Rebecca Black's "Friday" Disappears From YouTube [Memes]

Adrian Chen —Rebecca Black's "Friday" video was just taken down from YouTube, where it had amassed over 150 million views. Man, we were planning on playing it twenty-eight times in a row tomorrow!
The removal was presaged by a brief vanishing act on Monday, but now it appears that Rebecca Black filed a copyright claim with YouTube and it's likely the real deal. This would make sense, as Black and Ark Music Factory, the proto-music label that produced the song, have been battling over

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The Things Skeletons Do When You're Not Looking [Art]

Artist Marc da Cuhn Lopes offers up a reminder that the skeletons of imaginary, disproportioned creatures lead normal lives just like the rest of us. They just have a few more existential factors to consider. [Marc da Cuhn Lopes via

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Microsoft decides to pass on WebGL over security concerns

Well, it looks like Microsoft is taking those warnings about WebGL pretty seriously. The company has decided not to support the web-based 3D standard because it wouldn't be able to pass security muster. Highest on the list of concerns is that WebGL opens up a direct line from the internet to a system's GPU. To make matters worse, holes and bugs may crop up that are platform or video card specific, turning attempts to plug holes in its defense into a game of whack-a-mole -- with many players

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Sony Ericsson signs deal with NFC chip maker, gets ready to do the Xperia pay

If Google ever hopes to lead the mass exodus away from credit card transactions with Google Wallet, a lot more NFC-packing handsets will need to hit the market. Thus far Sony Ericsson hasn't exactly led the near-field charge, aside Japan's Xperia Acro, but it looks like that may soon change, thanks to a deal struck between the phone maker and semiconductor producer, NXP, which will bring the company's PN65 to future Android-based Xperia models. Wave your phone after the break to check out the

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We'd Like One Bodega To Go Please [Video]

Andrew Tarantola — What's the best way to help out a struggling Mom & Pop convenience store in the Walmart age? Buy every last item in it.
That's exactly what a team from art collective The Art of Convenience did on May 20th for the Hercules Fancy Grocery in West Village, NYC. Employing the least impressive suitcase of cash I've ever seen, the group spent six hours literally emptying the place.
Check out Storebuyout.com for the grand total and your chance to buy a BIC lighter

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ITRI touchscreen technology lets you pinch-to-zoom boob tubes of any size (video)

Turning a plain old display into a multi-touch affair isn't exactly a groundbreaking feat, but we're still drooling over the Industrial Technology Research Institute's (ITRI) latest touchscreen enabler. The Taiwan-based outfit recently showed off a new attachment that the folks over at Netbooknews claim can make displays of any size touch-friendly. We're told that the touchy-feely accessory is still in development, which means it probably won't hit our living room anytime soon, but our fingers

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Shuffle Your Files Between iOS Devices, Computer-Free [Dongles]

Davey Alba — The Photofast i-FlashDrive will transfer your music, photo and movie files between iOS devices, even without a computer. It might look like a plain, two-sided USB and 30-pin dock connector at first glance, but it's more than that.
The dongle works like your usual flash drive—it connects to your iDevice or computer, letting you store your files directly on its internal memory (which comes in 8GB, 16GB or 32GB capacities). While it doesn't have the ability to charge or

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Sony Music Unlimited hits Android, hopes you don't know why 'Qriocity' sounds so familiar

Sony didn't make a big to do about the arrival of its Music Unlimited service on Android -- perhaps it's the fact that the market for streaming music on mobile devices is getting a bit crowded these days, with recent arrivals from Apple, Google, and Amazon. Or maybe it's that the mention of Qriocity, the service that powers the offering, is still likely to leave a bad in the mouths of lots of folks, after the whole, well, you know. Whatever the case may be, the app is now available as a free

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Mac App Store helped shape the layout of Apple’s retail stores

Apple Store software wall at flagship Apple Store following June ’11 changes (Image: Jason C.)
The following is a guest post from reader Danny (@iDannyOcean):
Apple retail stores undergo several updates each year to refine the shopping experience for its customers. These changes vary as Apple tries to continually innovate their stores, but one trend has been consistent; Apple is decreasing the presence of Mac software.
When Apple opened the doors of its first retail store in 2001 it had

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HTC Evo 3D: Oh My God Make It Stop Hurting [Video]

Sam Biddle —The original Evo 4G was a beautiful, throbbing monster. A huge screen, powerful guts, and features spilling out of its belt. Now what could make a giant mecha-Android better? Adding 3D powers, right? Wrong. Very, very wrong.
PlussesThe Evo 3D is more or less the same ass-kicker its 2D predecessor was, but a year later and faster. It's got a dual-core 1.2 Ghz Snapdragon CPU (and with Gingerbread, it's fast), caps so-so HD video (720p in both 2D and 3D), and gleams with a

