Verizon details Droid DNA update, hints at menu key software option
Despite our love for the
Droid DNA, it has a few flaws that are hard to ignore. Perhaps most vexing is the lack of an option to map the contextual menu button to the recent apps key. Fortunately, we're now hopeful that Verizon will remedy the situation. Big Red just posted an overview of a forthcoming software update, and among the line items, it's said that users can expect "enhanced recent apps functionality." As you can see, the wording is frustratingly vague and open to interpretation, but the fix is logical and would
follow precedent from HTC. Other changes are more clearly spelled out, such as improved WiFi and hotspot connectivity, better audio quality when using a wired headset and correct timestamps for incoming messages. For a complete breakdown of what's in store, just hit up the source link.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
HTC,
Verizon
Comments
Source: Verizon
Read More ...
Dish's Charlie Ergen on wireless dreams, ad skipping, à la carte programming and more
Charlie Ergen, chairman and co-founder of Dish Network, was the keynote speaker on the first night of the
D:Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, California., and without question, he's going to be a tough act to follow. The hour-long conversation touched on everything from Ergen's expertise at the blackjack table to his belief that there are just two kinds of people in the world -- "those who get results, and those who make excuses" -- but host Peter Kafka dove right into the major issue at hand: the
Hopper. Head on past the break for a rundown of the interview.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment,
HD
Comments
Read More ...
Raytheon's Riot could make online stalking more efficient for governments (video)
When
Raytheon isn't busy building a
railgun or tinkering with
exoskeletons, it apparently spends some time coding software to help keep tabs on what folks are doing online.
The Guardian got ahold of a video from 2010 that reveals a Raytheon employee demoing such software with the moniker Rapid Information Overlay Technology, or Riot for short. Instead of sifting through streams of tweets and Foursquare checkins to figure out a person's haunts and schedule, Riot collates data for users and displays it in everything from maps (saved in .kml files) and charts. Riot is even savvy enough to pull out location information saved in the exif data of photos posted online. One visualization feature in the program arranges a target's info in a spider web-like view and highlights connections between them and people they've communicated with online.
According to
The Guardian, Raytheon shared the Riot tech with the US government and "industry" organizations in 2010 through a research and development initiative that aimed to build a national security system that could analyze "trillions of entities" online. Raytheon says it hasn't sold the software to any clients, but we think this is a fine reminder that your friends, family and secret admirers may not be the only ones interested in your tweets and check-ins. Head past the jump to catch a video of Riot in action.
Filed under:
Internet,
Mobile,
Alt
Comments
Source: The Guardian
Read More ...
LG promo confirms 5.5-inch Optimus G Pro for Korea
If you were worried that you might have to wait until Mobile World Congress to learn whether or not a
5.5-inch version of the
Optimus G Pro was real, your mind can rest at ease. While hoping to drum up buzz for a launch beyond Japan, the company has ever-so-casually mentioned that at least the South Korean edition of the G Pro has a 5.5-inch, full HD screen -- half an inch larger than the Japanese model, and just as large as the panel on the
Galaxy Note II. Want to know more? That's part of the promo. Borrowing a page
from Sony, LG promises to reveal more of the phone the more Facebook Likes it receives. While previous tips suggest that the 5.5-inch edition will mostly be a larger take on an already supersized device, it's still very tempting to click that Like button -- just don't expect one of the mentioned prizes if you live beyond LG's native borders.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
LG
Comments
Source: LG Social (translated),
LG Electronics (Facebook)
Read More ...
Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls NY Times article criticizing Model S a 'fake'
We recently had a chance to put a
Tesla Model S through its paces and we had no problem getting where we were going -- and back again -- despite our testing happening in Upstate New York the middle of a rather chilly January.
The New York Times, however, had a bit of a harder time of it. Over the weekend,
Times reporter John M. Broder published what can only be called a rather negative report on a failed trip to one of Tesla's fabled
Superchargers. After a series of short charges and a series of drives in a Model S (the very same car we tested, we would add), Broder ultimately ran out of juice and was left stranded, having to tow the car from Brannford, CT to the nearest Supercharger, this one in Milford -- about 25 miles away.
