|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A mere day has passed since we stumbled upon initial benchmarks for the Optimus 4X HD, and now, yet another LG smartphone has tossed its hat into the arena. In the Optimus 3D Max's arsenal is a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, which is part of the TI OMAP 4430 SoC. Today, we pitted it against two dual-core contemporaries from HTC and Samsung -- namely, the One S and Galaxy S Blaze 4G. Sadly, the Optimus 3D Max failed to put up much of a resistance to either smartphone, and while its scores remain unofficial, its plainly obvious that this LG will look sorely dated upon its arrival. You can see how it all unfolded just after the break.
[Thanks, Konstantinos]Continue reading LG Optimus 3D Max wages dual-core war in benchmark tests LG Optimus 3D Max wages dual-core war in benchmark tests originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  PostPC.gr (translated) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
The unique privilege of jumpsuiting up and prowling the Foxconn factory floor may be reserved for the likes of Tim Cook and Nightline's Bill Weir, but thanks to American Public Media's Marketplace, we can all take a peek at the iPad production line. The above video is part of Rob Schmitz' ongoing look at Foxconn's factory conditions. Schmitz is partially responsible for debunking Mike Daisey's "theatrical" deception, and now hopes to educate readers on the reality of Foxconn's Longhua facility.
"When I gave examples of some of the American media coverage of the working conditions at Foxconn, many workers laughed, telling me it's not really that bad" Schmitz writes. "But that doesn't mean the workers don't have complaints." Through a series of interviews, Schmitz unveils how workers feel about their supervisors, jobs, pay, family back home and their dreams for the future. So, how's that iPad made? Check out the source link below, and find out. Marketplace takes a look at how the iPad is made and who, exactly, builds it originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 23:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  AppleInsider | American Public Media Marketplace | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cupertino's latest Apple TV has already been torn asunder and had its guts revealed to all the online world. And, we've already told you of the many ways that it differs from its predecessor. Despite that in-depth examination of Apple's media streamer, turns out it had another secret that was recently unlocked by the folks at Chipworks, who discovered it's packing a new, smaller A5 chip that's masquerading as a single-core unit. Turns out, that's the same 32nm dual-core SoC found in new iPad 2s -- elder iPad 2 units pack 45nm chips -- but the 3rd-gen Apple TV only uses one of those cores to give you your 1080p fix. We don't know if the second core's simply sitting idle or if Apple's using up some defective A5s it had laying around, but we do know that you can see some more close up shots of the silicon in question at the source below. Apple TV (2012) raids iPad 2 parts bin, packs 32nm A5 silicon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 22:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink MacRumors | Chipworks | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Apple's Macintosh took many forms over the years, from its initial concept by Jef Raskin as a $500 appliance that contained a built-in keyboard, printer and 5-inch display, to its ceremonious debut in 1984 with an inflated price that was five times this initial vision. For a period in the Mac's development, it was assumed that the computer would feature Apple's proprietary Twiggy 5.25-inch floppy disk drive, which also came as standard issue on the original Lisa. Just recently, an extremely rare prototype of the 128k Mac with a Twiggy drive has surfaced on eBay, but with an opening bid of $99,995, this antique is beyond what most of us could ever afford.
While the Twiggy disk could store an impressive 860KB of data, it was also notoriously unreliable -- so bad, in fact, that one engineer responsible for the drive remarked to Steve Jobs, "Take out your .45 and shoot the friggin' horse in the head." Ultimately, the company did just that, and the original Macintosh shipped with a 3.5-inch drive from Sony that could write only 400KB to its not-so-floppy disks. While this prototype will attract only the most affluent of bidders, the rest of us can enjoy the priceless photos of what might've been.
