|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Own a Kindle Fire? Can't find an audio dock made specifically for your gizmo, and not an iThing or Android device? Say hello to Grace Digital's FireDock, the $130 solution to your quandary. While we've seen Kindle-compatible docks before, this stereo system is actually made to seamlessly connect with the Fire's bottom ports and power button, allowing it to charge while docked. What's more, there's a turn-and-tilt feature that'll let you switch between landscape and portrait orientations -- perfect for going from books to movies. If that wasn't enough, an optional rechargeable battery can also be attached to the mini-rig for listening sans cords while you're out and about (though, this route disables the ability to charge the Kindle itself). If you're burning with the desire for the FireDock, the bad news is that it won't be available for purchase until July. In the meantime, you'll find more info in the press release after the break to help you cool down. Continue reading Grace Digital's FireDock is a speaker dock for your Kindle Fire Grace Digital's FireDock is a speaker dock for your Kindle Fire originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  Grace Digital | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam doesn't quite have all of those SpectrumCo AWS licenses in his pocket just yet, but if he does get them he has a decidedly old school idea of what to flood the airwaves with: TV. The Wall Street Journal quotes him saying Verizon and its new cable friends could have "the beginnings of an integrated offering" out by the holidays, so pay-TV customers could watch video on their mobile devices. Even though many of the TV services are already streaming video to tablets, PCs and phones, currently most subscription services are limited to the space of the home's WiFi network, unlike the video on-demand seen above. According to McAdam the potential to negotiate rights for outside the home streaming and even busting open the bundles for à la carte programming exist -- provided the FCC and DOJ allow Verizon to complete the proposed $3.9 billion purchase. Of course, consumption based billing would still be on the table, so don't start planning your streaming schedule just yet. For now we'll wait and see if the pros of this arrangement outweigh the cons (and how its Redbox play is mixed up in this), or if the pie-in-the-sky NowTV-style elements of the plan are merely being floated to get the deal done. Verizon's CEO has a plan for wireless pay-TV, if the government will allow it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Reuters | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you've ever filed your taxes on an iPad, you know Intuit's TurboTax app is free to download, but that you'll have to pay up once you're ready to submit those returns. But, in an effort to promote its newish apps for Android tablets and the Kindle Fire, the company's giving the entire number-crunching cow away for free -- at least through this weekend. Just download between tomorrow (Friday) and Sunday and make sure you start your taxes before Monday (it's okay if you finish them later). To be clear, this includes both federal and state-level taxes, which you'd normally pay for separately for $29.99 and up. Another quid pro quo: this won't work on handsets, even though the Kindle runs a customized version of Android 2.3. If you own a tablet it should run smoothly on Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, though. In any case, to those of you who've been putting off your taxes, happy downloading, procrastinators. Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.PSA: TurboTax on Android is free through Sunday if you start your taxes before then originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Google hasn't exactly had the easiest time keeping the privacy hawks off of its back, but if a recently published patent application is any indication of its future intentions, well... let's just say we could see a lot more people hiding behind an online veil. Made public today, Google's most recent patent app details a "system and method for generating a ghost profile for a social network," which would -- in theory, at least -- allow a user to use certain features in a social network without converting to a social network profile. For those curious, the ghostly profiles would be unsearchable, and comments that originated from said profiles would be shown as being from "partial names." The real question: are G+ ghosts allowed in the Facebook compound? Google patent app details method for generating a 'ghost profile,' a world of anonymous G+ users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | USPTO | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Home Box Office has been pushing its "interactive viewing experience" for Game of Thrones over at the HBO Go site, but if you weren't sitting in front of a computer there was no way to take part in the fantasy world fun. Now the premium channel is bringing the commentary tracks, interviews, maps and loads of other extra features to the Go iPad app. But, having that content available for season one isn't particularly exciting. What has our little