|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If there's one benefit to living in the technological backwater that is Europe, it's that "innovations" like iAds take a little longer to filter though -- but filter through they eventually do, as evidenced by Apple's announcement that its mobile advertising platform is hitting the Old World this December. French and British iOS users will get to enjoy being pestered by L'Oreal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Nespresso, Perrier, and Unilever next month, while their German counterparts will have their lives enriched in January. This follows on the heels of news that iAds is headed to Japan in early 2011 as well, covering the biggest developed markets with glorious promotional material. Advertisers don't seem to be shying away from the platform, either, as Apple boasts it has signed up half of the top 25 US ad buyers (as judged by Ad Age). Full press release follows after the break. Continue reading Apple bringing iAds to Europe in December, nobody rejoices Apple bringing iAds to Europe in December, nobody rejoices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We were undeniably excited about Netflix coming to the iPhone and iPad, but according to CEO Reed Hastings -- who spoke on the subject during a Web 2.0 Summit panel discussion -- that move has actually had little impact on the company's business. In his mind, these results indicate that consumers just aren't interested in streaming long-form video on mobile devices and instead prefer the experience on bigger screens. To support his conclusion, Hastings cited how Netflix integration on the Xbox 360, PS3, and Mac significantly grew its subscriber base. While we personally disagree with his judgment on mobile and grant him honorary captain obvious credentials for his bigger screen preference remarks, we'll still entertain the possibility that Hastings may know somethings we don't. That's not to say the phrase correlation does not imply causation isn't tickling the back our throat though. But what about you, reader? Are you taking advantage of the little red app on your Apple portable devices or even on your new Windows Phone 7 handset? Hit the poll to tell us what's up. View Poll Netflix CEO says consumers just aren't interested in long-form video on portable devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Mashable | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | That's no typo, folks, Microsoft's own-brand pseudo-smartphones are back at Verizon, this time sporting an "m" appendage to their names and what looks like better pricing across the board. The Kin ONEm will set you back a cent under $20 with a two-year contract, whereas the TWOm costs just under $50 but is also subject to a Buy One Get One Free offer (the free phone being an LG Ally). Plans start at $39.99 for voice and $9.99 for 25MB of data (while the $9.99 option is advertised, the cheapest data plan we're presently able to add is the $15 a month 150MB option), plus there's a $35 activation fee. Compared to the original pricing, which had the One asking for $50 in upfront costs and $70 as the minimum levy for voice plus data, we'd say this is a definite move in the right direction. A few months late, but better late than never, eh?
[Thanks, Wyatt]Continue reading Kin ONEm and Kin TWOm back at Verizon Kin ONEm and Kin TWOm back at Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Verizon Wireless (ONEm), (TWOm) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As far as we know, the western hemisphere should still have the mirrorless GF2 from Panasonic penciled in on its January 2011 must-own list, but Japan is (predictably) getting the party started a little early. Panny has shot out a brief statement this morning to say that its home nation will receive the GF2 -- alternately attired in red, white or black -- on the 3rd of December. That's a good couple of weeks before we expected to even have pricing for North America and Europe, leaving the rest of us to just pout and stare at the calendar with disdain. And if pricing is what you need, Impress has some of its usually deadly accurate estimates to offer you, with the GF2 body set to cost ¥60,000 (about $720) by itself, ¥80,000 with the F2.5 14mm pancake kit lens, or ¥90,000 if paired with the 14-42mm glass. We'd advise not taking straight currency conversions as indicators of pricing anywhere outside Japan, however, due to the atypically high value of the yen at the moment. Wistful sighs, on the other hand, are free everywhere. Panasonic GF2 shipping December 3rd in Japan, turning gringos green with envy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Impress Watch [translated] | Panasonic | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | By the time Qualcomm's 1.5GHz QSD8672 Snapdragon finally makes it to market, it might be obsolete -- the company just announced that the new 28nm dual-core MSM8960 system-on-a-chip will have five times the performance and consume 75 percent less power than the original Snapdragon when it arrives in 2011. It's got the usual WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio modules but also a multi-mode LTE / 3G modem too, and reportedly four times the graphical muscle on board. Speaking of graphics, Qualcomm seperately took the time to detail a new GPU: the Qualcomm Adreno 300 series, which will allegedly offer the gaming performance of an Xbox 360 or PS3. We'd say "We'll believe it when we see it," but that would imply doubt -- the reality is that we just want to feast our eyes on mobile gaming bliss as soon as is humanly possible.
[Thanks, PhineasJW]Qualcomm teases 28nm dual-core Snapdragons, pixel-punching Adreno 300 GPU originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 02:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | AnandTech, EE Times | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's hardly the most affordable Bluetooth speaker around, but Jawbone's new Jambox did manage to impress us when we got our hands on it earlier this month, and you can now finally pick one up yourself directly from Jawbone, or at your local Apple store and "select" Best Buy stores. As expected, it'll set you back $200, and it's available in your choice of four different colors / designs, each of which pack the same 800mAh lithium-ion battery that promises ten hours of continuous use, a built-in mic that will let you use it as a speakerphone, and an output capacity of 85 decibels that Jawbone says "fills even the largest rooms with stellar hi-fi sound." If you're looking to judge that for yourself, you can apparently do so at an Apple store, where Jawbone says the Jambox will be "featured alongside the iPad." Jawbone Jambox Bluetooth speaker now available for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 01:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Jawbone | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | No surprise here, but it looks like Verizon's on-sale-but-never-really-announced Droid 2 Global has its GSM radios locked down, meaning you can't just throw an AT&T SIM in there and expect anything to work. Of course, the enterprising hackers at xda-developers are hot on the case, so there's a chance things will be opened up, but we wouldn't hold our breath.
In other news, it looks like there's been a slight case modification to the Droid 2 Global -- the camera module now sports a slight hump as seen in the comparison photo above. We're not sure if this is to accommodate the extra radio or (please please please) perhaps a better sensor, but whoomp, there it is. No big thing in the grand scheme of things, but between the dark blue casing and the camera bulge, you'll totally be able to spot D2G owners out of the crowd. And that... that will make you a super nerd weirdo. But it's okay, because we love you.Droid 2 Global GSM bands locked, camera bulge added to case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Pocketnow | xda-developers | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The GSM Association is taking a serious look at embedded SIM cards that can be remotely activated, in both traditional (e.g. phones) and non-traditional devices (e.g. cameras, MP3 players). According to the presser, a task force has been assembled, culled from "leading technical experts" whose home turfs include virtually every major worldwide carrier. An "analysis of market requirements" is due in January 2011, and devices with the new technology are reportedly expected in 2012.
