|  |  |  | | | | | Engadget | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Google's Maps event has just given us a much-requested feature: true offline map support. Android users can soon opt to download full maps for given areas (instead of just caching routes) without needing a cellular or WiFi connection. It's a big boon for those of us who have to travel abroad to unfamiliar cities, or just to areas where underground tunnels might cut off Internet access before GPS. Unfortunately, that's all that Google was willing to share: Android phones and tablets will only be getting the upgrade sometime "soon." Still, that's one less advantage for Nokia Drive, and one more hurdle to jump for Apple at WWDC next week. Google Maps for Android gets offline support originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Regardless of how you may feel about Google Street View cars and what kind of effect it may have on your privacy, they're still on the roads throughout every continent in the world (heck, even Antarctica is represented). And, in impressive fashion, Brian McClendon, VP of Google Maps, just announced that the fleet of camera-topped vehicles has driven a total of 5 million unique miles and collected an impressive 20 petabytes of imagery. That's no small feat, to be sure. To hear more from Google on its latest developments in Maps, check out our liveblog! Google Street View cars have driven 5 million unique miles, collected 20 petabytes of images originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's a sad day for science fiction fans everywhere, as Ray Bradbury has passed on at the age of 91. We'll always know him best as the author of Fahrenheit 451, but it's really massive legacy in short stories that defined his role in technology. Collections like The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles made it a point to illustrate technology's impact and to never let our gadgetry trample human nature. Appropriately, for all of his ability to envision the future, he was actually rather cautious about embracing it: he only reluctantly allowed e-books and was worried the world was rushing too quickly towards devices. The irony of paying tribute on a technology website to this trepidation isn't lost on us, but we sincerely appreciate Bradbury's literary legacy -- he kept us honest (and entertained) in an industry that sometimes needs a reality check. He'll be missed. [Image credit: Alan Light, Flickr] Ray Bradbury dies at 91, our world is that much poorer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  io9 | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's fitting, really, that IndieCade opted to set up shop in the Los Angeles Convention Center for this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. After all, there's a sense the organization is focused on lowering the barrier of entry. And what better way to demonstrate that at an industry-only show like this than to let interested parties drop by the booth, badge or no? It's a compelling spectacle, too -- one that beckons nearly everyone who crosses its path to pop their head in for a moment to make sure everything's okay. Out front, five people in trench coats stand in a square in front of a giant wooden sculpture of a Space Invader. They try to snatch clothespins from each other's pockets, a strange spectacle orchestrated by a guy in a train conductor's cap. The whole thing is accidentally soundtracked by a well-dressed trio of classical musicians playing video game music on the other side of a black curtain, as part of a separate booth promoting a museum exhibit. Things are a bit more subdued inside. It's all couches and tables, with players crowded, both sitting and standing, around games on all manner of platforms. Continue reading IndieCade at E3 2012 IndieCade at E3 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680M has made an impact in Alienware and Origin PC laptops so far. Some of us like our mobile gaming a little more barebones, however, and both AVADirect as well as Eurocom are taking their turn at carrying the graphics powerhouse in portables using heavily customizable, Clevo-made designs. AVADirect's 15.6-inch P150EM and 17.3-inch P170EM, as well as their matching Eurocom Racer 2.0 and Neptune 2.0 brethren, can take advantage of all 1,344 processing cores and that abundant 4GB of RAM. Do brace for a hit to the pocketbook for the sake of that increase in frame rate: although Eurocom is staying quiet early on, AVADirect is charging a $536 upgrade price on top of any given configuration. AVADirect and Eurocom laptops hop on the GeForce GTX 680M bandwagon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | AVADirect, Eurocom (Neptune 2.0), Eurocom (Racer 2.0) | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  To date, the term smartphone's mostly been a misnomer for larger screen, albeit still dumb, handsets imbued with rich web browsing experiences. With the exception of the Galaxy S III's SmartStay feature and the Droid RAZR, not many other high-end devices can lay claim to "intelligent," user-adaptive behavior. Which is why our eyes are trained on this recently awarded Google patent that stands poised to turn future Android (we presume) devices into location-aware assistants. Originally submitted back in September of 2011, the USPTO filings describe a software-based profile alarm