Apple Macintosh 128k prototype with 5.25-inch Twiggy floppy drive for sale on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Cult of Mac | eBay | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Microsoft's been waging legal war against Motorola on several fronts for some time now, and today, team Redmond scored a victory in a federal district court in Washington that'll have repercussions in Germany. The judge granted Microsoft's motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that prevents Motorola from enforcing any injunction it may obtain in the parties' parallel action in Mannheim, Germany. As a quick refresher, this litigation's all about a bundle of Moto-owned standards-essential WiFi and H.264 patents. Naturally, Motorola claims that Microsoft's infringing its IP, and has sought to stop sales of infringing products in Deutschland. Meanwhile, Microsoft contends Moto's in breach of contract because those patents haven't been made available for it to license on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. This latest legal victory in the US merely means that Motorola won't enforce any injunction it obtains in Mannheim -- which leaves Microsoft free and clear to peddle its wares in Germany. Microsoft wins injunction in Washington against Motorola, can keep selling stuff in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink FOSSPatents | The Seattle Times | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Microsoft's been waging a legal war against Motorola on several fronts for some time now, and today, team Redmond scored a victory in a federal district court in Washington that'll have repercussions in Germany. The judge granted Microsoft's motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that prevents Motorola from enforcing any injunction it obtains in the parties' parallel action in Mannheim, Germany. As a quick refresher, this litigation's all about a bundle of Moto-owned standards-essential WiFi and H.264 patents. Naturally, Motorola claims that Microsoft's infringing its IP, and has sought to stop sales of infringing products in Deutschland. Meanwhile, Microsoft contends Moto's in breach of contract because those patents haven't been made available for it to license on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. This latest legal victory in the US merely means that Motorola won't dare enforce any injunction granted in Mannheim -- which leaves Microsoft free and clear to peddle its wares in Germany. Microsoft wins injunction in Washington against Motorola, can keep selling stuff in Germany originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink FOSSPatents | The Seatlle Times | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sammy's gone ahead and priced the latest in its Galaxy Tab and Player series, affixing monetary stickers to not only the 7-inch slate we just took for a spin, but to its 10-inch brother and a pair of handheld cousins. $250 nabs you the aforementioned Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, but an extra $150 will afford you the Tab 2 10.1's three-inch advantage. Of course, if you'd rather keep that 7-inch beauty and pocket a spare device, that same $150 will buy a Galaxy Player 3.6. If that's too small, Sammy will let you pick up a 4.2 variant for $200 square. Care to read that straight? Mosey on past the break for Samsung's official press release. Continue reading Samsung prices Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 at $400, rings up a fresh pair of Galaxy Players for $150, $200 Samsung prices Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 at $400, rings up a fresh pair of Galaxy Players for $150, $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | There's an age-old saying: "If a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound?" We're tempted to posit that question to Samsung as it clears room in its crowded product portfolio for yet another Galaxy Tab. One month after announcing it at Mobile World Congress, the outfit's bringing its 7-inch sequel to the masses. As if Sammy's Galaxy Tab lineup weren't already overflowing, this guy comes bearing internals that make it near-identical to the OG Galaxy Tab and 7.0 Plus that have come before it.
A few specs, though, have seen downgrades: the front-facing camera now has VGA resolution, and the dual-core TI OMAP processor powering it is clocked at a lower 1GHz. Still, the 1024 x 600 TFT LCD display remains intact, as does the 3-megapixel rear camera, microSD slot and IR blaster. It's a puzzling hardware refresh ushering in modest tweaks to a proven design, with the biggest change of all being the move to Ice Cream Sandwich (with TouchWiz, of course). Is that software upgrade alone compelling enough to warrant an entirely new piece of hardware in Samsung's lineup? Maybe, maybe not. It all comes down to price, and at $250 this WiFi-only tablet could give consumers with Kindle Fire ire something to talk about. Follow past the break to see what we mean.
Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) review Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's no secret that Facebook encourages users to spend as much time as possible on the site, doing things like sharing photos, playing games, chatting, and of course, sharing status updates. Now, the company is giving students a reason to visit that's actually related to academics. 'Groups for schools' creates a virtual venue for collegiate collaboration, letting students and faculty members share un-copyrighted files within the groups created for their sports teams, clubs and even individual classes. There is a file limit of 25MB in play, so consider those dreams of sharing videos and zipped up apps crushed -- you'll also need to provide a .edu address that matches the school before Facebook grants you admission. At first, online cliques will be limited to colleges in the US, though global institutions will eventually be permitted to join in on the fun as well. In the meantime, who knows -- perhaps Dropbox will also launch some kind of super-secret, exclusive club in the near future. Facebook launches 'groups for schools,' keeps enrollment tight originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TechCrunch | Facebook | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Promise not to laugh, folks, because this one appears a bit camera shy: meet the HTC Incredible 4G for Verizon Wireless. As you can see, the designers have kept the same industrial, funky and yet austere style as before, and like the original, the famous red accents are back in the mix. The camera pod continues to exist as part of a larger protrusion on the back, which now sports a significant amount of texture. The number of capacitive buttons on the front has been reduced to three, with search now absent. The Incredible 4G is is most certainly an Ice Cream Sandwich device, complete with a Sense 4 overlay.
