Gingrich says UAW to blame for hobbling U.S. industry

Proving that he is nothing if not predictable, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich blamed the United Auto Workers for the loss of American manufacturing jobs at a recent campaign appearance. Automotive News reports that Gingrich lauded the BMW factory in Spartanburg, SC, for being "vibrant" and mentioned Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan in a positive light, while blaming the UAW for impeding continuous improvement at domestic automakers. The UAW did not respond to a request for comment, according to the report.

Autoblog, Gingrich says UAW to blame for hobbling U.S. industry

Verizon explains recent outages

Verizon claims to have the largest and most advanced 4G LTE wireless network in the world, so a lot of customers were upset when the network went down again this week. Today, to justify the network's downtime, Verizon issued a press release with an explanation about what has been going on. According to the carrier, these problems are happening because Verizon is a pioneer when it comes to LTE, and so there are a lot of problems that are unforeseen. However, Verizon claimed that each incident of outage has been different and any problem that has been fixed has yet to re-occur - which can only be a good thing.

Ubergizmo

See also:
gadgetsdaily, Verizon explains recent outages

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 arriving on Android for Tegra-powered devices

If you love the world's fastest hedgehog (ever wondered just what kind of shoes does he wear, where the soles are able to cope with such insane speeds?), then you would be pleased to hear that he has made it to yet another gaming platform – the Android operating system, where he wll appear in the second chapter of Sonic The Hedgehog 4. Just as Sonic is one speedy creature, so too, will his latest outing be, as this title is available only to devices that run on the Tegra platform. Sega's latest announcement says, “Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II will support Android mobile devices powered by the NVIDIA® Tegra® mobile processor.

Ubergizmo, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 arriving on Android for Tegra-powered devices

First Siri, Now Threat Detection: Inside SRI's Amazing R&D

Pat Lincoln, director of SRI's Computer Science Laboratory, stands next to a huge display running BotHunter, SRI's botnet detection software. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired. Who invented Siri.
Like it says on the box… I was designed by Apple in California.

Didn't SRI invent Siri?

I don't know what you mean by ‘Didn't SRI invent Siri'

Indeed. Even virtual celebrities forget their humble origins all too quickly.

The fact is, a non-profit R&D powerhouse called SRI International conducted decades of research in artificial intelligence to build the foundations of Apple's virtual digital assistant.


Gadget Lab, First Siri, Now Threat Detection: Inside SRI's Amazing R&D

Motorola Droid 4 shows up in Best Buy promo

Here we are, bringing you another piece of news regarding Verizon's Motorola Droid 4. Unfortunately, it's not really good news, since we still don't know when the smartphone will be released. But Best Buy seems to have thought that the Droid 4 should've been out by now, since it has included it in its latest Rewards Zone promo.

Unwired View, Motorola Droid 4 shows up in Best Buy promo

HTC offers bootloader unlocking option for all recent Android phones

Last May, HTC's chief executive officer Peter Chou responded to customer feedback and announced that the company would no longer be locking the bootloaders on its devices. HTC later introduced the web-based HTCDev unlocking tool, giving users a simple and safe way to unlock their devices. The solution was not perfect though, and phones such as the HTC Vivid and HTC Rezound were released with locked bootloaders and users had no method to unlock them. HTC has made good on its promise once again, however, and the company's developer site has now been updated with the following message:.

Boy Genius Report, HTC offers bootloader unlocking option for all recent Android phones

LEGO Large Hadron Collider is impressive

CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, and is one incredible machine. Designed to test various predictions of physics, the LHC was built in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists and engineers from all over the world. Well, a physicist named Sascha Mehlhase decided to undertake the task of recreating the LHC all by himself - by using LEGO bricks. Done in his spare time, the LEGO LHC was created to a 1:50 scale and makes use of over 9,500 different pieces. It took a total of 33 hours to build – after he spent 48 hours on the 3D model to base it on.

Ubergizmo, LEGO Large Hadron Collider is impressive

“Millions” of Kindle Fire tablets sold

If any Android device manufacturer has a reason to celebrate this holiday season, I guess it would be Amazon. The company announced today that 2011 was “the best holiday ever” for the Kindle family because of the millions of Kindle devices (Kindle Fire and other Kindle e-readers) sold by the company. However, Amazon hasn't released any exact figures at this point in time so “millions” could theoretically mean ninety-nine million or two million.

