Microsoft EVP: We bought Nokia, but we still love our other Windows Phone partners
Much like how Google bought Motorola Mobility, Microsoft's surprising acquisition of Nokia's devices and services business -- which is expected to be approved by early 2014 -- is no indication that it will cut off ties with other partners in its own little ecosystem. This is emphasized by Terry Myerson, EVP, Operating Systems, on the official Windows blog.
"Acquiring Nokia's Devices group will help make the market for all Windows Phones, from Microsoft or our OEM partners," said the exec. "We collaborate with our Microsoft hardware teams in the same way we partner with our external hardware partners... We look forward to building new products together that will provide valuable business opportunity for the ecosystem and enable OEMs."
In other words, Microsoft will -- surprise, surprise -- continue to license Windows Phone to other OEMs. Despite this reassurance, we highly doubt these phone makers are feeling totally comfortable about the situation.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
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Via: All Things D
Source: Windows Blog
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Microsoft explains why it's buying Nokia, says it needs a 'first-rate' smartphone experience
Microsoft's outlined its reasoning behind why it's gone deep into smartphones in a lengthy presentation file. Alongside cheering Windows Phone's current growth (No.3!), it's reaffirmed that it'll bring its products and services to rival mobile OSes and still involve itself with "iPhone and Android/Galaxy phones." However, it tempers this point, adding that the Redmond company can't risk "having Google or Apple foreclose app innovation, integration, distribution or economics." Given the strength of the top two, Microsoft is telling it straight, adding that it needs a "first-rate Microsoft phone experience for users" to compete, suggesting that its portfolio of devices isn't quite there yet. The slides also outline the purchase of Nokia's patent collection, one which Microsoft believes is one of the most valuable in the tech sector. MS also thinks that the acquisition will speed up innovation within Windows Phone and protect its future. So, some high hopes for the purchase.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
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Source: Microsoft (PDF)
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Spotify's new Connect feature seems as good an excuse as any to throw a party
This is a sort of hardware / software announcement for Spotify, a hardware partnership with a number of big names in audio like Philips, Pioneer, Bang & Olufsen, Denon, Marantz and Yamaha that allows you to keep the party going on those Spotify playlists. Start playing one on your handset, click play on a compatible speaker system, and it will keep streaming on the speaker without interruption -- even when you take a call or leave the vicinity of your WiFi network. The audio system will actually start streaming music directly from the cloud. That means you can, say, turn on an iPad in another room and let your party guests skip songs -- though, granted, that might not be the greatest idea, depending on who you invite.
Specific devices have yet to be named, though compatible systems will be branded with a Spotify Connect logo, so you'll know what you're getting yourself into. Those should be arriving in a late-October / early-November timeframe. Spotify will be holding up its end of the bargain by rolling out a software update for iOS ahead of those launches. Android and other operating systems will be receiving it at a later date.
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Lenovo outs five new ThinkPads, including a 15-inch business Ultrabook
It was just last year at Engadget Expand that Lenovo teased the ThinkPad T431s business Ultrabook, and now it's already coming out with a follow-on product. The company today announced the refreshed T440s, along with the T440, the X240 (shown above) and two mid-range Ultrabooks, the S440 and the S550. In fact, though the S550 isn't the highest-end machine on offer here, even that's worth mention, as it's the company's first 15-inch Ultrabook aimed at businesses. (Guess that bigger-screen trend is going strong, eh?)
Diving right in, the 14-inch T440s represents a fairly modest upgrade, as the T431s already ushered in some fairly big design changes (buttonless trackpad, latchless lid, 180-degree hinge, et cetera). The T440s has all that too, except it makes the natural shift to Intel's fourth-generation Haswell processors, along with an optional NVIDIA GeForce GT 730M GPU (which won't be offered here in North America). The T440 is closely related, as you'd expect, with similar configuration options (optional touchscreens, up to 12GB of RAM and up to either a 1TB HDD or a 512GB SSD). The main difference is that the resolution on the T440 is also capped at 1,600 x 900, whereas the T440s goes up to 1080p. Also, the T440s is a good lighter than the T440 (read: half a pound less).%Gallery-slideshow73415%
Filed under: Laptops, Lenovo
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Sony's new HMZ-T3 wearable display gets 'wireless' option, easy smartphone connectivity and HD audio (hands-on)
Ahead of Sony's own IFA press event, it's already announced its latest head-mounted display. The HMZ-T3 is the third iteration and while there's no substitutional reality function (or camera), the company's made some important improvements that could tip the balance for anyone concerned with sinking a substantial amount of cash for a one-person display. It'll come in a new "wireless" iteration -- we'll explain why we used those quote marks a little later -- while Sony has also improved the clarity of its dual OLED displays through lens and software adjustments (although the 720p resolution stays the same). There's now a bigger viewing sweet spot and several new specialized screen options for gaming and movie-watching. Our favorite new feature, however, is the ability to plug in Android (presumably Xperia) devices with micro-HDMI / MHL connectivity. The device, via the battery pack, has ports for both full-size and micro-HMDI cables, and given the current influx of HD-capable smartphones (and content), it's a pretty pervasive way to use it.