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D-Link MainStage WiDi 2.0 adapter puts your laptop on the TV, is less dangerous than it sounds

It was only a matter of time before D-Link entered the WiDi fray. Even though Intel is pushing manufacturers to pack the wireless display tech into practically every laptop (and even a few tablets), options for actually getting that feed on your TV have been scarce. The decidedly nondescript MainStage adapter gives you at least one more choice and, since it boasts WiDi 2.0, you can beam 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound to your home theater from up to 33 feet away -- all while you continue

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Seven Reasons Your Phone Looks Like It Does [Video]

Brian Barrett — Technology has blessed us with landline phones that look like footballs and Mickey Mouse ears for decades. So why do all of our mobile phones look basically, in the grand scheme of things, the same? Here are seven good reasons.
The knowledge, once again, is being dropped by Bill the Engineer Guy. But that soothing tone, Bill, doesn't excuse the fact that you're offering up a whole lot of explanations and no goofy novelty smartphones I can get free with a new Sports

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Should Google Maps Show You Parts of the World the US Government Blocks? [Google]

Sam Biddle —When I look up my childhood apartment on Google Maps, I see the fences in the park across the street. But if I look up Israel, I get a muddy brown mess—because Congress said so, by law.
Give it a try. While most parts of the US (and much of the globe) are filled with crisp, high-resolution satellite imagery, Israel (and disputed Palestinian turf) are relegated to blurry crap. This isn't a mistake. The good stuff exists—but the US government won't let us see it.
In '97,

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How Are 20% of Human Genes Patented? [Factoid]

Adrian Covert —John Sulston, along with Sarah Chan and John Harris, write that scientific process is being stymied due to excessive ownership of scientific intellectual property. One of the more troubling statistics? Private companies have patented nearly 20% of human genes.

For example, it is estimated that some 20% of individual human genes have been patented already or have been filed for patenting. As a result, research on certain genes is largely restricted to the companies that

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Happy Hot Dog Man Mutates Your Hot Dog into a Little Human Weiner [Video]

Casey Chan — You, my friend, are eating a sad hot dog. Why? Cause if you're not using the Happy Hot Dog Man to make the perfect cuts and slices to turns your dog into a little human character, you're doing it wrong.
It's like a toy...that you can eat! Or a weiner to play dress up with. Or decorate with condiments. Or use as practice for your cannibal future. Or be stupid. Or be stupid. Or be stupid. $ 11. [Happy Hot Dog Man via

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Nature's Slow Path to Destruction [Science]

Kelly Hodgkins — Imagine buying your dream house and gradually losing it to a slow-moving landslide. For Jim and Charity Marlatt of Keene, NY, this is a living nightmare they face every day.
The ordeal began with a small crack in the dirt that gradually turned into an 82-acre landslide. As a result, their house is now literally sitting on a 20-foot ledge that is ready collapse. They have lost half the land under their house and much of their flowers to the slide. It's torturous as the

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Acer intros revamped desktops, 23-inch multitouch display for kids with ginormous dorm rooms

Last week, Acer unveiled a handful of back-to-school laptops, and today, the outfit's showing off gear for kids who've got a teensy bit more room in the dorms. The company just trotted out a pair of desktops, along with the beastly 23-inch T231H multitouch monitor. Both towers have a staid black chassis with Acer's clear.fi media streaming software on board. Of the two, the M series (pictured) is clearly for power users, with Core i3 and quad-core AMD Athlon II x4 processor options, 6GB of

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Ortho-Tag Uses RFID To Identify Your Implants [Science]

Kelly Hodgkins — When you have a prosthetic device implanted in your body, how do you retrieve information about it? You can't look at the bottom for a model number and you don't want to go under the knife to find the manufacturer.
Orthopedic surgeon Lee Berger along with Marlin Mickle of the University of Pittsburgh developed a solution for this unique problem. The pair created an RFID system that will tag your implants with all the information a future physician would ever need. The

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Nintendo finally sells millionth 3DS unit in Japan, lives in the shadow of older brother

A million in (Japanese) sales is a far cry from failure, but even big daddy Satoru Iwata admits the 3DS isn't quite living up to expectations. Nintendo's tenderfoot handheld finally hit the mark after 13 weeks, a snail's pace when compared to the original dual-screen wunderkind, which reportedly made the grade in a mere four. The 3DS' predecessors will undoubtedly forgive it for being a late bloomer, it's the competition it ought to worry about; the PSP sold its first million in about seven