Ubergizmo, “Millions” of Kindle Fire tablets sold

UK Ministry of Defense uses Virtual Battlespace 2 to train their troops

While the US Army has the Dismounted Soldier Training System, the UK's Ministry of Defense is looking at something similar themselves with the Virtual Battlespace 2 simulated war game that is currently being deployed for front-line soldiers still in Afghanistan. With many youths and adults these days turning to gaming consoles for their entertainment, the Ministry of Defense seems to think that by creating a simulated war game, it would do a better job of holding the attention of new recruits who might used to playing war games on gaming consoles, such as Modern Warfare and Battlefield.

Ubergizmo, UK Ministry of Defense uses Virtual Battlespace 2 to train their troops

Apple could earn $10 for every Android device sold?

We all know that Apple is on a “thermonuclear war” to destroy Android, and the company has been relentless in pursuit of its goal with all the lawsuits it's been serving out left and right to Android handset manufacturers globally. While this could get rid of all potential competition for Apple, it might be detrimental to shareholders according to an intellectual property expert, Kevin Rivette. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Rivette believes that Apple could probably collect up to $10 in royalties for every Android device sold - twice the amount that Microsoft makes for each Android phone that HTC sells.

Ubergizmo, Apple could earn $10 for every Android device sold?

60beat GamePad connects to iOS devices, requests 50 bucks for the privilege

iOS devices certainly aren't lacking for gaming accessories, but we're always willing to welcome a new contender. 60beat believes it's got the ideal solution in the shape of this familiar-looking controller. It connects to an iPhone, iPad or iPod through the headphone jack and offers up some familiar gaming options in the shape of dual-analog sticks and digital inputs. Unfortunately, the controller's been saddled with a $50 price tag and is only fully enabled with two games.More games are promised for next year, and here's hoping they'll include some big hitters.

Engadget, 60beat GamePad connects to iOS devices, requests 50 bucks for the privilege

Android and iOS share the same Christmas present: seven million total device activations

Google's SVP of Mobile just provided us with another glimpse inside the horse's mouth, claiming that Android scored 3.7 million new device activations over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. To put that in context, Flurry reported that total Android and iOS activations on Christmas Day alone totaled 6.8 million. If we can accept a very high margin of error, and if we assume that the vast majority of Rubin's activations were on the 25th, we might extrapolate a roughly even split between the two rival platforms.

2DayBlog.com, Android and iOS share the same Christmas present: seven million total device activations

CyanogenMod Compiler project allows Android tweakers to easily make custom blends

Ever wish that building your own personal ROM was as simple as placing an order at Starbucks. Well, an intrepid coder known as lithid-cm has taken that vision one step closer with the CyanogenMod Compiler (CMC), a command line utility that allows armchair mixers to remove unwanted features and then compile their own special blend of CyanogenMod. While CMC's functionality is currently rather limited - which allows users to eliminate languages, wallpapers and tweak themes - the developer will introduce new installation / removal features and additional plug-in support in future releases.

Engadget, CyanogenMod Compiler project allows Android tweakers to easily make custom blends

Best Buy Advertises Motorola Droid 4 on Rewards Zone Site

Verizon put the Motorola Droid 4 on ice, but remnants of the advertising campaign that would have been continue to pop up. The latest is the inclusion of a rather final looking press image of the handset at the front of a recent Best Buy Reward Zone flyer.

Android Phone, Best Buy Advertises Motorola Droid 4 on Rewards Zone Site

CM9 launcher available in alpha, ROM flashers tweak in anticipation

January's right around the corner and with the promise of a new year comes the anticipated release of CM9. So, to whet those ROM-flashing appetites, the CyanogenMod team's made an alpha of its Trebuchet launcher available as an .apk and .zip file over on XDA, bringing with it the ability to customize the number of homescreens, resize widgets and sort the app drawer, amongst other planned features. As is the nature of Android's underbelly, you'll need to have your device rooted, as well as running 4.0.3 in order to take part. And if you do decide to take the plunge, remember this is far from the final build, so things are bound to get buggy.

Engadget, CM9 launcher available in alpha, ROM flashers tweak in anticipation

Tablet Remote Lets You Control Your Tablet At Long Range Using Nothing But Your Smartphone

What some of my friends and non-tech savvy family don't seem to understand about technology is it's not just fun or geeky — but it's also supposed to make your life easier. Thankfully, I came across Tablet Remote — which is free in the Android Market — and how it works is it allows you to control your Android powered tablet using nothing but your phone. Why would somebody want to do this, you ask. Okay, lets say you have your tablet hooked up to your HD TV via HDMI, unless you have 32ft of HDMI cable, you're probably going to have to get up every few minutes to interact with your tablet.



