Tuesday, November 16, 2010

IT News HeadLines (Engadget) 11/15/2010

White HTC EVO 4G leaves the Best Buy nest, migrates to Sprint stores
Once a Best Buy exclusive, the white version of HTC's still-badass EVO 4G is finally making its way into actual Sprint retail locations, the carrier's website, and other third party stores for the same $199 on contract after $100 mail-in rebate as usual. Gives us a good opportunity to levy the same complaint we'd levied before -- that the front of the phone should be white, not just the back -- but hey, at least passers-by will know you're stylin' when you've got it held to your face.
White HTC EVO 4G leaves the Best Buy nest, migrates to Sprint stores originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceSprint  | Email this | Comments
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THQ uDraw Gametablet for Wii review
There comes a time when fiddly buttons and D-pads just don't do it anymore, a time when you need a little more control. Nintendo was first of the current generation to show its hand with the fling-sensitive Wiimote, and of course Sony and Microsoft are both now doing similarly intended things with the PlayStation Move and the Kinect, respectively. Now THQ is trying to do its own little new thing by launching the $69.99 uDraw Gametablet on the Wii, supplanting the wavy wand with a stylus. Next logical step in gaming? Tool to unleash a torrent of creativity? Half-baked third-party accessory? Read on to find out.
Gallery: THQ uDraw Gametablet
Continue reading THQ uDraw Gametablet for Wii review
THQ uDraw Gametablet for Wii review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Comcast Xfinity remote app for iPhone, iPad launches, video streaming & Android version on the way
The Xfinity remote app Comcast CEO Brian Roberts showed off earlier this year is now available in the app store for the iPad and iPhone. Currently they allow Comcast customers with compatible digital TV service to browse listings and On Demand content from their portable device and change channels right from the app. Video streaming, additional remote features and enhanced search are all promised for future releases, while other platforms should also get their own versions soon. Android apps are promised for later this year, with Blackberry to follow. For now, check out the press release and original demo video embedded after the break or grab the app from iTunes and break out your Comcast e-mail address to try it out prior to a live demo at 8:30 (EST) this evening at the Web 2.0 conference. It may not be the improved interface for our cable boxes we've been expecting for such a long time, but it's at least a step in that direction.
Gallery: Comcast Xfinity Remote for iPad
Continue reading Comcast Xfinity remote app for iPhone, iPad launches, video streaming & Android version on the way
Permalink   |  sourceXfinity, iTunes  | Email this | Comments
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HP Mini 1103 released for business people on a budget
Devastated that you won't be able to nab an HP Slate 500 in time for the holidays? How about a brand new HP business netbook as a consolation? The Mini 1103 looks a lot like the consumer Mini 210 but drops the colorful lid options as it's more for Suits in search of an affordable mini-laptop. Starting at $299, the 10.1-inch netbook is available with Intel Atom N455 and N475 processor options, 1GB of RAM, three- and six-cell batteries, and your choice of Windows 7 Starter, SUSE Linux, or FreeDOS OS. Obviously, if you're looking for a higher-end netbook with an HD display, touchscreen, dual-core processor, and more durable aluminum lid, there's still the $399 Mini 5103, but the Mini 1103 does have HP's business applications, including QuickSync and QuickWeb. Hit the gallery below for shots of the new little guy and the source link for a full rundown of the configurations.
Gallery: HP Mini 1103
HP Mini 1103 released for business people on a budget originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple says tomorrow is 'just another day that you'll never forget,' teases iTunes announcement
Whoa, what's this? Apple just updated its homepage with a new splash screen teasing an "exciting announcement from iTunes" at 10AM ET tomorrow, saying that "Tomorrow is just another day. That you'll never forget." All streaming subscription service based out of that North Carolina data center? More video content in the store? Apps for the Apple TV with the iOS 4.2 update? The Beatles? Whatever it is, we're digging for more, and we'll let you know as soon as we find out.
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Adobe Air gets Saltier 2.5.1 release, adding flavor to Android Gingerbread
Adobe Air gets Saltier 2.5.1 release, adding flavor to Android Gingerbread
Adobe Air 2.5 is barely cool yet here we have the company announcing its successor. Release 2.5.1, dubbed "Saltier," is out and available with only one purpose in mind: desiccating some compatibility issues with Gingerbread. Users of the 2.3 version of Android will apparently receive a Force Close when trying to load any Air app and, while we're guessing that isn't an issue affecting too many people at this particular moment, it's always good to be prepared.
Adobe Air gets Saltier 2.5.1 release, adding flavor to Android Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceAdobe Air Team Blog  | Email this | Comments
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Pulito, the Lego Mindstorms swiffer-bot that seeks out electricity (video)
You could certainly buy a ready-made robot to sweep your hardwood floors, but doesn't building your own out of Lego bricks sound like loads more fun? That's what PlastiBots did with the Pulito pictured above, a Lego Mindstorms NXT sweeper with a host of sensors to navigate around furniture and a standard Swiffer pad to scrub. There's no fancy NorthStar or Celestial navigation packages to keep the bot on track, so it meanders about much of the time, but there is an fancy infrared beacon on the robot's charging dock to guide the creature home. When the Pulito's running out of juice from a long, tiring session of painstakingly traversing your floors, it's programmed to automatically seek out that invisible light and receive a loving 12 volt embrace from the station's brass charging bars. See it in action after the break, and hit our source link for more.

