Dell Adamo ultrathin laptop rumors surface

by Joshua Topolsky,
According to the New York Times, Dell may have a little surprise on the way. Based on some wild trademark searches, a tiny bit of digging on the "internet" using a "search engine," and the lack of eye contact from the company's VP in charge of consumer sales (Michael Tatelman), there's a MacBook Air rival beneath all this subterfuge. It seems that the brand name "Adamo" is registered to the computer-maker with a site to match, and somehow the fashion blog (!?) Uptownlife.net came up with this gem: "Rumor has it that Dell is coming out with a computer called Adamo that will rival the MacBook Air." How they came up with that is anyone's guess, but apparently the look on Tatelman's face when asked about it was enough to convince at least one journalist that this is a done deal. Us? Well we're going to wait and see, but we're happy to work with Commander Adamo as soon as we see him.

engadget.com

Android-powered Huawei handsets on track for Q3 2009 release (in Australia)

by Darren Murph,

We had already heard it through the grapevine, but now Huawei has stepped in to confirm. Straight from the horse's (or spokesperson, in this instance) mouth: "Huawei can confirm that their first Android smartphone is scheduled to launch in the third quarter of 2009. Huawei's smartphones can be ordered and developed for Australian operators based on any such requests." It stands to reason that other markets outside of AU would be able to get their paws around 'em as well, though we sadly have no idea how long proliferation would take. Looks like Australia's gearing up to be a serious Android battleground -- who woulda thunk it, mate?

[Via UnwiredView]

engadget.com

Sky says 2012 London Olympics could be in 3D

by Darren Murph,

Europe still isn't the place to be for limitless HD content, but London in particular could be a 3D extravaganza come 2012. The host city for the next Summer Olympics may be coming to your living room like never before, as Brian Lenz, head of product design and innovation at Sky, proclaimed that "there is a very good chance you'll see the London Olympics in 3D." The satcaster has already confessed to filming events in 3D, and given that the wide distribution of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in HD was all the rage, we suppose the third-dimension is the next logical step forward. Mirroring our own hopes and dreams, Lenz stated that what it really wanted was "glasses free technology." Here's hoping we inch closer to that at CES 2009.

engadget.com

Roboware E3 family robot spotted in action-packed video

by Laura June,
Roboware's family-centric, open-source E3 robot has been rolling around for a good while now, but this video of him in action is probably of interest to our humanoid readers. Called E3 because of his customizable emotional, entertainment and educational functions, Roboware's bot is meant to be a valued member of the family -- albeit one with WiFi, IR rangers, an LCD in its chest, a web-cam in its head, and a microSD slot on its back. The little character has 17 joints and three multi-directional wheels, making him quite mobile, expressive, and rather reminiscent of WowWee's Mr. Personality. Check the video for the full demo, including his recital of T.S. Eliot's "The Wasteland" in its entirety near the end.

engadget.com