Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we have HDTVs in our sights -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month.
All those small screen devices in our back to school guide so far are nice, but lets face it, when it comes to watching TV or taking a quick Call of duty study break, you're going to need something more sizable. Higher end features like 1080p resolution, 120Hz and LED lighting have trickled down to more affordable price ranges so there's really no excuse for lugging a CRT as old as you are into any dorm room this fall. Whether you're looking something that pulls double duty as a computer monitor for work and HDTV for play (at the same time) or just the biggest screen for the buck there's plenty to choose from, so let's select a few winners from the crowd.
Continue reading Engadget's back to school guide: TelevisionsEngadget's back to school guide: Televisions originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Do you still regularly sync your iPhone with iTunes?
Tomorrow at their annual special music event, Apple might announce a new version of iTunes (iTunes X?) — maybe with $0.99 TV rentals or streaming cloud music — and thinking about that made me realize I hardly if ever sync my iPhone with iTunes anymore.
Just before iPhone 4 came out the Apple Store swapped out [...]Do you still regularly sync your iPhone with iTunes? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Just before iPhone 4 came out the Apple Store swapped out [...]Do you still regularly sync your iPhone with iTunes? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Samsung to unveil Media Hub Sept. 16
Those of you with a T-Mobile Vibrant, AT&T Captivate or the new Sprint Epic 4G might have tried the "Media Hub" app only to find that it just doesn't work. That's by design, as Samsung has yet to launch the service that will bring TV shows and movies to your phone. But that all changes Sept. 16 in New York City, when Samsung unveils what it's been working on. Stay tuned, folks.Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
iReader extension is like Safari Reader for Google Chrome and Firefox
Filed under: Google, Browsers
One of the most talked about features in Safari 5 has been its Reader function -- Apple's built-in implementation of the Readability bookmarklet. Both are nice ways to reformat articles on blog or news sites for distraction-free reading.
If you like the look of Safari Reader but would rather not change from Google Chrome or Firefox, don't worry. The iReader extension brings the same functionality to your browser of choice!
Like Safari Reader, iReader shrouds the background in semi-opaque blackness . Hover near the bottom of the page to display zoom and print controls, as well as e-mail/Twitter/Facebook sharing buttons. iReader is also highly configurable -- set Gmail as your 'send page' client, change the display font, activate smooth scrolling, set the "curtain" to be more or less transparent, and adjust the reading area and margins. You can also choose hotkey combination to activate iReader (rather than having to click on the Omnibar icon).
Download iReader : Google Chrome extension or Firefox add-on iReader extension is like Safari Reader for Google Chrome and Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
One of the most talked about features in Safari 5 has been its Reader function -- Apple's built-in implementation of the Readability bookmarklet. Both are nice ways to reformat articles on blog or news sites for distraction-free reading.
If you like the look of Safari Reader but would rather not change from Google Chrome or Firefox, don't worry. The iReader extension brings the same functionality to your browser of choice!
Like Safari Reader, iReader shrouds the background in semi-opaque blackness . Hover near the bottom of the page to display zoom and print controls, as well as e-mail/Twitter/Facebook sharing buttons. iReader is also highly configurable -- set Gmail as your 'send page' client, change the display font, activate smooth scrolling, set the "curtain" to be more or less transparent, and adjust the reading area and margins. You can also choose hotkey combination to activate iReader (rather than having to click on the Omnibar icon).
Download iReader : Google Chrome extension or Firefox add-on iReader extension is like Safari Reader for Google Chrome and Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Microsoft Plans Slow and Steady Retail Store Pace
Apple's retail stores won't have a challenger from Microsoft, at least in the short term.
That was one of the nuggets pulled from an Aug. 10 talk at the Oppenheimer Annual Technology, Media & Telecommunications Conference by Bill Koefoed, Microsoft's general manager of investor relations. Near the end of that event, an analyst in the audience asked a question about Microsoft's retail stores, which have been opening over the past year in cities such as Denver and San Diego.
"I think we have six open today, or we've announced six," Koefoed told the audience, according to a transcript released by Microsoft. "We think stores are important. We think they're important to give the end customer the experience of our products in an environment that we think we can optimize."
That being said, Koefoed added, "We've got to get the model right, and I think [Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's] been pretty clear that the stores need to make money." To that end, "We're continuing to grow at a prudent pace, one that we're learning from, and one that we're going to continue to learn from [to] make sure that we're making the right investments in the right places."
After months of Microsoft executives trumpeting that they were preparing to challenge Apple's retail experience head-on (and hiring George Blankenship, the former Gap executive who helped launch Apple's retail arm in 2001, to assist in the effort), the company opened stores in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mission Viejo, Calif., in late 2009.
Since then, Microsoft has seemed content to dip its toes in the water: a store opening here, another one there. The company could be reluctant to challenge big-box stores such as Best Buy that already sell Microsoft products and would doubtlessly be irritated if Redmond tried to seize a major chunk of their electronics revenue. But this could also be a more generalized feeling-out of the retail space; no sense in spending hundreds of millions on invading strip malls across the country if your company lacks the institutional knowledge to make such a strategy work.
In any case, Microsoft likely won't be challenging Apple store-for-store any time soon--but based on Koefoed's comments, the company obviously sees value in continuing the retail effort.
That was one of the nuggets pulled from an Aug. 10 talk at the Oppenheimer Annual Technology, Media & Telecommunications Conference by Bill Koefoed, Microsoft's general manager of investor relations. Near the end of that event, an analyst in the audience asked a question about Microsoft's retail stores, which have been opening over the past year in cities such as Denver and San Diego.
"I think we have six open today, or we've announced six," Koefoed told the audience, according to a transcript released by Microsoft. "We think stores are important. We think they're important to give the end customer the experience of our products in an environment that we think we can optimize."
That being said, Koefoed added, "We've got to get the model right, and I think [Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's] been pretty clear that the stores need to make money." To that end, "We're continuing to grow at a prudent pace, one that we're learning from, and one that we're going to continue to learn from [to] make sure that we're making the right investments in the right places."
After months of Microsoft executives trumpeting that they were preparing to challenge Apple's retail experience head-on (and hiring George Blankenship, the former Gap executive who helped launch Apple's retail arm in 2001, to assist in the effort), the company opened stores in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mission Viejo, Calif., in late 2009.
Since then, Microsoft has seemed content to dip its toes in the water: a store opening here, another one there. The company could be reluctant to challenge big-box stores such as Best Buy that already sell Microsoft products and would doubtlessly be irritated if Redmond tried to seize a major chunk of their electronics revenue. But this could also be a more generalized feeling-out of the retail space; no sense in spending hundreds of millions on invading strip malls across the country if your company lacks the institutional knowledge to make such a strategy work.
In any case, Microsoft likely won't be challenging Apple store-for-store any time soon--but based on Koefoed's comments, the company obviously sees value in continuing the retail effort.
Firefox 4 Beta 4 is out, with Panorama and Sync
Filed under: Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers
"Tab Candy" has finally come into its own in this most recent iteration of Firefox, Beta 4. The feature is now called "Panorama". Not all of Raskin's envisioned features made it, but it's still pretty dang cool.
Panorama now lets you group tabs and optionally name the groups. You can resize the groups, and when you shrink a group down to its smallest size, it becomes a "pile" and you can zoom into it by clicking a button next to it.
Another major addition is Firefox Sync. It works with its own accounts, "Firefox Sync accounts." Interestingly, it prompts you for a pass phrase in addition to a password. It's a service which syncs your history, open tabs, bookmarks, Awesomebar, etc. Sounds identical to what Google already does with Chrome, but now Firefox has it, too.
These are the two new major features in the Beta 4. The inclusion of Panorama is a big deal - it's Firefox's most innovative UI feature by far, and I think it signifies the release cycle rapidly moving to maturity for this version. You should definitely go give it a try, even if it's not ready yet for use as a full-time browser (due to lack of add-ons).Firefox 4 Beta 4 is out, with Panorama and Sync originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
"Tab Candy" has finally come into its own in this most recent iteration of Firefox, Beta 4. The feature is now called "Panorama". Not all of Raskin's envisioned features made it, but it's still pretty dang cool.
Panorama now lets you group tabs and optionally name the groups. You can resize the groups, and when you shrink a group down to its smallest size, it becomes a "pile" and you can zoom into it by clicking a button next to it.
Another major addition is Firefox Sync. It works with its own accounts, "Firefox Sync accounts." Interestingly, it prompts you for a pass phrase in addition to a password. It's a service which syncs your history, open tabs, bookmarks, Awesomebar, etc. Sounds identical to what Google already does with Chrome, but now Firefox has it, too.
These are the two new major features in the Beta 4. The inclusion of Panorama is a big deal - it's Firefox's most innovative UI feature by far, and I think it signifies the release cycle rapidly moving to maturity for this version. You should definitely go give it a try, even if it's not ready yet for use as a full-time browser (due to lack of add-ons).Firefox 4 Beta 4 is out, with Panorama and Sync originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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LG's 31-inch OLED prototype to slice through IFA
OLED's failure to do anything for the mainstream so far outside of phone and camera displays is only bittersweet: sure, we don't have millimeter thick TVs yet, but LCD has gotten slim enough that it hardly matters. So, in keeping with tradition, LG has stolen its own OLED thunder today. In line with earlier rumors, it will be showing off a 0.11-inch thick 31-inch 3D OLED display prototype at IFA this week, but that poor little OLED-that-would will be sharing a booth with a ready for retail 0.35-inch thick LCD that comes in big people sizes. Despite our undying affection for OLED, we know which one we'll be (theoretically) taking home in the windowless van we (theoretically) plan on parking out behind the Messe Berlin.LG's 31-inch OLED prototype to slice through IFA originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Akihabara | LG | Email this | Comments
Google tests real-time as-you-type search results (video)
Filed under: Google, Search
Watch the video! Pretty awesome, eh?