Broder blamed the temperature and, ultimately, the car for causing the disappointment -- something Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to rebut, saying:
NYTimes article about Tesla range in cold is fake. Vehicle logs tell true story that he didn't actually charge to max & took a long detour.
The Times responded (via CNBC) that the report was "completely factual" and that "Any suggestion that the account was 'fake' is, of course, flatly untrue." Musk then took to CNBC himself to talk about a "lengthy detour" Broder took through Manhattan -- something not mentioned in his post.
In our own experiences, we definitely did notice a decreased indicated range immediately after turning on the car, but it quickly rose as they gradually rose to operating temperature. That said, we were never able to eke out the "indicated" range in the cold on either of our lengthy trips -- even those that didn't involve trips through Manhattan.
Filed under:
Transportation
Comments
Source: @elonmusk (Twitter),
The New York Times
Read More ...
LG reveals Optimus L Series II, dual-SIM L7II is the first to launch
As usual, LG can't wait for the show to start to display its latest phones and is previewing the Optimus L Series II line ahead of MWC 2013. Just like
its predecessors, the L Series II will come in a variety of sizes, with a 3.2-inch L3II, 4.0-inch L5II and 4.3-inch L7II on the way. According to LG, the second coming of the L Style adds Seamless Layout, Laser Cut Contour, Radiant Rear Design and Smart LED Lighting (the button at the bottom has a lighted edge) design elements to the beauty of the original phones. Other than screen size, the different versions will also feature different batteries, ranging from 2,460mAh in the largest to 1,540mAh in the smallest.
The L7II will be first to launch and has the most details, with specs listing a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8225 CPU, up to 4GB internal storage, 768MB RAM and a microSD slot, plus WVGA IPS screen and 8MP rear / VGA front camera setup. The dual-SIM version
seen in earlier leaks will debut in Russia this week with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on board, availability for the other new phones will be announced later. The full rundown of new features and a pair of pictures are after the break, while you check those we'll keep an eye out for any more
surprises from LG before the show floor opens in Barcelona.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Mobile,
LG
Comments
Read More ...
Samsung details Innovation Centers in San Francisco and New York, focusing hard on software + hardware marriage
David Eun, presently serving as EVP at Samsung's Open Innovation Center after stints at AOL, Google, Time Warner and NBC Entertainment, just took the stage here in Dana Point, California during the opening night of D:Dive Into Media 2013. Given the media / content focus of the event, the conversation between Eun and host Kara Swisher revolved almost entirely around Samsung's
role in the world of content, production, connectedness and distribution. Starting things off with a bang, he affirmed that Samsung is opening
two new Innovation Centers that'll act as idea accelerators. In a way, this is Samsung getting into the funding game, which certainly adds a new twist to an industry that has largely been dominated by angels that aren't necessarily a part of a major corporation.
Initially, one will be opening up in the Bay Area, while the other gets planted at an undisclosed location in New York City. Eun noted that in the past, Samsung was "focused on manufacturing hardware," but it realized some time ago that you "have to get both hardware and software right." He stated that the company as a whole has been "investing quite significantly over the past few years on software," and turning to how it impacts content, he explained an internal company process that aims to gather insight about consumers. Not necessarily in the creepy, privacy-invading kind of insight, but in the way of discovering what consumers want, but don't yet have in the marketplace.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Tablets,
Samsung
Comments
Read More ...
Engadget Expand speakers, Round Five: Robots, bionics, da Vinci surgery and more!
It's time for another unveil of the speaker lineup we've got brewing for
Expand in San Francisco this March 16-17. We've got four more inspiring thinkers and doers who will be joining us on stage at Fort Mason Center:
They're joining a whole host of other rad speakers including Chris Anderson (CEO,
3D Robotics and former editor-in-chief,
Wired), Yancey Strickler (Co-founder and Head of Community,
Kickstarter), Steve Cousins (CEO,
Willow Garage), Julie Uhrman (Founder and CEO,
OUYA) and
many more. Stay tuned here and on our social channels (
Twitter,
Facebook and
Google+) for more agenda reveals and other Expand news.