A quick peek at the hardware information reveals a dual-core 1.2GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, an 8MP primary camera and a front-facing VGA counterpart, along with 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 -- as well as support for LTE, NFC and WiFi Direct. The display is estimated at 4-inches and is said to offer qHD resolution. In highly welcome bit of news, the camera is said to capture a rapid burst of images, which gives us hope that this is the same option found on the One X and One S. Nonetheless, it appears to be a mainstream, middle-of-the-road handset that will likely be priced between $100 and $150 on-contract. Be sure to hop the break for the press render, and for a few extra blurry snapshots, just hit up the source link below. Continue reading Verizon HTC Incredible 4G gets press render, sheepishly grins for Mr. Blurrycam Verizon HTC Incredible 4G gets press render, sheepishly grins for Mr. Blurrycam originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Android Police, Pocketnow | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Remember Orkut? You know, one of Google's early efforts at diving into the social networking game. Well, the website's still operating at full force, with more than three quarters of its 66 million users coming from Brazil and India alone. The point is, Big G's still keeping tabs on the O network, thus the news of an improved YouTube integration shouldn't come as a surprise. With the fresh features, Orkut folks are able to watch / listen to videos without having to step out of their current session, saving them an extra trip to YouTube's site. Of course, similar to Facebook or Orkut's more popular relative Google+, friends can see whether you're watching kitty vids or Kony 2012. Você é um Orkut? Cross your fingers and hope it doesn't get the axe anytime soon. Google brings better YouTube integration to Orkut, hopes you haven't forgotten originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Next Web | Orkut Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Folks in the US have been able to use the Google Currents app to read various websites (including this one) with more of a magazine-style layout since late last year, and now those outside the country can finally get in on the act as well. Google has today rolled out version 1.1 of the app for Android and iOS, which makes the service available worldwide with support for 44 languages, and adds a number of other improvements including offline reading, instant online sync, translation for 38 languages and a promised 7X performance boost. As before, the app is completely free, and adapts the layout to suit both phones and tablets. Google Currents app updated with international support, offline reading originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Google Mobile Blog, Google Play, iTunes | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We've laid our eyes (and hands) on the Ascend G 300 a pair of times, first while it was sneaking past the FCC, then shortly after that when we took it for a quick spin at MWC in Barcelona. Now, Huawei's Gingerbread handset is prepping to land in the UK on Friday the 13th, being available exclusively at Vodafone. Just as we predicted, the device won't be much of a burden on anyone's wallet, with the carrier pricing it at £100 (around $160) on PAYG (£10 top-up minimum) or gratis on £15.50, two-year plans. Unfortunately, the G 300 won't have Ice Cream Sandwich on board at launch, but Vodafone says the 4.0 update will be coming later this summer. Good enough for you? The source link below lets you register to be one of the first to know when this 4-inch Ascend is up for grabs. Continue reading Huawei Ascend G 300 coming to Vodafone UK on April 13th Huawei Ascend G 300 coming to Vodafone UK on April 13th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Vodafone | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  For football fans the NFL Red Zone and ESPN Goal Line Channels have streamlined game day viewing by focusing on switching between scoring opportunities from simultaneously airing games and now Major League Baseball has its own version (there's already a web edition dubbed Full Count). The MLB Network Strike Zone went live Tuesday night on Bright House Networks, DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable, airing live look-ins on league games and highlights without any commercial breaks. Although there are baseball games throughout the week, Strike Zone will only broadcast on Tuesday and Friday nights during the regular season. We're not entirely convinced this will work as well as baseball or cause people to sign up for the sports tiers it seems to mostly be placed on the same way its football counterparts have, but it might be just the thing for baseball fans that can't stand following just one game at a time. Check the press release after the break for channel lineup details, and let us know if you've had a chance to check it out yet. Continue reading MLB Network launches Strike Zone all-highlights channel on four providers MLB Network launches Strike Zone all-highlights channel on four providers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | MLB | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Google's doing a lot to bolster its Android developers guide at the moment, with