Engadget

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo might not have the flashiest name, but a lack of nominal originality didn't stop it from completing its second test flight today at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Back in April, SpaceShipTwo's first flight hit an altitude of 55,000 feet (traveling at Mach 1.2) before descending, but this time around, the little rocket plane that could one-upped itself. After being ferried to a height of approximately 40,000 feet by carrier-craft WhiteKnightTwo, the ship soared to an impressive 69,000 feet at Mach 1.4 while the engine roared for a total of 20 seconds. The outing, led by pilots Mark Stucky and Clint Nichols, also marked the first test of the craft's wing-tilting re-entry system. According to Virgin's Sir Richard Branson, SpaceShipTwo's progress means that the company is still on track to launch its commercial service in 2014. To see the test flight for yourself, check out the video after the break.

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In a commendable move, the NFL Players Association is contracting with Uber for the 2013-2014 season in an attempt to keep intoxicated athletes from getting behind the wheel. Each player will receive a personalized keychain card that contains $200 credit for the on-demand ridesharing service, which will complement an existing telephone-based service that's offered by the union. Uber currently operates in 17 of the NFL's 31 cities, which isn't ideal, but the service is expanding at a respectable pace. The agreement stands as Uber's biggest deal with major league sports to date, which previously provided a trial service to the San Francisco Giants. Naturally, we'd like to see other players' organizations and teams get on board with similar programs, which could help prevent tragedies such as the one that took the life of a Dallas Cowboys player last year.

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Despite Microsoft's claims that the Surface family of tablets was a representation of "no compromise," many road warriors have found the battery life to be... well, compromised. In order to address said concerns, it's looking as if Microsoft will be launching a line of Power Covers. In a nutshell, these battery-inclusive Type Covers will snap onto Surface tablets as the existing ones do now, but a bump in thickness (from 0.21-inches to 0.38-inches) will add "significant" life. Interestingly, WinSupersite is reporting that the covers won't ship until after the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, and the original Surface RT won't be compatible. Oh, and as for pricing? Mum's the word, as you might expect for an unconfirmed accessory.

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All-you-can-eat subscriptions work well for digital magazines, music and videos; why shouldn't they work for e-books? Oyster certainly thinks they should, as it just launched a flat-rate book service for iPhone users. Members pay $10 per month for unfettered access to about 100,000 books from HarperCollins, Hougton Mifflin Harcourt and smaller publishers. The unlimited-use model also facilitates a Goodreads-like social component that shows what friends are reading at any given moment. Bookworms can request an invitation today. Oyster hasn't said if or when the service will go without invitations, but it hopes to release an iPad app in the near future.

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Now that we know the release date for Microsoft's Xbox One, it's only natural for the company to start an ad campaign showcasing some features that are part of its next-generation console. Unlike what most would expect, however, the first video advertising the Xbox One isn't touting one of its main purposes: gaming. Instead, this particular 31-second spot focuses heavily on the new Xbox's integration with Skype and NFL-tailored features -- some of which include watching games live, built-in Fantasy Football and having access to personalized highlights. Of course, this is only the beginning, so expect to catch an ad with casual gamers actors playing Titanfall or FIFA 14 in the not-so-distant future. Check out the video for yourself right past the jump.

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Outside the US, Kobo is a major player in the e-reader space. Here in the states, however, mentioning the name will almost certainly elicit baffled stares. In 2011, the company was hit particularly hard when Borders, its main retail partner, shuttered. Since then, Kobo's been attempting to rebuild through networks of independent booksellers. One glaring misstep aside, Kobo has since put out solid devices, ones that could even stand up against what Amazon and Barnes & Noble are selling. Earlier this year, the company took this a step further with the Aura HD, a pricey, high-spec, 7-inch device for hardcore readers. Kobo didn't expect to move many units. The HD now accounts for a quarter of Kobo's e-reader sales. Clearly the company was onto something.

As the successor to last year's Glo, the new Kobo Aura splits the difference between luxury and mainstream, borrowing some elements from the HD and giving them new life in a more affordable 6-inch device. In this case, "more affordable" means $150 -- that's still $20 more than the Glo and $30 more than the Paperwhite. The company's also made some updates on the software end, including, notably, the addition of the Pocket reading app. So, do the upgrades justify the asking price?

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KDDI and Softbank already enjoy the fruits of Apple's labor. Now, according to a report from Nikkei, NTT DoCoMo could be joining the party later this month. When Cupertino takes the wraps off its latest iOS handset(s) on September 10th, its expected that DoCoMo will be added to the list of Japanese carriers selling the device. Rumors were circulating in late August that the two parties were in talks to bring the iPhone to Japan's largest mobile company, and now it appears to be a done deal. Unfortunately, there's not much detail beyond that. DoCoMo subscribers will just have to wait patiently for Apple to brighten their day.

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