Mobile Miscellany: week of December 26, 2011

This week may not have been incredibly packed with news in the mobile world, but it was still easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here’s some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of December 26, 2011: Continue reading Mobile Miscellany: week of December 26, 2011 Mobile Miscellany: week of December 26, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Dropbox Automator triggers monotonous tasks with uploading of a file

There are plenty of tools and apps out there that automate the essential computing tasks that face us every day. Some are time consuming others are simply monotonous — but they must be done. Dropbox Automator combines time-saving task mastery with perhaps our favorite cloud storage solution. The service watches a designated folder for uploads, when a new file is added an action is triggered — everything from converting documents, to resizing an image or tweeting a link. And that’s just scratching the surface. There are already plenty of automation scripts in the fledgling service’s repertoire and devs can add there own by creating a SOAP webservice.

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Dropbox Automator triggers monotonous tasks with uploading of a file

How I Met Your Robot Mother: a Qbo ‘First’ (video)

Is consciousness programmable? Do robots feel? Would Kubrick have approved of Spielberg’s handling of AI? While you wrap your mind around those conundrums, set aside a bit of free grey matter to soak in another Qbo milestone. When last we left the little bot, it was just coming to terms with its place in the grand scheme of things and recognizing its reflection . Since, robotic hangers-on and the geeks that love’em have been pelting The Corpora (the brains behind the operation) with questions pertaining to the self-awareness of this artificially intelligent machine. The outfit’s reply?

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How I Met Your Robot Mother: a Qbo ‘First’ (video)

Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia

Acer already spilled the beans on its Iconia Tab A200 , a 10.1-inch slab powered by NVIDIA’s 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, but whatever happened to that Tegra 3 touting A700? It went to Russia, of course. According to NoMobile.ru , the A200′s slimmer, but more powerful brother will debut at CES 2012 next month. The Ruskie site pegs the tablet’s 1920 x 1200 resolution screen at 10.1-inches, which is bordered by SIM and micro-USB slots, a dedicated rotation lock switch, the standard volume rockers, an audio jack and a micro-HDMI port. On its rear they found a textured back garnished with a five megapixel camera sporting a built-in flash — the whole unit weights 650 grams (1.43 pounds) and boasts a ten hour battery life. When can we see it? At CES, says NoMobile.ru , or in stores if you’re willing to wait until March.

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Iconia Tab A200 and A700 slates head to CES, make a pitstop in Russia

ZVOX intros three new Z-Base models, lowers the pricing soundbar

Because it’s never too early to get a start on Christmas 2012, ZVOX has announced the release of three new Z-Base models, the most affordable members of that soundbar line, all designed to live beneath flat screen TVs. The low-end Z-Base 220 packs three full-range speakers, a subwoofer and a 35-watt amplifier in a DVD player-sized footprint for $200. The 320 measures 24 inches and will run you an extra $50. At the high-end is the Z-Base 420, a 28-incher with five speakers, a 5.25-inch subwoofer and a 45-watt amplifier. That one’ll cost you $300. All three soundbars also feature the company’s proprietary PhaseCue II virtual surround sound system. More info after the break.

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ZVOX intros three new Z-Base models, lowers the pricing soundbar

XBMC Eden finally makes it to beta, promises HTPC superpowers

Remember that big XBMC update teased back in October? Well, v11.0′s multifarious additions are finally ready for a spot of beta testing. These include all-round speed increases, a “vastly improved” default skin, the ability to rollback unpleasant add-on updates, and better hardware support for iOS devices, plus a host of other new features that can only be listed in full at the source link. XBMC Eden finally makes it to beta, promises HTPC superpowers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Tizi app turns your iPhone into a pricey iPad remote, enlists Siri for channel surfing

It’s time to show your iPad who’s boss — your iPhone, naturally. The Tizi Remote app is presently available for free via iTunes, letting you use your iPhone to change channels, record shows and pause live TV on iPads connected to the Tizi or Tizi Go TV receivers — and if you happen to have a 4S , you can harness the power of Siri to change channels for you. Sadly, neither of the aforementioned pieces of hardware are available stateside at the moment, so for now, you’ll just have to watch TV shows on your iPad the old fashioned way. Continue reading Tizi app turns your iPhone into a pricey iPad remote, enlists Siri for channel surfing Tizi app turns your iPhone into a pricey iPad remote, enlists Siri for channel surfing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Smart ForTwo EV gets delayed until September, ‘unspecified problems’ to blame

Bad news for those of you waiting on that updated Smart EV . The faster and longer-lasting third generation city-dweller previously scheduled for delivery in “early 2012,” has just been delayed until September. According to Daimler, the culprit is “unspecified problems” at battery cell provider, Li-Tec. But before jumping to explosive conclusions , the auto maker quips there aren’t any “technical or quality problems with the batteries.” Curious, yet also a bummer, as frankly, a $22,000 EV with 87 miles of range couldn’t come soon enough. Smart ForTwo EV gets delayed until September, ‘unspecified problems’ to blame originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Dec 2011 13:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Device warns of catastrophic failure in lithium-ion batteries, robots celebrate

“Catastrophic lithium-ion battery failure” are five words Malfunctioning Eddie never wants to hear, and may not have to, thanks to a new sensor developed by the folks at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Despite the popularity of lithium-ion batteries in everything from consumer electronics to hybrid and electric vehicles , they have been associated with a phenomenon called ” thermal runaway ” — known to cause overheating and potentially, fire. The newly developed device measures the electrical parameter of the cell, which is an indicator of whether the internal layer temperatures are getting too toasty. The best part? The warning comes before the heat can reach the surface and cause catastrophic failure, perhaps saving our electronics from a fate like the one in the video after the break. Continue reading Device warns of catastrophic failure in lithium-ion batteries, robots celebrate Device warns of catastrophic failure in lithium-ion batteries, robots celebrate originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:54:00 EDT.

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Device warns of catastrophic failure in lithium-ion batteries, robots celebrate

Ask Engadget: best quick-shutter camera for under $700?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Travis, who is soon to become a father (congratulations!) and wants to capture the baby’s life with a new camera. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “I’m about to become a new parent and my not-so-tech-savvy wife thinks we need a ridiculous DSLR to get good, quick pics of our new child. I argue there are plenty of cameras out there with fast shutter speeds that won’t cost us too much, but I don’t know what exactly to look for. I want to take quick pictures to capture those really cute shots that other cameras miss. What’s a good camera that I can get less for $700?” Camera experts, baby owners, people who balance objects on your pets, what’s the camera you can rely on to catch those split-second moments of cuteness? Our thoughts lead us toward the Nikon J1′s motion snapshot, or the Sony NEX-C3, but perhaps someone out there knows the perfect baby-snapping camera

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Ask Engadget: best quick-shutter camera for under $700?

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