Tuesday, July 6, 2010

IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 06/07/2010



TAG Heuer Merediist GMT keeps your Monte Carlo arrivals on time
For all its luxurious sapphire crystal glass and genuine alligator skin, the TAG Heuer Meridiist has always struggled to keep up with the times -- but don't expect that two megapixel camera or 1.9-inch QVGA screen to change in the handset's latest iteration. No, the Merediist GMT's only new feature is -- you guessed it -- to literally keep track of Greenwich Mean Time. "Switch between home time and destination time," a flashy new ad teases, as a pair of (presumably) filthy rich individuals take the TAG Heuer Tesla for a cross-country drive. We're not quite sure how one originally forgets about world time with 150 years of watchmaking experience under one's belt, but at least the company has pledged to include the function in all future $4000+ models.
TAG Heuer Merediist GMT keeps your Monte Carlo arrivals on time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceTAG Heuer  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Logitech Revue Google TV box hits the FCC
It may not be reaching consumers until sometime this Fall, but Logitech's Google TV companion box, the Revue, has recently landed in a few important hands: the FCC's. Not much in the way of surprises with this one, but we do at least get a glimpse of the device's internals (check out a shot after the break), and the mystery of the FCC label has been solved at last. Of course, if it's information and excitement you're after, you can always check out our hands-on from Google IO.
Continue reading Logitech Revue Google TV box hits the FCC
Logitech Revue Google TV box hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
BlackBerry Curve 9300 gets FCC approval?
Like many companies, RIM generally does a superb job of concealing model numbers of unannounced devices when it files for FCC certification -- but given what we know of Waterloo's product pipeline, we think it's safe to take a stab at what we're looking at here. In all likelihood, this is the upcoming Curve 9300, evidenced by the general shape of the rear and... well, the obvious "Curve" label up top. This particular unit appears to have triband CDMA including AWS, meaning we could definitely see it launch on some of the AWS-packing regionals like MetroPCS. Physically, it's a step up from the 8500 series below it -- but by all appearances, it's not a major redesign. How about that 9800, RIM?
BlackBerry Curve 9300 gets FCC approval? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered 'One' and 'Chic' arriving first
While all of you Droid, Incredible and EVO 4G owners wait patiently for an official Froyo update to call your own, LG's wasting no time introducing its first phones based on the latest and greatest Android build. Over in the UK today, the company has decided to launch the Optimus Series, a family of smartphones that'll run "on a range of operating systems as well as Android." If all goes well, LG will introduce around ten new smart devices worldwide in the second half of this year under the Optimus label, though only two are being partially revealed for now. The Optimus One with Google and Optimus Chic will both ship with Android 2.2 onboard, with the latter being specifically aimed at fashionistas who just might appreciate the "sleek curves" that make themselves so apparent. Further details surrounding pricing, availability and specifications remain to be seen, but here's hoping this is just the beginning of the Froyo flood to come.Continue reading LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered 'One' and 'Chic' arriving first
LG debuts Optimus smartphone series, Froyo-powered 'One' and 'Chic' arriving first originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 10:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Pressure-sensitive drawing headed to iPad in free software library (video)
"The iPad's IPS panel is pressure-sensitive, you say?" No, that's not quite right, but with some clever software and a special capacitive stylus, the folks at Ten One Design built a convincing proof of concept anyhow. While we're not quite sure how it works, the current theory states that the soft tip of the stylus expands like a brush when you press it down, generating a "larger press" that can be detected by the hooks in Ten One's code -- which they soon plan to share as a free software library (assuming Apple allows) with developers around the world. See it in action in a video after the break, and if you're feeling your inner Rorschach today, let us know what you see in the above drawing.Continue reading Pressure-sensitive drawing headed to iPad in free software library (video)
Pressure-sensitive drawing headed to iPad in free software library (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink SlashGear  |  sourceTen One Design  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Intel Connected Cars will record your bad driving for posterity, take over if you're really screwing up
Intel's latest Research Day has sprung up a new vision for "smart" vehicles; a vision that frankly chills us to our very geeky core. Cameras and sensors attached to an Intel Connected Car will record data about your speed, steering and braking, and upon the event of an accident, forward those bits and bytes along to the police and your insurance company. Just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it? Don't get us wrong, the tech foundation here is good -- having cars permanently hooked up to the ether can generally be considered a good thing -- but what's being envisioned is as obtrusive as it is irritating. Oh, didn't we mention that the cars can become self-aware and overrule you if you try to bend the rules of the road? Because they can.
Permalink   |  sourceDaily Telegraph  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
HP Photosmart D110a ePrint printer earns 5-star reviews despite lacking ePrint... wait, what?
See the bullet for HP's new D110a Photosmart e-All-in-One that says, "HP ePrint for printing anywhere." Well, you can ignore that for now. While HP proudly lists ePrint -- the ability to print PDF, JPEG, and MS Office documents received as attachments from any email-capable device -- as a flagship feature on its newest line of web-connected printers, it's not a working feature and it won't be until a software update is pushed out at the end of the month, according to support forums. Unfortunately, there's no notice of this on HP's own retail listing for the D110a (HP's first ePrint-capable printer), Amazon, or in brick-and-mortar shops like Best Buy. And curiously, that trio of 5-star "customer reviews" on HP's own site fail to mention the missing feature at all. Instead, owners will only discover this after calling the HP help desk or checking the growing list of disgruntled rants in HP or Amazon support threads. Not cool HP, not cool.