The problem is, as TechCrunch says, what about the advertising? Does every page refresh count as an ad impression? Will slower typists incur more screen refreshes? By the same rationale, surely real-time results like that must chew through the bandwidth, especially as search results become more interactive and media-rich.
Chances are, though, we won't see these real-time as-you-type search results in their current form. Google famously works on hundreds of little tweaks at any given time, each being rolled out to just a tiny fraction of its users. Instead, this technology might find its way to YouTube, or (gasp) Gmail! Having said that, as long as it doesn't impact too heavily on bandwidth and advertising concerns, maybe we will see it on Google Search!
It also makes you wonder what other unreported changes are tried out by Google...Google tests real-time as-you-type search results (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Watch the video! Pretty awesome, eh?
The problem is, as TechCrunch says, what about the advertising? Does every page refresh count as an ad impression? Will slower typists incur more screen refreshes? By the same rationale, surely real-time results like that must chew through the bandwidth, especially as search results become more interactive and media-rich.
Chances are, though, we won't see these real-time as-you-type search results in their current form. Google famously works on hundreds of little tweaks at any given time, each being rolled out to just a tiny fraction of its users. Instead, this technology might find its way to YouTube, or (gasp) Gmail! Having said that, as long as it doesn't impact too heavily on bandwidth and advertising concerns, maybe we will see it on Google Search!
It also makes you wonder what other unreported changes are tried out by Google...Google tests real-time as-you-type search results (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Monday, August 30, 2010
YouTube courting Hollywood for pay-per-view movie service by end of 2010, says Financial Times
For all the stupid pet tricks, first-person confessionals, and clips from Conan O'Brien's formative years that form YouTube's content, the one territory it doesn't really venture is pay-per-view à la Apple, Amazon, and others. Well, it'll be a Brave New World for the service -- and parent company Google -- if this Financial Times report is worth its weight in 3mm. According to the publication, the G-Men have been in talks with "Hollywood's leading movie studios" for several months, touting its reach as one of the main draws for the players involved, for the launch of an international pay-per-view service by the end of this year. Some prices are also thrown around here, to the tune of about $5 for new titles (streaming, not download) available the same time as the DVD releases. The video site has been doing rentals on a trial basis since early this year, with just a smattering of indie titles. The thought of paying to watch Blockbuster titles in the same window we watched three dozen (if not more) remixes of Keyboard Cat is still a bit of a new concept, but hey, that's the future for you.YouTube courting Hollywood for pay-per-view movie service by end of 2010, says Financial Times originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 18:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Financial Times | Email this | Comments
RIM averts BlackBerry ban in India... for now
It was facing an August 31st deadline before India banned BlackBerry service in the country, but it looks like RIM has now managed to avoid that scenario -- at least for a little while. According to India's Ministry of Home Affairs, "RIM have made certain proposals for lawful access by law enforcement agencies and these would be operationalized immediately," and that "the feasibility of the solutions offered would be assessed thereafter." Details are still a bit light beyond that, but India's assessment will apparently come after 60 days, and there's still no guarantee that we won't end up back at square one at that point. Interestingly, India is also still raising complaints about Gmail and Skype, with it now saying that it wants Google and Skype to set up servers in the country that would give it greater monitoring capabilities.RIM averts BlackBerry ban in India... for now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | The Globe and Mail, NDTV | Email this | Comments
Infineon WLS sold: iPhone?s 3G baseband now Intel inside
Intel has announced that they’ve bought Infineon’s wireless solutions business (WLS) for 1.4 billion dollars, which includes the Infineon 3G radio baseband used in iPhone. Here’re the PR bullets:
WLS sale enables Infineon to expand leading position in markets for automotive, industry and security technologies.
WLS will operate as a standalone business. Intel is committed to serving [...]Infineon WLS sold: iPhone’s 3G baseband now Intel inside is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
WLS sale enables Infineon to expand leading position in markets for automotive, industry and security technologies.
WLS will operate as a standalone business. Intel is committed to serving [...]Infineon WLS sold: iPhone’s 3G baseband now Intel inside is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Microsoft Attacks Yahoo Japan's Google Deal
It's on like "Donkey Kong," as the kids say.
Days after Microsoft's lead attorney opened fire (rhetorically speaking) on Yahoo Japan's selection of Google for its search and search ad technology, Microsoft announced it would take more concrete steps to scuttle the deal.
"We plan to present evidence to the Japanese FTC explaining why we believe that this deal is substantially more harmful to competition than Google's deal with Yahoo in 2008 that the U.S. Dept. of Justice found to be illegal," a Microsoft spokesperson told eWEEK in an e-mail July 30.
In a July 27 statement e-mailed to eWEEK, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith argued that the Yahoo Japan deal "gives Google virtually 100 percent of all searches in Japan, both paid and unpaid." For its part, Yahoo Japan has insisted that Google's Japanese-language services currently outpace those of Microsoft.
Bing currently powers Yahoo's back-end search in 59 countries, and Microsoft no doubt hopes that the major components of its search-and-advertising deal with the Web portal company--which will see Bing power search for all of Yahoo's online properties, while Yahoo takes over worldwide sales force duties for both companies' search advertisers--will be in place by the end of 2010.
But Yahoo only owns 35 percent of Yahoo Japan (according to Bloomberg), meaning the subsidiary can choose its vendors without mother-ship interference. Now, ordinarily, I'd caveat that statement with "in theory," but Yahoo Japan CEO Masahiro Inoue seems determined to go his own road on this one; if the U.S. Yahoo tried to apply leverage before this situation erupted, it evidently didn't work.
As I mentioned in my previous post on this, the brouhaha suggests that Microsoft may face a decidedly heavy battle in some markets as it tries to expand Bing's international reach. The latest twist suggests that Microsoft is willing to use the tools at its disposal, including an army of lawyers, to make that happen; it'll be interesting to see what happens when Redmond tries to face down an opponent with equally substantive cash flow and leverage.
Days after Microsoft's lead attorney opened fire (rhetorically speaking) on Yahoo Japan's selection of Google for its search and search ad technology, Microsoft announced it would take more concrete steps to scuttle the deal.
"We plan to present evidence to the Japanese FTC explaining why we believe that this deal is substantially more harmful to competition than Google's deal with Yahoo in 2008 that the U.S. Dept. of Justice found to be illegal," a Microsoft spokesperson told eWEEK in an e-mail July 30.
In a July 27 statement e-mailed to eWEEK, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith argued that the Yahoo Japan deal "gives Google virtually 100 percent of all searches in Japan, both paid and unpaid." For its part, Yahoo Japan has insisted that Google's Japanese-language services currently outpace those of Microsoft.
Bing currently powers Yahoo's back-end search in 59 countries, and Microsoft no doubt hopes that the major components of its search-and-advertising deal with the Web portal company--which will see Bing power search for all of Yahoo's online properties, while Yahoo takes over worldwide sales force duties for both companies' search advertisers--will be in place by the end of 2010.
But Yahoo only owns 35 percent of Yahoo Japan (according to Bloomberg), meaning the subsidiary can choose its vendors without mother-ship interference. Now, ordinarily, I'd caveat that statement with "in theory," but Yahoo Japan CEO Masahiro Inoue seems determined to go his own road on this one; if the U.S. Yahoo tried to apply leverage before this situation erupted, it evidently didn't work.
As I mentioned in my previous post on this, the brouhaha suggests that Microsoft may face a decidedly heavy battle in some markets as it tries to expand Bing's international reach. The latest twist suggests that Microsoft is willing to use the tools at its disposal, including an army of lawyers, to make that happen; it'll be interesting to see what happens when Redmond tries to face down an opponent with equally substantive cash flow and leverage.
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Context Menu URL Shortener for Google Chrome puts bit.ly sharing links close at hand
Filed under: Google, Browsers There's a big crop new extensions showing up which take advantage of Google Chrome's new context menu API, and that's great news for those of you who can't live without your right-click menu.
You can see a pair of newer extensions in my screenshot -- and while I'm not certain I'll be using the tab switcher, Copy Short URL is probably here to stay.
Just right-click a link and left-click and a bit.ly or tinyurl shortened link is copied to your clipboard for hassle-free sharing on your favorite social sites. That's it. Nice and simple, just how I like my extensions!
The developer states that more truncators will be added soon, which would be a welcome improvement. API and account support would be a nice touch as well -- perhaps that will be tacked on as well.Context Menu URL Shortener for Google Chrome puts bit.ly sharing links close at hand originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
You can see a pair of newer extensions in my screenshot -- and while I'm not certain I'll be using the tab switcher, Copy Short URL is probably here to stay.
Just right-click a link and left-click and a bit.ly or tinyurl shortened link is copied to your clipboard for hassle-free sharing on your favorite social sites. That's it. Nice and simple, just how I like my extensions!
The developer states that more truncators will be added soon, which would be a welcome improvement. API and account support would be a nice touch as well -- perhaps that will be tacked on as well.Context Menu URL Shortener for Google Chrome puts bit.ly sharing links close at hand originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Samsung Galaxy Tab to hit South Korea in early September
Samsung hasn't even had a chance to show off its upcoming Android 2.2-powered Galaxy Tab yet and already it is being leaked that South Korea's own SK Telecom will be launching the device come early September. No details on exact date, price, or possible contract were given for the launch. We will all just have to wait on Samsung's September 2 event in Berlin for more info. [Wall Street Journal (pay site)]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
Choosing Between a laptop and an iPad: A guide
One of the big questions many consumers are faced with today is whether to purchase a laptop or an iPad. We hope to take some of the pressure off and help make that decision easier for you in this guide. Since many of you are already more than well aware of what laptops can be [...]
