Sony scrambles to reverse losses, will split television business into three parts

. Sony announced on Monday that it will split its television business into three different branches in an effort to reverse a course that has the arm headed to its eighth consecutive annual loss. The three new branches include LCD TVs, next generation TVs and outsourced televisions, Reuters said on Monday, and the changes will go into effect on Tuesday, November 1st. “By dividing into three divisions, we will make clearer the misson and responsibilities of these,” a Sony spokesperson said.

Boy Genius Report, Sony scrambles to reverse losses, will split television business into three parts

Thanko releases a crappie Video projector for your beloved Jesus Phone

Thanko, unfortunately, nowadays rhyme with crappie made in China Gadgets, and today's offer is maybe one of the worse, or best example you could think of, behold Thanko's Pico projector module for iPhone4, the IPMIPR01. Announced at an atrociously expensive price of 15,800 Yen (Seriously?) the IPMIPR01 feature a weak 320×240 LED projector module alongside a 1W speaker for just 32g.







Akihabara News, Thanko releases a crappie Video projector for your beloved Jesus Phone

HTC Explorer Released By Clove UK

Clove UK has just announced the availability of the new HTC Explorer on their network. The handset can be yours for 192 GBP (about $308) unlocked. As a quick reminder, the HTC Explorer packs a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen display, a 600MHz Qualcomm processor, a 512MB RAM, a microSD card slot, a 3MP camera, Sense UI 3.5, HSDPA, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth and runs on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread OS.

TechFresh, HTC Explorer Released By Clove UK

7 Halloween Costumes With High-Tech Appeal

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Halloween isn't just for kids in knockoff Disney costumes. The holiday has become ground zero for geek-themed cosplay, and allows more DIY-oriented tech nerds to explore wardrobe hacking of the highest order. LEDs, iPads, green pigs and angry feathered fowl - they're all present and accounted for in this year's Halloween opus.

Here are a few of our favorite tech-themed costumes.








Gadget Lab, 7 Halloween Costumes With High-Tech Appeal

Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus SCH-i515 to come with no carrier branding?

Wile Verizon is still quiet regarding the launch date of its LTE-capable Samsung Galaxy Nexus, we've just discovered a press shot depicting the carrier's version of the world's first Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Nexus for Verizon (model number SCH-i515) looks just like the one seen when Google has officially announced the handset. What's of interest is that there's no Verizon logo on the front of the SCH-i515 and, according to Droid-life, neither on its back.

Unwired View, Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus SCH-i515 to come with no carrier branding?

Saab's Chinese buyers commit over $850M in long-term funding

Saab may have finally been saved last week when Chinese companies Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. agreed to buy the Swedish automaker, thus providing some much-needed short- and long-term financing. Pang Da and Youngman purchased Saab for 100 million euros ($142M USD) and they are offering up a €50 million ($70M) bridge loan. Most importantly, the Chinese companies have now pledged €600 million ($854M) in long-term funding.

Autoblog, Saab's Chinese buyers commit over $850M in long-term funding

Skull MP3 Player II makes for good Halloween decorations

If you're planning on holding a Halloween party in your house, why not keep to theme of things and pump scary music through the Skull MP3 Player II by Brando. For those who follow Brando's products, the Skull MP3 Player II is the successor to the Skull MP3 Player, which featured a more futuristic look with its light-up eyes and everything. The Skull MP3 Player II however looks more retro/vintage, and should look pretty good amongst the rest of your Halloween decorations.

Ubergizmo, Skull MP3 Player II makes for good Halloween decorations

FARO Focus 3D scanner captures big 3D models from a tiny Lego trolly (video)

Nothing catches our collective eye quite as easily as the combination of high technology and childhood toys. Making a play for our man-childhood inclinations today is a Lego-augmented FARO Focus 3D, purportedly the world's smallest 3D laser scanner yet still able to detect surroundings up to 120 metres away. It can grab a cloud of points, then offer up a detailed three-dimensional model of the environment, with some extra details (thanks to those Lego wheels) that would have been obscured on a static 3D capture.

Engadget

See also:
gadgeter, FARO Focus 3D scanner captures big 3D models from a tiny Lego trolly (video)

Sony to divide TV division into three-headed monster, looks to bounce back

Looking to make a rebound in the ailing TV business, Sony has announced that it will split its television division into three. According to Reuters, the company is looking to keep operations in check with separate departments for LCD TVs, outsourcing and next-gen TVs. The company is wasting no time, as the move will take place on November 1st. The announcement also comes in advance of Sony's quarterly earnings report this Wednesday which is predicted to be a quite a few eggs short of the full basket that was hoped for - due in part to its inability to compete against Vizio and Samsung.

