IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 28/03/2010

Nokia phones will still Come with Music, only stores see rebranding

If you live in India, our story was correct -- your mobile subscription music service will be called "Ovi," and no longer carry the weight of the cumbersome Comes with Music branding -- but we're hearing that in other Nokia territories, including the UK, that's not quite the case. Nokia UK told Pocket-lint that while the company's online music store will indeed be renamed "Ovi Music" across all 22 territories this year, the Comes with Music service is here (and there) to stay. To tell you the truth, though, we're not that interested in the fate of a brand name. We'd prefer if Nokia made a more ballsy move -- like discontinuing their service's most controversial feature, Comes with DRM.

Nokia phones will still Come with Music, only stores see rebranding originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 09:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista | Pocket-lint | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Verizon shelves plans for future FiOS rollouts, relocations to Massachusetts set to boom
'Tis fun while it lasted, yeah? Verizon's FiOS has provided a much-wanted (or much-needed, some would argue) sliver of competition in markets that were previously offered just one or two ISP options, and the wicked fast speeds available through the fiber-based service were just one big stream of cherries-on-top. We've personally noticed that the company has slowed down the rate at which it blasts out releases trumpeting new FiOS and FiOS TV markets, and now we know why: an Associated Press report notes that the operator has canned all public plans about expanding its FTTH home network, though it will continue to build-out where it had previously announced service (Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia, namely). Of course, Verizon never stated that it would be making FiOS a nationwide service, but after hitting at least some sections of 18 states, we had high hopes that it would keep on keepin' on. Unfortunately, it looks like you'll be forced to move to FiOS-heavy Massachusetts, or simply gaze endlessly from your apartment window knowing that you'll never feel the warm glow of a FiOS wire. Sniffle.

Verizon shelves plans for future FiOS rollouts, relocations to Massachusetts set to boom originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Associated Press | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Shocker: HTC plans Windows Phone 7 Series device by year's end

In news apt to surprise absolutely no one, HTC CEO Peter Chou told Forbes this week that his company would make a Windows Phone 7 Series handset by the end of the year. For the sake of argument, we suppose there are a couple reasons he wouldn't want to. Historically, HTC has pledged loyalty to Microsoft time and again, even making the premium HD2 a Windows Mobile exclusive, but conspiracy theorists might suggest Microsoft returned the favor by denying the HD2 entry to Windows Phone 7 Series. Also, HTC has been rocking the bejeezus out of Android as of late -- the news that the company's planning a WP7S phone comes alongside HTC's claim that the Nexus One was a success. Regardless, we never questioned if HTC would build a WP7S handset, only when; there's no way they're going to let a lucrative new smartphone market get mopped up by the likes of Samsung and LG.

Shocker: HTC plans Windows Phone 7 Series device by year's end originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 06:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink IntoMobile, PhoneArena | Forbes | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

AT&T's Palm Pixi Plus granted the FCC's best wishes

Alright, kiddies, gather 'round, because it's time for everyone's favorite class: Palm Model Codes 101. As you might recall from Sunnyvale's previous exploits in the FCC's system, P101 devices are Pres, while P121s are Pixis. That part of the code is followed by a three-character string indicating the radio type: EWW for CDMA, UEU for European GSM, and UNA for North American GSM. Using everything we know there, we can safely deduce that the P121UNA that just crossed the wires is the AT&T-branded version of the Pixi Plus, a device that we know to be hitting shelves "in the coming months." Whether FCC certification was one of the roadblocks in getting it launched is a mystery, but it certainly can't hurt the process, can it?

AT&T's Palm Pixi Plus granted the FCC's best wishes originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | FCC | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Nokia N900 Maemo / MeeGo dual boot 'will come at some point,' but not next firmware

Quim Gil of Nokia's Maemo team has dropped some knowledge on the folks chatting up the upcoming MeeGo release in the official Maemo forums, and it sounds like there are at least a couple critical points to be aware of for N900 owners and would-be ROM flashers when the first developer preview drops next week. To quote Gil, "nothing beautiful, stable or fully featured" will be a part of that initial release -- and to be more blunt about it, "99% of you don't want to install that release in your N900." The good news, though, is that Nokia seems to be aware of the importance of a dual-boot solution to MeeGo devs working with N900s in the long term, and Gil reports that a proper setup for that "will come at some point" -- it's just not on their short-term radar. We can totally understand that; we've no doubt there's still tons of reconciliation to manage between the legacy Maemo and Moblin ecosystems, and that's presumably priority one as they march toward a May release of what's being billed as a MeeGo 1.0 release.