If all that sounds familiar, perhaps you'll recall a recent rumor that pegged Apple and SIM gurus Gemalto as privately collaborating on a similar (if not virtually identical) idea. Coincidence? Don't blame us if your Krispy Kreme Android phonelet's nanoSIM doesn't mesh with the iPhone 6.GSM Association proposes embedded SIM cards with remote activation for 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | PR Newswire | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | While there have already been a lot of great proof-of-concepts for the Kinect, what we're really excited for are the actual applications that will come from it. On the top of our list? Robots. The Personal Robots Group at MIT has put a battery-powered Kinect sensor on top of the iRobot Create platform, and is beaming the camera and depth sensor data to a remote computer for processing into a 3D map -- which in turn can be used for navigation by the bot. They're also using the data for human recognition, which allows for controlling the bot using natural gestures. Looking to do something similar with your own robot? Well, the ROS folks have a Kinect driver in the works that will presumably allow you to feed all that great Kinect data into ROS's already impressive libraries for machine vision. Tie in the Kinect's multi-array microphones, accelerometer, and tilt motor and you've got a highly aware, semi-anthropomorphic "three-eyed" robot just waiting to happen. We hope it will be friends with us. Video of the ROS experimentation is after the break. Continue reading Kinect sensor bolted to an iRobot Create, starts looking for trouble Kinect sensor bolted to an iRobot Create, starts looking for trouble originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | squadbot (YouTube), ROS.org | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Paying for data overage is the new hotness in the wireless biz, and Verizon was the latest to dive head-first into the nasty world of usage-based pricing for its wireless data plans just a few weeks ago. But how about paying for speed instead? Seems both outgoing Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg and CFO Fran Shammo commented today that the company's shiny new LTE network could support charging different rates depending on the speed subscribers select -- just like in the landline internet business -- though they wouldn't commit to implementing such a system just yet. Speaking of LTE, Seidenberg also mentioned that he "expects" Verizon's first LTE phone to launch in February (likely the LG we saw or HTC's Mecha, if we had to guess), coming in on the early side of its 1H 2011 plan -- and what's more, he's saying more LTE-equipped devices will launch than originally anticipated. We certainly won't complain about that.
On the undying topic of the iPhone, Seidenberg's basically holding the same line he's maintained for some time, which is that the companies' "interests are coming together" and that the phone will come when "Apple thinks it's time." The gem, though, is that Seidenberg specifically says that Verizon's adoption of LTE has attracted Apple's attention and helped it score the iPad -- and seeing how Verizon's cobbled-together iPad / MiFi bundle doesn't support LTE, we can only assume it was a peace offering to help the two companies come together and prepare to work together more closely down the road. Question is, just how soon would Apple like to play the LTE card?Verizon execs propose speed-based pricing for LTE data plans, say LTE has 'drawn the interest of Apple' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | WSJ | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Suffering from a little bit of Droid envy? It happens to even the most loyal of iPhone users, and now BoxWave is stepping in to make your life almost complete (we say "almost" because there's still no native Gmail client for the iPhone, and all your tears aren't going to solve that). The BoxWave Keyboard Buddy Case is just what it sounds like, a Bluetooth keyboard embedded in an iPhone 4 case, only instead of flipping out like the TK-421 or slide-tilting like the ultra-bulky Nuu Mini Key, BoxWave's solution is a simple sliding affair that adds very little to the iPhone 4's profile and hardly anything to its footprint. Also, it's your buddy. It'll start shipping next month, and it's a little spendy at $70, but can you really put a price on the flattery of imitation? BoxWave's Keyboard Buddy turns your iPhone 4 into the Droid it always wanted to be originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | BoxWave | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Ron Garriques, who has been leading Dell's mobile communications group ever since its formation a year ago, is leaving the company. Ron originally joined Dell in 2007, after a high profile career at Motorola, and has overseen a rather ambitious entry for the company into the phone industry. Now Dell is folding the communications unit into its "core operating structure," and Garriques won't be along for the transition. Of course, it's not like there haven't been some missteps and head scratchers along the way (we still don't know if the Streak is a phone or a tablet or a phonelet or a tabset or whatever), and it's a little hard to tell whether Ron decided to leave willingly when he heard his unit was being absorbed, or if Dell gave him a little "push." True or not, it would be the perfect comeuppance for the man who re-dubbed the Lightning the Dell "Venue Pro." Not that we're bitter or anything.Dell's mobile chief Ron Garriques is out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Yahoo! News | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Printing never "just works," does it? There always has to be some wrench thrown in. We were hoping Apple was about to solve some of that with AirPrint, but at the last minute it left out the Mac printer-sharing functionalities that were supposedly going to arrive with Mac OS X 10.6.5. That means as of right now the only way to do AirPrint with the yet-to-be-released iOS 4.2 is to buy one of those fancy new HP printers with the AirPrint-compatible ePrint functionality. We're guessing Apple is just giving this feature a little more time in the oven, but if you're just too passionate about printing things to wait, the FingerPrint application from Collobos might fill the void. The $8 app shares just about any printer that your Mac can find over Bonjour and... well, that's about it. Some printers work, some don't, and there's a trial period to find out if it'll work with your particular setup. Too rich for your blood? There's always the hack. FingerPrint app for Mac enables AirPrint for the printers Apple left behind originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TUAW | Collobos | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It doesn't seem like everyone's jumped on the cord cutting bandwagon just yet, as the 2010 "Media Engagement Barometer" conducted by Vanson Bourne for Motorola surveyed 7,500 consumers in 13 countries (1,000 in the US) before issuing its findings that 86 percent of Americans subscribe to pay TV providers and 6% are using video/TV on the internet, even while free OTA TV is available. And those 3D TVs that are everywhere? Worldwide, they figured 75 percent of viewers either own or plan to own an HDTV in the next 18 months, while 4% currently own 3D sets, 25 percent indicated they plan to upgrade to one in the same time period. US stats pegged 59 percent of respondents with HDTVs, 20 percent with an internet enabled set and 25 percent with a smartphone. Other results indicate we haven't seen the last of the Twitter widget on our TVs and set-top boxes either, with 58 percent of responses showing people have used social media during a TV broadcast and would switch providers to have it integrated in their TV service. Check out the press release after the break and PDF fact sheet for more statistical breakdowns while we figure out exactly what this means for any a la carte TV dreams. Motorola video survey says Americans are still into paying for TV service, buying new TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Media Experiences 2 Go | Motorola, Fact sheet (PDF) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We want one of these so bad. The LSI WarpDrive SLP-300 packs 300GB of solid state storage onto a PCI Express card and promises up to 240,000 sustained IOPS (Input / Output Operations Per Second), with 1,400MBps sustained throughput -- about double the performance of OCZ's substantially cheaper RevoDrive X2. According to LSI, you would need over 400 regular hard drives in 36U of rack space and 300 times the power to match the WarpDrive for sheer IOPS. Sure, LSI recommends all sorts of fancy server applications to put this $11,500 card to good use, but we've been noticing some serious browser launch lag time lately... and we're worth it. Continue reading LSI's WarpDrive SSD is a steal at $11,500 LSI's WarpDrive SSD is a steal at $11,500 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | SlashGear | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Samsung's Galaxy Tab. You know our thoughts on the device, so let's assume you've passed the "should I buy it?" question and onto the more specific, "whom should I sign on with?" You're certainly not bereft of choices: by the end of November, five of the six largest US carriers (sorry, MetroPCS) will offer the Android slate -- but not all pricing schemes were made equal. Carrier-agnostics, we're here to help!