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Joojoo lawsuit shocker! Court rules Fusion Garage and TechCrunch were business partners, tosses most everything else
It's been a few blissful months since we've thought about or had to interact with the Joojoo, but the court case Michael Arrington and TechCrunch filed against Fusion Garage just reached a significant milestone: the judge threw out several of Arrington's claims while importantly holding that TechCrunch and Fusion Garage were in fact business partners with legal obligations to each other. Here's the basic timeline so far: since there was (unbelievably) never a contract between TechCrunch and Fusion Garage to develop the CrunchPad / Joojoo, TechCrunch had to rely on a variety of alternative arguments in its initial complaint, which reached a zenith of optimistic fabrication in something called "misappropriation of business ideas." (We ran down the whole list way back in December, and also broke down Fusion Garage's subsequent motion to dismiss in February.)
The court didn't buy most of those arguments and dismissed everything but the breach of fiduciary duty claim in this latest ruling, which is both a significant loss and a significant win for TechCrunch: breach of fiduciary duty has always struck us as TechCrunch's strongest argument, and the court's now effectively ruled that Fusion Garage and TechCrunch were indeed involved in a joint business venture with legal obligations to protect each others' interests. That's not a bad position from which to proceed -- although TechCrunch now has to prove that Fusion Garage actually violated its duty by releasing the Joojoo on its own, which is a whole new fight. (The court also gave TechCrunch 20 days to try and amend some of its other claims, but "misappropriation of business ideas" was basically thrown out the window entirely.) So what's next? We're guessing another few months of cheerfully hostile motions accusing the opposing party of thwarting discovery and some firecracker depositions, all culminating in a matched pair of snippy motions for summary judgment. The suits, they dine well tonight.
P.S.- How or why either company continues to pay for all these legal bills is beyond us, but we've actually heard rumors of a Joojoo 2, so things could get even crazier. And potentially even less responsive to touch-based events.Joojoo lawsuit shocker! Court rules Fusion Garage and TechCrunch were business partners, tosses most everything else originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Daring Fireball | Ruling (Scribd) | Email this | Comments
The court didn't buy most of those arguments and dismissed everything but the breach of fiduciary duty claim in this latest ruling, which is both a significant loss and a significant win for TechCrunch: breach of fiduciary duty has always struck us as TechCrunch's strongest argument, and the court's now effectively ruled that Fusion Garage and TechCrunch were indeed involved in a joint business venture with legal obligations to protect each others' interests. That's not a bad position from which to proceed -- although TechCrunch now has to prove that Fusion Garage actually violated its duty by releasing the Joojoo on its own, which is a whole new fight. (The court also gave TechCrunch 20 days to try and amend some of its other claims, but "misappropriation of business ideas" was basically thrown out the window entirely.) So what's next? We're guessing another few months of cheerfully hostile motions accusing the opposing party of thwarting discovery and some firecracker depositions, all culminating in a matched pair of snippy motions for summary judgment. The suits, they dine well tonight.
P.S.- How or why either company continues to pay for all these legal bills is beyond us, but we've actually heard rumors of a Joojoo 2, so things could get even crazier. And potentially even less responsive to touch-based events.Joojoo lawsuit shocker! Court rules Fusion Garage and TechCrunch were business partners, tosses most everything else originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Daring Fireball | Ruling (Scribd) | Email this | Comments
Sunday, August 29, 2010
HP's Phil McKinney teases three mystery prototypes on Twitter
Well, this is certainly interesting -- that's HP CTO Phil McKinney pictured above in a pair of redacted shots that were posted to Twitter by HP's Mark Budgell. Described only as "early protos" by McKinney himself, the pictures show what appears to be phone-sized device, a tablet-sized device and, perhaps most curiously, something on McKinney's wrist (all mysteriously blacked out). Before you get your hopes up too much about a new wave of webOS devices, however, you might want to take a look at the second part of Budgell's tweet, which encourages folks to vote for McKinney's SXSW 2011 panel -- a panel in which McKinney promises to make some "bold predictions for the future - backed up with a number of breakthrough prototypes," and specifically talk about what the future will look like in "5 to 10 years." Now, we can't be certain of course, but that doesn't exactly suggest these are right around the corner. Head on past the break for a slightly bigger image.Continue reading HP's Phil McKinney teases three mystery prototypes on TwitterHP's Phil McKinney teases three mystery prototypes on Twitter originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | @philmckinney, @MarkatHP (Twitter) | Email this | Comments
Amazon Kindle review (2010)
Amazon's third major iteration of its flagship reading device, the Kindle, comes out of the gate looking strong: the new graphite finish (just like its big brother, the Kindle DX) with a slimmer, lighter form factor, plus a bumped refresh rate for its E Ink screen. Best of all, the WiFi only and 3G readers have newly lowered prices (though they're still not exactly bargain basement level). We've spent the past few days putting the tinier Kindle through the paces to see just how much Amazon's improved it. Though the market is increasingly flooded with cheap readers, the Kindle is arguably still the leading name in the field, and Amazon is already touting the third model as its bestselling ever -- even though there are still no sales figures to be had. So, is this the best Kindle ever? Read on to find out.
Gallery: Amazon Kindle unboxing and hands-onContinue reading Amazon Kindle review (2010)Amazon Kindle review (2010) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Gallery: Amazon Kindle unboxing and hands-onContinue reading Amazon Kindle review (2010)Amazon Kindle review (2010) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
MPEG LA chases its tail, says H.264 streaming will be free forever
MPEG LA, famous for nothing other than a portfolio of pretentiously pathetic patents, has finally taken a swing at the rapidly gaining popularity of its free-as-in-matted-beard competitor, WebM. Rather than running out in 2016, the license to stream H.264 will remain free forever.
This is a reactionary move to battle the rallying of Mozilla, Google and Opera behind the WebM video standard. As it stands, both Firefox 4 and Opera 10.6 only support WebM for HTML5 video -- with this licensing change, MPEG LA is obviously angling for H.264 support to find a place in both Firefox and Opera before their next stable release. Chrome, incidentally, supports both H.264 and WebM, and I expect it will continue to do so. IE9 supports H.264, but will include WebM support by the time it is released.
Despite the licensing changes, I can't imagine Mozilla leaping at the chance of including closed-source and patent-riddled code in its browser. At the end of the day, it will be services like YouTube and Hulu that actually decide the fate of the HTML5 video wars: if YouTube only provides WebM-encoded video, you can be damn sure that WebM will become the video standard!
Incidentally, if you want something disgusting to look at, check out the MPEG LA website. Not only does it look kind-of-90s-and-pseudo-NASA, but it also explains the dire, creativity-crippling concept of 'Patent Pools'. "Together, with the power of pooled patents, we can stamp out start-ups and create billions of dollars in the process! Mu ha ha!"
Someone pass me a bucket.
[via NewTeeVee]MPEG LA chases its tail, says H.264 streaming will be free forever originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
This is a reactionary move to battle the rallying of Mozilla, Google and Opera behind the WebM video standard. As it stands, both Firefox 4 and Opera 10.6 only support WebM for HTML5 video -- with this licensing change, MPEG LA is obviously angling for H.264 support to find a place in both Firefox and Opera before their next stable release. Chrome, incidentally, supports both H.264 and WebM, and I expect it will continue to do so. IE9 supports H.264, but will include WebM support by the time it is released.
Despite the licensing changes, I can't imagine Mozilla leaping at the chance of including closed-source and patent-riddled code in its browser. At the end of the day, it will be services like YouTube and Hulu that actually decide the fate of the HTML5 video wars: if YouTube only provides WebM-encoded video, you can be damn sure that WebM will become the video standard!
Incidentally, if you want something disgusting to look at, check out the MPEG LA website. Not only does it look kind-of-90s-and-pseudo-NASA, but it also explains the dire, creativity-crippling concept of 'Patent Pools'. "Together, with the power of pooled patents, we can stamp out start-ups and create billions of dollars in the process! Mu ha ha!"
Someone pass me a bucket.
[via NewTeeVee]MPEG LA chases its tail, says H.264 streaming will be free forever originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Wii Balance Board-controlled robot a hit with toddlers in Ithaca (video)
How could we resist a story involving robot-powered babies? The Ithaca College Tots on Bots project aims to mobilize infants with physical disabilities by setting them atop a "mobile robot" equipped with a Wii Balance Board to let the young operator steer by leaning -- which, it turns out, works pretty well. Additionally, the vehicle uses sonar to avoid nasty crashes and a remote control that an adult can use to take control. Further study has to be made before any long term developmental benefits can be ascertained, but in the meantime it does look like a lot of fun. See it in action after the break.Continue reading Wii Balance Board-controlled robot a hit with toddlers in Ithaca (video)Wii Balance Board-controlled robot a hit with toddlers in Ithaca (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Switched | Cornell University | Email this | Comments
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Mysterious Verizon-bound HTC handset appears mysteriously on the internet
Hey -- what's this? Well, from the looks of it, it's a new, as-yet-unnamed HTC device. There is perilously little info available about the mystery mobile, but it appears to boast an 8 megapixel camera with a flash plus a front-facing camera, a 4.3-inch screen, a headphone jack and a kickstand. It also appears that it's going to boast HTC's own Sense UI. This falls in line with what we've heard about Verizon's Android-heavy fall launch this year, so we would not be surprised to see this device make an appearance. Furthermore, we could go out on a limb and guess that it's possible this is the Merge mentioned in that lineup, which supposedly boasts a 1GHz processor. That's all there is to the story right now but we're going to stay up late tonight to be on the lookout for further information on this one. One more photo below and hit up the source for the rest.Continue reading Mysterious Verizon-bound HTC handset appears mysteriously on the internetMysterious Verizon-bound HTC handset appears mysteriously on the internet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Boy Genius Report | Email this | Comments
MIT Seaswarm autonomous robots coming soon to an oil spill near you (video)
Think of it as an autonomous, swarming, photovoltaic legion of seagoing Roombas (or don't, if you're easily upset). The Seaswarm project at MIT takes a thin, hydrophobic material and drags it behind a robot outfitted with GPS and WiFi for determining its location and communicating within a swarm. When deployed, the group finds the outer edges of an oil spill, and works its way into the center, coordinating the cleanup with minimal human interference. The material itself can take on twenty times its weight in oil. And yes, the whole thing is re-usable. According to researchers, 5,000 of these relatively low cost devices could have cleaned up the BP oil disaster in a month -- which is more than we can say for Kevin Costner! See it in action after the break.Continue reading MIT Seaswarm autonomous robots coming soon to an oil spill near you (video)MIT Seaswarm autonomous robots coming soon to an oil spill near you (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Switched | MIT | Email this | Comments
Google adds more official themes for Chrome -- to the Extensions Gallery?