[Thanks, Dave]Continue reading Pulito, the Lego Mindstorms swiffer-bot that seeks out electricity (video)
Pulito, the Lego Mindstorms swiffer-bot that seeks out electricity (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourcePlastiBots  | Email this | Comments
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Microsoft exec caught in privacy snafu, says Kinect might tailor ads to you
Microsoft's Dennis Durkin voiced an interesting idea at an investment summit last week -- the idea that the company's Kinect camera might pass data to advertisers about the way you look, play and speak. "We can cater what content gets presented to you based on who you are," he told investors, suggesting that the Kinect offered business opportunities that weren't possible "in a controller-based world."
And over time that will help us be more targeted about what content choices we present, what advertising we present, how we get better feedback. And data about how many people are in a room when an advertisement is shown, how many people are in a room when a game is being played, how are those people engaged with the game? How are they engaged with a sporting event? Are they standing up? Are they excited? Are they wearing Seahawks jerseys?
Needless to say, sharing this level of photographic detail with advertisers presents some major privacy concerns -- though it's nothing we haven't heard before -- but moreover it's explicitly against the privacy policy Microsoft presents Kinect users. "Third party partners use aggregated data to deliver Kinect experiences (games or applications), to understand how customers use their Kinect experiences, and to improve performance or even to help plan new experiences," the Kinect Privacy and Online Safety FAQ reads, but also "They are not permitted to use the information for marketing purposes such as selling you games or services, or for personalizing advertising" (bolding ours).

In an email to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft flatly denied that the Kinect would do anything of the sort, whether via third-party partners or otherwise. "Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE do not use any information captured by Kinect for advertising targeting purposes," representatives wrote. Honestly, some of us at Engadget still think targeted advertising is kind of neat, but we know how seriously you take this stuff.
Microsoft exec caught in privacy snafu, says Kinect might tailor ads to you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Digital Trends  |  sourceWall Street Journal, BMO Transcript (docx)  | Email this | Comments
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ViewSonic ViewPad 7 tablet up for pre-order, now costs a wallet-crunching $599
Excuse us, ViewSonic, but we think there's been some sort of mistake -- your ViewPad 7 tablet is on sale at Amazon for $599, over a hundred dollars more than you said it would cost just two weeks back. Yes, we certainly understand you have to import the OlivePad rebadge from a substantial distance and negotiate with Google for its Android Market innards, but we're not exactly ecstatic about the 600MHz ARM CPU -- even with front- and rear-facing cameras on board. Given that Samsung's Galaxy Tab doesn't have phone functionality stateside, we admit there's a market for a seven-inch Froyo tablet that can do voice calls, but did you really have to take Sammy's controversial price point as well?

[Thanks, onelove]
ViewSonic ViewPad 7 tablet up for pre-order, now costs a wallet-crunching $599 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Marshall's Major headphones and Minor earphones become official, pricing strikes the right note
It's November 15, which means Marshall is finally lifting the cardboard veil away from its debut personal headgear products. The headliner is unsurprisingly titled the Major, which is the collapsible set of cans you see above. It comes with both 3.5mm and 6.3mm (via an adapter) connectability as well as "super soft" cushions to keep your ears cozy. The exterior of the headband's made up of the same vinyl Marshall uses on its amplifiers, for that extra sense of familiarity, and the price is set at 99, whether you're talking euros or dollars. Similarly currency-agnostic is the Minor set of in-ear drivers, pictured below, which comes in at 59 eurodollars. For that you'll get a tangle-resistant fabric cord with an integrated mic, a patented EarClick system for securing the buds in your ear, and the admiration of consumer types everywhere. Or you would if they hadn't already sold out.

