|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Cricket Wireless, the prepaid subsidiary of Leap, has just announced the availability of the iPhone 4 and 4S on its network. A 16GB 4S will set you back $500, while an 8GB 4 clocks in at a slightly more affordable $400. Both are available with Cricket's $55 "unlimited" everything plan, which includes all you can eat talk, text, and data -- provided your idea of "unlimited" data falls within its fair usage policies (in this case, 2.3GB of data). Cricket is hardly alone among America's smaller carriers in offering the iPhone, C-Spire as well as a number of regional carriers all stock Apple's wares. What makes this offering unique, is that Cricket is the first completely prepaid carrier to sell the handset. So, if you want an iPhone, but don't want the contract or the post-paid, usage-based fees? Well then, Cricket might just be your new best friend. Check out the PR after the break and hit up the source for more info. Continue reading Cricket now offers the iPhone with $55 'unlimited' everything plan Cricket now offers the iPhone with $55 'unlimited' everything plan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink  The Next Web |  Cricket | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Though already available through Amazon and SkyMall, the Vinci Tab II -- who we met in a previous life -- has found its way to WalMart.com and is moseying to other e-tailers such as ToysRUs.com, Diapers.com and YoYo.com next month. The Vinci carries a 7-inch (800x480) display, a 3-megapixel camera, 1.2GHz Cortex A8 processor, 8GB of intenral storage, a microSD card slot, runs Android (flavor unspecified) and is touted as the only tablet certified for child safety. The tab also supports three levels of premium educational apps and includes a few samples, interactive storybooks and animated music videos for your rug rats to work their noggins.While the slab's first incarnation lacked WiFi to minimize radiation exposure to little tykes, the latest iteration can pack WiFi for those who'd rather not update apps via microUSB. Interested in keeping your young'un busy? You'll be set back $249 for a WiFi model or $199 if you forgo wireless connectivity -- a hefty drop from its predecessor's $389 starting point. Toddler-friendly Vinci Tab II makes its way to online retailers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Vinci Newsletter | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Unlike certain folks who wear tinfoil hats Microsoft has no qualms working with the guv'ment. Having added Office 365 support to Windows Phone in its Mango update, the company is now turning its attention to a less tech-averse Uncle Sam with the introduction of the obviously named Office 365 for Government. According to Microsoft, this rendition of Office 365 places US government data in the soft embrace of the cloud via its own segregated community. Offerings featured with the service include Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Lync Online and Office Professional Plus. Now, you don't need to be wearing shiny, crumpled headwear to voice concerns about some evildoer messing around with government data on the cloud. Microsoft assures that the service supports the "most rigorous global and regional standards," including ISO 27001, SAS70 Type II, EU Safe Harbor and FISMA. Given all the waist tightening Uncle Sam's being asked to go through recently, a cloud solution might actually sound appealing if it proves to be more cost-effective overall. Microsoft announces Office 365 for Government, touts its fluffy cloud-based goodness originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink ZDNet | Office 365 blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's on Apple's iPhone and iPad, but this is the ITV Player, not the rumored iTV supposedly under development in Cupertino. After initially launching last summer (along with an Android version) offering streaming video on-demand, the UK channel's iOS app has been updated to version 2.0 to offer a live streaming feed of its two channels. Other than just ITV1 and ITV2 over WiFi or 3G, if there's a live event being broadcast that isn't on either, you'll still be able to tune in via the app. Other new features include AirPlay Mirroring, easier switching between content, improved location detection (to determine what channels are available) and Retina Display quality graphics on the iPad. Unfortunately, The Digital Lifestyle points out catch-up access is still unavailable over 3G, but those with access should grab the new app from iTunes. ITV Player 2.0 brings live streams of the UK broadcaster's TV channels to iOS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Digital Lifestyle | iTunes | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  You'd be more than forgiven for not knowing who Klas Tybrandt is. The doctoral student at Linköping University is hardly a household name, but his latest creation may garner him some serious attention. The Swedish scientist has combined special transistors he developed into an integrated circuit capable of transmitting positive and negative ions as well as biomolecules. The advantage here is that, instead of simply controlling electronics, the circuits carry chemicals which can have a variety of functions, such as acetylcholine which the human body uses to transmit signals between cells. Implantable circuits that traffic in neurotransmitters instead of electrical voltages could be a key step in taking making our cyborg dreams a reality. We're already counting down the days till we're more machine than man. Bio-chemical circuits may make you a man of a machine originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 06:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Phys.org | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Round Rock just rolled out some new consumer machines this week, so it comes as no surprise that it's doling out some fresh computing goodies to the enterprise as well. First up is the new Dell Latitude E series laptops that come with a variety of ports for your connecting pleasure: one eSATA/USB combo, two USB 3.0 ports, a serial connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, plus HDMI and Gigabit ethernet. All those sockets come embedded in a chassis made of magnesium alloy that's been powder-coated on the bottom, giving it a lightweight, yet sturdy look and feel. In keeping with the tough-but-light theme, the top of these Latitudes are sheathed in aluminum, and the hinges are made of steel. Additionally, though it's a new machine, it's backwards compatible with many previous-gen Latitude docks and batteries Continue reading Dell outs new E series Latitude laptops, Optiplex AIO and desktops to entice the enterprise Dell outs new E series Latitude laptops, Optiplex AIO and desktops to entice the enterprise originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Microsoft isn't resting on its cloud with SkyDrive -- it's announcing a new update, which rolls out today for Mac and Windows. It teased a new feature for Windows 8 Release Preview -- due early June -- that allows photos to be retrieved from any PC with SkyDrive, whether your cloud storage is maxed out or not. Though we doubt you've topped out your 150,000 file limit, Redmond says it's taking power users into account with a huge bump to 10 million files -- with the same 7GB free / 100GB paid limits. It's also promised more speed and reliability, many small bug fixes, and has dropped the app icon from the OS X Lion dock -- saying it "definitely heard feedback" to do it. Updates will happen automatically, so you might be able to shoot more of those dusty files off to the cloud sooner than you think. Microsoft Skydrive updates fly out with file jump, Windows 8 photo sync originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 05:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Windows Steam Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  If your website lacks a little... je ne sais quois, it either needs something special, or that thing was lost in translation. If your managing different languages with Google's Website Translator plugin, however, then a new feature could put a stop to odd or inaccurate interpretations of your text. It's only in beta at the moment, but if you add a customization meta tag to a webpage, readers who know better can click on badly translated text and amend it (pending your approval). Likewise, you can fix up any broken translations yourself, and folk will see that version when using Chrome, or Google Toolbar to switch languages. Likewise, it looks like the official translate app for Android got a little spit and polish too, plus Esperanto support and new text to speech languages, so at least you can look a little more stylish while you order unknown items from the menu. Travel on over to the source links for the Rosetta stone. Google updates translate plugin and Android app, unites nations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink The Next Web, Phandroid | Google Translate Blog, Google Translate (Play store) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Orange took its time to decide, but now it's settled. The first European Intel-equipped smartphone is the San Diego, replacing the Santa Clara codename assigned to it since February's Mobile World Congress. It will launch on pay-as-you-go at £200, including £10 of credit -- although Orange tell us this will be an introductory price. On contract, prices will start at £15.50 per month for two years and Brits will be able to pick one up from June 6th. We're getting the full run-through from Orange UK and Intel, but we're itching to run our new benchmarks on the Medfield phone as soon as they let us at it. Orange San Diego revealed: Intel-powered phone to reach UK on June 6th for £200 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 04:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Nanowires, although they're building steam, still have to overcome the not-so-small problem of cost -- they often have to use indium tin oxide that's not just expensive, but fragile. Duke University has developed copper-nanowire films that could remedy this in style. The choice of material is both a hundred times less expensive to make than indium and is much more durable. It's flexible, too: if layered on as a coating, the nanowires would make for considerably more viable wearable electronics that won't snap under heavy stress. The catch, as you might suspect, stems from the copper itself, which doesn't conduct as much electricity as indium. The nickel will keep your copper electronics from oxidizing faster than the Statue of Liberty, however. Any practical use could be years away, but further successes from Duke could quickly see printable electronics hit the mainstream power and power our dreams of flexible displays. Copper-nickel nanowires from Duke University could make ubiquitous printable circuits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 04:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink PhysOrg | ACS Publications | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Well hello there again, Gigabyte X11. Hot on the heels of yesterday's leak, Gigabyte's just made its 11.6-inch X11 laptop (or is that an Ultrabook?) official. At 975g (34.4oz) it claims the title of "lightest notebook on earth" -- and weighs even less on Mars. Design-wise, you're looking at a 16.5mm (0.65-inch) to 3mm (0.19-inch) thin Macbook Air-like body made of real carbon fiber (!) with an aluminum hinge. Under the hood you'll find unspecified third generation Intel Core processors (read Ivy Bridge), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Mobile Intel HM77 Express chipset with Intel HD Graphics 4000, a 128GB SSD, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth v4.0. Ports include power, USB 2.0 and mini DisplayPort on the left side plus microSD, combo audio and USB 3.0 on the right. While the specs also mention gigabit Ethernet, there's no sign of it anywhere in the press shots. The display is a 1366x768-pixel LED-backlit affair dotted with a 1.3 megapixel webcam. A chicklet keyboard, buttonless trackpad and 4730mAh 7.4V Li-ion polymer battery (likely sealed) complete the package. There's no information on availability, but prices will range from $999 to $1299 with Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional in tow. Expect more information when we get our hands on this sexy beast at Computex next week. Update: Our colleagues over at Engadget Chinese just got some hands-on time with this svelte black slab. Take a look at the gallery below. In addition, Gigabyte's announcing two 14-inch laptops -- the U2442 and U2440 -- which feature third generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce graphics. Unfortunately, we're still busy drooling all over the X11 gallery, so we'll direct you to the full PR after the break for more information. Continue reading Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on) Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Well hello there again, Gigabyte X11. Hot on the heels of yesterday's leak, Gigabyte's just made its X11 laptop (or is that Ultrabook?) official. At 975g (34.4oz) it claims the title of "world's lightest" 11.6-inch notebook. Design-wise, you're looking at an 16.5mm (0.65-inch) to 3 mm (0.19-inch) thin Macbook Air-like body made of real carbon fiber with an aluminum hinge. Under the hood you'll find unspecified third generation Intel Core processors (read Ivy Bridge), 4GB of DDR3 RAM, Mobile Intel HM77 Express chipset with Intel HD Graphics 4000, a 128GB SSD, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth v4.0. Ports include power, USB 2.0 and mini DisplayPort on the left side plus microSD, combo audio and USB 3.0 on the right.While the specs also mention gigabit Ethernet, there's no sign of it anywhere in the press shots. The display is a 1366x768-pixil LED-backlit affair dotted with a 1.3 megapixel webcam. A chicklet keyboard, buttonless trackpad and 4730mAh 7.4V Li-ion polymer battery (likely sealed) complete the package. There's no information on availability, but prices will range from $999 to $1299 with Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional in tow. Expect more details when we get our hands on this sexy beast at Computex next week. In addition, Gigabyte's announcing two 14-inch laptops -- the U2442 and U2440 -- which feature third generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA GeForce graphics. Unfortunately, we're a little fixated on the X11 at the moment, so we'll direct you to the full PR after the break for more information. Continue reading Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook Gigabyte makes 975g X11 official, claims 'world's lightest' 11.6-inch notebook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 03:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Think about it for a moment: do you recall a single instance when you were actually glad that you answered a telephone call from a blocked number? Unless that bill collector turned out to be your future spouse, the answer is likely no. Now, Google Voice users will find an extra perk in the online settings that should take the edge off of receiving calls from unknown sources. You'll now find the ability to screen anonymous callers, whereby the system will prompt the individual to state their name, and only then will your phone ring. From there, you'll have the option of answering the call, sending it to voicemail, or even listening in as the caller leaves a voice message -- kinda like back in the days of answering machines. Similarly, you'll also find the ability to apply this same screening process to callers who aren't in your address book. As proof that Google isn't a total grouch, it's also thrown in a new option that allows you to customize a warm greeting for those contacts who are, in fact, in your address book. After all, it never hurts to show some love. Google Voice brings greater control over anonymous and unknown callers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Phone Scoop | Google Voice Blog | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Scientists will soon have a new tool at their disposal in their search for black holes and a greater understanding of what NASA describes as "the most energetic and exotic objects in space." The space agency announced today that it has begun preparing its Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array -- otherwise known as NuSTAR -- for launch from Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, with a liftoff planned for no earlier than June 13th. The telescope is by far the most advanced of its type to date, boasting ten times the resolution and more than 100 times the sensitivity of its predecessors, as well as a new design that relies on a complex set of 133 ultra-thin nested mirrors -- a setup NASA compares to a Russian Doll. Those interested can get a brief overview of the mission in the video after the break Continue reading NASA preps black hole-hunting space telescope for launch next month NASA preps black hole-hunting space telescope for launch next month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | NASA | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
