Toys & Gadgets

Something about Le Petit Prince, the mobile, plant-loving greenhouse robot makes us indescribably sad. Is it his one, massive adorable eye? Or merely the fact that he’s named after one of the most depressing books ever written? Either way, we can’t really argue with his usefulness — the concept can carry about plants and care for them, all the while ravaging the terrain for further specimens. He’s also designed to learn about the optimal growing conditions of the plants he collects, which really makes us want one to care for a certain, finicky houseplant we won’t call out by name (but we’re looking at you, Venus Flytrap). Check out the darling video after the break.

Continue reading Le Petit Prince roving greenhouse robot is overwhelmingly cute, useful

Filed under: Robots

Le Petit Prince roving greenhouse robot is overwhelmingly cute, useful originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentax may not be the first name you think of when scouting a new DSLR, but it’s certainly closer to the top now than it was prior to the K-7’s release. The semi-pro cam saw positive review after positive review flow in, giving even the Nikon and Canon faithful reason to pay attention. At right under $1,300 for just the body it didn’t come cheap, though the high-def movie capture mode, ability to snap HDR shots natively and 14.6 megapixel sensor help to justify the MSRP somewhat. What we’re really after here are your thoughts; for those that bought in, have you been pleased? Is the low-light performance sufficient? Is the autofocus snappy enough for your tastes? Or more importantly, how happy are your clients with the results? Comments are all yours, so get to it!

Filed under: Digital Cameras

How would you change Pentax’s K-7 DSLR? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 01:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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	iPhone coming to China Unicom in Q4 — it’s official The carrier will offer two different “3G iPhones” to its 141 million subscribers and it will buy the phones wholesale from Apple — no revenue sharing deal here kids.		Creative Zii EGG orders shipped, hands-on videos posted “The screen,” he says, compares “very favorably” with the S Series Walkman, with colors described as bright and vibrant, even if the blacks leave something to be desired.
	PS3 Slim already sold out at many a retail store We know plenty of folks who’ve had no trouble scoring one online, but who knows how long that supply will last.	Other news of import Nikon D300s spotted and tested at Best Buy with its little brother, still does that jelly video thing Video: Pleo gets new dance moves, alpha dev kit Overheating iPhone reports ‘exploding’ all over France, Apple responds
	Clear QAM HD isn’t going anywhere! The bottom line is that local broadcast channels are available in HD to any cable subscriber with a clear QAM tuner, whether you have a set-top-box or not.		Vodafone kicks off 14.4Mbps HSDPA upgrade in UK Before Vodafone UK gets to HSPA+, it wants to take plain ol’ HSPA just as far as it’ll go by pushing downlink speeds all the way to 14.4Mbps.
1080p Android demo’d, set-top boxes prepare for a new master Blockbuster DVD kiosks creeping into New England supermarkets Ask Engadget HD: Best way to feed HD to two TVs?		Nokia N900 now giving Germany and Italy a way to pre-order HTC posts firmware update for Rogers’ Magic and Dream Motorola takes environmentally-conscious MOTOCUBO A45 to Brazil

The Daily Roundup: here’s what you might’ve missed originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays

Sony’s newest digiframe sports Swarovski crystals, little else originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, our main dudes over at Joystiq sat down with Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg recently, and there are some great bits of info in the interview. Aaron says the big Xbox price cut has been planned for months, so it’s “just a coincidence” that it happened right on top of the PS3 Slim — and he also says he’s an avid Joystiq reader, so if Redmond had wanted to get the jump on Sony, they’d have been prepared. Other nuggets: the $99 WiFi adapter isn’t coming down in price, the Netflix relationship is going well, and getting Hulu or Amazon Unbox on the 360 is like “asking out a really hot chick on a date, they don’t all say yes.” Yeah, it’s a pretty great interview — hit the read link for the whole thing.

Filed under: Gaming

Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg: Hulu on 360 like “asking out a really hot chick on a date” originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With TV shows, music video, and video podcasts already proliferating the Zune marketplace, it was really only a matter of time before Microsoft dipped its toes into HD movies — not to mention kind of a logical step since Xbox Live was getting its movie section Zune-branded. BostonPocketPC writer Steven Hughes has uploaded pictures of an alleged pamphlet handed out at Best Buy’s Zune HD showings that, among other things, make reference to finding Zune Marketplace content including HD movies. Ban on HDTV Media Center recordings notwithstanding, things are looking up for Zune 4.0 software. And here we thought Apple was late to the party with its movie service.

[Via Zunited]
Read - Pamphlet pics
Read - BostonPocketPC

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Video

Zune HD pamphlet discloses HD movies coming to Zune marketplace originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So much for secrecy. South African Xbox 360 distributor Comztek has told local gaming news site XboxGaming.co.za that the a 250GB “Super Elite” model is due there in October. Additionally, the Forza 3 bundle we saw heading to Germany is also en route to SA, retailing for R4,999 (US $646), or around the same price as the Elite before its recent global price cut. South African retailer BT Games has apparently also posted a flier in honor of the launch (pictured), offering a R500 discount on the Super Elite (non-Forza 3 bundle, presumably) with the trade-in of a slimline PlayStation 2, totaling R4,199 (US $541) post-discount, or a 120GB Elite for R2,999 after the same trade-in rebate. Let’s hope the folks in Redmond have as much of a sense of humor about leaks as Sony does.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Xbox 360 ‘Super Elite’ with 250GB HDD glimpsed in South African retail ad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apparently, Disney does not have a problem with this.

(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)

Yes, it’s true: I’ve managed to get my grubby little mitts on Sony’s new E- and S-Series Walkman MP3 players. How, you ask? I will never share my secrets…NEVER! OK, dramatics aside, it …

Originally posted at MP3 Insider

If you love TUAW, iPhones, and apps (and let’s be honest… you do), then today should be filled with wonderment and excitement. Why you ask? Because our homeboys and girls over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog have released their very own iPhone app — and it’s pretty darn slick. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get to downloading it right now. It’s what Steve Jobs would want you to do.

Read - TUAW’s post on the app
Read - iTunes link

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

TUAW’s iPhone app: it’s alive originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nurse robot Riba, from a Reuters video on YouTube

(Credit: Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Japanese researchers have created a robot nurse that can lift elderly patients from wheelchairs and beds. Naturally, it looks like a giant teddy bear.

Riba, short for Robot for Interactive Body Assistance, was developed

…