Nokia N8's full spec sheet leaks, nothing shocking spied within

Just one day after finding a pretty thorough review of the Nokia N8 on a Russian website, the full spec sheet seems to be floating about as well -- also from a Russian source. Unwired View's published what it believes to be the full N8 spec sheet. So what do we find contained within? Well, no shockers, to be sure, but here's what we know: the phone will boast a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen OLED, a 680MHz CPU, 256MB of RAM, swappable microSD capacity up to 32GB, and a 12 megapixel cam. Now, there are also a few rumored features floating around, which include a DRM-free Ovi music store, and LAN IEEE802.11 b/g -- so we'll let you know for sure when we do if those features are going to hit reality

Just one day after finding a pretty thorough review of the Nokia N8 on a Russian website, the full spec sheet seems to be floating about as well -- also from a Russian source. Unwired View's published what it believes to be the full N8 spec sheet. So what do we find contained within? Well, no shockers, to be sure, but here's what we know: the phone will boast a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen OLED, a 680MHz CPU, 256MB of RAM, swappable microSD capacity up to 32GB, and a 12 megapixel cam. Now, there are also a few rumored features floating around, which include a DRM-free Ovi music store, and LAN IEEE802.11 b/g -- so we'll let you know for sure when we do if those features are going to hit reality

Just one day after finding a pretty thorough review of the Nokia N8 on a Russian website, the full spec sheet seems to be floating about as well -- also from a Russian source. Unwired View's published what it believes to be the full N8 spec sheet. So what do we find contained within? Well, no shockers, to be sure, but here's what we know: the phone will boast a 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen OLED, a 680MHz CPU, 256MB of RAM, swappable microSD capacity up to 32GB, and a 12 megapixel cam. Now, there are also a few rumored features floating around, which include a DRM-free Ovi music store, and LAN IEEE802.11 b/g -- so we'll let you know for sure when we do if those features are going to hit reality

Nokia N8 earns FCC seal with T-Mobile 3G on board

If you're a Symbian fan, a Nokia fan, or simply a lover of 12 megapixel cameraphone sensors, it's a great week to be alive what with the mighty N8's specs and Eldar Murtazin-penned mini-review all going live ahead of Nokia's official unveiling. But wait, the N8 fest isn't over quite yet: the AWS 3G version of the phone just garnered the FCC's blessings, turns out. How do we know this is the T-Mobile-ready N8, exactly? Well, the device is listed simply by its internal code, RM-596, throughout the paperwork -- but the shape of the FCC ID label (which is laser etched, as the filing points out) is exactly what we'd expect given the shots of the N8 we've seen so far, and it looks like it'll appear on the endcap of the phone with the camera hump visible just underneath. Given the leaked specs, we're expecting a version with T-Mobile support anyway, so we're nearly certain this is it. If Murtazin's take on Symbian^3 is any indication, there might not be much reason to get stoked about this thing -- but hey, at least the FCC is going to be totally cool with you blowing your cash on it.

Nokia N8 earns FCC seal with T-Mobile 3G on board

If you're a Symbian fan, a Nokia fan, or simply a lover of 12 megapixel cameraphone sensors, it's a great week to be alive what with the mighty N8's specs and Eldar Murtazin-penned mini-review all going live ahead of Nokia's official unveiling. But wait, the N8 fest isn't over quite yet: the AWS 3G version of the phone just garnered the FCC's blessings, turns out. How do we know this is the T-Mobile-ready N8, exactly? Well, the device is listed simply by its internal code, RM-596, throughout the paperwork -- but the shape of the FCC ID label (which is laser etched, as the filing points out) is exactly what we'd expect given the shots of the N8 we've seen so far, and it looks like it'll appear on the endcap of the phone with the camera hump visible just underneath. Given the leaked specs, we're expecting a version with T-Mobile support anyway, so we're nearly certain this is it. If Murtazin's take on Symbian^3 is any indication, there might not be much reason to get stoked about this thing -- but hey, at least the FCC is going to be totally cool with you blowing your cash on it.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: cow treadmills, electric cars, and the Milan Furniture Fair

It was a busy week in green design as the design world's most important trade show, the Milan Furniture Fair, wrapped up, and Earth Day hit with full force on Thursday, April 22nd. Inhabitat brought you the most incredible green designs from Milan -- from LED lamps made almost entirely from soap to Inigo Mauerer's stunning new stripped-down OLED chandelier to gigantic architectural LEGO bricks (with life-size lego furniture to match!)

We also caught wind of several curious new energy developments from across the pond -- first, the UK is hatching a plan to recycle human waste into fuel by piping biomethane from the sewage system back into homes in Oxfordshire. Meanwhile a farmer in Norther Ireland has created a treadmill for cows that he thinks could generate 6% of the world's power. More conventional alt energy sources are on the rise as well - this week researchers announced advances in dye solar cells that make strides towards grid parity and a gasification process that is capable of doubling biofuel production.

