|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Following in last year's steps, the NCAA and Turner Sports have taken the wraps off their March Madness 2012 goodies for handsets, slates and PCs. Though, unlike its 2011 variants, you'll now have to part ways with a one-time $3.99 charge in order to catch your favorite college team in action. Paying such a fee will give you an all-access ticket to watch every game during the tournament, which gets rolling this Tuesday, March 13th. Moreover, you'll also be able to customize channels to your viewing pleasure, test your knowledge in live trivia and check out how the bracket's shaping up. The action-packed March Madness Live app is available now to folks on iOS, with the Android version coming to "selected" devices by the time the tourney is underway. Continue reading NCAA March Madness Live app comes to iOS, Android by tourney tip-off NCAA March Madness Live app comes to iOS, Android by tourney tip-off originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 01:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  NCAA | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Nokia submitted its annual report (Form 20-F) to the SEC today, and -- as required of all publicly traded companies -- the information provided a candid overview of its financial health and market risks. Based on its quarterly reports, we've already known it was a rather bleak year for the Finnish outfit, which saw a €1.4b annual loss compared to €1.3b in profit just one year ago. Further, its net sales similarly took it on the chin, which amounted to €38.6b in 2011 versus €42.4b in the previous year. In terms of units sold, Nokia pushed out 339.8m feature phones during the year -- a three percent decline from the 349.2m units sold during 2010. The company attributed the drop to its aggressively priced competitors, as well as its lack of a dual-SIM handset for the first half of the year. Nokia's smartphone segment took an even harder hit, which fell to 77.3m units sold -- a 25 percent drop from the 103.6m devices shipped just one year ago. Once again, the company cites its aggressive competition as the primary factor for the decline, along with a waning interest in the Symbian platform.
In its discussion of potential threats to the company's bottom-line, Nokia provides a rather forthright assessment that accurately pegs its future success in the smartphone marketplace upon the acceptance of Windows Phone among developers and consumers. Likewise, its projections to sell 150 million Symbian units is failing to materialize -- big shocker there -- and Nokia now expects demand for its homegrown platform to continue deteriorating. Nonetheless, it remains stalwart in the commitment to support Symbian through 2016 -- though surprisingly, no comment on how this in itself could be a disaster to the company's bottom-line. Should Nokia's smartphone effort fail, that leaves it with the Series 40 feature phone segment, which it characterizes as a low-margin business that may see its demand erode as smartphones reach even lower price points. Nobody ever said that the mobile industry was a bed of roses, but if you'd like to view the world through Nokia's eyes, you're certain to find its commentary (pages 13 - 47 of the source document) an interesting read. Nokia submits yearly SEC report, details €1.4b loss and Windows Phone risks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Next Web | Nokia's Form 20-F (PDF) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Typically, when a product hits the market, you'd hope details like nitty-gritty licensing and IP would have all been worked out prior to going on sale. Of course, things in the real world are never that simple. Take for example, OnLive and Microsoft, which according the latter, says OnLive Desktop isn't exactly in the clear when it comes to its remote Windows 7 slinging abilities. Clarified on Microsoft's Volume Licensing blog, Joe Matz, VP of worldwide licensing, said the company is "actively engaged with OnLive" in the hopes of "bringing them into a properly licensed scenario." When asked, an OnLive representative responded with: "We have never commented on any licensing agreements." Sounds like it'll all get resolved soon, but in the meantime do your homework kids -- lawyers are expensive. Microsoft: OnLive Desktop may violate licensing agreements originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink ZDNet | Microsoft | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | During our hurried supermarket sweeps, we're aiming for the Granny Smith, yet somehow always come away with French Jonagold. That's why we're in awe of this new supermarket scanner from Toshiba-Tech that can identify individual species of fruit and veg from sight. Rather than a cashier keying in a produce code, a camera with optical pattern recognition technology filters out "visual noise" before identifying the genus of your apple by shape, surface pattern and coloration. It's also able to scan labels and coupons, but so far the database only contains a handful of items. It'll take over a year (when each thing has been harvested and scanned) to build a database necessary to make it commercially useful. Still, if you can't bear to wait those precious seconds as your server finds the right code for lettuce, head on past the break