The Doubleback fits a big RV into a small space

We're big fans of the Volkswagen bus, from the original Type 2 and its descendants, to the Vanagon that replaced it, and even the front-drive Eurovan. While VW hasn't sold one of these in the U.S. since it discontinued the Eurovan in 2003, the rest of the world has enjoyed the Transporter T5 for the past decade. The VWs are immensely popular camper vans in Europe (especially those with pop-top roofs), and the novel Doubleback conversion shown above takes the formula to another level.

Autoblog, The Doubleback fits a big RV into a small space

Gallery of high internet art curates for class, forgets to trololol

Care to take a walk down memory lane by way of the information superhighway. Good, because 21st century digital natives and Luddites alike could stand to benefit from some virtual navel-gazing. In what's essentially a 'look at how far we've come' exhibit, My Life Scoop, Intel's "connected lifestyle" site, has a collection of the more notable experiments that've sprung from our surprising interactions with the internet.

Engadget, Gallery of high internet art curates for class, forgets to trololol

UFO Waterproof Remote found floating in the company of the rich and famous

Dreams are nice. Yachts are better. So while you cling to far-flung notions that you'll ever truly know what 'money to burn' means, the Barry Dillers of our world are crisscrossing international waters, drenching models with diamonds and dropping their universal controllers in the hot tub with abandon. Rescuing these rapscallion, modern-day robber barons from the pitfalls of excess is Crestron, with its UFO Waterproof Remote made specifically for H2O hanky panky.

Engadget

See also:
hitech, UFO Waterproof Remote found floating in the company of the rich and famous

GMC debuts 2012 Yukon and Sierra Heritage Editions

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the GMC brand – something that first appeared at the 1912 New York Auto Show with models like a five-ton dumptruck. It will be the smaller passenger vehicles that do the celebrating, though, with Heritage editions of the Yukon, Yukon XL and Sierra 1500 Crew Cab being unveiled next week. The special edition tweaks are purely cosmetic, with exterior hues on offer such as Heritage Blue (pictured), White Diamond and Onyx Black paired with interiors in Ebony or Light Tan.


Autoblog

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maximum, GMC debuts 2012 Yukon and Sierra Heritage Editions

Flutter app brings Kinect-like gesture controls to iTunes, Spotify [video]

. Microsoft's wildly popular Kinect controller for the Xbox 360 brought motion-based controls to the masses when it launched in late 2010. While similar technology will be built into a variety of consumer electronics moving forward - especially HDTVs - Mac users now have access to a free app that will add gesture controls to their current OS X computers.



Boy Genius Report, Flutter app brings Kinect-like gesture controls to iTunes, Spotify [video]

Amazon Appstore apps earn three times more than Google Play apps; Apple still No. 1

. Earlier this month, Apple crossed a record 25 billion downloads from more than 550,000 available apps, while Google in December surpassed 10 billion downloads from 400,000 available apps. Analytics firm Flurry on Friday announced the results of a new study that examined various mobile app markets, and interestingly enough, the study found that apps in Amazon's competing Android Appstore earns three times more revenue than those within Google's own marketplace. Apple's App Store took in the most revenue, with the Amazon Appstore earning 89% of the revenue Apple did and Google's Play marketplace making just 23%.

Boy Genius Report, Amazon Appstore apps earn three times more than Google Play apps; Apple still No. 1

Bing Video receives improvements

Good news for folks who use Bing Video to source for their online videos. Microsoft announced that it has rolled out and will be rolling out new features to improve the online video service. Available in all countries that currently support Bing Video, the improvements will make it easier to scan, explore and discover videos. Firstly, we'll get larger and more informative previews in the results page. You no longer have to click on a video to find out what it's all about - the comprehensive previews should help you find what you need with a glance.

Secondly, the video search results page now features infinite scroll.

Ubergizmo, Bing Video receives improvements

Samsung ChatON heads for BlackBerry platform

Samsung's cross-platform messaging service known as ChatON has been made available to those who use a BlackBerry, although it must be said that ChatON functions only on the BlackBerry Torch 9800 at the moment. Good news though – support for additional BlackBerry devices will be happening soon, where you will be able to download them from the following link. Basically, what does ChatON for the BlackBerry deliver.

