|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | March 7, 2012. Hard to say if it's a day that'll live long in terms of historical significance, but you can bet it'll be an important milestone in the history of Apple's iPad family. The next iPad (iPad 3? iPad HD? iPad 2S?) is due to be unveiled by Tim Cook at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California, and we'll be here live to bring you the goods as they're unwrapped. If you've managed to arrive in this time wrinkle before 03/07/2012, there's still a reliable fabric of reality intact. Just be sure to bookmark this landing page and return at the time listed below, or a few hours early for those interested in seeing Tim and Darren live from the streets of SF.
March 7, 2012 10:00 AM PSTApple next-generation iPad liveblog! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | South Korean electronics giant LG came out swinging with its line of Optimus products at Mobile World Congress this year, delivering the 4X HD, 3D Max, Vu and a trinity of L-series handsets. So how does one shop deliver six handsets to the public, you ask? Resources. A recent note to investors from Nomura Securities reveals that in 2011, the Life's Good gang assigned a larger portion of its R&D team to its smartphone division. The report claims that the company had 60 to 70 percent of its 8,000 person research outfit assigned to the Optimus-making arm at the end of last year. That's up from the 20 percent share of a 6,800 person staff it boasted just 365 days earlier. There's no doubt LG will be looking to steal the smartphone thunder of Samsung and HTC in 2012, but is this lineup of products enough? Only time (and sell-through figures) will tell. LG smartphone boom follows major R&D reshuffling, says analyst originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Unwired View |  Yonhap | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's no surprise that notebooks, Ultrabooks and tablets were pretty much the flavors of the day here at CeBIT, and we've already picked out a few choice selections. So, we're bringing you a second OEM Android tablet, but we liked the sound of it so much, we just had to give it a try. Chinese manufacturers certainly seem to be embracing the 9.7-inch form-factor, and that's what we have here. That translates to a 1024 x 768-pixel display, which benefits from in-plane switching (IPS) for improved viewing angles. Sadly, it's another absolute fingerprint magnet, so you'll need to keep your cloth handy or learn to live with it. We barely handled it at all, and we'd already given the feds enough to catch us several times over.
The innards are pretty modest, with a "Boxchip" A10 1.5GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4 gigs of internal memory, but it seemed to run just fine. We were handling an engineering sample at the show, which meant there were a few visual blemishes, but reps promised that they won't find their way into production versions. Unlike other budget (and some not-so-budget) slabs, this one has a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and a relatively impressive 5-megapixel shooter around the back, supported by a 6,000mAh battery -- which the makers promise provides up to 8 hours of use. Getting out on to the internet can be done via WiFI (802.11b/g/n), or over 3G by popping in a SIM. The all-plastic finish has a few quirks, like the power button sitting next to the camera, but it doesn't look all-together bad given what you're paying -- well, what OEMs will be paying, at least, considering that this tab won't be shipping directly to consumers. As always, we took it for a quick spin, which you can see in the video just after the break. Continue reading Vitoa ICS tablet has 9.7-inch IPS display and costs $120 wholesale, we go hands-on (video) Vitoa ICS tablet has 9.7-inch IPS display and costs $120 wholesale, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Hall 17 at CeBIT in Hannover could just as well be downtown Shenzhen. Step inside its cavernous walls, and the air lights up with the sound of chirpy pop music, and excited sales chatter. But once you tune out the aural assault and look past the swathe of Gingerbread MIDs, you might just find yourself a catch. This M9704 9.7-inch, Android 4.0 slate from Yitoa is one such get. Okay, so it won't be winning any awards for original design, but with a 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor and 1GB of RAM -- all for $120 -- we were certainly curious to know more. The first thing you might notice from the pictures is the combination keyboard and case. It might not be the only time we've seen something like this, but it's the first we've seen that offers it as a standard accessory.