Filed under: Google, Browsers
I've asked about this before, and I'll pose the question one more time: if you're not going to put Chrome themes where the other Chrome themes go, shouldn't you at least create a category, Google?
Google has introduced half a dozen new official Chrome themes, but you won't find them if you click the get themes link on your Personal Stuff menu. No, like the scores of user-created themes out there these new themes from Google have been dropped into the Extensions Gallery.
I'm sure the plan is to list everything in the Gallery at some point (possibly once it's re-branded as the Web Store?), but it really shouldn't be hard to give themes their own section on the existing Gallery. Or, you know, post them on the page Chrome takes you to when you click get themes.
The new themes are called Modern, Adaptive, Vibrant, Inventive, Fresh, and Orkut_Hudson. They're artist-created, and generally not for those of you who like Chrome's interface to be as unobtrusive as possible -- some are downright loud.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course -- tell us what you think of the new themes in the comments.Google adds more official themes for Chrome -- to the Extensions Gallery? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
I've asked about this before, and I'll pose the question one more time: if you're not going to put Chrome themes where the other Chrome themes go, shouldn't you at least create a category, Google?
Google has introduced half a dozen new official Chrome themes, but you won't find them if you click the get themes link on your Personal Stuff menu. No, like the scores of user-created themes out there these new themes from Google have been dropped into the Extensions Gallery.
I'm sure the plan is to list everything in the Gallery at some point (possibly once it's re-branded as the Web Store?), but it really shouldn't be hard to give themes their own section on the existing Gallery. Or, you know, post them on the page Chrome takes you to when you click get themes.
The new themes are called Modern, Adaptive, Vibrant, Inventive, Fresh, and Orkut_Hudson. They're artist-created, and generally not for those of you who like Chrome's interface to be as unobtrusive as possible -- some are downright loud.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course -- tell us what you think of the new themes in the comments.Google adds more official themes for Chrome -- to the Extensions Gallery? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Mysterious Verizon-bound HTC handset appears mysteriously on the internet
Hey -- what's this? Well, from the looks of it, it's a new, as-yet-unnamed HTC device. There is perilously little info available about the mystery mobile, but it appears to boast an 8 megapixel camera with a flash plus a front-facing camera, a 4.3-inch screen, a headphone jack and a kickstand. It also appears that it's going to boast HTC's own Sense UI. This falls in line with what we've heard about Verizon's Android-heavy fall launch this year, so we would not be surprised to see this device make an appearance. Furthermore, we could go out on a limb and guess that it's possible this is the Merge mentioned in that lineup, which supposedly boasts a 1GHz processor. That's all there is to the story right now but we're going to stay up late tonight to be on the lookout for further information on this one. One more photo below and hit up the source for the rest.Continue reading Mysterious Verizon-bound HTC handset appears mysteriously on the internetMysterious Verizon-bound HTC handset appears mysteriously on the internet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Boy Genius Report | Email this | Comments
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Firefox 4 beta 5 pre introduces two-column menu
Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers
Mozilla continues to refine the Firefox 4 interface as they soldier on through the beta testing process. Yesterday, nightly builds of Firefox 4 received a new menu layout (which you can see on the right side of the header image).
More options are now available within two-click reach -- including bookmarks, downloads, add-ons, and private browsing. The new iteration adds visual cues to private browsing, print, bookmarks, add-ons, and exit, as well as to the edit functions.
I've got to admit I'm somewhat surprised to see full screen given a slot on the menu. Most people I know who use Firefox either know that full screen mode is there but have customized their interface to minimize the default UI -- or they have no idea it's there.
So, Firefox 4 testers, what do you think of the change? Better? Worse? Don't care because you've already hacked your userchrome to hide the orange menu button?
Share TweetFirefox 4 beta 5 pre introduces two-column menu originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Mozilla continues to refine the Firefox 4 interface as they soldier on through the beta testing process. Yesterday, nightly builds of Firefox 4 received a new menu layout (which you can see on the right side of the header image).
More options are now available within two-click reach -- including bookmarks, downloads, add-ons, and private browsing. The new iteration adds visual cues to private browsing, print, bookmarks, add-ons, and exit, as well as to the edit functions.
I've got to admit I'm somewhat surprised to see full screen given a slot on the menu. Most people I know who use Firefox either know that full screen mode is there but have customized their interface to minimize the default UI -- or they have no idea it's there.
So, Firefox 4 testers, what do you think of the change? Better? Worse? Don't care because you've already hacked your userchrome to hide the orange menu button?
Share TweetFirefox 4 beta 5 pre introduces two-column menu originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
Entelligence: when less beats Moore
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.
We are all familiar with Moore's law. The observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the density of semiconductors doubles roughly every eighteen months. The net result? It's always going to be better faster and cheaper. Certainly that's been true of the phone space, with large screens, fast processors and lots of storage.
In the last few weeks alone I've looked at new phones with 1Ghz processors, the latest and greatest software platforms from Google and RIM... but it's been one little gadget that's caught my attention and it totally bucks the trend. What device? It's the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro -- which is a lot of name for a small phone -- and it shows some very different thinking about what a smartphone is. In theory, this isn't a phone that I should like. Instead of a large 4.3-inch screen, it's running a 2.55-inch screen at 240 x 320 resolution. Don't look for a 1Ghz processor here. It's got an ARMv6 revision 5 processor at 600Mhz. Finally, forget Froyo or even Eclair. This thing's got Android 1.6 on it and may never get updated to the latest and greatest. Despite all that, I think Sony Ericsson has a potential hit on their hands if they decide to bring this to the US later this year as they said they plan to. Why am I so enamored?Continue reading Entelligence: when less beats MooreEntelligence: when less beats Moore originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
We are all familiar with Moore's law. The observation made by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the density of semiconductors doubles roughly every eighteen months. The net result? It's always going to be better faster and cheaper. Certainly that's been true of the phone space, with large screens, fast processors and lots of storage.
In the last few weeks alone I've looked at new phones with 1Ghz processors, the latest and greatest software platforms from Google and RIM... but it's been one little gadget that's caught my attention and it totally bucks the trend. What device? It's the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro -- which is a lot of name for a small phone -- and it shows some very different thinking about what a smartphone is. In theory, this isn't a phone that I should like. Instead of a large 4.3-inch screen, it's running a 2.55-inch screen at 240 x 320 resolution. Don't look for a 1Ghz processor here. It's got an ARMv6 revision 5 processor at 600Mhz. Finally, forget Froyo or even Eclair. This thing's got Android 1.6 on it and may never get updated to the latest and greatest. Despite all that, I think Sony Ericsson has a potential hit on their hands if they decide to bring this to the US later this year as they said they plan to. Why am I so enamored?Continue reading Entelligence: when less beats MooreEntelligence: when less beats Moore originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Nature Sounds is an awesome ambient noise generator
Filed under: Utilities, Productivity
Usually, when I need to focus in a distracting environment I just put on my earbuds and head over to SimplyNoise. But SimplyNoise is a bit too simple at times; it just generates a "wall" of white, brown, or pink noise. It can oscillate the volume a little bit, but that's just about it. That's not a flaw - it's how SimplyNoise was designed.
But what if I want some atmosphere to go with my custom noise? What if I want it to have a certain "vibe," or I want it to inspire me? Plus, some people simply dislike the monotony of a noise generator.
Introducing Nature Sounds. This beautifully simple Flash tool provides you with four audio channels. You populate each channel with a looping sample that you can choose from a vast palette. You've got sounds of whales, the beach, fire crackling, crickets, a heartbeat, drums thumping in the distance, etc. The palette is extensive.
You populate each of the channels with the sample of your choice, and then you can set the volume and the stereo balance (left/right). You can also have the volume oscillate; the continuous bar that you see at the bottom of each channel shows that, for my soundscape, I wanted all sounds to simply continue. There are four different patterns that you can select for each channel, or you can have the sound periodically fade out and start up again.
By adding and removing samples and tweaking the various settings, you can come up with a complete soundscape that really conveys a certain "feel." Once you're done, you can download your creation or save it under its own URL. Then, just access that URL whenever you want to listen to it again (or send it to friends). I saved mine under the classy title Whales and Stuff.Nature Sounds is an awesome ambient noise generator originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Usually, when I need to focus in a distracting environment I just put on my earbuds and head over to SimplyNoise. But SimplyNoise is a bit too simple at times; it just generates a "wall" of white, brown, or pink noise. It can oscillate the volume a little bit, but that's just about it. That's not a flaw - it's how SimplyNoise was designed.
But what if I want some atmosphere to go with my custom noise? What if I want it to have a certain "vibe," or I want it to inspire me? Plus, some people simply dislike the monotony of a noise generator.
Introducing Nature Sounds. This beautifully simple Flash tool provides you with four audio channels. You populate each channel with a looping sample that you can choose from a vast palette. You've got sounds of whales, the beach, fire crackling, crickets, a heartbeat, drums thumping in the distance, etc. The palette is extensive.
