Thought the Prez was just kidding about those alternative fuel initiatives? Think again. Just hours after stating that the US government fleet would be 100 percent alternative fuel, hybrid, or electric vehicles by 2015, Obama has announced the National Clean Fleets Partnership, an initiative of the Department's Clean Cities program. It's a rather unique public-private partnership, and it'll be assisting large companies to “reduce diesel and gasoline use in their fleets by incorporating electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and fuel-saving measures into their operations.” A handful of Charter members have made themselves known, with AT&T, Verizon, FedEx, Pepsi-Co and UPS all committed to deploying over 20,000 advanced technology vehicles in the years to come — an effort that should save over seven million gallons of fuel per year. Ma Bell in particular will be replacing over 15,000 rides with 7,000 hybrids and 8,000 compressed natural gas vehicles during the next decade, while Verizon looks to use a raft of cars (er, vans) that rely on biodiesel and ethanol. Whether or not such a program leads to the installation of more EV charging stations remains to be seen, but if it’s good enough for Brown, surely it’ll be good enough for your future Tesla. Vid’s after the break, kiddos.

Continue reading AT&T and Verizon join National Clear Fleet Program, thumb their noses at petrol

AT&T and Verizon join National Clear Fleet Program, thumb their noses at petrol originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen graphene promise some pretty slick tricks already: budget-minded bendable batteries, superior stain resistance, and upping ultracapacitors’ energy density. We can now add self-cooling transistors to the list of awesome, yet unfulfilled possibilities for these microscopic sheets of carbon. Using an atomic force microscope, a team of researchers at the University of Illinois led by Professor William King discovered that graphene transistors have a thermoelectric cooling effect where they make their metal connections. This self-cooling is greater than the resistive heating that normally follows the flow of electrons — meaning graphene-based electronics from the future could make their silicon competition look decidedly uncool in comparison.

Researchers find graphene transistors cool themselves, silicon counterparts seethe with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Frank Rybicki is an assistant professor in the Mass Media department at Valdosta State University. Last week, he was arrested for his behavior in class. For assault. What heinous crime led to his jailing? More

A slew of leaked video tutorials for upcoming BlackBerry devices is finally giving us a glimpse into what RIM has in store to keep its diehard fans from ditching the platform. Among some more video of the all-touchscreen BlackBerry Monaco / Touch, we’re finally seeing how the popular Bold form factor will benefit from some touchscreen magic in the aptly named Bold Touch. We’re longtime fans of the traditional form factor, but if anything, the addition looks to be more trouble than it’s worth. Like its sliding cousin, the Torch, touch input seems even more gimmicky given that all the same functions can be performed using the familiar (and beloved) optical trackpad — which doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Sure, touchscreens are all the rage these days and pinch-to-zoom is nice, but we can’t help but wonder if RIM is simply killing time until its dual-core QNX-equipped phones hit unsuspecting BBM’ers. Of course, the company has been impressing us with its use of touch on the Playbook, so there’s no telling what it might have in store come BlackBerry World. You can peep the Monaco action after the break, or check out a torrent of others at the source link as well.

[Thanks, Reagan M.]

If you’re a Jeff Bridges fan, Tron: Legacy was a double dose of awesomesauce. But how on earth did they turn back the clock on the Dude to get a young Clu running the show? While I wish there were a fountain of youth—or some sort of Mission Impossible-style mask?—the time-bending technique is revealed in this exclusive video. More

We recently reviewed a few popular cloud storage services in an attempt to help you choose the best one, but why should you necessarily have to choose just one? Instead, use them all to create an organized online backup system that’s completely free. More

Toshiba’s 3D monocle may have been a joke, but what you’re looking at above is not. It’s one of the latest additions to its 3D Satellite lineup, now growing to include the P770 and P775 3D. Both include massive 18.4-inch displays that clock in at 120Hz, enabling use of NVIDIA active-shutter glasses — which you’ll have to find a spot for in your laptop bag. Dual webcams in the bezel let you add a little depth to your video calls, while the HDMI output can manage depth-enabled content too. There’s a re-writeable Blu-ray drive and what’s sure to be a massive price tag to match, though that part has yet to be confirmed by Toshiba. We don’t have a release date just yet either.

Toshiba’s P770 and P775 3D Satellite laptops do 120Hz on the go originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Troubling news here. AVG, the anti-malware company, says that the majority of smartphone users are unaware of the security risks they face when, um, using smartphones. What? You mean I have to be careful when fiddling around with my iPhone or Android device? Yes. Yes you do.

The study finds that a remarkable 91 percent of respondents are unaware of the fact that smartphones can store financial information like credit card numbers, and that evildoers could, if they so desired, code apps or malware-laced Web sites to steal said information.

(Of course, it’s just as dangerous to misplace a smartphone that’s loaded with personal information, but that’s much less shiny than “HACKERS HACK SOME STUFF, STEAL SOME THINGS.”)

Also of note is that 56 percent of people are unaware of the fact that you need to actually log out of a Web site in order to clear you out, so to speak. You can’t just assume that closing the browser window will log you out. And what happens if someone finds the phone while you’re still logged in? You could leave yourself open to, say, a series of malicious or embarrassing tweets or Facebook Wall posts. You don’t want that.

Is there a bottom line? Yes, and it’s to take your phone and bury it 11 feet below the surface of the Earth. Failing that, try to be a little more smart with your mobile device. Make sure it’s password-protected (at the very least) if you’re going out. Maybe not have superfluous radio connections (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.) when you’re out and about. It’s tough with mobile stuff because we’re sorta in the middle here: people still aren’t used to being super secure with their mobile because we’re not using them (at least not here in the U.S.) to buy every little thing yet

Troubling news here. AVG, the anti-malware company, says that the majority of smartphone users are unaware of the security risks they face when, um, using smartphones. What? You mean I have to be careful when fiddling around with my iPhone or Android device? Yes. Yes you do.

The study finds that a remarkable 91 percent of respondents are unaware of the fact that smartphones can store financial information like credit card numbers, and that evildoers could, if they so desired, code apps or malware-laced Web sites to steal said information.

(Of course, it’s just as dangerous to misplace a smartphone that’s loaded with personal information, but that’s much less shiny than “HACKERS HACK SOME STUFF, STEAL SOME THINGS.”)

Also of note is that 56 percent of people are unaware of the fact that you need to actually log out of a Web site in order to clear you out, so to speak. You can’t just assume that closing the browser window will log you out. And what happens if someone finds the phone while you’re still logged in? You could leave yourself open to, say, a series of malicious or embarrassing tweets or Facebook Wall posts. You don’t want that.

Is there a bottom line? Yes, and it’s to take your phone and bury it 11 feet below the surface of the Earth. Failing that, try to be a little more smart with your mobile device. Make sure it’s password-protected (at the very least) if you’re going out. Maybe not have superfluous radio connections (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.) when you’re out and about. It’s tough with mobile stuff because we’re sorta in the middle here: people still aren’t used to being super secure with their mobile because we’re not using them (at least not here in the U.S.) to buy every little thing yet

This is not a special-effects still from an upcoming movie. Instead, it’s a photo taken at Nyiragongo Volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, and National Geographic has the story of a team of Congolese seismologists who journeyed into Nyiragongo’s crater to study the volcano’s massive lava lake, and try to learn more about what’s going on inside a mountain that could potentially kill thousands.

This photo, taken by Carsten Peter, shows a scientist walking on cooled lava within the volcano’s caldera. The red color comes from a reflection of the light off the nearby lava lake. There’s lots more breath-taking photos on the National Geographic site.

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Scientists journey into an active volcano crater