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| Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops
March 30, 2010 at 6:01 AM
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| Curious what's inside a new ASUS laptop? Then Notebook Review has the treat for you -- earlier this month, forumite David took the time to download the company's massive 108MB ASUS World Magazine PDF and laid out the spec sheets for not one, not two, but a veritable smörgåsbord of potent portables. There's 36 in all; we've told you about some of them before, to be sure -- but others are getting solid specs for the first time, and there are even a few diamonds in the rough. Enough chit-chat, on with the show!
- U-series: Otherwise known as ASUS' Bamboo Collection, the U-series laptops were highlighted at CES, where we discovered they would have Core i5 CPUs and USB 3.0 support. Well, that's not the whole story. They've also all got NVIDIA Optimus auto-switching graphics between an onboard Intel GMA HD and the GeForce 310M 1GB. Oh, and forget Core i5 -- these machines support processors all the way up to the 2.66GHz Core i7-620M. Highlight: The U30JC, with a combo Blu-ray drive and a chiclet keyboard that won a iF Product Design Award.
- UL-series: ASUS for "UnLimited," you can read UL as "ultra low," as in Intel's ultra low voltage (ULV) processors that provide 8+ hours of battery life and let these notebooks stay cool despite being under an inch thin. We saw the UL80JT sport NVIDIA Optimus at CES and got hands-on with the Optimus-equipped UL50VF; now, the UL30JT now has it as well. Highlight: That same UL50VF, with an estimated 12+ hours of battery life.
More after the break -- save pricing and availability, unfortunately -- or feel free to hit up the source link to download the entire electronic magazine for yourself. Continue reading Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops Gigantic ASUS periodical reveals and specs numerous new laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feed! s. Permalink  Notebook Review |  ASUS eMagazine | Email this | Comments | | |
| Geohot advises against updating PS3, will find 'safe way' around losing OS support
March 30, 2010 at 4:04 AM
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| | In case you hadn't heard, there's a PlayStation 3 firmware update coming this Thursday that'd knock out the "install other OS" option and remove any currently-installed non-PS3 platform. Our guess is it's not going to affect the majority of owners, but the diehard users are certainly up in arms, and no one really likes losing a feature, even if it's rarely used. Leave it to Geohot, then, to right the wrong. Arguably the reason for Sony's reversal (see: PS3 exploit), the famed hacker has published not only a letter of sorrow at the company (unsurprising), but also a call for users not to update. Instead, he claims he will "look into a safe way of updating to retain OtherOS support" and issued a tech-savvy threat ! about "touching the CFW," much to the company's chagrin (trust us, you don't even want to know what he's talking about here -- far too scary). We wouldn't normally say a war's brewing, but ol' George Hotz has proven himself more than capable at starting something fierce. Geohot advises against updating PS3, will find 'safe way' around losing OS support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 22:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Geohot (1), (2) | Email this | Comments | | |
| US Airways finally secures Gogo in-flight WiFi, adding to all A321's by June
March 30, 2010 at 2:17 AM
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| | We heard last summer that 2010 would be the year for US Airways to gain in-flight internet, and sure enough, America's worst legacy airline has made good on said promise. As of now, a grand total of five Airbus A321 planes are equipped with Gogo, and if you're lucky enough to end up on one, you'll get a single free session through June 1st provided that you're a first-time Gogo user. Speaking of early June, that's when all 51 of the outfit's A321's will be lit with WiFi, and better still, you'll be able to see right away if your flight will be wired (or unwired, as it ! were) at the time of booking. There's no mention of expansion plans beyond that, and we still haven't received an apology for refusing us a gratis glass of water on a 6.5 hour flight in August of 2008. No, we're not bitter. At all. US Airways finally secures Gogo in-flight WiFi, adding to all A321's by June originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 20:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Aircell &n bsp;| Email this | Comments | | |
| iPhone SDK 3.2 goes gold, seeded to paying dev program members
March 30, 2010 at 1:28 AM
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| Us freeloaders still have a bit of a wait left, it seems, but paying members of Apple's iPhone Developer Program (which now services iPad devs, too) now have access to the Gold Master seed of the iPhone SDK for OS 3.2. This is a pretty big deal since it's the very first version of the operating system to support the iPad, of course -- and seeing how the first volley of iPads hits retail this weekend, it couldn't come at a better time. Let us know if you find anything wild in this new build, and we'll do the same, alright?
