Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Filed under: Transportation

There may still be a dearth of electric vehicle charging stations in the US, but it looks like some cities in Australia could soon be overflowing with ‘em, at least if a group of companies’ rather ambitious plans actually pan out. That group is led by US-based Better Place, which has previously helped bring charging stations to Denmark and Israel, and now hopes to out-do those previous efforts in a big way by outfitting Australia’s three largest cities with 200,000 and 250,000 charging stations apiece. That, the company says, would cost $1 billion Australian dollars (or roughly $667 million US), which is where Australian power company AGL and finance group Macquarie Capital come in. The company’s would also apparently scatter about 150 battery switch stations throughout each city, and drivers would have to sign up for cellphone-like contracts to make use of the network. As lofty a goal as that may seem, the companies seem fairly confident that they’ll be able to pull it off, and that the charging stations could be in place as soon as 2012 — after which, they hope, folks will finally start buying electric vehicles en masse.

Read - AFP, “Australia plans electric vehicle network”
Read - AP, “Sparse plug-ins for electric cars spark creativity”

[Via Daily Tech, image courtesy Better Place]

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Truphone today announced Geraldine Wilson as its new chief executive officer. Geraldine was the former Vice President and General Manager of Yahoo!’s European mobile division. Always nice to see a female CEO being appointed… to you know, “break the good ole boy network.” Yeah, I know, that phrase has been done to death lately by Sarah Palin.

truphone is a very cool VoIP app that works on many mobile phones, including the iPhone. In fact, they were one of the first to offer a VoIP app for the iPhone. Geraldine Wilson said: “Truphone has clearly established itself as a pioneer of next generation mobile telephony with ground breaking applications such as Truphone for the iPhone. But every successful disruptive technology must eventually become the norm in order to truly succeed, so the mass market is where the future must lie for Truphone.”

Previous CEO James Tagg, who originally invented and developed the Truphone service with CTO and co-founder Alistair Campbell, moves to the role of Chief Architect.

Tags: Geraldine Wilson, mobile phone, Sarah Palin, truphone, voip

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Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Wireless, Storage

We knew wireless USB would eventually rise up and become more than a pitiful excuse for not plugging in your digicam to transfer photos, and lo and behold, it has done just that. Imation’s latest Apollo drive packs a lot of promise, thanks in huge part to the integrated WiQuest WUSB solution tucked within. Put simply, the Apollo Pro WX can begin to backup user data as soon as the machine in question comes “into range.” Without any wires (save for that pesky AC adapter), this one no-touch backup system can ensure that your most precious 1s and 0s aren’t lost for eternity when unforeseen disaster strikes. There’s no word on price just yet, but expect these to sell like hotcakes when they ship in Q4.

[Via EverythingUSB]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

We’re still having trouble spotting anything on the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 more special than its price point or that most excellent short film, but that is one special price point, so let’s give the thing a chance to wow us with an unboxing…

Hrm. Nope. Not wowed.

[Thanks, Johnakadoe]

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Desktops, Misc. Gadgets

Usually the terms “enthusiast cooling equipment″ and “sexy, sexy” don′t go hand in hand, but Thermaltake has here an exception that proves the rule. This here ͝ CPU, which retails for $60, can handle a nice assortment of Core 2 and Athlon processors, but we’d rather just set it up on a table somewhere and stare at the pretty lights. That’s a red dot design award well earned.

[Via Boing Boing Gadgets]

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Gaming

Although Sony announced that the updated 80GB Ṕ “Core” configuration would come to the States in September, it looks like other parts of the world will be getting it a little earlier — Sony Computer Entertainment Europe chief David Reeves told reporters last night that the new SKU would hit Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand on August 27th. Worldwide pricing wasn′t announced, but Sony confirmed that the new model would cost £299 in Britain and €399 in Europe. Sadly, it doesn′t look like the Playstation Store’s new video service will be making the trip anytime soon, but Reeves said that Sony is “working on it.” That’s great — we’re still more interested in a 60GB launch console, though.

[Thanks, Matt]

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Gaming

We got a chance to sit down with Sony Computer Entertainment of America’s CEO Jack Tretton, who gave us the lowdown about a few things we’ve had on our minds.

Ṕ
On backwards compatibility: Jack explained that Sony looked at how to “not take a greater hit on production cost, without losing PlayStation’s heritage … Hardware / software for backwards compat wasn’t all that expensive. … but we’re selling PS2 software to PS2 customers, and selling PS3 software to PS3 consumers.” Still, Jack seems to feel like it may have been the wrong move. “I would like to have had it in there, but Sony’s collective strategy determined we could afford to lose it. We’ve now gone down that road, and we’re not going back.”

On DRM and the video store: As of right now, Tretton is a firm supporter of the need to DRM content on the PlayStation platforms, and Sony believes that “the drm for a song maybe isn′t as important for a movie and a game… this is way too hard a business to make money in to allow people to own multiple copies for the price of one.” (That’s what they all say!) “I’m all for allowing an individual consumer having the freedom to do with their content what they want,” but Sony has no intention of opening its video up any more than it has to.

PSP
On drive or flash storage: Sony has “definitely thought about storage on the PSP,” and understands the inevitable “march towards digital content delivery device.” But in terms of a drive-based PSP, they have “nothing that’s imminent.” (Read: don’t hold your breath.)