Speculation had been building that the next cut of Maemo 5 -- PR1.2 -- might have MeeGo dual boot capability, but it's not to be. That said, PR1.2's still got plenty of tweaks that should be of interest to N900 owners, including a totally revamped landscape on-screen keyboard, onboard memory wipe capability (thank goodness), and an option to enable auto-rotation in the device's settings. The forums are all abuzz over both topics, naturally -- and since a proper PR1.2 release for N900 is still just a twinkle in Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo's eye, you may as well have a peek, right?

[Thanks, Akinwale]

Nokia N900 Maemo / MeeGo dual boot 'will come at some point,' but not next firmware originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Maemo Talk (1), Maemo Talk (2) | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

How would you change Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR?

We know, you're packing furiously for your next shoot tomorrow, but look -- you need to sit back for 12 seconds, give this article a once-over, chime in below and take one of the biggest sighs of your life. As unprepared as you feel, everything's going to be alright. We promise. Now that we've got you in a proper state of mind, we're curious to know how you'd change Canon EOS-1D Mark IV. The outfit's latest and greatest professional DSLR has come out shining in nearly every review we've seen, and while it's rather massive in stature, it's loaded with features. For nearly five grand, we suspect that you'll be pretty critical on it, and that's exactly how it should be. Is the low-light performance satisfactory? How's the speed and handling? Has it revolutionized your business? Are you a Canon fanboy (or girl) for life now? Spill all down below, cool?

How would you change Canon's EOS-1D Mark IV DSLR? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Cisco sinks funding into WiMAX-supporting Grid Net, looks to ride the 'smart energy' wave

Here's an interesting one. Just days after Cisco admitted that it was killing its own internal development of WiMAX kit, the networking mainstay has sunk an undisclosed amount of cheddar into a company that holds WiMAX in the highest regard: Grid Net. Said outfit has close ties to GE, Intel, Motorola and Clearwire, all of which have also voiced support (and invested real dollars) for the next-generation wireless protocol in years past. Last we heard, Cisco was doing its best to remain "radio-agnostic," and while some may view this as flip-flopping, we view it as brilliant; it's costly to develop internally, but buying stake in a company that's already well versed in a given technology allows Cisco to keep WiMAX at arm's reach without incurring the risk associated with building within. Beyond all that, we think that Cisco's just trying to get in early on the energy management biz, particularly after the US government announced that it would be funding the distribution of loads of in-home energy monitors in the coming years. According to Grid Net, it intends to "use the proceeds from this investment to promote its real-time, all-IP, secure, reliable, extensible, end-to-end Smart Grid network infrastructure solutions," though specifics beyond that were few and far between. Verizon mentioned that it would soon be using its LTE network for all sorts of unorthodox things -- we suppose WiMAX backers are planning to allow the same.

Cisco sinks funding into WiMAX-supporting Grid Net, looks to ride the 'smart energy' wave originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Digg | Grid-Net | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

'The Vampire Diaries' and Microsoft team up, try to add 'Binged' to the lexicon

If you were watching last night's episode of The Vampire Diaries (believe us, we were not), you probably saw something a little... strange. Yes, with the opening credits still running, two women (sorry, we have never seen a frame of this show so we don't know who these broads are) sitting in front of a laptop converse about a runaway teen named Isabelle Peterson or something like that. Unsure of whether or not this suspicious Peterson character was using a fake name or not, the ladies needed... well, they needed a tool that would allow them to search the vast and beautiful world wide web of information. "But where'd she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend?" the blond sitting at the terminal wonders. "So..." she says, turning to the computer, "... I Binged it." Wait, what? You Binged it? Hmm... we've never heard that one before, though we have to say in this case, it seems like Bing really came through for the ladies, nailing down the information they were looking for with ease. It's quite an extended piece of advertising, really. But seriously... Binged? Guess it'll have to do. Video is after the break.