[Thanks, Kory H.]iPhone SDK 3.2 goes gold, seeded to paying dev program members originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Apple | Email this | Comments | | |
| MEDL Technology's 'The Panel' hands-on
March 30, 2010 at 1:00 AM
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| MEDL Technology's portable LCD display "The Panel" sounded like the perfect laptop sidekick, but would you really want to slip the 13.3-inch screen into your messenger bag? We invited company co-founder Eric Liao -- and his prototype Panel -- to a local Starbucks to find out. The verdict? Lightweight and incredibly easy to use, but at this point most features (including those all-important analog video inputs) aren't quite ready for primetime. Housed in a silvery frame that perfectly matched the brushed aluminum finish of our Mac and Dell laptops, the screen was equally easy to hook up to either one. Using a DisplayLink USB graphics chip, we only had to plug in an USB cable to instantly connect the external screen, once the driver was installed. The Panel was nice and ! bright, even eclipsing our LED-backlit XPS M1330 on maximum settings -- though the screen looked washed out, viewed from off-angles -- and featured smooth action and no perceptible audio sync issues when playing a DVD-quality movie. Basic functionality's all we got to test, sadly, but Liao made a number of intriguing promises for The Panel's future.
At 80 percent brightness, Liao says the device's 4200mAh rechargeable battery gives it 4 to 5 hours of spreadsheet slinging bliss, and those buttons on the right side might be used to control more than brightness and contrast -- should the company adopt wireless USB as originally planned, Liao intends to have them double as arrow controls, allowing you to cut the cables and still have basic e-reader functionality. A headphone jack is still in the works, which should allow audio passthrough from HDMI and possibly USB. Last but not least, there's a reason The Panel looks so good lying prone next to that Macbook: should cost decrease, future revisions may include a tablet-style touchscreen. Shame most of these ideas are still on the drawing board, but even the primary product is shaping up nicely. Hit up our gallery for the visual scoop.
P.S. Those blotches on the LCD screen? Liao says that's a manufacturing defect, and that MEDL is testing LCD panels from a variety of manufacturers to avoid such mishaps in the final product.
MEDL Technology's 'The Panel' hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | |
| Toshiba introduces Canvio line of portable hard drives
March 30, 2010 at 12:29 AM
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| Toshiba hasn't exactly flooded the market with external hard drives since jumping into the game a couple of years back, but it has now expanded its offering a bit further with its new Canvio line of portable drives, which keep things about as simple as can be. Available in 500GB, 640GB, 750GB or 1TB capacities, the less than six ounce drives all come bundled with the Windows-only NTI BackupNow EZ software, which promises a "set-it-and-forget-it" operation, and they're each available in your choice of five different colors. Look for the whole lot to be available from all the usual sources starting today, with prices ranging from $119.99 to $199.99. Toshiba introduces Canvio line of portable hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | PR Newswire | Email this | Comments | | |
| Zune HD v4.5 firmware 'coming soon,' adds SmartDJ, new codecs, and Marketplace access via AV dock
March 30, 2010 at 12:02 AM
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| | We know you've been waiting at the edge of your seat for that added codec support and SmartDJ for Zune HD, patient ever since its CES unveiling, and now we're hear to assure you that it's coming with the next firmware update, version 4.5. We had a chance to preview both SmartDJ and Marketplace access via the AV dock connection this afternoon (video coming soon) -- the former being very smooth and easy-to-use, the latter being convenient except for having to input text using the simple remote and an on-screen keyboard. According to Marketing Manager Michael Yaeger, there's nothing in the cards right now for a new, more text input-friendly remote. While we had his attention, we also asked him about Mac support and international Zune HD releases -- neither of which he could answer definitively, but! it doesn't sound hopeful in the near future. As for release date, we couldn't get anything more specific than within the next few weeks, but at least it's next on the docket. Press release after the break; so with that out of the way, how about some answers on that 64GB model, eh Microsoft? Continue reading Zune HD v4.5 firmware 'coming soon,' adds SmartDJ, new codecs, and Marketplace access via AV dock Zune HD v4.5 firmware 'coming soon,' adds SmartDJ, new codecs, and Marketplace access via AV dock originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | |
| MSI Wind U250 receives Energy Star leaked status
March 29, 2010 at 11:16 PM
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| | Well, here's a bit of a surprise. Not only have the folks behind the ever-present Energy Star label revealed the existence of a previously unheard of MSI Wind U250, but they've been kind enough to provide some details on the device as well. Apparently a convertible laptop (or some other form of notebook / tablet), the U250 will pack a dual-core, 2.6GHz processor of some sort, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a video card with 512MB of dedicated memory -- all for a list price of $600. Unfortunately, while Energy Star lists a release date of March 15th for the device (hence the appearance on its site, presumably), that has obviously come and gone without so much as a peep from MSI about this particular model. MSI Wind U250 receives Energy Star leaked status originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:16:00 EST. Ple! ase see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget Spanish | Energy Star | Email this | Comments | | |
| Inhabitat's Week In Green: 3D printed veins, solar cell towers, and the Ingocar
March 29, 2010 at 10:25 PM
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| At Inhabitat we've seen 3D printers that create entire buildings out of stone and complete meals out of simple ingredients, but this week we watched in awe as scientists used a 3D printer to create the world's first "printed" human vein. And if advances in biotech get your blood flowing, you'll be excited to hear that this week a team of researchers successfully tested a new type of nanobot that travels through the bloodstream to turn off tumor cells. Contact lenses are also getting a much needed upgrade as scientists unveiled a new type capable of figh! ting glaucoma and other diseases by dispensing a powerful dose of medication.