You populate each of the channels with the sample of your choice, and then you can set the volume and the stereo balance (left/right). You can also have the volume oscillate; the continuous bar that you see at the bottom of each channel shows that, for my soundscape, I wanted all sounds to simply continue. There are four different patterns that you can select for each channel, or you can have the sound periodically fade out and start up again.
By adding and removing samples and tweaking the various settings, you can come up with a complete soundscape that really conveys a certain "feel." Once you're done, you can download your creation or save it under its own URL. Then, just access that URL whenever you want to listen to it again (or send it to friends). I saved mine under the classy title Whales and Stuff.Nature Sounds is an awesome ambient noise generator originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special event
It’s still that guitar, it still has no text, it still just sits there, taunting us, a clue with indecipherable meaning, and now Apple is splashing it in grand, glorious form at Yerba Buena center in preparation for it’s annual special music event coming September 1.
[@Wired via 9to5Mac]
Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special [...]Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special event is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
[@Wired via 9to5Mac]
Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special [...]Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special event is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Viking Modular's SATADIMM jacks an SSD into your memory slot
Explaining the differences between DRAM and non-volatile storage is about to get that little bit harder, thanks to Viking Modular. The company's decided to "borrow" the DIMM form factor for its latest enterprise SSD offering, equipping it with a 240-pin array to draw power from your spare memory slots. Of course, you'll still need to hook up a SATA cable to get data flowing to this SSD -- at a very respectable 260MBps for both read and write -- but we must admit we're in love with the very idea of it. This new design offers another option for consolidating storage right onto the motherboard and should help case modders yearning for ever-slimmer enclosures. Alas, the SATADIMM is only available to enterprise and OEM clients for now, but we can't think of any reason why it won't test the consumer waters as well -- if not by Viking, maybe someone else?
[Thanks, David]Continue reading Viking Modular's SATADIMM jacks an SSD into your memory slotViking Modular's SATADIMM jacks an SSD into your memory slot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Gizmag | Viking Modular | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, David]Continue reading Viking Modular's SATADIMM jacks an SSD into your memory slotViking Modular's SATADIMM jacks an SSD into your memory slot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Gizmag | Viking Modular | Email this | Comments
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New version of Digg released; face-lifted, faster, but is it too little too late?
Filed under: Internet, Social Software
The new version of Digg, after a couple of months of beta testing, has today been released to the public.
If you missed my preview of it back in July, here's the basic gist of new Digg: by virtue of a streamlined UI that requires less clicks, it's faster; you now 'follow' news sources (and friends), which generates a personalised 'My News' page; and... well, that's about it, really.
The new Digg is, mostly, about removing its one-page-to-rule-them-all focus. Digg wants to be your social news aggregator, rather than the plaything of power Digger demagogues. The 'Top News' section is still there, but the idea is that you can now tailor your own page to show sites and articles that come from your favourite news sources, or from your friends. Digg, which has had a flat growth graph for a while, is trying to attract a new, classier, social clientele.
It is, in essence, a Facebook-and-Twitter amalgam, but without the critical mass of users that has made both aforementioned services so damn useful. Digg has always been a bit of a knackered one-trick pony, and by watering down the efficacy of its front page traffic hose, I just wonder if Digg has enough clout to stand proud amongst the heavyweights.New version of Digg released; face-lifted, faster, but is it too little too late? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
The new version of Digg, after a couple of months of beta testing, has today been released to the public.
If you missed my preview of it back in July, here's the basic gist of new Digg: by virtue of a streamlined UI that requires less clicks, it's faster; you now 'follow' news sources (and friends), which generates a personalised 'My News' page; and... well, that's about it, really.
The new Digg is, mostly, about removing its one-page-to-rule-them-all focus. Digg wants to be your social news aggregator, rather than the plaything of power Digger demagogues. The 'Top News' section is still there, but the idea is that you can now tailor your own page to show sites and articles that come from your favourite news sources, or from your friends. Digg, which has had a flat growth graph for a while, is trying to attract a new, classier, social clientele.
It is, in essence, a Facebook-and-Twitter amalgam, but without the critical mass of users that has made both aforementioned services so damn useful. Digg has always been a bit of a knackered one-trick pony, and by watering down the efficacy of its front page traffic hose, I just wonder if Digg has enough clout to stand proud amongst the heavyweights.New version of Digg released; face-lifted, faster, but is it too little too late? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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ASUS NX90Jq now available... sort of
Remember this classic from way back at CES in January? We had such high hopes for the ASUS NX90 Jq. The 18.4-inch multimedia laptop boasts dual large touchpads and was designed by Bang & Olufsen's chief designer... and that shows. This beauty also has (in case you forgot) B&O ICEpower speakers, a Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GT 334M graphics, and can house up to 1280GB of storage. Now, we knew this thing wasn't going to be cheap from the first time we touched it -- $2,500. However, we didn't really expect to have to wait quite so long for it to hit retail. Well, if you don't mind purchasing things on the "internet," it looks like you can actually get one at a few retailers now for about that $2,500 price. Hit up the source link if you're ready to put down some cash or if you just like to window shop.ASUS NX90Jq now available... sort of originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Laptoping | Google Product Search | Email this | Comments
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Those crazy Taiwanese have done it again: 'Google Does Evil' (video)
Filed under: Fun, Google
From the same news agency that produced that fantastic iPhone 'Antennagate' video comes a brief one-minute synopsis of Google's apparent abandonment of its don't be evil mantra. If you haven't been following the news (we haven't really covered it here on Download Squad), Google is coming to terms with having to be a little more ruthless to maintain its market lead. In turn, this has sparked a lot of commentary about Google being evil.
I don't think this is as funny as the iPhone video -- and it could certainly do with some English subtitles -- but it does feature, rather succinctly, all of the pertinent facts. I only really laughed out loud at the dead girl (see image after the break), which pays homage to a British news story from last week. I guess it's pretty awesome that these guys can pump animations out in just a few days!
[via Gizmodo]
Those crazy Taiwanese have done it again: 'Google Does Evil' (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
From the same news agency that produced that fantastic iPhone 'Antennagate' video comes a brief one-minute synopsis of Google's apparent abandonment of its don't be evil mantra. If you haven't been following the news (we haven't really covered it here on Download Squad), Google is coming to terms with having to be a little more ruthless to maintain its market lead. In turn, this has sparked a lot of commentary about Google being evil.
I don't think this is as funny as the iPhone video -- and it could certainly do with some English subtitles -- but it does feature, rather succinctly, all of the pertinent facts. I only really laughed out loud at the dead girl (see image after the break), which pays homage to a British news story from last week. I guess it's pretty awesome that these guys can pump animations out in just a few days!
[via Gizmodo]
Those crazy Taiwanese have done it again: 'Google Does Evil' (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Friday, August 27, 2010
Verizon confirms Android 2.2 update for Droid Incredible hits today
Just as we thought, HTC's Droid Incredible for Verizon is getting boosted from Android 2.1 to 2.2 today, which should make plenty of owners (and plenty of non-owners who've been unable to find any stock for the past couple months) happy as a clam. Major features include pre-installed Flash 10.1, 720p video recording, mobile hotspot support as first introduced for Verizon on the Droid X, and naturally, all the other standard greatness you've come to expect with Froyo. We imagine this update will take a couple weeks to roll out to everyone, so show some patience, Droid Incredible owners -- or, you know, do like we do and search frantically for an update.zip to get posted somewhere.
[Thanks, Ryan]Verizon confirms Android 2.2 update for Droid Incredible hits today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | @VZWSupport (Twitter) | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, Ryan]Verizon confirms Android 2.2 update for Droid Incredible hits today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 10:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | @VZWSupport (Twitter) | Email this | Comments
10 Reasons You Need An iPad For College
So you’ve heard about the Apple iPad and you’re heading back to school soon. Chances are you’re probably wondering if it’s a smart choice to invest your money towards purchasing an iPad for college. In this article we’ll help explain a few of the many benefits there are for college students who own, or will [...]
Confirmed: Droid Incredible Froyo Update rolls out today
We'd heard and hoped that the Droid Incredible would start seeing the Froyo update today and indeed, Verizon has confirmed via Twitter that it indeed should start happening soon. Makes sense, since Verizon is already advertising Froyo as a feature for the DInc.In addition to the Android 2.2 goodness, the update will bring Flash, mobile hotspot support, and 720p video recording. Verizon also says it will 'be posted to the VZW site' - we presume they refer to placing instructions on this page, but if you're reading this we suspect the steps in an OTA update are something you can figure out fairly easily.Received your update? Please do let us know in the Android Forums, won't you? (Those looking to commiserate about not having received it yet head here) [@VZWSupport]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories
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RIM files patent for flipping, rotating smartphone keyboard
Now we've seen some pretty wild keyboard patent applications in the past, from folding keyboards, angled keyboards, keyboards you can reconfigure by hand, and even keyboards with displays in every key (hello Optimus Maximus). But now RIM seems to have a new take on the smartphone keyboard concept. The company has filed a patent application for a keyboard which not only can be turned 90 degrees from portrait to landscape orientation (that you hold in a portrait manner, kind of like a reverse of this hideous thing), but one which flips as well. In the diagram the phone-maker provides, a numeric pad could be spun around to become a QWERTY input surface, and the whole rig repositioned to make for more comfortable typing. Now, it's not clear how exactly RIM plans to mechanically turn this into a reality, but given the company's recent interest in non-standard form factors, it's not totally inconceivable that this could be turned from patent fantasy to smartphone reality. Of course, we're not sure RIM should be worrying about its keyboards so much as it should be concerned with the software and internals of the devices themselves. You're actually doing the keyboards right... maybe some work elsewhere is in order?RIM files patent for flipping, rotating smartphone keyboard originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink GoRumors | Patent filing | Email this | Comments
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Color Theory is a retro-tastic platformer - Time-Waster
Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
You've gotta love those retro games! Color Theory is an 8-bit style platformer, wherein your blocky character jumps all over the screen and hits colored "tokens."