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Animals’ Most Amazing Acoustic Feats [Video]

From deafening monkey howls to snapping crustacean claws, animals use powerful sounds to do everything from claim territory to stun prey.
"There's such an enormous range of abilities and loudness in animals, it's very easy to get swept up by it all. I just love this stuff," said bioacoustician Christopher Clark of Cornell University.
While every animal sound is amazing in its own right, the result of millions of years of evolution, Clark and other researchers have a few favorites. In this

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Acer ships AMD-powered Revo RL100 HTPC to Americans: $499 and up

Acer actually popped out its Revo RL100 media center right around six months ago, but for those unable to make the trip to Asia, today's the day for getting jovial. Said player is now shipping to the US of A, hailed as a "digital hub" and outfitted with a dual-mode wireless touchpad / keyboard as well as the company's own clear.fi streaming solution. A pair of models will be available -- one with Blu-ray and one without -- with the entire box measuring just 1- x 11.81- x 7.09-inches. As

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Robots make breakfast for scientists, bide time (video)

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a growing robot -- it's also an easy and relatively quick way to lull a group of scientists into a false sense of security. Now, we're not saying that James and Rosie here had an ulterior motive when they put together a breakfast of Bavarian sausage and baguettes for a group of researchers at Munich's CoTeSys lab -- as far as robotic couples go, they seem very nice. James, a US-designed PR2 robot, sliced the bread, while German-designed

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Mac OS X Lion Apes Chrome OS After Recent "Restart to Safari" Mode [Blip]

Jack Loftus —While it's not the 1:1 comparison an initial glance would have you believe, MacRumors has discovered buried within Mac OS X Lion a "Restart to Safari" mode that's vyer similar to that browser-based OS from Google.
Indeed, on the Mac OS X Lion user lock screen, MacRumors has found an alternative log-in option that allows a user to access their computer using the Safari browser, instead of the usual login. In theory this would allow an unauthorized user to use the computer to

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: solar train tunnels, refillable battery goop, and the world's first 3D-printed bikini

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.




This week green transportation left fossil fuels in the dust as Inhabitat reported that a record-breaking electric VW Bug rocketed from 0-60 in 1.6 seconds and Team Steam unveiled a space age vehicle that is vying for the title of "fastest steam car on earth." We also spotted the world's first natural gas-powered supercar, while a team of Cambridge

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Marco Tempest's magic show uses iPods to deceive and delight

Marco Tempest calls himself a "technoillusionist" -- he combines magic tricks with the technological artistry (and occasionally the black-turtlenecked panache) of Steve Jobs. We last saw him hacking through an augmented reality illusion; this time he's using three iPods to enable his trickery, as he offers a video essay on deception, lies, and magic. It's sort of like his take on F For Fake, with more touchscreens: see him call out liars, declare himself an honest magician, and lift a

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Virgin Mobile lets Android run Blur-free on the Motorola Triumph

Motorola hopes to rescue its tarnished MOTOBLUR UI with a name-change. We, however, think the rust runs deeper than that -- and it seems we're not alone. Virgin Mobile has decided to give its prepaid customers the "true Android experience" from now on, which means you'll find no proprietary shell whatsoever sitting atop its new Motorola Triumph handset. Aside from a few bits of Virgin bloatware, the Triumph escapes with a relatively standard install of Android 2.2. Meanwhile, MOTOBLUR will

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iCloud Communications sues Apple for obvious reasons

You probably know the drill by now -- Cupertino introduces a new product with a name that ostensibly belongs to someone else, and for better or worse that someone decides to take Apple to court. Today, it's iCloud Communications charging out of the left corner to sock Apple's iCloud square in the wallet. Arizona-based iCloud Communications appears to be a VoIP equipment and service provider, though in court documents it claims to be a cloud computing company as well, and claims that it's

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Ask Engadget: best (non-gaming) wireless headphones?

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 coming to us from reader Conception, who has a pretty hilarious story to tell. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.


"What is the best wireless headphones on the market (non-gaming headset -- no need for microphone) for the cheapest dollar while listening to music / TV around

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Apple updating Apple Store displays on Tuesday night; new product launch on Wednesday?