Several major auto manufacturers also got our engines racing this week as they unveiled the next generation of sleek electric rides. Toyota officially revealed plans for a minivan sequel to it's ever-popular Prius while Chevy charged ahead with the MPV5, a larger version of the Volt sedan that seats five and packs extra space in the trunk. And finally, if classic cars are more your style, don't miss this cloth-covered retrofit to a rusty old MG Midget.

Bacteria's back with portable Nintendo 64, complete how-to guide

The quest to build the perfect portable Nintendo 64 continues, but we imagine we'll stop seeing so many disparate designs soon. That's not because Bacteria's latest bulbous handheld has achieved perfection -- far from it -- but rather because he's provided a 2.5-hour, step-by-step video guide to help you build it from the ground up. And hey, the system isn't too shabby, either. The "iNto64" portable features integrated Controller, Rumble and Expansion Paks for complete N64 functionality, built-in speakers and a headphone jack, rechargeable batteries for up to three hours of play, even a video-out port if you get tired of staring at the ubiquitous 5-inch Sony PSone LCD. The only obvious oversight is controller ports for more inputs -- seems our buddy Bacteria wasn't a big fan of GoldenEye. See it play some of N64's other best games after the break, while we dust off our gamebit screwdriver. Obvious though it may seem, know what you're getting into before you do likewise; ripping up classic cart-based consoles isn't for the faint of heart.

Alienware M17x now shipping with dual 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 GPUs

Tossing a pair of GPUs into a single, beastly laptop ain't nothing new -- in fact, Alienware's own M17x has been offered in such a way since last year -- but having said machine arrive at your doorstep with a pair of ATI's world-beating Mobility Radeon HD 5870s has been downright impossible until now. The earliest of adopters are now reporting (with ear-to-ear grins, to boot) that their dual 1GB HD 5870-equipped M17x machines are finally shipping, and we suspect it'll only be a matter of time before those CrossFire assisted benchmarks surface to make our existing lappies look patently pathetic. So, hit that inbox once more and tell us if you've seen a shipping notification of your own -- and if you've already got your unit in hand, why not expound with a few opinions on how things are running?

Rumor: Intel to launch Atom N500 series in June, ASUS netbooks to follow

Details on this one are pretty light at the moment, but DigiTimes is reporting that Intel will be launching its Atom N500 series of dual-core processors this June. That word comes from the site's "sources from notebook players," who also say that Intel will be revealing more details on its third generation netbook platform at the same time. Unfortunately, that's about as specific as they're getting right now, but there are naturally some netbooks rumored to be launching alongside the new processors as well, with ASUS apparently already planning at least one N500-based netbook for the third quarter of this year that will sell for around $575. Of course, Intel itself isn't isn't saying any more on the matter than it did during its recent earnings call, but the timing of the rumor does line up suspiciously well with this year's Computex (June 1-5), which would be as good a place as any for a big netbook-related launch.

Virginia Tech researchers reveal full-sized CHARLI-L humanoid robot

Dr. Dennis Hong was kind enough to give us a glimpse the CHARLI robot on The Engadget Show this weekend -- or its leg, anyway -- but he and his students have just now finally revealed the full-sized bot that's been described as a "robot teenager." As we'd heard, CHARLI is actually a series of robots that initially consists of the 5-foot tall CHARLI-L (or lightweight, pictured above), and the forthcoming CHARLI-H (or heavy), both of which are completely autonomous, with a full range of movements and gestures thanks to a series of pulleys, springs, carbon fiber rods, and actuators (not to mention some slightly more mysterious AI). What's more, while CHARLI-L is currently restricted to walking on flat surfaces, CHARLI-H promises to be able to walk on the uneven ground around the Virginia Tech campus, and eventually even be able to "run, jump, kick, open doors, pick up objects, and do just about anything a real person can do." Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any video of CHARLI-L in action just yet, and it is still somewhat of a work in progress -- the researchers say it will be able to speak soon, and they're also busily working to improve its soccer skills in time for this year's RoboCup.

Tok Took Power Plug has a silly name, smart concept

The last concept we saw from designer Soon Mo Kang was a simple but innovative power strip that, with a light press, could automatically send your bulky AC adapters flying. Kang is back with another idea for plugging in and, while it's in much the same vein, it takes easy unplugging down to the individual level. The Tok Took Power Plug takes inspiration form a retractable pen: push in the back to extend the prongs, then push the back in again to retract them. This makes unplugging very easy (as demonstrated after the break), and also means you can toss it in a bag without gouging everything else in there. It's another simple but smart idea that, sadly, we're not expecting to see in the wild any time soon.

Five Ways to Speed up a Slow Computer

If your computer functions at a crawl rather than a sprint, it helps to understand the common culprits -- and the fixes. Here are five reasons your computer might not be up to speed:

1. Your computer is memory-starved. “Many times, you get a great deal on a computer that has a nice monitor, lots of feature and a decent-sized hard drive,’’ says Mark Smetana, owner of a CMIT Solutions computer support and service franchise in Hayward, Calif. “The way the manufacturers keep the cost down is by skimping on memory.”
   