While we've already bemoaned the $50 premium on AT&T's model, we have confirmed there is no activation fee, which narrows the price between it and Verizon's offering to just $15 (and Ma Bell, along with Sprint, seem to be the only two offering a $50 Media Hub voucher). On paper, US Cellular has the lowest two-year cost with $760 on contract, but $15 monthly for 200MB is pretty ridiculous when just $20 gets you an entire gig on Verizon's network, or $30 for 2GB on Sprint. T-Mobile wins the award for the most insane disparity in data offerings: $25 for 200MB, or 25 times the data allotment (5GB) for just $15 more. 'Twas the best of deals, 'twas the worst of deals.
If you ask us, there isn't really a clear-cut winner, but we'd definitely contend Big Magenta's got the most alluring on-contract value if 5GB is in the range of your data usage; the equivalent plan costs $60 on Sprint and $50 on Verizon, with the latter offering no discount for making a two-year commitment. Then again, if you're the kind who prefers to be unrestrained and plan to spend $600 regardless, it's Verizon with the most competitive data plans overall. And of course, your decision will undoubtedly be influenced by network performance in your area. Consider yourself informed.Samsung Galaxy Tab price wars: US carriers face off originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We're sorry if you're like, so over Kinect hacks, but with a million tinkerers just getting warmed up on the thing, we recommend you just get comfortable and try to enjoy it. A new processing app by Chris Rojas takes the distance data and renders objects in neon cubes, with the size of the cube based on the object's distance from the sensor. Sure, it won't cure world hunger, but it looks pretty sweet. Of course, that wasn't good enough, so Chris hooked his app up to TouchOSC on the iPad, which gives him sliders to define and adjust different "planes of interest," along with the accelerometer input of the iPad to control zoom and pan of the virtual camera. Just don't get too close to that sensor, Chris, or the MCP might decide to digitize you entirely! Check out the original, iPad-less Box Cloud video after the break. Continue reading Kinect data massaged into retro-futuristic 'Box Cloud,' iPad tilts its way into the action Kinect data massaged into retro-futuristic 'Box Cloud,' iPad tilts its way into the action originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Adafruit Industries Blog | cruxphotography (YouTube) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Scientists have been working on artificial retinas for years, and while the main focus of research has been to increase the amount of light captured, a study led by Sheila Nirenberg, PhD, has taken a different tack. The new system being devised at Weill Cornell Medical College better mimics frontline photoreceptor cells, making it easier for the ganglion cells to output a more accurate image. "If you want to really restore normal vision, you have to know the retina's code," Nirenberg said. "Once you have that, the door is open to the possibility of restoring normal vision." When researchers performed tests with mice, they found that those with the new system reconstructed more details (the second image, above) than those without (image three, above). "Incorporating the [more accurate] code jumped the system's performance up to normal levels - that is, there was enough information to reconstruct faces, newsprint, landscapes, essentially anything," Nirenberg said. The next step? Coordinating with other researchers to test the technology on human participants. Artifical retina reconstructs normal vision in mice, human trials next originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | PhysOrg, Science News | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hitachi was the first to roll out a 7,200RPM, 3.5-inch 2TB hard drive, and it looks like it's now done it again at the 3TB level. That comes in the form of the company's new Deskstar 7K3000 model, which appears to not only be the first 7,200RPM 3TB drive hard around, but Hitachi's first drive with a 6Gbps SATA interface. Otherwise, the five-platter drive packs a 64MB cache buffer, an idle power draw of 6.8W, and what Hitachi describes as an eco-friendly, halogen-free design. Still no word on pricing or a release date, but The Inquirer surmises it'll cost somewhere in the neighborhood of £200, or $320. Hitachi debuts 7,200RPM 3TB Deskstar 7K3000 hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Hitachi | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Well, this is interesting. VG247 has published what it says are pics from an early Sony PSP2 development kit. There isn't much to go by in terms of back story, and in many ways it looks more like a KIRF from Mr. Blurrycam's vintage collection than something for software testing, but let's hear what the site has to say: HD screen, two cameras (front and rear), microphone, two thumbsticks, and a rear "trackpad" of sorts, presumably akin to what we've seen on the PS Phone leak. VG247 later updated to say that a source claims it's an earlier version of the kit and that a revision has since been developed without a sliding screen -- a move to perhaps deal with (also rumored) overheating concerns. We know a PSP2 exists in some form, so this can go one of two ways -- either cleaner shots will be found, or an entirely different leak will surface later. Given the suspect Fall 2011 debut, we have plenty of time to wait around and see.
