BMW unveils new i3 and revamped i8 concepts, we await our automotive future (video)

BMW's been teasing us with its vision for electric motoroing for years, and today, folks, the trend continues. The German automaker has unveiled two concepts from its upcoming i sub-brand: the city-dwelling i3 and a rehashed version of its i8. This is the first time we've officially seen the smaller of the two, as the car formerly known as the Megacity had only been spied in an official render and during routine testing at the arctic circle. It'll haul four peeps with its 150km range (around 100 miles) and accelerate from 0-60mph in around 8 seconds. As for those with range anxiety, the German company will soothe such fears with an optional range-extending motor dubbed "REx." Either variant could land in your garage in 2013, where you'll be able top them up in 6 hours with a standard socket, or up to eighty percent in an hour if you're rocking a spiffy high capacity charger.

The i8, which you'll recall for its radical aerodynamic design and hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain, has received a bevy of aerodynamic tweaks and junked its oil burner, opting for a gasoline one instead. Engine swap aside, the sporty coupé apparently drinks only 2.7 liters per 100km -- 87 mpg (!) for yanks -- which is unreal in a car that'll accelerate to 62mph in 4.6 seconds. Sound too good to be true? We'll have to wait until 2014 to see if München can make good on those promises, but in the meantime feel free to peruse the galleries, videos, and PR after the break.

Gallery: BMW i Family

Continue reading BMW unveils new i3 and revamped i8 concepts, we await our automotive future (video)

BMW unveils new i3 and revamped i8 concepts, we await our automotive future (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jul 2011 14:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Future iPads, iPhones to be built by Robots

Xinhuanet reports that future iPads and iPhones might just be built by robots, that is if manufacturing giant Foxconn goes ahead with plans to replace workers with up to 1 million mechs: [Foxconn] currently has 10,000 robots and the number will be increased to 300,000 next year and 1 million in three years, according to [...]

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ChromeLite: experience the ASCII Web of yesteryear

Have you ever wondered what the Web was like before the Mosaic Web browser? If you were born in the last 20-odd years, or you only discovered your inner geek recently, did you miss out on monochrome monitors and the dial-up BBS era? Well, here's your chance to get a sneak peek at history: grab the ChromeLite extension and marvel as the entire Web is transformed into ASCII characters.

Now, ChromeLite isn't really all that functional. For the most part, it simply strips images and converts text into a monospaced terminal font. There are a few Easter eggs inserted -- such as a fun message at the bottom of YouTube (image after the break) -- and some fun ASCII art, but that's about it. Rather oddly, most JavaScript continues to work -- so you can still enjoy Google Instant Search!

ChromeLite was actually made by Google as an April Fools' joke -- and indeed, an annoying 'you can uninstall this!' message appears at the top of every page -- but we're kind of hoping that Google, or another developer, takes ChromeLite and turns it into a real ASCII browsing extension with configurable settings. If anything, it will provide an easy way to save bandwidth and CPU time.

Continue reading ChromeLite: experience the ASCII Web of yesteryear

ChromeLite: experience the ASCII Web of yesteryear originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Best Videos of the Week [Video]

Maybe you were out enjoying the cooler temperatures all week and couldn't check your favorite Gawker Media sites. Or maybe you're about to leave for the weekend and need one last visual fix. Well, whatever the case, we've got you covered. Here are some of the most amusing and entertaining videos we watched during the week that was.
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Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on review

This morning, an updated version of the stock Android Music app was leaked along with a new version of Android Market. The new Music app, which is labeled 'version 3', is similar to the leaked build from December, but it has received a ton of polish -- and indeed, it looks almost ready for prime time.

If you don't have Android 2.3 -- or don't want to root your phone to install the leaked Music app -- take a look through our gallery, and then read on for our initial hands-on impressions.

