The Review Blog

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

As Switched On discussed a few weeks ago, and as Microsoft noted in its recent 10-K filing, it is an unavoidable truth that the company getting into the hardware market will cause conflict with its partners. The extent of that conflict, though, depends on many variables and Microsoft can — and must — take steps to ameliorate it.

Continue reading Switched On: Surface damage

Filed under: Tablet PCs, Software

Switched On: Surface damage originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tired, perhaps, of juggling mainstream cellular carriers, RadioShack may be launching its own wireless branding. According to a tip we’ve received, the Shack is gearing up to launch RadioShack Mobile, a no-contract MVNO based on Cricket Wireless. A pair of leaked screenshots (above and after the break) seem to show a RadioShack Mobile-ready HTC One V listing and a snippet of an accompanying product page that promises low monthly rates without the shackles of a 2-year agreement. The Cricket connection? That can be found under the page’s “getting started” section, which lists an activation number that pipes into Cricket’s customer service line. Details on pricing and plans are scarce, but we’re being told that RadioShack Mobile is expected to mirror Cricket’s existing offerings, and may also offer the Huawei Mercury, the Huawei Pillar and a 4.3-inch Android device from Alcatel. We contacted RadioShack for a statement and were told that it couldn’t comment on rumors or speculation.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Continue reading RadioShack Mobile leak suggests Cricket Wireless-based MVNO on the way

Filed under: Cellphones

RadioShack Mobile leak suggests Cricket Wireless-based MVNO on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What do you get when you multiply a crazy Make project with a Kickstarter fund? You get the answer to our childhood dreams, that’s what.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Transportation

Visualized: DeLorean hovercraft cruises around McCovey Cove, wins the internet originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The US Department of Energy’s SLAC accelerator lab already has a pretty useful X-ray laser — the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS). But, recent modifications to the device have scientists drooling over its new found potential. Using a thin wafer of diamond, the Stanford-run lab filtered the beam to a lone frequency, then amplified it in a process called “self-seeding.” That’s given the world’s most powerful X-ray laser even more punch by tossing out unneeded wavelengths which were reducing its intensity. The tweaks allow scientists across many fields to finesse and image matter at the atomic level, giving them more power to study and change it. According to the lab, researchers who came to observe the experiment from other X-ray laser facilities “were grinning from ear to ear” at the possibility of integrating the tech into their own labs. The SLAC team claims they could still add 10 times more punch to the LCLS with further optimization, putting the laser in a class by itself — X-ray-wise, anyway.

Continue reading Diamond hones DOE X-ray laser howitzer to razor-sharp precision

Filed under: Science

Diamond hones DOE X-ray laser howitzer to razor-sharp precision originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS made a grand entrance into the Ultrabook race with the Zenbook Prime UX31E, which brought a sleek design and lovely, high-res screen. That machine was one of our favorites in what was still a budding category, though we took issue with the shallow keyboard and uncomfortable touchpad. The company recently started shipping its new Zenbook Prime series, including the 11-inch UX21A we checked out a few months ago. But there’s also a follow-up to the 13-inch UX31E on the market: the ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A. This laptop offers a retooled keyboard, Ivy Bridge chips and a 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display, starting at $1,069. So how does the new 13-inch Zenbook stack up in a crowded field of high-end ultraportables? Join us past the break for the full report.

Continue reading ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A Ultrabook review: a high-res display, and a much-improved keyboard

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A Ultrabook review: a high-res display, and a much-improved keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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