[Thanks, Ross M -- no relation]Early PSP2 dev kit in the wild? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Joystiq | VG247 | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Looking for more than just a regular standalone iPad dock? Then you might want to consider Xtreamer's new iXstreamer system, which is an iPad dock that also doubles as a media streamer. Of course, it will also work with iPhones and iPods, and the "dock" is quite capable all by itself as well -- it'll accommodate a 3.5-inch hard drive and up to two USB hard drives, and it'll support just about any audio or video content you can throw at it, including content stored on your computer or networked hard drive. Interestingly, Xstreamer also notes that it would like to let you use iOS apps on your TV as well, but it says that's up to Apple to allow -- in other words, don't bet on it. Head on past the break for a video overview, and look for the device to set you back €175, or roughly $235. Continue reading iXstreamer bridges the extreme gap between your iPad and TV iXstreamer bridges the extreme gap between your iPad and TV originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget Spanish | Xstreamer | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  You've wished you had a camera implant, right? We mean, it's pretty common: you've been on the bus or the incline and something went down and you were like, "I wish I was recording this right now." Well, we know of at least two folks looking to replace their prosthetic eyes with webcams, and now an artist living in New York wishes to sport an implant of his own. Wafaa Bilal, an NYU photography professor, plans on having a camera attached to a piercing on the back of his head for one year. Throughout that time, still images will be taken at one minute intervals and displayed at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar. The work, titled "The 3rd I," is billed as "a comment on the inaccessibility of time, and the inability to capture memory and experience," although it really sounds like the dream of every teacher and parent since time immemorial: to have eyes on the back of their head. Of course, the privacy of Bilal's students is being taken into consideration, although the school is not exactly sure how they're handling that one yet -- either the camera will be covered while he teaches or shut off altogether while in NYU buildings. NYU prof installing camera in the back of his head, JW Parker Middle School teachers insanely jealous originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Gizmodo, Switched | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | AT&T's finally taking a cue from its mobile hotspot-equipped archrivals at Verizon and Sprint, launching a branded version of Novatel Wireless' MiFi 2372 this Sunday, November 21st, for $49.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate. The device is a little more advanced that the one you're used to using on American CDMA networks, featuring an integrated microSD slot that can be shared among connected devices and support for built-in, browser-based widgets that can take advantage of the unit's AGPS for providing weather, local search, and so on. The unit tops out at 7.2Mbps on the downlink, which you'll be able to enjoy via AT&T's standard array of DataConnect plans: $35 a month for 200MB or $60 a month for 5GB, plus contract-free plans ranging from 100MB to 1GB. AT&T starts selling Novatel MiFi at long last: November 21st for $50 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | AT&T | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | There's been a long back-and-forth from Sony Ericsson and the dev community as to whether or not the Xperia X10 was at all capable of multi-touch -- the company stance has been that the hardware just can't do it, but still whispers to the contrary have lingered. Consider those murmurs validated: Sony Ericsson Product Blog has announced that the X10 will, in fact, get multi-touch in the first quarter of next year -- with some caveats. The large asterisk that's destined to clarify the minutiae will tell you that pinch-to-zoom will be enabled for browser and maps, but as the blog post put it, "situations like when the movement of the two fingers cross each other on the X- or Y-axis that could cause strange behavior." Third-party apps should be able to join some functionality, too, with the similar limitations (including when buttons must be pressed simultaneously -- that won't work). In the video demonstration after the break, take note how Angry Birds doesn't quite pinch and zoom smoothly. So yeah, it's not all sunshine, but at least there's something to look forward to. Continue reading Xperia X10 will get pinch-to-zoom in Q1 2011, with some limitation (video) Xperia X10 will get pinch-to-zoom in Q1 2011, with some limitation (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Xperia X10 Blog | Sony Ericsson | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | While Android and iOS aren't short on productivity applications for cobbling together a .doc and sending it on its way, we've been really hankering for native Google Docs support since pretty much day one. Google is finally ready to deliver, and it looks like they've actually put some thought into the UI, particularly on the phone end of things. Edits show up in near realtime across platforms, and you can even edit tables embedded in documents -- though don't try to get too fancy, the tools still look pretty basic. Android also allows you to insert text using voice recognition. Currently Google Docs will be supporting Android devices with Froyo and iOS devices with 3.0 or newer (including the iPad), with the functionality rolling out over the next few days. There's a video after the break demonstrating the new features. Continue reading Google Docs now supports mobile editing Google Docs now supports mobile editing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Google Mobile Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | How exactly does a boutique outfit like Olive match its lowest-end offering yet? Why, by announcing it's highest-end offering yet merely two months later, of course! Sure enough, Olive has just issued its newest music server (the O6HD) with an eye on affluent audiophiles -- ones willing to pay a meager $4,999 for a 2TB unit. Aside from buying what's likely the most guapo piece of AV equipment we've ever seen, that tally also nets you a pair of TI 192khz / 24-bit Burr-Brown PCM1792 modules, "flawless" encoding and decoding of lossless audio, simultaneous stream support, an ultra-quiet 2T AV hard drive, eight layers of noise canceling padding, a TEAC CD-RW drive, gobs of analog and digital outputs, a gigabit Ethernet jack, inbuilt 802.11n WiFi, HDMI out, a USB 2.0 port and a 10.1-inch 800 x 480 color touchpanel. It's all encased in a fine-grade aluminum shell (passively cooled), leaving you with only one simple decision: silver or black, Sir Godfrey? Olive's 2TB O6HD music server makes audiophiles (and designers) swoon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Onkyo's outed a new Windows 7 tablet -- seems to be all the rage these days -- with KDDI 3G onboard. The 11.6-inch TW317A7 tablet boasts a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD, plus Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, and stereo speakers. The 11.6-inch multitouch display has a 1366 x 768 resolution, and the tablet brings with it Onkyo's new custom ExTOUCH software which is apparently designed to enhance finger input in the OS and boasts a dedicated app launcher. The TW317A7 will be available in Japan very soon -- as in this week -- but Onkyo has yet to announce pricing. Onkyo outs 3G Windows 7 tablet for Japan only originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Akihabara News | Onkyo | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Kids these days use gadgets almost as much as their less disaster-inclined adult friends, and PeeWee's been making laptops with that in mind for a while now. Well, the company's just launched its newest laptop for kids, the Pivot 2.0. This rugged little netvertible boasts an Intel N450 CPU, a touch screen that rotates 180 degrees and a webcam, and it's packed with 15 educational games onboard. As far as ruggedeization goes, the laptop boasts a water-resistant keyboard, a plastic shell that should withstand minor drops, and rubber grips for easier carrying. The Pivot 2.0 is available now and it'll run you $599. The full press release is below. Continue reading PeeWee debuts Pivot 2.0 spillproof, drop resistant netvertible for the little ones PeeWee debuts Pivot 2.0 spillproof, drop resistant netvertible for the little ones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | When it comes to external storage, the amount of gloss provided by the enclosure in question is really of paramount importance. QNAP knows this, and so it is touting the new TS-119P+'s "fashionably shiny design" -- oh, and its single HDD bay, iSCSI support, 1.6GHz processor, and 512MB of RAM too. It pulls down just 12 watts of power while in operation, five while sleeping, and thanks to the bevy of software sharing apps that come along with the thing you can stream media files straight to your iPhone or Android device, even host your Windows AD to unify login accounts. QNAP isn't saying how much you'll pay for this combination of features and style, but expect it to ship next week. BYO storage, of course.