fresh design tips we covered yesterday and then a new section on accessibility arriving shortly after. The latter provides a bunch of suggestions on things like minimum button size (48dp or around 9mm), and also explains how to make use of free components like TalkBack, which gives a spoken description of an app's UI, and Eyes-Free Keyboard, which many users find easier than regular touch-to-click. These stock services work best with apps that have been designed with them in mind, so if we were presumptiuous enough to command all devs to look at the source link, then we probably would. (Do it. Do it.) Continue reading Android devs: if you can't use your app with your eyes closed, open them and read this Android devs: if you can't use your app with your eyes closed, open them and read this originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Android Developers | 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.  It's been years since we've spotted a proper handle-sporting boombox on this side of the equator (in public, at least), but we're decidedly impressed with this unique Kickstarter creation, dubbed the Berlin Boombox. Constructed nearly entirely of cardboard, save for some metal- and plastic-based essentials, the speaker rig ships disassembled in a flat cardboard box. Getting the Boombox up and running shouldn't require much effort, however -- the designer states that you won't need any tools during the quick assembly process. After you're done, you can connect the setup to any source with a 3.5mm headphone jack, then control volume with the large aluminum power/volume knob. The Berlin Boombox also ships with four AA batteries, though it's not clear how many hours of music you'll be able to pipe through the speakers with that initial set of cells. We also can't speak to sound quality, though there is a free custom sound profile available for iOS devices -- audio "will be remastered in real-time to use the full potential of the Berlin Boombox."
You can pre-order your own with a $50 pledge, saving you 9 bucks off the estimated retail price. There's also a "limited edition" two-tone box, available with a $100 pledge, while $250 will net you a custom-designed model, which can also be paired with a dinner and tour of Berlin with the inventor if you're willing to fork over $500 or more. There's just shy of two weeks left during the funding period -- you'll need to provide that financial support before noon on April 25th. The project is on track to meet its $14,000 funding goal, however, so it's fairly safe to say that you'll be able to snag one of these cardboard contraptions even if you aren't ready to take the plunge just yet. Jump past the break to see the Berlin Boombox in action, and to catch up with our last Insert Coin project: The PowerPot. Continue reading Insert Coin: Berlin Boombox recyclable cardboard stereo (video) Insert Coin: Berlin Boombox recyclable cardboard stereo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget German | Kickstarter, Berlin Boombox | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's had quite a run, but it looks like the old standby resolution of web designers everywhere, 1024 x 768, has finally been eclipsed by a newer, wider rival. According to web analytics firm StatCounter, use of 1024 x 768 fell from 41.8 percent in March of 2009 to 18.6 percent this March, while 1366 x 768 (common to many laptops) shot up from just 0.68 percent to 19.28 percent during the same time period, making it the most popular screen resolution worldwide. 1280 x 800 sits in third place at 13 percent, while all other resolutions remain in the single digits. Those interested can break down those stats further at the second source link below. StatCounter finds 1366 x 768 to be most popular screen resolution for the first time originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Hacker News | StatCounter (1), (2) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sola, Pepper, MT27i -- it's got many names, and now it's got the official thumbs up from American regulators. The Sony Xperia Sola made an appearance at the FCC, got itself torn asunder and even dragged along its user manual. Beneath the rather underwhelming 3.7-inch 854 x 480 LCD is quite a collection of antennas, including NFC, 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1 and a quadband GSM radio. Of course, all that is being powered by a serviceable, but hardly barn-burning, 1GHz dual-core processor and saddled with Gingerbread. (Though, Sony promises an ICS upgrade will be delivered this summer.) Check out the source link for all the regulatory filing fun and to see the Sola splayed open on a table. Sony Xperia Sola hits the FCC, gets dissected by regulators originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | It's been a long and winding road for the tongue-twisting Asus Eee Pad MeMo ME171, and though we did get a first-hand look back at CES it's finally available to call your own. The team over at Netbook News decided to take the 7", 1280 x 800 display totin', 1.2GHz Snapdragon powered slab and give a good benchmarking -- which always piques our interest. Nenamark and Nenamark 2 landed at 34.5- and 24-fps respectively. Quadrant, on the other hand, came in around the 1,800 mark, about the same as the Transformer TF101. If you're more into Antutu or Vellamo, then