|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  There's been quite a bit of brouhaha over at xda-developers lately about changes HTC's made to the way multitasking behaves on the One X compared to stock Ice Cream Sandwich. We're not just talking about obvious UI differences here -- Sense 4's horizontal, card-like arrangement vs. Android 4.0's default vertical list -- but actual differences in memory and task management. While we're not running into any problems with our One X review unit, some users have noticed that background app are getting terminated too aggressively, so we reached out to HTC for comment. Here's the company's statement: HTC is aware of some questions in the enthusiast community about how the HTC One X handles multitasking and memory management for background apps. We value the community's input and are always looking for ways to enhance customers' experience with our devices. That said, multitasking is operating normally according to our custom memory management specifications which balance core ICS features with a consistent HTC Sense experience. There you have it. HTC's definitely implemented some multitasking tweaks in Sense 4. Perhaps this is why battery life is so impressive on AT&T's One X? While we don't think it's a major issue for most users, there's always to option of installing custom ROMs now that the phone bootloader's been unlocked. HTC confirms One X multitasking tweaks in Sense 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 02:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  xda-developers | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Google just launched its Knowledge Graph, a tool intended to deliver more accurate information by analyzing the way users search. Of course, with a desire to provide better search results comes a need for improved site-reading capabilties. JavaScript and AJAX have traditionally put a wrench in Google bots' journey through a webpage, but it looks like the search engine has developed some smarter specimens. While digging through Apache logs, a developer spotted evidence that bots now execute the JavaScript they encounter -- and rather than just mining for URLS, the crawlers seem to be mimicking how users click on objects to activate them. That means bots can dig deeper into the web, accessing databases and other content that wasn't previously indexable. Looks like Google is one step closer to success on its quest to know everything. Google bots learning to read webpages like humans, one step closer to knowing everything originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 00:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  Ars Technica | swapped.cc/blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Sony's newest NEX and DSLR have already graced these pages -- albeit in decidedly unofficial fashion -- but the time has come for this duo of shooters to be revealed to the world with the blessing of their maker. In case you didn't catch the earlier leaks, the NEX-F3 is the replacement for the much-beloved NEX-C3 as the entry-level ILC from Sony, while the A37 slots in the same place in the company's Alpha DSLR lineup. Sony's also rolling out fresh glass for each this July, in the form of an E-mount 18-200mm, F3.5-6.3 zoom lens for $850, and an 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 A-mount telephoto unit that'll set you back $500. Both the NEX-F3 and A37 will come with kit 18-55mm lenses and cost $600 when they go on sale in June, which makes them quite competitively priced as compared to their competition. An enviable pricing position, to be sure, but can they deliver the imaging goods? Well, we spent time with each on a tour of San Francisco recently, so join us after the break for our impressions and some sample photos. Continue reading Sony NEX-F3 and A37 cameras hands-on and sample shots Sony NEX-F3 and A37 cameras hands-on and sample shots originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Just in case the world forgot which phone was first with 2GB of RAM, LG has pushed out another press release for its Optimus LTE2 which ships this week in Korea, just as promised. The detailed specs reveal this version ships with a 4.7-inch True HD IPS LCD, and while many of its specs (8MP camera, 1.5GHz dual-core CPU) are identical to its predecessor, it weighs in at an extra 10g, likely owing to the larger 2,150mAh battery. As mentioned previously it also has support for wireless charging and, naturally, the Optimus UI 3.0 detailed earlier. There's still no word on when we'll see this one outside of Korea but for now a few specs and pictures will have to hold us over. LG's Optimus LTE2 ships this week in Korea, nails down a few more specs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 23:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | LG Korea | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Ah, Japan. That far east country what begot Mario most always gets to profit from the industry's more delightful excesses. This time, however, the spoils have less to do with gaming flash and more to do with smartphone specs. In a document recently released by NTT DoCoMo, the carrier's upcoming dual-core Galaxy S III variant is listed as doubling up on the available RAM, bypassing the standard 1GB announced at its official unveiling. It's not the first time we've seen an OEM shoot for the silicone stars, considering LG's headline-stealing Optimus LTE2 and monstrous LS970, so the swap could be likely. Nothing's set in stone quite yet, but given this is Samsung's flagship wünderphone, we doubt the company wants to be caught playing in its Korean rival's forward-looking wake. NTT DoCoMo's Galaxy S III to ship with 2GB RAM? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 22:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PocketNow | NTT DoCoMo | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Google Music users learned of a frightful new policy this morning that dictates a user may de-authorize only four devices in a year, out of ten total activations. While the policy is likely to go unnoticed by the majority of consumers, it instantly created a great pain for those who regularly flash ROMs to their phones and tablets. It seems the road to de-authorization hell is paved with good intentions, however, as Google has since responded to critics with the revelation that it'll introduce an activation system that accounts for such nuances. We've learned through our conversations with the company that users may, in fact, sign in to their Google Music account from any number of devices, and it's only when a tune is deliberately streamed that your smartphone or tablet will be added to the list of ten. What's more, we've determined through our own experimentation that Google has temporarily suspended the de-authorization limit of four devices, and while it's difficult to know how long this reprieve will last, we're hopeful that it'll remain in effect until Google implements this new system to recognize duplicate authorizations. What's more, while the company was rather insistent that songs couldn't be streamed to multiple devices at the same time, it seems that Google's system of checks and balances is spotty at best -- we were able to simultaneously stream tunes to three devices without so much as a hiccup. Yes, the system eventually shook its finger at us, but it serves as a nice reminder to have fun while the insanity lasts. Google Music users granted de-authentication reprieve as company retools activation system originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 22:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Google | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Looking for a rodent to help you frag your way through the competition, southpaw style? The FCC may have just uncovered your new best friend: The Razer Ouroboros gaming mouse. Like the Cyborg RAT series, the Ouroboros features a sliding palm rest and swappable side panels to better fit your mitt. Unlike the RAT, however, Razer's rodent is completely symmetrical, and therefor, ambidextrous. While Ouroboros may not actually devour its tail, it can at least detach it, switching between wired and wireless modes with relative ease. The versatile vermin appears to pack nine buttons (the regular left and right triggers, three buttons on each side, plus the mouse wheel), a toggle for on-the-fly DPI adjustments, left / right trigger locks, compatibility for Windows 7 and MAC OS X and a charging stand. No word yet on the device's max DPI sensitivity or price point, but we'll let you know when Razer makes things official. In the meantime, feel free to browse the rodent's manual at the source link below. Razer's Ouroboros gaming mouse outed by the FCC, transforms to fit lefties originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 21:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Samsung's CES blitz included a tease of five new camcorders, but precious little in the way of launch details. Some of the mystery has ended, as two of the camcorders -- the QF20 and W300 -- are at last hitting US stores. The QF20 caters to the Internet crowd and, for $350, will let you upload your 20x-zoomed 1080p videos straight to Facebook, Picasa or YouTube without thrusting a computer into the process. If you're more concerned about your camera surviving a rafting trip than producing viral videos, the W300 will give you dustproofing, 15-foot waterproofing and 6-foot shockproofing in a pocketable form for a more frugal $160. We're still waiting on launches for the camcorders' closely-related F80, Q20 and W350 (pictured) cousins, but for now you can catch full details of the QF20 and W300 after the break. Continue reading Samsung ships QF20 camcorder with WiFi, toughened-up W300 pocket cam Samsung ships QF20 camcorder with WiFi, toughened-up W300 pocket cam originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 20:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's like Highlights for kids, but with a decidedly techno-centric spin. The company known more for what it's put inside our gadgetry has just unveiled a new digital magazine, iQ, intended for the youthful, über-connected masses. Looking much like Flipboard in design and borrowing a live tile-ish approach, the internally-curated Intel webzine culls content from outside pubs and mixes it in with original and partner-contributed pieces to, as EIC Bryan Rhoads puts it, "tell... the bigger story of who we are as a brand." Indeed, it may do just that via the circuitous route of social recommendations, given that each news box grows in prominence along with its viral importance. There's no paid or free app to download, just a simple URL to link you to that dynamic "front page." So, if you feel your angst-ridden teenagers are in need of an industry-specific educational focus, this might be one site to add to their bookmarks. Intel launches youth-focused iQ webzine, tells its brand story through aggregation originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 20:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PaidContent, AdAge | iQ | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  With the exception of tweaks for new features like HD video and closed captioning Netflix's Silverlight-based web player has been largely unchanged for years, but today everything is being reworked. As detailed in a post on the company's blog, PC and Mac users (no word on ChromeOS) the size of the player controls now scale to the window they're in and replace words with icons. Other new features users will notice is the ability to preview additional episodes of TV series without stopping the stream, title information that pops up when the stream is paused and that full screen viewing now has the same options as the windows player. The finale tweak is that the back to browsing button that brings viewers back to their queue has shifted from the bottom right to the top left. Hit the blog for the full breakdown, or just expect a surprise tomorrow when you're watching Downton Abbey at work Drive in the comfort of your own home during leisure time.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Netflix web streaming interface gets a new look with bigger icons, embedded previews originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Netflix Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Sure, we've explained to you why sensor size matters in a digital camera, but maybe you need to take it back a bit. Maybe, you're not entirely sure how those sensors work in the first place. Well, Bill Hammack, better known as The Engineer Guy, is here to help. After breaking down LCDs and hard drives for your amusement and education, Bill has turned his attention to the CCD. The charge-coupled device is the heart and soul of many a digital camera, turning incoming photons into a charge that the impressively complex processor inside can convert into an image. What makes the CCD so impressive is it's rather ingenious solutions to problems such as interference (no wires, just a shift register) and color reproduction (pixel-sized filters and a hue-flattening algorithm). For more, check out the video after the break. Continue reading The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video) The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | The Engineer Guy (YouTube) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's a ritual: we publish a review of a laptop with a 1366 x 768 display, the best-rated comment is from someone crying out for 1600 x 900 -- nay, 4K resolution. If you're in the latter camp, you're going to be disappointed by even this article, but for those of you who've merely been craving something, anything crisper than mere HD, we have some hope: Samsung is mulling the idea of a 13-inch, PLS display with a 1920 x 1080 pixel count. Earlier today a company rep told a group of reporters that the PC division is considering a 1080p panel of that size, which would be unusual, to say the least. The outfit isn't ready to make any promises, much less commit to an ETA, though we can't say we'd be surprised if the company made such a display for its 13-inch laptops first -- after all, for instance, some of its 13-inch panels make use of IPS-like PLS technology, whereas its 15-inch ones don't yet. We'll let you decide if that's even necessary -- both the 13- and 15-inch Series 9 already have 1600 x 900 resolution -- but suffice to say, the company has a good track record of squeezing in extra pixels when other ultraportable makers don't. Samsung considering a 13-inch, 1080p, PLS panel, display snobs get their hopes up originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  By any means, this is certainly far from being one of the biggest changes Gmail's ever seen -- still, it's one that's likely to make a few tasks a wee bit easier for you. Inside the recent tweaks, Google added a new quick access trait that makes contact details -- such as phone numbers -- show up automatically in search results within your cherished G inbox. Additionally, the Android-maker has improved the Google+ integration (again), now allowing folks to narrow down conversations from specific Circles in the search box (you know, something like Circle: Awesome Engadget editors). Google says the changes will be rolling out over the course of the day, but in the meantime, you could always check out what exactly happens behind Gmail's closed doors. Google's latest Gmail tweaks bring contact info to search results, enhanced Circle integration originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 18:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Official Gmail Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Some call it diversity, some call it fragmentation. However you slice it, there's a lot of Android devices out there. OpenSignalMaps has tracked a staggering 3,997 unique phones, tablets and other Google-powered gadgets, and has put them into a chart weighted by popularity. Not surprisingly, it's powerhouses like Samsung's Galaxy S II and HTC's Desire line that dictate the platform, while that Concorde Tab you bought in Hungary sadly doesn't have much traction. The normally signal mapping-oriented crew is careful to warn that the actual variety might be less: there's 1,363 one-timers in the group, and some of those may be custom ROMs and the endless carrier-specific variants that OEMs are sometimes eager to make. There's even more to look at through the