In this week's iPhone, iPad, and Android app round-up: AT-AT's, brought down; Android input, Palm Pilot Graffiti-fied; Dracula, vanquished; calculations, beautified; Starfleet communiques, transmitted; deers, hunted; Firefox, synced; trains, conducted chaotically, and more! More »

Okay, so smartpens aren't as common as smartphones, but, hey, they're getting smarter too! That's right, Livescribe's taken the cap off its new Echo smartpen, and not only is it thinner and lighter than the original Pulse pen, but it also packs more power. Like its predecessor, the Echo can capture audio and handwriting, but it's now armed with more storage and features. The $169.95 4GB version promises up to 400 hours of audio recording, while the $199 8GB one up to 800 hours. However, the real updates come in the software arena -- the Echo can now be password protected to safeguard those love letters, err notes / recordings, and has a new function for launching applications. Additionally, new desktop software lets users export pencasts -- what the company has dubbed its visual note and audio recording -- to share with others via social networks and e-mail.

But that's not all, Livescribe's promising more updates this fall, and they actually happen to be the most compelling of the bunch. By then you'll be able to send notes via e-mail by just docking the pen to the computer and turn the pen and paper combo into a Wacom-like graphics tablet. Basically, you'll be able to attach the pen to a computer via it's micro-USB cable and just draw free hand on the screen. The latter option could be pretty awesome for designers and such, but we'll have to wait a few months to test it out. Oh, you're looking for some more Echo action now? We've got some brief impressions and a hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Livescribe gets pensive, unleashes new Echo Smartpen

Livescribe gets pensive, unleashes new Echo Smartpen originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The same Taiwanese outlet that does those Sims-style animations to better illustrate the news has done it again for Steve Jobs and the iPhone 4 antenna saga. No spoilers, but there's a very special guest this time. [Thanks Michael!] More »

We'll be honest with you, we thought the GTX 480 was finally a graphics core too damn large and power-hungry to get the dual-GPU treatment. ASUS, however, is making us think again. Imagery has emerged of a Mars 2 (or II, if you're into outdated numbering schemes) reference board that fits two 480s on its densely populated surface, and is fed by not one, not two, but three 8-pin auxiliary power connectors. Back when Galaxy showed off a dual-GTX 470 prototype at Computex a month ago, we deemed it an unreasonable proposition -- in terms of power draw, heat dissipation, and cost -- but apparently those Taiwanese focus groups are really into their extravagantly overpowered video cards. We suspect if and when this Mars 2 hits retail it'll do so in a highly exclusive fashion, like its predecessor, and anticipate the unveiling of its cooler -- which is likely to be either the biggest or best engineered one we've seen yet.

ASUS Mars 2 teases superpowered dual GeForce GTX 480 goodness originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

With summer in full swing, this week Inhabitat watched the mercury rise as the world's largest thermostat burst forth with an array of 72,000 building-mounted LEDs. We also kept things cool with a remarkable plan to transform frozen construction sites into event-hosting urban icebergs. And if you haven't made plans for a summer vacation yet, might we recommend this stunning Swedish "Treehotel" housed within a silvery mirror cube in the sky?

Heartening news rang forth from the renewable energy sector this week as a UN-backed study reported that the building of new renewable energy plants has officially overtaken fossil fuel plants in Europe and the US. We also took a look at two brand new types of power plants -- the world's first hydrogen-driven power plant in Italy and the first hybrid coal-solar power plant in Colorado.

The past week also saw several remarkable advances in clean tech, starting with MIT's latest innovation, a new type of high-tech fiber that can transmit sound, light, and generate electricity. We also paid homage to one of our all-time favorite sources of (surprisingly green) home entertainment - the Roku Box.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: of mirror cubes and urban icebergs originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 20:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Astute reader Dominic was just minding his business, hunting for hints in the Droid Does website source code, when what should he allegedly discover but an entire Droid 2 spread inside an Shockwave Flash file. To our knowledge these may be the first official images of the Motorola A955, though of course we've already seen it a number of times before. We just need Verizon to leak an official announcement with price and release date now -- we're hearing August 23rd -- and perhaps a nice Hollywood trailer to round things out. See a larger version of Dominic's discovery right after the break.

Continue reading First official Droid 2 pictures spotted in teaser site code?

First official Droid 2 pictures spotted in teaser site code? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Combine dark green walls, oak furniture, and a plethora of tech toys and Superman collectibles and you end up with a surprisingly cozy office. Check out the gallery inside for a closer look at The Superman Office. More »

Not that Verizon really cared much for it anyway, but according to WMExperts, the carrier is preparing to cease sales of the Microsoft's Kin altogether. As for the fate of the remaining stock, it's apparently being sent back to, well, somewhere. While a few retail stores we called disavowed any knowledge of such a thing, PhoneArena has a supposed internal screenshot that suggests they may soon change their tone. Either way, Verizon's not selling Kin online anymore, that's for sure -- quoth the raven, 404.

Verizon halting Kin sales, supply getting returned to sender? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The HULC exo-skeleton, Lockheed Martin's prototype heavy lifter for infantry troops in the field, has its battery and is now ready for human trials. If they're successful, field tests could be close on their heels. More »