Touch Vision Interface employs AR to control screens from afar

We're not exactly lacking in ways to interact with a screen from afar, but the folks at Teehan+Lax have now put an augmented reality-enhanced spin on things with their so-called Touch Vision Interface. While the "how" behind it is no doubt complicated (and being kept largely under wraps at the moment), the end result is fairly simple: you just point your smartphone at a screen (or two) and start manipulating it from the point of view provided by the phone's camera. Of course, it's all still in the early stages right now, but group sees a wide range of applications for the system -- even including large outdoor billboards.

Samsung Galaxy S II 'coming soon' to AT&T, sign up page goes live

So a regional carrier from the home of Palin and moose meat beat 'em to the punch, but AT&T's at least showing signs that it's ready to get the Samsung Galaxy S II train rolling. While it still looks like Sprint will be the first of the Big Four to bring its variant of the Android phone to the US, AT&T's page for the handset is now live and sporting a nice big "Coming Soon!" That's all she wrote for now, but if you're dying to find out when Ma Bell will bring this Galaxy to you, hit the source link and sign up to get your email updates on.

Scout Observer replaces military SATCOM, is powered by the iPhone 4

If you need to channel your inner MacGyver, there's a tool for that... predictably, it's powered by your smartphone. By connecting an iPhone 4 to the Scout Observer's Toolkit, it's transformed into a spectrum analyzer, power meter, multimeter and Low Noise Block Downconverter (LNB). In English, that means the device lets you locate and verify satellite signals (including other mobile signals), measure their strength, and determine GPS location (amongst other things). The six-pound device replaces the standard 160-pound SATCOM terminal, making it the perfect accessory for covert operations -- if those are the kinds of romps you prefer on the weekend. The company is now accepting pre-orders for shipment sometime in Q4, and hopes to roll out versions for other phones in the near future.

Sony Tablet S arrives at Best Buy, ready to be touched, pre-ordered

Sure, you could pre-order your Tablet S direct from Sony and wait until the 16th for your slate, or you could skip over to your local Best Buy and play a round of early-release roulette. Our local shop, however, is telling us the tablet is available for "pre-order and display only," so your mileage may vary.

Switched On: A toy for the smartphone gaming generation

The first thing worth noting about Sifteo Cubes -- which recently became available for pre-order at $149 for a starter pack of three that should start shipping this month -- is that they are not geometrically true to their name. Their square surfaces sit atop depths that are less than half their side length, so even stacking two Cubes won't produce three-dimensional symmetry. They are a little smaller than the game pieces from the much more limited and less expensive Scrabble Flash digital letter-arranging game that was a hit last holiday season.

The pieces fit comfortably between two fingers for easy gripping, flipping and rearranging, which you'll need to do a lot of in their various games. They are also a good size to substitute for many handheld playthings, reminding one of overstuffed Mahjongg tiles but also akin to shrunken toddlers' alphabet blocks or playing cards. The sides and back are otherwise nondescript except for a set of contacts on their rear used for charging. Sifteo Cubes are charged via their tray, which showcases them through a translucent plastic top with room for three more Cubes at $45 each. Different games derive different levels of benefit from having more than three tiles, but most work fine with the starter set.

Acer Iconia Tab A501 with HSPA+ hits AT&T on September 18th: $330 on contract

As promised, the Acer Iconia Tab A501 is hitting AT&T just before summer draws to an official close. The carrier just announced it'll start selling the 16GB model next Sunday, September 18th for $480 -- or $330 with a two-year contract. When we first heard about this way back in March, we knew it would be a "4G" device, and today AT&T clarified that this means HSPA+, not LTE, so sorry to burst anyone's bubble. Even so, five months after the A500 went on sale it remains one of a select few slates with a full-sized USB port, so there's that to consider if you're still on the fence about getting a tablet. As planned, it'll ship with Android 3.0, and an Acer rep confirms 3.1 is coming via an over-the-air update, though she couldn't say when, exactly, that'll happen. You can sign up for a monthly plan, if you so choose, though you can also pay as you go, with $15 getting you 250MB and $25 expanding your allowance to 2GB. Customers who commit to two-year agreements will have the same choices, to be honest, except they'll also have to contend with overage fees -- $10 per gigabyte or $15 per 250MB, depending on the plan.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: 9/11 Memorial designs, an electric helicopter and laser headlights

Today a day of reflection dawns in New York as the city recognizes the ten-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks with the official unveiling of the National 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. Tranquil though the memorial may be, it has had a tumultuous past - this week we showcased seven unrealized designs for the WTC site that will never see the light of day, and we took a look at what happened to Daniel Libeskind's original plans for the WTC Freedom Tower. We also saw green buildings soar as Sydney unveiled Australia's greenest office tower, we learned that the new Batman movie may be filmed in a salt mine in Transylvania, and we spotted an amazing replica of the Trump Tower built from 65,000 LEGO bricks.