the numbers you are after are 4,377 and 975 (compared to the Transformer Prime's 953). Last in the list was SunSpider, which drops in at 2,546.5 -- a nose ahead of the Note's 2,902. Check the video after the break if you want the full unboxing. Continue reading Asus Eee Pad MeMo benchmarks come out fighting, other slates take note (video) Asus Eee Pad MeMo benchmarks come out fighting, other slates take note (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Netbook News | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Western Digital is whipping the sheets clear from a new, 7mm tall 2.5-inch mobile HDD that'll sit nicely inside your Ultrabook or other skinny device. The single-platter Scorpio Blue comes in 320 and 500GB varieties and will even sit nearly in 9.5mm slots (just, you know, bring along some blu-tack to pad the void around the drive bay). The units boast of super-low power management, quiet operation (with WD's WhisperDrive tech) and capable of taking a shock of 400Gs. It's available from today via selected retailers, the 320GB edition costing $80 and the 500GB version $100. Just be careful not to look at it side-on, after all, it's so thin you may not find it again. Continue reading Western Digital ships 7mm HDD for Ultrabooks, losing down pavement cracks Western Digital ships 7mm HDD for Ultrabooks, losing down pavement cracks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Via its blog site, Netflix announced that version 2.0 of its Windows Phone app is now ready for your downloading pleasure. The refresh hands the application a passport to head over to the United Kingdom, Ireland as well as 47 other countries in Latin America. In addition to its global quest, Netflix added an array of new bits in the update, including subtitles, closed captions and an alternate audio option, while performance improvements and the promise of a more pleasant browsing / viewing experience are also in tow. Naturally, you'll need a Mango-flavored Windows handset to enjoy the app; if that's you, the source link has something you clearly need. Netflix for Windows Phone hits v2.0, heads to the UK, Ireland and Latin America originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Netflix Blog, Windows Phone Marketplace | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Pre-orders of Sprint's first LTE-capable device, the LG Viper 4G, begin tomorrow. The Now Network is keeping quiet on an official release date for the time being, but that isn't stopping the carrier from sharing a few crucial nuggets of information with its employees first. We got our hands on a screenshot apparently informing Sprint's forces that the device will be all yours for the buying on April 22nd, through your choice of retail sales channels and online stores. No new details are revealed otherwise, and we still don't know exactly when the LTE service itself will go live, but we're definitely seeing a light at the end of this tunnel. [Thanks, anonymous] LG Viper 4G may hit Sprint stores on April 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As we rub our eyes and squint at the sliver of a label on the FCC report, we can clearly see it reads Toshiba AT300. This, as you may recall, was the model number worn by the Japan-only 10.1 inch Regza tab. But wait! We can also read "Excite 10 AT300" and "Excite 10 305" on the same report, suggesting this is actually one of the new trio of Excites revealed just yesterday. Makes sense, seeing as the new 10-incher needs to have all its paperwork sorted by May 6th. Toshiba AT300 gets Excited at the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | A palm reading cash machine might not tell you your fortune, but it will, at least, dispense some of it. Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank in Japan has revealed that it will introduce the nation's first ATM that lets you withdraw money just by scanning your palm. This isn't the first ATM to use extra human verification, but it claims it's the first that functions without the need for your cash card. Customers will need to pop in to a branch to provide some manual verification -- and of course a palm scan -- then you're away. The bank hopes this will help people access their cash in the event of losing your card, or a natural disaster. Great until you upgrade to one of these. Japanese biometric ATM reads your palm, tells fortune originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Nikkei | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Dearest readers, we'd like to take this opportunity to share a bit of good news -- we've been nominated for a Webby Award for The Engadget Show! It's the third year running that our in-house video project has been nominated, and we couldn't be more humbled or happy to be chosen. Dozens upon dozens of people work tirelessly to make this operation tick, and while we never confess to be perfect, we hope you've been informed and entertained by our episodes over the past year. The Show is featured in the Online Film & Video (Technology) section, alongside a host of amazing contemporaries. If you'd like to cast a vote, you can do so right here. We'd also like to mention that Engadget Distro has been selected as an Official Honoree of the Webby Awards in the News category. Thanks for watching and reading, and we'll be sure to keep the clips coming in the months ahead!
