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100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design [Design]

Steven Heller and Veronique Vienne have written a book about the 100 ideas that changed graphic design, which can be taken as a sort of chronological history for graphic design as a whole. The book makes consideration for everything, from body types and teen magazines to sexual taboo busting and designer websites, it's a great look at the roots of design. More »

Motorola skipping Ice Cream Sandwich for some devices, worries it'll make them fat

Despite Motorola's Android 4.0 rollout schedule, not every one of the manufacturer's devices are ready for dessert -- some, the outfit says, will be put on a diet. "Obviously we want the new release to improve our devices," the company said in a recent blog post, "If we determine that can't be done, well, then we're not able to upgrade that particular device." Handsets that are bogged down by Ice Cream Sandwich simply won't get an update. Even so, Motorola affirms that it's working closely with Google to keep its hardware up to date.

Motorola skipping Ice Cream Sandwich for some devices, worries it'll make them fat originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 19:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Restore Champagne Carbonation with a Raisin [Food]

Real Simple magazine's weblog recommends dropping a raisin into a bottle of champagne that's lost its effervescence and give it a couple of minutes before pouring. The last gasps of carbon dioxide left in the wine will stick to the raisin's ridged surface and release as bubbles. More »

Why Real Men Eat Red Meat [Health]

We know eating red meat can kill us and make us feel happy but the real reason guys eat it? It makes them feel manly. According to scientists, red meat is synonymous with masculinity making it desirable for guys who view themselves as masculine. More »

Suit of meat armor offers +5 protection against vegetarians [Holy Crap Wtf]

Lady Gaga has nothing on this guy, who has bravely donned a full suit of armor made from slabs of meat and twine. The question is, for the love of Gene the Cow, why? More »

A Force to Recon With [The Week In Games]

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier arrives this week, giving Dragon's Dogma a tough act to follow. PlayStation Move title Sorcery also finally arrives on shelves. More »

Refresh Roundup: week of May 14th, 2012

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging for an update. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery we could find during the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Continue reading Refresh Roundup: week of May 14th, 2012

Refresh Roundup: week of May 14th, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orangutans hold off puberty by up to 10 years just to be more attractive [Monkey News]

As soon as orangutans go through puberty, they are pretty much expected to find a mate and start making babies. But as sexually frustrated high schoolers the world over will tell you, that's easier said than done. More »

Switched On: Clash of the troubled titans

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

Fans of the Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences can appreciate similarly contrived dynamics in comparing Nokia and RIM (neither of which, contrary to the occasionally expressed opinion, has been murdered despite "Apple and Android" consisting of three words and 15 letters). Both companies are former smartphone market share leaders -- RIM in North America, Nokia globally. Both have had success in developing economies with efficient operating systems that they plan to support indefinitely. Both developed reputations for high build quality and good antenna design, and both were initially dismissive of the iPhone as they continue to see Android as the path to commoditization. And after precipitous market share declines, both hired new CEOs. Nokia, a European company, hired a CEO raised in Canada. RIM, a Canadian company, hired a CEO raised in Europe. These men now struggle with keeping their companies part of a viable alternative to the two dominant marketplace offerings.

Since embarking on their new operating system strategies, though, there have been many contrasts. While Nokia hired an outsider as a CEO, RIM hired an insider. Nokia decided to adopt a licensed OS; RIM decided to build its own (based largely on acquisitions). And now that both the 2012 Nokia World and BlackBerry World conferences have passed, there's an opportunity to assess their comeback progress.

