IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 22/03/2010

HTC HD2 gets purchased and unboxed early (video)

T-Mobile's not officially selling its world-beating HD2 until Wednesday, but if you've a Walmart nearby and hankering to get HTC's latest and greatest a few days early, it might be worth a trip out. JDMiPhoner managed to score one from his local Wally World a full four days early, and he's been kind enough to unbox it, boot it up and give us a few first impressions on video. Is it really worth a couple of Benjamins with Windows Phone 7 Series just a few months away? Head on past the break if you'd care to be reminded of just how painful it is to know that this WinMo 6.5-packin' gem won't ever be upgradable (natively, anyway) to WP7S.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Continue reading HTC HD2 gets purchased and unboxed early (video)

HTC HD2 gets purchased and unboxed early (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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JVC ships Bluetooth-packin', geotagging Everio GZ-HM550 camcorder

Ah, springtime. Ain't it beautiful? So beautiful, in fact, that you're apt to want to capture the flowers blooming and the kids playing around you, which is probably why JVC finally decided to ship the Everio GZ-HM550 that it announced back at CES. As far as handheld camcorders go, it's one of the better specced models on the market, touting a 10.6 megapixel CMOS sensor, 32GB of inbuilt storage, an SD / SDHC expansion slot, an integrated Bluetooth module (for controlling the camera's play, zoom and record functions via cellphone) and geotagging support when used with a compatible BT phone. Oh, and users can even sync up a Bluetooth headset in order to monitor the recorded sound or input voice recordings. You'll also get 1080p recording, a 16x zoom and the ability to snag 9 megapixel stills, all for the low, low price of $799.95. Go ahead -- step your YouTube game way up.

Continue reading JVC ships Bluetooth-packin', geotagging Everio GZ-HM550 camcorder

JVC ships Bluetooth-packin', geotagging Everio GZ-HM550 camcorder originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Line 6 peripheral brings MIDI and iPhone closer than you ever expected
It's no amplifier substitute, but Line 6 has come up with something potentially even better for the budding songwriter buried deep within your rhythmic veins. The MIDI Mobilizer for iPhone and iPod touch is an app-based peripheral that lets you record, playback, store, and transfer MIDI sequences and parameters using the MIDI Memo Recorder software. While it does sound convenient in theory, we'll have to wait until we can try the dongle out for ourselves. At this point in time, price of the Mobilizer is TBD and the release date is the ever-vague Spring 2010. As for the recorder app, it's currently available on iTunes free of charge, although it's more or less useless without the complementary hardware. For now, you'll just have to settle with living vicariously through the promo video, after the break.

[Thanks, Fred]

Continue reading Line 6 peripheral brings MIDI and iPhone closer than you ever expected

Line 6 peripheral brings MIDI and iPhone closer than you ever expected originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Synthtopia, Vetaville | Line 6, iTunes | Email this | Comments
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Three for 3D: ESPN 3D adds Home Run Derby, Sky 3D launches 4/3, AcTVila makes the jump this summer

Three continents, three more milestone announcements for 3D. First up is Sky TV, which, with or without 15,000 or so flat screens from LG, is officially launching its Sky 3D channel around the Man. U/Chelsea game on April 3. Already have a 3DTV and Sky's "top channels and HD pack?" Call the company with details for activation, while everyone else checks to see if their local pub is among the thousand plus already signed up to receive the six live 3D matches slated for this season (plus the Coca Cola league playoff finals) and demo reel for all non-footy hours of the day. Bringing the focus back home, ESPN 3D has scheduled the first event it will produce and air itself, the MLB Home Run Derby on July 12, a day after launching with the SA/Mexico World Cup game. Other events officially on deck (the plan for the first year is still about 85) include several college basketball tournaments and the ACC Championship football game in December. Last but not least is Japan, already home to at least one 3D network, which will soon have access to even more over the cross-manufacturer AcTVila video on-demand service. Clearly, the only logical thing to do is to keep that "3D will never take off" comment macro keyed up, it will be getting a lot of use over the next few months.

Three for 3D: ESPN 3D adds Home Run Derby, Sky 3D launches 4/3, AcTVila makes the jump this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 06:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Sprint ad shows iPhone using WiMAX... via Overdrive

Your existing iPhone (yeah, even the original) can surf the information superhighway at 4G speeds. Today. Who knew, right? Sprint's Overdrive -- which creates a WiFi hotspot that enables nearby devices to cruise on Clear's 4G (or 3G, if you're not in a 4G locale) network -- can theoretically enable any WiFi-capable phone to surf on WiMAX, but Sprint's taking a pretty bold approach by actually touting the feature in a new spot. Befuddled? Hop on past the break and mash play. Too bad this is about as close the iPhone will ever get to Sprint's shelves...

Continue reading New Sprint ad shows iPhone using WiMAX... via Overdrive

New Sprint ad shows iPhone using WiMAX... via Overdrive originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 03:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sygic Mobile Maps for Nokia N900 brings turn-by-turn to Maemo

Nokia may still not have brought turn-by-turn navigation to Maemo with its own Ovi Maps, but N900 users can now get their fix courtesy of Sygic, which has just released a version of its Mobile Maps app for the device. Available only in Europe to start with, the app costs €60, and includes maps of both eastern and western Europe, along with the usual "millions" of points-of-interest, speed camera locations and speed limit warnings, and plenty of customization options (including support for multiple languages). No firm word on availability outside of Europe just yet, but Sygic does say that additional regions will be announced "gradually." Head on past the break for a quick demo video.