Look up from that keyboard, however, and you'll be staring at a fingerprint-hugging 9.7-inch 1024 x 768-pixel capacitive touchscreen. There are two cameras; up front there's a very modest 0.3-megapixel affair, with 2-megapixels around the back. Connectivity-wise, there's only WiFi on board, but you do get 802.11n, as well as good 'ole b/g -- all powered by a 3,000mAh battery. It's always hard to tell what the final build will be like with OEM products, but the metal finish on the rear and glossy screen up front certainly look the part, and in our hands-on, it felt as solid as any other tab in this price range -- perhaps even a little better. It's important to point out that the $120 asking-price is for wholesale orders, so you can expect there to be a mark-up of some kind if this ever hits the stores in the U.S. If you want to get a taste of it in action, hit up the hands-on video after the break. Continue reading Yitoa M9704 9.7-inch ICS tablet has a keyboard that doubles as a case, we go hands-on (video) Yitoa M9704 9.7-inch ICS tablet has a keyboard that doubles as a case, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've heard whispers of Ivy Bridge's benchmarking prowess, but now we have more comprehensive and independent test results of a Core i7 3770K CPU, courtesy of AnandTech. The conclusion? The upgrade is "quite good," which is Anand Lal Shimpi's way of describing a 5-15 percent boost in CPU performance for the same money as Sandy Bridge, not to mention lower power consumption and the ability to run the latest games on the HD 4000 integrated graphics. Of course, this latter discovery requires clarification: some games, such as Metro 2033 could only achieve 30fps at a max resolution of 1366 x 768, but others fared better. Crysis Warhead ran at 50fps even at 1680 x 1050. With that type of onboard oomph, you'd have to spend over $100 on a discrete graphics card for it to be worthwhile, which even Lal Shimpi acknowledges is "sort of insane". Check out the source link for more. Ivy Bridge benchmarks: CPU boosted 5-15 percent, onboard GPU handles Skyrim originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | AnandTech | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | According to Bloomberg, Sprint is considering pulling the plug on its partnership with Lightsquared as early as next week. Philip Falcone's burgeoning enterprise was subject to a March 15th deadline to gain approval for a nationwide LTE network, but that was shot down by the FCC last month. The company's been treading water ever since and whilst it remains optimistic that a workaround can be found, it's already ousted former CEO Sanjiv Ahuja, fired 45 percent of its staff and defaulted on a $56 million payment to Inmarsat. The same report claims that Nokia Siemens Networks, the infrastructure arm of the handset maker has suspended network building projects until further notice. The split would cost Sprint around $74 million, but given the current state of affairs, that may look like a bargain. Report: Sprint planning to dump Lightsquared as early as next week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It might not quite be the hottest tablet news of the day, but we managed to catch a glimpse of the Arnova "designed by Archos" Child Pad on the floor here at CeBIT. Last time we saw this slate it was nothing but a render and a few specifications, but now we know a little more. First, there's a MicroUSB port and a front-facing camera, so your little darlings can be uploading pictures to Facebook even before that pacifier has dried for the last time. There's a microSD slot too, so you can load up an extra 32 gigs of Barney re-runs, if the 4GB internal storage isn't enough. The model we saw was a special edition "Alvin" version, which comes pre-loaded with bonus chipmunk-related content, such as special themes, wallpapers and, well, you get the picture.
The 7-inch, 800 x 480-pixel touchscreen is resistive -- which might be a bit of a dirty word these days -- but considering the intended audience, it's probably a fine choice. Our prods and pokes were met responsively enough, and Ice Cream Sandwich seemed to run just fine on the modest 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor with 1GB of RAM. Archos claims you'll get eight hours of video playback, or 16 hours of music per battery charge, and we assume that's with the 802.11b/g wireless turned off. The plastic finish actually looks pretty good, and will wipe free of jam and chips easy enough. Also, the back has a rubberized feel that should help prevent it from slipping from those juvenile paws. It's penciled in for release in April, and the real kicker here is the price. The €99 (about $129) price tag might not quite be pocket-change, but it's pretty darn close. See Alvin and our hands-on after the break. Continue reading Archos Arnova 7-inch Child Pad hands-on (video) Archos Arnova 7-inch Child Pad hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.
While the design hasn't changed much since we spied Instaprint precisely a year ago, the creators behind the Instagram-connected photo printers are now looking for cash -- your cash. Pitched as an event or party service, you can assign specific tags or locations to the printer, hopefully assuring all those instant snaps have at least a passing connection to whoever or whatever paid for all that photo paper. The technology is all a bit Polaroid, as the printers themselves are ink-free Zink types, limited only by however many blank sheets you have inside. Instaprint has set itself the heady target $500,000, with $260,000 of that sum going towards existing hardware and future production. The $399 investment option will net you your very own InstaPrint system, while sepia-tinted image obsessives can offer up £1,449 for the pro kit, containing one WiFi hub printer, three more connectable InstaPrint devices and 80 sheets of inkless paper for your premier cat photo collection/ food gallery get-together. See how it all works right after the break.
