Ready Peek and Peek into Google Maps for development?

It seems as if they are to develop Peek feature of Google Maps, or to the current Peek email device or for your next Peek Pronto. A reader spotted SlashGear Peek a user browsing Google Maps on the subway of New York City, something that the current Emailer is unable to do.

Peek, also confirmed that a new device, the Peek Ready, is under development and will soon be announced, after the teaser image in the gallery below was leaked to Engadget. According to Peek, the device will be "much, much faster in every way possible":

"I do not have much to say, but I will give away a leak .. is much, much faster in every way possible.

The time to open a menu on 1 / 08 is 09 seconds. The time to open a menu in Ready,, 04 seconds !!!!" Peek official blog

Our contacts with the company had nothing official that could tell us, but this seems to be not only a new device, but a new feature-set, and possibly even 3G connectivity to help achieve those all-round speed increases. It is unknown if the Pronto will have GPS, or just online access map. What also remains to be seen is whether Peek existing owners can upgrade to Google Maps app, as it has been spotted on what appears to be an original device, we hope the answer is yes.

from: slashgear

Robot Teacher Makes Debut in Japanese School

In what could be a harbinger of the future, students of elementary school in Tokyo are being taught by a robot.

Saya is the result of 15 years of research and is being tested as a teacher after working as a receptionist.

She - or her - is multilingual, you can organize the tasks set for students, call the roll and angry when the children misbehave.

Saya is just one example of Japan's determination to put a robot in every home by 2015.

The robot was originally developed for businesses that want to reduce costs by replacing workers, such as office secretaries and receptionists with an android that had a range of human expressions.
from: foxnews.com

Piaggio MP3 trike Hybrid hits the streets in early 2010 for about $ 9k

It is certainly a strange monster, but Piaggio's MP3 Hybrids "scooter / trike / what the actual window of a ship and a wave pricetag. Piaggio expects to start selling the vehicle in the U.S. in Q1 2010 with a price ranging around $ 8000 or $ 9000. The plug-in hybrid can run off a standard charge for 40 miles and has a gas-powered generator (like the Volt) for extra power, with a promised 141 mpg overall. It is packed in with some regenerative breaking, high performance battery-driven way to make a pretty hot scooter - if you can get on the eyes and the extra wheel.

From: engadget

Apple’s new 17-inch MacBook Pro: ‘Insanely fast, stunning’

"There's no point in going as in-depth on this model of MacBook Pro as we did on the 15-inch version. In terms of hardware, build quality, and general patchwork inside, this is the same computer (albeit somewhat more gigantic). The same unibody construction is used here, and Apple calls the laptop the 'world's thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook.' We won't argue -- it compares favorably to the smaller entry in the family, and besides it's obviously larger footprint, we didn't feel it was excessively heavy for a device of this size (it actually weighs 6.6 pounds, just a little over a pound heavier than the 15-inch version)," Joshua Topolsky reports for Engadget.

"The version we received was the fully kitted out iteration of the laptop. The base configuration (a not-super-cheap $2,799) is outfitted with a 2.66GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and the switchable NVIDIA GeForce 9400M / 9600M GT GPUs. The version we have came fully loaded with a 2.93GHz CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD, and (yes) an anti-glare display. Needless to say, performance wasn't much of an issue -- but the final cost ($4,899) might be a little extreme for most," Topolsky reports.

"Performance on our system was insanely fast... The new display is stunning. Not only is the thing massive in terms of resolution, but the color depth and contrast are stunning. Apple seems to have really honed the art of light sensing, and we found the display accurately adjusting itself to a room's light. When cranked up to full brightness, the screen beams -- it's crisp, clear, and colors pop," Topolsky reports.

"The new [built-in] battery bests the typical lifespan of a MacBook Pro removable by almost double... the huge stretches of time between charges we saw on the new 17-incher are extremely encouraging, and likely long enough to make the system viable for field use," Topolsky reports.

from: macdailynews.com

LG Arena KM900 unboxed far away from trade show crowds

We already saw every angle of LG's newly launched Arena (or KM900, if we're being formal) at Mobile World Congress last month, but there's just something calming about witnessing an unboxing free of nearby gawkers and devoid of spiraled cables tethered to alarm systems. Seriously, you can't grasp the significance of it without giving the read link a visit, so here's what you do: click, indulge, then return and admit that we told you so.

by Darren Murph

LG VX9600 Versa hits store shelves today

Right on -- well, the predicted -- schedule, LG's unique Versa handset hits Verizon Wireless stores nationwide. We've specced, reviewed, and generally fondled this set enough to give us a pretty warm fuzzy feeling about it and if you've about made up your mind by now, plonk that cash down. Pricing is set at $199 on a two-year, $269 on one-year (both after online $50 rebate), and a whopping $449 if month to month is more your thing. Admittedly, while cool and we're really digging where it fits in the market, it is still a feature set and the off contract price is a bit heavy. If anybody has been dying to get their hands on this phone or picked one up today, do let us know what you think.

[Via Boy Genius Report]