Infiniti QX-powered boat continues construction

Over the summer, we posted on a project being undertaken by students at the Tennessee Technical Center-Nashville and Nashville State Community College: prepare a 400-horsepower, 5.6-liter V8 from an Infiniti QX56 for seafaring duty in a 20-foot Chris-Craft. The engine's transformation is nearly complete, but it seems the boat needs a great deal more work. The pleasure craft, which dates from 1962, has already has three other marinized engines from car manufacturers, a Lincoln and two Chrysler Hemi powerplants.

Autoblog, Infiniti QX-powered boat continues construction

Motorola DROID 4 Leaked Again – Demo Unit Pictured In The Wild

There's pretty much nothing we don't already know about Motorola's worst kept secret, the Droid 4, other than an actual release date. With that being said, the “Razr with a keyboard” is actually looking more like the Bionic from the latest leaked pics taken by John and team at TechnoBuffalo who got some hands-on with a demo unit earlier today. The device, while not exactly a working model (more of those shells you find on display at Best Buy) does give us a better look at it, with pictures showing off every angle.


Android Phone, Motorola DROID 4 Leaked Again â€" Demo Unit Pictured In The Wild

Latest group that Jeremy Clarkson has offended? Indians

Pretty much every time Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson opens his mouth these days, someone takes offense, which does make it hard to tell whether Clarkson is actually offensive. The latest complaints have come after the Top Gear Christmas special, in which Clarkson and his posse go to India on a "trade mission." According to The Telegraph, the BBC has received 23 complaints about the show, in which Clarkson is charged with making insensitive remarks about Indian clothing, trains, food and history.



Autoblog, Latest group that Jeremy Clarkson has offended? Indians

Meizu MX starts selling January 1, China and HK get it first

Meizu has just revealed that its latest Android flagship, the Meizu MX will go on sale in a couple of days' time. The smartphone has been on pre-order since the start of this month and will be officially available on New Year's Day. China and Hong Kong will be the first two countries to get the Meizu MX. The smartphone will be available across the manufacturer's official stores in China as well as in the Meizu Store in Hong KongÂ's Sai Yeung Choi Street in Mong Kok.

Queue registration will begin at 9am, with queue numbers being handed out on a first come, first serve basis.



GSM Arena, Meizu MX starts selling January 1, China and HK get it first

Grand Theft Auto 3 for Android modded with new textures and vehicles

One of the great things about Android would be how due to it is open source, modifying and customizing the platform to your needs is a much easier task, especially when manufacturers make their code readily available for you. Now it would appear as though even the games on Android can be modified with Grand Theft Auto 3 being a prime example. About a week ago, it seems that some developers discovered that it is possible to boost the graphics on Grand Theft Auto 3 for Android. While not such a great idea for older devices, it appears to have made a world of difference for those running on newer, high-end devices like the Samsung Galaxy S2.



Ubergizmo, Grand Theft Auto 3 for Android modded with new textures and vehicles

ITG xpPhone 2 is out, promises Windows 7x8 in a smartphone

Intel is looking forward to powering Android-based phones with its Medfield platform, but ITG still havenÂ't given up on the dream of running a proper desktop OS on mobile phones - namely, the Windows 7/Windows 8 OSes. Yep, it's the new version of the xpPhone, the xpPhone 2, and it was just released in China with Windows 7 (it will jump to Windows 8 when Microsoft releases it). It's a device that ITG call a "post-smartphone" and have their sights set on beating the iPhone 4S and the other big names in the smartphone world (but the iPhone specifically).




GSM Arena

See also:
wareground, ITG xpPhone 2 is out, promises Windows 7x8 in a smartphone

Apple applies for facial recognition patent, wants to let iDevices get to know you better

Your momma always said your handsome mug would take you places. Now it might allow you to access your iPad. An Apple patent application released today describes a facial recognition system that requires minimal computing power, and works whether you're indoors or out — we don't use our tablets and phones in a photo booth, after all. The technology works by comparing a current image of your mug to a reference model user profile made using “high information” portions of the human face, like eyes and mouths.

2DayBlog.com

See also:
digitalhouse, Apple applies for facial recognition patent, wants to let iDevices get to know you better

Pink colored Galaxy S II heading for Taiwan

Samsung has announced that they will be launching the pink colored variant of the popular Galaxy S II smartphone in Taiwan. This shade has been in sale for a while now in Korea but this is the first time it is making an appearance in Taiwan. The phone will go on sale starting January 1, 2012 and will cost TWD 21,900 (USD 722).

GSM Arena, Pink colored Galaxy S II heading for Taiwan

Sprint Discounting Samsung Conquer 4G To $50 In January – Offers You Another One FREE With Purchase

Sprint is trying to kick off 2012 into high gear with a new winter promotion starting next month. From January 8th through March 10th, new or existing Sprint customers (with an upgrade) can get a Samsung Conquer 4G at the discounted price of $50 but that’s not all — it also comes with a matching Conquer for free. Deals always sound more fun with you throw BOGO into the mix and you could do a lot worse than the Conquer 4G.