Engadget, Sony to divide TV division into three-headed monster, looks to bounce back

Google TV 2.0 (Android 3.1) Reaching Sony Hardware Today

Somedays I feel like I am the only person in this world who loves Google TV. But not today. Today I can pretend everyone loves Google TV, and indeed everyone gets a second chance to fall in love. And second chances at falling in love don't come frequently. So take advantage. If only one thing could spoil news that the Google TV 2.0 update (otherwise known as Android 3.1 for Google TV) is already arriving for some lucky owners of GTV hardware, it would be that Logitech Revue owners like me will still have to wait a few more days.

Android Phone, Google TV 2.0 (Android 3.1) Reaching Sony Hardware Today

Gingerbread is coming to LG Optimus 2X, 3D and Black in November

LG Optimus 2X, Optimus 3D and Optimus Black are finally getting Android 2.3 Gingerbread this November. The schedule above applies for the European and carrier-independent Optimus models. The update schedule for other market and carrier-locked models will be announced later or you can ask your local service representatives.
The information comes via the official LG page on Facebook.

GSM Arena

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at2359, Gingerbread is coming to LG Optimus 2X, 3D and Black in November

Cablevision reports Q3 earnings, sees profit fall by 65 percent, drop in video subscribers

It's safe to say that Q3 2011 probably won't be remembered as Cablevision's finest. According to the provider's latest earnings report, profits declined by a full 65 percent over the year, with net income plunging to $39.3 million this quarter, compared with the $112.1 million it raked in during the third quarter of 2010. The company also reported a loss of 19,000 video subscribers during Q3, though it added 17,000 broadband customers and 38,000 telephone subscribers. Total customers, however, declined by 15,000 over the past three months.

Engadget, Cablevision reports Q3 earnings, sees profit fall by 65 percent, drop in video subscribers

HTC Rezound spotted in Verizon ad

The HTC Rezound has been leaked a bit over the past few months, and now it looks like the phone is about to make its official appearance. The HTC Rezound has been spotted on ads placed at Verizon stores. The phone looks just like it did in the previously leaked renders, though instead of the HTC Sense screen we usually see, we're treated to the face of Joe Jonas instead. As expected the phone should come with Beats headphones and the red soft keys are here to stay.
The HTC Rezound is expected to be announced this Thursday (November 3rd) at the HTC event.

Ubergizmo, HTC Rezound spotted in Verizon ad

Apple's lossless ALAC goes open source

Apple recently announced a bit of news that will set people in certain circles abuzz. The company's lossless audio codec, ALAC, is going open source. Similar to FLAC, the Apple Lossless Audio Codec offers some file compression while still delivering a bit-for-bit recreation of the original source material. The primary difference being that Apple devices and software do not support FLAC (at least without some tinkering) but can handle the Cupertino developed ALAC.

2DayBlog.com, Apple's lossless ALAC goes open source

A wild white Galaxy Note had appeared

A soupçon of extra news has trickled out from the Galaxy Note's bombastic launch event in London. Those looking for brighter color scheme to match the striking glow of its HD Super AMOLED display are in luck, as the Galaxy Note looks set to arrive in white; the ethereal ying to its companion's midnight blue yang. Sammy added that the Galaxy Note's S-Pen SDK will be available to third-party developers starting December, hopefully bringing more uses for that slide-out stick. And that's despite the latest Android OS offering native stylus support — the Galaxy Note remains a Gingerbread affair.

2DayBlog.com, A wild white Galaxy Note had appeared

Bill introduced to give low-volume vehicle manufacturers a break

Low volume vehicle manufacturers may soon find it easier to have their products approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Congressman John Campbell (R-Calif.) has introduced the "Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturer's Act," which aims to introduce a regulatory system specifically designed for companies that build fewer than 1,000 vehicles per year. Currently, it's difficult for boutique carmakers to shoulder the burden of safety and emissions evaluations tied to bringing a new vehicle to market.

Autoblog, Bill introduced to give low-volume vehicle manufacturers a break

Panasonic GX1 camera spotted in the wild

Interested in checking out Panasonic's upcoming GX1 camera. Well the folks over at Mobile01 (a Chinese tech site) recently got their hands on some photographs of the camera and have shared them with the world. Judging by the photographs, the camera does look pretty sweet, giving off a retro vibe yet is chockfull with today's technology i.e. fullHD video recording.
The GX1 is the pro version of Panasonic's GF line and is said to pack a 16-megapixel sensor, a new image processing engine, high ISO at 12800, a touchscreen display panel, an LVF2 external viewfinder with 1,440,000 dots and a Lumix GX 14-42mm kit lens.