Ubergizmo, Samsung ChatON heads for BlackBerry platform

iRiver B100 wants you to 'touch the supreme sound', pedants grumble

It's been some time since we heard much from iRiver but the PMP maker is keeping busy with the snow-white B100. This capacitive touchscreen media player will offer up to 36 hours of music playback, or eight and a half hours of video watching. The 3.1-inch TFT screen has a resolution of 320 x 480, but it's backed up by a (relatively) long list of media codecs, including OGG, WAV, APE and ASF compatibility. If you're sick of limited playback options, you might want to consider downscaling those screen-size desires for improved format freedom.

Engadget, iRiver B100 wants you to 'touch the supreme sound', pedants grumble

TurboTax Giving Free State and Federal Filing on Android App; This Weekend Only, Tablet Owners Only

TurboTax for Android is out, if you haven't heard, and they're trying to promote it by offering a sweet offer to those filing this year's taxes. You can file both your state and federal taxes completely free if you use the TurboTax app to do it this weekend. The obligatory caveat. Sure – you have to have an Android 3.2+ tablet or an Amazon Kindle Fire. Handset-only owners are out of luck here. Another option for those who are alienated is to ask a friend to use their tablet to file your taxes this weekend. They might even appreciate the tip if they haven't filed their taxes yet.

Android Phone, TurboTax Giving Free State and Federal Filing on Android App; This Weekend Only, Tablet Owners Only

Snag a Copy of “An Idiots Guide to Photoshop: Part 3 – Pro Tips”

An Idiots Guide to Photoshop: Part 3 – Pro Tips [affiliate link] is a 36 page guide that offers Photoshop tips and tricks. It goes over how to create your own YouTube banner and basic techniques for photo retouching.

The Gadgeteer, Snag a Copy of “An Idiots Guide to Photoshop: Part 3 â€" Pro Tips”

Google Chrome 18 has its fair share of fixes

Google has just rolled out their latest version of the Chrome Web browser, bumping up the version number to 18. Of course, since this is the latest version of the extremely popular Web browser, you can be sure that there will be plenty of fixes introduced to the final release, giving you an extremely pleasant user experience. It seems that up to 9 security glitches were fixed and included in the updated Adobe Flash Player, delivering the capability for the software to update itself automatically. “Silent updates“, we call those.

Ubergizmo, Google Chrome 18 has its fair share of fixes

$35 Raspberry Pi Linux PC delayed once again

. Development of the Raspberry Pi single-board Linux computer has been rocky thus far. After a high demand once pre-sales were made available, the $35 computer has been plagued with manufacturing hiccups and more recently, two of its U.K. retail partners have refused to distribute the device without proper CE marking - a certification that ensures the manufacturer has complied with European regulations. The Raspberry Pi team did not seek approval because it believed the single-board computer was not a “finished end product” and did not require the certification.  The company said that the first 2,000 boards arrived in the U.K.

Boy Genius Report

See also:
gadgeter, $35 Raspberry Pi Linux PC delayed once again

DICE+ digital chance cubes rolling out at E3

As far as random number generators go, the traditional die is about as low tech as it gets. Or at least, it was. Gaming startup GIC has taken it upon itself to update the old chance cube by outfitting it with LED backlights, anti-cheat roll detection and Bluetooth connectivity. DICE+, as the shakers of tomorrow are called, will sell for between $30 and $40 when they launch later this year. Although the digital dice promise compatibility with iOS, Android, Symbian, Linux and Windows, GIC has yet to announce what platforms will be available at launch.

Engadget

See also:
technologypulse, DICE+ digital chance cubes rolling out at E3

Google Drive spotted in a screenshot

We've heard rumors of Google Drive launching early next month, and now it looks like we've got some visual confirmation of the service. The folks over at Talkandroid.com managed to get their hands on some alleged screenshots of the rumored upcoming cloud storage service from Google. From the latest screenshot, it looks like Google Drive will have an app for your desktop, mobile device and tablet as well. And contrary to previous reports, it looks like Google Drive will come with 5GB of storage free from the get go. Other than that, it seems to suggest that it works like Dropbox - store once, update everywhere etc.

Ubergizmo

See also:
digitalhouse, Google Drive spotted in a screenshot

Journey is fastest selling title on PSN

Records are meant to be made, and broken, and Journey has done just that in terms of being the fastest selling title on the PlayStation Store. Basically, it has surpassed the slew of first as well as as third party titles to date, although this is confined to the SCEA region on the PlayStation Network. The title before Journey was known as Flower, where it was released back in 2009, and the developers have received plenty of fan mail across time concerning their experience about the game.