QNAP's TS-119P+ Turbo NAS offers a 'fashionably shiny design,' just one HDD bay originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | QNAP | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Say hello to the new VIZIO XVT 3D series, while the XVT Pro line announced earlier this year (and that 72-inch model we were drooling over) were not to be, these 42-, 47- and 55-inch HDTVs are real and on sale today through Amazon, Sam's Club and Target's online shops and should be on shelves later this month. Features like the number of LED backlighting zones (for the 47- and 55-, the 42-inch features edge LED lighting), claimed contrast ratio, WiFi N and VIZIO Internet Apps are consistent with existing models, so the big addition this time around is 480Hz refresh rate and obviously, 3D readiness (active shutter glasses not included). VIZIO's also announced two new 3D compatible Blu-ray players to match for $189, plus a new router and some high priced HDMI cables to fill out the lineup. Full specs and prices are in the press release after the break, but with a premium of $300-$400 on Amazon over the award winning 2D-only XVT3SV lineup (we have one in for review, hint: it's excellent), most will probably want to wait for some kind of package deal unless there's a copy of NBA 2K11 3D or Black Ops burning a hole in their console right now. Continue reading VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today VIZIO launches latest XVT series HDTVs, new Blu-ray players with 3D today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | NOX Audio sprang out of obscurity this year with two pairs of stylish 'phones -- the moderately disappointing Specialist supra-aural cans with a retractable, flexible mic, and the promising Scout earbud headset pictured immediately above, now on sale. Even at first glance the Scout's not your average pair of in-line earbuds, connected to your phone of choice via a piece of rubber linguini that acts as a no-tangle cord, but they also have balanced armature drivers that delivered some surprisingly good sound even in the bustle of a busy trade show. (They've also got a ludicrously tiny send/end button for the headset buried in the cord's joint, if you're fond of playing spy.) We haven't had a chance to put our review unit through its paces quite yet, but if you want to give NOX the benefit of the doubt, you'll find the Scout at "select retailers" and the company's online store for $80 right now. Continue reading Nox Audio Scout mini headset on sale now, boasts world's smallest mic button and some decent sound Nox Audio Scout mini headset on sale now, boasts world's smallest mic button and some decent sound originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | NOX Audio | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's a Super 35mm world, and we're all just trying to fit in frame. At least, it will be once Sony's done expanding its lineup of cinematic shooters. Last week it was the "affordable" PMW-F3, and now the company is teasing the NXCAM HD, a decidedly professional-oriented camcorder with a Super 35mm equivalent large format CMOS sensor nestled behind an E-mount interchangeable lens system. It'll record to AVCHD in 1080p at frame rates covering all the majors: 23.98, 29.97, and 59.94, along with 25 and 50. All progressive, natch. Sony is planning to release this boxy beast in the middle of 2011 and plans to make it "affordable" for professionals as well. See what good a little competition can do?
[Thanks, Demetri]
Continue reading Sony teases us with NXCAM HD concept Super 35mm camcorder, strictly for the pros (video) Sony teases us with NXCAM HD concept Super 35mm camcorder, strictly for the pros (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 07:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Internet Explorer not stirring your cup of Windows Phone 7 tea correctly? Well, you now have an alternative in the form of a new browser that's arrived in the Marketplace: Browser+. It does seem to have been built on IE code rather than its own framework, so don't get your hopes up for Chrome to Phone on WP7 any time soon. Anyhow, the new app's been given a test drive by a couple of sites, who note it integrates a view of your current tabs and a Google search box right into the general web view, providing a slightly more accessible interface than the default option, while also throwing in a private surfing mode for the paranoid among us. A few crashes and bugs have been spotted in Browser+ so far, but hey, it's cheap and it at least gives us hope for a less monotheistic browsing experience. See it in video action after the break. Continue reading Windows Phone 7 will work with third party browsers, so long as they're based on IE? (video) Windows Phone 7 will work with third party browsers, so long as they're based on IE? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 06:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Pocketnow | WPCentral | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We always understood that Intel looked after the rock stars of tomorrow, but who knew that included football players? Yup, according to PC World, Intel is currently investigating adding Atom chips inside NFL helmets to provide real-time impact data to medical staff on the sidelines. While there's no explicit time frame set for this project, we're thinking the sooner the better -- lest we forget it took the league until 2009 to require players who display signs of a concussion to stop playing for at least one day. This isn't the first time though that the world's largest chip maker has actually helped make the gridiron safer. In fact, it previously worked with helmet maker Riddell's fittingly named HITS (Head Impact Telemetry System) and academic researchers to run head injury simulations using linked Xeon-powered computers. Off the field, Intel is also currently partnering with the Mayo Clinic to boost medical cranial scans using MIC (Many Integrated Core) supercomputer co-processors. Codenamed Knights Corner, this hardware puts teacher's pets to shame by running trillions of calculations per second, and apparently accelerates head scans by up to 18 times. Sure, safety's all well and good, but we know Intel's really just curious about how Moore's Law holds up to the shoulder pressure of NFL d-backs. Intel learns from Dr. Dre, wants Atom chips in NFL helmets to know when heads are ringing originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | PC World | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Our hope for the recently leaked Anzu (likely to be known as the Xperia X12 at retail) handset from Sony Ericsson was that it'd be the company's Android Gingerbread flagship, but here comes international super-reviewer Eldar Murtazin popping that bubble for us. The good man from Russia has a preview unit in his secret lab and reports that it currently only runs Android 2.1, with the intention being that launch devices in early 2011 will start off with Android 2.2 before getting their Gingerbread (2.3) fix in a later update. He also notes a 4.3-inch display with 854 x 480 resolution (just an LCD, nothing exciting), an 800MHz Qualcomm MSM7230 (same as in the T-Mobile G2 / Desire Z) powering things inside, and a 12 megapixel imager mounted on the back. The latter is naturally capable of recording 720p video, while early performance impressions are that the stock Android interface flies. Alas, Eldar expects SE to layer its own customizations on top, which adds to his disappointment with the general build quality of this device -- it's thinner and lighter than the X10, but apparently feels cheaper to the touch. Hit the source link for his comprehensive preview.
Let's also not forget Eldar's tweet from the weekend when he said he was playing with the Anzu and the Galaxy 2 (aka Samsung i9100, according to him). Given that the first of those devices has now indeed made its way onto Mobile-review, the veracity of his second claim -- that the upcoming Samsung handset would be a dual-core beastie -- now seems a lot less questionable.