[Thanks, Eva]

Continue reading 'The Vampire Diaries' and Microsoft team up, try to add 'Binged' to the lexicon

'The Vampire Diaries' and Microsoft team up, try to add 'Binged' to the lexicon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters'

Let's get the hard data out of the way first: 480 CUDA cores, 700 MHz graphics and 1,401MHz processor clock speeds, plus 1.5GB of onboard GDDR5 memory running at 1,848MHz (for a 3.7GHz effective data rate). Those are the specs upon which Fermi is built, and those are the numbers that will seek to justify a $499 price tag and a spectacular 250W TDP. We attended a presentation by NVIDIA this afternoon, where the above GTX 480 and its lite version, the GTX 470, were detailed. The latter card will come with a humbler 1.2GB of memory plus 607MHz, 1,215MHz and 1,674MHz clocks, while dinging your wallet for $349 and straining your case's cooling with 215W of hotness.

NVIDIA's first DirectX 11 parts are betting big on tessellation becoming the way games are rendered in the future, with the entire architecture being geared toward taking duties off the CPU and freeing up its cycles to deliver performance improvements elsewhere. This is perhaps no better evidenced than by the fact that both GTX models scored fewer 3DMarks than the Radeon HD 5870 and HD 5850 that they're competing against, but managed to deliver higher frame rates than their respective competitors in in-game benchmarks from NVIDIA. The final bit of major news here relates to SLI scaling, which is frankly remarkable. NVIDIA claims a consistent 90 percent performance improvement (over a single card) when running GTX 480s in tandem, which is as efficient as any multi-GPU setup we've yet seen. After the break you'll find a pair of tech demos and a roundup of the most cogent reviews.

Gallery: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 official pictures

Continue reading NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters'

NVIDIA unleashes GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470 'tessellation monsters' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Origin PC stuffs 4.4GHz Core i7-980X, Fermi-based GTX 470 and 480 into Genesis desktop

Hope you didn't just pull the trigger on a new Origin PC Genesis, else you'll be forced to know that your rig was made obsolete in record time. Okay, maybe not obsolete, but there's precisely no doubt that you'd rather be rocking a new Fermi card than whatever you've got now. Right on cue, NVIDIA has launched its latest pair of powerhouse graphics cards, and as of right now, prospective Origin PC buyers can opt for either the GTX 470 or GTX 480 on the Genesis desktop. Better still, you can buy 'em in single, dual or triple SLI configurations, and in case you're down for paying the premium, a 4.4GHz overclocked Core i7-980X Extreme Edition CPU can sit alongside of it (or them).

Origin PC stuffs 4.4GHz Core i7-980X, Fermi-based GTX 470 and 480 into Genesis desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Origin PC | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

iPad App Store screenshots leaked

Well, look at this. If you've been desperate to know what your App Store experience would be like on the iPad, here's a chance to live the dream. Apparently these shots were discovered while the App Annie folks (an app tracking and analytics site) were "searching for clues" on the device and this "actual feed" was stumbled upon. While that's all very unclear, what isn't unclear is that Apple will be using the HD moniker to denote applications that have either been tweaked in a special iPad version, or have had their resolution upped so they wouldn't just be scaled standard apps. Additionally, we're seeing some applications that aren't even available on the iPhone right now, such as the $49.99 OmniGraffle, which we're assuming will be very close to its desktop counterpart -- a good sign that iPad apps are majorly upping the functionality. One more long shot after the break for your viewing pleasure.

Update: Looks like App Advice has even more screenshots for your viewing pleasure.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading iPad App Store screenshots leaked

iPad App Store screenshots leaked originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | App Annie, App Advice | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Entelligence: Mobile multitasking is mostly a myth
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

The idea of multitasking on mobile devices has been a hot topic for years. It's been debated since the early days of smartphones, when devices such as the Treo based on Palm OS could not handle more than one task at a time, while handsets based on the Windows Mobile platform had the capability. The issue reached a crescendo with the release of the iPhone (and more recently with the iPad) and lack of multitasking capability for third party apps. This week it's come up once again, with news from MIX10 that Microsoft would not support multitasking for third party apps on Windows Phone 7 Series, at least initially.