It was also a record-breaking week for green transportation as the world's first manned electric helicopter took flight and scientists developed the world's tiniest electric motor. Meanwhile, pedal-powered transportation got a major boost as Hertz launched an electric bike rental program in London and Silverback unveiled a series of bikes with built-in USB chargers for your gadgets. We also brought you the latest news from the Frankfurt Auto Show as Rimac teased the unveiling of its 1,000 horsepower electric supercar and Audi and BMW both unveiled vehicles endowed with ultra bright next-gen laser headlights.

Speaking of shining examples of green design, this week we brought you a first look at the Samsung Galaxy Skin concept phone, which features a flexible AMOLED display that can fold to fit inside your pocket. We also saw several inspiring ways to reduce waste as scientists worked on a fuel cell that generates power while cleaning up nuclear fallout, Think Geek brought us a clever set of Fridgeezoo icebox pets that encourage kids to save energy, and we looked at Sloan's innovative AQUS grey water toilet system that recycles your sink water. Finally, we brought you the state of the art in wearable tech as we reported that scientists developed a Terahertz "Invisibility Cloak" and researchers discovered a coral reef secret that could lead to sunscreen in a pill in five years.

HP TopShot LaserJet Pro M275 scans 3D objects but only prints in 2D

For some reason, HP thinks your small business really needs the ability to scan 3D objects -- which is why it is releasing the TopShot LaserJet Pro. "TopShot" is the fancy name for the all-in-one's overhanging arm with a high resolution camera, which combines six images (three with flashes from different angles, and three in ambient light conditions with different exposure levels) to mimic a studio-like product shot. What's more, thanks to the Biz Card app, the TopShot can scan and import multiple business cards simultaneously. Also included are Google Documents integration and cloud apps as well as the usual ePrint and AirPrint features, which you can run without a computer on the 3.5-inch touchscreen.

AirPlay-enabled Music Tap systems touted by Pioneer, free us from living room control

Had your eye on an AirPlay accessory for your iPhone or iPod touch? Well, Pioneer is looking to help you pull the trigger on one. The company has announced a new set of AirPlay Music Tap systems that enable access to your music library without being chained to a peripheral. By connecting one of these bad boys to your home WiFi or ethernet network, you'll be able to access your entire iTunes library in various locations throughout your home -- 'course, having Apple's free Remote app will ensure maximum utility. Other features include a 2.5-inch full-color LCD display, Pandora, iHeartRadio, vTuner internet radio and Air Jam, which allows for playlist sharing on your arsenal of the company's Music Tap systems. When this pair drops in October, you'll have your choice of the X-SMC-3-S for $400 or the more dapper, bluetooth-enabled X-SMC4-Elite for $480.

White PS3 coming to Europe and Australia in November

There's nothing a like an (almost) fresh and exciting color variant to make us totally forget about the PS4. Besides, this little dazzler will come with a 320GB HDD and two equally white Dualshock controllers, which means you'll only have to spray-paint your PS3 Move, headset, external drive, wheel and eyebrows to match. Look out for it at GameStop in the UK, Germany and possibly other Euro nations too, as well as at Electronic Boutique in Australia from November 1st

Broadcom buys NetLogic Microsystems for $3.7b in cash, hopes to add more processors to lineup

You've probably never heard of NetLogic Microsystems, but you can bet that its technologies may very well end up in your next smartphone, tablet or vehicle. Broadcom has just announced its intentions to pick up the aforesaid company for a cool $3.7 billion in cash, with the "definitive merger agreement" already approved by the boards of both. According to Broadcom, the deal will extend its portfolio with "a number of critical new product lines and technologies, including knowledge-based processors, multi-core embedded processors, and digital front-end processors," and according to a televised CNBC interview with president and CEO Scott McGregor, he's hoping to extend Broadcom's reach in the automotive industry. His view? We're getting dangerously close to streaming television (and more) to a serious quantity of motorcars, but beyond wild aspirations, there doesn't seem to be too many hard plans being made public.

Fusion Garage hacks $200 off of Grid 10 tablet, aims to play the undercutting game

Looks like we're all indebted to HP in one way or another. Since the TouchPad fire sale began, we've seen a noticeable southward shift in tablet pricing -- it's as if iPad rivals finally figured out that battling on price was just about the only way to make a dent in Apple's enviable market share. Now, we're seeing Fusion Garage wipe a full $200 from its Grid 10 tablet... before the thing even ships. If you'll recall, the outfit was aiming for a September 15th release date here in the States, with initial pricing for its 16GB model set for $499 (WiFi-only) / $599 (WiFi + 3G). Out of the blue, those pre-order rates have plummeted to $299 / $399 this morning, giving prospective Grid OS adopters entirely more motivation to buy in. It seems that Amazon hasn't received the memo quite yet, so those hoping to get in the low-cost line should scurry down to the source link. Naturally, we'll be bringing you a full-on review as soon as we procure one, and we're guessing that just became a lot more relevant to your interests.

Update: A Fusion Garage spokesperson told Engadget that the company had planned to launch with the lower price all along, but negotiations with an ODM made it impossible to announce the price earlier. The company also added that the Grid 10 will experience a slight shipping delay, being pushed back to October 1st due to a "new criteria in [the] Adobe Flash Player (FP) 10.3 approval process."