Each level is composed of platforms in a number of colors. As soon as you hit a colored token, all of the matching platforms become transparent. So, if a blue wall is blocking your way, just find a blue token, hit it, and the blue wall becomes transparent.
It quickly gets complicated, though; some platforms have spikes, and there are Pacman-style "ghosts" that move around and get in your way. Also, there's a "gravity-shifter" token, which flips gravity in the game - up becomes down and vice versa. It's pretty confusing!
You can't always see where you're jumping, but the designer helpfully included arrows and other hints. If you aim for the arrow, you'll land wherever you need to land in order to keep going.
Some of the levels require very precise timing, like level 12 (shown in the screenshot); that's where I got stuck. It's not a very difficult game, though, and it's lots of fun. How far did you get?Color Theory is a retro-tastic platformer - Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
You've gotta love those retro games! Color Theory is an 8-bit style platformer, wherein your blocky character jumps all over the screen and hits colored "tokens."
Each level is composed of platforms in a number of colors. As soon as you hit a colored token, all of the matching platforms become transparent. So, if a blue wall is blocking your way, just find a blue token, hit it, and the blue wall becomes transparent.
It quickly gets complicated, though; some platforms have spikes, and there are Pacman-style "ghosts" that move around and get in your way. Also, there's a "gravity-shifter" token, which flips gravity in the game - up becomes down and vice versa. It's pretty confusing!
You can't always see where you're jumping, but the designer helpfully included arrows and other hints. If you aim for the arrow, you'll land wherever you need to land in order to keep going.
Some of the levels require very precise timing, like level 12 (shown in the screenshot); that's where I got stuck. It's not a very difficult game, though, and it's lots of fun. How far did you get?Color Theory is a retro-tastic platformer - Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Pages 9.0.4 adds ePub export for iPad
It’s not the iLife ‘11 full on HTML5 and ePub editing app we’ve been waiting for, but at least Apple has released an update for iWork’s Pages word processor that adds ePub export for iPad.
Here’s the official verbiage:
Fixes an issue with tables.
Includes compatibility with the standard ePub file format (for use with iBooks) when exporting.
Numbers [...]Pages 9.0.4 adds ePub export for iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Here’s the official verbiage:
Fixes an issue with tables.
Includes compatibility with the standard ePub file format (for use with iBooks) when exporting.
Numbers [...]Pages 9.0.4 adds ePub export for iPad is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
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Microsoft's Wireless Mobile 4000 mice get a sassy new coat of paint
Is your mouse too boring? Does your hand routinely fall asleep while resting on it? Well, Microsoft, known for sexying up its mice with all manner of wild patterns, has struck again -- this time, with the Wireless Mobile 4000 series. The six new designs are seriously spiffy looking, so if you're in the market for a new version of your favorite peripheral, who could resist names such as Micro, Botanic, Cosmic, Downtown, Crania and Pirouette, who could resist? These bad boys will be available starting in September for $39.95 each. There's one more shot below -- hit up the source link for the full set.Continue reading Microsoft's Wireless Mobile 4000 mice get a sassy new coat of paintMicrosoft's Wireless Mobile 4000 mice get a sassy new coat of paint originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Microsoft | Email this | Comments
Apple iPod Classic: Gone in a Flash (Maybe)
With iPod sales down for the last two
years, predicting the death of iPod Classic is now an annual tradition.
Business Insider?s Dan Frommer is the latest journalist to question the iPod Classic?s future, ahead of Apple?s September 1 music event. The usual arguments apply ? without Wi-Fi, apps or a touch screen, the classic iPod is looking pretty stale ? but his prediction hinges on whether Apple will introduce a 128 GB iPod Touch this year. After all, the current iPod Classic?s hard drive holds 160 GB of media, and retiring it doesn?t make sense unless another device can take the high-capacity throne with flash storage.
I?m with Frommer?s logic all the way, but I doubt that 128 GB flash drives will even be ready in time for the next iPod Touch.
The 128 GB flash drive does exist. Toshiba, Apple?s frequent source for mobile device storage, created a 128 GB flash drive in June, with samples to be available in September. Full production begins later this fall, according to Electronista.
That timeline pretty much rules out 128 GB drives for the next-generation iPod Touch. Apple?s tendency with new iPods is to start selling them on the day of its press events. Given that Toshiba?s 128 GB drives won?t even be available for testing until some time next month, they simply won?t be ready for Apple?s products unless development sped up significantly since June.
Besides, the price for 128 GB at this point would be astronomical. At present, the 64 GB iPod Touch costs $399, compared to $250 for the iPod Classic. I?m guessing the price for 64 GB flash hasn?t dropped considerably since last year, because Apple doesn?t even offer that capacity in the iPhone 4. I just don?t see the iPod Touch making such a huge leap in storage.
If Apple proves me wrong, I?ll be shocked. Otherwise, anyone want to start making bets for next year?Full Text RSS Feeds | WordPress Auto Translator
years, predicting the death of iPod Classic is now an annual tradition.
Business Insider?s Dan Frommer is the latest journalist to question the iPod Classic?s future, ahead of Apple?s September 1 music event. The usual arguments apply ? without Wi-Fi, apps or a touch screen, the classic iPod is looking pretty stale ? but his prediction hinges on whether Apple will introduce a 128 GB iPod Touch this year. After all, the current iPod Classic?s hard drive holds 160 GB of media, and retiring it doesn?t make sense unless another device can take the high-capacity throne with flash storage.
I?m with Frommer?s logic all the way, but I doubt that 128 GB flash drives will even be ready in time for the next iPod Touch.
The 128 GB flash drive does exist. Toshiba, Apple?s frequent source for mobile device storage, created a 128 GB flash drive in June, with samples to be available in September. Full production begins later this fall, according to Electronista.
That timeline pretty much rules out 128 GB drives for the next-generation iPod Touch. Apple?s tendency with new iPods is to start selling them on the day of its press events. Given that Toshiba?s 128 GB drives won?t even be available for testing until some time next month, they simply won?t be ready for Apple?s products unless development sped up significantly since June.
Besides, the price for 128 GB at this point would be astronomical. At present, the 64 GB iPod Touch costs $399, compared to $250 for the iPod Classic. I?m guessing the price for 64 GB flash hasn?t dropped considerably since last year, because Apple doesn?t even offer that capacity in the iPhone 4. I just don?t see the iPod Touch making such a huge leap in storage.
If Apple proves me wrong, I?ll be shocked. Otherwise, anyone want to start making bets for next year?Full Text RSS Feeds | WordPress Auto Translator
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Toccata iPad Case With Bluetooth Keyboard
Earlier today Padacs announced the release of their new Toccata iPad case which conveniently comes with a built-in Bluetooth 2.0 keyboard. If you’re the type who prefers using a physical keyboard over tapping letters on your iPad screen then this stylish new accessory is especially for you. The QWERTY keyboard is powered by a Lithium [...]
Vampire Hunters: Devices Reduce Energy Waste
It's 1 a.m., and everyone in the house is asleep. The television is off. The computers are off. Your cell phones and MP3 players are plugged in but no longer charging. And all these products are still sucking electricity.
"Vampire power," also known as "phantom power," accounts for a surprising amount of U.S. electricity consumption. According to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report, "A typical American home has forty products constantly drawing power. Together these amount to almost 10 percent of residential electricity use." (For more about how organizations can manage their power consumption, see "Save Serious Money With a Business Energy Audit.")
What sort of devices suck electricity even when they're off? Chargers and AC adapters are notorious vampires, continuing to pull electricity even when the product they're attached to doesn't need it, or even when they're not attached to anything but the wall. Some products, such as a desktop PC, consume about 5 watts even when turned off and merely plugged in.
To slay vampire-power suckers, people are turning to a new class of surge protectors and rechargers. I looked at several of these products--and unfortunately, I found their usefulness limited. Trying them, however, beats running around your house every night yanking plugs from the walls before hitting the sack.
Surge Protectors
When used correctly, green surge protectors cut off power to devices that don't need it. One of the outlets on such protectors is designated the control outlet; when the wattage on that outlet drops below a certain level, the surge protector kills the power going to several of the remaining outlets. Other, always-on outlets continue to receive power.
The protectors make sense in an arrangement where one central device dominates the others, such as the computer in your office or the TV in your home theater. You're not likely to need your monitor if your PC is off, or your DVD player when your TV is off.
The always-on outlets are for devices that must be on at all times, such as a router or a DVR.
I tried three surge protectors--the Belkin Conserve Smart AV, the HP Monster Digital PowerCenter 800G, and the TrickleStar PC TrickleStrip--and all worked as advertised.
But while the concept is good, the devices don't cover everything. For instance, my Dish Network DVR needs to remain on, and it burns a frightening 53 watts in standby mode. A DVR in standby mode refreshes the program-guide data, downloads software, monitors the satellite for changes to channel lineups, and stands ready to record at any time.
Even so, a green surge protector cuts usage in my home theater by about 22 watts when the TV is off, for a savings of 14,000 watt-hours a month. (Those figures assume that the TV is on 3 hours a day.)
Of the models I tried, only the HP Monster was large enough to accept huge, space-wasting AC adapters, also known as wall warts, in each of its eight outlets (three switched, four always-on, and the control). It has a 3140-joule rating, promising substantial protection against electricity spikes. It also offers telephone, ethernet, and coaxial cable protection. On the other hand, at a street price of $80, it's by far the most expensive of the three.
Another problem with the Monster: It pulls about 1.6 watts with nothing plugged into it--at least in part because of its unusually large, pretty, but useless LEDs. That made it a bit of a power vampire itself.
The $30 (list price) Belkin Conserve Smart AV is the Monster's opposite. You can't plug an oversize wall wart into any of its eight outlets (five switched, two always-on, and the control) without blocking at least one other outlet. It doesn't protect phone, ethernet, or coaxial cables. It has a reasonable but unspectacular 1080-joule rating. With nothing plugged into it, the Conserve Smart AV drew so little power that the meter I used, a Watts Up Pro, indicated it was consuming none at all.