Ubergizmo, Panasonic GX1 camera spotted in the wild

Apple iPhone 4S now available in 22 additional countries

. Apple's iPhone 4S made its debut in 22 additional countries on Friday. It is now available in: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Prior to Friday, the iPhone 4S was available in only seven countries and Apple sold a total of 4 million handsets in those markets during the device's debut weekend.

Boy Genius Report, Apple iPhone 4S now available in 22 additional countries

Chevy's plan to sell more cars in California? Be more like Disneyland

The Detroit News reports that Chevrolet may take a page out of the Disney playbook to improve the automaker's customer service and its appeal in the California market. Chevrolet dealers are headed to classes at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, to learn some of the magical secrets employed by the amusement park to make visitors feel that they've had a special experience.

Autoblog, Chevy's plan to sell more cars in California? Be more like Disneyland

Google Plus Adds Powerful Photo Edit Suite. Free

Google Plus has just added some pretty impressive editing tools. Photo Charlie Sorrel. Google Plus has added Instagram-like controls to its photo section.

Gadget Lab, Google Plus Adds Powerful Photo Edit Suite. Free

Kinect-controlled presentation system is useful

Normally when you present something with the aid of a projector, you can end up blocking words and diagrams if you don't position yourself carefully. Well, some folks in Japan have come up with a solution to the problem - with the help of the Kinect. A research group from Meiji University and AIST recently came up with a unique presentation system that makes use of Microsoft's motion controller.



Ubergizmo

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technoleap, Kinect-controlled presentation system is useful

LG Optimus 2X will not be getting Ice Cream Sandwich update

WIth Google's Android Ice Cream Sandwich expecting to make its public launch soon, many are asking if the update will be coming to their phones. Naturally some of the newer Android smartphones, like the Motorola Droid RAZR and Droid Bionic will be getting the update, but what about some of the older models. We know that the Nexus One will not be getting the update, with Google citing its old hardware as one of the main reasons, but it looks like the LG Optimus 2X will not be receiving the update as well.

Ubergizmo, LG Optimus 2X will not be getting Ice Cream Sandwich update

Samsung blows past Apple to take No. 1 smartphone spot in Q3

. Following Samsung's third-quarter earnings report on Friday morning, the South Korea-based electronics giant is now confirmed to have passed Apple to become the top smartphone vendor in the world by volume. Reports from last week suggested Samsung had bested Apple's stalled smartphone shipments during the September quarter to take the No. 1 spot, and now Samsung has confirmed that it surpassed the 17.1 million iPhones Apple shipped by a wide margin.

Boy Genius Report, Samsung blows past Apple to take No. 1 smartphone spot in Q3

Samsung confirms Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S2 and other devices

If you own a Samsung device and you're wondering whether it's going to get Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Samsung Italy has the answer for you. According to Italian tech blog, HDBlog.it, Samsung Italy has confirmed which devices will be getting the very pretty Ice Cream Sandwich update. Judging by the list that has been confirmed so far, things don't look too promising for owners of older Samsung Android phones. So which devices have been confirmed for now? Unsurprisingly we've got the Galaxy S2, and the Galaxy Note 5.3 on the top of the list.

Ubergizmo, Samsung confirms Ice Cream Sandwich for Galaxy S2 and other devices

Porsche-Designed BlackBerry Is a Sleek Slab of Steel

In the immortal words of Ashford and Simpson, the Porsche-designed Blackberry is h-h-h-h-hot. What would you get if you took a Motorola RAZR (the original), a BlackBerry and a mid-1980s Bang and Olufsen stereo, tossed them in a blender and poured the results to set in a shallow cake tin. You'd get the Porsche Design P'9981 Smartphone you see above.
Specs-wise, the phone doesn't do anything special. It simply checks the boxes required of a modern mobile telephone: 1.2GHz processor, 720p video camera, 8GB storage, 5MP stills camera and a microSD card slot for expansion.

Gadget Lab, Porsche-Designed BlackBerry Is a Sleek Slab of Steel

Crossbow Snow Launcher makes life easier

Snowball fights can be fun – but do you have a strong throwing arm to make sure you can last the distance. Good thing there is this thing known as gadgets that will help you out the next time your neighbor's kids challenge you to a snowball fight. Gain an unfair advantage with the $39.99 Crossbow Snow Launcher, where the name of the device itself says it all – you are able to shoot snowballs farther than you ever imagined, never mind that you're the shot putt world champion. Capable of shooting snowballs up to 60 feet away, you will still be fresh and raring to go after everyone else in the enemy camp is spent.