nerd hearts aflutter is that all of the same features will be available for season two, starting immediately with the April 1st premier. As you watch, if the seemingly bottomless well of characters and their rival houses trip you up, you'll be able to pull up a guide to help you separate your Arryns from your Tullys and Redwynes. For a quick preview check out the video and PR after the break. Continue reading Interactive Game of Thrones content comes to HBO Go iPad app Interactive Game of Thrones content comes to HBO Go iPad app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In a move that would be reminiscent of its initial plans for the Nexus handsets, the Wall Street Journal suggests Google will open its own online store this year, but stocked with tablets instead of phones. The Android tablets would be built by Samsung and ASUS who already offer the well received Galaxy Tab and Transformer lines, but have been unable to make a dent in marketshare comparable to that of Apple or even Amazon. Other details seem to be less clear, including the possibility of the lineup including Google branded tablets -- like the one hinted at by Eric Schmidt in December -- or that the store could offer a new tablet from ASUS (maybe running Jelly Bean, maybe not), or the chance that Google will follow Amazon's approach by subsidizing the upfront cost. Right now it seems that all possibilities are still in Play, but if the rumor is right we'll see the store launch this year -- any suggestions for the folks at Mountain View? WSJ: Google to sell ASUS, Samsung tablets from its own online store originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We're still working on our own plans to grab that $10 million Tricorder X-Prize from Qualcomm and our progress has just been given a shot in the arm from Dr. Peter Jansen, who's released the designs for his tricorders. Making all the specifics open source, his Mark 2 model runs on Linux, while the hardware includes an ARM Atmel microcontroller squeezed into a clam-shell with two OLED touchscreens. Schematics, board layouts, and the firmware is all available at the source below and also includes the initial proof-of-concept device. The tricorders need six AAA to run and include sensors for temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, ambient light, distance and even magnetic fields. Dr. Jansen's hope is to make scientists out of everyone -- including your kids. That is, right after they ask you what Star Trek is. Continue reading Tricorder designs go open source: can detect magnetic fields, reveal Trekkies (video) Tricorder designs go open source: can detect magnetic fields, reveal Trekkies (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Slashdot | The Tricorder Project | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ViewSonic's ViewPad VS14445 -- also known as the ViewPad 10e -- has been kicking around since CES, and other parts of the globe have had access for a few months now. That said, those in America who've been holding out for this particular Android slate won't have to wait much longer. A drop by the FCC's database typically means that a product is just weeks away from being on store shelves, and considering that we've already been waiting months on end to get from 'hands-on' to 'now shipping' in this part of the world, hopefully it'll be out and about before long. Hoping that it'll run Ice Cream Sandwich? We'd go ahead and stash those dreams aside... ViewSonic ViewPad VS14445 passes through the FCC's database originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 
What you see above is the gTar, an upcoming electronic musical instrument from Bay Area-based startup, Incident Technologies. It's got what appears to be an iPhone docked in the pick-guard and it looks pretty cool lit up in the teaser video after the break. Beyond that, there's not a ton of information about the thing available online, but we did some digging and have pieced together a pretty good idea about the thing. The device made an appearance at South by Southwest earlier this month, and bits and pieces have made their way into the web by way of startup site AngelList and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and, of course, YouTube. A posting on the former describes it as "a consumer electronics device that enables an interactive music entertainment experience to anyone without any kind of previous musical knowledge."
From the looks of it, the thing is a little bit Guitar Apprentice and a little bit Tabber. Unlike the plasticky Guitar Apprentice, however, this device looks like a genuine guitar (strings and all), albeit one with a light up fretboard for Tabber-like educational purposes and a "docked mobile device." The guitar also makes it possible to share music socially, though it's not entirely clear whether this is accomplished via the docked smartphone or an external output like a PC, though given the company's connections to the developer community, we suspect that both will be options, be it through built-in functionality or available APIs. The gTar is also being positioned as a music creation device, rather than simply an educational tool (a la Tabber) or a simple overblown Guitar Hero-style controller.