to watch your future in action. Continue reading Toshiba builds scanner that can identify fruit without a barcode, yup (video) Toshiba builds scanner that can identify fruit without a barcode, yup (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Diginfo News | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Super Talent's developed a PCI Express flash storage system that's far faster than your current SSD yet promises to be cheaper than the company's current PCIe offerings. The RAIDDrive UpStream uses a Sandforce controller to push around 1GBps of data at twice the speed of a SATA unit. Available to buy in 220GB, 460GB and 960GB editions, it sandwiches in four RAID drives to competitor OCZ's two, and is promised to be an "upsetter" by marketing director Peter Carcione. The company's hoping to get the devices into boxes and onto shelves by the end of April, for a price that's yet to be decided. Just remember, powerful SSDs are like having a butler: desirable, yes, but also a little pricey if your surname isn't Abramovitch or Buffett. Super Talent teases whip-fast RAIDDrive UpStream PCIe SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 21:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink CNET | Super Talent | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The cloud is everywhere around us these days and while some cloud services are the greatest thing ever, others? Not so much. Taking our digital content to the cloud is obviously a good thing and Apple's iTunes Match takes all your music to the cloud and the latest Apple TV and iOS updates bring your Digital Copies there too. This makes it all too obvious why Apple choose to be the odd man out in the UltraViolet club -- as if the terrible user experience wasn't enough of a clue. Basically, like UV, you can buy a Blu-ray or DVD and use the included Digital Copy unlock code to authorize both a downloadable file and stream an HD copy to your updated Apple TV. Tech of the Hub was able to watch a previously activated Digial Copy in 720p (we'd assume 1080p on the new Apple TV) on the 2nd-gen Apple TV with yesterday's update, as well as download it to an iPhone with iOS 5.1. All of this without signing up for five different user accounts -- no HBO or Universal content yet, though. Apple TV update takes Digital Copy to the iCloud originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Tech of the Hub | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Panasonic has officially priced-out its 2012 Blu-ray player lineup announced back at CES, and it includes no fewer than six boxes (and price-points) for you to choose from. Four of the new players -- ranging in price from $150 to $350 -- are capable of playing your favorite Blu-ray flicks in 3D and come with Panasonic's Viera Connect service, which provides access to online content from Amazon, Hulu and Netflix and a host of applications including Facebook, Skype and Twitter. The 2D models -- which range from $90 to $120 -- aren't left out in the cold when it comes to connectivity, and include IP VOD support for streaming web-content. What's more, the entire 2012 lineup is DLNA-enabled, can be controlled via a smartphone app and, with the exception of the DMP-BD77, has WiFi built-in. Four of the six units are available for purchase immediately, but you're going to have to wait until May if you're interested in the two higher-end models. Mosey on past the break to view the full press release. Continue reading Panasonic prices 2012 Blu-ray lineup, high-end units due in May Panasonic prices 2012 Blu-ray lineup, high-end units due in May originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Bell Canada's updated its Mobile TV service to introduce a bevy of new features and content. The mobile TV service now offers 26 channels of live programming and a pile of on demand content thrown in for good measure. The interface has been tidied up, a programming guide has made an appearance, alerts are now here so you won't miss shows and flipping to portrait mode from landscape lets you browse the new guide while your current show plays on. Bell's Mobile TV service is priced at $5 a month for five hours of content; overages -- measured in hours -- cost an additional $1 per hour, though using the service with WiFi is thankfully free. Is it worth the $5 on top of your already potentially pricey phone bill? Follow on through while we take Bell's TV offering for a quick spin with words and some pretty video, too. Continue reading Bell Canada Mobile TV service hands-on Bell Canada Mobile TV service hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Two days. That's the amount of time remaining for you, dear Samsung Galaxy S II owner, before the long-awaited upgrade to Android 4.0 -- the dessert known as Ice Cream Sandwich -- becomes readily available for your device through Kies. Naturally, this is going to be adorned with Sammy's TouchWiz UI, and it's only going to be ready on the GT-I9100 (global version) for now. The update will come to the individual carriers eventually, after a hefty amount of testing on their end, but at least this -- combined with HTC's rollout of Sense 3.6 to the Nordic countries today -- means the ball is officially rolling for multiple OEMs. If you happen to be packing a GT-I9100, be sure to check the links below for the full set of instructions.