In other news, solar energy is lighting up the world at large as India gears up to power all of its cellphone towers with photovoltaic cells, saving 5 million tons of CO2 and $1.4 billion annually. And speaking of silicon cells, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently unveiled its latest creation: a super robot capable of assembling an entire photovoltaic cell in 35 minutes flat. We also looked at a prototype of a prismatic solar balloon that uses a colorful new type of solar cell to soak up the sun's energy from high in the sky.
Finally, this week we took an in-depth look at the Ingocar, a hydraulic hybrid drive vehicle so light and efficient that it promises a mileage of 170MPG. This next-gen vehicle uses hydraulic fluid under pressure to accelerate, brake, and eliminate the need for a heavy mechanical drive train, making it 50% lighter than hybrid electric vehicles. And if you've ever experienced the maddening anxiety of circling for a parking spot on crammed city streets, relax - there's an app for that!Inhabitat's Week In Green: 3D printed veins, solar cell towers, and the Ingocar originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:25:00 EST.! Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | |
| Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review
March 29, 2010 at 9:59 PM
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| HomePlug has been around for years now, nearly as long as mobile broadband, Windows Mobile and sliced bread... combined. Unlike any of those three, however HomePlug hasn't exactly caught fire in the industry. For those unaware, the general principle with these devices is to send network signals (or other signals, we suppose) over a home's existing power network. In theory, this would prevent someone from being forced to run a 50 foot Ethernet drop, instead using the 50 feet (or more) or power wiring that already resides within the walls of a given abode to transmit the same signals. For whatever reason, early models were plagued with flaky performance and speeds that were far less than advertised. Granted, things have progressed quite aways since the HomePlugs of old, but has the tech finally reached a place where it c! ould be adopted en masse?
We recently had the chance to test out Innoband's HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit, which is a two-piece solution that consists of a transmitting unit (which connects to your router or modem via Ethernet and plugs into a nearby wall outlet) and a 802.11b/g/n WiFi transceiver, which is designed to be plugged into a different wall socket where you need an Ethernet connection or extended wireless coverage. Curious as to how things stacked up? Tap that 'Read More' link for the rest of our review.
Continue reading Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review Innoband HomePlug AV+802.11n AP Starter Kit review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | |
| Cowon's all-metal J3 PMP gets official
March 29, 2010 at 9:09 PM
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| We'd already gotten a early look at Cowon's new all-metal J3 PMP earlier this month courtesy of the red dot design awards, but the company has just now gotten fully official with it, and detailed its complete specs. As expected, this one packs a 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen, along with 4GB, 8GB or 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot for further expansion, a built-in DMB TV tuner and FM radio, Bluetooth support, a built-in speaker and, of course, that brushed metal case -- not to mention a few familiar UI elements. Unfortunately, there's still no indication of a price, nor is there any word of a release over here. Cowon's all-metal J3 PMP gets official originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Electricpig | Cowon | Email this | Comments | | |
| Microsoft facing patent lawsuit over Zune Buy From FM feature
March 29, 2010 at 8:47 PM
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| Looks like someone at Microsoft should be paying slightly more attention to the mail: an ophthalmologist (yes, that's right) in Illinois named Edward Yavitz is suing Redmond over the Zune's Buy From FM feature, saying he wrote the software giant a letter in 2006 that disclosed his two relevant patents on the tech, suggested how it could be integrated into the Zune, and asked for a deal. Two years and presumably zero replies later, a young Joe Belfiore introduced Buy From FM along with the Zune 3.0 software, which Ed says directly infringes on his patents -- and his lawsuit, filed ten days ago, asks the court to permanently stop sales of the Zune and award him triple damages in cash. Oops. We haven't dived too deeply into the patents themselves, but it looks like Ed's going to have ! a bit of a fight on his hands here, as the patents seem to describe systems that have preloaded content about music that's then accessed when a data trigger is received over the air, not just storing song information for later purchase over the Internet. We're sure the good doctor's attorneys have some high-powered arguments to the contrary, so we'll withhold judgment and see where this all leads -- we're guessing a quick settlement is in the cards, as fighting Microsoft might end up actually costing more than any percentage of royalties on total sales of the Zune.
