Inrix Traffic 4 for iOS helps drivers avoid traffic congestion and estimate arrival times (video)
Love driving but hate traffic? We hear you, and so do the people at Inrix. While the company might not come to the forefront of your mind when you consider the crowded world of navigation solutions, Inrix is a significant player in the field -- even if much of its presence exists behind the scenes. The company collects and analyzes data points from nearly 100 million sources, and now it's putting that information to work with Inrix Traffic 4 for iOS. In addition to helping users avoid congestion brought on by road work, police... Read more...
Engadget, Today, 12:01am
HTC One S teardown leaves little to the imagination (video)
Whether you're looking to replace a damaged screen, swap a battery, or just make damn sure that the warranty of your HTC One S is void, DirectFix can help with its latest teardown video. This is the first time that we've seen a detailed inner peek at the smartphone itself, and those who appreciate fine craftsmanship are sure to dig this one. To get deep within the phone, you'll need a nylon spudger, a Torx T5 and precision Phillips... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 11:22pm
Activision's 1984 Catalogue Did Not Feature Call of Duty [Activision]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 11:00pm
Amazon Appstore's Test Drive try before you buy feature now available on Android phones
When Amazon's Appstore initially appeared on the Android scene last year, one of its most innovative features was a Test Drive virtual machine that let users try out apps for free from their desktop, and now that technology has come back to the handset. In the newest update pushed today and pictured above, release-2.6.53 adds beta support for the cloud-based Test Drive feature to let... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 10:43pm
NATO backs Obama's Afghan exit plan
NATO leaders signed off on President Obama's exit strategy from Afghanistan that calls for a 2013 end to combat operations. Read more...
CNN.com, Yesterday, 10:32pm
Virgin Mobile adds $40 payLo unlimited plan for talk and text types
Virgin Mobile's feature phone arm just added a third tier, delivering unlimited talk and texting, along with 50 megs of web access for $40 per month. This offering joins Sprint's other payLo budget offerings, including an entry-level option that includes 400 minutes of talk time for $20 per month, and a $30 monthly plan that delivers 1,500 minutes, 1,500 texts and 30MB of data. Overage charges are quite hefty, at $0.10 per minute, $0.25 per message and $1.50... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 10:14pm
Prostitution investigation for DEA agents
Three Drug Enforcement Administration agents are under investigation for allegedly hiring prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia, a congressional source confirms to CNN. Read more...
CNN.com, Yesterday, 10:06pm
Nolan North is in Star Trek 2 Because J.J. Abrams Likes Uncharted [Nolan North]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 10:00pm
Iran sanctions get unanimous Senate OK
The U.S. Senate unanimously voted to tighten sanctions on Iran on Monday, three days after a dispute over including the threat of American force stalled the legislation. Read more...
CNN.com, Yesterday, 9:50pm
Nuance adds Rovi's metadata to Dragon TV, becomes annoyingly good at TV trivia
Nuance, of Dragon TV fame announced today that it was licensing Rovi's (formerly known as Macrovision) metadata for its talky-TV platform. Once integrated, the application will be able to marshall far more information than it currently can -- enabling it to give answers to queries like "Who plays Chuck on Gossip Girl?" That said, we're... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 9:33pm
This Free Game Takes Populous And Gives It a Sworcery Makeover [Reprisal]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 9:30pm
5.8-magnitude quake rattles Bulgaria
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Bulgaria on Tuesday, about 14 miles outside the capital of Sofia, the U.S. Geological Survey said. Read more...
CNN.com, Yesterday, 9:02pm
The Most Suspenseful Gaming Moment I've Encountered Happened in Diablo III, and I Could Only Watch [Diablo]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 9:00pm
Bananaphone touch synthesizer replaces ring ring rings with chiptunes (video)
If you're tired of bananaphones that just make calls, the crew at Gadget Gangster now has a homebrew project to use them for musical escapades. A custom-coded (and appropriately named) Adafruit Propeller board turns a bunch of bananas into the Bananaphone TouchSynth, a synthesizer using the same capacitive touch principles that let a MaKey MaKey turn anything into a controller. The... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 8:59pm
Bicom turns to Kickstarter to fund its new playGo AP1 AirPlay device
Bicom, makers of the Corian-hewn playGo USB will unveil a new AP1 AirPlay device, but only you if help fund it. After finding out that it wasn't able to produce last year's gear in enough quantity to bring the price down, the company has gone down the Kickstarter route to raise... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 8:34pm
So, Activision and Call of Duty's Creators Had a Pretty Bitchy Relationship [Legal Warfare]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 8:30pm
Koubachi WiFi Plant Sensor takes your cactii's temperature, sends it to your iPhone
Plants, like pets, need to be constantly cared for, but not everyone's blessed with the requisite green thumb. So, for those of you imbued with what we'll call the bad, brown touch, Swiss outfit Koubachi's got a cloud-based solution to sidestep those negligent ways and keep your window garden thriving. Dubbed the WiFi Plant Sensor, this wireless peripheral nestles into the soil of any potted flora or fauna, sending relevant vitality data off to the company's servers where it's then analyzed and beamed back to your handset (via iPhone app) or online account... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 8:08pm
These Squishy Nintendo Controllers Were Meant for Hugging [Nintendo]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 8:00pm
Ex-student gets 30 days in Rutgers case
Ex-Rutgers student Dharun Ravi got 30 days for spying on his gay roommate, Tyler Clementi, with a webcam. Clementi killed himself after he found out about the camera. Read more...