[Thanks, Argel] Samsung Galaxy S II (GT-I9100) to get ICS on March 10th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Ok so, maybe Angelina couldn't have created Skyrim all on her own, but the experimental AI from Michael Cook (a computer scientist at Imperial College London) is still quite impressive. The artificial dev is able program enemy behavior, layout levels, and distribute power ups with random attributes. While many elements of a game like Space Station Invaders (which you can play at the more coverage link) are designed by human hands, it's Angelina's ability to act as a composer building something fun from the various ingredients that's so interesting. Before setting a level in stone she plays through the possible combinations, determining which will be most enjoyable for a human player. Hit up the source link for loads more info. Angelina: the experimental AI that's coming for our game dev jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink New Scientist | Games by Angelina | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment.
You know what we're sick of talking about? (Okay, sick is a strong word, but you catch our drift.) Phones. Also, the iPad. Fortunately, this week's IRL touches on neither of the above. Instead, our audio guy Joe takes a different tack and explains his choice of Nikkor lenses, while Andy and Billy get hands-on with a rugged hard drive and Chumby 8, respectively. Head on past the break to see how we rate this stuff after spending more than a little time with all of it. Continue reading IRL: Chumby 8, LaCie Rugged Triple USB 3.0 and a duo of Nikkor lenses IRL: Chumby 8, LaCie Rugged Triple USB 3.0 and a duo of Nikkor lenses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Can't get enough of the FCC approval gossip? For some reason, neither can we. In the middle of what seems like a flood of new devices trying to get prepped for their inevitable US debut, the HTC PJ53100 appears to stand out above many of the rest. Why? It's boasting LTE band 13, which is Verizon's piece of 700MHz real estate. And while it doesn't come right out and proudly proclaim exactly what it is, we're rather certain this is the HTC Droid Incredible HD -- also known as the Fireball. Any other details? Nothing worth writing home about, sadly, but we have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of this smartphone pretty darn soon. HTC Droid Incredible 4G parties down with FCC, ready for Verizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Apple was dealt a setback today in its efforts to prevent Kodak from selling up to $2.6 billion worth of digital imaging patents, with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper ruling that it would be an "inappropriate way forward" to allow Apple to pursue patent litigation against the bankrupt company. For its part, Apple had argued that one of those patents -- concerning the ability to preview digital photos on an LCD screen -- was "misappropriated" from its own technology, and that Kodak therefore shouldn't be allowed to sell it off as part of the planned sale (something Kodak obviously disputes). On that point, the judge did agree that the matter should be resolved soon, just not in the manner Apple had been proceed, adding that he "would request that the parties report to me on their efforts to come up with a procedure that truly works." Judge says Apple can't pursue patent infringement case against Kodak originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Reuters | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | That's right, folks, HTC is finally rolling out Sense 3.6 -- Ice Cream Sandwich for HTC's "legacy devices" -- in a limited campaign. Who are the lucky folks to be among the first to enjoy the upgrade? Owners of the Sensation and Sensation XE in the Nordic countries, it turns out. We first heard about the rollout on XDA, but have now received the official confirmation directly from HTC headquarters; according to the Taiwanese manufacturer, "broader availability will come later this month." That definitely lines up with what the company's told us before, but we're glad to see it reaching out to users earlier -- even if it's in limited quantities. We hope the rollout goes smoothly and prompts HTC to begin pushing it out to the rest of the world. Fingers crossed.