Check out a flashy, if rather uninformative teaser after the break.Continue reading Incident Tech's gTar gets teased, remains largely silent (video) Incident Tech's gTar gets teased, remains largely silent (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Facebook, AngelList | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We've already seen a bit of big news slip out ahead of RIM's earnings announcement, and the company's now dropped another bombshell itself. Former co-CEO Jim Balsillie has resigned from his position on the company's board of directors. In a statement, Balsillie said simply: "As I complete my retirement from RIM, I'm grateful for this remarkable experience and for the opportunity to have worked with outstanding professionals who helped turn a Canadian idea into a global success." RIM also confirmed that CTO David Yach would be retiring as well, and that COO Jim Rowan as "decided to pursue other interests," but hasn't offered any indication of a broader shakeup beyond those three departures. As for the fourth quarter earnings, RIM is reporting revenue of $4.2 billion, down 19 percent from the third quarter, and a GAAP net loss of $125 million. Total BlackBerry shipments for the quarter dipped 21 percent to 11.1 million units, while PlayBook shipments totaled 500,000, which is actually a new high water mark for the tablet. This is also notably the company's first quarterly earnings under the leadership of new CEO Thorsten Heins, who admits that the RIM faces some "significant" business challenges over the "next several quarters," and says that he's "taking the necessary steps to address them." That includes " increased management accountability and process discipline," as well as what he describes as a "comprehensive review of strategic opportunities including partnerships and joint ventures, licensing, and other ways to leverage RIM's assets and maximize value for our stakeholders." Developing...RIM announces Q4 2012 earnings, Jim Balsillie resigns from company's board originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Marketwire | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Fair Labor Association has released its findings from the lengthy investigation of working conditions at Foxconn's Chinese plants where Apple products are made. While the PR and report largely avoid over the top rhetoric and direct condemnations of the companies, they hardly paint a rosy picture either. The watchdog found that in the last year all three factories violated not just FLA code for hours worked, but Chinese legal limits of 36 hours of overtime per month. During peak periods employees worked more than 60 hours a week on average and many more than seven days in a row. But, to its credit, the group has extracted an agreement out of both Apple and Foxconn to drastically improve conditions at the factories.
Foxconn has agreed to meet FLA and Chinese legal codes by July of 2013, including cutting the number of monthly overtime hours from 80 to 36. To compensate for the lost work hours the manufacturer will boost wages and plans to hire thousands of new workers to help maintain
current production levels. A concerted effort is also planned to improve the safety and health conditions at the plants and their accompanying dormitories. The moves may be felt here in the US as small increases in the cost of electronic goods, but the price is sure to be small considering the weight it'll help lift off our conscience. Hit up the source link to read the full report for yourself and check out the PR after the break. Continue reading Apple and Foxconn agree to drastically improve working conditions following Fair Labor Association report Apple and Foxconn agree to drastically improve working conditions following Fair Labor Association report originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Fair Labor Association | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Plenty of moving and shaking going on after the bell today. Hot on the heels of news that RIM's CEO is making major internal changes, in flies word that Michael Lynton has been selected as the CEO of Sony Corp. America. He's coming over from Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he previously sat as the Chairman and CEO. Effective June 27th, Lynton will have a few new reports as well, and unsurprisingly, Sir Howard Stringer is more than encouraged by the move.