Sources have told 9to5Mac that Apple will be holding one of their retail store overnights on Tuesday. Since Apple has a flurry of upcoming product releases, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what Apple will be releasing – if anything, on Wednesday, June 15th. We first heard about this last week and figured it was OS X Lion related, but now that new chatter has arisen and now that we know Lion is coming in July, we feel it is the right to time to rundown Wednesday’s new

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The Best Helmet You Could Own Is Made of Cardboard [Design]

Kwame Opam —Design student Anirudha Surabhi noticed that the helmets we've come to accept as part of keeping us safe aren't really good at their jobs. So he improved on the idea, using ordinary corrugated cardboard.
According to Surabhi, the polystyrene helmets we wear while cycling or skating haven't gotten much safer in the last few decades. He writes:

Helmets protect your head only 16% of the times during a crash and have been giving us the false implication of safety. Emphasis this

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ASUS slipping Eee Pad Slider and Transformer 3G into UK hands this August

Oh, ASUS -- what a teaser. Especially when it comes to the release dates and exact prices of your latest keyboard-packing Eee Pad 10.1-inch Android tablets. The word remains mum regarding final pricing, but the company's UK division recently announced via its Facebook page that the Transformer 3G and Slider tabs will be available in the region during August; and sadly, that's about all. It'll be letting out more details on how to snag one just before they're out, and hopefully you'll get a

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Panasonic's new suite of colorful camcorders hits stores this July, gets priced right now

When Panasonic introduced us to its Skittles-like array of candy-coated camcorders, they gave us a taste of the little things, but left us hanging on price and availability. Well, if you've been slobbering over the specs since February, you can sate your appetite soon, because the HM-TA20, HM-TA2, HX-WA10, HX-DC10, and HX-DC1 will hit stores starting in early July. The Flip-style, 1080p HM-TA20 rings in at $ 200, while its less rugged little brother, the HM-TA2, will run you $ 170. The

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These Shoes Tell You What's Wrong With the Way You Walk (But Not Your Fashion Sense) [Shoes]

Davey Alba —This footwear might look like the spawn of a three-way with shoes, stilts and a computer, but the super-awkward ForceShoe is actually a smartie, telling you exactly how you walk.
Developed by researchers at University of Twente's MIRA research institute, the ForceShoe contains four sensor modules at the heel and the front of the foot to analyze the precise movements of your feet. Like how much force your foot is exerting on the ground at any given moment. The shoe was

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Vuzix Star 1200 headset augments your reality, not your bank account

Be honest, you've been waiting for an affordable augmented reality headset ever since Schwarzenegger rocked the robot vision Terminator 2. And while $ 5,000 still seems like a lot for consumers to pay for a pair of glasses that let you see stuff that's not actually there, it's certainly cheaper than the sort of military-grade options currently available. Vuzix's Star 1200 feature motion sensors and a camera that track reality in order to augment it via 3D computer generated graphics. The

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Government report finds LightSquared's LTE interferes with GPS -- color us surprised

No one said bathing the great United States in LTE would be easy, but the hits just keep on coming for Falcone and co. Following up on reports and concerns about LightSquared's possible interference, a government study has found that the outfit's proposed broadband network does indeed impede GPS signals. According to the National PNT Engineering Forum, the federal advisory group that conducted the study, LiqhtSquared's network disrupted GPS signals for all of the devices tested in the area.

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Wi-Fi Sync developer says he was 'fairly shocked' by Apple's similar Wi-Fi Sync feature

Wirelessly syncing a smartphone is hardly a new idea, but the developer of the Wi-Fi Sync app for iOS devices apparently thinks Apple's similar new feature in iOS 5 -- also called Wi-Fi Sync --is just a little too close to his for comfort. As you may recall, Greg Hughes submitted his "Wi-Fi Sync" app to Apple for App Store approval back in May of 2010 and was ultimately rejected, although not before he says he was told that Apple's engineers were "impressed" by his effort -- he then made the

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Apple updating server lineup as Mac Pro and Mac mini server supplies constrain

It looks like the next month or so is shaping up to be a fairly busy month for the Mac. In addition to OS X Lion, our sources are already expecting new MacBook Airs and Time Capsules fairly soon – due to supply shortages and now Mr. X tells 9to5Mac that Apple’s Mac mini Server and Mac Pro Server are constrained with no shipment date yet in place for new models.
With Apple pushing Thunderbolt and speedy Sandy Bridge processors into their iMacs and MacBook Pros earlier this year, it would

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Microsoft loses $290 million patent battle, begins searching couch cushions

We've diligently followed the Microsoft v. i4i Limited Partnership patent dispute as it wound its way through the courts, and now comes the day of reckoning: by a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court has upheld the patent-infringement finding against Redmond. For those of you just catching up, MS had been taken to court by Toronto-based i4i over a portfolio of XML-related patents -- patents it had already offered to license to the software behemoth. In court, Microsoft claimed it had not