[Thanks, Cliff W.]
Permalink   |  sourceAmazon (customer reviews), HP (support), HP (retail)  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Researchers say any USB peripheral could steal your data, even a coffee-cup warmer
USB cup warmerSo you've got a nice secure thumbdrive, but did you ever think to lock its port? Engineers at the Royal Military College of Canada say the plug and play functionality built into most computers automatically trusts whatever's plugged into the USB slot. That doesn't just go for flash drives left out on the street, but all manner of other peripherals as well, as the trio of triumphant researchers demonstrated when they (presumably) infiltrated colleagues' offices with a totally sweet spy keyboard. That particular device flashed an LED or made the mark's sound card warble to covertly transmit stolen data, but such exotic methods are reportedly not required -- so you've yet another reason to cringe when your coworker trots out his Humping Dog.
Researchers say any USB peripheral could steal your data, even a coffee-cup warmer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Switched  |  sourceNew Scientist  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
iOS has a bigger dev army than Android, but will cross-platform apps rule the day?
We oftentimes hear raw numbers of apps bandied about in mobile OS comparisons, but we rarely get any idea of just how many developers are behind the scenes working for each platform. This is the void of knowledge filled by AppStore HQ today, who have gone to their dev directory -- claimed to be a complete listing of all 55,000+ coders whose work is currently available for consumption in the Apple App Store or Android Market -- and stacked them into neat piles of Apple, Google and Gapple programmers. It's immediately apparent that single-platform development is the norm (with Apple holding the predictable edge), but AppStore HQ also provides a list of some of the most well known (and well funded) apps doing the cross-platform dance, and suggests that a movement is afoot toward making software available for both sets of users. Then again, the BNET article below points out the difficulties faced by smaller outfits, who might struggle to find the resources required to port their content over and maintain the skills required to be multi-platform, resulting in them sticking to one environment, irrespective of what allures others might throw their way. Give them both a read, we say.
iOS has a bigger dev army than Android, but will cross-platform apps rule the day? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink VentureBeat  |  sourceAppStore HQ  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Iran's got a walking humanoid robot, too
Two years ago, Iranian students built Sorena, a white humanoid machine that reportedly wheeled about via remote control. For 2010, robots experts at Tehran University decided to update the creature -- and apparently, channel a little bit of Asimo. Surena 2 was unveiled by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this week, its purpose unknown. Named after a famous Persian warrior, the robot stands 4.7 feet tall, and can walk about slowly carrying its own weight of 99 pounds. Gulf News reports the robot will get vision and speech modules later on down the road. If it ends up conducting orchestras or performing show tunes, we'll be sure to keep you informed.
Iran's got a walking humanoid robot, too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceAFP, Gulf News  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
LG confirms Android tablet for Q4 2010 launch, Froyo for Optimus Z
Now this is jolly good news. LG, which already has a Windows 7 tablet in the works, is gearing up to service those with a hankering for some Android in their slate computers as well. Clearly unwilling to fall behind its fierce rival Samsung, LG has just announced that it'll bringing out its own Google-centric tablet before the end of 2010. Indications are that it'll be different (presumably better) than current offerings on the market, but alas there's nary a peep about what that might mean on the spec sheet. In other machine-translated news, the Korean company is also planning a new version of its SU950 handset, aka the Optimus Z, which will come preloaded with Android 2.2. Current owners of the phone need not despair either, as Froyo upgrades are planned for them by the fourth quarter as well. Hmm, all this Q4 and 2.2 action flying about, would be nice to think this tablet would benefit from the same treatment.
LG confirms Android tablet for Q4 2010 launch, Froyo for Optimus Z originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 01:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Wall Street Journal  |  sourceLG Korea  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Motorola XT502 with Android 2.1 gets teased in China, out-KIRFs itself
Oh China, you tease us with much love and KIRFness, except this time it's actually a real phone -- or is it? Even the tipster of this Motorola XT502 says it's a bit "shanzhai," but at least we know it really exists. Leaving that thought aside, this Android 2.1 phone rocks some mid-range features: 3.2-inch screen (no word on display type), trackball, touch function keys, physical call buttons, micro-USB port, microSD expansion, 1,230mAh battery, and five-megapixel camera with button and LED flash. That's all we're told for now, but there are more pics at the source link, if you so desire.