Plus, find out who the attendees are most looking forward to seeing...
Filed under:
Announcements,
Meta
Comments
Read More ...
Samsung's David Eun: ongoing Apple v. Samsung litigation 'a loss' for innovation
David Eun, presently serving as EVP at Samsung's Open Innovation Center after stints at AOL, Google, Time Warner and NBC Entertainment, just took the stage here in Dana Point, California during the opening night of D:Dive Into Media 2013. While the interview was certainly a wide-ranging one, one particular diversion caught our ear. Breaking from discussions on Eun's view of Samsung as a content company, Swisher asked Eun quite pointedly about its
relationship with Apple. Eun chuckled a bit, making quite clear that he himself was not the whole of Samsung. While Eun wouldn't comment on the specifics of the ongoing litigation, he did note that as a evangelist of Silicon Valley and a consumer of technology, he views the deadlock as "a loss."
It was actually a pretty candid response, and it was clear from his body language that he truly is less than thrilled that the legal struggles are ongoing. As Eun noted, Samsung makes money each time an iPhone is sold, yet the two companies are indeed competitors on some levels. Eun confessed that he'd simply have to let the lawyers battle it out, but it was quite refreshing to hear a Samsung executive admit what most laypeople have long since believed: that the patent quibbles are
hindering innovation on
the whole.
We'll be reporting live from D:Dive Into Media as it continues on February 11-12. You can follow our coverage by using the "dmedia2013" tag.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Apple,
Samsung
Comments
Read More ...
Mattel goes all in on AR for 2013
At last year's Toy Fair,
Mattel was all about
Apptivity. The line of figures that interact with an iPad didn't exactly revolutionize the industry. But, the company isn't giving up on the concept. In 2013 it's evolving and moving from action figures that you drag across a screen, to much more interactive augmented reality concepts. Rather than simply slapping a capacitive pad on the bottom of a toy, this next-gen version focuses first on delivering a solid analog experience, then enhances it by actually using the considerable computing power made available by the iPad. To give the new series the best chance possible at succeeding, three of the biggest brands in the Mattel stable will be first to make the jump:
Barbie,
Disney and
Hot Wheels. So what does 2013 hold for the venerable toy maker? Head on after the break to find out.
Filed under:
Software
Comments
Read More ...
Heavy Rain creator details the difficulties of game engines and what he hopes the future holds
Heavy Rain development studio Quantic Dream is notorious for long development times. The studio's also notorious for critically-loved games with strong cinematic cores, and games that often look
very different from the competition. Part of that is game design, but another major piece of the puzzle is the engines driving those games -- each game that Quantic Dream makes is built in a unique game engine, which is both
very expensive and
very time-consuming. The studio's founder and lead, David Cage, explained as much to us in an interview at
DICE 2013.
"Quantic Dream is a very special company in the sense that we do a lot of things that wouldn't make any sense in any other company. We haven't done any sequels so far, we work on new IPs each time. And we pretty much develop a new engine each time we develop a new game."
But Cage doesn't harbor much love for that last part -- the game engine bit. He says that his studio opted out of the current console generation's game engine of choice (
Unreal Engine 3) because, "we work with Sony, [and] we want to create the best technology for the hardware and see how far we can go." As a result, even Cage's latest work (
Beyond: Two Souls) is crafted in a new engine -- the same one used to build
the Kara demo we saw last March -- intended to show off the PlayStation 3's late-generation graphical and processing chops. Yes, even with the next PlayStation (codenamed "
Orbis") waiting in the wings, his second-party Sony studio is still showing off the aging PS3's prowess.
Beyond: Two Souls is more than just a showpiece, of course, with Quantic Dream employing actress Ellen Page to motion performance-capture the game's main character, and the same emphasis on storytelling the studio's practiced previously. Still, Cage hopes for a future where technology isn't something he and his studio need be concerned with.
