. Stay tuned and keep an eye on this article as it evolves, bringing you the latest news of the Galaxy S expansion on the other side of the big pond. In fact, we have a new smartphone to show you even before the main event has started. The Sprint-bound Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G (now thatÂ's a mouthful) jumped the gun and appeared on the Samsung website.





GSM Arena, Samsung Galaxy S II US event LIVE COVERAGE

HP Resurrects TouchPad Tablet to Pacify Rabid Customers

And on the 61st day, the TouchPad rose again. HP has plans to produce another round of its TouchPad tablets before the year is out, despite its earlier decision to discontinue its mobile hardware products. “Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand,” HP spokesman Mark Budgell wrote in a company blog post.

Gadget Lab, HP Resurrects TouchPad Tablet to Pacify Rabid Customers

Primus PrimeTorch Flashlight Review

One thing you can never be without is a good flashlight, especially one that has a bright brilliant light. But for me a flashlight is just a flashlight. That is unless it has something about it that gives it a unique characteristic. And the PrimeTorch 1010 by Primus is one such flashlight.
One thing I really liked about this flashlight is its small size. I have other pocket-sized flashlights but none with the output that the PrimeTorch has. This little sucker has a strong output thanks to the Cree Q4 LED diode that emits 130 Lumens.  Keep in mind that Lumen is a measurement of light output while wattage is a measurement of power output.





The Gadgeteer, Primus PrimeTorch Flashlight Review

MOG app now available for Boxee

The Boxee app will now allow MOG users to utilize the music streaming service on their Boxee Boxes in their living rooms (or wherever they have it set up) to complement their video subscription services for those nights when they're too tired to watch a movie and would rather just listen to music instead. The app is free, but users will have to pay the $10/month subscription fee to use it.

Ubergizmo, MOG app now available for Boxee

Madden NFL 12 Now Available for Nearly $8

Coinciding with the console launch of Madden NFL 12 today, EA Sports has gotten the Android version of the game up into the Android market. For $8, you're getting a pretty good game. You're given a lot of freedom in terms of gameplay and a few different modes to keep things interesting. These include exhibition, a full season mode and a mode that lets you relive the 2010 playoffs. All 32 teams are here with all of their players. Can't ask for much more than this on a mobile phone so be sure to head over to the Android market and check it out if this interests you.

Android Phone, Madden NFL 12 Now Available for Nearly $8

Making the best of it by jet-skiing through the streets after Irene

Hurricane Irene was an impressive storm by every measure. Despite losing some of its ferocity before making landfall, the system brought torrential rains to parts of the country that were already suffering from severely saturated soil. As a result, widespread flooding occurred up and down the east coast. One enterprising soul in Oceanside, NY decided to make the most of the situation by taking his jet ski out for a little romp down Lawson Boulevard. Now, we should probably take a moment to point out that playing in flood water is all sorts of dangerous.



Autoblog, Making the best of it by jet-skiing through the streets after Irene

Motorola Pro+ with Android Gingerbread announced (video)

Motorola has introduced a brand new Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone – the Moto Pro+. Coming as the successor to the old Pro / Droid Pro, the Pro+ is a candybar with a full QWERTY keyboard and a 3.1 inch VGA (640 x 480) Gorilla Glass touchscreen display. Other features include HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm headset jack, 5MP autofocus camera, 512MB of RAM, 1GHz single-core processor, 4GB of on-board memory, MicroSD card support, and a 1600 mAh battery.
The Pro+ looks like a bigger Motorola Fire – because that's what it actually is.




Unwired View, Motorola Pro+ with Android Gingerbread announced (video)

HTC Evo 3D coming to India, will be expensive

Already released in the US and Europe, the HTC Evo 3D is coming soon to India, too, as HTC has officially announced the smartphone there. Reportedly, the Evo 3D will be available to Indian customers “very soon.” It will come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread on board, featuring a 4.3 inch qHD (960 x 540) glasses-free display, Sense UI, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS, 5MP camera with 3D video recording, 1GB of RAM, and a dual-core 1.2GHz processor.

Unwired View, HTC Evo 3D coming to India, will be expensive

HP will continue supporting the TouchPad

We all know that HP won't be making additional webOS devices in the future - but that doesn't mean. that the TouchPad is dead. In fact, it's far from it. According to a report by CNET - HP has been reported. as saying “HP is fully committed to the ongoing support and service of customers who purchased webOS
devices…We plan to continue to investigate the best ways to leverage WebOS software and grow the
applications.”

HP has also mentioned that it plans to release another OTA update that will “enhance the platform and
add functionality and a growing applications catalog”.

Ubergizmo, HP will continue supporting the TouchPad

LG HX906TX 9.1 cinema sound system

When it comes to watching movies, sometimes it's hard to beat the cinema experience thanks to the comfy seats, huge screen, popcorn, the company and let's not forget the sound system and room acoustics. Of course some may prefer watching movies in the privacy of their own home, so while a 30-40 foot tall display may not be the most feasible, perhaps LG's HX906TX 9.1 cinema sound system will be able to make up for that.

Ubergizmo, LG HX906TX 9.1 cinema sound system

HTC Sense 3.5 gets poked on video

We recently saw the upcoming Sense 3.5 in leaked screenshots but now there is an entire hands-on video of a phone running the said UI. The phone running this UI itself is a yet-to-be-announced HTC Bliss, said to be targeted towards women. From the video we can see that the lockscreen has seen minimal changes from 3.0 and in fact looks nearly identical. The first changes are seen on the homescreen, with new widgets on the side and a lack of the menu bar at the bottom of the screen. You still get the same seven homescreens with the helicopter view.



GSM Arena, HTC Sense 3.5 gets poked on video

Sony Inviting Canadian Consumers to Sony Tablet S (S1) Event in Toronto Mid-September

If the Sony S1 – Sony's first Honeycomb tablet (the 10.1 inch single display model) – interests your pique even a little bit, Sony's willing to let you into their main Canadian offices to check the tablet out at a “Customer VIP” invite-only event. The event takes places September 14th and 15th. The tablet isn't all that exotic put up against contenders – it has a 1GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3, a 10.1 inch display and more. It will be unique, though, thanks to the ergonomically-designed form factor and its Playstation Certification. I know I can't be the only one excited to hear more about this.

Android Phone, Sony Inviting Canadian Consumers to Sony Tablet S (S1) Event in Toronto Mid-September

Olympus PEN E-PL3 Micro Four Thirds camera review

Look, the Olympus PEN E-PL3 is cute. Adorable, even. In fact, those swayed by looks alone may be sold after whisking through our hands-on gallery below. But for those interested in more than a highly-capable fashion accessory, it's worth taking a deeper look into the latest member of the PEN Lite family. We'd strongly recommend reading over our PEN E-P3 review before continuing on, as a lot of what we found true there also applies here.










Engadget, Olympus PEN E-PL3 Micro Four Thirds camera review