Note: As always, if you meet the criteria listed above and haven't seen the update arrive yet, don't panic -- these things take time to get to everyone.HTC rolls out Sense 3.6 to the Nordics, Sensation users get first crack at ICS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink XDA-Developers | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  To its credit, AT&T's version of the Samsung Galaxy S II HD LTE -- known as the Skyrocket HD -- has managed to elude its fair share of Mr. Blurrycams and other leaks for a full two months since it was originally announced at the carrier's Developer Summit. Now the device, listed as the SGH-I757, has stepped one foot closer to the daylight, thanks to the FCC looking it up and down and nodding in approval. We still don't have a date or price, but at least we have a solid indication that Ma Bell hasn't simply forgotten about the smartphone or tossed it to the wayside. Sadly, we couldn't eke many new details out of the massive stack of paperwork -- just the usuals, like LTE 700 / 1700 support with WCDMA 850 / 1900 radios -- but we found one interesting bit. The model supports two battery covers: one with an NFC antenna, and one without. Knowing AT&T's reluctance to flip the NFC switch on other devices, we won't be surprised if the latter option is included with the final production units -- or will it just be built into the battery like its predecessors? As always, time will tell. Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD for AT&T gets the FCC nod Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD for AT&T gets the FCC nod originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | After missing its year-end 2011 target date, C Spire is once again set to get its LTE network up and running -- this time with a more realistic fall launch. The regional carrier announced plans for that initial rollout today, aiming to blanket 20 markets in Mississippi this September. Bear in mind, this particular flavor of 4G is more akin to the brisk, though not blistering performance achieved by HSPA+, given average downlink speeds should range between 4Mbps to 12Mbps and uplink at 1Mbps to 5Mbps. Considering this may be the first taste of non-3G for some denizens of the Magnolia State, it's not a bad start. For the sake of our southern brethren, we just hope the carrier can actually fulfill on its grandiose, next-gen promises this time 'round. Check out the official presser after the break. Continue reading C Spire restarts LTE rollout, aims for September launch in Mississippi C Spire restarts LTE rollout, aims for September launch in Mississippi originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | For better or worse, our week in the frigid German city of Hannover has come to a close, bringing with it the end of this locale's days-long tourist season. All of the local highlights were in the region's Messe, and were focused around CeBIT, which draws visitors from every corner of the globe. There's no question that IT remains the focus of this giant European trade show, but buried amongst the servers, point-of-sale terminals and countless cloud-based solutions were a handful of gems. Ultrabooks stole the show from a CE perspective, with Intel's touchscreen-equipped solution making its hands-on debut, but we also came across a multitude of tablets, and even a pink Samsung Galaxy Note. We also spent some time wandering a virtual living room with a pair of head-tracking VR glasses, played a classic arcade game using only our mind (and our eyes), and got a front-seat demo of Audi's new gesture-based entertainment system, which lets you navigate your car while focusing on the road. We've gathered all of these demos and more for an inside look at everything CeBIT, which you'll find just past the break. Now, its time for one more currywurst before we make our way back home. Continue reading CeBIT 2012 wrap-up CeBIT 2012 wrap-up originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | If you remember, we had some mixed feelings about the HP Envy 15's IPS display when we took the laptop for a spin earlier this year. On the one hand, it offers great viewing angles and rich saturation. (Not to mention, when are we ever going to complain about 1080p resolution on a 15-incher?) Still, as many disgruntled forum posters have pointed out, the color calibration seems off against other displays, with reds skewing orange and purples veering into bluish territory. At the time, we reached out to HP for comment and were told to sit tight while the company investigated the issue. Well, today we got an answer, and while the outfit is stopping short of admitting any sort of defect, it is willing to concede the color tuning is different, to say the least. Better yet, it's promising a fix for those incapable of un-seeing it. In a statement, HP's PR team said: HP understands that some customers have expressed concern regarding the appearance of the color red in the ENVY 15 full High Definition (HD) panel, and we wanted to reassure our customers that this panel is functioning properly.
HP ENVY Series notebooks use optional premium LED-backlit display panels that have a higher color gamut (range of viewable colors), brightness and viewing angles than many display panels. This means that some colors may appear differently than they do on other displays. A company rep added that over the "coming weeks" HP will release a tuning utility that will allow users to adjust the color settings, making those reds redder, et cetera. It's still unclear how extensive these options will be (after all, HP is still steering the most discerning customers toward its DreamColor offerings), but something's most likely better than nothing, right? HP acknowledges complaints about the HP Envy 15's color calibration, will release a tuning utility in the 'coming weeks' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's no secret that the new iPad will offer the ability to share a data connection with other devices through a mobile hotspot, but the feature doesn't do any good if your wireless network doesn't offer it. Representatives from Verizon and AT&T sent tweets this morning that raised more questions than they answered, leaving us concerned that both companies had decided not to allow the hotspot capability at all. After reaching out to the carriers, however, we're able to shed some light on the subject: Verizon killed the rumor, telling us it has "every intention of supporting Mobile Hotspot on the new iPad," while AT&T stated that it is "working with Apple to enable this feature in the future, but we currently do not offer it."