Continue reading Entelligence: Mobile multitasking is mostly a myth

Entelligence: Mobile multitasking is mostly a myth originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

The Engadget Podcast is live... NOW!

It's been a crazy week in tech, and we're coming at you live to break it all down. We'll be on at 5:30PM EST, but the chat below is open, so settle on in and get comfy.

Update: It's over! Watch for it to be posted this weekend, and expect some wild times when Nilay returns next week. He was missed.

The Engadget Podcast is live... NOW! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

That was easy: Apple buys iPad trademark from Fujitsu

There's no indication as to what sort of wildness went on behind closed doors, but Apple is now the proud new owner of a slightly used "iPad" trademark. Fujitsu, who filed for ownership in March of 2003 to cover a Windows CE device for point-of-sale, doesn't seem to have put up much of a fight, and after a mere seven years of ownership (with a bit of a hazy period in 2009) has assigned the name to Apple. We don't know why, but we assume a nice pile of cash, or maybe some somehow legitimate legal threats as well, had something to do with it. This is all well and good, particularly for any iPad pre-orderers afraid they'd have to scratch off the iPad branding if Apple failed to score the name, but like we said in January when Fujitsu was still asserting its ownership of the mark: why can't Apple ever learn to have these conversations ahead of time?

That was easy: Apple buys iPad trademark from Fujitsu originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Nick Denton | patentauthority.com | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

It looks like Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt don't hate each other as much as the NYT and Jim Goldman think

That's right folks, Steve Jobs, (recently described by CNBC's Jim Goldman as "simply hating" Eric Schmidt) was having coffee with him, just this afternoon! A Gizmodo tipster sent this photo (and a few others) of the pair having a nice, civilized time at Calafia in Palo Alto earlier today, sort of taking a bit of steam out of the idea that they've ended their "beautiful friendship." Now, call us cynical, but we're willing to bet the two ventured into this very public place together just to disprove the recent rumors of the failed relationship. Hit up the source link for another photo of the two (plus one of a very plate-less Jobscar).

It looks like Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt don't hate each other as much as the NYT and Jim Goldman think originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Gizmodo | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Envy 14, Envy 17, and Pavilion dm4 cited in HP support docs

Hardcore HP-heads have been poring over support docs tirelessly looking for indications that a presumed lineup refresh this spring will include previously leaked Envy 14 and 17-inch models, and what do we have here? "HP Support Assistant CVA documentation, SP47326″ includes references to both, meaning that a release is either in the works or someone in support is jumping the gun a bit. If that ain't enough for your casual Friday kicks, a perusal of a little something called "LightScribe System Software CVA documentation, SP47798" (that one's our fave) even mentions the HP Pavilion dm4, which SlashGear describes as a possible "14-inch machine with integrated optical drive, switchable graphics and a choice of Intel or AMD processors." Of course, there is no indication when, or if these models will ever see the light of day -- but if you were in desperate need for a device to fill the gab between your 13-inch and 15-inch HP Envy laptops, there is at least hope.

Envy 14, Envy 17, and Pavilion dm4 cited in HP support docs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink SlashGear | Notebook Review forum | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Sony intros four new made for iPod / iPhone headsets

Sony's already kicked out some decent looking PC gaming headsets this month, and it's now followed those up a new batch of 'buds (and one set of over-the-ear headphones) that are "made for" for your iPod or iPhone. The earbuds come in the form of the DR-EX300iP, MDR-EX38iP, and MDR-E10iP, which pack either 9mm or 13mm Neodymium drivers, along with in-line controls, a built-in mic and, in the latter two cases, your choice of two different colors. They're joined by the DR-V150iP headphones "tailor-made for DJs," which pack the same in-line controls and mic, along with a 30mm ferrite driver that promises "deep bass and generous power handling." Of the lot, only the MDR-EX38iP is available now (for $40), with the rest due out in May.

