Revo's K2 can pull in FM, DAB and DAB+ broadcasts, stream internet radio and tunes from Last.fm. Not enough? Well you can hook up your iPod, iPhone or iPad too, and pull in music wirelessly from the library on you computer. It pumps out a total of 40-watts of "room-filling" audio using four drivers powered by a pair of Class-D amps. But let's be honest -- you want' it cause it's pretty. The hidden-until-activated OLED screen, aluminum body, and black rubber accents are the real draw here. Sure the iOS remote apps and DLNA compatibility are nice to have, but this £299.95 ($488) radio is all about drawing attention. The K2 is available for pre-order now and will start shipping on October 17th, while the Revo RadioControl app should land in iTunes around the same time. Check out the gallery below and the PR after the break.

Continue reading Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum

Revo K2 is a mountainous slab of music-blasting aluminum originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The time is running out on August, and with it goes the existence of Netflix's streaming and disc services as a single package for $7.99. Keeping both (on the 1-disc plan) will require a $15.98 payout every month starting tomorrow, but if you're one of the many crying loud and often that they'll downgrade or cancel rather than pay more then hang on -- you may be able to squeeze a few extra days out of your current package. Hacking Netflix points out that the price won't actually switch until your "Next Billing Date" after September 1st. For us that's not until 17th, so we have a couple more weeks to continue not watching the rented discs that have been languishing on our coffee tables without paying extra for the privilege. Your date may vary, so check out your account page to find out the specifics. Of course, we are wondering that after the shock has worn off, is everyone still escaping to friendlier locales, scaling back their Netflix subs or just eating the extra charge? Let us know in the poll below.

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Netflix price hike kicks in tomorrow, but you may not have to change right away originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This bodes well for Iraq's post-war recovery: the once-and-kind-of-still-ravaged nation is now doing well enough to boast counterfeit haute electronics stores in its malls. This one looks a little... off, though. More »

Everybody knows the best method of dealing with dangerous asteroids—it's called Bruce Willis. But what if said asteroid wasn't on a collision course with us and we wanted to study, rather than explode, it? A team of Chinese researchers may have the solution. More »

Long since gone are the days of sitting at the breakfast table, drinking a cup of coffee and sharing the Sunday paper... or are they? The New York Time's R&D Lab is developing a "kitchen table" based-on Microsoft Surface touchscreen technology, designed to take individuals that are normally face down in their iPads, back to the table for a more social way to consume and share content. The display gives multiple readers the opportunity to sit at the table and interact, with options to share across the surface by swiveling and enlarging images or articles. The Times envisions that it will also be a mode of discovery, where users could get more information on a certain product by placing it on the table to find prices and related NYT articles, which could also an interesting method for advertising -- just be careful where you put that Starbucks cup.

Continue reading New York Times envisions Microsoft Surface kitchen table, just don't spill your OJ (video)

New York Times envisions Microsoft Surface kitchen table, just don't spill your OJ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My musical tastes, if you can call them that, are largely mainstream and boring. And that's how I first came across Explosions in the Sky: I was watching a mainstream movie, and I was bored. Thank goodness. More »

Instead of lugging a heavy microscope into the field, doctors and nurses in remote regions may have a more portable choice -- a lightweight microscope that replaces lenses with holograms. Researchers at UCLA announced a prototype dual-mode microscope that's lightweight, costs between $50 and $100 to produce and is similar in size to a banana. Like a hologram that uses interfering rays to create an image, this device shines light on a sample where its sensor chip (apparently also found in iPhones and BlackBerrys) and a cloud-based software program analyze the interference pattern and reconstruct an image of the sample. Since it's dual-mode, both large samples and small samples can be analyzed through processes called "transmission" and "reflection," and doctors could potentially use their laptops or smartphones to access the images remotely. Although still considered a prototype, researchers think the development has the opportunity to revolutionize health care by allowing doctors to test things like water, blood and food. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading UCLA creates portable microscope that uses holograms, not lenses

UCLA creates portable microscope that uses holograms, not lenses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you're a Verizon customer with an "New Every Two" upgrade coming, start checking your email. Big Red might have just bumped you to the front of the line. More »

"...oh shishi -- he was here a minute ago." When you go how do you want your body finished off? I used to want to be shot out of a cannon but now I'm thinking I wanna be fed to sharks to kick off Shark Week one year. Pretty cool, right? "Whatever, just as long as you're dead." Damn you know how to make a guy feel good! You should consider hooking. Enter alkaline hydrolysis: a means of dissolving a body with pressure and a strong alkaline. It's not a new concept (links to an old Geekologie article on the same subject so you look stupid when you start yelling, "this shit is f***in' old news, homey!" in the comments), just one that's gaining steam ashes with the environmental crowd since one was recently installed in a Florida funeral home. Florida: unsurprisingly on top of funeral home technology.

The makers claim the process produces a third less greenhouse gas than cremation, uses a seventh of the energy, and allows for the complete separation of dental amalgam for safe disposal. The system works by submerging the body in a solution of water and potassium hydroxide which is pressurised to 10 atmospheres and heated to 180C for between two-and-a-half and three hours. Body tissue is dissolved and the liquid poured into the municipal water system. Mr Sullivan, a biochemist by training, says tests have proven the effluent is sterile and contains no DNA, and poses no environmental risk. The bones are then removed from the unit and processed in a "cremulator", the same machine that is used to crush bone fragments following cremation into ash. Metals including mercury and artificial joints and implants are safely recovered.

"Body tissue is dissolved and the liquid is poured into the municipal water system." Haha -- I guarantee people are gonna freak out about that. Also, if they found out how often I pee in the sink. "How often do you pee in the sink, GW?" Never -- I save it in bags and pour it directly into the water tower when I'm up there tagging. Hit the jump for a video demonstration day in the life of a body dissolver.

"...he was here a minute ago." When you go how do you want your body finished off? I used to want to be shot out of a cannon but now I'm thinking I wanna be fed to sharks to kick off Shark Week one year. Pretty cool, right? "Whatever, just as long as you're dead." Damn you know how to make a guy feel good! You should consider hookin'. Enter alkaline hydrolysis: a means of dissolving a body with pressure and a strong alkaline. It's not a new concept (links to an old Geekologie article on the same subject so you look stupid when you start yelling, "this shit is f***in' old news, homey!" in the comments), just one that's gaining steam ashes with the environmental crowd since one was recently installed in a Florida funeral home. Florida: unsurprisingly on top of funeral home technology.

The makers claim the process produces a third less greenhouse gas than cremation, uses a seventh of the energy, and allows for the complete separation of dental amalgam for safe disposal. The system works by submerging the body in a solution of water and potassium hydroxide which is pressurised to 10 atmospheres and heated to 180C for between two-and-a-half and three hours. Body tissue is dissolved and the liquid poured into the municipal water system. Mr Sullivan, a biochemist by training, says tests have proven the effluent is sterile and contains no DNA, and poses no environmental risk. The bones are then removed from the unit and processed in a "cremulator", the same machine that is used to crush bone fragments following cremation into ash. Metals including mercury and artificial joints and implants are safely recovered.

"Body tissue is dissolved and the liquid is poured into the municipal water system." Haha -- I guarantee people are gonna freak out about that. Also, if they found out how often I pee in the sink. "How often do you pee in the sink, GW?" Never -- I save it in bags and pour it directly into the water tower when I'm up there tagging. Hit the jump for a video demonstration day in the life of a body dissolver.