Gallery: Leaked Honeycombish Android Music app

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Leaked Android Music app images and hands-on review originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only

It's hard to believe: our world-spanning network, our Internet, which is the cornerstone of free speech and free society -- which, on a good day, is capable of causing populist revolutions -- is still crippled by banal geolocation restrictions. We are, of course, talking about Amazon's two latest offerings, both of which are only available in the United States. Last week it was the excellent Android Appstore for Android, and today it's the Amazon Cloud Player for Web and Android.

Along with Cloud Player, Amazon also launched Cloud Drive, which is basically just like any other cloud storage digital locker. It's not particularly feature rich, and there's no real reason to use it over something like SugarSync or SkyDrive -- it does work outside the US, however.

Its primary purpose, as far as we're concerned, is that it stores your your Cloud Player music in a subdirectory. You get 5GB of Cloud Drive storage for free, and then it's $1 per gigabyte per year if you need more space.

The Amazon Cloud Player itself will not, to put it bluntly, blow your mind. It works, but it's very much an early, and possibly rushed, release. Let's dive in to the Web and Android players for a closer look.

Gallery: Amazon Cloud Player and Cloud Drive: on Web and Android

Continue reading Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only

Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Burrito Bison is a simple game for gummy bear lovers

Burrito Bison is a pretty simple game, but if you're into gummy bears you might find it addictive.

As you may have guessed from the name, you're a bison (not a burrito, though). In the course of your day-to-day grocery shopping, you're abducted into a bag of gummy bears, and must now fend for yourself.

At the beginning of each round you launch yourself onto the marching gummy (gummi?) bears, while you're being watched by a huge crowd of even more gummy bears. Your goal is to keep bouncing on the bears and earn more and more money while you do it. Every time you hit a gummy bear, you lose some momentum. If you hit the floor, you basically lose all of it.

But don't give up just yet! You have an emergency thrust which you can use to gain some momentum and keep bouncing on those bears. This extra thrust gets refilled as you hit more bears.

There are also special gummy bears that give you extra thrust or extra money. The money comes in handy at the end of each round, when you can shop for cool stuff to make your bison even more effective against those gummy bears.

It's a fun and colorful game that kept my interest for quite some time, and almost sent me running to the closest store to get some gummy bears!

Burrito Bison is a simple game for gummy bear lovers originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How to Tell the Politicians That Matter to Raise the Roof on America's Debt [Twitter]

President Obama has requested that you tweet your representatives to help solve this whole debt ceiling mess. But if you live in, say Cleveland, that's a waste of time. Tweet at these pols—who can actually get stuff done—instead. More »

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CrunchGear Week In Review: Nook Dome Edition

Here are some highlights of the past week on CrunchGear: Review: L.A. Noire (And Giveaway) DIY Geodesic Dome On Kickstarter Review: The Barnes & Noble Nook Post-Apple Palate Cleanser: More Swiss Army Axes! Player 1 Start: The Wii U Vs. The Playstation Vita (Fly Or Die)

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Game Review ? Dead Space HD

One of the more popular game genres in the market today is survival horror. For those who have become a fan of the Dead Space series in the console or PC, much is expected in this release of Dead Space HD for the iPad. You play the role of an engineer tasked to explore the [...]

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Hard Graft Back Up Case for iPad 2

The Smart Cover for iPad 2 is a wonderful screen cover and stand, but it leaves the back of your expensive device exposed. �There are a variety of skins, cases, and covers available for iPad 2, but not all of them work with the Smart Cover. �Hard Graft is introducing their new Back Up Case [...]

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'Official-looking' pic of white Galaxy S II leaks, unicorns right around the corner

Albino Nexus S, meet your better specced, bleached out, dual-core nemesis -- the mythical white Samsung Galaxy S II. The leaked snap is certainly timely, coming in only one day after a UK retailer promised the colorless beast would go on sale August 15th. We can't vouch for that, but we do know US peeps can now sign-up for "more info" on Sammy's website, so stateside GSII fans should be hearing more from the company soon. Will word come of the LTE-toting, ivory dream phone we've been lusting after? Probably not, but getting the baddest black Android on the planet is still pretty darn good.

'Official-looking' pic of white Galaxy S II leaks, unicorns right around the corner originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 22:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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