Technology

Every household needs a ladder, whether you use it every week or only a couple of times a year. The problem is that even the compact ones tend to take up a lot of space and look pretty ugly. Co&Co came up with an ingenious new design for this ubiquitous household tool.

The Corner Ladder looks and functions just like any other A-frame ladder when it’s fully unfolded. But when you need to store it, there is an extra step to folding it up that sets it apart from other ladders.

Each step folds up in the middle and then slots perfectly into the spaces in the ladder’s frame. Because the hinges in the steps only allow them to fold upward, the ladder is just as stable as any other of similar materials and weight.

The Corner Ladder would probably not be a great choice for someone who uses their ladder extensively – say, a handy person or a house painter. But for the majority of us who pull out a ladder only for occasional light household projects, the clever little folding tool could save a lot of valuable house space.

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There is a very good reason that geeks gravitate toward technology-based jobs: we like to play with stuff. Awesome Redditor Diabolikal49 works with industrial X-ray systems and, in the interest of entertaining the rest of us, X-rayed some video game controllers.

What happened then was nothing short of magical. The mundane plastic contraptions suddenly look like impressively complex feats of engineering.

Every interior component is suddenly made clear in stylish greyscale. Some of the most impressive pieces are the screws which hold the devices together. They appear to float in mid-air when the thin plastic shrouds of the case are removed.

The screws and cords are equally lovely. Some of the controllers manage to look like complex musical instruments, while others look like a jumble of electronic parts.

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Those elaborate upright emoticons that are so popular with the young folks might be a little baffling to some people. There is now an app that creates the fancy smilies for you based on facial recognition. Twikao is a combination of the words “tweet” and “kao,” which means “face” in Japanese.

You simply take a photograph of yourself with your phone’s camera and the app creates an emoticon based on the expression you are making in the picture. You can then tweet just the emoticon and a short message, or you can choose to attach the original photo as well.

The app is surprisingly accurate, mimicking the user’s expressions very closely. Above, a woman demonstrates just some of the thousands of expressions possible with Twikao. The free app is available now in the iTunes store.

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If you live in the UK and a 4G wireless tower is going up right next to your house, you might want to hold off on the excitement. LTE networks occupying the 800MHz spectrum could cause some serious interference (sound familiar?), capable of knocking out around two million households' free terrestrial TV channels. An independent company has been set up to lessen the effects of the wayward waves and is installing government-subsidized filters in residences across the country. But even its valiant efforts could leave up to 8,500 homes without Freeview, as non-traditional antenna setups aren't covered by the public fund. Meanwhile, eager Brits continue to patiently line up for some kind of semblance of a 4G network.

Forthcoming 4G networks could interfere with TV in 10 percent of UK homes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: Television, TV

Canadians sometimes can't catch a break: while NFC payments have been relatively common for Americans, Europeans and certainly the Japanese, Canucks have had to largely make do paying with ye olde credit carde. Rogers and national bank CIBC want to put an end to these antediluvian ways: starting later this year, CIBC card holders will just need to swipe an NFC-equipped BlackBerry like the Bold 9900 (Bold 9930 for CDMA-loving Americans) at a matching terminal to pay at a given store. The only special requirement is a secure SIM card that gives customers the freedom to change phones, even if it does create problems switching banks or carriers down the line. We're just hoping that Android and other platforms get the same treatment and let more of our Canadian friends pay for poutine that much faster.

Continue reading Rogers and CIBC make joint deal for NFC mobile payments in Canada, let you check out with your BlackBerry

Rogers and CIBC make joint deal for NFC mobile payments in Canada, let you check out with your BlackBerry originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 02:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There's been quite a bit of brouhaha over at xda-developers lately about changes HTC's made to the way multitasking behaves on the One X compared to stock Ice Cream Sandwich. We're not just talking about obvious UI tweaks here -- Sense 4's horizontal, card-like arrangement vs. Android 4.0's default vertical list -- but actual differences in memory and task management. While we're not running into any problems with our One X review unit, some users have noticed that background app are getting terminated too aggressively, so we reached out to HTC for comment. Here's what the company said:

HTC is aware of some questions in the enthusiast community about how the HTC One X handles multitasking and memory management for background apps. We value the community's input and are always looking for ways to enhance customers' experience with our devices. That said, multitasking is operating normally according to our custom memory management specifications which balance core ICS features with a consistent HTC Sense experience.