source, including Android 2.3's continuing dominance and the mind-boggling number of Android screen resolutions, so click ahead for an even fuller picture. Visualized: Android's device diversity cut up into 3,997 little pieces originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Phone Arena | OpenSignalMaps | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Most of us think of Commodore's pre-C64 computing history in terms of the still-legendary PET-2001, but an eBay auction run by Lawrence Bezuska shows just how far back the tradition really goes. He's selling a KIM-1, the stripped-down hobbyist computer from Chuck Peddle that was the foundation for what the PET became. It's so old that it was originally made by MOS Technologies in 1976 -- Commodore bought the company and kept making the KIM-1 until 1981. Inside, you're still looking at a 6502 chip, although you get just 1.12Kb of RAM and lose more than a few things that even DIY enthusiasts take for granted today, such as a power supply. There's no way you'll play Doom on it, then, but the winning bidder does get the luxury of a keypad just inches away from bare circuitry. If you're quick enough to make the May 17th auction deadline and miss the days of very, very low-level programming, be sure to check the source link. Rare Commodore KIM-1 hits eBay, shows you the PET's barebones roots originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Retro Thing | eBay | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Eton, the name behind solar-powered sound systems and emergency radios, is updating its disaster-preparedness portfolio with the new FRX series of self-powered radios. The FRX 1, FRX 2 and FRX 3 use hand-turbine energy to keep the internal lithium ion battery juiced, and all include a glow-in-the-dark indicator, LED flashlight and DC input. While the FRX 1 offers only the basic components, the FRX 2 and 3 have solar panels for recharging, along with a headphone jack and a USB port for powering other gadgets. The FRX 3 boasts a digital alarm and radio -- as opposed to the analog radio on the FRX 2 -- and a display for receiving NOAA weather alerts. Eton priced the radios at $25, $40 and $60, respectively, and it's currently selling the three options with American Red Cross co-branding at outlets such as Amazon, Best Buy and REI. Realizing your crank-powered Raptor is on its last legs? Check out the PR past the break. Continue reading Eton anticipates next natural disaster with self-powered FRX radios Eton anticipates next natural disaster with self-powered FRX radios originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Speakers these days! They are everywhere, in constantly evolving iterations, smaller and more versatile than ever before. Singaporean manufacturer X-mini has a pretty good foothold in this game with a consistent brand message of "Sound Beyond Size." That indicates the portability, mass, and reproductive capacity of its products in a pretty nebulous fashion, so we decided to grab its latest offering, the Bluetooth-toting KAI, and place it in our real lives for a few months. It's available now for $99, which will take it off the table for many casual listeners, but those who crave what's next in distributed audio might find KAI to be quite the ear-opener. We got pretty close with it (but not weird close), and we have a couple of things to say about that whole size / sound relationship they're so keen on. Continue reading X-mini KAI capsule Bluetooth speaker review X-mini KAI capsule Bluetooth speaker review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | X-mini | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  We've known for quite some time that Motorola intended to push Ice Cream Sandwich to the Droid 4, but until now the waiting game continued, with no end in sight. It now appears that the smartphone maker is making serious progress on its own Motoblur-infused flavor of ICS, with a stock version of the upgrade making the rounds since last night. According to early adopters, the build seems to enable complete functionality, but upgrading early will leave your device locked to 4.0.4, with no option for future updates. So, for now, it makes sense to hang tight, but it'd be reasonable to assume that Moto-sanctioned ICS is indeed on its way to the Droid 4. Impatient owners will find everything they need at the source link after the break. Motorola Droid 4 gets leaked ICS build, official Android 4.0.4 may soon follow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Android Community | Droid Forums | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  This one goes out to all the Bonds in the world. RunCore, a Chinese company specializing in the production of solid state drives, has cooked up a SATA II solution that should satisfy even the most guarded of privacy fanatics. Living up to its grandiose InVincible moniker, this aptly-named SSD's built to endure extreme temperatures ranging from -45 to 95 degrees Celsius (or -49 to 203 degrees Fahrenheit), read / write data at speeds up to 240Mbps / 140Mbps and protect your 1s and 0s from prying, less-than-reputable eyes. How so? Well, the drive's actual pièce de espionnite aiguë (that's fancy for paranoiac fail safe) incorporates a dual-button scheme for clearing away data. Users, much like Neo in ye 'ole Matrix, will have two colored choices to make: select the green button for "intelligent elimination" (aka overwriting of data) or opt for the "less subtle method" offered by the red button