Continue reading Switched On: Clash of the troubled titans

Switched On: Clash of the troubled titans originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inspirational Boy with Cystic Fibrosis Awesomely Dances While Tied to a Breathing Machine [Video]

Dylan, a boy with Cystic Fibrosis, is an inspiration to us all. While undergoing long and tedious treatments with a breathing machine, Dylan makes the most of his situation by dancing. What an amazing boy. More »

Drive Yourself Nuts Trying to Guess the "3 to 4" Undiscovered Secrets Still Left in Arkham City [Batman]

If you thought you had discovered everything in Batman: Arkham City or, if not, it could be found on GameFAQs or in some other corner of the web, well, that's not so, says the game's studio. There are still "three or four" secrets in the game that no one has yet found, the game's director said in a panel discussion at London this weekend. More »

Save Money By Switching Your Smartphone to a Prepaid Service Provider [Saving Money]

There have been shady ways in the past to unlock your iPhone or Android smartphone and use a SIM card from a prepaid service, but in the wake of AT&T's recent decision to unlock phones for customers who leave their service or travel overseas you can officially switch your phone to prepaid and potentially save a lot of money without being a technological genius or deal with shady services. More »

Even More Avengers Concept Art! Animated storyboards, set designs, and the evolution of Loki's alien army [Video]

Earlier this morning, we showed you the concept designs for several props from The Avengers. But there's plenty more concept art from Joss Whedon's superhero movie for us to indulge our eyeballs in, detailing the interior settings, action-packed storyboards, and the artistic journey of the Avengers' alien foes and their vehicles. More »

The Shrinking Numbers of the Games That Put Up Video Game Numbers [Stick Jockey]

It drives me nuts every time I hear it. A professional athlete delivers a gobsmacking statistical performance, whether for a single game or a longer span, and a commentator or a columnist inevitably describes him as "putting up video game numbers." More »

Watch Tonight's Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse Right Here [Eclipse]

Tonight, China and the Western United States will be able to see an annular eclipse, the first of its kind since 1994. An annular eclipse is when the moon lines up between Earth and the Sun to create what looks like a ring of fire. It looks awesome. Of course, not all of us live in China or the West Coast, that's why we'll watch it online. More »

The Arctic is farting ancient methane into the atmosphere [Environment]

OK, OK, "farting" might not be the technical term. But as long frozen ice in Arctic regions starts to melt, trapped pockets of methane gas are escaping after millennia. This could be seriously bad news for our already warming planet. More »

Samsung's Focus 2 arrives at AT&T today, a slice of LTE-equipped Mango for $50

Not long after Samsung's SGH-i667 "Mandel" looked like it would never see the light of day, the Windows Phone 7.5 device made its official debut at CTIA, dubbed as the Focus 2. As expected, the phone is officially on sale today at AT&T retailers across the US, giving folks another option aside from the flagship Lumia 900 for a fix of LTE and Mango on the network. To refresh your memory, you'll find a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and VGA camera up front, and a 5MP shooter on back that's capable of 720p video. Internally, there's a 1.4GHz single-core CPU (exceedingly par for the course for Windows Phone at this point) and a 1,750mAh battery to hopefully ensure you'll have enough juice to get through the day. Despite the speedy connectivity, we'd be remiss not to mention that the Focus 2 packs a paltry 8GB of non-expandable storage and only comes in Glossy Pure White -- but for fifty bucks under a new two-year agreement, we won't kvetch too much. Our full review is coming soon, so hit the source link for more details in the meantime.

Samsung's Focus 2 arrives at AT&T today, a slice of LTE-equipped Mango for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 17:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editor's desk: First impressions of the AT&T Samsung Focus 2

Samsung is back in...white...with the Focus 2 on AT&T. What do I think of it after a few hours? Here you are.

For many of us, the original Samsung Focus (review) was our first foray into the Windows Phone world. And truth be told, it was an excellent experience. With it's 4" Super AMOLED screen, slick design, light body and decent (for the time) camera, the Samsung Focus set the precedent. Recent numbers also reflect that status with upwards of 90% of AT&Ts first generation Windows Phone being the Focus.

Today, AT&T and Samsung have released the Focus 2, a moderate update to the original design (check out today's unboxing video). Eschewing glossy black for the new hip white, dropping in a faster 1.4GHz CPU and adding 4G LTE are the most notable changes. Adding a more rounded design with some updated sensors and cameras are the more under-the-hood type differences.

So how does it stack up in the first few hours I've been toying with it? For $50 on contract or $399 off, the Focus 2 is a nimble little guy that has certainly caught my attention.