P.S. - We're in the official promo video for the awards at the 0:38 mark; it's embedded just after the break.Continue reading The Engadget Show is nominated for a Webby Award! The Engadget Show is nominated for a Webby Award! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Webby Awards | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | When you think about satellite internet, dismal speeds, ridiculous latency and astronomical fees are likely first to come to mind. But the only technology capable of blanketing our entire planet in connectivity is now able to provide a fast, consistent and affordable experience, thanks to one market-leading company, and the vision and leadership of Mark Dankberg. Launched from Dankberg's home in Southern California, ViaSat lit up on the map in 1986, and spent the first two decades focused on government and corporate contracts. Last year's launch of ViaSat-1, however, beamed the company straight toward the top of the North American satellite broadband market, bringing high-speed internet to the rural masses. Pair the company's Exede household product with airline contracts for in-flight WiFi, and you have one ever-growing infrastructure giant. We sat down with Dankberg -- ViaSat's CEO since inception -- at the company's Carlsbad, California headquarters, learning about the Exede service launch, a portable newsgathering rig and what the future of in-flight WiFi may look like on airlines like JetBlue and United. Join us past the break for the interview in full, and an inside look at how ViaSat plans to transform the entire satellite internet experience. Continue reading The Engadget Interview: ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg on Exede and the future of in-flight WiFi The Engadget Interview: ViaSat CEO Mark Dankberg on Exede and the future of in-flight WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | We knew T-Mobile has been planning to release its version of the HTC One S sometime in the near future, but we haven't received any official word on exactly when that desired release date will be. That should all change soon, because we just received invites to a shindig being held on April 18th in which we can hang out with the coveted smartphone, which likely means we'll finally get confirmation on when we should expect to see it available in stores and online. It seems as though the rumored April 25th launch may actually be spot-on, but we only have another week to wait before we find out. T-Mobile hands out press invites to One S event on April 18th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Justice Department has formally decided to sue Apple, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillian, Penguin and Simon & Schuster over alleged e-book price-rigging. Apple and Macmillian have already denied any wrongdoing, saying that the agreements were enhancing competition in an industry previously dominated by Amazon. The case centers around a deal to switch to agency pricing, where the vendor takes a 30 percent cut of each sale rather than the wholesale model which allows stores to sell books at rock-bottom prices. It was previously believed that the publishers had cut back-room deals with the Government agency after bowing to pressure to withdraw Cupertino's "favored nation" status. If successful, the DoJ will allow Amazon and Barnes and Noble amongst others to return to the wholesale model, something that the big five are desperate to avoid and will look to fight the battle in court. Justice Department formally charges Apple, big five publishers in e-book price fixing case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Bloomberg | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Gaikai's certainly grown leaps and bounds since its early days, and today the cloud gaming firm takes another step by joining the largest social networking platform on the globe. For starters, this first beta of Gaikai's Facebook application is available to North American / European gamers, offering support for browsers such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari and Firefox on Windows, OS X or Linux machines. Gamers who've fiddled around with the outfit's previous betas or Walmart's Gaikai powered Gamecenter will know the drill: streaming game demos in the frame of your web browser. Ready to try before you buy? The setup is serving up samples of Saints Row: The Third, Dead Rising 2, Magicka, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, The Witcher 2, Orcs Must Die! and Farming Simulator 2011. Gaikai CEO and co-founder David Perry told us that while the outfit's current Facebook rigging is still centered around demos, it's primed to push full titles if and when a publisher requests it. "Our goal is to get games as accessible as movies and music," he told us "so games get the chance to compete." Gaikai v1.0 is live on Zuck's site now, so click the source link below, pop in your Facebook credentials and you should be all set. Sean Buckley contributed to this post.Continue reading Gaikai brings its cloud gaming to Facebook, launches beta application Gaikai brings its cloud gaming to Facebook, launches beta application originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Facebook (Gaikai) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Remember the inPulse Smartwatch? Say hello to its attractive younger sibling, the Pebble e-paper watch. Allerta's latest creation -- which is launching today on Kickstarter for $99 in three colors -- is "the first smartwatch to offer full iPhone and iOS compatibility". It features a 1.26-inch 144x168-pixel black and white e-paper display with backlight, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, four buttons, a vibrating motor and a three-axis accelerometer. The battery is expected to last more than seven days on a charge. Pebble receives call, email and message notifications from iOS and Android devices over Bluetooth. It supports downloadable watchfaces and activity-specific watchapps for controlling music, cycling, running and golfing. Allerta's even teamed up with Freecaddie to create a rangefinder app for over 25,000 golf courses worldwide. The timepiece can run several watchapps simultaneously -- these can be installed over Bluetooth using the Pebble App for iOS and Android (2.3 or higher) and developed using the Pebble SDK. Color choices include white, black, red and a fourth hue to be voted on by early backers of the project -- hurray to crowdsourcing. Pricing is $99 on Kickstarter today and $149 at retail later this year. Want more info? Check out the gallery below, then hit the break for the PR details and the Kickstarter link. Continue reading Allerta intros Pebble smartwatch, inPulse's attractive younger sibling Allerta intros Pebble smartwatch, inPulse's attractive younger sibling originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Kickstarter | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Google isn't quite calling it version 2.0, but today's update to its flagship social product is just that. As with most Mountain View projects, the new Google+ will rollout gradually, but as it does it may just lure back some of those who jumped ship early on. The UI has been greatly streamlined with a customizable ribbon of shortcuts on the left and your buddy list moved to the right. The main interface has been tidied up quite a bit and a new focus has been placed on one of the universally beloved features of the beleaguered social network -- Hangouts. The video chat party lines will be getting their own dedicated home page too, allowing you to quickly peruse any Hangouts that are available to you. Even profiles are getting a dramatic facelift with larger photos and Sparks have officially been retired in favor of an Explore tab. Perhaps most welcome though is the enhanced multimedia sharing. To see all the fancy new features in action check out the videos after the break. And, of course, let us know if you're seeing the shiny new layout on your end -- we're still waiting on Google to flip the switch for us.
Continue reading Google+ gets a major update, simpler UI and heavier focus on Hangouts (video) Google+ gets a major update, simpler UI and heavier focus on Hangouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Google | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BlackBerry fans of the world over rejoice: some of your favorite social apps have just become slightly more connected to your favorite smartphone ecosystem. RIM announced today via its official blog that the 3.0 versions of Facebook and Twitter for BlackBerry have become BBM connected, meaning, among other things, that you can share status updates, tweets and the like with your BBM contacts. The Canadian smartphone maker also used the opportunity to announce a handful of additional updates to fellow BlackBerry App World apps like BBM itself, which is getting BlackBerry Tag integration and, hold onto your BlackBerry hats, new animated avatars. You can find all of the relevant updates by clicking the source link below. Twitter and Facebook for BlackBerry get BBM connected, BBM gets some animated avatars originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Inside BlackBerry | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As a part of the BBC's run up to this year's Olympics, it is bringing new approaches to broadcast technology in a number of ways including 3D, online streaming, multiple HD channels and now, connected TV apps. Today it's launching a BBC Sports app for connected TVs that bring in new interactive features via the BBC Red Button which will first appear on Virgin Media's TiVo platform, along with a port of its BBC News app. First up for the interactive treatment? F1 racing, starting with the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend. In the app viewers can access live coverage of the race, highlights from previous races, and multifeed coverage of the race including in-car cameras and driver trackers. There's a video demo and press release embedded after the break (viewable in the UK only), and the Sports app is expected to hit more devices before the Olympics starts, although it's unclear which ones. Continue reading BBC Sport connected TV app launches on UK TiVos, brings BBC News along BBC Sport connected TV app launches on UK TiVos, brings BBC News along originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | BBC