Word on the street had it that Tesla's $50 million deal with Toyota wasn't formal back in late May, but evidently things have made positive progress since. According to a new (though admittedly brief) report over at CNN, Toyota is currently working with the electric automaker on a pair of prototype vehicles. As the story goes, Tesla will be delivering two prototypes to Toyota "by the end of the month," with the vehicles using "Tesla's electric motors and battery packs and the bodies of Toyota vehicles." Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel has been quoted as saying that the two outfits have "made a lot of progress in a short amount of time," and we couldn't be more excited to see what kind of results will come from this tie-up. We can't help but hope that those regenerative brakes do a bit more than regenerate, though. Sorry, we had to. Really.

While we've no clue how widespread AT&T's generosity is, or how you might get one, it appears that the company's "most valuable customers" are now receiving free range-boosting femtocells. Today, loyal reader Jason got a old-fashioned paper letter in the mail, offering his iPhone-wielding family a 3G MicroCell with no strings attached. Driving down to the local AT&T store, he got the product, but the dumbfounded reps offered no explanation why. Though his calls do frequently drop at home, Jason says he wasn't terribly vocal about the issue and only pays around $180 per month for his family plan -- the only thing that might possibly qualify him, in his opinion, is that his contract was set to expire. We've reached out to AT&T for more information; in the meanwhile, see Jason's letter after the break.

[Thanks, Jason]

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Portraying the digital still camera as an endangered species has been a popular pastime for years in the cellphone industry, and with the high-resolution stills and high-definition video capabilities of the latest round of smartphones, the argument is more convincing than ever when applied to the casual snapshot. But this week at the World Expo in Shanghai, Canon -- a name synonymous with high-quality photography -- offered a vision of a device that not only supersedes the digital still camera, but will likely eliminate photography as we know it.

With an estimated arrival date two decades in the future, the Canon Wonder Camera concept device has an incredible focal length from macro to 500mm with a single, integrated lens. It boasts massive (unspecified) storage, ultra-high (also unspecified) resolution, multiple facial recognition capabilities beyond that available today, and the ability to keep everything viewable in focus at the same time. But perhaps the most radical thing about this camera is that it's really a camcorder. Rather than take individual stills, Wonder Camera owners would simply have their pick of perfectly crisp photos as frames grabbed from video.

Word on the street is that only 170 Droid X handsets have leaked out from the mothership so far, but in the off chance you're in that elite group of early early adopters, it seems Verizon has cured a snag that was preventing you from activating the phone on its network. As of Friday afternoon, it's said that "system provisions were put in place" to allow the beasts to be used the way Motorola intended, so go forth and put that crusty old V3m out of its misery. Oh, and as for the rest of you: well, keep on waiting a few more days.

[Thanks, Ben R.]

The rumor mill's been churning out quite the picture of RIM's Blackberry tablet over the past several months, and it's a research analyst who's most recently picked up the brush -- Ashok Kumar of Rodman & Renshaw, to be precise, who anticipates a 7-inch touchscreen device with a 1GHz processor, plus front- and back-facing cameras for video chat. Since that's a good 1.9 inches smaller than the slate rumored a couple months back, this latest spiel fills us with doubt... but hey, it's not like we had confirmation that RIM was even producing such a device, anyhow. It may be a while before we find out for sure, as Kumar told investors that even should the company succeed in an attempt to move up the schedule, the device still wouldn't launch until the end of the year.

Well, this is genuinely awesome: it seems AT&T is pulling back from its ban on third-party sideloaded apps on its Android devices, because HTC has just released an Aria update that enables them (either that or HTC just went rogue here, but we highly doubt it). While that doesn't have much practical implication for your typical smartphone user, it's a strong sign that AT&T might be ready to take a more reasonable stance on the openness of its branded devices that would put it inline with the attitudes Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile have all taken with their Android phones so far. Additionally, the update includes "the Mobile Network sharing function," which we take to mean a mobile hotspot app in the same vein as the one that's shipping with Froyo -- if we had to guess, it probably requires AT&T's 2GB DataPro plan plus the tethering add-on, which would put it in line with what they're charging on the iPhone. Onward and upward, AT&T.

Update: We got downright excited for a second there, but an HTC spokesman just called to inform us there's been a mistake -- this download is only for the desktop HTC Sync client and doesn't actually enable anything on the phone. We're working to get more information right now, but it sounds like the sideloading ball is still squarely in AT&T's court.