Ubergizmo, Journey is fastest selling title on PSN

FTC shuts down auto warranty robocaller

If you have a phone, you've probably been offered a (last, final, only, etc.) chance to extend your car's warranty. Hopefully you realized an anonymous caller from an unknown number had no idea what kind of car you drive much less when your warranty expired and promptly ended the call. Way back in 2008, several state attorneys general teamed up to hang up on the auto warranty scammers, and the next year a federal judge ordered two companies to cease the annoying, probably illegal calls.
Finally, yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission slammed the hammer down on LA-based SBN Peripherals (aka Asia Pacific Telecom, Inc.).

Autoblog, FTC shuts down auto warranty robocaller

Sony applies for a headset-based navigation pointer, knows you're not looking

If you're finding that the digital compass on your phone keeps leading you down the wrong path, then this patent application from Sony might get you back on track. The claims entail a wireless communication device (aka phone) configured to communicate with a headset. The novelty being, that using orientation information from the headset, the wireless device would determine which direction the user is looking. Based on this information (and your GPS coordinates), the device would then be able to "predict a destination location for the user." Is this hinting at a new navigation system / accessory, or some neat little tool for geocachers.

Engadget, Sony applies for a headset-based navigation pointer, knows you're not looking

LG Lucid now available at Verizon for $79

Verizon's LG Lucid 4G is now available for purchase. The LTE smartphone features a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4-inch IPS display, and 5MP camera. The The Lucid also carries 1GB of RAM and 8GB of on-board storage. Android 2.3 is the operating system of choice. We have no word on a potential Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade.

Android Phone

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techblog, LG Lucid now available at Verizon for $79

Vodafone UK pushing Ice Cream Sandwich update to HTC Sensation

The HTC Sensation is getting more Ice Cream Sandwich love. With the update to Android 4.0 already live in some regions, the UK’s Vodafone has completed testing of the update, which should now be pushing to all devices. The rollout will be staggered, so users may be waiting a minute before seeing the new software pulled to their handset. Vodafone suggests the “Settings > About Phone > Software Update > Check now” trick for the impatient.
I guess we can now say that the move to Ice Cream Sandwich has begun in earnest.

Android Phone, Vodafone UK pushing Ice Cream Sandwich update to HTC Sensation

Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 the star of Forza 4's April Alpinestars Pack

Sure, you can enjoy the Aston Martin LMP1 race car, a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and the deviously capable Jaguar XKR-S in the new April Alpinestars Pack for Forza Motorsport 4. But a little further down the list of ten cars are some delightful sleepers: the 1972 Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 that would inaugurate AMG's tuning and motorsports credentials (our personal favorite), the 1995 BMW M5 that cemented that model's reputation, and the 1997 Volvo 850 R that was still glowing from the wagon's racing campaign in the British Touring Car Championship.



Autoblog, Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 the star of Forza 4's April Alpinestars Pack

Half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product

. Apple's stock recently crossed the $600 mark and there are no signs that the world's most valuable company is slowing down. According to a poll from CNBC, half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product and residents of one-in-10 homes that lack Apple products plan to buy their first Apple device over the next year. If accurate, the survey indicates that more than 55 million homes have at least one iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac computer. Overall, the average household has 1.6 Apple devices and almost one-quarter are planning to buy at least one more in the next year.

Boy Genius Report, Half of all U.S. households own at least one Apple product

Oracle rejects Google's offer to settle

If you have been following the legal battles waged between the giants in the tech industry, you might recall that sometime back in 2010 Oracle sued Google over the Android platform claiming that Google infringed upon their intellectual property covering the Java programming language, and for copyright infringement as well.

Ubergizmo, Oracle rejects Google's offer to settle

Telenav opens up Scout for Apps, the HTML5 GPS navigation service, to all interested devs

At the end of last year, Telenav revealed its browser-based HTML5 turn-by-turn navigation system and made it available to a select few devs to put it to good use. Now, the company has created Scout for Apps and made the service available to all developers who want it, assuming they're coding iOS or HTML5 applications (Android support is in the works, and is slated to arrive later this year). That means that apps and websites can now incorporate turn-by-turn navigation directly, as opposed to launching a separate application to get you where you want to go.