[Thanks, Brad C]

Continue reading Sygic Mobile Maps for Nokia N900 brings turn-by-turn to Maemo

Sygic Mobile Maps for Nokia N900 brings turn-by-turn to Maemo originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate

Another day, another Android tablet render. This one, the imaginatively titled WePad, is as ambitious as its name might suggest. (You know, because "we" is plural of "I"? Yeah, it's a stretch.) Dwarfing the iPad with its 11.6-inch (1366 x 768) display, a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, GMA 3150 graphics, webcam, two USB ports, flash card reader, UMTS modem, and a mooted six hours of battery life, we could see ourselves picking one up -- provided the price point is decent. But that's just the beginning! The manufacturer, Neofonie, also has designs on a WePad app store and, if all goes according to plan, this thing'll sport genuine Google Android and the Android Market. The company also mentions something called the "WeMagazine publishing ecosystem," the basis of a turn-key operation for getting your own branded device out on the e-reader market, so if you're looking to get into the biz just hit the source link to begin your adventure. As for us, we'll wait to see a final product before we jump to any conclusions.

Neofonie announces WePad 11.6-inch Android slate originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BIS 3.0 coming to North American BlackBerry users next weekend?
It seems almost too good to be true, but it looks like the era of usable Gmail integration on BlackBerry might finally be upon us. CrackBerry is citing information that BIS 3.0 will be rolled out to North American customers in the wee hours of Sunday, March 28, when most of us are in a peaceful slumber (a good thing, considering that data services will be mostly down during the four-hour window). Out of the gate, 3.0 will offer Gmail label creation and deletion when using the plug-in along with support for OpenDocument file types and WMA audio, but the real meat should come shortly thereafter as two-way synchronization of read status and sent messages "will be added throughout the Spring 2010 by region." Technically, Spring starts today, so this could show up the moment BIS 3.0 goes live -- but given that we've waited literally years for this to happen, we're not getting our hopes up prematurely.

BIS 3.0 coming to North American BlackBerry users next weekend? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Show live with Nicholas Negroponte, PlayStation Move, and Joystiq's Chris Grant

Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 5:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab and OLPC Project, Dr. Richard Marks showing off Sony's PlayStation Move, commentary from Joystiq editor Chris Grant, plus much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it!

Update: The live show is over, but don't fret. We've got the full version coming soon (within a day) for download via iTunes, Zune Marketplace, and RSS feed, or you can watch the stream right here. Stay tuned, the post will be soon!

Continue reading The Engadget Show live with Nicholas Negroponte, PlayStation Move, and Joystiq's Chris Grant

The Engadget Show live with Nicholas Negroponte, PlayStation Move, and Joystiq's Chris Grant originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget Podcast 188 - 03.20.2010

Three mobile phone platforms struggle for dominance in the real world (the Real World) and in the Engadget Podcast (the Fake World).

Hosts: Josh Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Ultra-special Guest: Chris Ziegler
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Castor - Green Hill Zone

Hear the podcast


00:01:57 - Windows Phone 7 Series: the complete guide
00:04:15 - Microsoft on copy and paste in Windows Phone 7 Series: 'people don't do that'
00:04:20 - Windows Phone 7 Series multitasking: the real deal
00:04:50 - Windows Phone 7 Series emulator unlocked, shows a few surprises
00:09:45 - Word, Excel and OneNote for Windows Phone 7 Series revealed
00:13:45 - Microsoft takes a note from Palm in new Windows Phone 7 Series ad
00:37:00 - Palm posts $22m Q3 loss, says it liked its chances against Droid had Verizon launch been sooner
00:39:20 - Palm shares take 25 percent plunge after downer earnings announcement
00:43:20 - Palm: this is your survival guide
01:05:55 - The Engadget Show tapes tomorrow, with Nicholas Negroponte and PlayStation Move!
01:06:52 - Nexus One hits for AT&T and Rogers 3G bands
01:09:00 - Make it four: Google's Nexus One coming to Sprint
01:12:50 - HP Slate priced at €400 for June launch, Atom CPU confirmed?

Subscribe to the podcast

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Contact the podcast

1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.

Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @ohnorosco @engadget

Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 188 - 03.20.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI Wind12 U230 unboxed and benchmarked, trounces netbooks of yesteryear

It's no Pine Trail when it comes to power consumption, but AMD's Congo platform is no slouch, either. TestFreaks recently received the Congo-powered MSI Wind12-U230 for review, and discovered that its dual-core Athlon X2 L335 CPU and speedy Seagate drive made neat work of last year's Atom netbooks, including the formerly formidable HP Mini 311. After shooting the requisite unboxing video and posing the slender machine for a few close-ups, TestFreaks praised the large, comfortable keyboard and touchpad, while scoffing at only four hours of net browsing as the entirety of its battery life. You'll find pics, a host of benchmarks and even CPU-Z screens at the source link; now, we just want to see how the netbook handles a contemporary competitor.

MSI Wind12 U230 unboxed and benchmarked, trounces netbooks of yesteryear originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sprint to release Android 2.1 update for Hero and Moment 'over the coming weeks'
If you recall, about a month ago Sprint tweeted that it was working on delivering Android 2.1 upgrade for its HTC Hero and Samsung Moment in early Q2 this year. An optimistic guess would be April, right? Funnily enough, Techie Buzz has heard that two eager customers managed to squeeze a more precise date out of Sprint over a phone call -- end of March or even March 26th. Don't go reaching for that champagne just yet, though -- a self-proclaimed Sprint employee shared a recent internal memo on XDA-Developers forum, revealing that it's "actively working on having the Android 2.1 platform available to our Hero and Moment customers over the coming weeks," and that "more information coming in April." Oh Sprint, you do love playing with our little minds, don't you?

Sprint to release Android 2.1 update for Hero and Moment 'over the coming weeks' originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android and Me, Techie Buzz | XDA-Developers | Email this | Comments
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