   Random access memory (RAM) is where your computer stores frequently used files or active data. Programs increasingly require more speed and more space, and adding RAM can help your computer’s speed, says Tara Belzer, who owns Friendly Computers in Charlotte, N.C. Experts say you need a minimum of a gigabyte (GB) of RAM if you’re running Windows XP and 2GB if you run Windows Vista. While Apple recommends at least 512 megabytes (MB) of RAM for most Macs, users say that applications run better if you upgrade to 1 GB or more. If you multi-task or play a lot of games, consider “as much memory as the machine will hold or that you can afford,’’ says Smetana.
   
   Don’t know how much RAM your computer has? On a Windows machine, click on System Properties under Computer or My Computer on your operating system. To check RAM on a Mac, open the Apple menu by clicking on the apple in the upper left hand corner of your screen. Choose either About This Macintosh or About This Computer. Look for the total memory line. If the figure is listed in kilobytes (KB) you'll need to divide by 1,024 to arrive at the number of MBs. One GB is equal to 1,024 MBs; one MB is equal to 1,024 KBs. If you’re uncomfortable installing RAM yourself, a computer service company will add the memory for a nominal cost. Meister says you will pay about $39 plus the cost of the memory if you have the Geek Squad install, then test added RAM in a Best Buy store.

2. You need to defrag. Your computer’s hard drive is like a file cabinet, and over time, the contents of files become scattered across “different drawers” as you use them, says Glenn S. Phillips of Forte Online, a computer consulting business based in Pelham, Ala. You should perform defragmentation monthly. If you have Windows XP or an earlier system, open My Computer, right click on the C: drive, select Properties, then the Tools tab, then Defragment Now. You can defrag while you continue other tasks. If your computer runs Window Vista, it should be set to automatically defrag. However, sometimes systems come with the auto defrag turned off, cautions Meister, the Geek Squad double agent. If you go to your startup bar and simply search Disk Defragmenter, you can check.
   
   That said, it isn’t necessary to go defrag crazy, warns Meister. It can put wear and tear on your hard drive. And Mac users are lucky. Experts say you needn't defrag if you own a Mac because of the way the operating system works.

3. Your hard drive is too full. As a rule of thumb, you should keep at least 10 percent of your hard drive empty, say the experts. If you’re storing many photos and music on your hard drive, consider purchasing an external hard drive, say Belzer and Smetana. “This will free hard drive space so your computer can access the data you need on a regular basis more quickly,” Smetana says.

4. Your computer has been infected. Malicious software, or malware, is the top cause of slowdowns, Meister says. Tempted to download free software, to click on unfamiliar emails and to install free games? Realise you’re putting your computer and your personal data at risk. Criminals are looking for ways to access your computer -- and to harness your computer’s memory and operating power for their own criminal purposes. Make sure you run a reputable anti-virus/anti-spyware program, says Belzer, and make sure it is updated daily. Run a full system scan weekly.

5. Your computer is running too many programs at startup. Is waiting for your computer to start up akin to watching grass grow? Too often, we have a number of programs set to automatically start up with the system, says Meister. Here’s how to avoid it: First, when you download or install a program, don’t check the option for open at startup. Next, review your current software. Click on each program icon to see which ones are auto-starting. Only allow the frequently-used programs to start up automatically. Once you are finished, close them.

There’s no reason to sit back, enduring the mind-numbing, patience-robbing agony of a slow computer, say the experts. Almost always, the problems leading to a slow computer can be fixed by the user, says Smetana, of CMIT Solutions. A bit of regular maintenance on your part and some common-sense security practices will go a long way.

Creative debuts ZEN X-Fi Style, ZEN Style portable media players

Creative isn't exactly breaking the mold with these, but the company has just announced its new ZEN X-Fi Style and ZEN Style series of portable media players, which both keep things fairly simple and inexpensive. The ZEN X-Fi Style (pictured above) is the higher end of the two, with it packing a 2.4-inch non-touchscreen display, 8GB, 16GB or 32GB of storage, a built-in speaker, microphone and TV out, and the usual X-Fi sound enhancement -- not to mention support for "playback" of downloaded RSS feeds, but no other apparent internet capabilities. It's joined by the ZEN Style 100 and 300, which each pack a 1.8-inch display and 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of storage, along with an added speaker and FM radio on the ZEN Style 300 (pictured after the break). Look for the ZEN X-Fi Style to start shipping on April 14th at prices between $80 and $170, while the two ZEN Style players are available right now for between $50 and $80.

Apple announces WebKit2 with Chrome-like process splitting

Apple's big announcement of the day might have been iPhone OS 4, but another reveal that's gone slightly under the radar might actually turn out to be a bigger deal: WebKit2, which now runs browser elements as separate processes, much like Google Chrome. Actually, Apple's devs say it goes a little farther than Chrome, since the process model is built into the foundation so other non-Safari clients can use it. That's pretty wild stuff, considering how prevalent WebKit has become across the mobile space and the fact that Chrome itself uses the rendering engine. No word on when this will all go final, but hey -- it's all open source, and you can actually grab Mac and Windows binaries right now. Let us know how it goes, won't you?