Stringer stated: "Lynton is an incredibly accomplished executive who has distinguished himself in at least three different fields -- entertainment, technology and publishing." In related news, Nicole Seligman has been appointed SCA President; we're told that Lynton will be overseeing Sony's entertainment businesses (including SME, Sony / ATV Music Publishing and SPE), while Seligman will have responsibility for Sony's U.S. headquarters operations. Hard to foresee what two relatively new names mean for the consumer side of Sony's business, but we'll be keeping a close eye on their first hundred days, for sure. The full release is after the break. Continue reading Michael Lynton becomes CEO of Sony America, Nicole Seligman picked for SCA president Michael Lynton becomes CEO of Sony America, Nicole Seligman picked for SCA president originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink CNET | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | With BlackBerry World only weeks away and RIM's earnings report merely hours away, it looks as if newly-appointed CEO Thorsten Heins will be leading it with quite the bang. While Heins has done a truly exceptional job of laying low (really low) during his first few months in the corner office, he's evidently been hard at work rearranging chairs... mentally, at least. According to The Globe and Mail's Iain Marlow, a trusted source has informed him that the BlackBerry maker's head honcho has begun "clearing house," with senior vice presidents and VP-level executives being informed of the imminent changes today. We're tracking down more on the story right now and will update this post as details flow.
Update: The report is up in full, with an unnamed source explaining: "Lots of high level people within RIM were let go today. Quite a few. Big shake up." We're still awaiting official word, which is apt to be found buried deep within the eventual earnings release. RIM CEO Thorsten Heins reportedly 'clearing house,' laying off numerous executives originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Iain Marlow (Twitter), The Globe and Mail | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's no secret that Sony's A77 and A65 SLT cameras have suffered from noticeable lag when it comes to adjusting exposure settings, among other things. For those irked, you'll be pleased to know that the company has just updated both cameras to firmware version 1.05, claiming it'll "sharpen their responses." Specifically, you'll be noticing faster cold startups, quicker response times from the front and rear dials and faster access to images in auto review. That's not all, however, as Sony has also added in-camera shading and chromatic aberration compenstation for 11 of its A-mount lenses, which can translate to less time cooking your images in post. Last, but not least, the A77 gets an extra bonus for its autofocus system that improves its abilities in high-contrast environments, while the SAL500F40G 500mm F4 G SSM super-telephoto lens will now focus faster with both shooters. Shutter finger already twitching? Don't delay, you'll find full details in press release after the break and download information at the source link below. Be sure to let us know how it treats you in the comments.
Continue reading Sony A77 and A65 firmware update v1.05 peps up your laggy dials, improves autofocus Sony A77 and A65 firmware update v1.05 peps up your laggy dials, improves autofocus originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Sony Press Centre (EU) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | "Freemium" mobile broadband outfit FreedomPop has pulled back the curtain on how it plans to make money while giving away 4G internet. In an interview with GigaOm, Marketing VP Tony Miller revealed that once it has got enough consumers hooked on the gratis data, his company will start selling premium features, potentially including a VoIP solution for the network, now supplied by Clearwire after the collapse of LightSquared. The company will also charge a penny for every megabyte used over the free monthly allowance (currently pegged at 1GB) and build a social network where more data can be earned and traded between friends. Alongside the WiMAX shell for the iPhone, we can also expect to see an iPod Touch edition, USB dongle and mobile hotspot arrive before the network's launch. The company doesn't have too long to iron out the kinks in the business plan however, as it'll go live in the third quarter of 2012. FreedomPop plans to give away mobile internet, still make money somehow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | GigaOm | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | First, lets get the short list out of the way. If you're not the proud owner of a Transformer Prime, Transformer, Xoom, XYBoard 10.1, Thrive, Iconia or G-Slate then chances are Hulu Plus coming to Honeycomb and ICS slates doesn't do you much good. (Hopefully Hulu will get the app ready for Samsung's bottomless well of tablets soon.) Then again, maybe this is one more reason to consider picking up the Google-powered devices. The newly tablet-friendly app comes with an appropriate redesign, including large tiles and show pages packed with info and options. Content is organized into individually scrollable horizontal "trays" that make navigating clips and shows simple, without a lot of jumping back and forth between separate