The HMZ-T3 also arrives with high-definition audio, virtualized 7.1 channel sound and has shed 10 grams since the T2. That's despite improved padding and some more forgiving adjustment controls that made wearing the device noticeably less frustrating. Both wireless and wired options are set to go on sale in Japan this October and while a global roll-out isn't yet confirmed, Sony's told us that it's certainly "in discussions" about further availability. We managed to get some early access to the wearable ahead of its reveal in Germany, so naturally, we played some games and watched some video. Our initial impressions and more details are right after the break. %Gallery-slideshow46965%
Filed under: Displays, Wearables, HD, Sony
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What's next for Nokia? Here maps, network infrastructure and 'advanced technologies'
Now that Microsoft has the reigns to Nokia's devices and services business, what's the company going to do with all that spare time on its hands? It's keeping busy, it seems. Outlined in a separate announcement from Espoo, Nokia is going to play to its existing strengths, continuing to develop its Here maps platform, with the aim of becoming the "leading independent location cloud platform company, offering mapping and location services across different screens and operating systems."
In the slightly more straight-laced (but profitable) world of network infrastructure, Nokia's NSN will continue to develop and build LTE networks and, well, whatever comes after that. Which ties in neatly to Nokia's third focus: advanced technologies. The company aims to continue exploring "new business opportunities", continuing to research and develop concepts involved in connectivity, sensing and material technologies -- possibly along the lines of concepts devices we've seen from Nokia in the past. This is also the same arm of the company that'll keep an eye on Nokia's patent portfolio. The company is unsurprisingly bullish about its future, with its new interim President, Timo Ihamuotila, reckoning the deal will make Nokia's financial situation "significantly stronger".
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
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Source: Nokia
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NVIDIA-branded mystery tablet passes through Taiwan's NCC
Rumors have circulated of an NVIDIA-designed Android tablet, but there has been little hard evidence of its existence. Thankfully, NVIDIA just provided some clues of its own: as Blog of Mobile noticed, the company recently sent a self-branded P1640 tablet to Taiwan's National Communications Commission for approval. While the filing reveals few details of the hardware apart from the expected presences of Bluetooth and 802.11n WiFi, it's safe to presume that the slate uses an NVIDIA-made processor like the Tegra 4. The real mystery is the P1640's intended audience. When NVIDIA already has a Tegra 4 reference tablet, the new design isn't necessarily built for internal use; it could also be a developer device or a consumer product like Shield. It's not clear if or when NVIDIA will announce the tablet, but you can check out a second NCC photo of the gadget after the break.
Filed under: Tablets, NVIDIA
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Source: Blog of Mobile (translated)
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Nokia CEO Stephen Elop stepping down ahead of transition to Microsoft
Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia's Devices & Services business has more implications for Nokia than you might suspect at first glance. In the wake of the deal, CEO Stephen Elop is stepping down to become the Executive VP of Devices & Services, and should join Microsoft once the acquisition closes. The shift in rank should minimize any perceived conflict of interest during Elop's transition, Nokia says. Chairman of the Board Risto Siilasmaa will assume an interim CEO position while the company looks for a permanent replacement for Elop. Meanwhile, key Nokia executives Jo Harlow, Chris Weber, Juha Putkiranta and Timo Toikkanen are also expected to follow Elop to Microsoft; Executive VP of Design Marko Ahtisaari plans to step down on November 1st, and will leave the company on November 30th to once more become an entrepreneur. All told, Microsoft is getting several of the cellphone industry's better-known leaders in one shot -- and Nokia's remaining leadership will be mostly unrecognizable to long-term fans.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia
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Source: Nokia
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Microsoft to acquire Nokia's devices & services business for around $5 billion (Update: due early 2014)
Whoa. Big news from the middle of the night. According to Nokia, Microsoft will purchase "substantially" all of Nokia's device and service arms as well as licensing the phone maker's patents and mapping know-how. Redmond will pay Nokia a cool 3.79 billion euros ($4.99 billion) for the business, and 1.65 billion euros ($2.18 billion) for the patent armory.