Sony VAIO E series keyboard skins spotted in the wild

Sony's new VAIO E series laptops are already pretty colorful to begin with, but it looks like those still not satisfied with their options can also do a bit of accessorizing courtesy of Sony itself, which is offering a series of keyboard skins for the laptop. Similar to protective skins from the likes of zCover and others, these skins run $20 apiece, and are available in your choice of green, blue, purple, black or pink. What's more, according to the folks at Sony Insider, they supposedly improve the feel of the keyboard, and don't seem like they're prone to falling off after a bit of use. Hit up the link below for a taste of some of the other color combinations available.

Android and Arduino-packin' Cellbot features voice recognition, autonomy, and charm to spare

The Cellbots gang has been furiously productive as of late. Not even a month after their wooden "boxbot" was first spotted on You Tube the project has moved on from its humble beginnings of lumber and windshield wiper motors to a full-on a neon green acrylic Truckbot that uses a G1 and Arduino board combination for control. Sure, we've seen Android-powered robots before, but these guys have done some pretty cool things, and have no intention of stopping now. They've already implemented an ultrasonic range detector so the 'bot can override the operator and prevent itself from running off a cliff (although we'd like to suggest mounting one on the rear as well -- for obvious reasons), voice recognition, and the Android compass into the control system. If anything, the amount of progress makes this project very well worth keeping an eye on

APC adds LCD, zero-draw power outlets to new Back-UPS Pro models

A new uninterruptible power supply isn't exactly the sort of thing to garner a ton of attention, but APC's latest Back-UPS Pro models do pack a few more features than your average power supply, and may just have you considering trading up. They're still just as uninterruptible as ever, of course, but the BR1300G and BR1500G models add a snazzy new LCD that displays the estimated runtime and other critical information, as well as some new power-saving outlets that will automatically shut off power to any unused devices. Otherwise, you can expect runtimes of between 92 and 164 minutes (depending on what's connected, of course), six or ten power outlets, and APC's usual PowerChute software for some more enhanced power management. Still no firm word on a release date for these, but they should be available sometime in the second quarter for between $129.99 and $249.99

UC Berkeley researchers teach PR2 robot to fold towels

We've already seen Willow Garage's PR2 robot learn to roam offices in search of a power outlet, and it looks like some researchers at UC Berkeley have now helped it pull off its most impressive feat yet: folding towels. That may not sound like too hard a task, but it's actually proven to be quite a conundrum for robotic laundry researchers, since robots need to first pick up a towel from a pile and then somehow determine that this previously unseen shape is, in fact, a towel that can be folded. While it's still a long way from being the Roomba of laundry, the JR2 bot is now able to fold at the blistering speed of 25 minutes per towel, and the researchers are hopeful that the same computer vision-based approach can also be applied to a range of other tasks that have previously stumped robots.

Shibaura Institute of Technology shows off 'robo-skateboard'

Not satisfied with a simple electric skateboard? It seems like some researchers at Japan's Shibaura Institute of Technology weren't either, and have been busily working on this so-called "robo-skateboard" for the past little while. Like some DIY efforts we've seen, this one uses a Segway-like mechanism to let you ride it by simply pressing down on the front or back and turn by leaning left or right, although it apparently tops out at a mere six miles per hour. It also weighs a whopping 33 pounds, which explains the retractable luggage-like handle for carrying it around, and it's apparently been quite a significant investment for the institute -- considering that the researchers are hoping to get the price down to ¥100,000 (or just over $1,000) by 2013, which is when they hope to bring it to market.

Robot waiters serve food and dance moves in Thailand, secretly plotting humiliation revenge

The Far East just gets more surreal each day. For instance, how about a Japanese restaurant in Thailand served by robots? You can thank Lapassarad Thanaphant for her 30 million baht ($927,600) investment in the Bangkok-based Hajime restaurant and its four motorised servants from Japan. The brave souls who dare to enter can place orders on touchscreens, and in return watch a lanky humanoid deliver the dishes, followed by some slick dance moves if its not too busy serving others. Oh, don't worry, these samurais are tied to a track so they can barely reach you, plus you get to cook your own food in the style of Shabu-Shabu (Japanese hot pot) or BBQ, so enjoy your freedom before they take over your cooking as well.

Apple contemplates head-mounted iPhone display, America cringes

We're pretty sure this isn't an April Fool's joke, and we're pretty sure that it could be. Essentially an iPhone dock that sits on your face like a pair of glasses, "Head-Mounted Display Apparatus for Retaining a Portable Electronic Device with Display" details a headset that contains a stereo display and either a camera or a window for your phone's camera. Also included in the patent application is a microphone, speaker, batteries, and an accelerometer for detecting the user's head movements. Something like this would be great for augmented reality applications -- and something like this would make ever getting a date that much more difficult. We'll let you know if this one ever makes it past the drawing board, folks.