Android Phone, Tablet Remote Lets You Control Your Tablet At Long Range Using Nothing But Your Smartphone

Pick your favorite Super Bowl ad from Chevy, win a prize (video)

Chevrolet is running deeper and deeper into social media, its latest reach-out to frienders and lurkers being a video contest called Chevrolet Route 66. More than 190 films from filmmakers in 32 countries have been submitted for the chance to have their effort aired during the 2012 Super Bowl. On top of that, Chevrolet has partnered with Mofilm to let you – that's right, you – help decide which clip will reach the end zone.

Autoblog, Pick your favorite Super Bowl ad from Chevy, win a prize (video)

Asus Eee Pad Transformer gets a software update, sadly not ICS

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer (the original tablet, the Transformer Prime‘s predecessor) has just received a software update. And it isn't going to make your tablet run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, sadly. But if you own a Transformer, you really shouldn't lose hope. That's because so far Asus has been the best when it comes to Android tablet OS updates, so there's no reason to think that the original Transformer won't be the first (or second, if its successor has a say in this) tablet to be updated to ICS. Perhaps all that's needed here is a little bit more patience.

Back to the update.

Unwired View, Asus Eee Pad Transformer gets a software update, sadly not ICS

Intel's Medfield SoC Benchmarked, Almost Ready for Prime Time

Intel’s first real system-on-a-chip for mobile devices, its Medfield processor, has been making the rounds lately as it inches closer and closer to a final release. The CPU was shown off to MIT’s Technology Review earlier in the month as the focal point of a reference tablet as well as a reference smartphone, and now details are emerging on how the CPU stacks up in benchmark tests. A 1.6GHz model was tested in a tablet design utilizing 1GB of RAM and its score of 10,500 stacked up nicely against the 7,500 of NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 and the 8,000 of the Snapdragon MSM8260.

Android Phone, Intel's Medfield SoC Benchmarked, Almost Ready for Prime Time

Pantech Pocket review

Hundreds of smartphones of all shapes, sizes and colors pass through the doors of Engadget HQ every year, so it's natural for a few oddball devices with crazy form factors to end up in our hands from time to time. The Motorola Flipout, LG DoublePlay, Kyocera Echo and Samsung DoubleTime are all instances of carriers trying something new, seeing what sticks. Of course, pushing out a phone with an unproven form factor is a huge gamble for a mobile provider, and as a result they only ship to stores in low volume and rarely receive any kind of marketing campaign at its launch.










Engadget, Pantech Pocket review

Free, legal Siri port now available for iPhone 4 and other iOS 5 devices

. News of a new untethered jailbreak solution for all iOS 5.0.1 devices other than Apple's iPhone 4S and iPad 2 emerged this morning, and iOS users now have another reason to take advantage of the hack. IOS developer chpwn announced on his blog on Tuesday that a free Siri port dubbed “Spire” that does not violate any copyright laws is now available for jailbroken iOS 5 devices. This is not the first Siri port available for the iPhone 4 and other devices, but it is the first legal option and it also allows users to input their own proxy server since Apple's servers cannot be used by devices other than the iPhone 4S.

Boy Genius Report, Free, legal Siri port now available for iPhone 4 and other iOS 5 devices

Huawei is working on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the MediaPad (T-Mobile Springboard)

Since Google announced Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich a couple of months ago, one of the main questions that each Android device owner is facing is when the manufacturer of each gadget is going to issue an update to the latest version of the operating system. Or if. And while it's undoubtedly been a bumpy ride for some (Samsung Galaxy S owners, for example), things are much simpler for others, apparently. Including those who own a Huawei MediaPad (or T-Mobile Springboard, for it's basically the same device).

That's because the Chinese company is hard at work in bringing Android 4.0 to its latest tablet, as you can see from the image above.

Unwired View, Huawei is working on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for the MediaPad (T-Mobile Springboard)

China launches high-speed test train capable of 310 mph, shaped like an ancient sword

According to an old "Simpsons" quote, there's nary a thing that can outrun a greased Scotsman. That's no longer the case, as Chinese train manufacturer CSR Corp Ltd. unveiled a 500 km/h (310 mph) high-speed test train over the weekend. The train, which consists of six cars, is shaped to look like an ancient sword, reinforced with carbon fiber, and has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts.