Ubergizmo, Crossbow Snow Launcher makes life easier

Samsung Focus S to have 1GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory?

Could it be true. Whispers are going around the grapevine that the Samsung Focus S will be pretty respectable in terms of internal memory right out of the box when it arrives Stateside – basically, it is rumored that the Focus S will run with 1GB of RAM underneath the hood, where that amount will be accompanied by 32GB of internal memory to boot. It seems that the 32GB model will be a different variant apart from the 16GB model that we already know is heading towards AT&T. Well, the more the merrier, and with a couple more choices for the Windows Phone camp, I don't think that Microsoft would be complaining – do you.

Ubergizmo, Samsung Focus S to have 1GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory?

Hisense and eyeSight to launch Android TVs with integrated gesture recognition technology

In an attempt to make a smart TV even smarter, the folks over at Hisense Group have teamed up with eyeSight Mobile Technologies to integrate its innovative Hand Gesture Recognition Technology into its upcoming Android smart TVs. Using gesture connected TVs, users will be able to perform various functions by using intuitive hand gestures thanks to the TV's inbuilt 2D camera. No longer will users have to worry about losing the remote control - just by waving their hands or making certain motions they'll be able to switch channels, adjust the volume and more.

Ubergizmo, Hisense and eyeSight to launch Android TVs with integrated gesture recognition technology

$35 Aakash Android Tablet Gets Handled On Camera

Amazon's Kindle Fire made big headlines not so much because of the features or specs it housed but more because of its lower-than-expected $200 price tag. If you thought that was cheap wait until you see the $35 Aakash Android tablet launching next month in India. The tablet was developed as a low-cost, government subsidized computing device for students. The boys over at VentureBeat were able to get some hands-on with the device and surprisingly, had mostly good things to say about the tab.


Android Phone, $35 Aakash Android Tablet Gets Handled On Camera

Spotty Software Updates Keep Android Users Stuck in the Past

We've known the Android platform was fractured for some time. Stop a handful of Android owners on the street, and odds are at least one of them will be running an out-of-date version of the OS. But we didn't know it was this bad.
Santa Barbara-area entrepreneur Michael DeGusta created a chart on Thursday detailing the frequency of OS updates across the myriad devices running the Android software. The results are ugly.

Out of the 18 released Android phones DeGusta surveyed, seven of them haven't ever run a current version of the Android operating system.



Gadget Lab, Spotty Software Updates Keep Android Users Stuck in the Past

EPA says Fisker Karma is a 2.5-ton subcompact

The Fisker Karma is 16.5 feet long and tips the scales at 5,300 pounds. Sounds more like a 1960s Lincoln than an extended-range green machine capable of 32 miles on electric power alone, doesn't it. Actually, if you ask the Environmental Protection Agency, the Karma is a lot more like a subcompact. That's because the Karma features interior volume of less than 100 cubic feet, and Auto Observer reminds us that the EPA classifies vehicles based on cabin volume. This odd determinant of vehicle size means that the Aston Martin Rapide, Ford Mustang and the Bentley Continental Convertible are all subcompacts.

Autoblog

See also:
gadgetsngadgets, EPA says Fisker Karma is a 2.5-ton subcompact

Pirelli teams up with Scott Campbell for tire tattoo art (video)

Pirelli teamed up with tattoo artist Scott Campbell for a special project at the tire manufacturer's newest flagship store in Milan, Italy. Campbell turned his skill with a needle and ink to tire sculpting. Using a gouge, the artist inscribed images of an eye, a heart and a skull into the tread of a Diablo Rosso II tire that was then fitted to a special-edition Ducati Diavel on display at the Corso Venezia store. Those same designs were also featured on a unique Dianese riding jacket alongside an image of St.



Autoblog, Pirelli teams up with Scott Campbell for tire tattoo art (video)

Grace One City e-motorbike review

There comes a time in nearly every person's life when they need to get up, get out the door and get to work. Some drive, some walk, some take one form of public transportation or another - but a noble few do something different. Those people ride their bikes, holding on to the passion gained in a childhood of racing around the neighborhood on Huffys and Schwinns, skinning knees or elbows when the latest attempt at a sweet jump turned a little sour. Sure, those people may say they're saving money or the environment by riding a bike into work, but we all know they do it for fun.










Engadget, Grace One City e-motorbike review