which applies a current to the NAND flash memory for actual physical destruction of your data. So, whether you're a high-ranking government official, a spy unlike us or just someone who can't help but look over his / her shoulder, rest assured your secrets can now be safely disposed of. Jump past the break to check out the outfit's informational video and its woefully out of sync audio track. Continue reading RunCore InVincible SSD wipes data away with the click of a button RunCore InVincible SSD wipes data away with the click of a button originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Ubergizmo | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  HTC may be over the idea of including premium earbuds with its smartphones, but Motorola is stepping up to give it the ol' college try with its Motosmart Mix XT550. The phone will sell in China for ¥1,699 and is targeted at "people who really care about music." Along with the bundled set of headphones, you'll also discover a dedicated button to open the Sina Micro Music application. Beyond these selling points, however, the handset is a bit behind the curve. The XT550 features Android 2.3.6, a Qualcomm MSM7255A SoC with an 800MHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 3-megapixel camera and a 4-inch, HVGA display. On a positive note, the 1,735mAh battery is said to provide up to 30 hours of music playback. All things considered, however, we're inclined to agree: you'd have to "really care about music" to spring for this one. Undeterred? You'll find the full PR after the break. Continue reading Motorola Motosmart Mix XT550 masks its middling specs with a set of nice headphones Motorola Motosmart Mix XT550 masks its middling specs with a set of nice headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Phone Arena, Engadget China (translated) | Motorola | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Now you can Skype on Xfinity, and beyond. Comcast's re-branded cable arm is touting a new trick beginning today, with customers in Boston and Seattle among the first to have access to the new Skype on Xfinity videoconferencing service (Atlanta, Augusta, Ga., Chicago, Detroit, Harrisburg, Pa., Indianapolis, Miami and Pittsburgh will be online by the end of the week). Interested parties can add a $9.95 monthly fee to their Triple Play service to take advantage, enabling "free" (read: $10-per-month) instant messaging and video chatting services. That monthly fee will presumably cover the requisite all-in-one kit, which includes an adaptor, a "high-quality" camera and a spiffy new Skype-enabled remote control with an IM-friendly keyboard on the rear. Naturally, your bud on the other end doesn't need any special equipment, unless of course they plan to chat through their HDMI-capable Comcast box as well. Eligible customers can hit up the source link past the break to sign up, and breeze through the attached PR for a bit more detail. Continue reading Comcast switches on Skype on Xfinity in Boston and Seattle today, eight more metros this week Comcast switches on Skype on Xfinity in Boston and Seattle today, eight more metros this week originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Comcast | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Bandwagons, trains and Tranes. Can't say that these three have a heck of a lot in common in most regards, but one thing's for sure: trying to stop this trio would be a Herculean task. And so it goes with laptops -- once upon a time, it was good enough to have something that resembled a portable tower, but these days, the ability to even see the chassis at all feels like a negative. I exaggerate, of course, but the proverbial race in the laptop world is hardly about price; it's about thinness. Intel's unstoppable quest to plaster the Ultrabook term as far and wide as possible has led to a change in the way consumers are viewing portable machines, and Apple's devilishly thin MacBook Air certainly played a role, too. What we're left with is a very curious priority list, and I'm wondering if too many OEMs have stopped to wonder if the "obvious" is indeed the "right." I'll be the first to confess that I love the look of thin. Samsung's Series 9 and Acer's Aspire S5 might just be two of the sexiest machines to ever be built, and Dell's original Adamo was primarily of interest due to one thing: it's jaw-droppingly thin frame. But there's some saying about putting form before function that seems to apply here, particularly when keying in on battery life. I've no doubt that the marketing and research teams for PC makers far and wide understand the realities of the market place, and perhaps the average consumer really doesn't need more than four to six hours of life on a single charge. Five years ago, squeezing that much life from machines under an inch thick would've required some sort of wizardry that exists only in a rarely visited corner of West Hollywood. But today, I'm a dreamer. And I'm dreaming of a laptop with "all day battery life" -- something that could be screamed from the rooftops, and honestly, something that could probably be accomplished tomorrow if our laptop options weren't on such a diet. Continue reading Editorial: Thin laptops are the new mainstream, but what about battery life? Editorial: Thin laptops are the new mainstream, but what about battery life? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo shattered many a hopes and dreams today speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference. During his address, Shammo indicated that customers who have been grandfathered in to the unlimited data plan may soon find themselves pushed into tiered territory, with the debut of the carrier's shared data plans. "Everyone will be on data share," Shammo said, clarifying that, "a lot of our 3G base is on unlimited... [and] when they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share." Obviously, with many customers clinging desperately to their truly unlimited usage in the shift to LTE, such a move would ruffle more than a few feathers. It's not clear if this will affect customers who have already made the leap to LTE devices or if it will be limited to customers migrating from 3G phones after a particular cut off date. We've reached out to Verizon for comment, but so far Big Red is keeping mum. We'll just have to take Shammo at his word for now. We hope you like data caps. To hear the comments in full hit up the source link. Update: We just finished listening through the entire webcast (we're still waiting for the transcript) and found the quote that is going to make most customers shake their fists in anger: "LTE is our anchor point for data share. So, as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go on to the data share plan. And moving away from, if you will, the unlimited world and moving everyone into a tiered structure data share plan." Doesn't get much clearer than that, but we're still hoping Verizon will come back and say Shammo was speaking out of turn... fingers crossed. Verizon CFO says grandfathered unlimited plans on the way out originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink FierceWireless, Mobileburn | Verizon | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Americans and Brits might chuckle at their respective understandings of words like chips, pants and biscuits -- a search engine, however, can't be quite so discerning. As it turns out, Google actually thinks it can, and has been working on its Knowledge Graph project to prove it. Beginning today, English searches from Google.com might start seeing a new box appearing alongside (unless you happened to see it via the live-trial). If there is more than one potential meaning to your search term, Google will ask you to specify (trousers, not underwear, for example). Likewise, when it's more confident it knows what you mean, you'll get a summary box instead. (A celebrities place of birth, favorite cheese etc..) Google's Shashidhar Thakur, tech lead for search, told us "We think of this as our pragmatic approach to semantic search." And by pragmatic, he means that for the last two years, Google has been working to map the "Universe of things," not just webpages. Over 500 million things, in fact, creating a total of 3.5 billion attributes and connections so far. The hope is, that as this technology evolves, you'll be able to ask more complex questions, like "Which US airports have a Cinnabon stall." Or, you know, other such deep and meaningful queries. If you see some info, and happen to know better, there's a feedback system, so you can let Google know, hopefully making Knowledge Graph continually evolve in accuracy. While it's only rolling out for English searches, it's not just desktop, with mobile and tablet search getting the goods too. There are plans to spread this out to other languages, but no specific dates for this just now. Continue reading Google launches Knowledge Graph today, wants to understand real things (video) Google launches Knowledge Graph today, wants to understand real things (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  If 3D has a future in our pockets, then it must be one that requires no spectacles. Not only are the goggles an issue, other key factors like resolution and viewing angles all need to be bettered before it stands a chance of broad adoption. NLT technology knows this, and has prototyped a 3.1-inch 3D LCD display that not only matches 2D resolution (as we've seen before,) but also offers up to six viewing angles. The display is based on existing horizontal double-density pixel technology with "HxDP" (horizontally x times-density pixels,) a new technology for creating multiple viewpoints, thrown into the mix. Standard HDDP gives a 3D image two viewpoints, HxDP allows more depending on density of sub-pixels. It also allows for both 2D and 3D images to be on-screen at the same time, meaning you can decide which version of Alvin and the Chipmunks Chipwrecked you prefer side-by-side. Prototype 3D display maintains resolution, bumps viewing angles, spans dimensions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Nikkei | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  That's right, the next episode of the Engadget Show is rapidly approaching, and if you love gaming as much as we do, you're in for a treat. For May's episode, we'll be speaking with the directors of the award winning documentary, Indie Game: The Movie. We've also paid a visit to the Smithsonian to check out the museum's Art of the Video Game exhibit and took a look the insanely awesome Fifth Avenue Frogger arcade machine hack. We've also got a look at the newly reborn Chinatown Fair arcade in Manhattan and the month's latest and greatest gadgets -- not to mention an in-studio performance by indie singer-songwriter Alex Winston. Best of all, we still have a few tickets left. If you're in New York City, you can be a part of the live show -- just fire off an email to engadgetshow [at] engadget.com. And if you can't make it in person, fear not, we'll be streaming live at 6PM on Friday. Just bookmark this here URL. Here are the deets:
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[RSS M4V] Add the Engadget Show feed (M4V) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. The Engadget Show returns Friday, May 18th -- get tickets to the taping! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  When we reviewed the 15-inch Samsung Series 9, we found very little to complain about, save for the narrow viewing angles and the fair-weather trackpad. Turns out, Samsung at least agrees with the first part. In a show of candor, Raymond Wah, VP of PC product strategy, told a group of reporters, "We can make improvements in terms of the viewing angle." That's not surprising, given that Samsung's homegrown 15-inch display doesn't currently make use of the same IPS-like PLS technology as the panel used in the 13-inch Series 9. It would seem, then, that it's occurred to Samsung to develop one, though company reps declined to say when we might see a 15-inch Series 9 with such a display in tow. For now, anyway, the outfit is giving itself some credit for the laptop's relatively dense 1600 x 900 pixel count (and rightfully so!). Interestingly, Wah's comments come at a time when MacBook Pro rumors are starting to flow fast and furious, and a Retina display is looking like a fair possibility. As to whether Samsung will ever produce a 4K laptop display of its own, Wah declined to comment, but he did note that right now there isn't enough content optimized for that higher resolution, and that such screens would be costlier to produce. Until all that changes, we have to admit we're pretty pleased with the Series 9's resolution too -- after all, anything's better than plain old HD. Samsung exec admits 15-inch Series 9 could benefit from better viewing angles originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Like dominoes, Sprint's consumer-friendly policies continue to fall one at a time. Citing "high costs," the Now Network will begin discontinuing its practice of allowing customers to upgrade their phone 10-14 days prior to the official date of eligibility. According to the memo leaked by TechnoBuffalo, the program will cease to exist as of June 1st. It sounds like this policy change is an unfortunate consequence of the company's large investments in iPhones and its still-dormant LTE network. It may not be enough to convince many Sprint customers to jump ship, but this isn't the first cost-cutting measure put forth by Dan Hesse's team -- and we have a hard time believing it will be the last. We've reached out to Sprint for official comment and will update you as soon as we have word. Sprint reportedly cancelling its early upgrade program June 1st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | TechnoBuffalo | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The last time we saw T-rays, they were busy scanning bodies for tumors and security threats. Six researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology are now aiming the terahertz-level frequencies at a less organic target: fast wireless. Running at 542GHz, a rate that makes 60GHz ultra wideband look pokey, the scientists are sending data through the ether at about 3Gbps. The speed isn't as fast as the 7Gbps peak of WiGig, and the bandwidth runs dry at just 33 feet away, but it comes out of a resonant tunneling diode measuring 0.04 square inches -- definitely small enough to fit into a smartphone. The speed could magnify using higher frequencies and power levels, too, with 100Gbps being the dream. Knowing that it can take years for academic papers to translate to real products, we're not holding our breath for T-ray routers anytime soon. Still, the technology could make wideband a realistic option for handhelds and put the mere 1.3Gbps of 802.11ac WiFi to shame. [Thanks, Andrew. Image credit: Deborah Miller and Warren Scott, Connexions] T-rays produce 3Gbps short-range wireless, make WiFi pout in the corner originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 10:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink BBC | Direct intensity modulation (IET) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Nick Yulman has been doing the whole mechanical music thing for sometime. In fact, the first time he came to our attention was at Maker Faire a couple of years back, when he had a cadre of small robotic instruments set up on a table in a quiet corner near the food stands. For ITP's Spring Show, Nick decided to share the love and brought along his Bricolo mechanical music system. Comprised of a number of different modules, Bricolo is meant to simplify the act of incorporating robotics and physical objects into the creation of "electronic" music. The two main pieces are a drum arm, which can be mounted on a mic stand and uses and uses a simple actuator to swing a drum stick, and a platform with a small solenoid that can produce either percussive rhythms or melodic tones. All of the pieces can be easily controlled by any MIDI instrument or sequencer. The small platform that can produce actual musical tones converts notes from any MIDI source into a frequency that the solenoid can vibrate at, creating sound by striking a surface extremely quickly. In the video below you can see as an old hard cover book is turned into a bass synth. Interestingly, by opening and closing the book, varying the weight placed on the platform, you're able to create a filter effect. For the