FAA writing rules for electric aircraft, to allow public to fly them in the next decade

There are those in the general aviation community who think electric planes are the future for private aircraft, but regulatory hurdles are in place preventing them from proliferating in our skies. You see, current FAA requirements for light sport aircraft (LSA) -- planes that can be flown by anyone with a pilot's license -- preclude electric powerplants, and that makes such planes unavailable to most private pilots. Well, today at the CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium, FAA analyst Tom Gunnarson delivered some good news for flying EV advocates, stating that the FAA has completed its regulatory study on electric aircraft, and the rulemaking process will begin soon. Once those rules have been written, electrically-propelled aircraft will be available for use as LSA by the public, which isn't possible today given their current status as experimental craft. The bad news? Governmental wheels spin slowly, and Gunnarson said that incorporating those new rules into the current regulatory framework will take five years if we're lucky, but ten years is a more likely time frame for the FAA to finish. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for air shows or terrestrial transport to get your EV fix.

FAA writing rules for electric aircraft, to allow public to fly them in the next decade originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hands-On: Google Drive Arrives In ChromeOS Developer Channel

Ever since Google released its cloud storage service Google Drive earlier this week, there has been some speculation as to what its integration with ChromeOS, Google's cloud-centric operating system, would look like. Today, Google released the first developer version of ChromeOS 20 with support for Google Drive. As expected, Google Drive is now deeply integrated into the ChromeOS file manager, though this is clearly just a first effort and still needs quite a bit of work.

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For Obama, bin Laden killing becomes campaign tool (The Arizona Republic)

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5 Takeaways from the Immigration Argument at the Supreme Court (Atlantic Politics Channel)

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Another Siri-Like App, Voice Answer, Hits The App Store For Those Of Us Without The iPhone 4S

Looks like Apple might be loosening its grip even more on voice recognition apps? Or, it simply just feels that the competition is not as good as its own native Siri. We've just gotten word from Netherlands-based developer Sparkling Apps that its voice-response app, Voice Answer -- rejected by Apple for the nearly three months -- has been approved by Apple and is now live in the App Store, and usable on any iPhone, iPod or iPad running iOS 4.2 or later. It took "almost three months of negotiating, tweaking and pushing," developer Martijn van der Spek tells TechCrunch. Like Siri, the app is based on data from Wolfram Alpha, among other sources, and lets users ask questions by either speaking to the app or typing in a question. It's priced at ?2.49 ($3.99).

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Tribeca Film Festival: Our Most Anticipated Movies

From a feel-good rom-com to a tear-jerking documentary, this year's festival has a variety of films we can't wait to see.
By Kevin P. Sullivan

Robert DeNiro
Photo: MTV News

The Tribeca Film Festival is now upon us, and with so many films playing this year, it can be hard to parse what's worth checking out.

As festival founder Robert De Niro told MTV News, his goal each year is to fill the lineup with quality films. "The goals are the movies. Have good movies and good choices," he said. "You can't always get what you want, but we try to get the best things that are out there."

We've looked through the lineup and awarded superlatives to some of this year's most talked-about movies at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Most Promising Short Film: "Pitch Black Heist"
Here's a movie that features Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham, who play thieves looking to steal the contents of a safe. The catch is that the office that houses the safe is equipped with a light-sensitive alarm, so they must conduct the heist in total darkness. If that doesn't persuade you to seek out this 14-minute short film, we're not sure you like movies that much.

Sundance Darling Award: "Searching for Sugar Man"
This stranger-than-fiction documentary chronicles the life of Rodriguez, an unsuccessful but influential Mexican-American folk singer, who supposedly committed suicide onstage. The doc follows two filmmakers who decide to find out what happen to Rodriguez. "Searching for Sugar Man" earned rave reviews out of Sundance this past January, so expect the same from Tribeca.

Best Superhero Movie: "The Avengers" (by default)
Honestly, this wasn't a very fair fight. Of course Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk are going to take the prize for Best Superhero Movie at an independent film festival. Though the movie doesn't exactly fit in the lineup, Joss Whedon's superhero extravaganza is New York to its very core, so what other film festival could host the event?

Best Movie We've Already Seen: "The Five-Year Engagement"
"The Five-Year Engagement" is the next effort from the guys who brought you "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and "The Muppets," Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller. Their new film has consistent belly laughs throughout and will leave you utterly charmed like no other rom-com in the past year. Segel and Emily Blunt both turn in believable performances that have you rooting for them from the first frame.

Short Doc Most Likely to Make Us Cry: "Alekesam"
"Alekesam" has a few key ingredients that make it a surefire weep-fest and a potentially huge hit at Tribeca. First, it's the real-life story of a musician, Hugh Masekela, who is exiled from his homeland of South Africa during the apartheid. Secondly, after years away, he attempts to re-establish contact with the son he left behind. Yep, the tears are already coming.

Doc Most Likely to Make Us Laugh Till We Cry: "Mansome"
Thankfully, we have Morgan Spurlock and a cast of some of the world's funniest men to cheer us up. "Mansome" is a look at modern man's grooming habits that features the likes of Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Paul Rudd and Jason Bateman.

Which movie from Tribeca Film Festival are you most excited to see? Let us know in the comments!

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Sprint announces the 'eco-friendly' Optimus Elite, available April 22 for $29.99

Today Sprint has announced that soon they will have their third Eco-Friendly device on the market, and it is again from LG. The LG Optimus Elite will be available on April 22, which is Earth Day, for a very favorable price of only $29.99 on contract. Featuring a 3.5-inch display, an 800 MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and more, this device looks to pack a decent punch for the price. If you are looking to pick up a new device, and want something Eco-Friendly that won't break the bank, this may be for you. Stay tuned for our full review in the coming weeks!

Source: Sprint

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The Best Android Apps

Android Central's guide to the best Android applications

Behold, our updated list of the best Android apps around. It's our hand-picked list of the best Android applications around. These are some of the first Android apps you'll want to download.

Keeping track of Android apps can be a huge pain. With the meteoric rise of Android to the top of the heap, 200,000 300,000 550,000 850,000 Android devices activated a day (and 450,000 apps in the Google Play Store), the landscape is rapidly changing at an almost breakneck pace. Fortunately for y'all, you've got a secret weapon on your hands: us. We're tirelessly dedicated to sorting through the muck, and we've picked some of the best Android apps around. Hop past the break to see some of Android's latest and hottest apps available today.

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