Engadget, China launches high-speed test train capable of 310 mph, shaped like an ancient sword

ASUS Eee PC 1225B proves netbooks will still be kicking around in 2012

The death of the netbook has been greatly exaggerated - at least that's what ASUS is praying holds true for next year. Its latest addition, the Eee PC 1225B, refreshes the spec sheet seen on the 1215B. You'll find it's still based on AMD's Brazos chipset - thus the B - and will apparently arrive on two different gear speeds; one with an AMD C60 dual-core 1GHz processor and another toting AMD's dual-core 1.65GHz E450 APU. Up to 4GBs of DDR3 RAM and storage options starting at 320GB should ensure a respectable bang for your buck.

Engadget, ASUS Eee PC 1225B proves netbooks will still be kicking around in 2012

Apple suppliers reportedly preparing materials for “iTV” in Q1 2012

Rumors of an Apple television have started to gain more and more traction which seems to more or less confirm (albeit unofficially) that such a device is indeed in the works. According to Digitimes, their industry sources have informed them that Apple's suppliers have already started to prepare the materials necessary for an "iTV" in Q1 of 2012. This would be in preparation for a scheduled launch by Apple either in Q2 or Q3 of 2012.

Ubergizmo, Apple suppliers reportedly preparing materials for “iTV” in Q1 2012

Timberland folding shoes are ultra-portable

Packing shoes on a vacation or trip can be quite a hassle. Their shape can make them take up quite a bit of precious space in that suitcase or backpack, but with Timberland's nifty foldable shoes, all you have to do is zip them up and toss them in the bag. Although they're marketed for camping or hiking trips, Timberland's Radler Camp shoes are perfect for anyone looking to free up some space while traveling. The Radler Trail Camp shoes come with a zipper that allows each shoe to fold in half, compacting the pair into an easily transportable form. Assuming they are comfortable as well, these shoes could definitely be worth the $65 price tag.

2DayBlog.com, Timberland folding shoes are ultra-portable

LG announces ICS upgrades to begin in Q2 2012

Following the footsteps of Samsung and Sony, LG has come forth with details on which devices will be getting Android 4.0 - also known as Ice Cream Sandwich - and when we can begin expecting those upgrades to roll out. The phone manufacturer made its official announcement via its Facebook page, stating that several of its 2011 models will be on the receiving end of ICS starting in the second and third quarters of next year, with a full-scale rollout occurring sometime afterward. In the second quarter we should expect to see updates for the LG Optimus LTE, Prada 3.0, Optimus 2X, Optimus Sol, myTouch Q and the Eclipse.

Engadget, LG announces ICS upgrades to begin in Q2 2012

Looking back at 2011: ‘The year of the tablet' falls flat

. Apple rocked the consumer electronics industry when it launched the “magical and revolutionary iPad” in April 2010. It wasn't the first media tablet aimed at the consumer market by any means, but it was the first that consumers actually wanted. Following the iPad's unveiling, Apple's rivals scrambled to build tablets of their own and market research firms were quick to herald 2011 as “the year of the tablet.” More than 100 different tablets were unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2011, the bulk employing Android to power their user experiences, and the year of the tablet was upon us.

Boy Genius Report, Looking back at 2011: ‘The year of the tablet' falls flat

Han Solo in Carbonite Case for iPhone 4x4S

I don't know enough about Star Wars to make lots of witty remarks about Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt, but you might like this iPhone 4x4S case if you do.  The Han Solo in Carbonite case is from zazzle.  They start with a Speck Fitted Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4x4S and add a design to the fabric coating.  The case allows access to all sensors, ports, and controls.  It works with iPhone 4 or 4S models from Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T.  It's $51.40.

The Gadgeteer, Han Solo in Carbonite Case for iPhone 4x4S

Star Wars lightsaber freeze mob duel takes place in Times Square

To celebrate the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic on the 20th earlier this week, a Sith vs Jedi Lightsaber freeze mob took place in the middle of New York's Times Square. In case you weren't aware, Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most impressive uses of the Star Wars license for a video game in awhile. This massively multiplayer online role playing game puts gamers in the role of a Sith or a Jedi in the world of the Force, aliens, and of course - light sabers. The freeze mob was initiated by a bunch of people dressed up like characters from the game, who were then later joined by plain clothes people with light sabers as well.



Ubergizmo, Star Wars lightsaber freeze mob duel takes place in Times Square

HP issues LaserJet firmware update, hopefully ends exploding printer saga

Some of you might remember the story that HP LaserJet printers might be open to hack attacks that could result in some not-so-spontaneous combustion.

