Rovio dropped a few hints earlier in the week that it’d have a public beta test of Android Angry Birds ready by Friday, and it’s followed through – it’s up on the Android Market right now. The level select shows 15 locked spaces for you to power through – and a link to buy the full version. But that doesn’t work yet. This is a test. [ Rovio via Techradar ]  Read More →

If you happen to find yourself at the ARS Electronica centre in Linz, Austria thinking, “that facade could do with a bit more colour,” you’re in luck—a special smartphone application lets passersby paint the building in real time. (more…)  Read More →

“The world resists change.” So sayeth Buzz Aldrin, the first man to land a man-made craft on the moon. While others obsess over who put their foot on the surface first, this is the guy who piloted the craft that touched down while Armstrong hitched along. In our one-on-one video interview with the man himself, we hear an inspiring voice for reaching out to space, why it is important, and what’s holding humanity back from achieving... 

A boombox your laptop is not, and speakers that are both portable and powerful are hard to come by. Depending on your needs, Logitech’s Z305, a 360-degree sound bar, and Z515, a 50-inch wireless speaker, might do the trick. The tubular $US99.99 Z305 powers by USB and clings to the top of your laptop, while the $US60 Z515 includes a USB dongle and a single speaker that can play for 10 hours over 2.4GHz wireless up to 15m away from the laptop... 

Most budget-minded Android handsets are super-affordable, but also super-frustrating in the fact they tend to run older versions of Android (a problem some premium handsets suffer as well). That’s why it’s nice to see Huawei step up to the plate and offer a decently specced, affordable smartphone under their new IDEOS brand. (more…)  Read More →

Could my problems with 3DTV be down to the size of my noggin? (more…)  Read More →

Yesterday, there were three Predator drones keeping watch over the Southwest Border; today, with the launch of a fourth Predator, in Texas, the entire border between the United States and Mexico is patrolled by drones. Pardon, patrolled by Robot-Americans. [ DHS ]  Read More →

It’s not unusual for products to leak out before the official announcement. It’s not unusual for a company to tease a new product after it’s been leaked prior to the official launch. But Samsung are taking it to another level, actually advertising their upcoming Galaxy Tab device at Berlin Tegel airport, prior to its launch at IFA this week. (more…)  Read More →

This battery promises to charge 98 percent of mobile devices and add up to twenty hours to the iPad’s operating time. I just wish it didn’t look quite so explosive. (more…)  Read More →

When most kids complain about something taking too long, their father’s response isn’t usually as generous as pioneering an innovation that spans the next half a century. But Edwin Land, creator of Polaroid, was not your average dad. (more…)  Read More →

There’s a good number of nice iPad stands – most recently Twelve South’s Compass – but at some point you have to ask yourself how much stand is too much. The PadFoot does the job and stays out of the way. (more…)  Read More →

That Toshiba AC100 Android-powered netbook may not be the most desirable combination of hardware and software out there, but it already has one big plus point – it’s Nvidia Tegra 2 chipset destroys anything else in terms of raw speed. (more…)  Read More →

Intel has agreed to buy Infineon Technologies’ Wireless Solutions business for around $US1.4 billion, as it positions itself to grab a chunk of the rapidly exploding smartphone market. (more…)  Read More →

Free — as in freely offered, not freely pilfered — WiFi is great stuff. Clearly, there should be more of it, but my experiences, and the experiences of just about everyone I’ve ever discussed it with tend to suggest that free WiFi has one big problem. It’s just not fast enough. (more…)  Read More →

A CDMA version of the oft-spotted Samsung Galaxy Tab has been found, which could point toward an eventual Verizon (or Sprint) 3G version of the tablet. Or not. Whatever, all I need to know is that the Tab runs Android 2.2. (more…)  Read More →