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Louis Vuitton Beasts Are the World's Most Luxurious Animals [Image Cache]

Sam Biddle —So let's say Kanye West builds a zoo. What's going in this zoo? Peacocks? Golden elephants? Taylor Swift? No—a fleet of these stitched-together Louis Vuitton Franken-critters, built from the guts of some very, very expensive bags.
The pieces are made by artist Billie Achilleos as part of a promotional push by LV. But who cares about promotional pushes—these things are so over the top that intent doesn't matter. I dig the armadillo a lot, but how about a 90-foot Gucci

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Netflix, Foursquare, and LinkedIn Android apps expose your password

Here's a little tip for app developers: encrypt everything, especially passwords. Security firm viaForensics fed some popular iPhone and Android apps through its appWatchdog tool and found that Netflix, LinkedIn, and Foursquare all stored account passwords unencrypted. Since the results were first published on the 6th, Foursquare has updated its app to obscure users' passwords, but other data (such as search history) is still vulnerable. While those three were the worst offenders, other apps

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Every A380 Flight Should Be Accompanied By A Phalanx of Acrobatic Jets [Video]

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New Software Designs Buildings to Move Through [Video]

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Amazon ad confirms HP TouchPad release date?

Palm HP still hasn't told us exactly when the TouchPad is going to be shipping, but that's okay. We have a pretty good idea. We earlier had a tip from OfficeMax stating on July 17th and, while this morning's info pointed to a June 22nd release, Amazon seems pretty confident that the former date is correct. Go to Amazon.com, search for "hp touchpad" and enjoy the little advertisement that pops up saying "HP will release the sleek and sophisticated webOS-empowered TouchPad on July 17, 2011."

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Top Stories: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 [Total Recap]

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A brief introduction to infinity [Extreme Maths]

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Microsoft's Joe Belfiore kicks off iOS5 'we did it first' contest, sarcasm meter hits 11

Joe Belfiore is hardly average, you know -- he's Windows Phone Program Director at Microsoft. And you don't scale those heights by being the kind of wimp who would just lie down and be trampled over by a herd of new iOS 5 features. No sir. While more timid men might have distracted themselves with minor problems like disappointing sales, Belfiore instead reached deep into that strong place we all discover when we're backed into a corner and pulled out his Twitter login. What ensued was a

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Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters

It's been more than a year since Acer first launched its Aspire Ethos line of laptops -- a family that got a bit bigger today, with the announcement of the 8951G and 5951G. These rambunctious little extroverts are powered by the latest generation of Intel's Core i processors, offering Turbo Boost speeds of up to 3.4GHz. Big bro 8951G boasts a 18.4-inch display that transmits images in Full HD, 1920 x 1080 resolution and 220-nit brightness, while spunky little 5951G struts around with a

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Bikinis Made from 3D-Printers Are Custom Fit for Each Woman's Curve [Fashion]

This bikini, called the N12, is the world's first 3D-printed bikini. It's a sexy design that uses small discs held together by springs. The cool thing is that the designerss want to use women's body scans to create perfect fitting bikinis.
Designed by Jenna Fizel and Mary Haung of Continuum Fashion, it's the first 3D-printed, ready-to-wear item of clothing for sale. There's actually a lot of technical thought put into this bikini, Huang says:

"Thousands of circular plates are connected by

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The Only Glasses You Will Need This Summer [Design]

Jesus Diaz —The only person in the world cool enough to wear these new Ray-Ban Interchangeables may be that mad guy who flew that place one meter from the ground, but I don't care, because I'm buying them right now.
These classic aviators never get old. Now they come with three sets of inter-changeable lenses for $ 230: Mirrored, gradient and polarized, each 100% UV protected and in their own lens cases. [Sunglass Hut via

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Vizio Tablet (VTAB1008) priced at $349 within Walmart's system

Wait, Vizio's concocting a tablet? For those with chronic short-term memory loss, you may have forgotten that America's so-called low-cost TV leader branched out a bit during this year's Super Bowl, but it's been dead quiet on the tablet front ever since dropping the Via and sticking with Tablet. Looks like that's about to change, though -- a courteous tipster handed off the screenshot you see above, highlighting the appearance of a 'VTAB1008' within Walmart's inventory system. The device

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Microsoft's New Official 360 Steering Wheel Cuts the Cord [Vroooom]