[Thanks, Momchil]Continue reading Sony Ericsson's 4.3-inch Anzu previewed: ain't got no Gingerbread, but still looking tasty Sony Ericsson's 4.3-inch Anzu previewed: ain't got no Gingerbread, but still looking tasty originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 02:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Mobile Bulgaria | Mobile-review | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We spared you the "wireless" joke, but to be fair, that's precisely what we're looking at: Elecom's Actrail headphones are wireless, Bluetooth-less ear muffs designed for your miniature Apple-borne MP3 player. Only the latest iPod shuffle is officially supported, but we're betting some of the previous generations could fit in just fine. Or maybe even an iPod touch, if don't mind applying scotch tape liberally to your noggin. Hey, it's not like you really need to see the front as a makeshift watch, anyhow. Asking price is ¥4,200 in Japan, which is just around $50 in US coins, and it's due out sometime this month; no promises it'll make stateside release via official channels, but we're sure if you're jonesing you can find something. Elecom's Actrail headphones is the tree to iPod shuffle's spanish moss originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Wired, OhGizmo! | Elecom, (translate) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | First Netflix, then Hulu Plus, and now VUDU. The movie rental service is making its way onto PlayStation 3 just in time for Thanksgiving later this month -- November 23rd, to be exact. If you're familiar with Walmart's recently-acquired video service, you know the drill: on-demand HD titles streamed for a fee, up to 1080p and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound. The interface will be the same as every other VUDU iteration -- until mid-December, that is. That's when, as we've been told, the company plans to roll out version 2.0 of its UI. In addition to being more streamlined, there's ratings, recommendations, and most interestingly, support for PS3's Move controller. Pictures below, press releases after the break. Continue reading VUDU hits PS3 on November 23rd, UI overhaul coming mid-December VUDU hits PS3 on November 23rd, UI overhaul coming mid-December originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | So, there's already an open source driver for the Kinect -- who needs to learn how to reverse engineer USB all over again? Well, ladyada of Adafruit Industries, the folks responsible for the Kinect hack bounty and the USB logs used by the bounty winner to get a jump on his hack, has published a detailed guide on exactly how she sniffed the Kinect's USB chatter. The guide isn't for the faint of heart, but it's not completely unintelligible to someone with a bit of time and determination. If anything it serves as an excellent bit of how-the-Kinect-was-won history. We're not expecting Microsoft to reconsider its "Microsoft does not condone the modification of its products" stance on this issue, or its petty threat of law enforcement "to keep Kinect tamper-resistant," but we do hope they've learned one thing by now: they're fighting a losing battle. Kinect hack explained: follow-along-at-home guide lets you reverse engineer USB, impress your friends originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | ladyada.net | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sure, Verizon has the lock on Gossip Girl product placement, but even the technological reality of CDMA must bow to plot development, and if that means Serena's Droid X sprouts a SIM card so Lil' J can steal it and surreptitiously swap in a new one, well, so be it. Of course, this clever plan assumes that Serena doesn't text or call anyone using her new SIM, but, you know, just go with it. Video after the break. Continue reading Screen Grabs: A Droid X with a SIM card? XOXO, Gossip Girl Screen Grabs: A Droid X with a SIM card? XOXO, Gossip Girl originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 20:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Find some of the current iPod nano watch options a bit too subdued for your style? Then you might want to consider Griffin's new Slap wristband, which looks to be among the most protective and colorful options to date. Made entirely of a soft silicone, the Slap is available in no less than eight different colors, and it completely encloses your iPod nano (save for the headphone jack) but promises to still let you control the volume and sleep / wake buttons through the case. Still no word on a release date, but you can expect this one to set you back the same $25 that most other similar wristbands seem to be going for. Griffin gets in the iPod nano watch game with colorful, protective Slap wristband originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Griffin | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We heard the iPad version of SlingPlayer Mobile was coming hot on the heels of SlingPlayer for Windows Phone 7, and now we've got some video of the app in action. According to Mr. Video Narrator, the app has video quality "better than any mobile app we've ever done," thanks to Apple's fancy H.264 Live Streaming capabilities. The UI looks nicely responsive and unobtrusive, and the video does indeed look pretty great in the middle of a 360p YouTube video. It's also clear that the iPad is really becoming a TV-consumption powerhouse, between Hulu Plus, Netflix, ABC, etc., so SlingPlayer looks like a natural fit. How well it will perform when it's out in the wild is another matter, but we look forward to plunking down our $30 soon and finding out for ourselves.
[Thanks, James]SlingPlayer Mobile for iPad gets a walkthrough, reminds of all the daytime TV we're missing out on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | TheMisterSling (YouTube) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've been fed some information by an established tipster today that paints an interesting picture of what sort of Android gear Sprint will -- and won't -- be getting next. First, we're told that the EVO Shift 4G trademark HTC recently filed for is the device known as the Knight, a downsized EVO 4G with a four-row sliding keyboard and a larger battery. Interestingly, as far as our tipster knows, the front-facing camera is off the table -- but in light of all the buzz around video calling these days, we wouldn't be surprised if it had been added back.
Perhaps more interesting, though, is some buzz around the display on the Nexus S. You might remember that we noticed it's concave on the front during its brief reveal at the Web 2.0 summit yesterday, an extraordinarily unusual design element for a full-touch phone. Well, our tipster tells us Samsung's been shopping this curved display technology to carriers for a while -- as early as CES at the beginning of this year behind closed doors -- claiming that its research showed such a design improved perceived usability over a perfectly flat display. Sprint bought the line and wanted to get a curved-display model on shelves in time for the holidays this year, but Sammy was apparently unable to deliver product in the volume it was asking for... so that's where the Nexus S might come into play; seems the Google-branded model could be the first to ship with it. We're unconvinced that it'd be any better, but our judgment is fully reserved until we've got a device in our hands -- which hopefully happens sooner rather than later.