menus and pages. There's even long press shortcuts -- simply tap and hold on a show's icon and the next episode will automatically play. To see it in action check out the quick video after the break, then head over to the Google Play store to download it yourself. Continue reading Hulu Plus comes to seven Android tabs with shiny new UI Hulu Plus comes to seven Android tabs with shiny new UI originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Hulu | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | To the surprise of many, but not all, the same great Windows Media Center from Windows 7 was part of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. What this means for the final version of Windows 8 is still far from known, however, Winunleaked offers up a new clue with the Pro Pack edition labeled as ProfessionalWMC. It's hard to know however, if this is just a different SKU for the Professional version of Windows 8 or a glimpse of something that will impact multiple version of the new operating system. Media Center started as a separate product from Windows proper and Microsoft has publicly left clues that it might return to its roots -- presumably to avoid making every Windows user pay licensing costs for codecs like Dolby Digital that are required for live TV. For the moment, it's really just more speculation while we wait for the fall to arrive with latest official offerings from Redmond. Media Center to live in a separate version of Windows 8? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | Winunleaked | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Quite a few folks have seen many of the apps they paid cold, hard cash for have disappeared from their list of purchases after Google rebranded Android Market as the Play Store. We haven't had the problem ourselves, but according to a litany of posts on the XDA-Developers forums, there are plenty of you out there who have. In addition to disappearing from the list of purchases, the afflicted apps apparently give users an error message when attempting to access them directly. Rest assured, the folks in Mountain View are aware of the problem and are "looking into the issue" according to the company's Known Issues page -- though curiously it's filed it under "Recently Fixed" despite its ongoing nature. So, what say you, dear readers, has Google gotten a handle on this latest glitch, or are you still without access to your precious paid apps? Sound off in the comments below. Purchased Play store apps gone missing? Google's looking into it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | XDA Developers forums, Google Play | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you're finding that the digital compass on your phone keeps leading you down the wrong path, then this patent application from Sony might get you back on track. The claims entail a wireless communication device (aka phone) configured to communicate with a headset. The novelty being, that using orientation information from the headset, the wireless device would determine which direction the user is looking. Based on this information (and your GPS coordinates), the device would then be able to "predict a destination location for the user." Is this hinting at a new navigation system / accessory, or some neat little tool for geocachers? One thing's for sure, if you point your head towards the source link below, you'll locate the full details. Sony applies for a headset-based navigation pointer, knows you're not looking originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | USPTO | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Being able to touch, click and press your way around an operating system with a variety of hardware configurations, while not alienating potential upgraders, is no mean feat. That said, Microsoft thinks it might have the solution. By introducing a new mode, a 20 pixel buffer will be designated to working with those edge swipes we've heard about. It'll also go towards preventing accidental hits around the, typically less sensitive, edges of older screens. It does mean that you'll be losing a little real estate, but perhaps a small trade-off for being able to keep your Windows 7 touchscreen device. Going forward, Microsoft will be working with hardware providers to ensure new gear really shows off the new features of Win 8, but for now, legacy users can look forward to a better experience. Hit the source below for the full rundown. Continue reading Microsoft reveals how your old slate will get all of Windows 8's charms (video) Microsoft reveals how your old slate will get all of Windows 8's charms (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | MSDN | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Let's pretend you went ahead and purchased a shiny new Motorola RAZR this past November. Now, just for the sake of argument, let's say Motorola -- only months later -- released a new version of that handset with a battery that had some pundits asking, 'where has this phone been my whole life?' Yeah, that happened. But if you've managed to overlook Moto's past transgression, and are willing to sink another $110 into your handset, you too can experience the battery that just won't quit. The Cellphone Repair Shop is hocking a kit that will outfit your plain old RAZR with genuine Motorola RAZR Maxx parts -- battery included. The site recommends that you send your handset