Filed under:
Gaming,
Software,
HD,
Sony
Comments
Read More ...
Microsoft talks plans for premium content production, details Xbox 360's transition to an 'entertainment console'
Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, just sat down alongside Nancy Tellem, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft LA Studios, to kick off this year's rendition of D:Dive Into Media here in Dana Point, Calif. The first session of the evening is being piloted by
AllThingsD's Peter Kafka, and naturally, the topic of conversation is Xbox. For starters, Mehdi affirmed that Microsoft is witnessing an unmistakable transition of the Xbox 360 "from a gaming console to an
entertainment console." At present, the
install base is up to 76 million (up from around 70 million at the close of September 2012), with US-based users using the console for some 87 hours per month.
In fact, he stated that 18 billion (yeah, with a "B") hours of entertainment have been consumed on Xbox, and while Netflix is
obviously the driving force, it might not be that way for much longer. He was quick to claim that Sony's PlayStation 3 "isn't as good of an entertainment console" -- something he feels that "everybody knows" -- and insinuated that the next-generation Xbox will stick to "big and premium." In other words, don't expect Microsoft to kick out a $50 Roku-style content box. Mehdi wants to ensure that the future of Xbox enables voice control, interactivity, and "other stuff that's big and beautiful."
Filed under:
Gaming,
HD,
Microsoft
Comments
Read More ...
Nike confirms no FuelBand app for Android in development, doesn't rule out future support
Nike's always been tight with Apple, as its Nike+ platform has gotten along with
iPods and
iPhones for years, and the cooperation continued with an iOS app for the
FuelBand. Given the
number of Android users out there, many figured the Swoosh would also release a 'droid friendly version, but it turns out those expectations will remain unfulfilled... for now. Nike Support's Twitter account confirmed as much today, saying its devs are focused on iOS and web and are not working on an Android app. Why no love for the little green 'bots? Well, Nike had this to say:
To deliver the best experience for all Nike+ FuelBand users, we are focusing on the FuelBand experience across iOS and nikeplus.com, where you can sync your activity, set new goals, and connect with friends. At this time, we are not working on an Android version of the mobile app.
When we asked if it's shelving its Android efforts permanently, the company informed us that it was not -- meaning we
may see such an app at some undisclosed time in the future. So, hope springs eternal for all you FuelBand users with Googlefied phones.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Wearables,
Mobile,
Google
Comments
Via: Droid Life
Source: Nike Support (Twitter)
Read More ...
The Daily Roundup for 02.11.2013
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.
Comments
Read More ...
Linux Foundation finally gets Microsoft signature on secure UEFI bootloader
Whatever hoops the Linux Foundation had to
waddle through to get an MS-signed bootloader for use on Windows 8 hardware, it appears to have worked. Whereas
Ubuntu and
Fedora already had UEFI Secure Boot support, and there was the Shim bootloader and
other fixes for smaller distros, this official solution promises to be more user friendly and universal, albeit with a few caveats that are described by
MJG59 at the link below. Once you're sure you want it, head over to the source with a USB key and do the honors.
Filed under:
Software,
Microsoft
Comments
Via: MJG59
Source: Linux Foundation
Read More ...
Must See HDTV (February 11th - 17th)
Regular season pro hoops action takes this weekend off for the All-Star Game, while NHL action is in full swing. Reality TV fans have new season of long running series
Survivor and
The Amazing Race to look forward to, and a new Bond is coming home on Blu-ray. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
NBA All-Star Weekend
Celebs, up and coming players, and the league's top stars (as voted by fans and coaches) collide this weekend in Houston for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. As always, there's some conflict about who is most qualified to play, and the usual controversy about whether or not the dunk contest will be any good this year. We'll be keeping an eye on the Rising Stars game Friday night to see which first or second year players are the best, and the second half of the ASG itself to see if Dwyane Wade hits Kobe in the face (again).
(All weekend, ESPN / TNT)
Skyfall
James Bond is back, in a nicely shot entry in the series. This flick has a slightly different angle as Bond, M and the rest of the agents find themselves under attack directly, but as usual Daniel Craig is up to the task.