Update 2: HTC apologizes for the confusion, saying the update description was in error -- it was merely supposed to read that the Aria now works with the company's desktop sync client. On Monday, the text will be updated to remove every last ounce of false hope.

[Thanks, Dylan T.]

So this little number just rolled into our tips inbox -- and at a glance, it appears to be the anti-Droid X, if that makes any sense. We're being told this is the Motorola WX445 for Verizon (street name unknown), featuring Android 2.1, a flash-less camera of unknown pixel count, a touchscreen ranging somewhere between 2.5 and 3 inches, and a pretty light 1170mAh battery on board. Our tipster tells us it runs Blur, though we imagine it's possible it runs the Blur-esque skin seen on the Droid X that doesn't actually make use of Moto's back end to do its deed. We're also told it's "not a very impressive phone" and resembles a keyboardless Pre Plus in the flesh "but cheaper looking," so needless to say, you're not going to be cross-shopping this against an EVO 4G; if anything, we suppose it might make a decent Devour alternative. More on this one as we get it.

[Thanks, Besiktas Fan]

Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 has been out and about for some time, facing off against the competition and predictably getting ripped to shreds. Now it has reached the next natural step of its evolution: receiving the root treatment by a bloke at xda-developers. User Bin4ry over there has posted step-by-step instructions on how to locate your device ID, re-flash your phone, and then enable superuser abilities. It all looks particularly straightforward, as far as these things go, and so if you're looking for a bit more control this weekend don't hesitate to click on through.

Is this the honest-to-goodness iPhone 4 jailbreak we've been waiting for, or just another userland JB? It's hard to say from here... but either way, don't expect Geohot to release it into the wild. In a mildly jaded blog post, the original iPhone hacker makes it clear that whatever he did here was for his own amusement, and judging by the title of that entry ("Meh") the whole breaking-and-entering bit isn't giving him quite the same chuckles it used to. That's a shame, but we hear the iPhone Dev Team is making progress apace, so let's leave Geohot to tackle one of his other promised hacks, mmmkay?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Critix has been touting its "Nirvana phone" concept -- a handheld device that can be paired with a monitor / keyboard for remote desktop use -- for quite some time now. Back in February, the minimum hardware specs were nothing to challenging, and as it turns out, Apple's iPhone 4 pretty much exceeds 'em by a long shot. And it has VGA out capabilities and Bluetooth keyboard support. So, you can imagine where this is going. The company is back in what looks like the same depressing cubicle space to show off what looks to be a mature demo of the Receiver 4.0 virtual desktop client on an iDevice, pushing 1024 x 768 resolution and some gesture integration as a mouse replacement. There's definitely some noticeable lag, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Video after the break.

That original Motorola Droid looking long in tooth? Not sure what to do with it once you upgrade to Incredible, X, or even the progenitor's most direct descendant? Take a cue from Mike Partain, who threw in a Lego NXT Robot kit and some ingenuity to create a rather clever proof of concept. The building blocks serve as the bulk of the structure and motor skills, the phone serves as camera, GPS, and compass. The missing links between these two elements and Partain's remote controlling are three little pieces of complex software... so maybe it's not in your immediate future, but having a few dreams and vicariously living through the videos after the break should get you through the weekend, right? And if you really want to fiddle with one yourself, the source code has been provided.

No patience to wait until Q3 for an official Froyo build? Fret not, dear Desire owners, as udK_dev has managed to push out a near-perfect Android 2.2 port that's working spectacularly well so far. As you'd expect, HTC's Sense overlay is indeed baked in, and while there are still a few quirks here and there, users seem to be generally pleased with how it's going. Better still, the camera has been upgraded to handle 720p video recording, so there's that. Hit the source link for the how-to, but make sure you set aside a few hours first. Or maybe just one.