[Thanks, Thomas]
Motorola XT502 with Android 2.1 gets teased in China, out-KIRFs itself originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Mobiflip  |  sourceHiAPK  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Rude Gameware's Fierce Teflon & Steel mousepad can take the heat
Rude Gameware new's Fierce Teflon & Steel Mouse Surface may not have a built-in calculator or USB hub, but it is made of Teflon and steel, which makes it a multipurpose mousepad in its own special way. Still can't justify spending $30 on a mousepad? The next best alternative is as close as your kitchen cupboard.
Rude Gameware's Fierce Teflon & Steel mousepad can take the heat originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 22:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceRude Gameware  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
HTC Vision with Android, full QWERTY in the wild?
For reasons seemingly known only to Peter Chou himself, HTC has mostly steered clear of producing high-quality physical QWERTY devices running Android, despite the fact that there might be no phone manufacturer in the world more skilled at making them (let us remind you of the Touch Pro2, among many others dating back the better part of a decade). Anyhow, we caught wind last month of a possible entry in the form of the so-called "Vision," but we didn't have any visuals -- just a user agent profile that may or may not amount to anything. Well, that seems to be changing today with a couple blurry shots out of a Croatian site that allegedly shows the goods featuring a 3.7-inch display, a 1GHz processor (Snapdragon, we assume), and Android 2.1 with Sense (the launcher looks like stock Android in this photo, but the status bar is clearly HTC custom). At a glance, it doesn't seem to be the prettiest thing in the world -- but for a form factor traditionally associated with power users and suits, this might be just the ticket.

[Thanks, Ivan]
HTC Vision with Android, full QWERTY in the wild? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourcenjuskalo.hr  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Samsung Intercept ambushed in the wild, features higher res screen (video)
When we first got word of a Samsung Moment successor, we were concerned it would be too little, too late... but this week a man headed off Sammy's new Intercept at a Best Buy (for $100, reportedly), and there's slightly more to this device than it originally seemed. While the form factor and features are familiar enough -- a QWERTY slider with a 3.2 megapixel camera and 3.2-inch screen -- that display apparently sports a 800 x 480 resolution now, the keyboard seems much improved, ports and buttons have been thoroughly revamped, and the whole unit's been given a lovely sheen. No word on internal specs quite yet -- and no Froyo, either -- but you can judge how responsive it is for yourself in a video after the break.

