Ford has already shown it can tie the controls of Sync-enabled vehicles to the music and contacts databases of drivers phones and PMPs and though it may take time before our emotions can be detected , the next step is extending that connectivity to downloadable apps on those devices. Since Sync first debuted, the explosion of the App Store concept has meant nearly every smartphone owner is packing plenty of ways to access and use information from the internet, but without an easy way to interact with it while driving. Extending access to vehicle controls could lead to programs like Pandora or Google’s turn by turn navigation letting users change stations with their existing stereo knobs, or listen to directions via the in-car system by simply updating their existing software. The first ones to get a crack at it? A few university students, check after the break to see what they came up with given just a few weeks to test system out. Gallery: Ford Sync API Demo Continue reading Ford to give Sync some App Store flavor, opening API to devs in 2010 Ford to give Sync some App Store flavor, opening API to devs in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:12:00 EST

How do you top Singapore’s pixelated skyscraper , Macau’s giant bunny , that twirly Danish Pavilion , and even a corporate building made from used CD cases ? If you’re Romania, you build a $3.5 million giant green apple designed to encourage healthy lifestyles… Dubbed the GreenOpolis, the pavilion was designed by SC M&C Strategy Development, and will cover about 21,527 square feet of space. The 5 levels will include music and cultural performance areas, plus restaurant, terrace, and office facilities. Seriously, if the 2010 World Expo wasn’t in China, I’d head over with the sole purpose of dropping acid or something

Despite our incessant pleading, not a soul at Microsoft — including newly-minted media darling Kudo Tsunoda — would give up a release window for Project Natal , except to say “not in 2009.” Well, at least we know we won’t be waiting too far into the future. Company CEO and cheerleader Steve Ballmer told attendees to his speech at The Executives Club of Chicago today that the Xbox 360 motion control interface is coming in 2010. That’s still a large timeframe, but hey, at least you can go ahead and start planning your block-breaking 2011 New Year’s Eve party now. Filed under: Gaming Project Natal recognizing retail shelves in 2010, says Ballmer originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Looking for some LTE news that’s harder than those wishy-washy vibes you’ve been getting thus far? Listen up. On a recent conference call, Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell McAdam (shown) stated that its LTE network would launch commercially in around 20 to 30 US markets during “the second half of 2010.” He continued by noting that a “nationwide buildout would be complete in late 2013 to early 2014,” but failed to elaborate on the whens, whos and whys in between. For those locked into the 4G movement, you’ll notice that these dates are slightly different than ones tossed out in April by the outfit’s CFO, which leads us to believe that we could hear something else in just a few month’s time if things don’t go perfectly to plan. At any rate, McAdam did confirm that a tiny group of VZW testers would have access to 4G this year, with one “pre-commercial” network per US coast being activated during 2009

Ready with the proper retort to all those rumors , false starts and misquotations , the Nikkei is reporting that Panasonic and Sumitomo are zeroed in and have the tunnel vision to deliver the 40-inch plus OLED HDTVs we’ve been waiting for within fiscal 2010. Once organic electroluminescent product is flooding the streets, the plan is apparently to cut the power requirements of the bright, slim displays to less than a third of current LCDs by 2015, right around the time Samsung thinks this tech will be ready for the mainstream , anyone else care to make a prediction? (Registration req’d on read link) [Via Reuters & OLED-Info ] Filed under: HDTV , Home Entertainment Panasonic and Sumitomo see eye to eye in this OLED game, big screens due in 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 May 2009 04:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read

Wacom has just released their newest pen tablet , the Intuos4, with features that are sure to interest any aspiring digital artist. If you fall in that category, PC Magazine thinks you won’t be disappointed. While it doesn’t compare to the Cintiq in terms of functionality, it also doesn’t carry the hefty price tag. For $230 to $790, Intuos4 users get a pad that features 2,048 pressure levels (with a starting pressure of one gram) and a software bundle that includes Color Efex Pro and any two of the following programs: Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 for the PC (or Elements 6 for the Mac), Autodesk SketchBook Express 2010, and Corel Painter Sketch Pad. Essentially, the Intuos4 occupies that spot between the low end Bamboo and the high end Cintiq for users that need more than a basic tablet but are not ready to spring $1000+ for the best of the best

The Gametrack Freedom (a Wiimote-like device planned for the Xbox 360 and PS3) has been redesigned since we last saw it , and in the meantime, it’s been slated for Xbox 360 release this fall. (A PS3 version could come sometime in 2010). The Freedom is quite similar to the Wiimote in that it features a series of accelerometers for measuring pitch, yaw and roll, but the Freedom also uses two sensor bars set by the television for ultrasonic 3D positioning. Instead of IR, the controller emits sound frequencies measured by these sensors, which creates accurate controller triangulation but probably requires that the sensors be plugged directly into the console itself. (The Wii’s sensor bar plugs in to the Wii, but it’s really only an IR lamp.) While we’re sure the hardware is pretty solid at this point, the Freedom’s success will depend on third party developer support and, of course, the small matter of price. But our interest is piqued

It’s been just over a year since we first heard that your next Sony LCD TV may actually be a Sharp, and while the joint venture has been flipped on and off again during the past 13 months, it seems that the stars are finally aligning in order to make this thing happen. Sharp is preparing a unit that will be launched on April 1st in order to act as “a base to be transformed into the joint venture.” The unit will be christened Sharp Display Products Corporation, with Sharp owning 66 percent (and thus, the namesake) and Sony taking the remaining 34 percent. The two currently plan to start up production of LCD panels by March of 2010, which gives Sharp a solid dozen months to construct the facility in Sakai, Japan. Better hurry, folks — it’s not like OLED is breathing down your neck or anything. Filed under: HDTV , Home Entertainment Sharp Display Products emerges from Sharp / Sony joint venture originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Heads up, we’ve got another game console hitting the scene, but this one has a few interesting tricks up its sleeve. Zeebo’s built on Qualcomm ’s MSM chipset and uses the same 528MHz ARM processor found in the Xperia X1 . No discs or cartridges here, all games are downloaded from an online store over 3G, which is not only convenient but also a move intended to thwart software piracy. Software is developed using the Qualcomm BREW platform, and according to the company it’s already amassed 300 titles including Crazy Taxi, Street Fighter Alpha , and the original Quake. Hey, it’s not gonna rival the PlayStation 3, or even the PS2, but it does boast a more reasonable price point for countries where the markup on current gen hardware is rather extreme. It’ll first launch in Brazil in May for the US equivalent price of $200, about one-third the cost of buying a Wii locally.

A cable modem in your pocket. Rockin’ down the highway with video on demand. Real wireless broadband. I tested an unthrottled Clearwire WiMax connection all over Portland, and that’s (mostly) what I got. It’s hard to conceive of harnessing that much bandwidth wirelessly while sitting outside a shopping center, enjoying an unseasonably warm March day. It’s almost a joke, being able to watch Jon Stewart ream Jim Cramer—streamed via Hulu—while sitting in the backseat of a Lincoln Navigator doing 60 on the freeway.