[Image via xda-developers]Rumors: Samsung Nexus S using fancy curved display Sprint had to pass on, HTC EVO Shift 4G is the Knight? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie actually declined to show off the his company's tablet today on the Web 2.0 Summit stage, but in private he was more than kind, treating us to a nice long glimpse at the BlackBerry PlayBook in a hotel hallway. We only got to heft the one-pound slate for a few seconds, but we got the basic feel of the device in the hand -- warm to the touch, solid if a little plasticky, with a responsive glass touchscreen up top and a bottom that's mildly rubberized. Balsillie didn't bother to locate the "module cavity" for us, but he did try to explain where those 5300mAh lithium ion cells might hide -- we suspect the CEO exaggerated only slightly when he told us "it's all battery and glass inside." He then wrenched the device forcefully from our unprepared hands (at least that's how we like to think it went down) and proceeded to let us film a brief film showing off the QNX and Air-based OS juggling a spreadsheet, photo gallery and some beautiful underwater footage all at the same time. Hit the break for that hastily-shot video. Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook first hands-on! (video) BlackBerry PlayBook first hands-on! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's a little strange that the Boxee Box by D-Link feels like a late entrant in this year's crowded smart TV market -- the core Boxee software has been around forever, and the Box itself was announced way back in January at CES. But a platform switch from NVIDIA's Tegra 2 chip to Intel's Atom-based CE4100 platform cost Boxee and D-Link valuable time, while the Boxee software went through a dramatic UI transformation from the beta to 1.0. What's more, Boxee's gone from being an upstart rock'n'roll rebel to a legit market player, with a Netflix deal on the books and -- wonder of wonders -- an agreement to bring Hulu Plus to the Boxee Box sometime next year. That's a lot of changes, and, quite frankly, a lot of hype -- Boxee's dedicated fans are expecting the small company and its asymmetrical Box to show up no less than Apple and Google. So have Boxee CEO Avner Ronen and company pulled it off? Is the Boxee Box the ultimate connected TV device? Or has a punk rock media revolution turned into just another polite New Wave streamer? Read on for the full Engadget review to find out! Continue reading Boxee Box by D-Link review Boxee Box by D-Link review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you've got Comcast service and an iOS device, there's no reason you can't download the brand spanking new Xfinity TV DVR remote app right now, but it won't have the software's spiffiest feature -- direct-to-device streaming video. That's set to roll out in either "a couple of weeks" or "by the end of the year," depending on which Comcast representative you ask, and we got to try it for ourselves (along with the rest of the app) at the Web 2.0 Summit this week. Right now the featureset is fairly limited -- you just pick programs from a guide and either watch them, beam them to your TV, or tell your DVR to record -- but what is there was leagues more intuitive than a physical remote and about as responsive as we could hope for. Comcast tells us that Apple itself helped insure the user experience was polished, and it showed in every swipe and tap we made. Find out more and watch the app in action after the break! Continue reading Comcast Xfinity remote for iPad does streaming video, we record some for you (video) Comcast Xfinity remote for iPad does streaming video, we record some for you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Love application launchers? Application switching? Open source software running on non-commercial hardware? You're going to love this video. MeeGo 1.1 has been spotted on Aava-built, Intel Moorestown-powered hardware. It appears, in fact, to be that Virta 2 smartphone development kit of theirs (which already managed MeeGo 1 just fine), thought it's a little hard to tell in the dim lighting the MeeGo event coordinators chose to set the mood for Linux love. Not a ton of the OS is shown off in the video above, but there are some nice transitions and smooth scrolling. That Firefox load time has miles to go, however. Mainly we're just excited to see something that isn't ARM running a next-gen smartphone OS (no offense, ARM), and we're looking forward to seeing where MeeGo lands on the Android / webOS / guy-in-garage continuum of Linux-based smartphones. MeeGo 1.1 spotted running on Moorestown hardware, blowing minds originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | MeeGo News | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | He unfortunately didn't have one on hand (or at least on stage), but RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie did make a bit of news about the BlackBerry PlayBook at the now-happening Web 2.0 Summit. The first is that the tablet packs what Balsillie described as a "module cavity" -- the most obvious use for which would be to add WWAN capabilities to the WiFi-only module (something Balsillie himself suggested), although the possibilities certainly extend far beyond that. Balsillie also later mused a bit about NFC capabilities, stating that "we'd be fools not to have it in the near-term, and we are not fools." That's obviously in relation to BlackBerry phones in general and not just the PlayBook, but it does seem like a prime candidate for that aforementioned "module cavity," which we really hope is not the final name. Jim Balsillie says BlackBerry PlayBook has a 'module cavity,' hints at NFC capabilities originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Panasonic may not be new to cellphones, but it has sat out of the smartphone explosion of recent years -- an oversight that it's now apparently looking to correct. Speaking at a news conference today, the head of Panasonic's mobile division, Osamu Waki, said flatly that the compmany "misjudged the speed at which smartphones would be taken up in the Japanese market," and that "with the rapid shift to Android, we want to catch up quickly." Exact details on how it plans to catch up are expectedly still a bit light, but Panasonic's phones will indeed be based on Android, and it apparently hopes to differentiate them by emphasizing their networking capabilities with other Panasonic products. As for when the first ones will roll out, Panasonic plans to kick off sales in Japan sometime next year, with overseas markets set to follow in 2012.
Panasonic says it will start selling Android-based smartphones in Japan next year, overseas in 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Crave | Reuters | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Today, if your webcam can't do HD it might as well not even power up its sensor in the morning, and Creative is latest to join the full HD crowd with the $89 Live! Cam Socialize HD 1080 -- an excessive title for the latest 1080p webcam to grace your USB ports. It joins the Microsoft LifeCam Studio and Logitech C910 in terms of resolution, but adds some interesting features, perhaps most notably being a dual-microphone array that can be adjusted to provide a field of 20 to 180 degrees, allowing you to control the amount of environmental sound that gets through. Also interesting is a cradle that "scans" in business cards, though we're not sure you really need 1080p for that. Meanwhile, for those who don't necessarily live life 1,980 pixels at a time, there's the $69 Live! Cam Socialize HD AF model, which features a similar design but a 720p sensor, and the $39 Live! Cam Chat HD, which still does 720p but loses much of the other accoutrement. The 720p Socialize model looks to be available now, but no word on when the others will be perching themselves atop your display.