The $40 (street price) TrickleStar PC TrickleStrip offers fewer outlets than the others, only six (three switched, two always-on, and the control). The always-on outlets are spaced apart from each other, making one of them wall-wart-friendly. It can protect a phone connection, but not ethernet or coaxial (a very similar TV TrickleStrip handles coaxial but not phone). It protects your equipment up to 2160 joules. With nothing plugged into it, the device barely registered on my Watts Up Pro, going back and forth from 0.0 to 0.1 watt--not as impressive as the Belkin, but close.
One issue you shouldn't worry about is the power threshold, the point at which the protector shuts off or turns on the switched outlets. The Monster has fixed thresholds, the Belkin uses "intelligent chips," and the TrickleStar lets you set the threshold. In my tests, all three handled the job perfectly. The difference between what a PC or TV burns when it's on and when it's off is so great that any reasonable guess will be sufficient.
Next: Smart Chargers
Full Text RSS Feeds | WordPress Auto Translator
"Vampire power," also known as "phantom power," accounts for a surprising amount of U.S. electricity consumption. According to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report, "A typical American home has forty products constantly drawing power. Together these amount to almost 10 percent of residential electricity use." (For more about how organizations can manage their power consumption, see "Save Serious Money With a Business Energy Audit.")
What sort of devices suck electricity even when they're off? Chargers and AC adapters are notorious vampires, continuing to pull electricity even when the product they're attached to doesn't need it, or even when they're not attached to anything but the wall. Some products, such as a desktop PC, consume about 5 watts even when turned off and merely plugged in.
To slay vampire-power suckers, people are turning to a new class of surge protectors and rechargers. I looked at several of these products--and unfortunately, I found their usefulness limited. Trying them, however, beats running around your house every night yanking plugs from the walls before hitting the sack.
Surge Protectors
When used correctly, green surge protectors cut off power to devices that don't need it. One of the outlets on such protectors is designated the control outlet; when the wattage on that outlet drops below a certain level, the surge protector kills the power going to several of the remaining outlets. Other, always-on outlets continue to receive power.
The protectors make sense in an arrangement where one central device dominates the others, such as the computer in your office or the TV in your home theater. You're not likely to need your monitor if your PC is off, or your DVD player when your TV is off.
The always-on outlets are for devices that must be on at all times, such as a router or a DVR.
I tried three surge protectors--the Belkin Conserve Smart AV, the HP Monster Digital PowerCenter 800G, and the TrickleStar PC TrickleStrip--and all worked as advertised.
But while the concept is good, the devices don't cover everything. For instance, my Dish Network DVR needs to remain on, and it burns a frightening 53 watts in standby mode. A DVR in standby mode refreshes the program-guide data, downloads software, monitors the satellite for changes to channel lineups, and stands ready to record at any time.
Even so, a green surge protector cuts usage in my home theater by about 22 watts when the TV is off, for a savings of 14,000 watt-hours a month. (Those figures assume that the TV is on 3 hours a day.)
Of the models I tried, only the HP Monster was large enough to accept huge, space-wasting AC adapters, also known as wall warts, in each of its eight outlets (three switched, four always-on, and the control). It has a 3140-joule rating, promising substantial protection against electricity spikes. It also offers telephone, ethernet, and coaxial cable protection. On the other hand, at a street price of $80, it's by far the most expensive of the three.
Another problem with the Monster: It pulls about 1.6 watts with nothing plugged into it--at least in part because of its unusually large, pretty, but useless LEDs. That made it a bit of a power vampire itself.
The $30 (list price) Belkin Conserve Smart AV is the Monster's opposite. You can't plug an oversize wall wart into any of its eight outlets (five switched, two always-on, and the control) without blocking at least one other outlet. It doesn't protect phone, ethernet, or coaxial cables. It has a reasonable but unspectacular 1080-joule rating. With nothing plugged into it, the Conserve Smart AV drew so little power that the meter I used, a Watts Up Pro, indicated it was consuming none at all.
The $40 (street price) TrickleStar PC TrickleStrip offers fewer outlets than the others, only six (three switched, two always-on, and the control). The always-on outlets are spaced apart from each other, making one of them wall-wart-friendly. It can protect a phone connection, but not ethernet or coaxial (a very similar TV TrickleStrip handles coaxial but not phone). It protects your equipment up to 2160 joules. With nothing plugged into it, the device barely registered on my Watts Up Pro, going back and forth from 0.0 to 0.1 watt--not as impressive as the Belkin, but close.
One issue you shouldn't worry about is the power threshold, the point at which the protector shuts off or turns on the switched outlets. The Monster has fixed thresholds, the Belkin uses "intelligent chips," and the TrickleStar lets you set the threshold. In my tests, all three handled the job perfectly. The difference between what a PC or TV burns when it's on and when it's off is so great that any reasonable guess will be sufficient.
Next: Smart Chargers
Full Text RSS Feeds | WordPress Auto Translator
Finally, a reputable study from Mozilla highlights our Firefox porn-surfing habits
Filed under: Fun, Mozilla, Browsers
A recent Mozilla Test Pilot study has shone light on an uncomfortable truth: people are using their lunch breaks to masturbate.
Entitled "Understanding Private Browsing," the findings are remarkably clear; there are four very well-defined peaks in our Private Browsing habits, and most of our Private Browsing "sessions" are around 10 minutes long. Those four peaks are lunch break, after work/school, after dinner, and late at night.
But how did I get to the rather sticky conclusion of people masturbating in their lunch hour? Well, why else would people use Private Browsing Mode for just 10 minutes? Surely checking Facebook, Twitter, and email takes longer than 10 minutes. I mean, I want to believe that people only spend 10 minutes on their computer during lunch, but really, let's face it, ... that can't be the case.
The other factor that hasn't been addressed by Mozilla (or Mashable in their diagnosis), is that we must consider who opted into this Test Pilot study. I would guess that most Test Pilot users are bearded geeky types, academics, and students. I don't think there will be many Test Pilot users that work in secluded office cubicles. Mind you, university lecturers usually have their own offices, right ...? Ew...
Having said that, the idea of millions of Firefox users shutting their office doors at lunch break for a quick 10-minute stress reliever is completely disgusting. If anyone has another possible hypothesis about what people are doing with that 10 minute window, please let me know.
Share TweetFinally, a reputable study from Mozilla highlights our Firefox porn-surfing habits originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
A recent Mozilla Test Pilot study has shone light on an uncomfortable truth: people are using their lunch breaks to masturbate.
Entitled "Understanding Private Browsing," the findings are remarkably clear; there are four very well-defined peaks in our Private Browsing habits, and most of our Private Browsing "sessions" are around 10 minutes long. Those four peaks are lunch break, after work/school, after dinner, and late at night.
But how did I get to the rather sticky conclusion of people masturbating in their lunch hour? Well, why else would people use Private Browsing Mode for just 10 minutes? Surely checking Facebook, Twitter, and email takes longer than 10 minutes. I mean, I want to believe that people only spend 10 minutes on their computer during lunch, but really, let's face it, ... that can't be the case.
The other factor that hasn't been addressed by Mozilla (or Mashable in their diagnosis), is that we must consider who opted into this Test Pilot study. I would guess that most Test Pilot users are bearded geeky types, academics, and students. I don't think there will be many Test Pilot users that work in secluded office cubicles. Mind you, university lecturers usually have their own offices, right ...? Ew...
Having said that, the idea of millions of Firefox users shutting their office doors at lunch break for a quick 10-minute stress reliever is completely disgusting. If anyone has another possible hypothesis about what people are doing with that 10 minute window, please let me know.
Share TweetFinally, a reputable study from Mozilla highlights our Firefox porn-surfing habits originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Verizon to Microsoft: Here Are Your Kins
If anyone's still in the market for a Kin phone, you're officially out of luck: Verizon Wireless will no longer carry the devices, 19 days after Microsoft decided to pull the plug due to anemic sales. Dustbin of history (or at least dead tech), here they come."Verizon Wireless will no longer sell the Kin One or Kin Two in our company-owned stores," Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney told the blog Phone Scoop on July 19. "Existing customers should not be impacted. There are no current plans to change any of the services associated with either the phone or the customers' services."Right before the end, Verizon had slashed the price of the stubby Kin One from $49.99 to $29.99 with a two-year plan; the more rectangular Kin Two was also given a price-tag haircut, from $99.99 to $49.99. But the carrier did nothing to lower the price of the devices' calling/data plan, which many pundits found excessive.The Kin devices had one cool feature, and that was their ability to seamlessly port users' photos and other content to a cloud repository--I'm testing a number of upcoming smartphones right now, for a set of reviews, and I sorely wish (with some of them) that it was easier to lift photos and video from the device and into the digital stratosphere. But everything else about Kin was pretty much half-baked, from the social-network updates to the conspicuous absence of games and third-party applications.Given the phones' narrow target demographic (teenagers and young adults), and lack of true smartphone functionality, I'm not sure there are many lessons that Microsoft can draw from this fiasco, except maybe don't try it again.
iPad Web App Converts Flash Video On The Fly
Transmedia has introduced the new Glide OS 4.0, a cloud-based operating system that is ad-free, full of great productivity apps and best of all is compatible with the Apple iPad. It has great syncing capabilities and runs right from your iPad’s browser. It operates like an online mobile desktop. With Glide OS you can share [...]
Chrome Pig extension checks Gmail, takes screenshots -- and lets you set clipboard images as wallpaper!
Filed under: Google, Browsers
In general, I prefer Chrome extensions which don't try to do too much. Do one thing, and do it well is a good general rule, after all. However, once in a while a Swiss-knife extension crops up which is filled to overflowing with useful features and just begs to be installed.