[Thanks, Damjan]
Gallery: Marshall Major headphones
Gallery: Marshall Minor earphones
Permalink   |  sourceMarshall (Major), (Minor)  | Email this | Comments
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AMD will contribute 'engineering expertise' to MeeGo development project
Now here's a very positive new sign for MeeGo's future. AMD, Intel's oldest and boldest nemesis, has added its name to the list of companies actively supporting the development of the platform -- which got its start as a joint project between Intel and Nokia -- and has pledged the contribution of its "engineering expertise" to the further advancement of the open source OS. In simpler terms, AMD must be aware of the great potential of MeeGo and is seeking not to be left behind, as illustrated by Ben Bar-Haim, the company's software development VP, who expressed AMD's hope that "this operating system will help drive our embedded plans and create expanded market opportunities for our forthcoming Accelerated Processing Units." Good to know, guys, good to know. Jump past the break for the full press release.Continue reading AMD will contribute 'engineering expertise' to MeeGo development project
AMD will contribute 'engineering expertise' to MeeGo development project originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PS Jailbreak gets support for PS3 versions 3.42 and 3.5, is no firmware safe?
PS Jailbreak gets support for PS3 versions 3.42 and 3.5, no firmware is safe
The update wars continue, and call us crazy but it sure looks like Sony is on its heels. The PlayStation 3 firmware version 3.50 was supposed to be the one to really protect the console, forcibly installed with Medal of Honor and reportedly the cause of the latest (and last) Gran Turismo 5 delay. But, it was all for naught, with PS Jailbreak announcing downgrade support for firmware 3.42 and 3.50 "and beyond." The only question now is: what's the next firmware version going to be called? Maybe if Sony started naming these updates after delicious pastries we'd be a little less tired of applying them.

Update: To clarify, this will not let you play 3.42 or 3.50 games, but will let you downgrade your firmware from those versions to an earlier, more hackable release.

[Thanks, Mattias]
PS Jailbreak gets support for PS3 versions 3.42 and 3.5, is no firmware safe? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Giorgio Armani wants to captivate Galaxy S buyers with new Samsung handset (video)
Shock of all horrors, Samsung and Giorgio Armani have teamed up yet again to produce a specially endorsed handset for the fashion-conscious public. The fun thing about this oh-so-exclusive piece of Armani luxury is that it looks remarkably (read: exactly) like the AT&T Captivate that Americans have had the pleasure of using for a good few of months now. We're hearing there's some extra multimedia bundled in along with the GA brand name, so we're absolutely positive your €700 will be well spent. If you're not yet convinced, how's about an unboxing video after the break?