There's been a wired Xbox 360 steering wheel for years now. I should know, there's one in my closet gathering dust. There's now a wireless Xbox 360 steering wheel. Think Mario Kart's plastic wheel, only a lot more expensive.
Due out in October, and priced at $ 60, it's an...interesting looking peripheral. While being released with Forza 4 in mind, Microsoft claims it'll work with all existing driving games, though with the caveat that in some titles there will be "limited

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Sony's PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressions

We've seen Sony's PlayStation Vita, and more importantly, what it can do -- but this evening, we touched that Next Generation Portable for the very first time. How does it compare to its single-sticked predecessor? And will we make another Madonna joke? Find out after the break.Continue reading Sony's PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressionsSony's PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 23:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use

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The First Solar Tunnel To Help Power High-Speed Trains Just Opened in Europe [Video]

Kwame Opam — This two-mile tunnel running on solar power just switched on today. It's part of the Paris to Amsterdam line and the first in Europe, promising to save a ton of energy that would otherwise be wasted during the trip.
Now Paris and Amsterdam obviously aren't two miles apart. But this thing features a 16,000 solar panel array that could power 50% of the entire Antwerp station, where the first train to pass through it departed from. Imagine if more of these popped up on other

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Sony sells 70 million PSP units worldwide, still firmly in DS' rearview mirror

Sony's PlayStation Vita is obviously the company's handheld of tomorrow, but it's the PlayStation Portable that's being credited with the assist. The PSP has been a flagship device for Sony since December 12, 2004, and during its time on the market, a grand total of 70 million have been moved globally. That's the number belted out here at E3, which sounds downright ginormous at first listen. Unfortunately, that's nowhere near the 100 million DS units that Nintendo had shipped... back in 2009.

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Sony's PlayStation Vita official: $249 for WiFi, $299 for 3G

Details about Sony's new handheld have been trickling out for months in the form of spec sheets and fantastic footage of its quad core capabilities. But we didn't know how much it would cost or when we could get our grubby paws on one, and now we know: $ 249 for WiFi, or $ 299 for the 3G model, which Sony's Kaz Hirai confirmed will be available exclusively through AT&T, with both models shipping worldwide in toward the end of 2011. Prices are (Prices are 24,980 and 29,980 yen in Japan,

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Google Translate API gets reprieve, servers will accept cash for interpreter duties

Last month, Google said it intended to pull the plug on a variety of APIs, including one rather curious pick -- Google Translate, which had actually been getting so much use that it was allegedly causing an "economic burden" for the company. Well, it seems Google got in touch with its capitalistic roots, because the Translate API won't be depreciated after all. Following a public outcry, Mountain View's announced that it'll create a paid version as soon as possible. Hear it from the horse's

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Is This How Notifications Will Work In iOS5? [Unconfirmed]

Kwame Opam —If and how Apple fixes the notification system tomorrow is anyone's guess. But the above image, courtesy of TechCrunch, seems to suggest something akin to accessing an active phone call from the springboard will be the solution.
Any guess beyond that is an even bigger speculation. This doesn't look as great as we hoped notifications would look like, but it does make sense. Obviously, this could still totally be 'shopped (who knows the who knows, the 11:54 PM on June 5th is in

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McDonald's interactive Pong billboard brings big-screen elation, tomorrow's lunch

You could enjoy that Big Mac in the peace and artery-clogging quiet of your local McDonald's, or you could just catch the next flight to Stockholm, where Ronald apparently serves his meals with a side of interactive, outdoor gaming. It's all part of something called Pick n' Play -- a new (and pretty ingenious) ad campaign that invites pedestrians to play a game of Pong on a giant Mickey D's billboard, using only their smartphones. All you have to do is stand in front of the display, log on

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The 10 Easiest Ways to Waste Time on the Internet [Listicle]

Brian Moylan —The Internet has changed the way that we all live our lives. It's also invented a whole host of ways to suck all of your time away. Here are some of the best.
There was a time when the only way to pass a rainy afternoon was talking to the people in your house and playing a few hands of Canasta. Then came TV and board games and calling your friends on the phone. Now we all just head to the nearest computer and get sucked into the swirling abyss of the Internet. Everyone

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An Educated Rumor: iCloud Isn't the New MobileMe—It's the New iTunes [Rumors]

Kwame Opam —We're getting a better and better idea of what iCloud's going to look like—music streaming, maybe something Time Capsule-y. But not the whole picture. The typically accurate John Gruber suggests a handy way to conceptualize iCloud:

Don't think of iCloud as the new MobileMe; think of iCloud as the new iTunes.