Update: With 22 days to go, last week's Insert Coin star, the Unruly housings for GoPro cameras, has assembled $16,255 of its $25,000 target. There's still time to make the adventure camera add-on a commercial reality -- donate over $128 and you'll nab one of the first multi-mount frames off its production line. Continue reading Insert Coin: Instaprint offers portable photo booths for Instagram (video) Insert Coin: Instaprint offers portable photo booths for Instagram (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Kickstarter | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Between Google Books, iBooks, Nook, Kindle, Kobo, Sony... you'd figure the e-book field was crowded enough, right? Well, if you're specifically in the market for children's stories, things might look a little less packed. We guess that's why Scholastic is attempting to enter the fray with Storia, an e-reading app and store designed for kids. As part of a massive digitization effort, the company has launched Storia in beta for Windows and the iPad, alongside a market of over 1,000 titles. By the time it officially launches in the fall Scholastic hopes to have a fully stocked digital library of over 2,000 books loaded with interactive features. You can download the beta now with five free e-books by hitting up the more coverage link. Scholastic enters the e-book fray with Storia and 1,000 children's stories originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink mocoNews | Associated Press | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've seen plenty of laptops here at CeBIT, but not so many with an Ivy Bridge processor inside. Yep, that Fujitsu you see coyly sunning itself in the Intel business center above is a fully paid-up member of that most exclusive of Intel gangs. Predictably, as we're a few months out from any official unveiling, the normal pre-production caveats apply, but we can't deny it's nice to finally see some Ivy Bridge action. We only had a limited time with the 1.5GHz notebook, and neither Intel or Fujitsu were able to share any more about what might actually make it out to market, but part number spotters (you know who you are) might want to jot down Intel IVY 2c 4MB 17W GT2 in your journals, as this is what we found on the underside.
As for the rest of the notebook, well there's a pair of USB 3.0 ports, ready to serve, as well as HDMI and other essentials (power, headphone and USB 2.0). The 320GB hard drive and 2GB of RAM are as likely to change as the weather, but that's what was in the machine before us. Needless to say the form factor is small, light and the build was typical of the Fujitsu laptops that we've seen before (considering this is a prototype). Will we see this exact model make it to production? Our magic 8 ball says "only time will tell." Be sure to check the video after the break for our hands-on. Continue reading Fujitsu Lifebook UH572 with Ivy Bridge hands-on (video) Fujitsu Lifebook UH572 with Ivy Bridge hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Interested in replacing both your tablet and that clunky notebook with a svelte all-in-one portable? Intel might have just the gadget for you -- an Ivy Bridge Ultrabook with a built-in 13.3-inch 1600 x 900-pixel capacitive-touch LCD. We happened upon such a device in the bowels of Intel's gaming-centric CeBIT booth, and had a chance to go hands-on with the company's one and only (at this show, at least) reference design touchscreen Ultrabook. The device we saw appeared to be no larger or thicker than similar portables, but integrated a gorgeous 13.3-inch touchscreen, along with that elusive 1.5GHz Ivy Bridge processor. Unfortunately Intel was mum on detailed specs, though the prototype we saw did include a pair of USB 3.0 ports, SIM and SD card slots, and an HDMI port. And according to the system info page, the touch feature supports up to 10 individual input points. We're also told that there might be NFC functionality on-board, though the only visible confirmation of this hardware feature was a piece of medical tape with the letters "NFC" inscribed.