that seems eerily reminiscent of Motorola's own Smart Actions -- a fitting appropriation given the just wrapped acquisition. Using a combination of GPS and network address data, as well as prior travel habits, the system outlined in the docs would ping a user with tailored mobile profiles configured with contextually relevant settings, information and apps. Effectively, your phone would become the ultimate personal assistant, pandering to your on-the-go needs without the irritating need for praise and positive feedback. That's if this software ever makes it out of Google's IP stronghold and into the light of day. Google patents location-based mobile alerts that know where you're going to originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | USPTO | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  While a roster of competitors are trying to get their foot in the mobile payments door, Square's busy getting a foothold in retail stores. With Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office locations now carrying the credit card reader, it's available at more than 20,000 physical shops throughout the US -- joining Apple, Best Buy, OfficeMax, Radio Shack, Target, UPS and Wal-Mart. Bringing it home from a brick and mortar establishment will set you back $9.95, but Square's sweetening the pot with a $10 rebate for new users. However, if your entrepreneurial snail mail-loving heart desires, you can still have one mailed to you by signing up online. Eager to start swiping plastic? Lookout below for the full press release. Continue reading Square now available at Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office Square now available at Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 08:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Gamer on the go? Sure, Nintendo's 3DS or Sony's PS Vita might get you by, but neither can quite deliver the full-bore experience of a home console. To get their fix, Xbox 360 gamers with room for one more carry-on will want to turn to GAEMS. The company is showing off its G155 Sentry "personal gaming and entertainment environment" at E3 this year -- a so-called PGE. It's basically a suitcase into which you strap an Xbox 360 before connecting it to the integral LCD and more powerful stereo speakers (complete with Bose-style bass channel). That LCD is a 15-inch, LED-backlit 720p model with pretty terrible viewing angles, just like the older G155. In fact, we're hard-pressed to see many differences here between the currently available G155 and this beyond what looks to be a shinier logo on the back -- which you can replace with custom ones for a bit of customization. It does appear to be very well constructed, a suitably safe way to lug your console about. Check out some more pictures in the gallery below, and tune back in soon when we check out the so-called Project Vanguard, which we're told is a properly all-new design. GAEMS G155 Sentry suitcase for Xbox 360 hands-on
Gamer on the go? Sure, Nintendo's 3DS or Sony's PS Vita might get you by, but neither can /quite/ deliver the full-bore experience of a home console. There's nothing like the real thing, and Xbox 360 gamers with room for one more carry-on will want to turn to GAEMS. The company is showing off its G155 Sentry "personal gaming and entertainment environment" -- a PGE, they call it. It's basically a suitcase into which you strap an Xbox 360 before connecting it to the integrated LCD and stereo speakers (complete with Bose-style bass channel). That LCD is a 15-inch, LED-backlit 720p model with pretty terrible viewing angles, just like the older G155. In fact, we're hard-pressed to see many differences here beyond what looks to be a shinier logo on the back -- which you can replace with custom ones for a bit of customization. Check out some more pictures in the gallery below, and tune back in soon when we check out the so-called Project Vanguard, which we're told is a properly all-new design. GAEMS G155 Sentry suitcase for Xbox 360 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Surprise, surprise, CloudOn has just opened a fresh can of tablet-friendly Office and is getting ready to deliver it outside of the US, UK and Canada for the first time in its relatively short history. The cloud-based service announced it's now launching its iOS and Android applications in 16 more countries, making it a total of 19 with the addition of the aforementioned trio. Some of the lucky nations include: Spain, Germany, France, Ireland, Italy, Israel as well as the Netherlands -- and, in case you had any concerns, the app is keeping its free-of-charge status, so no need to worry. In addition to the beefy global expansion, CloudOn also released a few productivity-focused tidbits, giving users the ability to open links straight from the browser, copy and paste between the different built-in apps, plus a drag-and-drop feature to move around files and folders within the application -- unfortunately, this last one's only available to those with a Cupertino device (at least for the time being). All that's left to do now is grab yourself a copy from one of the links below, and be sure to check the presser after the break to see if your country made the cut. Continue reading CloudOn launching its iOS, Android tablet apps in 16 more countries, Office hounds rejoice CloudOn launching its iOS, Android tablet apps