Internet Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Direct Mode on an Eye-Fi card makes a lot of sense when you want to beam photos from your camera straight to your smartphone. The latest edition of the Mobile X2 promises to simplify this process by coming pre-configured for Direct Mode from the factory, and being accompanied by a 10-digit pairing code that'll let you register the camera securely with the Eye-Fi app on your Android phone without recourse to a PC. We'd feel more excited about this if Toshiba's FlashAir card hadn't done something similar already using a clever browser-based connection we saw at CES. Still, if Eye-Fi is the brand and workflow you want to stick with, then be advised that this particular Mobile X2 is Japan-only for now. However, a worldwide release is planned at some point, along with an update to the iOS app that'll make the key-code pairing thing work for that other section of humanity too. New Eye-Fi Mobile X2 card does old tricks, but with less hassle for Android and iOS users originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 06:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget Japanese | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The music streaming wars have been heating up a good deal, as of late, thanks in no small part Spotify's long-awaited US launch. Since then, Rhapsody bought its one-time chief competitor Napster, both Pandora and Rdio underwent major redesigns and Mog finally launched a Windows client. Naturally, all of this has proven good news for the consumer, as services have a features arms race of sorts, gunning for the top spot. None of the contenders are quite perfect, of course -- when Spotify launched, for example, we couldn't help but note the absence of a browser-based option of the sort employed by Rdio and Pandora. Today's announcement still leaves open that possibility, but it does mark a new web-focused strategy for the company -- on that could arguably have a much larger impact on Spotify's fortunes than a simple browser-based UI.
Today marks the launch of the Spotify Play Button -- a name we assume the Swedish company settled on before Google announced the whole Android Market rebranding thing. The button is, essentially, a widget that allows site owners to embed songs and playlists directly from Spotify's massive catalog of songs. It's a simple idea, sure, but well executed, it could prove a major win in the service's attempt to stand out in the ever-more competitive world of music streaming. After all, embedding music on sites has long been a fairly haphazard deal -- unless you happen to have a deal with a proprietary player, it means snapping up something like a YouTube video, which often live in, at best, a legal gray area.
Continue reading Spotify launches Play Button in bid to become the web's default music player Spotify launches Play Button in bid to become the web's default music player originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In a world where NFC is just starting to become useful, its notable absence on Nokia's Windows Phones has been increasingly, well, notable. But a video that temporarily appeared on the Finnish phone-maker's YouTube account reveals that NFC is indeed coming, with a new version of the Lumia 610 on the Orange network apparently set to become the first handset to make it happen somewhere in Europe. The video was quickly pulled, but not before Thegadgetbuff managed to grab a dodgy rip of it, which you'll see after the break. It contains an interview with Andrea Bacioccola, whose job title ("Lead program manager, NFC") pretty much says it all -- even before he gets to demoing stuff like FourSquare checking-in, audio speaker pairing like with the N9, and a new Nokia Tag Writer app that could possibly do something similar to those Xperia SmartTags we've seen. See for yourself after the break, and as mentioned, please forgive its piratical quality. Continue reading NFC version of Nokia Lumia 610 accidentally leaked on YouTube NFC version of Nokia Lumia 610 accidentally leaked on YouTube originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TheNextWeb | Thegadgetbuff (YouTube) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Fresh off his return from the briny deep, James Cameron is set to create a television show for the Discovery Channel called Robogeddon. Similar to BattleBots and Robot Wars, the program will feature a competitive death match of sorts, where robots tear each other to shreds in pursuit of being the last machine standing. In addition to Cameron's participation, the show will also feature the stamp of Mark Burnett -- famous for such reality television titles as Survivor, Shark Tank and The Voice. It's also said that Donald Hutson, the two-time Super Heavyweight Champion of BattleBots, will be among the show's competitors. No date is set for when we'll see the sparks fly, but if you want to get in on the ground floor, might we suggest hitting your local scrapyard? James Cameron to create sparks with Robogeddon on Discovery Channel originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 03:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TG Daily | The Wrap | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