Android Phone, Sprint Discounting Samsung Conquer 4G To $50 In January â€" Offers You Another One FREE With Purchase

2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Exhilaration At 1 MPH. When thinking about the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, one tends to picture an orange meteor barreling across the desert at absurd velocities, flying through the air, long-travel suspension dangling its dirty bits below. That's partially because desert storming and bombing down muddy, root-strewn fire roads was the Special Vehicle Team's design brief, and partially because those environs have dominated Ford's advertising efforts.










Autoblog, 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Top 10 most pirated movies of 2011 revealed as ticket sales and revenue continue to decline

. Piracy is still a huge problem according to the music industry and Hollywood, and it's hard to dispute the notion that downloading a paid digital product without actually paying for it is theft. Now, as TorrentFreak releases its list of the 10 most pirated movies of 2011, we can see a possible correlation between illegal downloads and movie revenue continue to take shape. Read on for more.

Fast Five - the fifth film in Universal's Fast & Furious franchise - was the most pirated movie this year according to TorrentFreak, having been downloaded 9.26 million times.

Boy Genius Report

See also:
gadgetsngadgets, Top 10 most pirated movies of 2011 revealed as ticket sales and revenue continue to decline

Huawei U8800 Ideos X5 has received the update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Better late than never, right. That seems to be Huawei's thinking here. The company that brought us the first ever ‘alpha' Ice Cream Sandwich ROM for a non-Nexus device is sadly also the company that has released an update to Gingerbread for one of its devices only today. The Huawei Ideos X5 (U8800) has finally received its taste of Android 2.3 Gingerbread, more than a year after this software version was launched. Back in November, Huawei promised that the update would come before the end of that month. Yet here it is now, after a slight delay.

This update is only valid for the original Ideos X5 (also known in the UK as the Titan).

Unwired View, Huawei U8800 Ideos X5 has received the update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread

DOT to push for new bus driver sleep regulations?

How safe are busses. It's a good question, and one that the United States Department of Transportation is mulling over after revising work hour regulations for truckers and airline pilots earlier this month. Bus drivers are next on the list, as the USDOT is seeking public comment on allowable on-duty time, according to Bloomberg. The effort would amend rules that are several decades old, just as bus travel has taken off. Buses represent the fastest-growing transportation segment, with departures up 7.1 percent this year, according to a study cited by Bloomberg.

Autoblog, DOT to push for new bus driver sleep regulations?

JNC presents Cesium Removal Technology

JNC has released today the new technology or shall we say method of cleaning the large amounts of water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. This new method consists in adding a ferrocyanide water-soluble to the already contaminated water, the ferrocyanide will create a bond with the cesium in the water. Together they form a magnetic substance that is then removed by means of magnetic separation.

Akihabara News, JNC presents Cesium Removal Technology

Google Sued Over Safe Shopping Feature

Google is being sued by Buysafe, a secure online transaction provider, which claims that Google maliciously extracted its business information and is now rolling out a technology based on that information. According to Buysafe, Google's Trusted Stores program is modeled after Buysafe and has been built using the information of a executive previously employed by a Buysafe partner, which held “extensive” discussions with Buysafe and obtained substantial business information as a result. Buysafe's claims are covered by a patent the company filed in 2003 and received in early 2010.

2DayBlog.com, Google Sued Over Safe Shopping Feature

Holiday spending jumps 15% from last year to $35.3 billion

. U.S. Consumers spent $35.3 billion during this year's holiday season, up 15% from the same period last year. Shoppers also spent a total of $2.8 billion during the week ended December 25th, up 16% from the same week in 2010, comScore reported. “Holiday e-commerce spending has remained strong throughout the season, and we have now reached a record $35 billion in U.S. online sales for the season-to-date,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni, noting that the record $1.25 billion spent on Cyber Monday represented the heaviest online spending day for the second straight year.

Boy Genius Report, Holiday spending jumps 15% from last year to $35.3 billion

HTC Flyer discontinued, what about the EVO View?

Recently it was reported that the HTC Flyer was no longer being sold by Best Buy, it looks like it's been discontinued since the retailer being the only official outlet where you can get the tablet. But then what about the HTC EVO View. Since the EVO View is essentially the Flyer - just that it packs WiMAX support for Sprint's network. The folks over at Good and EVO.net have reported that because the tablet recently received its Honeycomb update, you can expect to stick around for awhile longer - but not much longer.

Ubergizmo, HTC Flyer discontinued, what about the EVO View?