CNN.com, Yesterday, 7:46pm
Pentax makes K-30 official with weatherproofing and 1080p video
Pentax didn't wait long after a rather conspicuous leak to make the details official: welcome the K-30, the company's spiritual successor to the long-serving K-r. The camera makes its biggest numerical jump in sensor size, from 12.4 megapixels to 16, but you're primarily shelling out for a much tougher body that's both resistant to rain as well as to dust and temperature extremes; one of the cheapest cameras to do so, if you go by Pentax's word. We're slightly... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 7:44pm
Hoof-Life, Mares of War, and Other Games Reimagined Under Pony-Power [My Little Pony]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 7:30pm
Four people die after reaching Mount Everest summit
The climbers, hailing from four nations, died while coming down the southern slope of Mount Everest after reaching the 29,028-foot summit, officials said. Read more...
CNN.com, Yesterday, 7:27pm
Aereo gets unfair competition claim dismissed, still faces two claims of copyright infringement
Aereo's mini-antenna arrays started streaming OTA television broadcasts in Gotham a couple months ago in spite of the lawsuit filed by a few of New York's local stations to stop them from doing so. Today, it was able to dismiss its opponents' state law unfair competition claim under the theory of federal preemption. Essentially, Aereo argued (and the judge agreed) that the anti-competition claim was actually an... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 7:21pm
Devil May Cry Reboot Out In January 2013 [Blip]
Capcom's Devil May Cry reboot will be out on January 15, 2013. That date covers both Europe and North America, and covers both Xbox 360 and PS3. The PC version? It'll be out sometime in 2013. It had previously been announced to be out sometime in 2012. More » Read more...
Kotaku, Yesterday, 7:12pm
Persona 3 Really Is Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Down To The Smallest Characters [Persona]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 7:00pm
Nintendo plans virtual wall of E3 coverage, wants no eyeball left behind
With E3 2012 right around the corner, Reggie and co. want to make sure your oft-distracted eyes catch every drip drop of the impending Wii U news flood. Much like it did last year, Nintendo's yet again taking to media outlets old and new for coverage of its All-Access Presentation, scheduled for June 5th at 9AM PST, that should prove an unavoidable must-see for any gamer bred on the house that Mario built. Whether you take your news via flat-screen or monitor, the gaming giant's got a solution to sate your preferred means... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 6:56pm
Bungie's Next Huge Game is an Xbox-First "Sci-Fantasy, Action Shooter," Court Records Show [Bungie]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 6:38pm
Amazon puts Samsung Galaxy S III up for US pre-orders, offers a slice of quad-core, unlocked utopia
Sufficiently enamored with Samsung's Galaxy S III that you've got to have one in the US before anyone else, and you don't want it sullied by carrier customizations in the trip across the Pacific? Amazon has your back with pre-orders for 16GB versions in both Marble White and Pebble Blue. Either will keep the speedy Exynos 4 Quad and will stay unlocked, so you can hop networks to your heart's content. Do expect to... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 6:33pm
Diablo III Accounts Getting Hacked, Gold and Items Going Missing [Diablo]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 6:30pm
Sprint to begin shipping the HTC EVO 4G LTE for arrival 'on or around' May 24th, pre-orders get first dib
We can't be certain as to how many units of the HTC EVO 4G LTE have made it out of customs thus far, but it appears the number is high enough for Sprint to officially set a date for shipping the device out to those who pre-ordered it online. A Sprint representative reached out to us to share the company's statement from this afternoon that customers should expect to receive their valuable treasure "on or around" May 24th. We're not in love with the "around" terminology, but this could simply be due to a high amount of demand.... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 6:08pm
Sounds Like Konami Will Be Announcing a New 3DS Castlevania at E3 [Rumor]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 6:00pm
ASUS and MSI launch Thunderbolt motherboards, tie for first place
You wait for one Thunderbolt-compatible motherboard and then two decide to arrive on the same day. Going alphabetically, ASUS' P8Z77-V Premium is its first Intel-certified board to pack Thunderbolt and it's followed immediately by the P8Z77-V Pro / Thunderbolt. The connection will hook up to multiple storage drives or any Thunderbolt-friendly display -- it can be daisy-chained to up to six different devices. MSI's Z77A-GD80 packs a similarly complicated naming convention, and like ASUS' offerings, will arrive with Intel's Z77... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 5:38pm