Radio Controlled EC280MG excavator is a big, bad Tonka come to life

We don't cover all that many radio controlled objects on this program because, well, there are just so many of them. But, every now and again we catch sight of a truly special one, something like this excavator from Modellismo Maximo that's been around for awhile but we thought you'd want to check it out regardless. It's an RC version of the Despe EC280MG, scaled down to 1:14.5 scale and weighing in at an impressive 31.5kg (about 70lbs). It has six axes of movement and is just perfect for loading up the back of your toy trucks -- and then hauling them away, as you can see in a series of videos after the break (each with worse music than the previous). How much to get in on this kind of fun? A mere €4,160 -- $5,630. Nobody said diggin' like this would be cheap.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: hypermiling, electric FedEx, and frog foam

This week Inhabitat explored the high-tech side of green building, showcasing Shigeru Ban's new design for the Pomidou-Metz art museum, and announcing the near-completion of the greenest skyscraper in the world. We also explored green building strategies ranging from super efficient LED lamps.

We also saw several signs that the next generation of efficient vehicles is right around the corner - this week Chevrolet rolled out its first production Volt while Nissan announced the final pricing of its Leaf EV - a remarkably affordable $25,280. Even the hard working vehicles at FedEx are getting some much-needed relief as the company rolls out its first round of electric delivery vans. And if you're concerned about green vehicles going the distance, look no further than this student-built supercar that's able to get 2,487 MPG.

This week biotech also blew our minds as researchers unveiled plant-based molecules that could create more efficient solar cells and a new type of photovoltaic frog foam that's capable of capturing carbon. Finally, sticks and stones may break bones, but scientists have figured out a way to grow new ones -- using liposuctioned human fat.

iPad apps: games that stand out

Now that we've had a couple days with the iPad, some apps are rising to the top and monopolizing our lounging time. We'll have some more roundups for you in just a little bit, but we thought we'd start off with one of the iPad's most natural talents: gaming. The large screen and hardy processor offer a wild in-between space, much more immersive and "stunning" than a PSP, DS, or iPhone game, but hardly on par with modern laptop or desktop graphics. We haven't leapfrogged any platforms here, it's just an evolution, but it's a pretty fun evolution, complete with multitouch gestures, accelerometer tilts, and cheesy soundtracks pumped out over the iPads surprisingly loud speaker. Of course, these games aren't cheap anymore -- most clock in at $9.99, often with the threat of "introductory pricing" -- so we thought we'd wade through the masses and pluck out some of our favorites as well as a few titles to be wary of. Follow along after the break.

N.O.V.A. ($9.99)

The quintessential Halo-esque shooter for the iPhone has received an "HD" upgrade, but probably could've used some more time in the oven. The jumbo-sized graphics look alright on the iPad, but it's certainly not the best 3D we've seen on the machine so far, and the textures are very low resolution -- almost like the game has just been directly scaled up for the iPad (like it has). The game runs pretty smoothly, and loads rapidly, but unfortunately the gameplay UI hasn't been scaled up well. In theory all the controls should be accessible with just your thumbs, but in reality you have to do a lot of moving your hands to reach the gun reload / swap control at the top of the screen, or to pull off the slightly gimmicky two finger grenade launch swipe. At least the oversized "analog" d-pad on the left is a pleasure to use. All in all, N.O.V.A. should be an iPhone + iPad app (that is, a free download for people who've already bought it for iPhone), not a $10 standalone product.

Mirror's Edge ($12.99)

EA has experimented with side-scrolling Mirror's Edge before in an excellent Flash incarnation, but for the iPad they really blew out the concept. With gorgeous full screen 3D graphics and a very intuitive swipe interface (you'll feel like an expert before you're even done with the tutorial levels), this is one of our favorite iPad games so far. It's a steep price, but with 14 multi-part levels to play through, it should keep you busy for a little while. Add in speed runs and some really excellent split-screen multiplayer and we'd say it's actually one of the few iPad games worth the price.

Touchgrind HD ($7.99)

We'll make this simple: we loved Touchgrind for the iPhone, despite its steep learning curve, and it's a blast to play on the iPad with all this screen real estate, but the addition of larger views (it's the same graphics with just a wider viewpoint) and split screen multiplayer hardly justifies the separate purchase or $3 premium over the iPad app. Or maybe we're just feeling cheap today.

We confess, we haven't played Real Racing on the iPhone, but we can attest to the fact that it's both real, and racing. Real Racing HD bumps up the graphics and doubles the price for the iPad. Of course, Real Racing was perhaps a bit of a steal at $5, with a very in-depth career mode, plus plenty of tracks and cars to choose from. We understand that developers have to make a living, and at least Real Racing really does have some truly stunning graphics, and controls beautifully on the iPad, but as an overall trend we're not sure we like spending double the price just for the extra pixels. We suppose the open market will settle this in time.

Scrabble ($9.99)

Check out our previous post on Scrabble for the full write-up, but here's the gist: this game is a blast to play on the iPad, particularly if you bring a couple of iPhones into the fold, but it's also a little rough around the edges right now, and we hope EA patches some of the foibles in short order. With all the expanded functionality, it's a little tougher to gripe about the price, but we're still not so into the idea of $9.99 being the new norm.