to its repair facility for "professional installation," but we're sure some of you are up to the challenge. How about it, RAZR owners, are any of you tinkerers going to try and Maxx-out your handset? Conversion kit lets you push your RAZR to the Maxx for $110 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Android Central | Cellphone Repair Shop | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Rdio already has a number of stamps in its passport, Canada, Australia, Brazil and New Zealand amongst them. But, the current focus for the streaming music service is Europe, where it's already launched in Germany, Denmark, Portugal and Spain. While we still don't have any solid dates, Scott Bagby, the company's VP of partnerships and internationalization, told paidContent:UK that a pile of new nations are on deck for the coming months, with hopes of covering the entire continent. With licensing deals already struck in the UK, we're pretty confident England will be part of this next batch of rollouts, but Rdio has no intentions of confining itself to the western world. Bagby said in the interview, "we already have a guy on the ground in Asia," so look for the service to go live in a few more locales across the pacific. No time frame was given for the Asian launches but, if the company is serious about establishing a foothold there, it should do so sooner rather than later. As Bagby points out, Rdio is "a couple of years behind others in terms of expansion." Rdio continues its plans for world domination, focusing on Europe originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | paidContent:UK | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | You might remember that, once upon a time, Google Maps offered you two estimates for your travel time -- ideal and in traffic. The problem was, Big G's estimates weren't so great. So, the web giant quietly removed the feature last year and simply started providing traffic-free travel times. Well, trip times in traffic are back, and this time Google promises their guess work won't suck. Using both live and historic traffic data Google Maps now offers an estimate of how long your trip will take in current conditions, directly under the congestion-free time. And, if you find the live traffic info in your area isn't particularly accurate, you can help improve that by turning on My Location in the Maps for Android app. Travel in traffic estimates return to Google Maps, promises not to suck this time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Google Lat-Long | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The big one-eight. Another few months and another version of the Google browser is now up for grabs. With GPU-accelerated Canvas 2D now enabled, you can expect to see even smoother interactions with games and other media-heavy content. WebGL also gets a look-in with a new software-based addition that should help older computers access simple 3D web content. Anyone that's already furnished with Chrome should get auto-updated to the latest version today, while those left with no excuses left not to sample the web browser can hit up the source for the download. Chrome hits version 18, improves graphics performance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Chromium Blog | Google Chrome | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | "Siri, turn on the flash and take three pictures with my camera after waiting two seconds." Apple's intelligent voice control system has been wildly popular amongst consumers in the U.S., and abroad, but Siri could be making her way to other devices in the future, including iPods, cameras and other consumer electronics. "Okay, Rock God, I will take your picture in two, one..." A patent by Apple filed in 2010 but published today describes a scenario in which you could control a secondary electronic device using your voice, with all of the backend processing passing through a connected smartphone or computer. According to the patent:
One embodiment may include a first electronic device communicatively coupled to a server and to a second electronic device. The second electronic device may be a portable electronic device, such as a digital media player, that includes a voice user interface. The second electronic device may be capable of accurate speech recognition, but may not include additional computation hardware and/or software for training the speech recognition engine. As such, the bulk, weigh, and cost for manufacturing the second electronic device may be reduced, resulting in a more portable and affordable product. In other words, you could have Siri-like control of virtually any device, with all of the required hardware and software residing on an iPhone or MacBook, linked with other devices over WiFi or Bluetooth. Voice control wouldn't be practical in all situations, but it could be enormously helpful for certain operations, like adjusting settings or reviewing images. Instead of scrolling through hundreds of images, you could simply say "Siri, show me pictures from last Thursday," and see exactly the shots you were searching for. As always, this is one of thousands of Apple patents, and it quite possibly may never come to fruition as described. But here's to hopping it will. "Siri, show our readers the patent application" -- you'll find it at the source link below. Apple patents Siri-like system for controlling cameras, PMPs through a