The feel of the device is really good in the hands albeit a touch slippery. The roundness of the device, while slick, makes it a joy to hold and at 4" for the screen size, it's a more natural fit. The chrome accent adds a touch of class and while the device is very plastic, it doesn't feel cheap. The buttons have an interesting layout with the volume keys to the left, power and camera to the right. While odd, it does make it less confusing than the Lumia 900's where they are all lumped together on the same side. Travel of the keys is good and they're tactile with no rattle.

The Super AMOLED screen is really brilliant but obviously not as good as the Lumia 900's. Still, it holds its own and it's great to look at while not getting to grimy.

Audio quality is moderate with very little distortion when maxed out. It's a touch tinny but not by much.

The camera is surprisingly good even at 5MP, in fact forgetting the loss of resolution, it's as good if not better than the Nokia Lumia 900's. While it doesn't really contain any advanced settings e.g. no anti-shake or panorama, photos are well detailed and pleasing to the eye. We do however recommend turning up sharpness and contrast a smidge more to make the most of it.

Any extras worth reporting on? No, not really. There are the advanced GPS settings (GLONASS) and Samsung's "extra settings" present but other than that it has the same wallpapers as other Samsung Windows Phones and their regular cheesy ringtones.

Overall though, we're impressed and like the Focus 2 a ton. It feels great in the hand, is fun to use and makes a solid addition to AT&T's lineup. I'm going to have little problem adding it to my repertoire of Windows Phones.

Check after the break for a few more pics of the device and a couple camera samples (compared to the Lumia 900)...

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Reversing Logos with Different Brands Is So Confusing [Art]

We've seen reversed brand logos before but not to the extent of these brand reversals by Graham Smith. He takes the original logo, color and all, and swaps them out with a different brand name. What's crazy is that though sometimes you don't notice the difference, most of the times your brain gets so confused, you don't even know what you're looking at anymore. More »

"Windows users, what are you using to rip DVDs?" [Ask The Commenters Roundup]

• Windows users, what are you using to rip DVDs?
• Any idea how I can automate my Gmail so that I can send my mom a photo of her granddaughter daily?
• I want to run an application at startup on my Ubuntu server but it requires a GUI; how can I launch it at startup and bring it into the foreground when I ssh -x in?
• People who boot into multiple operating systems: How do you manage your boot screen?
• Is there a way to set my iPhone 4S to take videos in a lower resolution?
• Any tips on how I can transfer files 3gb+ from my windows pc to mac?
• I want a fun RPG to play on my iPhone during the bus ride to work. I'm feeling something old school-like, maybe turn based. Can anyone recommend something?
• Is there any way to sync my Facebook contacts with my Google contacts?
• What's the best way to do a thorough test drive of OSX?
• Is there a way for me to close my Macbook Pro so I can only have the external monitor on without making the Macbook have to go to sleep when close it?

More »

What do the Avengers do on their days off? [Cheer Up]

The Avengers have been busy lately, what with the saving the world from Loki and all. So now that they have a little free time, how do they spend their days off? More »

Voyager Mobile shakes off network issues, launches a few days behind schedule

It's tough being the new kid in town -- ask Voyager Mobile, an up and coming MVNO that had its launch delayed by a "malicious network attack" last week. The tenacious firm may have missed its planned May 15th launch, but managed to pull things together in time for the weekend, piggybacking unlimited talk, text and data off of Sprint's CDMA and WiMAX network for $40 a month. A basic unlimited voice plan is also available to the tune of $20, without data allowances, of course. Phones are available too, albeit without subsidies -- Samsung's Epic 4G Touch or Galaxy S II will each set you back $550, though an assortment of more affordable devices can be had from $120 and up. Tempted to jump ship? Check out the source link below and let all your MVNO dreams come true.

Voyager Mobile shakes off network issues, launches a few days behind schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 16:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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These life support machines work to keep each other alive [Video]

What do life support devices do when there are no humans left to support? These plucky little machines have found a solution: when no human is available, they work to keep each other alive instead. More »

Unboxing and hands on with the Samsung Focus 2 from AT&T

Our first impressions of the new Samsung Focus 2 from AT&T

AT&T has yet another Windows Phone on their store shelves today. It is the Samsung Focus 2, a 4" Super AMOLED screened white Windows Phone.