2DayBlog.com, Telenav opens up Scout for Apps, the HTML5 GPS navigation service, to all interested devs

Google Maps for Android gets bumped to 6.5, new navigation view and higher resolution map tiles in tow

Google's has never been shy at continually iterating on its wares, and today it's Maps on Android's turn. Headlining the 6.5 release is the above ICS-only revamp of the Navigation home screen, which we're told makes selecting previous and recent destinations a cinch. Additionally, there's also support for crisper map tiles (if your device is rocking a higher resolution screen) in addition to new options for mass transit directions which can prioritize routes with fewer transfers or less walking.

2DayBlog.com, Google Maps for Android gets bumped to 6.5, new navigation view and higher resolution map tiles in tow

Adobe releases Flash Player 11.2, AIR 3.2, still very much into gaming

Adobe has already hinted at its plans for Flash Player 11.2, but today, those plans finally became official. The company formally announced both 11.2 and AIR 3.2 this morning, reaffirming its commitment to browser-based gaming. With 11.2, Adobe is bringing support for mouse-lock, right and middle click events, and multi-threaded video decoding. The software also supports 2D and 3D graphics at speeds of up to 60 frames per second, and, when running on Windows machines, will automatically update itself in the background.

2DayBlog.com, Adobe releases Flash Player 11.2, AIR 3.2, still very much into gaming

Kinect for Windows version 1.5 to be released in May

Seems like it was only yesterday that Microsoft took the wraps off version 1.0 of Kinect for Windows, putting the power of voice and gesture controls in the hands of the hoi polloi. Now, the gang in Redmond has said that version 1.5 will be coming in May, and will bring 10-joint skeletal tracking to let the sensor bar work while users are seated. The update also includes Kinect Studio, an app that allows devs to record, play and debug clips of users to fine tune their applications.

2DayBlog.com, Kinect for Windows version 1.5 to be released in May

T-Mobile MyTouch (Huawei Ascend G312 QWERTY) caught on video

Last week an image of T-Mobile's upcoming MyTouch phone was spotted in some photographs, and today the folks over at Engadget have managed to get their hands on the real deal. According to their report, they were over at Huawei's headquarters in Shenzhen and were given the chance to play around with the Ascend G312 QWERTY - the slide-out QWERTY variant of the upcoming MyTouch phone. Judging by the phone they seem pretty pleased with it, so T-Mobile customers should have something to look forward to in the future.

Ubergizmo, T-Mobile MyTouch (Huawei Ascend G312 QWERTY) caught on video

Next PlayStation code-named Orbis, reportedly won't play PS3 or used games

. The next generation PlayStation has reportedly been code-named “Orbis,” and it will feature an anti-used game system and offer no backward compatibility with PlayStation 3 games, Kotaku reported on Wednesday. According to multiple unnamed sources, Orbis will have some kind of measure built into the console that will prevent it from playing used games. Users will be able to buy new games for the system on Blu-ray disc or as a PlayStation Network download, and if a user chooses to buy a disc, it will supposedly be locked to a single PSN account.

Boy Genius Report, Next PlayStation code-named Orbis, reportedly won't play PS3 or used games

Cadillac adding vibrating Safety Seat Alert to full suite of safety tech (video)

It's going to be a big year for Cadillac, which will soon be reloading its model lineup with the new ATS and XTS sedans. The 2013 ATS compact slots in above the CTS, while the larger 2013 XTS aims to take care of traditional Caddy buyers looking for immensity above all else. While at diametrical ends of the spectrum, the two new models will share a technology package that all revolves around a new seat. General Motors is throwing around fifty-cent words like "haptic" and phrases like "directional tactile sensation" to describe its new Safety Alert Seat, which vibrates to warn the driver of potential dangers like wandering out of one's lane.


Autoblog, Cadillac adding vibrating Safety Seat Alert to full suite of safety tech (video)

Samsung Galaxy Note: 5 million shipped

To all the naysayers who thought the Galaxy Note wasn't going to be a hit, it looks like you were wrong. According to the latest figures released from Samsung, they've shipped over 5 million units of the Android phone since its launch last October. A 3 million increase over its previous milestone reported only earlier this month. Now we know that the number of units shipped doesn't equate to the number of units in the hands of consumers worldwide but it's got to be a pretty significant number for Samsung to ship out as many as they did (even elephants seem to love the Note!).

Ubergizmo, Samsung Galaxy Note: 5 million shipped

The ‘phablet' is a hit: Samsung Galaxy Note sales top 5 million

. BGR reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Note in February and while there were a number of features we liked about this phone/tablet hybrid, we found it to be entirely too large overall to be used as a cell phone. Toward the end of February, Samsung confirmed that it had sold more than 2 million Galaxy Note phablets worldwide and now, about one month later, Samsung says sales of the supersized Android phone have reached 5 million units. The Galaxy Note features a dual-core 1.4GHz Exynos processor, 32GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel camera, Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a massive 5.2-inch WXGA Super AMOLED display.