P.S.- If you're wondering why Apple hasn't been named for its similar iTunes Tagging feature... well, so are we. We'll see what happens.Microsoft facing patent lawsuit over Zune Buy From FM feature originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget Spanish, Datamation | Complaint (PDF), Patent 1, Patent 2 | Email this | Comments | | |
| Garmin's Forerunner 110 GPS watch handles just the basics, please
March 29, 2010 at 8:23 PM
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| | Garmin has managed to do GPS watches right with its long-standing Forerunner line, but the vast majority of 'em have been useful only to nerds who aren't deterred by lengthy setup procedures. The new Forerunner 110, however, changes all that. Designed to provide just the basics to runners and other fitness freaks, this SiRFstarIV-infused timepiece provides near-instant access to distance, pace and time "within seconds of stepping outside." Marketed as an entry-level solution for those who don't need added complexity in their life, it can also be used in conjunction with heart rate monitors to display current thumps per second and heart rate-based calorie computation, both of which can be logged once you sync it to your PC via USB. The inbuilt battery will last up to eight hours in GPS / training mode or three weeks in power-save mode, and while there's no mention of a price, we are told that it'll be available in black / ! gray, charcoal / red and gray / pink color combinations. Good luck choosing the most badical one. Garmin's Forerunner 110 GPS watch handles just the basics, please originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Garmin | Email this | Comments | | |
| Beijing Gorld combines sub-par cellphone with lackluster e-reader
March 29, 2010 at 7:59 PM
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| Alongside the Get Smart shoe phone, Beijing Gorld's 600TW e-reader / cellphone has to be one of the less useful combos we can imagine. As an E Ink device, it's pretty straightforward -- 6-inch display and a battery life of approximately 6,000 page turns. And there's no denying that the plethora of connectivity options (including SMS messaging, GSM, GPRS, and EDGE, WiFi, and Bluetooth) is a pretty sweet deal. All the same, we can't really picture this thing providing a satisfying handset experience at all. Available in China for 2,880 yuan (about $420). Continue reading Beijing Gorld combines sub-par cellphone with lackluster e-reader Beijing Gorld combines sub-par cellphone with lackluster e-reader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Cloned In China | Beijing Gorld, Taobao | Email this | Comments | | |
| New US LTE network borne of satellite operators, launching next year
March 29, 2010 at 7:35 PM
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|  Over the next few years we're looking at major LTE build-outs in the US from at least two players -- Verizon and AT&T -- but we've rather unexpectedly gotten a third player coming into the fold today led by hedge fund Harbinger Capital Partners. Basically, these guys just got regulatory approval last week to buy satellite operator SkyTerra, combining about 23MHz of spectrum through slivers of ownership in the 1.4GHz and 1.6GHz terrestrial bands with 10MHz of L-band satellite space. This isn't the kind of network you'll just be able to! waltz into a store and sign up for, though; instead, Harbinger is looking to offer it as an end-to-end wholesale service to other providers, of which AT&T and Verizon could be a part if they need the extra capacity or they're looking for a stopgap prior to completing their own build-outs. Interestingly, the terms of the SkyTerra deal specify that the big guys can only account for up to 25 percent of the new network's traffic, so there'll still be plenty of room for other players to get in when the initial commercial launch goes live (or is scheduled to go live, anyway) some time before the third quarter of 2011 covering 9 million potential subscribers. A full-scale launch in all "major" markets is lined up by the second quarter of 2013 -- and thanks to Harbinger's holdings in TerreStar, we could see even more than 23MHz worth of LTE airspace by the time everything's said and done. By comparison, Verizon holds 22MHz o! f 700MHz spectrum in many markets, so these guys are working w! ith a de cent-sized slice of the pie here.New US LTE network borne of satellite operators, launching next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | GSMA Mobile Business Briefing | Email this | Comments | | |
| Moneual pulls a 360 with its MiNEW M11 desktop
March 29, 2010 at 7:12 PM
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| Some of Moneual's HTPCs may have gone unchanged in almost three years -- save for an unforgettable gold-plated, jewel-laden model at this year's CES -- but the company has now at least churned out a fairly eye-catching, if somewhat familiar-looking desktop with its new MiNEW M11 model. Unfortunately, while the M11 does slim things down considerably over the previous M10 model, it doesn't offer much in the way of upgraded specs, with this one packing just a 2.93GHz Pentium E6500 processor, 2GB of RAM, and NVIDIA GT220 graphics (in the base model, at least). Hopefully that also means it'll pack a similarly low-end price, but there's no word on that or availability just yet. Moneual pulls a 360 with its MiNEW M11 desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 13:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Akihabara News | Email this | Comments | | |
| Apple updates Snow Leopard to 10.6.3, loads of minor quirks get patched
March 29, 2010 at 6:37 PM
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| Nearly five months after OS X 10.6.2 hit the pipes (and just seven months after 10.6.1), Apple has updated its Snow Leopard operating system to v10.6.3. Weighing in rather heavily at 757.3MB (when you upgrade from 10.6.2, anyway), this mammoth update brings along a laundry list of fixes, including improved reliability and compatibility of QuickTime X, a resolution to an issue that prevented files from copying to Windows file servers and boosted reliability of third-party USB input devices. You can check the full changelog after the break, but in all honesty, we're guessing that the unwritten change is integrated support for Intel's mobile Core i5 / Core i7 chips, both of which should become options on the MacBook Pro line as early as tomorrow last week. Fire up Software Update to get the download rolling, but only if you're kosher with subjecting yourself to all sorts of unknown application breaks. We're installing it ourselves here at Engadget HQ, and we'll update the post if anything catastrophic happens.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Continue reading Apple updates Snow Leopard to 10.6.3, loads of minor quirks get patched Apple updates Snow Leopard to 10.6.3, loads of minor quirks get patched originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Apple | Email this | Comments | | |
