Engadget

When Miiverse first hit the web, Nintendo called it a beta experience. It was an apt description -- the web app lacked the ability to manage friends, tweak user details or create new posts. Today, things are looking a bit better: Nintendo quietly pushed an update for the service this week, adding in all those features and the ability to view most posts without logging in. Users itching to send private messages or share drawings still need to boot up their Wii U. Nintendo hasn't said if this means if Miiverse's web presence is out of beta, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Now, where's that 3DS support we were promised?

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An official extended battery for its Wii U Gamepad isn't the only thing Nintendo Japan posted on its website tonight, as it also added a white option for the Wii U 32GB Premium set, a 30th Anniversary Luigi special edition 3DS XL and quick charging option for the Wiimote. Surveys surfaced earlier this year suggesting a fast charging option on the way for the Wiimote, and in Japan gamers will be able to add the accessory -- consisting of replacement battery / backplate and charging stand, pictured after the break -- starting July 13th for 4,200 yen ($41) , and 2,625 yen ($26) for the battery alone. That should allow not only faster charging, but also longer battery life than Wii gamers have been used to.

July 13th is the same day the white Wii U premium will arrive as well, coming at the same price and packing the same accessories as the existing black 32GB console. Finally, Nintendo listed all the details for the special Luigi edition 3DS XL announced recently on Nintendo Direct. Of course, none of these are the games that even Iwata admits the Wii U needs, but a few more choices can't hurt, can they?

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Bummed out about the Wii U GamePad's middling battery life? Nintendo finally has an answer: install a bigger battery. Taking to Twitter these evening, Nintendo revealed has that a new larger capacity GamePad battery will be available in Japan soon, promising between 5-8 hours of battery life. The 2,550mAh battery will cost ¥3,000 yen (about $39) when it launches this July, and will need to be installed manually by the user. There's no word yet on international availability, but it's a welcome band-aid for problem that nagged early adopters. Hungry for all of the (machine translated) details? Check out the official announcement at the attached source link.

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A preview build of the Windows Phone 8 app for desktop has been around, but today Microsoft has released a full-fledged version and thrown in some new features to boot. In addition to bug fixes, the stable build comes with the capability to sync files from any folder in your computer (even if it's an external hard drive), sync non-iTunes podcasts and install updates within the app. Of course, it can still be used to sync media between mobile devices and Windows 7 or 8 PCs, import playlists and monitor how much storage space each type of content is eating up on your phone. You can visit the source for a download link if you own a WP8 device, but check out the sync wizard first if you're unsure what software to use to sync your files -- trust us, it's much more useful than Clippy ever was.

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We've already seen pictures (and video) of the water-defiant Samsung Galaxy S 4 Active, so despite its unannounced status, it's difficult to refute its existence. Fortunately, we're starting to get even more evidence that its launch is rapidly approaching, as an AT&T-compliant version of the rugged device -- the SGH-I537 to be exact -- has made its way through the federal approval process. As you may already know, this is by no means any guarantee that it will be picked up by the mammoth GSM operator, but its inclusion of the same four LTE bands found in most current AT&T smartphones (2, 4, 5 and 17, if you're curious) is a pretty positive indicator. We're still in the woods as to the exact specs, but we're bracing ourselves for a midrange handset that doesn't sport quite the same oomph as its original namesake; that said, it appears to at least be a slick-looking rugged device, which is a rarity these days. It wouldn't surprise us to see this beaut in its full sporty glory June 20th in London, but we'll have to wait it out a few weeks to know if our hunch was right.

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Elon Musk is being interviewed tonight at the D11 conference, and gave an early preview of news coming tomorrow: his company's Supercharger EV stations will be available in more areas soon. The network will triple its coverage area this month, and he predicts Tesla owners will be able to drive from LA to NY using only Superchargers by the end of 2013. As he mentions, the company is adding more density to "well-traveled routes", as well as increasing overall coverage, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow to get a map. That's all consistent with promises made at the network's launch, when he said it will allow the Model S to drive across the country for free. Another thing making that easier is an incoming software patch for the cars that will let drivers route directly to the nearest Supercharger -- perhaps Tesla can get John Broder to give it a shot first.

There's going to be a dramatic acceleration of the supercharging network. By the end of next month, we'll triple the supercharger coverage area. There's a map that'll go live tomorrow, obviously.

By the end of this year -- you'll be able to drive from LA to NY just using the supercharger network. We're improving the density of superchargers in well-traveled routes, as well as the overall coverage area.

Follow along with our liveblog right here.

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We can't argue that the Tesla Model S is not only a great achievement in the EV industry and a looker as well, but there are still a lot of people unconvinced by the $70,000 sticker price ($60k, if you count the tax credits). CEO Elon Musk is definitely aware of that particular concern, and stated tonight at D11 that there's a very good chance we'll see Teslas in three years for half the price -- and 20 percent smaller, to boot. Speaking with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, Musk mentioned he started the company with a three-step strategy to get to mass market, with the Roadster and Model S being the first two steps. The third step, naturally, would be to offer options that are more affordable: according to Musk, "I think every major product needs at least three iterations to get to the mass market -- I know cellphones have had much more than that." While we wait for 2016-17, we'll start saving some of our pennies, but fortunately we may not have to pinch all of them.

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Elon Musk is a busy man. He's also a man who isn't afraid to speak his mind, as we found out during his SXSW keynote earlier this year. This evening, he's capping off a day of interviews at D11 with one of his own. As CEO of both Tesla Motors and SpaceX, he knows a thing or two about transportation -- both within this atmosphere and beyond. Grab a cup of cocoa and join us after the break as we cover it live, won't you?

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Calling a clock the most accurate ever may sound like hyperbole, but physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado have built a pair of devices that can claim that title. The team used an optical lattice to address an issue that plagues atomic clockmakers: constantly shifting frequencies that negatively impact the accuracy of their measurements. For example, a single second can be defined by the frequency of light emitted by an atom when electrons jump from one state to the next, but those frequencies change as the atom moves. The optical lattice essentially suspends atoms to minimize the Doppler effect produced by that movement. By combining the lattice with the element ytterbium, the group was able to create a device that measures time with a precision of one part in 10¹⁸. To put that into perspective, Andrew Ludlow, one of the paper's authors, said, "A measurement at the 10¹⁸ fractional level is equivalent to specifying the age of the known universe to a precision of less than one second." To read more about the team's work, you can find the full PDF at the source.

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