[Thanks, Gianluca]Continue reading Giorgio Armani wants to captivate Galaxy S buyers with new Samsung handset (video)
Giorgio Armani wants to captivate Galaxy S buyers with new Samsung handset (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink High Snobiety  |  sourcem4cch14n3r4 (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments
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AMD promises Radeon HD 6900 series launch for the week beginning December 13th
AMD's cutting it mighty close, but the latest word from its PR mouthpiece is that the hotly anticipated Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 will be unveiled just in time for the gift-giving holidays. Fudzilla has heard directly from the Radeon team, who say they're "going to take a bit more time before shipping the AMD Radeon HD 6900 series." The NDA is expected to lift on the week beginning December 13th, but it's anyone's guess whether reviews of the cards will be accompanied by widespread in-store availability. Our hearts say yes, but our minds are already making other plans.
AMD promises Radeon HD 6900 series launch for the week beginning December 13th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceFudzilla  | Email this | Comments
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IOGEAR rolls out two trackball-equipped HTPC keyboards
If you've been spending an inordinate amount of time on the couch... well, that's not exactly something we'd happily admit to all. But that doesn't mean you actually have to get up and get moving. IOGEAR's making it even easier to access Netflix, the world wide web and your mum's Picasa account through your HTPC, all courtesy of a new pair of 2.4GHz wireless couch keyboards. The GKM571R is the smaller of the two (shown above), with a palm-sized design, backlit keys, a tiny optical trackball in the top-right corner and a svelte lid to cover things up when bedtime calls. The GKM571R is an oval shaped board that's closer to full size, with a row of dedicated media hotkeys and an even larger trackball for moving your cursor. You'll find 'em both available later this year, with the former going for $99.95 and the latter for $89.95. Good thing you won't even have to leave said sofa to order one.
Gallery: IOGEAR's GKM571R and GKM581R HTPC keyboards
Continue reading IOGEAR rolls out two trackball-equipped HTPC keyboards
IOGEAR rolls out two trackball-equipped HTPC keyboards originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 05:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Hot Hardware, Engadget Chinese  |   | Email this | Comments
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ASUS' Sandy Bridge motherboards are pretty, come with Bluetooth and USB 3.0 as standard
We already got an early glimpse at what ASUS is bringing to Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge party, now how about some glamor shots of the actual hardware? The Taiwanese company has taken the shroud of mystery away from its latest range of motherboards and the first thing that stood out to us was the TUF-looking Sabertooth P67 above. It comes with an extended five-year warranty, "military-grade" electrical components, a litany of thermal sensors, and of course that Tactical Jacket up top. Beyond its obvious visual appeal, the Jacket serves to channel airflow throughout the board, aiding the cooling of more peripheral components. On the more diminutive front, ASUS is showing off a Mini-ITX board, the P8P67-I, that fits everything but full-sized RAM slots within a minuscule footprint. Check it out after the break. Oh, and ASUS is sticking USB 3.0 and Bluetooth connectivity on almost all its future boards. Yay!
Continue reading ASUS' Sandy Bridge motherboards are pretty, come with Bluetooth and USB 3.0 as standard
Permalink   |  sourceTech Report  | Email this | Comments
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Universal remote arrives within a pillow, makes channel surfing hip again
It's a pillow. And a remote. And if your powers of observation are anywhere near "strong," you've probably deduced by now that you're looking at a universal remote control... albeit one that's wrapped within a pillow. We've seen similar creations come around in concept form, but leave it to the folks at Brookstone to turn this thing into a reality. Purportedly, this unit can be programmed to work with over 500 devices, and there's a power-saving auto shutoff feature that'll definitely be overrode by your incessant squeezing. We wouldn't count on this thing actually working well, but for $29.95 (in addition to the cost of two AAA batteries, of course), we highly doubt you'll find a more fashionable, lovable cube of cotton.
Universal remote arrives within a pillow, makes channel surfing hip again originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 03:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Gizmodo  |  sourceBrookstone  | Email this | Comments
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Researchers develop 'blood camera' to spot crime scene stains in a flash
Could inspecting a crime scene for even the most minuscule blood stains one day be as simple as taking a picture? It will if some research now being conducted at the University of South Carolina in Columbia pans out. A team there led by Stephen Morgan and Michael Myrick have developed a so-called "blood camera" that uses a combination of infrared light and a transparent layer of the protein albumin -- the latter of which acts as a filter and is able to highlight blood stains by filtering out wavelengths that aren't characteristic of blood proteins (or so we're told). That's as opposed to current methods for detecting blood at a crime scene, which rely on the chemical luminol to make the stains appear in the dark. As New Scientist notes, however, that method can also dilute blood samples and make DNA difficult to recover, and create false positives. The researchers don't seem to be stopping at blood, though -- they say the camera could also be easily adapted to detect detect trace amounts of other materials that aren't visible to the naked eye, like drugs or explosives.
Researchers develop 'blood camera' to spot crime scene stains in a flash originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceNew Scientist  | Email this | Comments
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Toys R Us Black Friday doorbuster includes $80 netbook, $140 Sylvania netbook
Believe it or not, America's favorite holiday is under a fortnight away. And this year, it looks as if Toys R Us won't even wait for Thanksgiving Day to conclude before forcing employees behind registers and breaking families apart as they seek out lukewarm deals camouflaged as revolutionary purchases. This year, Black Friday begins at 10PM on Thanksgiving Eve, meaning that quite a few desperate souls will be lined up in a parking lot rather than circling a stuffed bird and chuckling with loved ones. The culprit? Two devices in particular. The first is an unnamed 7-inch netbook, complete with WiFi, three USB sockets, a sub-two pound weight, a red chassis and a mind-scrambling $79.99 price tag. The second is a 7-inch Sylvania tablet, sporting Android 2.1, WiFi and an SD card slot; we're assuming it's the same unit Kmart is hawking for $180, but Toys R Us will have it for the low, low price of $139.99. Other hidden treasures include a Vivitar point-and-shoot for $39.99, 7-inch Coby digiframe for $24.99 and a Vivitar pocket camcorder for just $19.99. We know your gears are already turning, but lest we forget that time with family is priceless... right?