And it's not too shabby.

We picked one up this morning at our local AT&T store and the Focus 2 makes a nice first impression. Measuring 4.79" x 2.47" x .43" and weighing in at 4.3 ounces, the Focus 2 is very comparable in size with its older brother the Samsung Focus (4.84” x 2.56” x 0.39” and 4.1 ounces).

The Focus 2 fits comfortably in the hand and has a compact feel, especially after using the HTC Titan II for the past month. Screen quality is as you would expect from a Super AMOLED screen, rich saturation and contrast. I'm partial to a larger screen but the 4" screen on the Focus 2 looks nice. I still have reservations on having a white Windows Phone but we'll see how well things hold up over the next few days.

The Focus 2 is powered by a 1750mah battery and moves along rather nicely with the 1.4ghz processor. The Focus 2 is fitted with 8gb of memory, a 5mp rear camera, VGA front facing camera, and is 4G LTE compatible. Now before you moan and groan about the Focus 2 only having 8gb of storage, remember this is an entry level Windows Phone. Plus with SkyDrive gaining momentum, you have a solid off-device storage option.

Overall, the AT&T Samsung Focus 2 makes a nice first impression. We're going to take the Focus 2 out for a test drive over the next few days and will get a full review up on the site shortly. With the Focus 2 running $49.99 under contract, we'll also see how the Focus 2 compares to the Nokia Lumia 900 (as well as the Lumia 710) to see how these two sub-$100 Windows Phones match up.

Stay tuned, there's more to come and after the break, check out our unboxing video...

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Customs slowly letting HTC handsets into the US, can't say which ones

Still waiting for your HTC handset to make its way through customs? Ratchet your hopes just a smidge higher, because the company says it's making progress. "Some models have gone through inspection and been released to our carriers customers," the firm stated in an investor statement today. HTC explained that each of the contested models needs to be reviewed by officials before release, and assures customers that it is working with customs to speed along the process. Which devices are making it through? "We don't have the status of each specific device at this time," HTC says, "We remain confident that this issue will be resolved soon." Sure, that's not much to go off of, but we'll take what we can get.

Continue reading Customs slowly letting HTC handsets into the US, can't say which ones

Customs slowly letting HTC handsets into the US, can't say which ones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 May 2012 16:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Try to get through this video on the science of yawning without yawning [Video]

This video, by vsauce, not only explains why yawning is contagious, but also lays out the physiology of yawning, reveals that you're less likely to yawn when your brain is cool, and gives us some delightful clips of parakeets yawning. More »

They're Just Trademarking the Hell Out of Everything in Skyrim [The Elder Scrolls]

If you've got any Dragonborn T-shirts, bumper stickers or other crap up on Cafe Press or Etsy, now might be the time to hold a clearance sale. ZeniMax Media just submitted a trademark application for that term, joining the recent filing it made for "Fus Ro Dah," presumably for the same purposes. More »

Adorable Nine-Year-Old Girl Reviews Her School Lunches on Her Blog [Food]

At only nine-years-old, Martha Payne might be the next great food critic. The adorable girl from Argyll in Scotland reviews her daily school lunches on her blog with a Food-o-meter rating scale, considerations for hair and pictures galore. More »

Share Your Internet Connection Using an Outdoor Wireless Access Point [Dark Side]

Have you ever shared your internet connection with another person? Many users are protesting arbitrary price hikes from ISPs by sharing Wi-Fi connections. Typically this only works well if you're within a few hundred feet, but outdoor wireless access points can extend this range up to 2,000ft if you don't have any trees blocking line-of-sight. More »

Adorable character designs for Futurama: The Next Generation [Futurama]

A few weeks ago, Becca Jones stole our hearts with her illustrations of Fry and Leela's imaginary kids. Now she's working her way through all the Futurama pairings (and three-person joinings), coming up with a full cast of kiddie characters. More »