Albeit it's what he calls "fourth-hand information," here's what he means (to quote him liberally, again):

With iPhones, iPods, and iPads, the central store for

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Dual-armed Teutonic robot plays pool, carefully learns to hustle foolish humans

Sure, we've created interactive pool tables and digitally assisted billiards, but isn't it time we completely outsourced our pool-playing to brutally efficient robots? The Germans obviously think so, using this year's International Conference on Robotics and Automation to debut a dual-armed poolbot able to make "easier" shots about 80 percent of the time. Those misses sound a bit like hustling to us, and unlike Willow Garage's friendly PR2 robot, the German version has a suitably

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Newest Kinect hack: a grocery cart that loyally follows disabled shoppers (video)

Microsoft's Kinect is the gift that keeps on giving for hackers, spawning everything from glasses-free teleconferencing to Tesla coil manipulation to uh, well, Android dance parties. But Luis de Matos's wi-Go project is one of the most socially conscious we've seen: it adds a laptop and (despite its name) a Kinect to a shopping cart, enabling the cart to follow a wheelchair user. Improving on the B.O.S.S. bot we saw a half-decade ago, the wi-Go could allow anyone -- including the disabled

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Ask Engadget: should I get a 7-, 8.9- or 10-inch tablet?

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 coming to us from Johan, who can't seem to determine which size is sizable enough. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.


"I'm in the market for a tablet, mostly for content consumption but also for checking emails and being somewhat productive when I feel like it. I've never

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Microsoft Wireless Desktop 2000 protects that sensitive area between your peripherals

Microsoft's new wireless keyboard-and-mouse duo aims to thwart keystroke spies with full AES 128-bit encryption on over-the-air data -- an improvement on older wireless models that have proven to be easy pickings for hacker-types. You can pick up the Wireless Desktop 2000 now for $ 40, but that won't buy you protection from more common threats like Shandong phishmongers, nor will it make up for security loopholes in your other peripherals. Speaking of which, are you still using that

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One-Man Mini-Rocket Has Shaky Second Launch [Rockets]

Jack Loftus —As the one-man Heat-1X rocket started to veer off course and outside the designated launch area, mission controllers cut the engine and ended the test flight well short of the 15-kilometer goal. Also, the parachute did not fully open. Success!
Indeed, the test was considered a success by designers at Copenhagen Suborbitals, who assembled the one-man vessel with £42,000 and spare parts (e.g. hairdryer for a heater) over the past few years.

"We're going from talking about it

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Simple DIY cellbot ditches Arduino, jousts poorly (video)

Want an adorable little Android cellbot to call your own, but aren't quite ready to tackle Arduino code? Darrell Taylor's got you covered with an audio-controlled, jousting cellbot: no muss, no fuss, no microcontroller. The Make project, called TRRSTAN, accepts commands via Google chat, web browser, or Wii remote piped through the headphone jack of your Android phone -- the robot's brain, of course. Tack on a few makeshift weapons procured at the local dollar store, and you've got a

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Google Apps is moving on, you'll need an HTML5 browser to go with it

HTML5 beckons the world with its dashing logo and also, we suppose, all the clever little things it can do. Desktop notifications in Gmail and folder-dragging in Docs already refuse to work with anything less -- and before long that will apply to the entirety of Google Apps. Come August 1st, you will find that Gmail, Calendar, Talk, Docs and Sites are all unsupported unless you're using either the current or last major release of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome or Safari. An older browser

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PSN 'Welcome Back' package is here, our long global nightmare is over

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! Seriously, even a few Engadget editors are chortling in joy. PSN and Qriocity service has been restored in the Americas, Europe, and Asia and to celebrate (and soothe the seething frustration of its customers) Sony has launched its "welcome back" program. To be eligible you'll have to have been a member before April 20th but, otherwise, it's relatively qualifier free. Fire up the PlayStation Store and head to the "Welcome Back" tab to claim your pair of free

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Is the End of the iPhone's Popup Problem Near? [Apple]

Adrian Covert —The notification system in iOS sucks. Especially on the iPhone. That's no secret, but it bears repeating because it's gone unchanged since the first iPhone was introduced in 2007. Hopefully this is the last time it'll warrant complaining about.
Here's why the existing notifications are no good. If you get a text, or an alert from any app carrying permissions to blast your screen, it completely interrupts whatever else you're doing. A sizable rectangular box pops up in the

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Flexible wireless charging sheet could eventually turn your skinny jeans into power pants (video)

If you haven't already heard, wireless charging is all the rage -- cars, cameras, and, of course, cellphones have all benefited from the burgeoning technology. Now a team of researchers at Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) are showing off a 2D power transmission system that could turn your pockets into wireless charging stations. According to its creators, "When a 2.4GHz high frequency signal is transmitted through the sheet, it becomes a wireless