[Thanks, Dave]Continue reading Toys R Us Black Friday doorbuster includes $80 netbook, $140 Sylvania netbook
Toys R Us Black Friday doorbuster includes $80 netbook, $140 Sylvania netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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InstantAction dies in an instant, future of embedded gaming looks questionable
Well, that was brief. Just a few short months after InstantAction went public with its embedded browser-based gaming platform at GDC 2010, the Oregon-based startup has gone belly-up. If you missed out on what this here outfit was offering, you clearly aren't alone -- but for the historians in attendance, we'd invite you to revisit our hands-on for an overview of what was planned. Unfortunately, the company has yanked all of its Vimeo clips detailing the system's features, and its website now affirms that the service as a whole is "no longer available." We're hearing that it'll be selling the underlying Torque Game Engine (and presumably that fancy "chunking" tech that enabled games to be played in a browser with just a broadband connection), but based on the tepid response so far, we're guessing it won't fetch much. We definitely saw a bit of promise in the concept -- after all, browser-based games like Solipskier are all the rage in some circles -- but bona fide console / PC games simply don't fit that mold, or so it seems.
InstantAction dies in an instant, future of embedded gaming looks questionable originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceInstantAction  | Email this | Comments
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Inhabitat's Week in Green: of electric tractor unicycles, garbage-powered garbage trucks, and luminous nanoparticle trees
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

This week we were blinded by the light as researchers unveiled a way to transform city trees into luminous streetlights using gold nanoparticles. We also showcased a mesmerizing paper LED structure shaped like a tree at Tokyo Designers Week, and speaking of stellar architecture, check out this stunning star-shaped Taiwanese tower topped with a built-in wind turbine.

In other news, strap on your rollerblades and hang tight - from the Department of Questionable Transportation comes the FlyRad, an insane electric unicycle that pulls you down the street at 25 miles per hour. Meanwhile, the city of Toronto is doing their part to preserve the environment by rolling out a fleet of garbage trucks that can be powered by the very waste they collect. Finally, the University of Rhode Island signaled a bright future for efficient transportation as they unveiled four designs that could tap the United States' 2.7 million miles of roadways for solar energy.

This week we also looked at several new applications for futuristic manufacturing technologies - a dutch designer has pioneered a way to create 3D printed shoes that fit feet perfectly, and researchers have found that activated carbon cloth is a quicker picker-upper for toxic waste. Finally, with the holidays on their way, this week we rounded up our top ten green gadget gifts for 2010!
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Hack turns Kinect into 3D video capture tool
We all knew this would inevitably happen, but seeing it in action is something else -- the Kinect transformed by the power of open-source drivers into a true 3D video camera for capturing oneself. UC Davis visualization researcher Oliver Kreylos fed the streams from his peripheral's infrared and color cameras into a custom program that interpolated and reconstructed the result, generating a mildly mindblowing 3D virtual reality environment he can manipulate at will. And if it makes him look a little bit like the proficiently penciled protagonists in Take On Me, that's just the cherry on top. Don't miss the videos after the break to see what we're talking about.Continue reading Hack turns Kinect into 3D video capture tool
Hack turns Kinect into 3D video capture tool originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink CrunchGear  |  sourceOliver Kreylos  | Email this | Comments
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Switched On: Getting from Kno to yes, part 1
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Oh, e-readers are e-readers. And tablets are tablets. And surely the twain shall meet. Indeed, they already have, with the iPad hosting not only its own integrated bookstore, but client software from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and others. Barnes & Noble, in turn, describes its new Nook Color as a "readers' tablet." But these devices and their affiliated digital bookstores are all chasing the same avid readers of bestsellers. These readers read mostly for leisure or self-directed enrichment as they can fit it in to their schedules.

But those who sell e-readers and tablets would really like to tap into a market of people who have to read versus want to read -- not just the low-stakes novellas of Amazon singles, but hefty, cumbersome, expensive, perpetually obsolete tomes that are assigned to 19 million full-time college students annually. The National Association of College Stores estimates that the average full-time college student spends nearly $700 per year on course materials. For the 2008-2009 school year, the average new textbook price was $64. And the mean gross margin on course materials for a college bookstore is 27 percent.