($19.99 on
Amazon)
State of the Union
Clear your Tuesday night schedule on several networks, as the President takes the stage for the first State of the Union Address of his second term in office. Regardless of your affiliation or even interest in politics, it does provide a good opportunity to compare/contrast the quality of each network's feed.
(February 12th, 9PM)
Filed under:
Home Entertainment,
HD
Comments
Read More ...
10-foot ED-209 model from RoboCop 2 storms eBay, demands $25k to comply
If you're a fan of
RoboCop -- and if you were a child of the '80s, why wouldn't you be? -- then today might be your lucky day. A ten-foot-tall prop of the executive-gunning ED-209 is now available for purchase on eBay for the low, low price of $25,000. Okay, so that's not exactly cheap for what isn't even a real working bot, likely made as either a stand-in or a marketing piece. It also apparently needs a couple of wooden planks to stand on its own and was built for the infinitely less cool
RoboCop 2. Still, did we mention this thing is ten feet tall? And its leg extensions contain metal bars and pneumatic cylinders? And there are real electrical connections below the legs there? Sure, it might not actually power up, but it's certainly more intimidating than the
robotic officers we have now. So go ahead and bid on it if you have the cash; just keep it away from stairs.
Filed under:
Robots
Comments
Via: Badass Digest,
Kotaku
Source: eBay
Read More ...
Editorial: iWatch app speculation is filler, not killer
Innovation is problem-solving. Radical innovation is seeing normalcy as problematic, and solving it. That level of invention, which solves a generally unrecognized problem to create a new product category, or user experience, can be difficult to recognize in the conceptual stage. A far-reaching idea can seem trivial if it solves routineness. Sometimes it takes the product itself, the manifested experience, to demonstrate how to rise above the customary. Email solved postal mail, which died another incremental death last week by announcing a
proposal to end Saturday letter deliveries. Cell phones solved the disconnect between phones and the walking-around life. Mobile apps solved the gap between computers and cell phones. Perhaps HTML5 will solve apps.
So forgive me if I'm being small-minded, but
Bruce Tognazzini's speculative manifesto about an Apple iWatch fails to make a convincing futurist case for the imagined device -- despite
whipping up a
whirlwind of
attention. What is the future of wearable computing?
Filed under:
Apple
Comments
Read More ...
Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 5:30PM ET
It seems harder and harder to keep to a regular schedule these days, but we won't have to think of an excuse this week as we're back to our regular recording time this week for the Engadget HD podcast. So if you agree that it's good to be home -- and love HD, of course -- please tune in live at 5:30
PM and be be a part of it. Start by reviewing the list of topics after the break, then participate in the live chat.
Filed under:
HD
Comments
Read More ...
Visualized: A table full of space elevator robot prototypes
It's not every day you come across this sort of thing -- well, not unless your friends are the sort of folks who take it upon themselves to transform space travel as we know it. We popped into
Liftport's workspace, during a recent visit to the Pacific Northwest, to check in on the progress of the
Kickstarter-funded space company. Much of Liftport's innovation is occurring in a garage loaded with arcade cabinets, pinball machines in various states of disrepair and an army of cats with various levels of polydactylism. Above, you'll find prototypes of the company's various
space elevator-climbing robots, which can be explored in more detail in the gallery below. We'll have more on our visit with Liftport soon.
Filed under:
Robots,
Science
Comments
Read More ...
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2 review
Before we talk about the
ThinkPad Tablet 2, Lenovo's new Windows 8 hybrid, we need to talk about the
original ThinkPad Tablet, the one that came out in fall of 2011 to mixed reviews. It was an okay device, when push came to shove, with useful features like a full-size USB port, 1080p output and pen support -- a rarity on Android tablets. But the tablet itself was bulky, performance was sluggish, battery life was mediocre and there weren't even that many Android apps designed to be used with a pen. It was a concept that didn't totally work -- at least not with that OS -- and indeed, Lenovo's long since discontinued it.