Microsoft is hoping that allying with its biggest Windows Phone manufacturer will speed up growth (and improve its smartphone market share) -- the company is already promising "increased synergies". CEO Steve Ballmer added: "It's a bold step into the future - a win-win for employees, shareholders and consumers of both companies. Bringing these great teams together will accelerate Microsoft's share and profits in phones, and strengthen the overall opportunities for both Microsoft and our partners across our entire family of devices and services."
According
to the companies' press releases, 32,000 people will transfer across
Microsoft, including 4,700 people in Finland and 18,300 employees
directly involved in product manufacture. If you thought it was only the
Windows Phone component of the phone business, you'd be wrong:
Microsoft will also take into ownership Nokia's Asha range of feature
phones. Patent-wise, Microsoft gets 10-year non-exclusive license to its
Finnish partner's library of ideas and "reciprocal rights" to use
Microsoft patents within its HERE mapping services. While Microsoft will
be able to use the Nokia branding on its products, the Finnish company
will now focus on its mapping, infrastructure and advanced tech arms.
Update: In Microsoft's presentation (dug out by All Things D)
on the rationale of the acquisition, the two parties state that "we are
confident about our prospects for approval by early 2014." Just a few
more months to go!
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft, Nokia
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Source: Nokia
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BBM for Android will look like this: beta tester gives you the tour (video)
BlackBerry Messenger's trip to iOS and Android is taking longer than we hoped, but when walkthrough videos are starting to leak out, it's a good sign that you're on the final stretch. Courtesy of JT and BlackBerryOS, we've now got an early peek of what it'll look like when the app eventually lands. Combining BBM's rigorous chat app with our favorite Android keyboards sounds mighty tempting and it appears the app follows the bezel-swiping navigation of the BlackBerry 10 OS to get to your chat threads and groups. The video walkthrough (included after the break) also touches on the ability to transfer contacts through NFC, which is good sign that the messaging app will make the most of these the new mobile OSes.
Update: Within minutes of posting, the video's gone private. At least we'll have the memories, right?
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google, Blackberry
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Via: CrackBerry
Source: BlackBerryOS
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Major Nelson: Xbox One won't support external storage at launch
We hope you weren't counting on using the Xbox One's USB ports for external storage from day one; as it turns out, you'll likely have to be patient. Speaking at the PAX Prime expo this weekend, Microsoft's Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) mentioned that external drive support wouldn't be available at launch because the Xbox team was "working on other things." It's not certain when the feature will arrive, Hryb says. We've reached out to Microsoft to verify the statement. If it's accurate, though, you'll want to be cautious when filling the Xbox One's built-in 500GB drive with Xbox Game Store downloads.
Filed under: Gaming, Storage, Microsoft
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Via: Ars Technica
Source: Major Nelson
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Daily Roundup: Meizu MX3 hands-on, IFA 2013 preview, CBS / TWC end blackout, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
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CBS and Time Warner Cable end blackout, programming to resume at 6PM ET today
Well folks, it looks like Time Warner Cable customers will soon get CBS stations back in their living rooms. The two sides have reached an agreement after dropping channels back in July and programming is set to resume at 6PM ET this evening. TWC says that all customers should have channels back in 24 hours at the latest. In a press release announcing the deal, specific terms were not disclosed but they do include retransmission consent alongside Showtime Anytime for VOD and CBS stations in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas. Of course, this means CBS will be up and running on TWC when the NFL regular season kicks off in less than a week's time. For a look at the full statement, venture on past the break.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Source: CBS
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IRL: JBL PlayUp speaker and the BlackBerry Q5 on Telus
Welcome to IRL,
an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're
using in real life and take a second look at products that already got
the formal review treatment.
Is it pandering to have one of our Canadian writers play with every new BlackBerry? Perhaps -- not that we could've stopped him anyway. In this week's issue, we have Mr. Jon Fingas sharing his thoughts on the Q5 and its physical keyboard, while Philip splurges on JBL speakers to match his new Lumia 1020.
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IFA 2013 preview: what to expect
CES 2013 was a decidedly sleepy show by most accounts, but this year's IFA is shaping up to be anything but. Devices set for a reveal are still under proverbial lock and key, but chatter, teases and leaks have painted a fairly full picture of what we can expect to see in Germany: smartwatches and wearables, Haswell hardware and phones with 4K shooters. Join us past the break to get up to speed on what Berlin might dish out this week.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Home Entertainment, Laptops, Tablets, HD, Mobile, Samsung, Sony, LG
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Engadget's back to school guide 2013: bags and cases
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! Today, we've got a killer selection of bag and case recommendations. Head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as we add them throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back; in early September, we'll be giving away a ton of gear, including one of the picks in this very guide.