That is a prize worth pursuing. But can a device dedicated to the way students study survive amidst an onslaught of tablets from every corner of the PC, consumer electronics and cell phone industries? Kno thinks the answer is yes.Continue reading Switched On: Getting from Kno to yes, part 1
Switched On: Getting from Kno to yes, part 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Samsung i9100 is the dual-core Galaxy 2, sequel to the Galaxy S?
Along with a Sony Ericsson Anzu, the James Bond of cellphones -- alias Eldar Murtazin -- claims to be playing with a Samsung GT-i9100 right now, calling it the "Galaxy 2" and saying it's "so technically advanced" thanks in part to a dual-core processor. It seems like a long shot that this would be the Cortex-A9-based Orion since chips and development boards are just now being sampled -- but considering how far in advance Murtazin tends to score phones, we can't rule anything out.

One possible scenario is that the i9100 could be something akin to a TouchWiz-skinned version of the upcoming Nexus S, much as HTC's Desire was essentially a Sense-skinned version of the Nexus One. Samsung, of course, has been pushing TouchWiz very hard across its Galaxy S line this year, and if the Nexus S is as beastly as the rumors are claiming it to be, there's little doubt that Samsung would love to repurpose the hardware for something with a little more of its flavor thrown in. Speaking of the Galaxy S, keep in mind that the original European GSM model goes by the code GT-i9000, so it would stand to reason that the i9100 could be the proper successor -- and with Gingerbread-based TouchWiz and a dual-core processor on board, we'd say they're off to a strong start.

[Thanks, Peter]
Samsung i9100 is the dual-core Galaxy 2, sequel to the Galaxy S? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Android and Me  |  source@eldarmurtazin (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments
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HTC attempts to trademark 'HTC EVO Shift 4G'
What would you name your next superphone? HTC may be calling its device the HTC EVO Shift 4G, as that's the name its lawyers filed for trademark for on the 21st of last month. We can't say which particular gizmo the moniker refers to, though it evokes a Sprint leaning, as well as dredging up our suppressed feelings towards a certain QWERTY-equipped MID. Though, interestingly enough, the company applied for "HTC EVO 4G Shift" before changing the name to "HTC EVO Shift 4G." We'll let you draw your own conclusions about what that could possibly mean.

[Thanks, Naval P.]
HTC attempts to trademark 'HTC EVO Shift 4G' originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceUSPTO (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments
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Verizon happy to offer Windows Phone 7 devices 'as soon as Microsoft has 'em ready'
Yes, Verizon's calling them "Windows 7 mobile devices," but the underlying message is clear -- Verizon's tossing the Windows Phone 7 CDMA ball squarely into Microsoft's court. There are no CDMA-ready smartphones running Microsoft's latest mobile operating system (save the late-blooming HTC 7 Pro for Sprint) and Verizon doesn't intend to take any of the blame for that. You're up, Microsoft. Time for a three-point basket.

P.S. We suppose this could also be a coy reference to CDMA-ready Windows 7 tablets.

[Thanks, Daniel R.]
Permalink wpcentral  |  source@VerizonWireless (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments
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PC World stops selling the Toshiba Folio 100, we go hands-on to find out why (video)
£999.99 ($1,612) for a Toshiba Folio 100?! That's a fair bit more expensive than its original $560 price point -- either its Tegra 2 chip's made out of gold (which would explain its rarity) or someone got super bored at that PC World store in the British Midlands. Soon after receiving this photo, we put on our detective hat and headed over to our local branch in London, only to find that it had already stopped selling the offending Android tablet merely ten days after its European launch. We quizzed the staff about the aforementioned £999.99 pricing and then all was clear: apparently this is a standard internal convention to stop its folks from selling certain products, so the price tag and display unit you see above weren't supposed to be there at all. Oopsie!

So why is PC World (and the whole DSG International chain) pulling the Folio 100? Turns out this has nothing to do with Toshiba; but it's simply because of a high return rate from disappointed customers. In fact, head over to MoDaCo and you'll see a screenshot of PC World's internal memo that confirms this sad news. We had already given the tablet some decent (and disheartening) hands-on time back at IFA, but since our new friends at the store kindly offered to let us unbox a Folio 100 for a giggle, we decided to give it another go. And boy, it sure was a letdown: you'll see in our hands-on video after the break that the 10.1-inch LCD is haunted by an inferior pixel density plus narrow viewing angles; and the cheap plastic casing doesn't help, either. Most importantly, the official Android Market app was still MIA, which is no doubt the biggest turn-off for the buyers. Too bad, Toshiba, but do come back next year when you have Honeycomb and some decent screens.