There you have it. HTC's definitely implemented some multitasking tweaks on handsets running Sense 4. Perhaps this is why battery life is so impressive on AT&T's One X? While we don't believe this is going to be an issue for most users, there's always the option of installing custom ROMs now that the phone's been rooted.

HTC confirms One X multitasking tweaks in Sense 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 02:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple looks to be stepping up the frequency of OS X Mountain Lion beta updates after initially keeping the pace slow and steady: it just posted a new, unceremoniously titled 12A206J build for developers. What the update fixes in the Developer Preview isn't clear, but there are still glitches with Fast User Switching, Java applets, sharing menus and Notes syncing with iTunes, among a handful of other showstoppers. There's also a major heads-up for those who own mid-2007 MacBook Pros, as they can't properly run Mountain Lion at all until another update. We wouldn't be surprised if there's another fix in store ahead of WWDC next month, and there's still all of the summer left for Apple to put the final polish on the OS and make its release target.

Apple slips out new OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion beta, leaves 2007 MacBook Pro in a momentary lurch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 01:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plastic Logic has something of a rollercoaster history, having had to drop the QUE proReader before it even shipped and getting a $700 million cash injection that ultimately swung its attention to Russian schoolchildren. Unfortunately, the UK company's dreams of a self-branded e-reader are closing down along with its US branch. About 40 jobs are being cut in Mountain View, California, along with a smaller amount at its still-active British, German and Russian offices. The reduced headcount swings the focus to supplying e-paper screens to other companies, several of which are currently in talks. We're never fans of job cuts, but there is a silver lining to this cloud: the company's new flexible color e-reader screen could show up in more devices than it would have otherwise.

Plastic Logic shutters US offices, gets out of making its own e-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 01:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google just launched its Knowledge Graph, a tool intended to deliver more accurate information by analyzing the way users search. Of course, with a desire to provide better search results comes a need for improved site-reading capabilties. JavaScript and AJAX have traditionally put a wrench in Google bots' journey through a webpage, but it looks like the search engine has developed some smarter specimens. While digging through Apache logs, a developer spotted evidence that bots now execute the JavaScript they encounter -- and rather than just mining for URLS, the crawlers seem to be mimicking how users click on objects to activate them. That means bots can dig deeper into the web, accessing databases and other content that wasn't previously indexable. Looks like Google is one step closer to success on its quest to know everything.

Google bots learning to read webpages like humans, one step closer to knowing everything originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 00:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gartner's latest dispatch reveals a wobbly global trade in mobile phones. Although our love of smartphones continued to blossom, with sales of that subcategory up nearly 45 percent, it wasn't enough to stave off a two percent overall decline compared to the same quarter in 2011. A total of 419.1 million handsets were sold, representing the first hiccup after nearly three years of growth and leading analysts to point fingers at a slow down in the Asia / Pacific region as well as a lack of product launches at the start of the year. Meanwhile, these figures also confirm what was already gleaned from IDC's shipments data: Samsung has knocked Nokia off its 14-year-old perch to become the padrone of the mobile phone market, with a cut of over 20 percent. It also replaced Apple as the number one smartphone vendor, claiming ownership of almost half of that segment. Damn, it feels good to be a pebble.

Gartner: mobile phone sales fell two percent last quarter, Samsung confirmed as numero uno originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 05:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: Sony

It's seldom the case that we get to look at world smartphone market share on a national level, but Kantar WorldPanel has given a rare peek that might give Windows Phone fans some good news to crow about. Even though things haven't always gone well for the Microsoft camp, Nokia phones like the Lumia 800 sparked a minor Renaissance in some countries in the three months leading up to mid-April: Windows Phone was up to between three and four percent in France, Italy, the UK and the US. The Metro interface must also be sehr gut for Germans, which nearly doubled Windows Phone's local share to six percent in that short space of time.