What's a stellar arsenal of tech if you've got nary a thing to store it in? Lucky for you, we're serving up a collection of bags and cases to protect and sort your gadget stash -- and to keep that stylish look on the up and up as well. From a case that adds some extra juice to your iPhone 5's battery to a solid rucksack that adapts to a trip as easily as you must, this collection has something for everyone -- head below to dive in.
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Lenovo IdeaTab A1000 review: how important is audio quality in a budget tablet?
It's not easy being a 7-inch tablet these days. With relatively inexpensive devices like the ASUS MeMo Pad HD 7 and the refreshed Nexus 7 offering a whole lot of bang for your buck, budget tablet makers are facing stiffer competition than ever before. Lenovo hasn't had much luck thus far delivering mobile devices that impress and, indeed, the company's latest offering -- the 7-inch IdeaTab A1000 -- has its work cut out for it. With the 16GB model priced at $160 (currently on sale for $130), the petite IdeaTab prioritizes sound quality over its other functions, perhaps in the hopes that its above-average performance in that area will woo picky buyers. But does the A1000 have what it takes to compete in a crowded market? Read on to find out. %Gallery-slideshow73819%
Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo
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Meizu MX3 hands-on: a significant improvement from the MX2 (video)
Having sat through Meizu's entire launch event in Beijing, we have to admit: the new MX3 took us by surprise. We weren't expecting much after knowing some of the key specs from the leaks, and to be frank, the Chinese company lost its way with the MX2; but Jack Wong's team seems to have put its focus back in place with its latest flagship. First off, while the MX3 has preserved the predecessor's metallic-rim design, Meizu has now managed to refine the manufacturing process to remove all the sharp edges, and boy does that new body feel good. The TOL (touch-on-lens) display may look odd with its 1,800 x 1,080 resolution, but it looked good on the demo units, and that 15:9 aspect ratio has some advantage for web browsing in portrait mode.
There were many other features that we couldn't comment on based on our hands-on, such as the audio quality from the Wolfson chip and the image quality from the third-gen Sony 8-megapixel sensor, but the presence of these components suggests that Meizu may be headed back in the right direction. The number of improvements on the slick, Android 4.2-based Flyme 3.0 is also impressive, making it slightly more user-friendly (especially for first-timers) as well as more pleasing to the eye. It'll just take some getting used to with Meizu's own soft key approach (virtual buttons on a "Smart Bar" plus a capacitive home button). Much like the battery life and radio performance, we'll only be able to properly comment on the software part over an extended period of usage, so do keep an eye out for our MX3 review in the near future. Oh, and we have a hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-slideshow77154%
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Sky becomes first UK TV network to broadcast live 4K video
Remember how we'd heard that a British broadcaster is trialing 4K TV? We have a hunch as to which company that is: Sky now claims that it's the first UK TV network to have conducted a live 4K broadcast. The firm captured a weekend Premier League match in ultra high resolution using the same infrastructure it normally requires for a live show, with satellites delivering a feed to the company's Isleworth broadcast center. Commercial service remains distant, mind you -- Sky requires both more research and wider adoption of 4K TVs to justify an upgrade. If everything falls into place, though, Sky could have an advantage over rival providers that have yet to venture beyond HD.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Source: Sky
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HTC's Butterfly s gets official Hello Kitty makeover
Last week, an HTC Butterfly s leaked out sporting Hello Kitty colors, and our Chinese sister site has now had a chance to play with one, in the fur. The celebrated feline's bow is now butterfly-shaped, of course, and it comes with kitty flight attendant and pilot figures wearing EVA Air uniforms, in honor of its Hello Kitty jets -- yes, that's a thing. Fortunately, the 5-inch device has plenty of room for all the stickers on the outside, and there are nine different wallpaper themes for the 1080p screen. HTC is marketing the device in the ubiquitous ladyphone category for China, but c'mon -- the Kitty's appeal transcends such pigeon-holing. It's now available for around $770 in Taiwan only, but you can catch more images at the gallery below. %Gallery-slideshow77152%
Filed under: Cellphones, HTC
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Source: Engadget Chinese (translated)
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iPhone 5C glimpsed in blue and other colors, doesn't look awful
