ECTunes adds sound to silent EVs, but only where and when you need it (video)

The debate rages on about the sound, or rather the lack of sound, coming from electric vehicles . Their relative quietude could make roadside-housing rather more tenable in the future, but, if you ask some people, will turn those cars into silent killers. We’ve seen some crude noisemakers attempt to make those cars a bit less lethal, but that just brings us back to the noise pollution issue again

RIM tries to patent billboards that adjust to roadside traffic

Looks like our pals at Research In Motion are taking the company name literally this week — they’ve got a pair of patent applications target ads to automobiles and pedestrians on the street by dynamically changing their information density. By taking a page out of Google’s book and measuring the relative position of GPS-equipped phones (or using traditional sensors should that fail), RIM wants to create digital billboards that automatically add details the slower traffic gets.

Official: Samsung Fascinate launching September 9 for $199 (update: September 8 online)

Put away your leaked Verizon documents , good folks, the Fascinate finally has an official release date: September 9 . Verizon’s Galaxy S variant snuck up on all of us with a commercial appearance last night, which was accompanied by that appropriately blown out text at the bottom, indicating it’ll be in stores within a couple of days. That doesn’t leave much time for you to build up fresh anticipation, so hopefully you were able to sustain yours while everyone else was unpacking their Captivate, Epic and Vibrant handsets

Samsung Fascinate launching on September 8?

We’ve seen these kinds of Verizon launch decks before, so we tend to believe the September 8 date we’re seeing for the Fascinate here is legit — granted, Wednesday is an odd day to launch a phone, but not a lot weirder than the Thursday, September 9 date we’d had before . Either way, it’s looking like a sure thing that we’re going to see this on shelves come next week, completing Sammy’s impressive four-way coup to get its high-end Galaxy S line launched on all of the US nationals. Like the Droid 2 and Droid X, the Fascinate will feature Blockbuster Mobile to let you download full-length movies on the go — in other words, that’s a feature that won’t be a Droid brand exclusive — and Bing search will be installed out of the box, giving Microsoft a fun little foothold in Google’s kingdom

The Girl with the Insanely Long Gear List

If you’ve read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (or either of its sequels), you’re probably aware of the fact that its characters have a striking and awesome penchant for gadgets. The thing is, those gadgets are from… 2002.

Pay no attention to that playful UI behind the Google Maps curtain (video)

Thought the page-turning Macallan was nifty? You ain’t seen nothing yet — The Astonishing Tribe ( the brains behind the look of Android) aims to give you billowing, rippling cloth-like curtains of clever interactive content with their concept Velvet UI. Pull out a widget or Google Maps query, and a sheet of your desired result waves with the virtual wind, before stretching out flat for you to more comfortably interact with.

Power line inspecting robot isn’t afraid of getting juiced

Inspecting power lines isn’t the safest job we can imagine having, so we’re pretty happy to see that robots — which don’t have the same… feelings we do about getting injured — can be hacked to do the job.

Dell Streak on sale August 13 for $300 on AT&T contract, $550 without

After a brief delay in getting the ball rolling stateside, Dell’s finally ready to start selling its Streak this Friday to all comers. If you go for a new two-year contract through AT&T, you’ll be paying $299.99; if you value your freedom, though, you’ll be looking at $549.99 out the door — oh, and if you signed up for the pre-sale , you’ll be able to place your order a day earlier on the 12th.

Apple iPod touch LCD screen with front-facing camera slot spied?

You may or may not be aware, but Apple has a penchant for announcing new iPods in early September , as it has for years . With just over four weeks to go before the most likely (but nigh confirmed) press event week is upon us, expect the rumor mill to ratchet up appropriately. Here’s one care of Mac Rumors ; the gang’s been sent some pictures from parts supplier iPhonerevivers that allegedly show a new iPod touch LCD screen And sure enough, in place of an earpiece is a slot perfectly suited for that oft-rumored (and possibly email-based ) front-facing camera

Mutewatch aims to be a less watch-like watch

Watches that try do something really different aren’t exactly all that common, but you can certainly say that about the just-announced Mutewatch. Described as a “silent alarm in the shape of a vibrating wristband,” the watch features a hidden screen that activates on touch and lets you swipe to scroll between the timer, clock and alarm — the latter of which simply vibrates rather than making a sound, and can be dismissed by pinching the watch. Best of all, this isn’t simply a concept — you can secure a pre-order for your choice of a white, gray or red watch now for €19, which will be deducted from the full €199 (or about $260) price when it eventually ships.

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