[Thanks, Brad B.]Continue reading Samsung Intercept ambushed in the wild, features higher res screen (video)
Samsung Intercept ambushed in the wild, features higher res screen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourcefirestormcomputers (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Inexplicable rise in iPhone dev's App Store sales connected to iTunes account hacks? (update)
55diggsdigg We've received a handful of tips this morning claiming something's rotten in the state of the iTunes App Store, namely via the Book category. As of this writing, 42 of the top 50 books by revenue are from the seller Thuat Nguyen, whose company website ("mycompany") leads to parked site www.home.com. A vast majority of these book apps were released in April, have little to no customer ratings or reviews, appear to be in Vietnamese (despite claims in the side bar that the supported languages are English and Japanese), and may or may not be infringing on copyrighted work -- we're noticing a lot of Dragon Ball art here. To give sales a sense of scope, Twilight series conclusion Breaking Dawn is hovering only at 34 right now.

So, how did these books hit the top of the charts? The other half of this story has to do with a claimed rise in iTunes account hacking, with a number of people reporting up to hundreds of dollars being spent unwillingly from their account to these specific books. Coincidence? Let's not mince words here, something is definitely amiss, and it's not looking good. Just to be safe, might wanna check your purchase history under Apple Account information. We've reached out to Apple and will let you know as soon as we hear back.

Update: We've yet to hear from Apple proper, but we do have an update of sorts -- 9 to 5 Mac reports all the "mycompany" titles have completely vanished from the App Store. We're not sure whether Apple decided to shut down the operation or the seller pulled them himself, so continue to keep an eye on your digital pocketbook until we know for sure.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Permalink In Depth with Tech, Mac Stories, Twitter  |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Motorola Charm spotted in T-Mobile ad, free on contract for back-to-schoolers?
Advertising a product before it's even official, what could be more patriotic? TmoNews has a convincing (but still unconfirmed) picture of a T-Mobile "Back to School" poster featuring Samsung :), Gravity T, Gravity 3, and... Motorola Charm? Looks like our chubby, Motoblur-equipped candybar has been given an air of legitimacy, even more than the previous leak. What's also interesting is the price -- as part of the promotion, Charm is apparently free on contract (seems to be T-Mo's special of choice, these days). Can't say with any certainty what that means for the cost of the phone after this season's school craze dies down -- the Gravity 3, for example, is usually $80 with a two-year agreement -- but it can't be much longer now before we get the skinny on this square. Hit up the source for full picture.
Motorola Charm spotted in T-Mobile ad, free on contract for back-to-schoolers? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Phone Arena  |  sourceTmoNews  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
Prototype car with tactile feedback challenges the blind to drive (update)
We can already imagine just what you're thinking -- the blind have no place behind the wheel, right? As it turns out, though, cars can steer themselves these days, so there technically no reason why (save a few laws) a computer-assisted blind person couldn't drive. Virginia Tech's RoMeLa successfully tested a laser-guided dirt buggy last year (see above), and teaming with the National Federation of the Blind this week, it intends to demonstrate a pair of full-sized augmented SUVs next year. In January 2011, the Daytona racetrack will play host to two heavily customized Ford Escape, filled with "nonvisual interfaces" like a vibrating vest and gloves, a steering wheel that provides audio cues on when to turn, and a tablet device covered with tiny holes (called AirPix) that represents the road and obstacles around the vehicle with jets of compressed air. Even with all those gizmos, we understand if you still might not want your neighbors barreling down the street, but let's face it -- plenty of us sighted folks are just as visually impaired. Video and full press release after the break.

Update: Dr. Dennis Hong of RoMeLa just informed us that though the auditory steering wheel was part of the laser-guided buggy, it won't appear on the Ford Escape. He also relates that letting the blind drive is merely a short-term goal -- the big picture here is to develop new interfaces for the blind, and safer transportation technology. Continue reading Prototype car with tactile feedback challenges the blind to drive (update)
Prototype car with tactile feedback challenges the blind to drive (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceAssociated Press  | Email this | Comments
Read More ...
مرسلة بواسطة Abdalrhman Albayyat
في 7:00 AM
التسميات: ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)