moment the tiny musical motors are largely a proof of concept -- exposed components attached to black or clear acrylic, but the hope is to eventually sell them to curious creators. Our composing skills might not be quite up to Mr. Yulman's lofty standards and we'll never write a bass line as good as I Want You Back. But, we are big fans of noise, and you can make plenty of it with Bricolo. Check out the video after the break to see it in action. Continue reading Bricolo mechanical music system hand-on (video) Bricolo mechanical music system hand-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Many of you are already familiar with the Xiaomi Phone and its reverence in the MIUI community, but now the Chinese manufacturer has introduced a less expensive counterpart to the original, which is aptly known as the Youth Edition. Priced at 1,499 yuan ($237), this smartphone will sell for a full 500 yuan less than its elder and will retain many of its components, which include a 4-inch, 854 x 480 display, an 8-megapixel camera, 4GB of ROM and a 1,930mAh battery. In fact, the only significant changes are the dual-core 1.2GHz CPU (which is down from 1.5GHz), and 768MB of RAM instead of the original 1GB. Xiaomi will produce 150,000 Youth Edition handsets, which seems like a healthy number, but if you want to stake your claim to one, you'd best join in the pre-registration process, which runs now through May 18th. Xiaomi Phone gets a Youth Edition, a less powerful, cheaper alternative for students originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 09:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Engadget China (translated), M.I.C. Gadget | Xiaomi (translated) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  In its ongoing battle against internet bottlenecks -- or let's face it -- techie bragging rights, Netgear has launched two more devices with that sweet, sweet 802.11ac data flow. Joining its recently announced R6300 router, is the R6200 model, which supports a combined WiFi speed of 1200 Mbps, has a USB port for networking devices, and of course also rides the a, b, g and n waves too -- if you don't have any 802.11ac kit just yet. Well, as it happens, Netgear thought of that, and has also announced the A6200 dual band USB WiFi adapter to, literally, bring your existing kit up to speed. If you want in on the action, you'll need to spend $179.99 and $69.99 respectively when they launch in Q3 this year. Full specs in the PR after the break. Continue reading Netgear adds R6200 router and A6200 USB adapter to its 802.11ac family Netgear adds R6200 router and A6200 USB adapter to its 802.11ac family originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Just when you thought you could go on rooting and switching ROMs with impunity, it turns out you can't -- at least, not if you want to continue enjoying your Google Music account. Watchful eyes at XDA Developers have discovered a snag in Google's authorization system, which means that not only is there an upper limit of ten devices that can be authorized simultaneously, but there's also a limit of four de-authorizations per year. Since every time you flash your phone or tablet counts as a new authorization, and since your other devices probably hog a few tickets already, rooters will quickly hit the ten-device limit, at which point they're going to have to think long and hard about their de-auth strategy. Is that a ration of one flash per quarter? But then what happens if you buy a new device in a few months' time? Oh, this is too much.
[Thanks, Aman] PSA: Google Music allows four device de-authorizations per year, rooters beware originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 07:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | XDA | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The idea of a smaller iPad has been rattling around the tech rumor mill for many a month now, but the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen? That's sacred surely? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, apparently not. It's reporting that those ever-famous "people familiar with the situation" have told it that Apple has ordered screens that are larger that the ones used in the flagship phone so far. There's no specifics on size, with the sources only going as far to say they are "at least" four inches. Apple, however, has declined to comment -- no surprises there -- but perhaps now is the time to start the office pool. Just hope you don't land on the "4-inch iPad" square. WSJ: Apple moving towards larger iPhone screens originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The idea of a smaller iPad has been rattling around the tech rumor-mill for many a month now, but the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen? That's sacred surely? Well, according to the Wall Street Journal, apparently not. It's reporting that those ever-famous "people familiar with the situation" have told it that Apple has ordered screens that are larger that the ones used in the flagship phone so far. There's no specifics on size, with the sources only going as far to say they are "at least" four inches. Apple, however, has declined to comment -- no surprises there -- but perhaps now is the time to start the office pool. Just hope you don't land on the "4-inch iPad" square. WSJ: Apple moving towards larger iPhone screens originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Wall Street Journal | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