| Creation Tech's $65 UMPC is cheap and unlovable
March 29, 2010 at 6:26 PM
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| If you're in the market for another Vivienne Tam-designed masterpiece, keep looking! Coming straight outta Shenzhen, Creation Tech's CTEB7G is a 7-inch UMPC featuring damn near everything you could reasonably expect from a $65 UMPC, including a 533MHz VIA VT 8505 CPU, 128MB RAM, 2GB flash storage, 7-inch (800 x 600) display, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Ethernet, keyboard with built-in touchpad, three USB 2.0 ports, SD card slot, built-in speaker, microphone, and Windows CE 6.0. This thing is underpowered and underpriced, and it looks it -- but we're sure that Ruslan Kogan can find an excuse to rebadge it nonetheless. Please direct all order inquiries to the source link below. Creation Tech's $65 UMPC is cheap and unlovable originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PC Launches | Creation Tech | Email this! |& nbsp;Comments | | |
| Palm isn't hot on Pre overclocking, indicates warranties are at risk
March 29, 2010 at 6:03 PM
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| You know the hacked Pre firmware releases that have been coming out lately, first for 1.3.5.1 and then recently for 1.4? We tested out that later one and found the results to be good, and indeed one of the creators, caj2008, sent us plenty of data from early testers showing minimal heat gains and battery losses. Still, Palm isn't exactly thanking these guys for their hard work, going so far as to issue a warning:
While we appreciate the effort the webOS community has put forth to try and help us along that path, the use of this application is neither endorsed nor recommended by Palm and will likely result in a voided warranty. Frankly you can't be surprised that Palm isn't thrilled about users cranking up the clock multiplier on their phones, nor can you think less of the company for indicating that those doing so might face some warranty issues going forward. And, as we've said before, despite all data that these mods are safe users should exhibit caution before dialing up the megahertz. After all, you wouldn't put a manual controller on your turbo'd car, double the PSI, and then try to get your blown headgasket warrantied... right?Palm isn't hot on Pre overclocking, indicates warranties are at risk originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PreCentral.net | Palm Developer Center | Email this | Comments | | |
| Bang & Olufsen announces 46-inch BeoVision 10
March 29, 2010 at 5:39 PM
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| | Suddenly Bang & Olufsen's 40-inch HDTV seems like a consolation prize. While the BeoVision 10-40 is making its good will tour of the states, the kids in Copenhagen will be checking out the new standard in the company's lavish displays, the BeoVision 10-46. Aside from the 6-inch real estate boost, this thing sports "a new and exciting LED-based, 240Hz LCD panel" and unnamed "sophisticated motion compensation technologies" that apparently sport "a yet unseen level of smoothness." Can you handle all this sophistication? We didn't think so. To be unveiled on April 14 in Denmark, goes on sale this summer. No word yet on a price, but we're guessing you can't afford it anyways. Bang & Olufsen announces 46-inch BeoVision 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink FlatPanelsHD | Bang & Olufsen | Email this | Comments | | |
| Exclusive: Android Froyo to take a serious shot at stemming platform fragmentation
March 29, 2010 at 5:16 PM
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| We had a couple people at CTIA last week -- people whose words carry weight -- tell us off the record that the next major version of Android would take big strides toward stopping the ugly trend toward severe fragmentation that has plagued the platform for much of this and last year. You know, the kind of fragmentation that has already left users running not one, not two, not three, but four distinct versions of the little green guy (1.5, 1.6, 2.0, and 2.1) depending on a seemingly arbitrary formula of hardware, carrier, region, software customization, and manufacturers' ability to push updates in a timely fashion. Put simply, Google's been iterating the core far faster than most of its partners have been able to keep up.
Thing is, in light of our CTIA conversations, we didn't have an idea of how Google planned on fixing this -- until now. We've been given reason to believe that the company will start by decoupling many of Android's standard applications and components from the platform's core and making them downloadable and updatable through the Market, much the same as they've already done with Maps. In all likelihood, this process will take place over two major Android versions, starting with Froyo and continuing through Gingerbread. Notice that we said apps and components, meaning that some core elements of Android -- input methods, for instance -- should get this treatment. This way, just because Google ! rolls out an awesome new browser doesn't mean you need to wait for HTC, Samsung, or whomever made your phone to roll it into a firmware update, and for your carrier to approve it -- almost all of the juicy user-facing stuff will happen through the Market.
The second part of this doubled-edged attack on platform fragmentation comes from a simple reality: we're hearing that Google may be nearing the end of its breakneck development pace on Android's core and shifting attention to apps and features. By the time we get to Froyo, the underlying platform -- and the API that devs need to target -- will be reaching legitimate maturity for the first time, which means we should have far fewer tasty treat-themed code names to worry about over the course of an average year. We like awesome new software as much as the next guy, but Google's been moving so fast lately that they've created a near constant culture of obsolescence anxiety among the hardcore user base -- and in turn, that leads to paralysis at the sales counter.