Japanese vending machine doubles as WiFi hotspot - no purchase required

It looks as if facial scans for snack-dispensing purposes isn't the only mind-blowing feature on the whiz-bang generation of vending machines. Japanese company Asahi has just unveiled an advanced dispenser that's capable of doubling as a WiFi hotspot, so good luck getting through the mobs of leechers just to buy a soda. The machine sends out the internet waves free of charge and covers about 164 feet around it; of note, there's a 30-minute limit on each session - but it's nothing that a fresh login can't solve.

Engadget

See also:
gadgetsngadgets, Japanese vending machine doubles as WiFi hotspot - no purchase required

Samsung may offer ‘value pack' instead of full Android 4.0 for Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab

. Samsung originally went on the record stating that it will not provide an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade for the Galaxy S or 7-inch Galaxy Tab. The company originally cited memory issues related to its TouchWiz user interface, but on Tuesday, reports surfaced suggesting that Samsung HQ was reconsidering its original statement. A more recent report published by the South Korean website Duam on Wednesday, however, said Samsung may instead offer an “Android Value Pack” that will include a number of enhancements to both devices without the need for full-blown Android 4.0.

Boy Genius Report, Samsung may offer ‘value pack' instead of full Android 4.0 for Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab

Verizon's 4G Network Down Again?

This is getting a bit ridiculous. After two major 4G outages in as many weeks, there are reports that Verizon's LTE network is once again down for the count. I can't confirm the outage personally, as 4G LTE is working fine on my Galaxy Nexus here in Baltimore, but we have received several tips indicating a loss of connectivity and several other sources are reporting this to be the case. Verizon has not confirmed the outage and there is no telling how widespread it is, but it sounds like a good number of customers are currently operating without 4G.

Android Phone, Verizon's 4G Network Down Again?

Rumor: Motorola DROID 4 Audio Clips Prove Verizon Likely Had Marketing Campaign Ready to Go for January Launch

The DROID 4 was rumored to be in stores right around the same time that the white DROID RAZR and the DROID Xyboard tablets were, but that obviously never happened. We all know that the first 4G LTE slider from Motorola exists but we still have no idea when we’ll be seeing it. More evidence may suggest Verizon’s marketing campaign was already up and ready to go for a December launch.

Android Phone, Rumor: Motorola DROID 4 Audio Clips Prove Verizon Likely Had Marketing Campaign Ready to Go for January Launch

Windows Phone Tango will hit in Q2 2012, Apollo in Q4, leaked roadmap claims

About a week ago, someone in Finland told someone not in Finland (but with a blog) some things about when the next two versions of Windows Phone would be announced – and we had no choice but to bring you the exciting news. Now announcements are one thing, but sometimes it takes many months until a product actually ships after it's been unveiled. That has in fact happened with the first version of Windows Phone, which was announced during MWC 2010 in February, and only shipped in October last year.
So naturally you may be wondering when exactly you'll see Windows Phone Tango or Apollo in shipping phones.

Unwired View, Windows Phone Tango will hit in Q2 2012, Apollo in Q4, leaked roadmap claims

Samsung Galaxy S to get a Value pack update instead of ICS

Despite Samsung's recent announcement that it is to reconsider its decision about the Galaxy S ICS update, it appears that the former flagship won't get an official taste of the latest Android ROM. According to the latest rumor the Samsung I9000 Galaxy S will get a Value pack update, instead of the real Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The value pack update is said to improve the user experience by bringing some of the ICS features to the Gingerbread ROM.

GSM Arena, Samsung Galaxy S to get a Value pack update instead of ICS

LCD manufacturers paying $539M to settle anti-trust lawsuit

Samsung, Sharp and others have offered to pay $539 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit over alleged LCD panel price-fixing. Earlier this month, Samsung, Sharp and six other LCD manufacturers agreed to pay $388 million to settle price-fixing claims made by direct buyers. The settlement was part of a series of antitrust cases brought by Arkansas, California, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, New York, West Virginia and Wisconsin which were consolidated in federal court in San Francisco.

2DayBlog.com, LCD manufacturers paying $539M to settle anti-trust lawsuit

AirPlay No Longer Exclusive to Apple TV Thanks to Airtight

One advantage Apple TV holds over Google's television platform is access to the wide array of media offered through iTunes. Thanks to a rogue developer that isn't such a problem anymore. Airtight is an app for Google TV that brings the functionality of Apple AirPlay to the Android-based system and allows users to stream content directly from their iTunes library on their home computer to their HD television set. Airtight isn't perfect, however. Currently in beta, some features aren't currently supported including the streaming of copy-protected movies, AirPlay mirroring, and all-important access to your music library.

Android Phone, AirPlay No Longer Exclusive to Apple TV Thanks to Airtight

LG Kicks Off CES 2012 Early With New TV Tech

LG's 55-inch OLED television is only 5 mm, or less than 0.2 inches, thick. Image: LG. CES is nigh on two weeks away, but apparently LG can't wait that long to start dishing about its 2012 products for the TV space. On deck: a huge OLED TV and lighter, more stylish 3-D glasses.

