It’s unsourced, but we’re hearing today that Acer’s first Android phone will be called the A1 and arrive in September. That’s at least the word according to the Phillipine BusinessMirror, and it lines up nicely with our peek inside Acer’s secret roadmap diary at MWC. The touchscreen A1 will apparently launch alongside three other handsets, one of which we’re guessing is the mysterious white C1 pictured above. We’ll see how it goes — hopefully Acer’s second effort is a lot more interesting than its first round of ho-hum WinMo phones.

[Via Talk Android]

Filed under: Cellphones

Acer A1 touchscreen Android phone to arrive in September? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Acer A1 touchscreen Android phone to arrive in September?

We’ve seen the wonders of electrical stimulation before, so it’s no real shock (ahem) to hear that a University of Florida engineer has figured out a method to combine that very tactic with sophisticated computer learning technology in order to assist Earthlings in regaining “more precise, more life-like control of paralyzed limbs.” Reportedly, the research could help around 700,000 Americans who suffer from strokes and 11,000 from cord injuries each year. Says the university’s Warren Dixon (pictured): “It’s an adaptive scheme to do electrical stimulation more efficiently, with less fatigue and more accuracy.” Eventually, the dream is to build a wearable, pacemaker-sized device that could output the precise amount of stimulation at the perfect time in order to encourage natural movement, and it would also be able to adapt to each individual as it learns their habits and techniques. Not mentioned in the report, however, was just how beneficial this discovery could be to the scads of preposterously lazy Americans, too.

[Via DailyTech]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Science

Researcher finds electrical stimulation key to rehabilitating paralyzed limbs originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Researcher finds electrical stimulation key to rehabilitating paralyzed limbs

You’ve got to love it, don’t you? Just a day after we caught wind of Logitech’s Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 (via the always informative FCC), the aforesaid company has come forward and confessed to its plans. The good news is that the adapter is for real, and while we’re still not being told too much about the device itself, we do know that it will operate with any Harmony remote and it won’t take up a USB port on your console. In other words, it’s a simple Infrared-to-Bluetooth converter, though it promises to give Harmony remote users “complete control (including power on / off) over the movie-watching experience on a PS3.” We’re pleading for more information on pricing and availability, but until that’s received, just enjoy your weekend knowing that you’ll be able to buy one soon enough.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals

Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 gets official originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 gets official

Things just aren’t going well for Sony Ericsson at the moment: hot on the heels of rumors that Ericsson might be looking to split out, the partnership’s cautioning investors that first quarter sales are down some 50 percent. That translates to a loss of between €340 and €390 million, which we’re guessing will translate to somewhere around $500 million — sadly even worse than last quarter, when the outfit lost $247 million. SE blames the poor showing on “weak consumer demand,” but we’d say it has more to do with a lineup of phones that alway seem to be too little, too late — let’s hope those planned Android phones make an appearance soon.

Filed under: Cellphones

Sony Ericsson says first quarter sales down 50%, $500m loss expected originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source:Sony Ericsson says first quarter sales down 50%, $500m loss expected

Palm essentially has to bet all of its money on the Pre phone - may go bust. But here’s the problem: No phone yet. All that buzz, and if you want a cool touch-screen phone, the choices are still pretty much your local Apple store, or a BlackBerry outlet. The Pre is nowhere to be found. And now, Palm admits that re-starting the buzz…

Source:Palm Puts Its Hand Out