In other words, Verizon has everything settled and ready to go when the first iPad shipments arrive next week, while AT&T and Apple are supposedly still at the negotiation table. Are the two companies trying to hash out some kind of revenue sharing deal as we sit idly by, yearning for the coveted option to magically appear? Whatever the reason, AT&T's answer isn't a full-out no -- but it's not a yes, either. Verizon will support Mobile Hotspot on the new iPad, AT&T still working on it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink 9to5Mac | Twitter (VZW), (AT&T) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | You didn't think the modders that form the very underpinnings of Android's base would let a little unicorn like the One X slide by unscathed, did ya? That polycarbonate überphone hasn't even made it out of the official launch gate and yet, thanks to MoDaCo, it's already been rooted. Sidestepping the usual dense how-to's typically associated with achieving root on non-Nexus devices, our eager beaver hacker's compiled Superboot: a one-step, no fuss boot image that automates the process for you sans the need for adb commands. The hack is said to work with retail versions of the handset and should play friendly with Mac, Windows and Linux operating systems, though it will require S-OFF or an unlocked bootloader courtesy of HTCdev. So if you were tantalized by the possibilities of this quad-core phone, but not quite convinced you could handle another skinned UX, this might help to ease your quandary. HTC One X gets rooted before retail debut originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Android Community | MoDaCo | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've had our fill of Ultrabooks and tablets at CeBIT, so now it's finally time to move on to the crazy stuff. This over-the-top case mod was awaiting unsuspecting attendees at the far back end of the China pavilion, of all places, and only caught our eye (or ear, rather) thanks to its squeaky gatling gun. It seems that this case first made an appearance at the Taipei Game Show last month, and has now landed on German shores, making a miraculous pass through EU customs to settle here, hidden amongst a hodgepodge of accessories on the outskirts of Hannover. This Thermaltake Level 10 GT chassis was modded by Brian Carter, and is highlighted by a six-barrel rotating gatling gun. There's a bazooka up top where the handle would be, a .50 caliber cartridge on the side and a combination energy drink / hand sanitizer compartment just below. Yes, hand sanitizer. The rotating (and rather noisy) gatling gun makes our hands-on video a must-watch if you're looking to get the full mod experience, so jump past the break and check it out. Continue reading Call of Duty case mod has spinning gatling gun, energy drink fridge (hands-on) Call of Duty case mod has spinning gatling gun, energy drink fridge (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Apple certainly had a lot of bases to cover at yesterday's new iPad unveiling, so some minor details were bound to slip through the cracks. While app suites like iLife and iWork got to bask in the Yerba Buena spotlight touting enhanced resolutions for that Retina Display, the company's decidedly less high-profile education software was also treated a face-lift -- just without the fanfare. According to a report on CNET, prospective owners of Cupertino's latest tablet will get to download an upgraded version of iBooks 2 and iTunes U that take advantage of the new 2048 x 1536 9.7-inch screen. Aside from the visual tweaks, only iBooks 2 has been imbued with extra features, adding a touch-to-highlight function and a refined page search that unites both print and ebook layouts. You'll be able to check out the 264ppi panache for yourself when those slates ship out next week. Apple ups the resolution on iTunes U and iBooks 2 for new iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | CNET | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Aside from the Optimus Vu, last week's MWC didn't reveal all that many LTE-capable handsets from LG. Fortunately, the Life's Good crowd still have plans for Verizon -- and this is one of them. According to Pocketnow, this is the LG Lucid and it wants to nestle itself squarely in the middle ground of Verizon's smartphone catalogue. Alongside those 4G chops, the phone purportedly wields a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 800×480 resolution NOVA display and an 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video capture. It also appears to run an LG-laced version of Gingerbread -- presumably something the company will attempt to elbow aside with vague promises of ICS when it all goes official. Verizon-bound LG Lucid reveals itself in leaked press shots originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We'd barely put down our liveblog quill and Apple's already cranking out new iPads to those that have pre-ordered. We've had several readers offer up information on their orders, including some UPS tracking numbers. These currently put the Retina Display tablet on Chinese shores, ready for delivery next week. All of our tipsters' iPads are still scheduled to arrive on March 16th -- the official launch date.