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See how the Moto X is made

Not everyone gets to walk behind the tech industry's velvet ropes. So when Motorola opened the gates to its Fort Worth, Texas facility -- the place where custom Moto X's are made -- we were there to bring you an inside look. And in the interest of getting you even more intimately acquainted with the Google company's assembled in the USA smartphone production hub, we have something almost as good as being there: a behind-the-scenes video tour. So, what are you waiting for... an invite? Head past the break to glimpse phase one of this whole new Motorola and see Governor Rick Perry spike an iPhone 5.

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Ready to save some cash on your tech buys? Then you've come to the right place. Our sister site gdgt tracks price drops on thousands of products every day, and twice a week they feature some of the best deals they've found right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won't last long.

gdgt deals

Today's hottest deals are the highly-praised Samsung Galaxy S 4 at the lowest price we've seen, as well as a Belkin Surge Protector available for a song. Join gdgt and add the gadgets you're shopping for to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut, you'll get an email alert!

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Eric Migicovsky talks Pebble 20, smartwatch philosophy and what's wrong with the competition

Pebble is an unequivocal success story thus far -- setting Kickstarter funding records and making its way to retail outlets. However, the road it's taken hasn't been been all smooth, and at TechCrunch Disrupt today, company CEO Eric Migicovsky spoke about Pebble's beginnings and some of the challenges it faced as a hardware startup. Migicovsky said that he first started working on Pebble's precursor five years ago, not because he thought it would become a business but because "it was something I wanted to have," he said. That first prototype was essentially a hacked Arduino strapped to his wrist, and while it "didn't work too well as a watch" due to poor battery life and performance, he got a lot of positive feedback from other folks who saw it. Those folks geeking out over that prototype is what convinced him to enter the smartwach business.

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GoPro CEO Nicholas Woodman on building a Google Glassstyle wearable don't count on it

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple years, odds are you've seen one of Nicholas Woodman's little cube cameras strapped to someone's chest or stuck to a car. Today at TechCrunch Disrupt 2013, the GoPro CEO was asked if he'd be interested in moving beyond the cube and mount form factor and into something more svelte, Glass-like, even. While he found value in Google Glass' ability to shoot first-person video, Woodman isn't so keen on such a device due to its limited use case (it can really only be worn on your face). "The Google Glass form factor doesn't provide the versatility that has been so key to GoPro's success," he said, before going on to extol the virtues of having a camera that can be mounted on your chest, your car or pretty much anywhere. Essentially, he sees the fact that GoPro can provide any point of view for video as a key selling point for his cameras.

Instead, Woodman sees Glass (or other such wearables) as an excellent way for folks to interact with GoPro cameras. He pointed out the camera line's functionality with current smartphones -- using a handset as a remote control, or previewing and sharing footage, noting that wearables could provide similar features, only in hands-free fashion. So, we won't see any new GoPro models meant solely for wearing, but you can bet we'll be seeing a GoPro Glass app at some point.

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Motorola's American Dream unbridled customization, twoday shipping and one big Texas factory

It wasn't supposed to happen this way: Motorola had picked the date for its Fort Worth, Texas facility's dedication ceremony first. But then Apple went ahead to claim the date and stole the day's spotlight with its new iPhone reveals. No matter, as the gathering of press, factory workers and bold-faced names -- Google Chairman Eric Schmidt and Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- seemed minorly preoccupied with the major news of the day. We were in the midst of Nokia's old manufacturing plant, after all, now the birthplace of all custom-made Moto X's and there was the spirit of American manufacturing to celebrate.

To drive that point home, some very Springsteen-ish tunes were pumped over the loudspeakers as we all patiently awaited the end of Cupertino's product showcase and the start of Motorola's "we can too make it in the USA" toldja moment. I even half-expected Miley Cyrus to jump onstage with an assortment of teddy bears brandishing raver-hued Moto X's. She didn't and an Americana Twitter-trending hashtag moment was missed. Still there was one exceptional and unscripted highlight waiting in the wings. It wasn't CEO Dennis Woodside nose-thumbing at those unnamed rivals that said US-based production could and would never happen. Nor was it Schmidt's patriotic pledge to the Texas facility: "This is a bet we're taking on America ... on Texas [and] on this incredible workforce that's assembled here. We think this is a very, very safe bet." No. It was the moment Woodside presented Gov. Perry with a Moto X -- designed with Texan colors -- and Perry, in response, unceremoniously spiked his iPhone to the floor below. Yes, the moment is caught on tape.

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Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.

IRL: Mad Catz's Rat M portable gaming mouse

We suppose if there are folks who'd prefer a gaming laptop as their primary PC, then there must also be a market for portable gaming mice. But would you pay $115 for one?

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New PlayStation Vita and PS Vita TV eyeson

Two new devices from Sony today -- and we're still a little shocked. Alongside a thinner, improved PS Vita, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House took to the stage to introduce a little TV-connected device called the PS Vita TV. It's capable of playing Vita games, handling Connected Play with your future PS4 and running a whole host of media and streaming services. We weren't allowed to touch either device (though we admit we did handle the new Vita's controls a little bit, sorry Sony...) so you'll have to make do with our gallery of angles just below. Full hands-on impressions, it seems, will have to wait until next week.

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

DNP Inhabitat's Week in Green

Tesla has been on a tear this year, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the Silicon Valley-based electric car maker is using up the world's supply of lithium-ion batteries, spurring manufacturers to ramp up global production. In other green transportation news, Smart has unveiled the Fourjoy electric concept car in advance of the Frankfurt Motor Show. Barcelona launched the world's first public electric scooter-sharing scheme, which promises to help users save money and decrease fuel consumption. In Buffalo, a man built himself a 16-foot geodesic houseboat in just a few weeks for less than $2,000. And if you want to have your mind blown, check out the photos from this year's Bloemencorso Zundert flower parade in the Netherlands, which features floats made from thousands of flowers.

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iPhone 5S and 5C the rumor roundup

What exactly is happening with Apple's next iPhone? Will it be substantially cheaper? Come in gold? Or even sport a fingerprint scanner? And will it be enough to keep Apple on top, now that it's up against two software-hardware chimeras? The company's making plans for next week and we're likely to see not one, but two new iPhones revealed. Alongside a predictably retuned iPhone 5 (the 5S?), we might see the long-awaited appearance of a new, cheaper model, rumored to arrive under the 5C moniker.

Tim Cook has yet to make his mark on the company product-wise -- regardless of Apple's continued financial health. Steve Jobs was apparently well-involved in the development of the iPhone 5, even if it launched on Cook's watch, so a freshly designed phone or two could finally be his launch: a chance to silence critics and show them where he's taking Apple.

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Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! Today, we're talking fun stuff. Head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as we add them throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back; in early September, we'll be giving away a ton of gear, including some of the picks in our guides.

DNP Engadget's back to school guide 2013 fun stuff!

If we may paraphrase a tried-and-true saying, all work and no play makes one a very dull boy or girl. While laptops, tablets and smartphones are all essential pieces of study-time equipment, it's important to remember to cut loose and have a little fun every once in a while. To beat the midterm blues, check out top gadget picks below the break.

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