‘Gene drive’ mosquitoes could end malaria once and for all

The scourge of malaria could be going away for good in some regions, thanks to a groundbreaking discovery by researchers at the Universities of California, Irvine and San Diego. Their study, published Monday in the journal PNAS, has reportedly uncove...

We’re live at Comic-Con; join us tonight in San Diego!

We're live at ComicCon join us tonight in San Diego!

Comic-Con may not be a vital venue for launching new gadgets, but for many attendees later today, the intersection of tech and art will be just up the street at 6th and Island Ave. -- the location of tonight's Engadget + gdgt Live event. We're on the ground in San Diego for this evening's festivities, and we've already spent some time exploring the convention center, too, including a mandatory stop to check out Rovio's hardware-equipped Angry Birds Star Wars 2. As for tonight, you can expect to see lots of hot products from companies like Microsoft, Nokia, iRobot and Western Digital at the Stingaree lounge in the Gaslamp Quarter. As always, we'll have giveaway items up for grabs, so there's always a chance that you'll head home with some awesome gear. And best of all, the event is free! Everything kicks off at 7PM. We hope to see you there!

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How would you change the Orange San Diego?

How would you change the Orange San Diego

Orange's £200 ($308) San Diego was one of the first Intel-powered Android devices to hit the market. Despite its budget price, it packed a Medfield-based 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU that the company promised would deliver more performance and battery life than its pricier rivals. It almost achieved it too, with benchmarks that stood equal to the Galaxy S III and more than 24-hours of standby life. The problem, was that our reviewer couldn't find a compelling reason to buy one of these over a last-gen Android flagship -- but was that the case for you? If you bought one, how has the ownership experience been, so tell us what did you love, what did you hate and what would you change?

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Researchers create algorithms that help lithium-ion batteries charge two times faster

Researchers create algorithms that help lithium-ion batteries charge two times faster

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have devised new algorithms that can cut lithium-ion battery charge times in half, help cells run more efficiently and potentially cut production costs by 25 percent. Rather than tracking battery behavior and health with the traditional technique of monitoring current and voltage, the team's mathematical models estimate where lithium ions are within cells for more precise data. With the added insight, the team can more accurately gauge battery longevity and control charging efficiency. The group was awarded $460,000 from the Department of Energy's ARPA-E research arm to further develop the algorithm and accompanying tech with automotive firm Bosch and battery manufacturer Cobasys, which both received the remainder of a $9.6 million grant. Wondering if the solution will ever find its way out of the lab? According to co-lead researcher Scott Moura, it'll see practical use: "This technology is going into products that people will actually use."

Continue reading Researchers create algorithms that help lithium-ion batteries charge two times faster

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Researchers create algorithms that help lithium-ion batteries charge two times faster originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 23:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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InterDigital sells nearly 2,000 wireless patents to Intel, pockets $375 million

InterDigital sells nearly 2,000 wireless patents to Intel, pockets $375 million

InterDigital (we interviewed its CEO last week) is selling off around 1,700 wireless patents and applications to Intel for $375 million. The company is making good on its promise to monetize its vast portfolio of IP, including technologies relating to 3G, WCDMA, HSDPA, HUSPA, LTE and 802.11 WiFi connections. It's a short in the arm for Intel's burgeoning wireless arm, which recently outed its first handset, the San Diego. It'll also strengthen the hand of the company in any litigation relating to the technology should the lawyers come knocking. So far it's not clear if the company is retaining an interest in the files its sold off, but we've reached out for comment and will let you know when we do.

Update: The company let us know that it's not retaining any interest in the patents that it's selling off. It also mentioned that the 1,700-strong portfolio equates to around eight percent of the company's overall IP holdings -- a number that it generates roughly every 18 months.

Continue reading InterDigital sells nearly 2,000 wireless patents to Intel, pockets $375 million

InterDigital sells nearly 2,000 wireless patents to Intel, pockets $375 million originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange San Diego review: Intel does phones, finally

Orange San Diego review: Intel does phones, finally

The first generation of Intel-powered Android phones has arrived, and while the chip maker doesn't appear to be claiming that its initial efforts are world-beaters, we've been promised a chipset that prioritizes what people want most: capable web browsing, strong camera performance and robust battery life. Although we've sampled plenty of incremental versions of this Medfield tech, Orange UK's San Diego is the first finished device to land for review. Priced at £200 ($308) it joins a large spread of wallet-friendly, entry-level smartphones in Orange's lineup. With a (1024 x 600) 4-inch LCD, 8-megapixel camera with flash, micro-HDMI port and 1GB of RAM, it looks to be a respectable, if middle-of-the-road, Android device. But the focus here lays with the 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2460 CPU and whether it delivers on those performance and battery life promises. Does Intel have a handle on mobile processors? Is the San Diego, near-identical to Intel's own reference model, going to be attractive enough for buyers? You'll find our verdict after the break.

Continue reading Orange San Diego review: Intel does phones, finally

Orange San Diego review: Intel does phones, finally originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange San Diego Medfield phone: a closer look at Computex 2012 (update: video)

Orange San Diego Medfield phone: a closer look at Computex 2012

Well what do we have here? Yes, it's the Orange San Diego we first saw at Mobile World Congress and it's going on sale in the UK today for £200. This isn't just yet another Android smartphone, but one of the first Medfield-based handsets on the market. We caught this pre-production unit chilling out at the Intel booth here at Computex 2012 and decided to go up close and personal. First impressions? It's thin, light and feels great in the hand thanks to a pleasant soft-touch back. The Gigabyte-made device packs a 4-inch glass-capacitive 1024x600-pixel LCD (that's 300dpi), an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z2460 CPU, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage.

While the screen looks decent enough, it falls somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of viewing angles. The phone features Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) and runs most apps from the Google Play store directly via an emulation layer. Performance matched prior benchmarks and was on-par with current mid-range ARM-based Android handsets -- the experience was mostly smooth, but we noticed some lag when scrolling and zooming pages in the web browser. Battery life remains the major outstanding question when it comes to Medfield handsets, so expect more details once we have our very own review unit. In the meantime, check out the gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.

Continue reading Orange San Diego Medfield phone: a closer look at Computex 2012 (update: video)

Orange San Diego Medfield phone: a closer look at Computex 2012 (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 03:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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