Continue reading Creative hits 1080p with its Live! Cam Socialize HD webcam, launches 720p models too Creative hits 1080p with its Live! Cam Socialize HD webcam, launches 720p models too originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | One million units sold in the realm of smartphones isn't quite as impressive of a feat as it once was -- especially if your phone is available on numerous carriers around the world. Still, there's something to be said for the pace at which it reaches the milestone, and for LG, the Optimus One managed Seven Digits in just 40 days after initial launch. Given that it's still rolling out globally -- Verizon's about to pick it up November 18th as the Vortex -- we doubt that number's letting up anytime soon. On a related note, given the success of this budget-minded Android 2.2 phone, something tells us LG will be focusing much heavier on that market segment. Optimus One is LG's fastest-selling phone ever: one million in 40 days originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | LG | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Getting a little more oomph out of your MacBook Air after giving Flash the boot? Adobe's Shantanu Narayen stopped just short of saying that's Apple's fault for not handing Adobe a device ahead of time. We asked the CEO what the greater battery life sans flash in Apple's new laptop meant for the platform vis-a-vis HTML5 at the Web 2.0 Summit just a few minutes ago. and he said it's all about optimizing for silicon: "When we have access to hardware acceleration, we've proven that Flash has equal or better performance on every platform." You wouldn't be blamed for thinking that sentence a cop-out, but that's actually not the case -- the chief executive says they've presently got a Macbook Air in the labs and have an optimized beta of Flash for the device presently in testing. Adobe CEO: Flash battery life depends on hardware acceleration, MacBook Air update in testing right now originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Mimo Monitors isn't exactly short on small USB monitors these days, but that hasn't stopped it from rolling out yet another new model: the 9-inch iMo eye9. As with some of the company's recent models, this one is a touchscreen monitor (resistive, as you might expect), but it takes things one step further than the rest by adding a less-than-discreet 1.3 megapixel webcam. Otherwise, you'll get a basic 1,024 x 600 resolution, plus full Mac and PC compatibility, a detachable base that allows for both portrait and landscape viewing, and a built-in stylus that will also double as a stand. Look for this one to start shipping on November 20th, and you can get youpre-order in now for $229.99. Continue reading Mimo announces iMo eye9 USB touchscreen with built-in webcam Mimo announces iMo eye9 USB touchscreen with built-in webcam originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Mimo Monitors | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Viewsonic has been touting a whole range of 3D gadgets since IFA this summer, and it's now finally brought a few of them to North America. That includes the $180 3DV5 pocket camcorder, which was already released in Europe and does 720p video along with 5 megapixel stills (in both 3D and 2D), and the also-$180 3DPF8 8-inch digital photo frame, which will let you view 3D videos and photos without the need for 3D glasses. Joining those are the $330 DVP5 pocket camcorder, which isn't 3D but does pack a built-in projector, and the $150 DPF8-CAM Digital Photo Copier, which is actually an 8-inch digital photo frame with a built-in scanner to let you easily convert your snapshots to digital copies. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the gallery below for a closer look at the whole lot. Continue reading Viewsonic rolls out 3DV5 pocket camcorder, other gadgets of 2D and 3D varieties Viewsonic rolls out 3DV5 pocket camcorder, other gadgets of 2D and 3D varieties originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink ZDNet | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | For most Mac users, upgradeable anything is starting to sound like a distant memory, but Mac Pro users bought that big ol' box for a reason: expandability. Now NVIDIA is here to make it worth their while, releasing the mid-range Quadro 4000 graphics card with that latest / greatest Fermi architecture. With 256 CUDA cores and 2GB of GDDR5 memory, the card should slice through just about anything a pro app (Photoshop, Maya, Snood) can send it, and probably wouldn't mind popping out a FPS session now and then just to stretch the legs. Of course, when we say "mid-range" we aren't talking cheap: NVIDIA's MSRP is $1,199, a good bit more than the card's $700-ish PC-compatible counterpart. It should be available this month. Continue reading NVIDIA brings the Fermi-packing Quadro 4000 to the Mac Pro NVIDIA brings the Fermi-packing Quadro 4000 to the Mac Pro originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | NVIDIA | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sometimes having a computer monitor and a separate HDTV are just too much for your feng shui to handle, and Mitsubishi is here to enhance your qi with its MDT231WG all-in-one monitor. No, not an all-in-one in that it has a PC built in there, but rather it's intended to serve double-duty as a computer monitor and an HDTV. Its 120hz refresh rate and 5.5ms response time mean it'll keep up with Call of Duty, while its 178-degree viewing angle, 5000:1 contrast ratio IPS panel, and integrated 2.1 channel sound system means it should do a decent job at movie playback. And, with a combined power output for all three speakers of 11 watts you won't even have to worry about waking the neighbors. Right now this is looking like it'll only be hitting the Japanese market and, while Mitsu hasn't announced a price yet, we found one for pre-order at ¥118,000 -- just over $1,400 and a small price to pay for finding your perfect spot. Continue reading Mitsubishi MDT231WG monitor is 23-inches of 120hz gaming goodness and movie magic (video) Mitsubishi MDT231WG monitor is 23-inches of 120hz gaming goodness and movie magic (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Akihabara News | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Just in time for the total economic collapse of Europe and the rise of the cyber-nomadic tribes, the kids at Discover, Barclaycard, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have a name for their mobile phone-based payment system: Isis. Essentially it remains what we heard from Bloomberg a few months back: a system for using an app on your phone to send payments to a POS system using NFC technology. The Isis team thinks it has "the scope and scale necessary to introduce mobile commerce on a broad basis," and we wish them the best. But we know how it all ends anyways: with the lucky among us dead, and the rest of us living in caves, hiding from death-dealing robots, and bartering for what we can't scrounge from the ruins of our once-great cities. PR after the break. Continue reading AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon announce Isis national mobile commerce network AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon announce Isis national mobile commerce network originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Isis | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've already shared some opinions on why Samsung's Galaxy Tab pricing makes sense stateside -- granted, that was before AT&T announced it would be charging $50 more than every other US carrier. After initially showing up for pre-order in the UK on Carphone Warehouse for £530 ($850) and for a Queen's ransom of £799 ($1280) on Amazon though, we're glad to find The Inquirer reporting that Tab prices on both Amazon and Dixons have dropped to £469 ($738) for a 16GB model with free delivery. Carphone Warehouse has also cut prices down to £489.99 ($784) for the 32GB version. Sure, that may still sound steep to us Yankees, but keep in mind it's now a good bit less than the basic 16GB 3G iPad which currently sells for £529 ($850). Whether these prices will slide even closer to Stateside levels is still obviously anyone's guess, but at this point we're sure those of you in the UK won't have an issue paying less for your tab. Samsung cuts Galaxy Tab prices in the UK, still more than AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Inquirer | Amazon UK, Dixons | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We're still holding out hope for a cloud-based subscription service to make that full-page teaser on Apple.com seem worthwhile, but it looks like today's unforgettable iTunes announcement will just be the arrival of the Beatles to the store -- the Fab Four's page just went live, about 20 minutes before the official announcement. The Beatles show up in iTunes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Some day, in the distant future, we'll be activating windows, clicking buttons, and playing Farmville with our minds. Our minds. There have been attempts to get us there, none fully comprehensive, though the Evigroup Paddle Pro tablet is taking an interesting alternative approach: using head tracking to control the cursor. Apparently its front-facing webcam detects your front-facing mug and as you look about the screen it moves the cursor appropriately. Staring rudely at any button or control for a half-second equates to a click and, while we don't yet know how you'll double-click, we'd like to think a spasmodic twitch will be required. Evigroup is also launching a curvy keyboard to go with the Paddle Pro and is promising the ability to play video and audio wirelessly courtesy of a "small station" that connects to your TV. The internals, meanwhile, are perfectly predictable: a netbook spec Atom N450 struggling with Windows 7 Home Premium. No word on price or availability. Evigroup Paddle tablet goes Pro, gets cursor-controlling, head-tracking webcam originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 09:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Slashgear | Le blog de Nichola Ruiz | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
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