Boy Genius Report, The ‘phablet' is a hit: Samsung Galaxy Note sales top 5 million

Apple offers refund over Australian 4G iPad confusion

Confused over Apple's liberal use of the 4G moniker. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission reckons you have a point and took those concerns to Apple Australia. The company has now responded to the country's federal court, offering to contact - by email - everyone who bought the retina-screened slab and promise a refund if they felt misled over its connectivity capabilities. Apple will also amend its point of sale details to explain that while it can connect to 4G (LTE) networks in the US and Canada, it won't connect to Australia's own next-generation network offered by Telstra.

Engadget, Apple offers refund over Australian 4G iPad confusion

Motorola XOOM WiFi Receiving Android 4.0.4 Update – IMM76 Brings New Tweaks and Fixes

After a mysterious “soak test” was opened up to a select few Motorola Xoom WiFi owners, we were left scratching our heads on what Motorola could have planned. Well, an email to Droid-Life this evening has detailed exactly what to expect from this test, as build number IMM76 begins its official rollout any day now. The Android 4.0.4 update is said to include quicker screen rotation (seriously, that's a huge Android pet peeve of mine), new screen lock setting, camera improvements and the usual bug fixes.

Android Phone, Motorola XOOM WiFi Receiving Android 4.0.4 Update â€" IMM76 Brings New Tweaks and Fixes

Verizon Unveils LG Lucid Pricing And Availability

Verizon Wireless has recently unveiled the pricing and availability of the LG Lucid. For your info, the new Android smartphone comes jam packed with a 4-inch (800 x 480) display, a 1.2GHz dual core processor, a 1GB of RAM, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera that can record full HD video in 1080p, a VGA front-facing camera for video calls, the Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, Bluetooth and WiFi. Verizon will release the LG Lucid on March 29th, 2012 for $79.99.

TechFresh, Verizon Unveils LG Lucid Pricing And Availability

Avid Studio for iPad App Review

Avid Studio for iPad. Version: 1.0.1. Size: 30.5 MB. I enjoy using iMovie on my iMac and Macbook Air to make short video clips for my reviews or just for the heck of it. I've tried the mobile version of iMovie on my iPad and iPhone but didn't find it to be anywhere close to the desktop version as far as functionality and ease of use.










The Gadgeteer, Avid Studio for iPad App Review

ASUS beats Hasbro's Transformer Prime lawsuit

Late last year we reported that Hasbro was suing ASUS over using the name “Transformer Prime” (btw our giveaway ends tomorrow, be sure to enter if you haven't already!) for its Android tablet. Well, it looks like Hasbro's case against the electronics manufacturer has been thrown out the window. According to the judge's ruling, ASUS didn't do anything wrong by naming its tablet the Transformer since it was capable of transforming (with the addition of the keyboard dock). In addition, the judge refused to believe that anybody would confuse ASUS' tablet with being a Hasbro product.

Ubergizmo, ASUS beats Hasbro's Transformer Prime lawsuit

X-Gaming USB Joystick: a two-player arcade controller for your PC

If you miss the days of going head to head against your friends at the arcade back when you were younger and wish you could recreate those memories, the X-Gaming USB Joystick might be for you. This heavy duty joystick plugs into your computer via its USB port and features two direction sticks and 16 programmable buttons for old school mayhem on your favorite video game emulators. Its dimensions measure about 17″ x 10″ and it weighs 8lbs so you shouldn't have any problems accidentally knocking it off your table or bumping into your opponent when pulling off those crazy combos.

Ubergizmo, X-Gaming USB Joystick: a two-player arcade controller for your PC

Sprint Offers HTC EVO 3D For Free

Here's another hot deal from Sprint, they are offering you the HTC EVO 3D for free with a new 2-year contract agreement. Just to remind you, the handset packs a 4.3-inch 540 x 960 3D capacitive touchscreen display, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 1GB RAM, a 4GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 5MP camera capable of capturing 3D pictures and videos, 1080p Full HD video recording in 2D, 4G WiMax, 3G, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, a 1730mAh battery and runs on Android 2.3 OS. Interested.

TechFresh, Sprint Offers HTC EVO 3D For Free