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in] iPad pre-orders get shipping reference, March 16 arrival date originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Has spring 2012 brought a rebirth to the Xperia range, or just a rebranding? On the face of it, that's an easy one. The Sony Xperia S (codenamed "Nozomi") is the first handset we've reviewed in the post-Ericsson era and you only have to glance at its spec sheet to see that more has changed than just the logo. The 4.3-inch LCD display outguns older Xperias with a bright and contrasty 1280 x 720 resolution. This feature alone helps the device to sit more snugly on the Sony family sofa, where it can share popcorn with the tablets, PCs and TVs that Kaz & Co. want to merge into a seamless media-munching ecosystem. The Xperia S' camera pushes in that same direction, shooting 12-megapixel stills and 1080p video and then streaming its creations to other displays over HDMI and DLNA. Rounding it off, you get quirky features like NFC and a distinctive, Bravia-like physical design. But not everything here is so fresh and spring-like: other aspects of the device are still tinged with winter, as you'll discover if you read on.
Continue reading Sony Xperia S review (video) Sony Xperia S review (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Don't let that cute design fool you. Lytro, the world's first commercial light field camera, is the culmination of nearly twenty years of research -- a project that once occupied an entire wall facade, and has since been miniaturized into something that fits in the palm of your hand. An impressive feat, sure, but not as arresting as the end result: the ability to refocus pictures, even after you've taken them.
To achieve such magical endeavors the Lytro camera uses heaps of custom software (armed with a custom .lfp file format) coupled with some serious silicon to measure not just color or the intensity of light, but its direction, too. The latter is achieved with an eleven "megaray" sensor, which is bolted to an f/2.0 8x optical zoom lens, all encased within that sleek body. Seeking to save us from unfocused mishaps, the technological tour de force also unlocks some considerable creative potential. So, is the $399 shooter going to revolutionize photography as we know it? Or does the Lytro's first foray into consumer electronics fall prey to the shortcomings of 1.0 product? By know you should know the drill: rendezvous with us past the break to find out. Continue reading Lytro camera review Lytro camera review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've touched and tapped our way through a variety of gadgets at CeBIT, but it's the devices that operate without traditional user interfaces that have really grabbed our focus. Tobii was on-hand to demonstrate its eye-tracking technology earlier this year at CES, but the company is peddling its wares here in Hannover as well, and we decided to drop by for a second look. This time, it's all about gaming, with EyeAsteroids drawing quite a bit of attention on the show floor. The demo pairs Tobii with a SeeFront glasses-free 3D panel for a fairly engaging extraterrestrial shootout. We weren't really sold on the glasses-free 3D, unfortunately, which provides the same unconvincing three-dimensional image from any angle, but Tobii was spot-on, letting us hone in on those infamous space rocks to save our planet from destruction without even raising a finger.
Like SeeFront's display, you're able to make visual selections from any angle (within reason) just as easily as you can from directly in front of the panel. There's a seconds-long calibration process each time you start the game, so Tobii can locate your eyes and pair your pupil orientation with a target on the screen. After that, it's open season -- you simply focus on an asteroid to destroy it, and you can add your name to the leader board and navigate menus as well, just as we saw with the Windows 8 demo back at CES. Is this the future of gaming? That remains to be seen, and while the eye-tracking seemed to work just as described, old school gamers will likely prefer tilting a joystick and (violently) tapping on arcade buttons. We still had a lot of fun playing without using our hands, though, as you'll see in our glare-filled demo just past the break. Continue reading Tobii EyeAsteroids 3D lets you destroy virtual space stones with a gaze, we go eyes-on (video) Tobii EyeAsteroids 3D lets you destroy virtual space stones with a gaze, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  While plenty of US domestic flights have their WiFi provisions sorted, international connectivity remains pretty rare. Attempting to bring another time-killing option alongside all those middling in-flight Marvel movies, Qantas has started testing wireless internet on its 14-hour flights between Los Angeles and Australia. The trial will run for eight weeks across six of Qantas' A380 super-jumbos. Access during the trial will be free, however it'll be limited to first and business class passengers, with data allowance currently capped at a weedy 100MB for laptops and 32MB for mobile devices. Well, at least you're not walled inside an online store. Qantas trials in-flight WiFi between Australia and US originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Register | Qantas | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Microsoft's Kinect may have put depth sensors in the eye of the common consumer, but they aren't the only outfit in the game -- Belgian startup SoftKinetic has their own twist on the distance sensing setup. The literally named "DepthSense" range sensor uses infrared time-of-flight technology, which according to representatives, allows it to not only accurately calculate depth-sensitivity in dark, cramped spaces, but more importantly offers a shallower operating distance than its competition. We dropped by SoftKinetic's GDC booth to see exactly how cramped we could get.