computer or smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | USPTO (PDF) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | March 31st may not jump out at you as a day worth celebrating, but it's actually World Backup Day. In honor of this special day, our friends at ioSafe want to make sure you're hooked up with plenty of storage to mark the occasion. As a result, they're hooking you up with three chances to win a Rugged Portable hard drive of the 500GB variety (sorry, Terrence and sledgehammer not included). Half a terabyte of storage capacity ain't too shabby, but the beauty of this prize is not in what it can hold, but rather what it can endure. It's designed to take a heckuva lot of abuse from whatever you throw at it: drops, water, chemicals, you name it. So don't delay, enter to win and celebrate World Backup Day! Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win one of three ioSafe 500GB Rugged Portable hard drives! Engadget Giveaway: win one of three ioSafe 500GB Rugged Portable hard drives! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It looks like Google has rolled out a subtle, yet significant change to its Gmail app for iOS, with a new feature that allows users to send emails from alternate addresses. It's a feature that's long existed on the web version, and now, it's available on that notorious app for iPad and iPhone, too. The feature, which is also available on the mobile web version, has been automatically added without an app update, so check it out now, if you're up for it. Gmail app for iOS now lets you e-mail from alternate addresses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Verge | iLounge | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Remember Nokia Morph? It's the Finnish manufacturer's long-standing project to build a transparent, flexible phone that you can contort to your hearts content. Now the company's submitting a second missive to the Patent and Trademark office in the hope of claiming dibs on the IP contained therein. While it's very broadly written (and doesn't commit to anything), it's interesting to note that the phone would switch between the leaf-shaped candybar (we played with it at MWC) and a wristband you can wear on the go. The patent also talks about a "remote processing unit," in a nearby device or in the cloud, so, if the company can ever turn the dream into reality, the real action will be handled elsewhere. Then again, it's equally as likely to never appear in our lifetimes, you just never can tell with patents. Nokia Morph patent application raises hope well beyond expectation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | USPTO | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Nielsen Mobile Insights' latest statistics are in -- and would you look at that. It's the rise of smartphone owners crossing paths with the decline of those still clinging to their feature-focused devices. According to its latest Smartphone Penetration report, through February 2012, 49.7 percent of US mobile phone owners now sport the "smarter" types (up from only 36 percent a year ago). On a unsurprising note, Nielsen also found that two-thirds of mobile phone buyers in the last three months purchased smartphones over dumbphones. According to its latest report on Smartphone OS shares, of those smartphone purchases, 48 percent of buyers went with Android, 43 percent landed iOS a close second and five percent helped RIM scrape the bottom of the barrel with the remaining four percent listed as "other." That said, it's a only slight deviation from January's numbers, when 51.7 percent of folks went with Android, while 38 percent went the route leading to Apple. Don't take our word for it, though, there's another graph past the break and full details at the source link below. Continue reading Nielsen: Smartphones account for nearly 50 percent of US mobile phones as of February Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless Nielsen: Smartphones account for nearly 50 percent of US mobile phones as of February originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Nielsen | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We know you can't help but let your kids smear their sticky fingers all over your G-Slate and Galaxy S II. To make matters worse (but for a good entertainment cause), T-Mobile's TV app is on the receiving end of a fresh set of channel bundles -- one of which is packed with cartoons. Playground TV and Urban Zone will each be priced at $4.99 per month (or $5.99 if you want to go the HD route), bringing shows like Go Diego Go, Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, Fat Albert, as well as BET and Crackle TV. To go along with the new video content, T-Mo's also outing a revamped Android widget, which fills you in on program info, breaking news and tips and tricks. Now that you know, it's up to you whether you'll let your kiddos know or not. What's it gonna be? T-Mobile brings the Playground and Urban Zone to its TV app originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink MobileBurn | T-Mobile Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Still driving to your local Best Buy to fondle all the latest gadgets before swiping your card, or hopping to the web to pull the trigger? That tradition could be short-lived, if you happen to live near one of 50 big box retail stores that the company plans to shutter in 2013. The move