[Thanks, seaders]

A visual recap of the day's articles

Jul 9th 2010 | 37 Articles

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/renault-dezir-recharges-while-you-stare-not-while-you-wait/

12:49 am

52 Comments

Renault DeZir recharges while you stare, not while you wait

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/artist-uses-gps-to-map-things-the-old-fashioned-way-walking-aro/

1:52 am

19 Comments

Artist uses GPS to map things the old-fashioned way: walking around

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/asus-eee-pc-1215n-to-ship-in-the-us-at-the-end-of-august/

3:06 am

43 Comments

ASUS Eee PC 1215N to ship in the US at the end of August

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/comscore-android-grows-us-smartphone-market-share-as-all-others/

2:17 am

210 Comments

ComScore: Android grows US smartphone market share as all others decline

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/iriver-wifi-story-turns-to-the-overpriced-wireless-connectivity/

3:41 am

10 Comments

iriver WiFi Story turns to the 'overpriced wireless connectivity' chapter

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/big-brother-uk-invaded-by-titan-the-robot-video/

4:57 am

20 Comments

Big Brother UK invaded by Titan the robot (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/keepin-it-real-fake-likea-leica-only-not/

4:22 am

24 Comments

Keepin' it real fake: Likea Leica, only not

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/ostylus-capacitive-pen-is-worthy-of-an-oface/

5:49 am

53 Comments

oStylus capacitive pen is worthy of an oFace (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/toy-story-3-in-4k-3d-does-higher-res-equal-higher-enjoyment/

6:54 am

99 Comments

Toy Story 3 in 4K 3D: does higher-res equal higher enjoyment?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/kokonatchi-bots-are-really-incredibly-excited-about-your-twitte/

6:23 am

24 Comments

Kokonatchi bots are really, incredibly excited about your Twitter stream

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/cowons-v5w-pmp-a-v5-with-100-percent-more-wifi/

8:12 am

25 Comments

Cowon's V5W PMP: a V5 with 100 percent more WiFi

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/acircuit-board-live-wallpaper-is-amazing-video/

7:20 am

119 Comments

aCircuit Board live wallpaper is aMazing (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/china-renews-googles-license-to-host/

6:59 am

40 Comments

China renews Google's license to host

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/brandos-usb-mailbox-lights-up-thrills-your-heart-when-email-ar/

9:10 am

21 Comments

Brando's USB mailbox lights up, thrills your heart when email arrives

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/panasonic-lumix-dmc-g2-reviewed-premium-features-warrant-its-pr/

8:46 am

24 Comments

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2 reviewed, premium features warrant its premium price

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/ntp-awakes-sues-apple-microsoft-google-htc-lg-and-motorola/

9:53 am

92 Comments

NTP awakes, sues Apple, Microsoft, Google, HTC, LG, and Motorola over wireless email patents

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/in-a-world-of-automotive-cellphone-hate-ford-promotes-sync-as-t/

9:31 am

92 Comments

In a world of automotive cellphone hate, Ford promotes SYNC as the solution

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/acer-timelinex-4820t-review/

11:00 am

65 Comments

Acer TimelineX 4820T review

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/what-is-this-tiny-apple-touchscreen-that-just-leaked-in-taiwan/

10:41 am

282 Comments

What is this tiny Apple touchscreen that just leaked in Taiwan?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/oncors-take-a-load-off-texas-campaign-offers-dallas-resident/

10:16 am

21 Comments

Oncor's 'Take a Load Off, Texas' campaign offers Dallas residents smarter thermostats

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/researchers-remotely-control-worms-using-magnetic-nanoparticles/

11:54 am

13 Comments

Researchers remotely control worms using magnetic nanoparticles, tomorrow: people?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/energy-sistem-launches-52-touch-line-of-mp5-renders-featuring-tv/

11:31 am

12 Comments

Energy Sistem launches 52 Touch line of MP5 renders featuring TV output

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/shear-thickening-liquid-hardens-upon-impact-makes-for-lighter-a/

1:14 pm

71 Comments

Shear-thickening liquid hardens upon impact, makes for lighter and more effective body armor

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/spruce-deuce-robot-drummer-is-a-fleshbag-percussionists-worst-n/

12:51 pm

41 Comments

Spruce Deuce robot drummer is a fleshbag percussionist's worst nightmare (video)

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/how-to-resize-your-sim-and-drink-the-sweet-nectar-of-mobile-fre/

12:20 pm

75 Comments

How-to: resize your SIM, change your APN, and drink the sweet nectar of mobile freedom

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/apple-patent-application-details-instant-product-research-via-ip/

1:57 pm

44 Comments

Apple patent application details instant product research via iPhone, more NFC possibilities

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/mysterious-dell-mini-3v-outted-by-chinese-mobile-regulator-does/