The touch functionality worked just as expected -- if you've used touch on a high-end tablet before, you're already familiar with the experience here. We were able to navigate the installed Zinio app with ease, flicking through magazine pages and pinch-and-zooming our way around a cover. You can of course use the touchscreen to adjust system settings, drag-and-drop files or input text with the on-screen keyboard, though we found the trackpad and hardware keyboard to be more practical here. Overall, this appears to be a no-compromise solution -- it will surely add to the manufacturing cost for next-gen Ultrabooks, but if you opt for a touch-equipped model only to find that you prefer traditional input controls, there's not much lost on the feature front. And, if you do happen to enjoy flicking your way around a notebook, you're definitely in for a treat. You'll find our hands-on video just past the break. Continue reading Intel Ivy Bridge touchscreen Ultrabook reference design hands-on (video) Intel Ivy Bridge touchscreen Ultrabook reference design hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Getting set up with Sony's latest handheld can be an incredible drain on the wallet, what with the cost of pricey, proprietary memory cards and actual games to play. Consider this then the company's way of tossing early adopters a bone, because for a limited time Vita owners can download MotorStorm RC gratis on the PlayStation Store starting today. Don't send those imaginary thank you cards to the electronics giant just yet; this special promo comes courtesy of a partnership with Scion (Toyota's Gen Y offshoot) and, as such, is pre-loaded with an exclusive, playable version of its subcompact iQ. Yes, you're being pandered to, but who cares? It's free, it's fun and it'll give your thumbs and Nathan Drake a mini-break. Sony partners with Scion, makes MotorStorm RC free for PS Vita originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink GameInformer | PlayStation blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Remember Senseg's tactile touchscreen displays? Well, last December the company showed off a screen that used an electrostatic field to simulate friction and textures on the glass. Such technology was a couple of years away from being commercially viable, but there's a tiny glimmer of a chance it might be the new killer iPad feature. Pocket-lint spoke to a company rep who cryptically said that the company wasn't making any statements until "after Apple's announcement." Why would they issue any statement tied to today's Apple news? Could it connect with a remark made back in June 2011 to Trusted Reviews, that Senseg had partnered with a "certain tablet maker based in Cupertino?" Maybe that line in Apple's invitation to today's event is another clue: "We have something you really have to see. And Touch." After all, Siri was announced at the " Let's talk iPhone" event, so it wouldn't be the first time the company places vague hints under our noses. Still, we have but a few hours left to wait until we really know what's coming, so join us for the live announcement later today. Rumor mill: Will the new iPad have a tactile display? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Pocket-lint | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Replication is a necessary survival technique in nature, and now Android apps have joined the self-preservation fray with a new piece of software known as the Android Java IDE (AIDE). An integrated development environment for -- don't you know it -- Android, the package provides would-be coders with a complete set of development tools that include code completion, formatting, refactoring, real-time error checking and more. It's said to be fully compatible with Eclipse projects, and best of all, it's entirely free. So, if you can appreciate this bit of Zen and the Art of Android Development, be sure to check out AIDE today -- and get yourself a keyboard for your tablet while you're at it. Those who'd like a visual introduction will find a video after the break.
[Thanks, Matt]Continue reading Develop Android apps from within Android using AIDE (video) Develop Android apps from within Android using AIDE (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Android Police | Google Play | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Insomnia and a love of gadgets go hand-in-hand, so it's no surprise that more companies want a piece of Zeo's sleep-monitoring action. Omron's the latest to supply an offering with a pair of sensors to work out how much shut-eye your getting. Working on the principle that you stop moving when you're deep in sleep, the devices measure your movement while in bed and count up how long you remain static. The HSL-101 uses a radio-frequency sensor that measures movement to any object within its 5-foot range. The HSL-001 is a pebble-sized kit that sits underneath your pillow and uses an accelerometer to measure your restlessness instead. The 101 will arrive in Japan in May as a standalone unit, while the 001 will need to be paired to an Android smartphone when it arrives in April. Omron releases a pair of sleep monitoring gadgets that watch you slumber originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink cnet | Omron (Translated) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | So, here's the thing: Aegis, the security framework on the Nokia N9, has been busted wide open -- thanks an exploit known as Inception. Much like root access on Android, the software allows developers to write apps (and users to install apps) that take full advantage of the N9's capabilities. Naturally, exploits such as these aren't for everyone -- in particular, Inception requires a familiarity with the command terminal -- but if you've ever wanted to load custom kernel modules, activate disabled hardware features or apply community-provided upgrades, a quick and relatively painless method is now here. A few words of caution: users mustn't upgrade their firmware beyond PR1.2 without first confirming that Inception is compatible, and because the exploit allows applications to gain full access to the phone, users should only install apps from trusted sources. Want to know more? Just follow the rabbit hole in the source below. Inception brings root privileges, rush of adrenaline to Nokia N9 community originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Inception | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | So, here's the thing: Aegis, the security framework on the Nokia N9, has been busted wide open -- thanks to an exploit known as Inception. Much like root access on Android, the software allows developers to write apps (and users to install apps) that take full advantage of the N9's capabilities. Naturally, exploits such as these aren't for everyone -- in particular, Inception requires a familiarity with the command terminal -- but if you've ever wanted to load custom kernel modules, activate disabled hardware features or apply community-provided upgrades, a quick and relatively painless method is now here. A few words of caution: users mustn't upgrade their firmware beyond PR1.2 without first confirming that Inception is compatible, and because the exploit allows applications to gain full access to the phone, users should only install apps from trusted sources. Want to know more? Just follow the rabbit hole in the source below. Inception brings root privileges, rush of adrenaline to Nokia N9 community originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Inception | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
