Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The end of last week's Switched On left doubt for the future of dedicated devices that tread on the turf of smartphones. After all, funding is key to every major new product initiative and, despite the vast fortunes of many Silicon Valley engineers that have been accumulated via IPOs and acquisitions, few wish to take on the risk of fronting a new consumer device themselves.(In 2007, the handheld FlipStart PC was hatched from FlipStart Labs, funded by Vulcan Ventures, the investment arm of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.)

Most venture capitalists abhor the device business; it is a rare device that makes it to the spotlight of startup debutante balls such as DEMO, TechCrunch Disrupt, or Launch. Even most of the 94 companies at CES' Eureka Park were not developing end-user devices Where, then, can a device entrepreneur go for funding and pick up some publicity in the process?

Continue reading Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters

Switched On: Big kicks, not all for starters originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cyanogenmod 9 struts its stuff on HTC's One X

So you've procured yourself HTC's new super slim, 4.7-inch halo phone: the One X. By now, you probably have the device set up just the way you like it: applications configured, widgets in place and Adele ringtone set. But there's just something else left to do, isn't there? If (like some of us) you're a smartphone user who just can't leave well enough alone, you'll be excited to learn that a build of Cyanogenmod 9 for the Uno Equis has been made available via the MoDaCo forums. The ROM will deliver that stock Android experience, and all those CM9 accoutrements, to those that don't fancy the panache of Sense 4.0. The forum post does caution that the One's camera, and hotspot functionality, aren't currently working, so interested parties best proceed with caution. If all that doesn't phase you, grab a cup of coffee, get the Android SDK all warmed up and take this ROM for a spin!

Cyanogenmod 9 struts its stuff on HTC's One X originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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President Obama hits the links and raises campaign cash with Bill Clinton (Washington Bureau)

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If You Don't Find This Video About Robot Wheelchairs For Babies Heartwarming, You Probably Don't Have a Soul [Video]

Being able to crawl and explore their world is an important part of a baby's development. But for children born with spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and other debilitating conditions, that's simply not possible without assistance—like from this fantastic robot wheelchair designed just for infants. More »

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Obama at the White House Correspondents' Dinner (Little green footballs)

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Star Castle finally finds a home on the Atari 2600, gets a redesigned cartridge

Halo may have made its way to the Atari 2600, but wouldn't porting a retro game to this '70s-era console be more appropriate? MAKE Magazine has the skinny on former Atari dev Scott Williamson's port of the Cinematronics shooter Star Castle. Though Atari execs decided the title was too complicated to bring over in the '80s, Williamson took it upon himself to make that transition possible. The result of some serious coding is 8K of ROM and 128 bytes of RAM's worth of good ol' space war. But he didn't stop there -- he redesigned the cartridge with a transparent casing and LEDs that flash during gameplay. Click through to the source link for the full step-by-step.

Star Castle finally finds a home on the Atari 2600, gets a redesigned cartridge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 03:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lenovo's Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600

Product delays that push back release dates a full year are never good. What's worse? When that product finally does launch and even someone inside the company votes against it. That's exactly what's going down with the CT510 GameBox, the Eedoo Kinect competitor for the Chinese market. Though it's gone through a fair share of reincarnations before arriving at its current config (it was formerly known as the eBox), the final package has a dual-core CPU, a minimum of 250GB in HDD storage and a 3D GPU, and comes pre-installed with eight games and ten apps. All told, it will cost a cool 3,799 yuan ($600) when it ships on April 29th -- some very ambitious pricing, considering that the imported Xbox with Kinect (the console isn't officially available in China) already sells for about $459 in China, according to M.I.C. Gadget. A director from the Lenovo-backed company seems to agree: in a Sina Weibo poll asking users whether they'd buy the product (pictured after the break), he selected the answer, "No way! Price-to-performance ratio too low." Though to be fair, the gentleman later clarified that it was an honest mistake, and that his company is targeting the high-end family users instead of the core gamers. Well, we shall let the sales figures do the talking.

Continue reading Lenovo's Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600

Lenovo's Eedoo CT510 motion gaming console to finally hit China, wants your $600 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Apr 2012 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Johnny Depp Splashes Out $50K On Son?s 10th Birthday Party

Johnny Depp Splashes Out $50K On Son’s 10th Birthday Party

Actor Johnny Depp spent $50,000 on his son Jack’s 10th birthday party. Jack Depp’s birthday party for 500 friends was held at SLS in Los [...]

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