Engadget

See also:
techage, HP issues LaserJet firmware update, hopefully ends exploding printer saga

Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab 7-Incher Won't Be Getting Ice Cream Sandwich

The Galaxy S was Samsung's most popular smartphone until the release of the Galaxy S II. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com. Samsung addressed some of the mystery surrounding its Ice Cream Sandwich rollouts on Friday, and the news isn't good.
The latest flavor of the Android OS won't be arriving on Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone, or on its 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet.

Gadget Lab, Samsung Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab 7-Incher Won't Be Getting Ice Cream Sandwich

Xiaomi M2 specs rumored

Remember the Xiaomi phone that was recently spotted running Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Well it looks like the phone has got successor on its way. Rumored to be called the Xiaomi M2, the Android smartphone will have a 4.6″ display, a 2.5GHz CPU, 2.5GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 5-megapixel front facing camera, 12-megapixel rear camera, and Ice Cream Sandwich. The phone is also estimated to have a very low price tag of $394 (2,499 Yuan). Now there's no way to verify if these are the actual specs of the device, but if they are, we're looking at a powerful smartphone. Quite hard to believe especially because of its low price tag.

Ubergizmo, Xiaomi M2 specs rumored

Track Santa on Your Smartphone with the Official NORAD App

NORAD has made a holiday tradition out of tracking Santa's whereabouts as he hurries around the glob to deliver Christmas gifts to millions of children, and this year is no exception. Except this year Santa can be tracked from Android smartphones using the official NORAD Tracks Santa app. Beginning Christmas Eve users will be able to follow Santa's yearly journey. To help pass the time until then the app includes an “Elf Toss” game. Also included is background info on NORAD and its broader mission (they aren't purely devoted to tracking bearded men from the North Pole in red suits).

Android Phone, Track Santa on Your Smartphone with the Official NORAD App

Huawei Ascend 2 announced for US Cellular

If you're in the market for a new low-end Android device because you're new to the platform or you just need a temporary device until your next phone or you're just broke, Huawei's latest offering on US Cellular might fit the bill. Called the Huawei Ascend 2, this phone features a 3.5″ 320 x 480 display, a 5-megapixel camera, a 600MHz processor, Android 2.3, a preloaded 2GB microSD card and a 1,400mAh battery. The phone will cost you nothing (after a $100 rebate) with a 2-year contract so it should be perfect for the reasons mentioned above.

Ubergizmo, Huawei Ascend 2 announced for US Cellular

Intel sampling prototype Medfield smartphones and tablets

Intel is reportedly demonstrating reference designs for smartphones and tablets sporting the company's latest Atom mobile chip, dubbed Medfield, running Google's Android OS. Stephen Smith, vice president of Intel's architecture group, says that products based on these designs will be announced in the first half of 2012. Some may even rear their head next month during CES 2012 if we're lucky. In speaking with MIT Technology Review, Smith claimed that engineers tweaked Medfield specifically to speed up Android apps and web browsing. He also said the SoC will offer a significant technological step toward lower power consumption.

2DayBlog.com, Intel sampling prototype Medfield smartphones and tablets

Motorola may be violating another Microsoft patent

Microsoft has scored another victory against the Android camp as the ITC confirmed a claim that Motorola is violating one of the company's patents. The patent in question describes the creation of meeting requests with a scheduling function on mobile devices. the decision by the ITC is the second hit against Android within two days. Earlier this week, the ITC found that HTC violates an Apple patent and issued an injunction against the affected devices beginning in April.
The decision in the Microsoft versus Motorola case is an “initial determination” and may change at the review in the second phase of the process.

2DayBlog.com, Motorola may be violating another Microsoft patent

Microsoft to fix Xbox 360 Dashboard update bugs

A couple of hours ago, we reported on Microsoft confirming that there are bugs hanging around on your console after the Xbox 360 Dashboard update, and it is nice to see Microsoft take the necessary and relevant steps to squash those bugs as soon as possible. Before we continue, the glitch concerns the shutting out of some Xbox 360 users from the Xbox LIVE network, where Xbox LIVE profile errors have started to come up over the past week according to Joystiq. This also indirectly resulted in them being unable to purchase content from Microsoft's online store, and obviously one is unable to download their profiles.

Ubergizmo

See also:
itnews, Microsoft to fix Xbox 360 Dashboard update bugs