Gallery: Sony intros four new made for iPod / iPhone headsets

Sony intros four new made for iPod / iPhone headsets originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Sony | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Gateway NV5933u review

A Core i3 processor, Blu-ray drive, and 320GB hard drive for $629.99 -- does the Gateway NV5933u really need more of an introduction than that? We didn't think so, since that's all it took for us to track down the budget multimedia 15.6-inch laptop and get it into our eager hands. For a budget system it sure has the specs to carry it on home, but after the dog has barked at the mailman and you've gotten it out of the box, how is it in actual everyday use? You know where to find out. We'll see you after the break in our full review.

Gallery: Gateway NV5933u review

Continue reading Gateway NV5933u review

Gateway NV5933u review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Gateway NV5933u at Best Buy | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Poker Surface beautifully weds multitouch table, cellphone interaction and illicit gambling

It's the first poker table we've seen since the enviable X10 surfaced in 2008 that would fit appropriately in the new Aria (read: Vegas 2.0), and given that we just left the halls of CTIA ourselves, we couldn't be drooling any more heavily over this gorgeous creation. Designed and built by students at the University of Duisburg-Essen, the Poker Surface magically combines a multitouch surface with an interactive mobile application that enables users to see their cards when they tilt the phone upwards towards their face. Then, users can complete a play by sliding in their bet(s) and flipping their hand once they're all-in. There's no word on when (or if) this gambler's dream will be available for shipment to man caves everywhere, but you owe it to yourself to peek the video after the break, regardless.

Continue reading Poker Surface beautifully weds multitouch table, cellphone interaction and illicit gambling

Poker Surface beautifully weds multitouch table, cellphone interaction and illicit gambling originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Recombu | Portal | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Poll: Wii Netflix discs now arriving, was it worth the wait?

It looks like today's the day that the first Wii Netflix discs are arriving in customer's hands, which only means one thing -- time for a poll. The Wii may be the last of the big three consoles to get its instant streaming fix, but it also has the largest installed base, and plenty of eager Netflix subscribers looking for an easy way to get instant streaming in their living room. Still haven't received your disc? Then you can get a taste of what's in store in the video after the break -- and if you have received it, be sure to let us know how it's working out in the poll below.

[Thanks, Erik]

View Poll

Continue reading Poll: Wii Netflix discs now arriving, was it worth the wait?

Poll: Wii Netflix discs now arriving, was it worth the wait? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Download Squad | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---

Pre gets a nasty 800MHz overclock patch for all 1.4 users to enjoy (at one's own risk) (updated)

Looking to harness the real power inside of your Pre (or Pre Plus) -- and you've upgraded to webOS 1.4? If that's the case, you're going to love what a couple of Palm-loving hackers have come up with. Namely, a major overclock kernel patch for the device which boosts the CPU speed from a measly 500MHz all the way up to a finger-searing 800MHz (there's also a more tame 720MHz variation available). The two phone magicians, unixpsycho and caj2008, had previously tapped into the power of the Pre's CPU on webOS 1.3.5 with a small file that can be semi-easily installed using WebOSQuickInstall and a tiny bit of Linux command-line activity, and now it's on for 1.4. So far, it looks like phones being tested with the somewhat risky tweak haven't experienced too much of the normally expected issues (crashes, freezing, phones exploding). Also a surprise is the fact that the creators of the hack say battery life drain is only an additional 2-4 percent hit... though if you're already struggling to make it through a day, this could be the nail in the coffin. We installed the patch on a Verizon Pre Plus, and we definitely observed a noticeable bump in app load times and improved fluidity when working with the phone -- though we've already had one major crash. If you don't mind possibly destroying your phone and must have a faster device right now, you can check out the patch in action and learn how to get it yourself in the video after the break.

Update: From the looks of things, that crash we experienced early on is likely due to a bug in webOS 1.4 and not related to the overclock. Actually, we haven't experienced any further problems... in fact, the phone is seeming super speedy, and battery life has not taken a substantial hit, verifying caj2008 and unixpsycho's claims (so far). Someone at Palm should take note -- these guys have some good ideas!

[Thanks, G. Scott]

Continue reading Pre gets a nasty 800MHz overclock patch for all 1.4 users to enjoy (at one's own risk) (updated)

Pre gets a nasty 800MHz overclock patch for all 1.4 users to enjoy (at one's own risk) (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PreCentral | PreCentral forums | Email this | Comments
Read More ...

---