Our previous look at a tangled pile of iPhone 5C's wasn't especially flattering, and it only showed the plain white version of the rumored handset. The newer image above is impossible to authenticate, but it's a tad more sympathetic and it comes from a batch of photos of yellow, pink and blue plastic iPhones (or perhaps knock-offs) that briefly appeared on Chinese site iapps.im before being deleted at the request of a "relevant party." Although there are definitely some echoes of Nokia's Lumia 620 here, the close-up shot of the blue model suggests we may be looking at something a bit thinner, with slightly less rounded edges, and with a non-removable unibody that may also have a more serious matte finish -- although the translucent packaging makes it hard to be sure. Go ahead and squint at the other photos after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
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Via: 9to5Mac, CNET
Source: iapps.im
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Meizu MX3 unveiled with Exynos 5 Octa, 5.1-inch screen, Wolfson audio and 128GB option
Ahead of main rival Xiaomi's big event later this week, Meizu has today unveiled its latest Android device, the MX3, at the Beijing National Aquatics Center. Like many recent flagship phones, this one finally breaks the previous 4.4-inch barrier to make way for a 5.1-inch display, though with an odd 1,800 x 1,080, 15:9 panel from Sharp and JDI to follow Meizu's string of odd aspect ratios. At the same time, the manufacturer has managed to keep the screen bezel at 2.9mm thick, making the carefully curved body 72mm wide (as well as 9.1mm thick and 143g heavy). This is apparently the result of Jack Wong's 30-plus handcrafted wooden prototypes, followed by some 3D scanning. Read on for more.
Update: Our hands-on post is up as well! %Gallery-slideshow77150%
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
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Source: Meizu
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DICE+ digital gaming cubes now shipping
After a year's wait, DICE+ is finally shipping its Bluetooth game die. The chance cube is available for $40 in the US, and €40 ($53) in many other parts of the world. While the selection of compatible Android and iPad games is limited to a handful of party and strategy titles, the developer kit should lead to more releases in the future. If you're eager to modernize your board game experience, you can buy the digital dice from DICE+ itself through the source link.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
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Via: The Verge
Source: DICE+
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Oppo N1 will have a Snapdragon 800 to go with its swappable camera system
Oppo's N1 smartphone has been sitting on our watch list ever since we first got wind of its strange N-Lens camera add-ons, which will apparently offer a choice of zooms up to 15x. Now we can flesh out another key spec: the Chinese handset will run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor, which should more than cope with its equally unusual dual touch inputs and possibly help it to rival other imaging-centric Androids like the Galaxy S4 Zoom and Sony's upcoming Honami. The HSPA+ Snapdragon processor (MSM8274) was shown on a photo of the N1's internals that was "leaked" by an Oppo marketing exec on Sina Weibo -- and unless we're horribly, horribly mistaken, the photo also seems to show a microSD slot to store all those optically stabilized, 16-megapixel images. Barring other significant pseudo-leaks, you can expect the next big N1 update on September 23rd.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile
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Source: Oppo N1 (Sina Weibo)
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Acer unveils 24-inch all-in-one running Android with a Tegra 3 CPU
Acer introduced its first Android-powered all-in-one earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, and it's following up with a second model here at IFA. The just-announced DA241HL is a 24-inch touch machine running Android Jelly Bean 4.2 with a quad-core Tegra 3 processor under the hood. Yes, you read that correctly -- that NVIDIA chip is usually found in mobile devices, but Acer's found a home for it in a decidedly larger package. The company says the DA241Hl is "designed to offer users the same familiar experience as with tablets and smartphones," which also explains the Android OS on board. Naturally, users have access to Google Play, and MHL connectivity means the AIO can act as a monitor complete with two-point touch. Acer will launch the 24-incher in October for €429 and up.
We're not finished yet; the company's rolling out three other desktops, all of which have a full HD 23-inch touch display. The Aspire U5-610 comes with your choice of Intel Haswell processors, along with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760M GPU and up to 16GB of RAM. At €1,129 and up, it's the highest-end option of the group. The Aspire Z3-105, starting at €799, sports an IPS display and runs AMD's latest A series quad-core CPUs with Radeon graphics, and it brings the entertainment chops with Harman Kardon speakers and Dolby Home Theater surround sound. Both the U5-610 and the Z3-105 will launch in December. Finally, there's the Aspire Z3-610, which runs a Haswell processor with your choice of Intel graphics or an NVIDIA GPU. It will go for €799 and up when it hits the market in January. You'll find the press info for all four products past the break.
Filed under: Desktops, Acer
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