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Dual Electronics' iPod touch GPS cradle now shipping in late February originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This may come as a surprise to you (although probably not, you smart devil), but it turns out that plenty of people are dissatisfied with their current e-reader options -- according to a recent study conducted at the University of Georgia. The study was conducted over a six-month period where participants read the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on a Kindle, then provided feedback. The results were, well -- not entirely shocking. Younger adults found the Kindle to be lacking because it had no touchscreen or other applications (though to be fair, neither does the print version of the paper), while older adults seemed more satisfied, but also reported missing the crossword puzzles and comics of a real, live newspaper. Pretty much everyone agreed that the screen was nice and comfortable to read on, but almost no one was a fan of the price. All in all, there's not terribly much here that we think is overly telling -- besides (of course) the fact that paper rules.

Study finds people want more from their Kindles, less from their newspapers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We're sure just about every company on the map has an opinion on Apple's new device, but a few big wigs have taken time out of their busy schedules to weigh in on the device. These are their stories.

• Nokia's Mark Squires, Head of Social Media, was mainly confused by Apple's statement that it's the biggest mobile device manufacturer, surpassing Nokia in combined revenue on media players, phones and laptops. Mark argues that the accepted definition for "mobile devices" excludes laptops, and goes on to mention the undisputed fact that Nokia's still number one when it comes to number of devices sold.
• Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, meanwhile, says that mobile devices aren't a priority for his company yet. They're fighting the good fight of the large screen, and once they feel comfortable in their various efforts there, then they'll move on to small screens. Netflix hasn't done or submitted an iPhone application, but Hastings did mention that he was optimistic that if Netflix did get into the game, the app would be approved for the App Store, and that it would run on both the iPhone and iPad.
• Satura Iwata, president and CEO of Nintendo, took a much more directly critical approach to the device, calling it a "bigger iPod Touch," and that Apple delivered "no surprises." In the same interview he expressed skepticism as to the value of bringing a high definition Wii on the market, as well as expressing doubts about 3D glasses-based gaming. Iwata is clearly a tough man to please.
• Perhaps most threatened by the iPad is Russ Wilcox, CEO of E-Ink. He says dedicated e-readers will outsell iPads due to "simple economics," and that the iPad is "great entertainment device," but it's "not the world's best reading device." His criticisms, mostly in juxtaposition to Kindle-style devices, abound, including price, weight, backlight and so on. He's right on the money about the shortfalls of a straightforward comparison, but we wonder if consumers will feel the same?

Nothing too salacious, unfortunately, and most of the points raised are pretty spot-on -- though we do wish Reed Hastings would rethink his priorities just a smidgen and get Netflix onto mobile devices sooner than later. We're needy like that.

Nokia, Nintendo, Netflix and E-Ink respond to the iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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• Facebook for Silverlight Puts a Dark, Stylish Facebook on Your Desktop
• Chrome's New Stable Release Brings Extensions, Bookmark Sync to the Masses
• Sikuli Automates Almost Anything with Screenshot Ease
• Weave 1.0 Syncs Nearly Everything About Your Firefox Setup
• Garmin Voice Studio Lets You Create Custom Voices for Your GPS Device
• OpenShot 1.0 Is an Actually Usable Linux Video Editor
• Universal Darkroom Turns Any Application Into a Distraction-Free Zone
• Grab Windows Monitoring Tool WinPatrol Plus for 99 Cents
• Google Voice Chrome Extension Makes Calling and SMS Even Easier
• Mac Users Can Now Upload Their Old Email Directly to Google Mail

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If you’ve got a spare wall somewhere in your home that you’re not sure how to decorate, grab a bucket of glow-in-the-dark paint and slap some on. Lower the lights, grab some UV-LED flashlights and start drawing.

PaulBo over at Fangletronics came up with the idea as a way to entertain his kids but we’re pretty sure this is cool enough to amuse just about anyone. As long as you have white or very light-colored walls, your paint job won’t be particularly noticeable so you might even able to get away with this little project if you’re renting your abode.

The painting process is pretty simple:

We isolated a good amount of wall with painters tape, we just wanted it to be slightly taller than the kids. Then we put on 2 coats of white primer, 3 coats of the glow-in-the-dark paint and a couple of layers of varnish (so the kids didn’t immediately scrape off the latex based glow paint). After removing the painters tape, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the wall didn’t look much different.