How much of this strategy actually materializes -- and how effective it is at changing the direction of the platform at large -- remains to be seen, but it sounds like a promising turn of events. Considering it's been a solid five months since the Eclair SDK premiered, that's an eternity in Google years; time to shake things up a bit, we reckon.Exclusive: Android Froyo to take a serious shot at stemming platform fragmentation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | |
| iPad Camera Connection Kit finally surfaces for pre-order, still absurdly overpriced
March 29, 2010 at 4:49 PM
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|  If you'll recall, Apple had no qualms revealing the iPad Camera Connection Kit at its 'Latest Creation' event back in January, but the solution seemingly dropped from the face of the Earth shortly thereafter. Even as cases, keyboards and all sorts of other iPad accessories surfaced for pre-order, the camera kit remained nowhere to be found. Over the weekend, the! $29 adapter bundle finally found a home at the outfit's website (with a "late April" ship date), offering users a pair of dongles to support USB and SD cards. Of course, one could easily argue that the iPad should have native support for both of these widely used formats without forcing users to lug around two extra peripherals, but if that were the case, this thing just wouldn't be an Apple, now would it?
iPad Camera Connection Kit finally surfaces for pre-order, still absurdly overpriced originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink iLounge | Apple | Email this | Comments | | |
| Stats: iPhone OS is still king of the mobile web space, but Android is nipping at its heels
March 29, 2010 at 4:18 PM
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| | AdMob serves north of 10 billion ads per month to more than 15,000 mobile websites and applications. Thus, although its data is about ad rather than page impressions, it can be taken as a pretty robust indicator of how web usage habits are developing and changing over time. Android is the big standout of its most recent figures, with Google loyalists now constituting a cool 42 percent of AdMob's smartphone audience in the US. With the EVO 4G and Galaxy S rapidly approaching, we wouldn't be surprised by the little green droid stealing away the US share crown, at least until Apple counters with its next slice of magical machinery. Looking a! t the global stage, Android has also recently skipped ahead of Symbian, with a 24 percent share versus 18 percent for the smartphone leader. Together with BlackBerry OS, Symbian is still the predominant operating system in terms of smartphone sales, but it's interesting to see both falling behind in the field of web or application usage, which is what this metric seeks to measure. Figures from Net Applications (to be found at the TheAppleBlog link) and ArcTechnica's own mobile user numbers corroborate these findings. Stats: iPhone OS is still king of the mobile web space, but Android is nipping at its heels originally app! eared on Engadget on Mon! , 29 Mar 2010 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink ArsTechnica | AdMob | Email this | Comments | | |
| CubeSail parachute to drag old satellites from orbit, keep atmospheric roads clear
March 29, 2010 at 3:49 PM
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| | It's not something laypeople think about very often (space debris, for those wondering), but it's clearly on the minds of boffins at the University of Surrey. Over the years, the amount of defunct equipment hovering around beyond our view has increased significantly, with some reports suggesting that over 5,500 tonnes of exhausted kit is currently hanging around somewhere up there as a result of "abandoning spacecraft." In order to prevent the problem from growing (and to possibly reverse some of the damage), the CubeSail has been created. Put simply (or as simply as possible), this here parachute could be remotely deployed once a satellite had accomplished what it set out to do, essentially dragging it back through a fiery re-entry that it would never survive and clearing out the orbital pathway that it was using. We're tol! d that it'll be ready for deployment in late 2011, but for now you can check out an all-too-brief demonstration vid just beyond the break. Continue reading CubeSail parachute to drag old satellites from orbit, keep atmospheric roads clear CubeSail parachute to drag old satellites from orbit, keep atmospheric roads clear originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Science Daily, University of Surrey | Email this | Comments | | |
| HTC Desire Black Edition confirmed, coming to Orange UK in late April
March 29, 2010 at 3:24 PM
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| Remember that little guy up there? We spotted video of the Black Edition Desire exactly a week ago, but had few details to go with it aside from the fact it existed. Now we have word from Conor Maples, Orange UK's PR guru, saying that the operator will stock not only the standard-issue gunmetal Desire, but also the special Black Edition, which will be exclusive to Orange in the UK. The more familiar model will be arriving on the carrier's shelves some time early next month, with the darker, edgier Desire making a fashionably late entry in the latter part of the month. Screenshot of the relevant tweet after the break.