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These Tools Look Like Props From Evil Dead [Tools]

Andrew Tarantola —These tools look bad ass. They've got names better than any Nordic Black Metal band. They look like they've just been released from a lengthy prison sentence. I can't decide if I want to use them to build a shed or mash a zombie.
The "Dead On" Steel framing and construction hammer uses a patent-pending "tuning fork" design to eliminate most vibration before it gets to the handle. The "Death Stick" hammers feature an S-7 investment cast head, which is harder and tougher

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An External Battery for Your iPhone that Doesn't Quite Look Stupid [IPhone]

Sam Biddle —If you want extra juice for your iPhone, there aren't that many options out there that don't look rather goofy. They're bulky, corded, or just plain ugly. But the PhoneSuit battery is a nice cange—only 17 mm thick.
The PhoneSuit Elite claims it'll double your iPhone 4's life with its 2100mah lithium-ion polymer, and charges to the top in less than two hours. Not too bad, if true! Still, any phone purist will scoff at the notion of adding any extra flesh to their cell.

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T-Pain Betrays Auto-Tune [Music]

Sam Biddle —In a Machiavellian move of tech backstabbery, T-Pain has sworn off the use of Auto-Tune in favor of his own branded "T-Pain Effect" modulator. Will it be as good? His tones, as dulcet? Will he still buy you a drank?
That doesn't matter! T-Pain is a traitor. Antares Audio Technologies' Auto-Tune software made him, and he, in turn, made Auto-Tune a household term—to the extent that lots of people already just call it "the T-Pain effect." Auto-Tune and Pain were like Starsky

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Sony NGP soaks up the pre-E3 glitz in official demo videos

With E3 2011 just around the corner, expectations for Nintendo announcements are mighty high, but you can get a glimpse at the heat Sony's packing before another day goes by. The official PlayStation.Blog spat out some footage of the quad-core NGP in action, and it's not just playing last-gen games; rather, there's yet another glimpse at Uncharted, a brand new platformer called Sound Shapes where you build levels with a music sequencer (and which procedurally generates tunes as you play)

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I Swear One-Handed Cocktail Juicing Is Not an Innuendo [Home Mod]

Kyle Wagner —Look, I know how this sounds. But if you make a lot of cocktails, it's easy to get overwhelmed with ingredients everywhere, and before you know it, everything's sticky and you have to wipe down the whole counter.
The Pulp is a one-handed combination juicer and muddler that keeps everything neat for you.

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EVO 4G getting Gingerbread on June 6th (or Friday if you're impatient)

Well, this was inevitable. After Sprint's website snafu outing its Android 2.3 intentions for the EVO 4G, we've received evidence that points to June 6th as its release date. Better yet, if you're willing to manually check for its availability, you might even find a happy surprise this Friday. In addition to Gingerbread, users will find SMS and Gmail fixes, along with a tweak to the phone's power management software. Hopefully you've got WiMAX, because this update is coming over-the-air.

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Creator of World's Most Simple Video Camera Now Creator of World's Most Complicated Grilled Cheese [Food]

Matt Buchanan —The Flip was an amazing gadget once upon a million years ago because it was stupid simple. So it's kind of mind-blowing Flip creator Jonathan Kaplan's next project is a weirdly techno-gimmicky grilled cheese restaurant called The Melt.
The rundown: You order the grilled cheese using The Melt's mobile site. (The listed grilled cheeses seem okay. Free idea: Grilled mac & cheese.) You receive a QR code. Walk into the restaurant, wave your phone around, and your order

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ILoveNYTheater App: A Fandango for Broadway [Apps]

Max Behrman —Before plotting your next Broadway adventure, make sure you're armed with ILoveNYTheater. It's an app that's Fandango for the Great White Way.
Created by the Broadway League, ILoveNYTheater servews up show times, price points, schedules, nearby dining/hotel accommodations, and of course, a means to purchase tickets. And there's no middle man or broker either, so the only (in)convenience fees you have to pay are through Ticketmaster/Telecharge—a sadly unavoidable

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Creative Live! inPerson HD webcam does onboard processing, doesn't milk your CPU

When Logitech and Microsoft released a bunch of HD webcams last year, Skype refused to certify them for use with its HD video calling service. (That's not to say these webcams won't work with Skype HD -- it's that Skype won't guarantee that they'll work well.) And why this resounding slap in the face? Because Skype will only certify HD webcams that come with onboard video processing and therefore run even on tardy old machines. And that is precisely why Creative has followed the lead of

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