It turns out the sensor can accurately read individual fingers between four to fourteen feet (1.5 - 4.5 meters), we had no trouble using it to pinch our way through a few levels of a mouse-emulated session of Angry Birds. The developer hardware we saw on the show floor was admittedly on the bulky side, but if all goes to plan, SoftKinetic says we'll see OEMs stuff the tech into laptops and ARM-powered TVs in the near future. In the meantime, though, gesture-crazy consumers can look forward to a slimmer version of this rig in stores sometime this holiday season. Hit the break for a quick demo of the friendly sensor in action.
Dante Cesa contributed to this post.Continue reading SoftKinetic brings DepthSense range sensor to GDC, hopes to put it in your next TV SoftKinetic brings DepthSense range sensor to GDC, hopes to put it in your next TV originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Thanks to leaked inventory documents, we've already known that Huawei's Prism would grace its way onto T-Mobile's shores. Now that its certification papers have been put through the wringers at the FCC, we can plainly see that the handset will be marketed as the T-Mobile Prism. While little is known about the device -- dubbed internally as the U8651T (or Astro) -- we're able to glean that it supports quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, along with UMTS/HSPA connectivity on the 1900MHz, 1700MHz and 850MHz bands. We also discovered AGPS, 802.11b/g/n (WiFi) and Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR thrown in for good measure, along with microSD support and a 1,400mAh battery -- that last tidbit safely excludes this handset from being a rebadge of one of Huawei's high-end offerings. T-Mobile Prism from Huawei lands at FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Android Community | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Late last year, Motorola announced its MOTOACTV device for fitness fanatics. Since then, the wrist-mounted gadget got a firmware update for better battery life, and on March 9th it's getting another fresh dose of code that brings even more functionality. The update adds 40 new custom activities including yoga, handball, skiing and dancing, so you can track all your fitness endeavors individually. The new code also allows users to activate the display with a flick of the wrist (instead of pressing the power button) and configure WiFi connections right on the device. Not a moment too soon, Moto, summer's closing in and this should help us get that beach (as opposed to blogger) body we've always wanted. Continue reading Motorola's MOTOACTV gets software update March 9th, brings 40 new fitness activities into the fold Motorola's MOTOACTV gets software update March 9th, brings 40 new fitness activities into the fold originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's unavoidable -- mention HP and images of the TouchPad come floating to the surface. What most geek folk don't realize, however, is that the company recently famous for open sourcing webOS has been hard at work behind-the-scenes prepping for the next stage in computing: integrated photonics. The project, codenamed Corona, aims to create stackable 3D chips that communicate using inbuilt, microscopic lasers made from gallium. This new breed of CPUs is on track to combine "256 general purpose cores organized in 64 four-core clusters" created using a 16nm process for a performance boost of up to six times faster than traditional circuitry. Why do this? Well, the nature of optical communication would not only speed up the rate at which the various cores could relay data (a theoretical 20 terabytes per second), but would also drastically lower power requirements from a current 160 watts to 6.4 watts. Sounds like the future, indeed, but as with all things forward-facing, many of the necessary components are still being developed, so take that 2015 target date with a heady amount of sodium chloride. HP eyes 2015 release for 3D integrated photonic chips originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Wired | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
