The ancient “terror bird” Andalgalornis couldn’t fly, but it used its unusually large, rigid skull — coupled with a hawk-like hooked beak — for a fighting strategy reminiscent of boxer Muhammad Ali. The agile creature repeatedly attacked and retreated, landing well-targeted, hatchet-like jabs to take down its prey, according to a new study published this week in the online, open-access journal PLoS ONE by an international team of scientists.

We have reported on the PDP Afterglow glowing controllers before. In fact, we have done it twice.

You probably are wondering why I feel a need to cover them again. Well, I was on a trip for a few weeks and found this waiting for me when I got home. It is the weirdest review model that I have ever received.

This is a suitcase full of controllers for the big three video game consoles, and they were hooked up to a battery so they all were illuminated. There was even a kill-switch that was rigged to turn the controllers on when the suitcase lid was opened.

The red glowing one is the Afterglow AP.1 for the PS3, with a “refined analog stick location for competitive advantage, and L2 and R2 triggers modeled on PDP’s Real Triggers add-ons”.

The green glowing one is the Afterglow AX.1 for the Xbox 360, with three modes of Afterglow lighting and works with Windows and PC gaming.

You will notice that only the Nunchuk (AW.2) is glowing in this picture. This was simply because they didn’t put the batteries in the Wiimote (AW.1). I got to try out the AW.1 and AW.2, and I liked the button configuration for the AW.1, and the retractable cord for the AW.2.

As far as I know, these will be available in Q4. The AP.1 will be $24.99, the AW.2 will be $14.99, and the AX.1 and AW.1 will each be $29.99.

I don’t know why the company sent me the suitcase with controllers. I hope they don’t sent me to sell them. If so, then this is my best pitch for potential buyers: they’re cool.

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You may have noticed the update on our Epic 4G review from yesterday where we lauded the fact that Samsung seemed to have fixed the GPS problem plaguing every other Galaxy S flavor released thus far, but it turns out there are actually two distinct issues. One has a fix — sort of — while the other is hopefully what we’re going to get next month. Here are the two failure modes, based on what we know so far:

• “Use wireless networks” is now turned off by default, but even with it on, the phone may be slow or unable to determine even a rough location. Originally, we’d believed this was the only problem. Samsung tells us that it’s a new Google mandate that Android devices be shipped with the “use wireless networks” option disabled, which means you’re relying on traditional GPS alone to determine your location — a lost cause indoors, in urban canyons, or under dense tree cover. Indeed, we discovered it was turned off on our Captivate, Vibrant, and Epic 4G after fresh hard resets, and there’s no indication to the user that it’s probably in their best interest to enable it; we’re accustomed to being presented with the option during account setup on other Android devices, but it doesn’t happen here. After enabling it from settings, we found that both the Captivate and Epic 4G were able to get our location with 1,000 to 1,500-meter accuracy practically immediately in Google Maps, though the Vibrant still never came through; it had the weakest signal of the three, which may have accounted for that (though it never dropped the signal altogether).
• The regular GPS circuitry and software aren’t doing their job. Cell tower triangulation and WiFi location database services like Skyhook only take you so far — at the end of the day, you still need to tune in to the birds a few thousand miles up to figure out precisely where you are. All Galaxy S models seem to be having trouble turning GPS reception into coordinates, even when the phone is able to see four or more satellites in view (four is the minimum you normally need for a precise, three-dimensional lock). In some cases, resetting the phone apparently helps, but it ceases to work again after a day or two of use. To our knowledge, none of the homebrew fixes out there have been able to solve this part of the problem perfectly and permanently. The Captivate and Vibrant are both affected by this one; we’re not sure on the Epic, but we’re working to nail it down.

What this means for you: for now, simply make sure you have “Use wireless networks” checked in your Galaxy S’s settings under the “Location & security” menu. It won’t get you the most reliable, precise location you should be entitled to, but it’s a start — and next month’s round of firmware updates should hopefully take us the rest of the way.

[Thanks, Carl]

Samsung Galaxy S GPS-gate: two problems, not one (and what to do about it) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re looking for video proof of the latest and greatest Xbox 360 firmware mod, you won’t find it in the video after the break, but we’re almost willing to take it on Team Xecuter’s word and long-standing reputation that they’ve hacked the new Xbox 360. Banding together with Team Jungle and commodore4eva — the hacker who brought backups to the original console in 2006 — the group says they’ve successfully patched the DVD drive to play burned discs. Better still, they’re promising that a public release of said patch “will be available shortly” to help you unlock a Stealthbox by your lonesome. Just remember, kids, circumventing DRM isn’t always legal, even if you’re copying games that you bought right off the shelf.

[Thanks, Tito]

Continue reading New Xbox 360 hacked to play ‘backup’ discs, public release underway? (video)

New Xbox 360 hacked to play ‘backup’ discs, public release underway? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While 3D HDTVs were introduced back at CES earlier this year across the entire board of manufacturers, they have yet to catch on in a big way. After all, how many living rooms of friends whom you know have a 3D LED HDTV? That has not stopped various manufacturers from continue to churn out additional models, and Samsung leads the way with their latest 65-inch monster known as the Samsung UN65C8000. This model is the largest Full HD 3D LED TV available in the market for homes worldwide today, where it will come with Samsung’s built-in 3D processor, real 240Hz refresh rate technology, dynamic 8,000,000:1 contrast ratio and proprietary Precision Dimming technology. You will find it more than able to deliver unsurpassed picture quality and an immersive 3D experience without compromising on your living room’s aesthetics thanks to its ultra-slim design. More on the Samsung UN65C8000 is available after the jump.

This model will also be able to hook up to the Internet, thanks to its WiFi-ready mode as well as ability to support Skype thanks to Samsung Apps. Basically, this translates to the Samsung UN65C8000 ending up as a really, really large display that brings an almost life-like quality to video calls. Too bad the technology isn’t there for 3D video calling just yet, but keep your fingers crossed that such a feature will be made available to end users like you an I sometime down the road. Not only that, you are able to access a full range of apps including Hulu Plus and ESPN Next Level through Samsung Apps at your convenience.

It is expected that the Samsung UN65C8000 will retail for $5,999.99 as it hits the market this month, but just in case that does not really suit your budget in these economically trying times, Samsung has also made sure its 2010 Plasma HDTV line-up is expanded with a trio of new 3D-enabled plasma TVs, namely the PN58C680, the PN50C680 and the PN50C490 which will retail for $2,299.99, $1,599.99 and $1,099.99, respectively.

Press Release

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