First off, LG plans to unveil a 55-inch OLED TV, the world's largest to date. While LCD screens require back-lighting (often LED based) to display an image, OLEDs generate light on their own. Because of this, LG's TV display measures 5mm, or less than 0.2 inches, thick.


Gadget Lab, LG Kicks Off CES 2012 Early With New TV Tech

Subaru promises BRZ, Impreza STI concepts plus rally return at Tokyo Auto Salon

Unlike most cities, Japan's capital city plays host to two major automotive exhibitions: the Tokyo Motor Show and the Tokyo Auto Salon. While these terms may be interchangeable when it comes to European expos, in Tokyo, they connote two different shows altogether. The first is the Motor Show, where new concepts and production models are unveiled by the world's automakers. The Auto Salon is more of a tuner expo along the lines of the SEMA show in Las Vegas.

Autoblog, Subaru promises BRZ, Impreza STI concepts plus rally return at Tokyo Auto Salon

Deal of the Day - Dell Vostro 260 2.7GHz Dual-core Mini Tower w/20-inch Dell LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $379

Today's LogicBUY Deal is the Dell Vostro 260 2.7GHz dual-core mini tower with a 20" Dell LED-backlit monitor for $379.  Features:  2GB RAM, 250GB 7200rpm hard drive, DVD burner, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), more. $478.00 – $99 off = $379.00 with $8 shipping. This deal expires December 29, 2011 or sooner.

The Gadgeteer, Deal of the Day - Dell Vostro 260 2.7GHz Dual-core Mini Tower w/20-inch Dell LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $379

Chrysler 300 gets even cushier with new Luxury Series

Despite major improvements, public perception still lingers that most American luxury sedans don't quite approach the level of refinement and equipment offered by their imported competitors. And so it follows that Chrysler models fall shy of Lincoln and Cadillac, especially because their pricing is less dear. But the latest announcement from Auburn Hills aims to close that perception – and pricing – gap ever so gently.

Autoblog, Chrysler 300 gets even cushier with new Luxury Series

Samsung to rethink plans for ICS on Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab

Last week, Samsung announced that the good ol' Galaxy S and P1000 Galaxy Tab 7.0 won't be eligible to get in line for some tasty, official Ice Cream Sandwich update. As a result, a lot of people were infuriated and wrote Sammy how they really felt about the matter. And what do you know - it turns out this worked and, according to Korean newspaper Ajnews, Samsung has promised to look into it again and reevaluate both Galaxy S and Tab viability to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

GSM Arena, Samsung to rethink plans for ICS on Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab

HP issues firmware upgrade to address LaserJet security vulnerability

A while back we reported that a group of researchers discovered a security flaw in HP's LaserJet printers that basically allowed hackers access to it. According to HP, so far there have been no reports of users ever experiencing such issues with their printers but at the same time have acknowledged that such a potential security vulnerability does exist but only if left open on a public internet with no firewall, or if a trusted user modified the firmware while on a private network. Either way a firmware upgrade was reportedly in the works, and the good news is that HP has since released the firmware upgrade to address this issue.

Ubergizmo, HP issues firmware upgrade to address LaserJet security vulnerability

When a Regular Rubik's Cube is Just Too Easy

For those of you show-offs who find a regular Rubik's Cube too easy, there's the Simplicity Cubic 3x3x7 Uneven IQ Brick from Brando's toy selection.  Brando says this toy offers left and right brain training, and IQ & EQ training.  They also say that it will provide fun in your home and at your office.  (I think that perhaps this toy was really designed as an instrument of torture.

The Gadgeteer, When a Regular Rubik's Cube is Just Too Easy

Acer's Stan Shih addresses disbanding rumors

Before the Christmas weekend, we reported on rumors that seemed to suggest that Acer might be withdrawing from the tablet and smartphone scene due to their products failing to kick off in a big way. Well for fans of Acer's offerings, the good news is that the company's founder (and now retired) Stan Shih, announced that the company will not be giving up their tablet and smartphone operations despite poor performance. He claims that experiencing frustration like this is an unavoidable process, similar to their experiences when attempting to break into the notebook market.

Ubergizmo, Acer's Stan Shih addresses disbanding rumors

Apple's Newsstand application aiding digital magazine sales

There's no doubt that the digital magazine's road to success has been a bumpy one. The original — and still the main — idea was to push content creators and publishers forward in the paperless era, but there's been many doubters and fallen soldiers in the process. While Apple hasn't been the only outfit looking to bring the magazine to the small screen, the introduction of the Newsstand app in iOS 5 aimed to give digitized publications a place to shine on their own.

2DayBlog.com, Apple's Newsstand application aiding digital magazine sales