Fast-forward to the present, and the ThinkPad Tablet's been resurrected in the form of a 10.1-inch Windows 8 device, one that starts at $579 and can be used with an optional keyboard dock. It's a much lighter product, at 1.3 pounds (down from 1.58), and although it uses a heavier-duty Atom processor, battery life is said to top out at about 10 hours. (The original lasted eight in our usual test.) Like the OG version, it allows for pen input on select models, but of course, Windows comes ready-made with a larger selection of apps where a pen might actually be useful. So is the second time a charm? In a word, yes.
Filed under:
Laptops,
Lenovo
Comments
Read More ...
Project Holodeck gets a virtual hands-on ahead of launch (video)
The team behind
Project Holodeck has a daunting task ahead: it has to combine a
virtual reality headset, two
PlayStation Move controllers and a
Razer Hydra into a unified VR input system that somehow feels natural. From what we've seen in
Road To VR's hands-on with the system, the group might just pull that off. There's no mistaking the sheer amount of equipment strapped to your head -- not to mention the Lenovo laptop on your back -- but the effort does create an immersive virtualization of the player's body where walking, arm movements and body lean all work more or less as you'd expect. Although significant stretches of development lie ahead, including fully fleshed-out games and the eventual use of an
Oculus Rift, there's already teases of potential commercialization and a second generation that would include lighter, sleeker components. Those curious enough to watch two grown men stage a living room swordfight (and provide insightful answers afterwards) can watch the battle after the break, and head to the source for more details.
Filed under:
Displays,
Gaming,
Wearables
Comments
Source: Road To VR
Read More ...
Kanex meDrive turns any USB drive into a NAS for iOS devices, we go hands-on
Kanex may be more famous as a
cable maker, but it still has priors when it comes to knocking out the odd device.
meDrive is a small white box that's designed to turn any old USB HDD into a network attached storage (NAS) drive. We're no friend to buzzwords like "
private cloud," but as the unit promises to swell the capacity of our microSD-slot lacking iOS devices, we couldn't resist giving it a go. Does this $99 box do all that it promises to do? Find out, after the break.
Filed under:
Networking
Comments
Read More ...
Slickdeals' best in tech for February 11th: Cameras, Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 and more
Looking to save some coin on your tech purchases? Of course you are! In this round-up, we'll run down a list of the freshest frugal buys, hand-picked with the help of the folks at Slickdeals. You'll want to act fast, though, as many of these offerings won't stick around long.
Scouring the web in search of the day's best tech deals? Allow us to lend a hand. Two
cameras, a
Lenovo IdeaPad Y500 and more get penciled in on the list to begin the week. As always, just mosey down beyond the break to see all of the selections and be mindful of coupon codes when needed.
Filed under:
Cameras,
Laptops,
Portable Audio/Video,
Storage
Comments
Source: Slickdeals
Read More ...
iOS 6.1.1 rolling out for the iPhone 4S
Well, iOS 6.1 is still
pretty young, but 6.1.1 is already hitting the airwaves. At least for some iPhone 4S owners that is. We've been able to confirm availability of the upgrade on multiple 4S handsets, but have not seen it yet on an iPod touch or any other iPhone model. The notification screen does specifically call out the update as fixing issues relating to "cellular performance and reliability" on the iPhone 4S, so it's quite likely the update will be for that device only. While better signal reliability would be a welcome upgrade, the bug we've heard the most complaints about is the seriously diminished battery life under 6.1. Unfortunately the pseudo-changelog that appears alongside the update make no mention of improved longevity. Other tweaks rumored to be landing with this version, including better Maps support in Japan, will have to wait for a future release like 6.2.
Filed under:
Cellphones,
Software,
Mobile,
Apple
Comments
Source: @viticci (Twitter),
Apple Support
Read More ...
Available Tags:
wireless ,
LG ,
CEO ,
Samsung ,
hardware ,
Engadget ,
Apple ,
Microsoft ,
Xbox ,
Android ,
Linux ,
Lenovo ,
Tablet ,
USB ,
iOS ,
iPhone ,
No comments:
Post a Comment