1:35 pm

37 Comments

Mysterious Dell Mini 3v outed by Chinese mobile regulator, OS unknown

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/lenovos-multitouch-ideacentre-b305-all-in-one-now-shipping/

3:03 pm

23 Comments

Lenovo's multitouch IdeaCentre B305 all-in-one now shipping

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/kaossonome-rears-its-head-guitar-center-changes-name-to-arduino/

2:31 pm

9 Comments

Kaossonome rears its head; Guitar Center changes name to Arduino Center

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/deluxe-reverse-geocache-is-reusable-really-awesome/

4:04 pm

33 Comments

Deluxe Reverse Geocache is reusable, really awesome

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/engadget-podcast-204-qanda-bonanza-07-09-2010/

3:37 pm

12 Comments

Engadget Podcast 204: Q&A Bonanza - 07.09.2010

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/hacker-uses-nixie-tubes-to-make-sudoku-interesting/

5:02 pm

15 Comments

Hacker uses Nixie Tubes to make Sudoku interesting

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/playstation-blu-ray-3d-update-arrives-in-september-3d-photo-pl/

4:26 pm

47 Comments

PlayStation Blu-ray 3D update arrives in September; 3D photo, PlayTV and YouTube support to follow

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/youtube-moves-solidly-into-the-future-by-supporting-4k-content/

6:04 pm

69 Comments

YouTube moves solidly into the future by supporting 4K content

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/htc-says-evo-4gs-30fps-cap-on-video-output-cant-be-increased/

5:31 pm

92 Comments

HTC says EVO 4G's 30fps cap on video output can't be increased

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/iphone-atandt-exclusivity-lawsuit-granted-class-action-certificati/

7:02 pm

40 Comments

iPhone AT&T exclusivity lawsuit granted class-action certification, every AT&T iPhone customer included

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/09/googles-larry-page-steve-jobs-is-rewriting-history-by-saying/

6:31 pm

94 Comments

Google's Larry Page: Steve Jobs is 'rewriting history' by saying Android came after the iPhone

Featured stories What is this tiny Apple touchscreen that just leaked in Taiwan? Toy Story 3 in 4K 3D: does higher-res equal higher enjoyment? How-to: resize your SIM, change your APN, drink the sweet nectar of mobile freedom Acer TimelineX 4820T review

Other news of import iPhone AT&T exclusivity lawsuit granted class-action certification, every AT&T iPhone customer included Google's Larry Page: Steve Jobs is 'rewriting history' to say Android followed iPhone NTP awakes, sues Apple, Microsoft, Google, HTC, LG, and Motorola over wireless email patents

Archos has been a player in the PMP market for a few centuries now (a rough estimate, anyway), and to say that the universe was jazzed at the mere thought of a 7-inch tablet for under $200 would be understating things dramatically. We found more things wrong with the Archos 7 Home Tablet than we could've ever imagined going in, but still, for under two C-notes, we have to believe that a few of you flipped on the blinders and made the purchase anyway. For those in that camp, we're interesting to find how you feel about it now. Is the size right? Is the OS as impressive as you thought it would be? Are you longing for a larger display? Imagine you had the keys to Archos' design lab and had the power to overhaul this bad boy, then have a sip of your favorite fruit juice and drop your thoughts in comments below. In that order, por favor.

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.

True revolutions in faucet designs may be few and far between, but China's Renshui is certainly doing its part to shake things up, and has now introduced yet another faucet sure to amaze and confuse visitors to your humble abode. In addition to breaking with the usual faucet design, this model packs a touch panel that will let you switch between hot and cold water, or dial in the exact temperature you want -- which is, of course, displayed on the faucet itself (it'll even warn you if the water is getting too hot). No word on availability over here, but it did recently win a red dot design award, so the chances of a release may have gotten a bit better.

We guess this is a "good" thing in a roundabout way, but Fring has just dropped the knowledge that its video calling update for the iPhone 4 has been so wildly successful that they've been forced to temporarily restrict Skype access to "free up capacity" for direct Fring-to-Fring calls. Hopefully the company is hard at work beefing up its infrastructure to bring everything back to normal -- but in the meantime, at least you've got an easy way to look your EVO-toting friends square in the face without having to actually see them in the flesh. Perish the thought!

[Thanks, Roy]