in 16 more countries, Office hounds rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | CloudOn, iTunes, Google Play | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Some phone makers carve their own path, others ride on their coattails. Konka, however, somehow carves its own coattails, and we admire the ingenuity. The Shenzhen-based mobile maker, known for its familiar designs and logo font, has just announced that, going forward, its smartphones will be using the 3D Kanzi UI from Rightware -- as formally seen on ZTE handsets. So does this complete the trifecta of design flattery? The Kanzi interface can be seen in action in the video after the break, but if you weren't sure how 3D it was, then there's a PR after that too, which might mention it. Just a few times. Continue reading Konka tries to differentiate with familiar-looking Kanzi 3D UI Konka tries to differentiate with familiar-looking Kanzi 3D UI originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 06:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  By all means, we were quite impressed when we first laid eyes on NEC's LaVie Z early last month, but much to our disappointment, details were a wee bit scarce at that time. Fortunately for us (and you), however, the company's finally detailed the specs we can expect to see on its 13.3-inch Ultrabook. Among these are -- you guessed it -- Intel Ivy Bridge CPUs (i5-3317U, i7-3517U) and an above-average 1600 x 900 display -- of course, let's not forget it's all bundled up in a 999g package, or about 2.2 pounds if the gram system isn't your thing. As stated earlier, the LaVie Z will be Japan-only once it launches later this summer, though NEC has said it hopes to bring the Ultrabook to other markets at some point in the future. We'll have to wait and see. NEC reveals LaVie Z Ultrabook will ship with third-gen Intel chips, 1600 x 900 screen resolution originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 06:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | NEC | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  It's no secret that Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 SoC is among the most compelling of mobile architectures on the planet today. It delivers fantastic performance and good battery life, but an unsung hero that allows for both characteristics is its excellent efficiency. Based on a new 28nm fabrication process, not only is the Snapdragon S4 faster than most mobile processors, but it also runs a lot cooler. Naturally, one way to prove this is with thermal imagery. We've always suspected there's something in the water near San Diego, however, and the following video damn near proves it. While we'd hate to give away the surprise, just know that Qualcomm engineers have officially thrown down the gauntlet... even if it happens to be rather high in saturated fat. Continue reading Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 keeps it cool, refuses to cook your breakfast (video) Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 keeps it cool, refuses to cook your breakfast (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Qualcomm | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Corning and its Gorilla Glass might get most of the press, but SCHOTT claims that it, not the 160-year-old New York-based manufacturer, makes the toughest sheets for smartphones. The German company launched Xensation Cover Glass, a break and scratch-resistant alumino-silicate, at SID. Originally announced last year, the material had undergo stringent testing from potential customers before being brought to market. Now Xensation is ready to make its debut in consumer products, which should start shipping in the third quarter of 2012. Unfortunately, SCHOTT wouldn't divulge who might be making those products, but it did take the opportunity to brag that Xensation has a 20 percent higher bending strength than "competitor glass types." Which means future phones featuring the panels might be a bit less shatter-prone than some currently popular offerings. Want more? There's an anti-glare version for all you gloss-hating types. Check out the PR and promo video after the break. Continue reading SCHOTT claims Xensation glass is toughest, tells Corning to come get some SCHOTT claims Xensation glass is toughest, tells Corning to come get some originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  June 6th has arrived, which means that participating ISPs, hardware manufacturers and search engines must stick to their word and permanently enable the IPv6 address system -- not least as an encouragement for others to do the same. The ultimate purpose? To allow trillions of users to have their own IP address, instead of just a paltry few billion permitted by the IPv4 standard that continues to run in parallel. The risk? That the Internet collapses and we all get the day off work. Evidently that hasn't happened, no doubt thanks to Google and others having tested the system during pilot programs, and indeed Vint Cerf's explanatory video seems to be working fine after the break. Continue reading IPv6 lands today, do you copy? IPv6 lands today, do you copy? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 03:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Google, WorldIPv6launch.org | Email this | Comments | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