On how downloadable video affects the already sad state of UMD: UMD “has struggled, and it wasn’t handled effectively from the beginning. … I firmly believe in a digital model” as they’re rolling out, but Sony is “still going to support UMD” as a device for movies.

What’s preventing PSP software sales: Three things. Title ports from PS2 games (people don’t want to buy the same title twice), and the PSP’s media functions. But Jack put the most emphasis on “piracy in the hundreds of thousands of units are preventing software sales. it’s a problem that affects our software sales right now.”

Continue reading SCEA CEO Jack Tretton dishes: DRM is in, backwards compatibility is out, and video UMD lives on

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Original post by Ryan Block

Filed under: Gaming

Those of you who didn’t stay up late last night and check out the new PlayStation Store on your own now have nowhere to go. Stuck inside your cube with no early lunch, no way to slip out at 3:00 — nada. Thankfully, the crew over at Ṕ Fanboy has the goods to satisfy your appetite until you get home. Tap the read link for a gallery of hands-on shots, and chime in below with your likes / dislikes once you’ve had a chance to meander around yourself.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment

The long delay until Sony launched its video download service (actually more like a few hours), is over. HD and SD rentals, and SD purchases from an assortment of movie studios is now available in the Playstation Store by selecting the video button at the top left. Need to know what’s available in your region but aren’t near your Ṕ? Check out the website for a list of what awaits.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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Original post by Richard Lawler

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Never has one company mooched off of poor design like Nyko. Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but according to the peripheral maker, the original Xbox 360 Intercooler is the top selling third-party accessory for the Xbox 360 — despite the fact that it’s known for torching consoles and leaving bits of carpet hot and bothered. Nevertheless, the long, long overdue Intercooler TS (for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) features a built-in temperature sensor and its own dedicated AC adapter, which will hopefully solve the aforesaid issues experienced with the original. This new, non-hazardous version will sell for $25, while the old, potentially hazardous iteration will somehow remain on store shelves for $20. Spend the extra $5 — it’s cheaper than a new house.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Gaming

Sony just announced at E3 that it’s cutting the price of the 80GB PS3 to $400 in September, and that the new model will have the “current functionality″ of the 40GB PS3. So it’s really more like the the 40GB PS3 is getting a capacity bump, since we′re taking that to mean backwards compatibility is going out the window. That also means that the 80GB PS3 now costs the same as a 60GB 360 and an Xbox Live membership, which should make the decision a little harder for some people. We′re also wondering if that’s the end of the line for PS3 backwards compatibility entirely — we have a feeling launch consoles are about to get a little more precious.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Gaming

Further confirming his utter disconnect from reality, Sony head Howard Stringer referred to Nintendo’s market-dominating Wii as an “expensive niche game device.” Previous to making that statement, Stringer bafflingly said, “I’ve played a Nintendo Wii, I don’t see it as a competitor.” Now look — we′re not saying you’re in some kind of CEO super-denial, but all signs point to the possibility that you should probably consider the Wii a competitor (since it is… well… a competing system and platform), and perhaps recognize that “niche” is typically not synonymous with “best selling.” Of course, you’re the guy running Sony, we’re just watching the crackup from the sidelines.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Gaming

Logitech’s put out a couple PS3 driving wheels, but the new Driving Force Wireless is the company’s first wireless driving controller for Sony’s console. The 2.4GHz wheel features a one-piece design with an expandable lap rest so you don’t need to clip it onto a table or desk, and there’s the usual wheel-mounted d-pad and buttons. Should be out in August for a cool Benny.

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Original post by Nilay Patel

Filed under: Gaming

Sure, we’ve heard Sony fib about a forthcoming PS3 price drop before, but we′re inclined to believe Mr. Nobuyuki Oneda on this one. The aforesaid chief financial officer told a forum in Singapore that “this year, [Sony’s] strategy is not to sell more quantity for PS3 but to concentrate on profitability.” He outrightly added that Sony’s “plan is not to reduce the price.” Yeah, we all know the Xbox 360 will be getting a little easier on the wallet, but with the public’s newfound interest in the PlayStation 3’s Blu-ray abilities, we too see no reason for Sony to take an even bigger hit. After all, this console is still widely regarded as the best deal going for those interested in a Blu-ray deck, and we don′t see that changing in the very near term.

Update: In somewhat unrelated news, Sony will be fixing consoles bricked by firmware update 2.40 for free.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage

This week’s Ask Engadget question is a bit on the specific side, but it’s one we’ve heard asked time and time again. Thus, we figured it was time to finally get it out in the open for you readers to debate.

“I have an extensive DVD library that I would like to archive on a network drive and be able to access via my PS3, menus and all. I am currently using TVersity to stream videos from my PC to the console. I’ve seen walk-throughs for archiving DVDs, but I haven’t seen anything that will present these via a DLNA server (to my PS3) with their original menus intact so that you can access special features such as commentary tracks and featurettes. I am not even sure that it is possible to navigate the menus via the PS3 remote. Any recommended solutions out there?”

Can’t you just hear the hopelessness in poor Ron’s voice? Throw the guy a bone, will ya? And while you’re at it, throw our highly sophisticated email sorter a question of your own at ask at engadget dawt com.

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Original post by Darren Murph