Once the phosphorescent paint dries, there’s a couple of different things you can do with the wall. PaulBo walks you through how to hack together some small UV-LED light pens cobbled together from some small LED keychain flashlights, coin cell batteries, and a soldering iron. If you don’t want to hassle building them, then the LED flashlights will work fine but the glow just won’t last as long.

Another cool trick to make use of your fun new wall is to position people in front of the wall, then snap a picture with a flash camera. When they step away from the wall, their silhouettes will remain like giant shadow puppets. Spooky-cool.

If you’ve done a similar project of your own, or have other fun ways to make use of a glow-in-the-dark wall, we’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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Proto-2 humanoid robot auditions for Thunderbirds 2.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you find yourself always tearing the wrinkled sheets off your bed to use as a makeshift projector screen, it’s time to upgrade. Make this portable screen on the cheap that stashes away in a closet til the next time you need it.

The DIY portable projector screen project over at Instructables can be whipped together in about an hour, and costs next to nothing to assemble. All you need is a white sheet, some eyelets, a few screw-in hooks, and about 12 feet of PVC pipe.

There’s only five steps involved in making the screen:

1. Decide what size you want. Mine is 5 feet wide by 6 feet tall.
2. Cut and sew the top and sides. Leave a couple inches extra on each side so you can fold it over and sew a seam.
3. Insert eyelets. One on each side of the top.
4. Sew in PVC pipe. This is to make it hang flat and straight, and to make it easy to roll up and store. Just fold the bottom over the PVC, crease the sheet, take out the pipe and sew all the way across. Then slide the pipe in and sew the sides shut.
5. Put the hooks in your ceiling. I put some in my living room, my bedroom, and another bedroom. They’re hardly noticeable so I just leave them up there all the time.

Using a bedsheet for this project is a super-inexpensive way to get the job done, and you can get them everywhere from Target to Goodwill. If you’re looking for a sturdier material, though, try using Tyvek in place of the sheet

If you’re feeling adventurous, you could cut the length of PVC pipe in half before sewing it into the sheet—then you can fold it in half before storing it. One of Instructable’s commenters also suggests adding a second piece of PVC pipe to the top edge for added stability, and to make sure the screen hangs straight.

How would you tweak this project to make it easier, or to make the screen even more user-friendly? Brainstorm in the comments.

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When Apple introduced the iPod in 2001 -- some 250 million units ago, as Steve Jobs noted -- it began with a laser-like focus on digital music. Swap out a hard drive and FireWire port for a cassette collection, and the product was clearly the reinvention of the Walkman. The first Switched On in 2004 pondered the iPod photo as a stepping stone to video. And by 2007, the iPhone and iPod touch had become capable of playing a broad array of content and would soon be able to extend their capabilities dramatically via apps.

Nonetheless, while the iPhone and iPod touch were nearly as close cousins as the 3G and non-3G flavors of the iPad, they were each rooted firmly in the existing categories of smartphones and MP3 players and positioned against products in that space. Despite its limited app support, nobody thinks of the Zune HD as a handheld tablet; it's a digital media player that competes against the iPod touch.

Continue reading Switched On: Tabula rasa

Switched On: Tabula rasa originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Do you hate Apple news? Are you so bothered by stories about the Cupertino-based company that you feel the need to comment on each and every story about how bothered by stories about the Cupertino-based company you are? Do you lay awake at night, cold sweat beading down your forehead, dreading the morning when you'll potentially see your favorite tech site writing about a new Apple product? Do you believe that Apple is 100 percent evil in every way? Well we're here to help.

Due to the overwhelming demand of 16 commenters, we present to you the Apple-free Engadget! Yes -- read all the hot news happening in the tech world without the upsetting presence of Apple-related stories. Your dream is a reality... so now you'll have to find something else to complain about!

Read - Engadget, sans Apple news
Subscribe - Engadget, minus the Apple

P.S. - You can change "apple" in the URL to whatever else you hate, too!

Do you hate Apple news? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last time we talked NES hardware with you, it was a tip on how to repair a broken pin connector and get your old system working again. These hacks will take your old-school system to another level all together.

Over at Raphnet.net the personal site of a Linux and electronics enthusiast, Raph has put together a guide to moding your NES in all sorts of ways. His collection of guides covers everything from the simple—replacing the red LED with a blue one—to the complex like building your own reporgrammable NES cartridge to load with game ROMs. Some of his more clever hacks involve enabling stereo sound and a remote reset button. Check out the site for additional details, diagrams, and photos.

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