So, before a company of the same name started making your e-readers, the Amazon was a river. And now, thanks to Google, you can take a boat ride down that body of water, without having to deal with all of those scary river monsters. In celebration of World Forest Day, Google has added a tour of the Amazon to the Street View functionality of Maps. Interested parties can travel down the river and hike along trails with 360 degree panoramic views, courtesy of some 50,000 photos nabbed with help from the Street View trike.

Google Street View takes you to the Amazon, without all the pesky piranhas originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Mar 2012 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scientists have created a teeny tiny rocket that could swim around in your stomach and fix whatever ails you. You may have heard similar tales before, but this version has an excellent chance of landing in your gut thanks to a hydrogen-powered motor fueled by a hydrogen bubble. More »

D'ya know what'd make up for a nineteen-year wait? Well, Project Sora thinks the answer is a plastic peripheral. Yes the long, long awaited Kid Icarus: Uprising looks like it'll be bundled with an official "Nintendo 3DS Stand," according to a tweet by the game's maker. It's no doubt a practical addition, as those analog-plus-touchscreen controls look like they'd make your arms tired -- which is probably what got Icarus in trouble in the first place. No word on price for the goods at this time or even if it'll travel across the pacific, but we're keeping our primary feathers crossed.

Kid Icarus: Uprising flies too close to the 3DS, gets bundled with a stand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Christian, who seems to be into the idea of traveling sans wires. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I am looking for some AirPlay-enabled speakers that I can use to travel with. They should support 110 to 240 volt and have WiFi built-in so I don't have to carry around an AP. Also, it would be cool if this WiFi could connect to the hotel network, if possible. Thanks!"

It'd also be cool if you share any relevant advice down in comments below. Cheers!

Ask Engadget: best AirPlay speakers for travel? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Milk Truck is part art work, part public service. It was created by Jill Miller for an exhibition at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It'll also travel the streets providing a safe place for nursing mothers. More »

If you know anything about the history of spaceflight, you're probably already familiar with the historic journey of USSR cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who flew around the Earth in 1961, making him the first person to ever travel beyond our planet's atmosphere. While audio recordings of Gagarin's observations exist, there are no video recordings except for those recently shot at the ISS following a similar plot of his trip, directed by Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, who currently lives on the space station. This video has now been matched up with Gagarin's audio, and made into a film to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his flight, which is on April 12th. The movie will be made available on that date for free download on YouTube.

Film recreation of Soviet cosmonaut Gagarin's historic spaceflight to be shown off next month originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 07:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you've ever struggled to jam your clunky carry-on bag into an overhead compartment then you might appreciate Truco. It's a three-piece carry-on bag which can be separated or reshaped as necessary. More »

I'm sure a few of you out there are stuck in an airport right now, dreading your annual Christmas trip home. You might as well eat right before you board that plane. Esquire has you covered. More »

A project funded by the European Commission is working to develop an infrastructure for self-driving cars. The system, called SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment), will allow cars to autonomously travel in a convoy. Also, testing begins NOW. More »

Here we go again, unfortunately. Both 9 to 5 Mac and Ars Technica are reporting a new spat of potentially-fraudulent apps climbed the iTunes charts today, now in the Travel section. This time, the culprit's purported to be Chinese-based WiiSHii and a series of "GYOYO" Chinese- and English-language maps. The two publications have a screenshot each showing the apps climbing the charts, as well as an apparent receipt from one customer who unwittingly found charges for the software on his or her bill -- and yeah, we see them, too, albeit not topping any charts as of this writing. So yet again, we advise caution and double-checking your payment history. Le sigh.

iTunes fraud takes trip to travel section? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you were curious exactly how much fireworks fun you're legally allowed to have tomorrow—or how far you'll have to travel to buy the good stuff—look no further than this handy map of state-by-state fireworks legality. More »

Fireworks - Pyrotechnics - Technology - Independence Day - Associations

O2 UK announced today that it will only offer the iPhone 4 to current customers when the handset launches on June 24th. The wireless carrier cites extremely limited stock as the basis for this potentially controversial decision. Folks looking to score an iPhone by signing up now with O2 are out of luck as the iPhone will only be offered to wireless, home broadband, and home phone customers who have been with O2 since May 24th, 2010. Current customers will have to travel to a brick and mortar store to snag an iPhone as the incredibly hot handset will not be available online from O2 until the end of July. Once the supply of iPhones is no longer limited, O2 will finally make the handset available to new customers.

Thanks, Andrew!

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The 20meter (diagonally) solar sail Ikaros we mentioned last month has been successfully unfurled in space by its Japanese team. Now it's a waiting game to see if it can be used for solar-powered travel as planned. More »

Japan - Technology - Energy - Solar sail - Renewable

According to Stephen Hawking, building a time machine isn't hard: "All you need is a wormhole, the Large Hadron Collider or a rocket that goes really, really fast." Just grab one of those and hop right through the fourth dimension. More »

Time Travel - Stephen Hawking - Physics - Large Hadron Collider - Relativity

According to Stephen Hawking, building a time machine isn't hard: "All you need is a wormhole, the Large Hadron Collider or a rocket that goes really, really fast." Just grab one of those and hop right through the fourth dimension. More »

Time Travel - Stephen Hawking - Physics - Large Hadron Collider - Relativity

Those that hate Google but travel frequently might feel a bit conflicted over the next couple of months because of Google’s holiday gift to America. Starting today and ending on January 15th, Google will be offering up free, no strings attached Wi-Fi at 47 airports while Virgin American flyers will be getting free in-flight Wi-Fi as of the 18th. The In addition to this, Google has set up a way for travelers at each airport to donate to charities Engineers Without Borders, the One Economy Corporation and Climate Savers Computing Initiative. Google will match each airports donations up to $250,000 and will also give the most generous airport $15,000 for the charity of its choosing.

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