Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters

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

The end of last week's Switched On left doubt for the future of dedicated devices that tread on the turf of smartphones. After all, funding is key to every major new product initiative and, despite the vast fortunes of many Silicon Valley engineers that have been accumulated via IPOs and acquisitions, few wish to take on the risk of fronting a new consumer device themselves.(In 2007, the handheld FlipStart PC was hatched from FlipStart Labs, funded by Vulcan Ventures, the investment arm of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.)

Most venture capitalists abhor the device business; it is a rare device that makes it to the spotlight of startup debutante balls such as DEMO, TechCrunch Disrupt, or Launch. Even most of the 94 companies at CES' Eureka Park were not developing end-user devices Where, then, can a device entrepreneur go for funding and pick up some publicity in the process?

Continue reading Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters

Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If You Don't Find This Video About Robot Wheelchairs For Babies Heartwarming, You Probably Don't Have a Soul [Video]

Being able to crawl and explore their world is an important part of a baby's development. But for children born with spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and other debilitating conditions, that's simply not possible without assistance—like from this fantastic robot wheelchair designed just for infants. More »

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Weathermob Nabs Funding To Make Sharing Weather Reports More Social

Weathermob, a mobile, social network for sharing weather reports around the globe, has raised $360,000 in new funding from a number of angel investors including Christopher Austin, Tim Albright, Drew Volpe and Mark Hastings. Via a free iOS app, Weathermob allows anyone to become a weather reporter. The app mashes up real-time meteorological data, photo and video sharing to allow users to report on and share the weather in their current location. Since launching in November, the app already has millions of users from 128 countries.

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Indie Developer Lab announced, coinciding with WWDC for those turned away

iOS developers on the west coast might be just a little bit peeved that WWDC sold out before they were even awake, and even more may have been cut out from the fun today as Apple canceled some tickets. Luckily, another event called the Indie Developer Lab has been put together for the same time (June 11 - 14) and only a few blocks away from the Moscone Center at The Box (it's fancier than it sounds). Tickets are considerably cheaper at $100/day as an early bird special, compared to $1600 for the whole four days at WWDC.

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[NSFW-L] Who needs Android? Well, somebody needs something here ...

We have no words. If you're offended by coarse language, don't watch the video after the break. No complaining. You've been warned. Windows Phone, this guy's all yours.

Via @daniel_rubino

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Unravelling Samsung's Galaxy S3 riddle

Our complete run-down of what to expect from Samsung on May 3

If you’ve been following our news coverage over the past week, you’ll be aware that there’s a small epidemic of Galaxy S3 fever going around. With just days to go until Samsung unveils its new flagship smartphone at London’s Earls Court exhibition center, it seems like every few hours there’s a leaked image or rumor relating to the elusive device. And with such a high volume of unconfirmed reports, it can be difficult to filter out the genuine scoops from information that’s old, questionable or just plain wrong.

So we’re going to do our best to give you a complete run-down of exactly what we’re expecting from the Galaxy S3 -- from design, to branding, to specs, to release plans. Join us after the break as we unravel Samsung’s Galaxy S3 riddle.

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Star Castle finally finds a home on the Atari 2600, gets a redesigned cartridge

Halo may have made its way to the Atari 2600, but wouldn't porting a retro game to this '70s-era console be more appropriate? MAKE Magazine has the skinny on former Atari dev Scott Williamson's port of the Cinematronics shooter Star Castle. Though Atari execs decided the title was too complicated to bring over in the '80s, Williamson took it upon himself to make that transition possible. The result of some serious coding is 8K of ROM and 128 bytes of RAM's worth of good ol' space war. But he didn't stop there -- he redesigned the cartridge with a transparent casing and LEDs that flash during gameplay. Click through to the source link for the full step-by-step.

Star Castle finally finds a home on the Atari 2600, gets a redesigned cartridge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deal of the Day: Seidio SURFACE Case for Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX

The April 27 ShopAndroid.com Deal of the Day is the Seidio SURFACE Case for Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX. Crafted from a hard yet flexible material, the Seidio SURFACE Case provides an amazingly thin layer of protection without adding the excessive bulk of other cases. Seidio's signature soft touch finish provides a great feel and better grip without attracting lint. Available in black, blue, red, amethyst, and white.

You can grab the Seidio SURFACE Case for just $16.95 today only, 43% off the regular price. Get yours while supplies last!

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Acer's Q1 2012: World's fourth biggest PC maker made just $11.2 million in profit

Acer's Q1 financial report reveals that the fourth biggest PC maker in the world is feeling weak after posting a very modest profit -- three months after it declared a $212 million loss for 2011. Turnover for the first three months of this year was NT$113 billion ($3.8 billion) and profits after tax were NT$331 million ($11.2 million). In context, the company suffered an 11.4 percent decline in revenue quarter-on-quarter, but still made NT$118 billion ($40 million) in profit during Q1 2011, a spectacular collapse of 72 percent year-on-year.

Reuters is suggesting that the problem is in part due to increased hardware costs caused by the Thailand floods, but the company isn't giving anything away. Instead its terse announcement just advised that the company grew its global PC market share by 0.8 percent to 10.9 percent, while in the EMEA region it grew 2.4 percent to 13.5 percent, adding that it is the only one of the "big five" that's seen any increase at all. You can read the scanty details for yourself, after the break.

[Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]

Continue reading Acer's Q1 2012: World's fourth biggest PC maker made just $11.2 million in profit

Acer's Q1 2012: World's fourth biggest PC maker made just $11.2 million in profit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pregnant Man Claims Wife Nancy Is A Raging Alcoholic

Pregnant Man Claims Wife Nancy Is A Raging Alcoholic

The Pregnant Man, whose real name is Thomas Beatie, claims his estranged wife Nancy is an alcoholic and very violent, stating she once punched him [...]

Pregnant Man Claims Wife Nancy Is A Raging Alcoholic Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

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