Kantar is eager to point out that it's still mostly a tale of Android and iOS successes, though. Google took extra ground in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US, while Apple was on a tear both on its native soil and in the UK. HTC's upbeat predictions may have played a significant part in Android's continued rise -- the One X cracked the British top 10 list despite having only been in shops for a few days. About the only underdog story not going well in early spring was RIM's, where the BlackBerry's share of the US was cut to a third of its year-ago glory at three percent.

Kantar: Windows Phone clawing back share thanks to Nokia, but Android still rules the roost originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in March, Mozilla outlined plans to further integrate web apps into Firefox to complement its upcoming Marketplace. And while the web store will launch with Windows and OS X compatibility, the browser has -- at least for the time being -- snubbed Linux. Given that Firefox is the default browser for most Linux distros, the community behind that OS is none too pleased. Though Mozilla execs have expressed their desire to add Linux support eventually, community contributors are already working on a patch to add compatibility for GNOME desktop. How's that for taking matters into your own hands?

Upcoming Mozilla Marketplace lacks Linux support; open-source fix in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you aren't already accustomed to Japan's regular deluge of device announcements, brace yourself: NTT DoCoMo just stepped forward with 17 new phones, as well as a mobile WiFi hotspot and a tablet. Throw a stone at the pile of hardware, and you're likely to strike something running Ice Cream Sandwich -- with the exception of the WiFi hotspot and a single handset designed for kids, every device on the list is running Android 4.0. Among the hodgepodge of handsets, DoCoMo is offering ten dual-core devices with screens ranging from 3.7 to 5-inches, a 10.1-inch 1.2Ghz dual-core slate, camera sensors of all sizes (from 8 megapixels to 13, that is) and a curious "Raku-Raku smartphone" that promises the "sensation of pressing actual keys" to smartphone newbies. The lineup's superstars, however, can all be found in DoCoMo's "NEXT" series of smartphones, bolstering the carrier's Xi LTE service with heavy hitters like the Galaxy S III, the Optimus Vu, Sony's Xperia GX and the Tegra 3 touting Arrows X. Hit the source links to check out the smartphone smorgasbord for yourself, or read on for our list of the never-before-seen ICS devices (they're all waterproof!) as well as DoCoMo's official press release.

Continue reading NTT DoCoMo launching 19 new devices this summer, brings Galaxy S III to Japan

NTT DoCoMo launching 19 new devices this summer, brings Galaxy S III to Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 01:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Details continue to emerge as we approach the IKEA Uppleva's June launch. GigaOM has discovered that the set will be available in sizes ranging from 24 to 46 inches and will be priced "around $960" -- with a scale relative to the display size, we presume. The TV will feature a built-in Blu-ray player and a wireless subwoofer, and is being assembled by TLC, a manufacturer in China. Uppleva is expected to roll out to France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden beginning next month, then to other European countries later in the year, followed by the US in 2013. There will also be a handful of applications that will vary based on region, including Dailymotion, Vimeo and YouTube, along with games, music playback and video-on-demand apps, and the Opera for TV web browser. There's a familiar sneak-peek vid awaiting you just past the break.

Continue reading IKEA Uppleva HDTV to retail for $960 in Europe beginning next month, US launch in 2013

IKEA Uppleva HDTV to retail for $960 in Europe beginning next month, US launch in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 00:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How much Olympics is too much Olympics? The BBC aims to find out at this year's London 2012 games, by offering up "the most comprehensive coverage ever," a list that includes 2,500 hours of coverage via the broadcaster's site and up to 24 live HD streams. Live coverage will be offered up for every sport and each sport, athlete, venue and country will have its own page on the site. The BBC will also be providing a free mobile app, a mobile browser site and apps for connected TVs -- 3D and Super Hi-Vision coverage is a bonus. Check out an explanatory video about the new video player after the break, as well as some scheduling information in the source link below. And maybe think about a training regiment to get ready to watch this summer's games.

Continue reading The BBC's coverage promises to make you sick of the Olympics by the time it's done

The BBC's coverage promises to make you sick of the Olympics by the time it's done originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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