Flight Control HD ($4.99) - With some beautiful large-screen menus and great multiplayer implementation, Flight Control HD is pretty easy to recommend if you liked it for iPhone. Sure, you feel pretty dumb sharing an iPad with a friend or loved one, aiming airplanes into their territory, but we'd like to think of it as a good kind of dumb. We also played this in iPad vs. iPad mode, and while it was easy to set up and start games, a bit of the shared iPad magic was lost.

AirCoaster XL ($1.99) - A 3D roller coaster simulation that makes fantastic use of the iPad's large, multitouch panel, AirCoaster XL is great fun at a very reasonable $2 price. Graphically, the game's a little bland, with rough untextured models for both the cars and track, but it's functionally filled with fun ways to interact with the iPad, first in building insane rail systems in the game's responsive 3D engine with minimal effort, and then in taking those coasters for a dizzying first-person ride.

Minigore HD ($4.99) - We're big fans of the Robotron (or Smash TV) style games for the iPhone. We've been playing iDracula and Minigore for quite awhile, so imagine our delight when we spied Minigore HD for the iPad. Before we even downloaded the game, however, our Spidey-sense went off a little bit. The iPhone version is $.99, while the iPad iteration is $4.99 -- a pretty steep increase for the title. But hey, this is higher def, right? So we figured we'd take a gamble. To our shock and surprise, the game actually does seem like just a higher res version of the iPhone title -- not necessarily a bad thing, but not super awesome either, considering the price bump. Still, it's a wildly enjoyable title to play, and the graphics do look really great (in their highly stylized form). We did find our right hand (the shooting / aiming hand) getting a little lost and sliding towards the bezel once in awhile, but it wasn't hugely detrimental to gameplay. Overall it's a fun title, but if you've got the iPhone version you might want to see how playing it in 2x mode feels -- you may find discover that another $5 out of your pocket isn't required.

Asphalt 5 ($6.99) - Now we know everyone is making a stink about racing games on the iPad -- and Asphalt 5 proves that there's actually a good reason for this. This game is just amazingly fun, and the controls are surprisingly nuanced. The iPad really shows off its accelerometer prowess here, letting you bank tight turns and helping to keep things stable when you frantically tap the nitro button on straightaways. The game offers solo play and head-to-head racing, either locally over Bluetooth and WiFi, or you can game with someone online. If you're planning on challenging strangers, however, you've got to sign up for a Gameloft Live account. One minor drawback is that we couldn't get the overly-complicated music controls to play from our library -- hopefully that process will be streamlined with an update. Overall, it's not the most original or engaging game we've ever played, but it's well executed and thoughtfully designed. If you're a racing enthusiast (or just looking to show off what the iPad can do to friends), you probably won't regret the small investment.

Diner Dash Grilling Green ($4.99) - Diner Dash is part of a whole host of games developed for the iPhone which involve time management (like Sally's Salon and Suzie's Sushi House), and getting a bunch of tasks done quickly. In Diner Dash for the iPhone, you have to wait tables in a diner -- take orders, serve drinks, clean up dirty dishes and so on -- fast enough to satisfy your customers. Simple, stressful, and also pretty addictive. The iPad version of the game takes an already successful game and cranks it up a notch. These games aren't about amazing graphics -- and while the graphics are definitely better on the iPad game than they are on the iPhone -- they're still nothing to shout about. That's really beside the point, though -- the iPad version of the game (though we haven't progressed very far through it) is much better than the iPhone version. The size of the iPad and the gaming area means that you're less likely to make mistakes by moving things to the wrong location -- something that can be pretty annoying on the iPhone version. These games are fun because they're predictable -- they almost all work in exactly the same way -- and Diner Dash for iPad is no revolution. There are some additions, however -- like the option to help the cook (this time your Granny) move a little faster by chopping ingredients and stirring pots for her in a stress-filled "mini game." Regardless, if you're already addicted to this kind of game, the iPad version of Diner Dash is probably right up your alley.

Hiroshi Ishiguro's Geminoid-F humanoid mimics Earthlings, is definitely the beginning of the end

Hiroshi Ishiguro (or his evil android twin, one) is back in business, and nearly four years after his Geminoid HI-1 startled youngsters everywhere, the Geminoid-F has arrived to consternate the grown-ups. Shown off this weekend in Osaka, Japan, the lifelike lady you see above (pictured left, just in case you were wondering) was designed to mimic human facial expressions that are fed in to its internal computer. The rubberized face has a rather insane amount of flexibility, enabling it to pull off subtle gestures that have thus far been impossible to replicate on a robot. Sly grins, angry glares and totally-fake smiles are all possible now, with developers hoping to have these in hospitals and the like in the not-too-distant future. Currently, copies of the humanoid are expected to sell for around ¥10,000,000 ($105,780), though it'll likely be robotics research organizations doing the majority of the buying. Hop on past the break for a video that's guaranteed to leave you stunned -- and while we're not fluent in Japanese, we're pretty sure someone asks if they "can rock that bad Larry on their dome."