[Thanks, John L. and Adam C.]

Update: Some commenters are pointing out that many software bugs -- especially in the Toshiba Market Place app -- and the lack of pinch-to-zoom in the browser are to be blamed as well. Yikes.
Gallery: Toshiba Folio 100 in-store unboxing
Continue reading PC World stops selling the Toshiba Folio 100, we go hands-on to find out why (video)
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Nokia E7 hits FCC with as much 3G support as you can handle
In our inevitable Utopian future (assuming we make it past this 2012 noise), we'll all use one frequency for our high-speed wireless broadband across the globe. Actually, we'll probably just beam information directly between our brains and brain-like supercomputers at speeds so fast they can't be measured, and we won't need smartphones at all because they'll be installed in our bodies at birth, complete with eyeballs capable of 1080p video capture. Until then, though, we've got companies like Nokia showing some hustle to put pentaband 3G radios on the market, and the trend continues with the upcoming E7. Of course, we already knew it was going to be pentaband -- Nokia had said as much -- but seeing it in the cold, hard graphs and tables of an FCC filing is still music to our ears. Won't be long now, folks.
Nokia E7 hits FCC with as much 3G support as you can handle originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 15:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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'The Gadget Blog' trailer
You know, our readers are really awesome. Super awesome. Not only are you guys really smart and funny, but you're wildly creative -- and there's no more compelling evidence for that argument than the video in this post. Based on nothing more than an Engadget Podcast rant, commenter (and podcast listener) Michael Jacob created an amazing parody trailer for the non-existent film The Gadget Blog. And that image up top? Created by commenter AWartinger! If you're not familiar with the source material, go back and take a listen to our most recent 'cast, but for the rest of you, enjoy the hilarity below.Continue reading 'The Gadget Blog' trailer
'The Gadget Blog' trailer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 14:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Titanium Blue PS3 hits Japan on November 25th, long-awaited racing game in tow
November 3rd came and went without a Gran Turismo 5 game to play, so as you'd imagine this gorgeous Titanium Blue PS3 launch bundle also failed to see the light of day. However, now that we've got a totally plausible and twice-confirmed November 24th release date for the little uber-realistic racer that could, it's probably fair to take Sony Japan at its word that we'll see the commemorating console appear without further delay. Tell your Japanese importer to line up on November 25th if you want one with your name on it, and be sure to hand him at least ¥35,980 (about $436) of your rainy day fund.
Titanium Blue PS3 hits Japan on November 25th, long-awaited racing game in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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TiVo Premiere now free on contract for $20 monthly, as TiVo introduces (and enforces) tiered subsidies
Well, it seems we finally know why TiVo was waxing poetic about software in recent months -- it's the way the company primarily plans to charge for its DVR hardware from now on. Following a week-long experiment of free-on-contract DVRs conducted last month, TiVo's opening up subsidized and partially subsidized pricing tiers to the entire US for those willing to chain themselves to a pricier $20 monthly fee. You can now get a TiVo Premiere for $0 on a two-year contract or $100 with a one-year arrangement, or pick up a TiVo Premiere XL for $300 on a one-year deal -- the same price the regular old 45-hour TiVo Premiere cost originally. TiVo's also kept the original $12.95-a-month plans around in case you want to pay full price for your hardware, which would normally make better financial sense after about three years, if not for the fact that there are still lifetime subscriptions available for $400 if you're truly in it for the long haul.

We're all for expanding our buying power in this arena, but there's one group of customers who are liable to get mighty pissed at the new arrangement -- the regular Joes and Janes headed to Best Buy right now to pick up a $99 TiVo Premiere "on sale." You see, retailers apparently didn't get the memo about the new tiered pricing and are advertising the arrangement as a $200 discount instead, which leaves TiVo's fine print the unenviable role of explaining that they're going to pony up $20 a month from now on.
2.1.2 When purchasing a TiVo Premiere box from a third party retailer at $99.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere box or $299.99 (includes an instant $200 savings off MSRP) for the TiVo Premiere XL box, you may only subscribe to the TiVo Service on a monthly basis for $19.99 a month with a one (1) year commitment (renews monthly after one year).
Choices, choices.

[Thanks, Daniel and Chris R.]
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