[Image courtesy of AndroidSuomi.fi]Continue reading HTC Desire Black Edition confirmed, coming to Orange UK in late April HTC Desire Black Edition confirmed, coming to Orange UK in late April originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink EuroDroid | Twitter | Email this | Comments | | |
| Apple confirms Best Buy iPads at launch, what time you'll need to be there
March 29, 2010 at 2:55 PM
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| | We're nearly there. The mystical, magical iPad experience starts this Saturday, April 3, and if you haven't already pre-ordered your only way to get one for the weekend is going to be to fight the rush at retail. Apple has confirmed that all 221 of its Apple Stores will have the wunder-tablets on sale, and has also confirmed the Best Buy rumors, indicating that "most" of the big-box retailer's locations will have them. Stores are set to open at 9:00am, so we figure you can probably roll on over there at 8:45 or so and get a good spot in line. Apple confirms Best Buy iPads at launch, what time you'll need to be ther! e originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Apple | Email this | Comments | | |
| Coby introduces streamlined, puzzling MP570 MP3 player
March 29, 2010 at 2:39 PM
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| | Coby may not always produce the sleekest of devices, but the company has certainly come through on that count with its new MP570 MP3 player, which is bound to turn a few heads. Questionably functional design aside, however, this one is about as basic as can be, with it packing just 2GB of flash storage and no memory card slot, support for only MP3 and WMA formats, and a built-in rechargeable battery that promises just five hours of audio playback -- but, hey, it sure is shiny. No word on pricing or availability just yet, nor is there any indication of how you're actually supposed to use it. Coby introduces streamlined, puzzling MP570 MP3 player originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use o! f feeds. Permalink Chip Chick | Coby | Email this | Comments | | |
| European Milestone gets OTA 2.1 update, Droid update MIA
March 29, 2010 at 1:57 PM
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|  Motorola Milestone owners, your moment is now. The Android 2.1 update you've been waiting for is now available en masse. Users outside of Hong Kong (which already got served) have received notice that an over-the-air update is available to unlock the nine home-screens, Google Earth, and other goodness that comes along with the latest flavor of Google's mobile OS. When can US-bound Verizon subscribers hope to get their point relea! se of goodness? That, sadly, is still TBD, but we're guessing it'll be any day now.
[Thanks, Miao]Filed under: Cellphones European Milestone gets OTA 2.1 update, Droid update MIA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | GSMArena | Email this | Comments | | |
| Verizon's Nexus One could be arriving 'by the end of next week'
March 29, 2010 at 1:13 PM
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| Let's start with the obvious proviso here, the above image is so painfully easy to fake that even our computer illiterate grandparents could mock one up within a few minutes. That said, it's purportedly a screenshot of a little oopsie by Google's online store, which is said to have briefly displayed the Verizon option for Nexus One handsets as available to buy for $199 plus the relevant contractual shackles. We wouldn't normally credit such unverifiable information, but then we're also hearing from Soft Sailor that a highly trusted "inside" source of theirs is reporting that Verizon-carried, Sense-less Nexus Ones will be out and about "by the end of next week." Given that the earlier mooted date of March 23 has ! now come and gone, we're apprehensive about investing too much of ourselves in these rumors, but those supposed CDMA Nexus One shipments from HTC have to come out and play at some point, right?
[Thanks, Carson]Verizon's Nexus One could be arriving 'by the end of next week' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink jkOnTheRun | Android Central, Soft Sailor | Email this | Comments | | |
| Symantec names Shaoxing, China as world's malware capital
March 29, 2010 at 12:41 PM
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|  It's not the sort of title any city's looking for, but Symantec has now given Shaoxing, China the dubious honor of being the world's malware capital, saying that it accounts for more targeted attacks than any other city. In fact, the company found that while close to 30 percent of all malicious attacks came from China (making it the number one country), 21.3 percent came just from Shaoxing. It was followed by Taipei at 16.5 percent, and London at 14.8 percent. Following China in the country rankings is Romania with 21.1 percent of attempted attacks (most of those are said to be commercial fraud), and the United States at 13.8 percent. That's actually just part of a larger report by Symantec's MessageLabs division, which details everything from the most common types of email attachments (.XLS and .DOC are neck and neck for the lead) to the percentage of emails that contai! n a virus of phishing attack (one in 358.3 and one in 513.7, respectively). Dive into the PDF linked below for the complete details. Symantec names Shaoxing, China as world's malware capital originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Times Online | Symantec MessageLabs (PDF), Press Release | Email this | Comments | | |
| Engelbart's chorded keyboard reborn as stunning red jellyfish
March 29, 2010 at 12:05 PM
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| In December 1968, Douglas C. Engelbart introduced the world to two brand-new computer peripherals of his own invention. The first was the computer mouse -- which, as you're well aware, revolutionized user input two decades later. The second, the chorded keyboard, still has yet to take off outside the Braille community. But after forty years, Doug Engelbart hasn't given up on the latter device; he recently commissioned an industrial designer, Erik Campbell, to modernize the antiquated keyset into this lovely jellyfish-inspired, five-fingered keyboard replacement. Made of silicon rubber and recycled plastics, the concept peripheral uses pressure-sensitive pads at each fingertip to detect key-presses, turns combinations of presses (the "chords") into letters and words, and sends them over wireless USB to the ho! st computer. Sure, chorded computing isn't for everyone (else we'd all be sporting iFrogs and typing gloves), but if this concept ever comes to fruition, we just might be tempted to learn.