Optoma PK201 pico projector now shipping, PK301 up for pre-order

We're still holding out for the faraway 1080p pico projector, but for those who need a display in their pocket before 2023, Optoma's latest aren't half bad options. The PK201 and PK301, both of which made their debut at CES earlier in the year, now have product pages at Amazon, with the former being listed as in stock ($299.99) and shipping this very moment. The other guy is up for pre-order at $399.99, though you'll get an 854 x 480 resolution output with either. 'Course, you may want to hold out for the 301 and its 50 lumens of brightness if the 201's 20 lumens seem a little weak, but hey, the ball's in your court now, vaquero.

Nokia N900 overclocked to 1GHz in bid to outrun obsolescence

Given all the Cortex A8 processor clock tweaking going on we admit to being just a little surprised to be reading the first overclocking reports on the eminently hackable N900 only now. Nevertheless, owners are seeing significant speed improvements after updating their stock 600MHz QWERTY sliders with recompiled kernels (no CPU voltage hacks required). Although speeds in excess of 1GHz have been tested (1,050MHz still boots), it looks like 900MHz is the maximum stable clock speed you can expect before the doors rattle off -- but that's only after a weekend of testing. If things continue to go well then you'll see tweaked kernels of various clock speeds released for download soon enough -- something that should keep the device humming right through the commercial launch of MeeGo whether Nokia likes it or not.

Solar Pebble lamp doubles as a gadget charger, world changer

It might not change the world, but it won't be for lack of trying. Plus Minus Solar has designed what it's calling the LED Solar Pebble, a multifaceted device that requires just a pinch of sunlight (or maybe gobs of it, actually) in order to generate artificial light. And charge your arsenal of gizmos. It's engineered to be built at a low cost and used in developing nations, but unfortunately there's no confirmation on what exactly it'd charge. 'Course, it's just a concept as of now, so we're guessing a micro-USB and mini-USB socket could be tossed on by whatever manufacturer would be kind enough to get this to a production line. Right, prospective manufacturers?

Nokia Vasco viral video ready, N8 flagship too?

If you already believe the rumors that "Vasco" is the codename for Nokia's unannounced N8 flagship and that the N8 is the device pictured above then lean in, we've got a bit of news for you. A viral video for the "Nokia Vasco" has just wrapped according to cameraman Danny Gagatt's tweet above. That sets the expectation then, that the launch of what everyone expects to be Nokia's first Symbian^3 device is just around the corner. Plausible since Gagatt's slip (since removed) tips The Mill -- the same visual effects company used by Nokia for the N900 nuthouse job. Besides, it's almost mid-April so we expect things to get official right quick.

NASA's unmanned Global Hawk completes key test flight

It's not the miniature robotic space shuttle that NASA's planning to send into orbit this month, but another of the space agency's unmanned vehicles has edged closer to its beginning its mission, with the "nearly autonomous" Global Hawk aircraft having completed a key test flight bright and early on April 2nd. While the aircraft has flown before, this was the first flight for it after being loaded up with eleven different scientific instruments, which will be used to examine trace gases, aerosols, and dynamics of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. This flight will shortly be followed by another test run to ensure that everything checks out, after which it will begin its first long-duration mission sometime later this month.

Toshiba UX600 series: first HDTVs certified Windows 7 compatible

Here's something you don't see every day: a Windows 7 certified 55-inch TV. Toshiba's 120Hz UX600 series is just such a beast, the first on the market to receive official Microsoft certification thanks in part to DLNA support over Ethernet or WiFi. The logo's a nice touch that takes the guess work out of the purchase equation for the average consumer looking to stream media to the living room. Just don't let us catch any retailers slapping a "Compatible with Windows 7" sticker on the bezel ok; this ain't no Best Buy laptop.

Defective graphene sheets look poised to succeed silicon

As circuitry gets smaller and approaches the effective limitation of silicon's computing power, and Moore's Law begins to look like it has an expiration date, we get closer and closer to needing an alternative. Graphene is held to be the answer; sheets of carbon a single atom thick that could be stacked and composited to create processors. Two professors at the University of South Florida, Matthias Batzill and Ivan Oleynik, have found a new way to turn those sheets into circuits by creating nanoscale defects. These strips of broken atomic rings wind up having metallic properties, thus making them act like microscopic wires. IBM is already teasing us with the possibilities of graphene and now, with a more practical way to make graphene-based electronics, we'd say Moore's Law still has at least another couple decades left.

iPass? The best present and future alternatives to the Apple iPad

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad he was quick to shake his finger in the nose of the other devices out there attempting to fill the gap between cell phone and full-sized laptop, and in particular those market-dominating netbooks. In Apple's opinion, the iPad may be the gadget for surfing the web, watching movies, reading books and running apps, but it's surely not the only game in town. And if you aren't sold on the iPad, but happen to be someone who's looking to buy a secondary computing device to use while traveling or while simply lying on the couch, your choices at the moment come down to netbooks and... well, more netbooks. And that's not such a bad thing, especially if you need a feature Apple's tablet can't offer, like multitasking, a keyboard, or Flash support. So, before you get up on Saturday morning and run off to purchase that iPad, you may want to peruse the best current (as well as coming) alternatives we've rounded up after the break.