Ten Science Fiction and Fantasy Books That Deserve the Video Game Treatment [Speak Up On Kotaku]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 5:30pm
Minecraft mod adds programmable 8-bit computer, lacks cassette deck (video)
Never one to focus exclusively on the very latest hardware, a new mod has brought an 6502 microprocessor to a Minecraft world near you. The system is made from three separate cubes, representing the CPU, monitor and disk drive, respectively, all connected by ribbon cables. Part of pre-release 5 of the RedPower 2 mod, programmer Eloraam has also thrown in pumps and solar panels to keep crafters busy -- you're no longer limited to Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 5:16pm
No benefits for posthumous conception
A mother of twins born 18 months after the death of the biological father lost her Supreme Court appeal Monday, and the children are not eligible for survival benefits under Social Security. Read more...
CNN.com, Yesterday, 5:00pm
Spotify hits Australia and New Zealand, can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?
Music fans in Australia and New Zealand are waking up some happy news this Tuesday morning. Spotify announced that it's bringing its streaming services to those markets, starting today, offering up access to some 16 million tracks via PC, smartphone and iPad, bringing Spotify's availability to a grand total of 15 countries. Each new country will also be getting Spotify apps to call their own: Triple J in Australia and NZ Top 40 in New Zealand, both of which offer up curated music access. More information on the launches -- including prices for premium accounts -- can be found in press releases after the break, and a playlist... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 5:00pm
Panasonic launches 12-35mm Micro Four Thirds lens with constant f/2.8 aperture
As powerful as they've become, Mirrorless camera systems can't match the versatility of a full-size DSLR. One key component we haven't seen is a constant-aperture lens, offering a consistent large aperture size throughout the zoom range. That changed today. Panasonic's new Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm optic packs one incredible advantage over its compact competitors -- a constant f/2.8 aperture. Because of the Micro Four Thirds system's 2x multiplication factor, this 12-35mm lens covers the same zoom range of 24-70mm glass on a full-frame camera, in a Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 4:43pm
That Disturbing Photo of Owen With a Wheelbarrow has Somehow Become Even More Disturbing [Wtf]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 4:40pm
The Engadget Interview: Ben Heck talks Raspberry Pi at Maker Faire (video)
Engadget, Yesterday, 4:35pm
Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET
It's Monday, and we're back to our regular time and day where you get to listen into the recording booth when the Engadget HD podcast goes to mp3 at 5:30PM. Please be a part of it by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participating in the live chat as you listen in.... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 4:30pm
Of myths and 41-megapixel sensors: Nokia looks back on the 808 PureView (video)
It's a tale as old as the introduction of the 808 PureView, itself. Something about a bar and Tokyo and scribbling ingenious ideas on a napkin -- you know, the same 'ol humble origin story that seems to surround every impactful creation. Spoon-fed mythology aside, Nokia's decided to shift things into meta mode by composing a making of mini-doc for its hump-backed Symbian Belle cameraphone shot entirely with that much-ballyhooed 41-megapixel sensor (insert feigned amazement here). If... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 4:17pm
Microsoft Does the Right Thing, Offers Full Refunds to Select Minecraft Gamers [Breaking]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 4:15pm
Your Favorite Video Game Characters, Only Now They're Undead [Freaky Fan Art]
Kotaku, Yesterday, 4:00pm
ITC says again that Apple and RIM don't violate Kodak patent
Kodak hasn't caught a break lately, and that trend isn't easing up any time soon with a second rejection arriving in its main International Trade Commission (ITC) patent dispute with Apple and RIM. Despite having had its case remanded after a loss last year, Kodak is once more being told that BlackBerrys and iPhones don't violate a patent on previewing photos. The one violation was rendered moot through "obviousness," according... Read more...
Engadget, Yesterday, 3:59pm