[Thanks, Semfifty]Engelbart's chorded keyboard reborn as stunning red jellyfish originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Walyou | Erik Campbell (Coroflot) | Email this | Comments | | |
| Kenwood AS-iP70 converges picture frame, alarm clock, FM radio and iPhone dock into one
March 29, 2010 at 9:30 AM
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| | We know, you've seen enough iDevice docks to make your eyes bleed with frustration, but if your bedside table is growing a bit cluttered with all the appendages and chargers you have lying around, you might wanna check this one out. Kenwood's 7-inch AS-iP70 can serve as a picture viewer, a music player, an alarm clock, or an FM radio, while also packing USB and SD card inputs for alternative media sources. All in all, it looks quite slick and has plenty of buttons to play around with, but be warned that its 800 x 480 resolution is intended for pictures only, there's no video playback to be had. If that and the ¥25,000 sticker (about $270, launching in Japan this April) have you running scared, you might want to check out Sony's cheaper, AVI-playing alternative right over here. More pictures of Kenwood's new hot! ness can be found at the source. Kenwood AS-iP70 converges picture frame, alarm clock, FM radio and iPhone dock into one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink UberGizmo |  AV Watch | Email this | Comments | | |
| Yoga Natal game appears on GAME retailer's Xbox 360 release schedule
March 29, 2010 at 9:01 AM
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| Time for some more salacious prognostications about the future, courtesy of the wily folks over at vg247. The team there claims to have obtained internal documents from UK video game retailer GAME that lists the release dates for forthcoming Xbox 360 titles. The listing is headlined by new iterations of Crysis, Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid, but the highlight for us gadget junkies is at the very end: Yoga Natal, scheduled for an October release. Now, even if this doc comes straight from the horse's mouth, game release dates are notoriously prone to fluctuation, so let's not read too much into that October date. What's intriguing is that Microsoft does indeed seem intent on creating specialist games for its Natal experience, and it! may be that they'll all include Natal in their titles to make compatibility abundantly clear. Or this may be just a big bad April 1-related hoax, we'll live either way.
[Thanks, Matt R.]Yoga Natal game appears on GAME retailer's Xbox 360 release schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PlayStationLifeStyle.net |  vg247 | Email this | Comments | | |
| iPad roundup: New York Times and others get HTML5 video, iPad app store, and more
March 29, 2010 at 8:11 AM
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| The momentum towards HTML5 and away from (or at least in parallel with) Flash seems to be accelerating with today's launch of the free Brightcove Experience framework for HTML5 -- a "way to publish, distribute, and monetize web video for the iPad and other Apple devices" according to the Brightcove press release. While Brightcove might not be a household name, some of its 1,000 customers, including Time Inc. and The New York Times (a Brightcove investor), certainly are -- both of whom are already using the new HTML5 solution in preparation for the iPad's April 3rd US launch. A real coup for the Flash-hating Steve Jobs if you start factoring in the rumored Flash-free NPR and Wall Street Journal iPad sites as well as that little HTML5 iPad test CBS was testing out in the open last week.
Also rumored for launch is an iBookstore filled with 30,000 free e-Books courtesy of the Gutenberg Project. See the screengrab evidence after the break in addition to a purported video walkthrough of the iPad store. The video previews several new "HD" formatted iPad apps that we've already seen as well as a few new ones like Twitterific. Sorry, still no Hulu HD. The mouse pointer in the video, however, makes it clear that this is running on desktop somewhere, not on an iPad. Still, it definitely looks the part.Continue reading iPad roundup: New York Times and others get HTML5 video, iPad app store, and more iPad roundup: New York Times and others get HTML5 video, iPad app st! ore, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 02:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink MacRumors | AppAdvice, Brigh! tcove, MacStories | Email this | Comments | | |
| CyberPower, Digital Storm and Maingear add NVIDIA Fermi GPUs to flagship gaming PCs
March 29, 2010 at 7:57 AM
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| | Origin PC kicked things off on Friday by shoving NVIDIA's latest and greatest into its Genesis desktop, and now a few more in the custom PC game have upped the ante by offering a similarly delectable taste of Fermi. NVIDIA's new GeForce GTX 470 and 480 have been all the rage over the weekend, and if those raucous benchmarks have you convinced that the time to buy is now, a trio of system builders are here vying for your attention. Digital Storm's Black|OPS rig can now be ordered with a GTX 480 (starts at $2,891), while CyberPower is giving prospective customers the ability to add the latest Fermi GPUs into a smattering of towers. Maingear'! s formidable SHIFT supercomputer is also seeing the update, but it's really asking for trouble with a triple GTX 480 configuration that demands a $1,1718 upgrade investment. In related news, ASUS, Zotac and a slew of other GPU makers are cranking out new boards based on the minty fresh core, so you shouldn't have a difficult time finding one if the rest of your rig is a-okay for now. CyberPower, Digital Storm and Maingear add NVIDIA Fermi GPUs to flagship gaming PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Digital Storm, Maingear, CyberPower, Zotac, ASUS | Email this | Comments | | | | 
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