THE RIGHT NOW ALTERNATIVES

$499: either a 16GB, WiFi iPad or....

Toshiba Mini NB305 ($399)

It's quite hard to pick a single netbook for under $499, especially considering you could nab at least two of them for the price of an entry level iPad. However, the $399 10.1-inch Toshiba Mini NB305 continues to be our pick as the best all-around netbook. For $100 less than the entry-level iPad you get a device with 15 times the storage space, and a full fledged Windows 7 that lets you write an e-mail while simultaneously listening to Pandora and checking the weather. Oh, and did we mention the VGA webcam for making Skype calls?

$629: either a 16GB, WiFi + 3G iPad or...

Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t ($549)
Why choose between a tablet and a netbook? The $549 Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t and other netvertibles don't force you to. With a swivel-capacitive touchscreen the S10-3t morphs into a tablet with its very own NaturalTouch software interface, and with Kindle for PC loaded up you've got a color e-reader with 250GB of storage space. Yes, we were bothered by the viewing angles of the display and the tablet experience needs some love, but when it's in normal clamshell mode you can easily fire off e-mails without having to pick up a $70 peripheral keyboard. And Lenovo isn't the only one in the netvertible game – we have high hopes for ASUS's $499 Eee PC T101MT that will be available starting next week.

$829: either a 64GB, WiFi + 3G iPad or...

HP Mini 311 ($199 Verizon, $399 HP)

If you're spending $800, you should think about a higher end netbook, like an Ion-equipped Mini 311, or Intel ULV ultraportable. The 11.6-inch Mini 311's NVIDIA Ion GPU certainly has what it takes for mainstream gaming and full HD playback, and like the others it can handle multiple applications, play Hulu vids from your browser and store more than 64GB of your data. Like the iPad, you can opt for more than just WiFi with 3G from Verizon. We did the math and while it turns out to total $919 for the year with a $60 per month data plan, the 64GB iPad costs $1,189 over the same period of time.

THE FUTURE / VAPORWARE ALTERNATIVES

So netbooks may be the best alternatives around right now, but the tablets are a comin' -- or at least that's what we've been told by a number of major companies. Unfortunately, most of these aren't shipping or even priced -- and the most promising member of this group hasn't ever been officially announced. But if you're the type to hold out hope, each of these is bound to present an interesting alternative to the iPad if and when they arrive.

HP Slate

Truth is we don't know much about the much-hyped HP Slate, but we can firmly say it has USB connectivity, runs Windows 7 and supports Flash out of the box. The questions surround the software, and given the fact that Windows 7 wasn't created to be a slate OS, we're crossing our fingers that HP is coming up with something awesome to put on top of it. Regardless, the quite svelte looking 10-inch, multitouch tablet is rumored to be priced around $549, but it looks like we will be waiting until early this summer to swipe our fingers all over it.

Notion Ink Adam
Talk about baking in tons of cutting-edge technology into one device: the Notion Ink Adam has both the latest Tegra processor, and a 10-inch touchscreen made by PixelQi, which means you can turn the backlight on and off for saving battery life. No doubt we're intrigued with what we have seen from Notion Ink, but with no word yet on pricing or availability of this one and now rumors of Tegra 2 issues, we're skeptical of its real viability.

Fusion Garage JooJoo
When you set aside all of the Fusion Garage / TechCrunch hubbub, the $499 JooJoo is actually quite a compelling tablet. With a larger screen than the iPad, the 12-inch, Intel Atom / NVIDIA Ion powered tablet promises full Flash HD playback and has a pretty nice looking interface from what we've seen so far. We're worried about the battery life given our issues with Ion netbooks, but it shouldn't be too long before we've got our full review up.

Dell Mini 5
While the Dell Mini 5 is a bit smaller than most of these tablets and its five-inch form factor is closer to a phone than anything else it could just hit the sweet spot of portability. We've been impressed with what we've seen so far from the Snapdragon-powered Android device, and the prototype we've been toying around with is both snappy and responsive. However, as AT&T managed to totally ruin Android on the Dell Aero, we're more than nervous that all of that potential will be washed down the drain when it's finally announced.

Microsoft Courier
We figured we'd save the best for (almost) last -- and by best, we mean the product we're most intrigued by, yet know the least about. We can't even tell you if the Courier is a real product or just a collection of ideas mocked-up as an exercise, but the bits and pieces we've seen have us hoping Microsoft is hard at work on this dualscreen gadget. We've heard rumblings of a launch later this year, but honestly, for all we know, it could all be a Microsoft backed prank.

Chrome OS Tablets... and unicorns
We have no idea what Google's Chrome OS is actually going to be like, and we have even less information on if it'll make it onto tablets. But more than a few companies have hinted at such devices, and now that the iPad's 10-year run atop the rumor charts is over, we've got a feeling those whispers are just going to get louder. There's no doubt that waiting on some of these tablets could be on par with waiting on Petco to sell unicorns, but why do that when you've already got dozens of great choices -- yes, including the iPad -- that you can buy right now?