was announced alongside Best Buy's Q4 earnings report, which includes action items aimed to trim $800 million in costs by 2015. The closings will no-doubt come along with staffer reductions, some of whom could be transferred to one of 100 Best Buy Mobile "small format stand-alone stores" set to launch next year. While an unfortunate move for some customers and employees, it does show some foresight on behalf of BBY management, who likely recognize a continuing shift to online purchasing, and a greater emphasis on mobile devices, which require significantly smaller showrooms, cost less to ship and could offer greater margins to boot. Continue reading Best Buy to close 50 big box US retail stores, open 100 Mobile stand-alone outlets in 2013 Best Buy to close 50 big box US retail stores, open 100 Mobile stand-alone outlets in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink BGR | Best Buy | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Remember that six month deadline we warned you about back in January? Well, it looks like Spotify wasn't so gung-ho about limiting the free version of its service, after all. The site is celebrating its ninth anniversary in the States by reminding users that it still has yet to impose a song limit for the unpaid variety. Spotify is extending the deal -- it's not saying for how long, though the mere reminder could certainly be taken as a sign that the sometimes overbearing record labels aren't hounding it to switch things up anytime soon. Of course, Spotify still really wants to get you to opt into a paid account to drop some of those ads from your stream, but if you don't want to pay, that's cool too. Spotify: by the way, you still get unlimited songs with a free account originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ready to get your Go on? Google Programming Language, or Go for short, just added a number 1 to its moniker, representing the first official release. Go 1 includes some bug fixes, but it's not a major redesign, though added support for the Windows opens the language up to a broader group of programmers -- you'll also find distributions for Linux, FreeBSD and OS X. Google gives you its word that Go 1 programs "will continue to compile and run without change... on a time scale of years," so you can rest assured that your efforts will not be in vain. There's also a new version of the Google App Engine SDK, which utilizes none other than Go. It's time to start coding! You'll find everything you need by clicking through to the source link below. Google gives Go 1 the green light, maintains 'experimental status' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | The Go Project, Go Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  HTC's One series inches closer to expectant customers, with Central Europe apparently set to get the device next Monday. According to The Unwired, shoppers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland will all be able to pick up any device from HTC's 2012 catalogue, including the quad-cored One X (€599, around $800), the micro-arc oxidized One S (€499, around $670) and the somehow retro One V (€299, around $400). German carrier O2 has also backed up these claims, announcing that it expects to stock both the One X and One S next week. You'd best grab that passport and a wad of euros. HTC reveals Central Europe release date, pricing for One X, One S and One V originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | The Unwired | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As any Opera loving Android user will tell you, good things come to those who wait -- and folks waiting for the latest version of Opera Mini to hit their devices can now relax. It's here. Like its predecessors, Opera Mini 7 promises to slash your device's data usage and speed up its browsing by compressing data on a proxy server, pushing a lightweight, reformatted page to your device. Mini 7 continues this tradition, of course, but also lets users add more favorites to their Opera home screen, upping the max from nine to "as many Speed Dial buttons as you'll ever want." Read on for the app's official press release, or hit up the source link below for its Google Play page. Continue reading Opera Mini 7 comes to Google Play, treads lightly on your data plan Opera Mini 7 comes to Google Play, treads lightly on your data plan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Android Central | Google Play | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Thermaltake Level 10 GT PC case is quite a sight on its own, but it's also proven to be popular among case modders, who have taken things to some considerable extremes in the past year. One of the most impressive to date is this so-called AzTtec mod by bit-tech.net member dmcgrath, who's ditched the usual LEDs and gaming inspirations in favor of something that makes even steampunk look thoroughly modem by comparison. To do that, he carved the enclosure you see above by hand out of a material called Balsa Foam, and then proceeded to painstakingly paint it and adorn it foliage and other tiny details. Hit the source link below to examine it up close.
[Thanks, Antony]
AzTtec PC case mod takes the Thermaltake Level 10 GT back in time originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 05:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | bit-tech.net | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