Enter Chrome Pig. Yes, it's weirdly named. Yes, it includes a somewhat random mish-mosh of features, but dang, are they handy ones. Chrome Pig can:
Screenshot an entire page, the viewable portion, or a selected region
Check Gmail for unread messages (you must be signed in)
Open supported files types in the Google Docs previewer
Edit a page's CSS to your liking
Re-enable right click on sites which disable it
Search the site you're currently browsing
Open the current page in IE
Set a clipboard image to your desktop wallpaper
I've put the last one in bold because it's a feature which you would think should be included by default in a Web browser. Firefox, Opera, and IE can all do this, but Chrome can't? Why? At any rate, problem solved! With Chrome Pig installed, just right click and copy an image, click its browser action button, and set the clipboard image to your wallpaper -- it will even resize, center, or tile.
Some of Chrome Pig's features -- lyric search, form fill, and translate, for example -- I can do without. The configuration page offers checkboxes to disable unwanted items, though they still appeared in the drop-down after multiple disable/enable attempt and a browser restart. Hopefully the developer will address this issue in a coming update.
That shortcoming aside, I'm happily adding Chrome Pig to my extensions -- it'll replace two other and add a couple additional features which will come in handy.Chrome Pig extension checks Gmail, takes screenshots -- and lets you set clipboard images as wallpaper! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
In general, I prefer Chrome extensions which don't try to do too much. Do one thing, and do it well is a good general rule, after all. However, once in a while a Swiss-knife extension crops up which is filled to overflowing with useful features and just begs to be installed.
Enter Chrome Pig. Yes, it's weirdly named. Yes, it includes a somewhat random mish-mosh of features, but dang, are they handy ones. Chrome Pig can:
Screenshot an entire page, the viewable portion, or a selected region
Check Gmail for unread messages (you must be signed in)
Open supported files types in the Google Docs previewer
Edit a page's CSS to your liking
Re-enable right click on sites which disable it
Search the site you're currently browsing
Open the current page in IE
Set a clipboard image to your desktop wallpaper
I've put the last one in bold because it's a feature which you would think should be included by default in a Web browser. Firefox, Opera, and IE can all do this, but Chrome can't? Why? At any rate, problem solved! With Chrome Pig installed, just right click and copy an image, click its browser action button, and set the clipboard image to your wallpaper -- it will even resize, center, or tile.
Some of Chrome Pig's features -- lyric search, form fill, and translate, for example -- I can do without. The configuration page offers checkboxes to disable unwanted items, though they still appeared in the drop-down after multiple disable/enable attempt and a browser restart. Hopefully the developer will address this issue in a coming update.
That shortcoming aside, I'm happily adding Chrome Pig to my extensions -- it'll replace two other and add a couple additional features which will come in handy.Chrome Pig extension checks Gmail, takes screenshots -- and lets you set clipboard images as wallpaper! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
iControlPad heads into production, support for other phones promised
It's been promised for years and was said to have gone into production before, but it looks like this time it's for real -- that's the very first iControlPad fresh off the production line pictured above. No orders are being taken just yet, but that's promised to be announced soon on Craig Rothwell's Twitter feed (linked below), and the first run is said to be limited to 3,000 units, which are expected to sell out fast. It looks like that's just the beginning for the peripheral, though -- Rothwell is also promising to support additional phones in the future, which can be accommodated simply by swapping out the two side pieces. Need to get up to speed on the whole saga? Head on past the break for a brief history in video form.Continue reading iControlPad heads into production, support for other phones promisediControlPad heads into production, support for other phones promised originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | iControlPad, @craigix (Twitter) | Email this | Comments
LG C900 rumored to be 'Pacific,' E900 gets hi-res blurry pic, missing link D900 doesn't exist (yet)
Turns out the Secret Society of Blurrycam isn't just a group of freelancers. Courtesy of the Windows Phone NL group comes a pretty high resolution -- albeit slightly out of focus -- shot of the LG E900 / Optimus 7.That ain't enough for you? Boy Genius Report claims it's heard from a source that the LG C900 will hit the scene as Pacific, and if that sounds familiar, we kindly point your attention to a Pocket-lint piece from late July where Microsoft product manager Greg Sullivan namedropped a LG Pacific without elaborating. One and the same? Tired of waiting on Windows Phone 7 devices? Us too -- one day at a time.LG C900 rumored to be 'Pacific,' E900 gets hi-res blurry pic, missing link D900 doesn't exist (yet) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink MobileTechWorld | BGR, @WindowsPhoneNL (Twitter) | Email this | Comments
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
SecBrowsing: Chrome's bundled Flash is making out-of-date plug-ins history
Filed under: Security, Google, Browsers
When Google began working on a built-in Flash plug-in for Chrome, they cited a handful of key motivations. They wanted a more hassle-free web experience for end users, more modern alternative to the aging NPAPI architecture, better security, and an easier way to deliver updates.
According to the SecBrowsing blog, their update aspirations have been a smashing success.
The traditional Flash updater is easy enough to avoid -- I often work on end users systems and see the beleaguered Flash updater crying out for attention from the system tray. Sadly, its cries often go ignored. Chrome's internal updater, however, can't be ignored. When there's a update to the browser or an internal plug-in, by Odin's beard, you're going to get it!
Within just two days of the most recent Flash update, fewer than 30% of SecBrowsing visitors were running an out-of-date version. That's compared to 14 days with the previous release -- a substantial improvement.
No comparisons to other browsers are given, but I've got to think that Chrome users are well ahead of the curve here.SecBrowsing: Chrome's bundled Flash is making out-of-date plug-ins history originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
When Google began working on a built-in Flash plug-in for Chrome, they cited a handful of key motivations. They wanted a more hassle-free web experience for end users, more modern alternative to the aging NPAPI architecture, better security, and an easier way to deliver updates.
According to the SecBrowsing blog, their update aspirations have been a smashing success.
The traditional Flash updater is easy enough to avoid -- I often work on end users systems and see the beleaguered Flash updater crying out for attention from the system tray. Sadly, its cries often go ignored. Chrome's internal updater, however, can't be ignored. When there's a update to the browser or an internal plug-in, by Odin's beard, you're going to get it!
Within just two days of the most recent Flash update, fewer than 30% of SecBrowsing visitors were running an out-of-date version. That's compared to 14 days with the previous release -- a substantial improvement.
No comparisons to other browsers are given, but I've got to think that Chrome users are well ahead of the curve here.SecBrowsing: Chrome's bundled Flash is making out-of-date plug-ins history originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
UNITED ONLINE UNISYS TRIQUINT SEMICONDUCTOR TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED
Intel's mind reading computer could bring thought controlled interfaces to a whole new, frightening level
Thought controlled devices are pretty primitive at this point. Sure, everyone from Honda to the U.S. Army (of course) is conducting research, but at this point we don't have much to show for it all besides an evening of experimental music in Prague. If the kids at Intel have their way, computers will soon be able to look at a person's brain activity and determine actual words that they're thinking. The idea here is that the activity generated in the average person by individual words can be mapped and stored in a database, to be matched against that of someone using the though control interface. So far, results have been promising -- an early prototype exists that can differentiate between words like screwdriver, house, and barn, by using a magnetic resonance scanner that measures something like 20,000 points in the brain. Anything more effective than that, such as dictating letters or searching Google with your mind alone is probably years in the future -- though when it does come to pass we expect to see a marked increase in expletive-filled liveblogs.Intel's mind reading computer could bring thought controlled interfaces to a whole new, frightening level originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Telegraph (UK) | Email this | Comments
Samsung Galaxy S Power Pack: when internal batteries are just too convenient
Somebody at Samsung apparently forgot that its very popular Galaxy S handset (in all its varieties) has -- are you ready for this -- a user-replaceable battery. Now, we don't mean a warranty breaking, two-screws-and-it's-out replaceable battery. No, the battery in the Galaxy S is designed (and promoted) to be switched out by the user. Just pry off the back cover and there it is, ready to swap whenever more juice is required. So why anyone would slap a big, bulky, external slab onto their svelte S is beyond us, regardless of the extra 8.5 hours of talk time listed in the Samsung Germany newsletter. We'd understand if it had a working GPS radio, but like the Galaxy S, it doesn't.Samsung Galaxy S Power Pack: when internal batteries are just too convenient originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 05:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink AndroidSpin | Mobiflip | Email this | Comments
XILINX WESTERN DIGITAL VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY
Google Docs Drawing tool removes any reason to use MS Paint ever again
Filed under: Utilities, Google, web 2.0
Today I had a quick play with the Google Docs drawing tool. It's awesome, but yet there's a strong chance that you didn't even know it existed! Just head over to docs.google.com > Create New > Drawing and give it a go. Don't forget to Insert > Image -- a whole wealth of Google Images await your artistic meddling! Poke around with the tools; they're very easy to use.
OK, drawn something fun? Now I can tell you about cool bits that I really didn't expect to see in a browser-based drawing tool. Hit Ctrl-Z to undo your last action -- Ctrl-Y to redo works as well. Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V are available for copying and pasting. Because it's vector-based, you can click anything you've scribbled and grab a corner to stretch or scale it.
There's more! The Drawing tool has a complete set of flow chart symbols (and other shapes) that you can drag and drop into place -- and because this is Google Docs, you can collaboratively work on the same chart or diagram! I'm sure there's a plethora of potential organizey-businessy applications for that kind of functionality.
Finally, there's a ton of ways in which you can export your Google Drawings. There's a new 'Web Clipboard', which lets you select your image and then paste into another Google Doc. This clipboard is associated with your Google account, so you can store something there and retrieve it from any Web-attached computer if you desire. You can also download your finished image as a JPEG, PNG, SVG or PDF file.
I told you it was awesome! Die, MS Paint, die.
Share TweetGoogle Docs Drawing tool removes any reason to use MS Paint ever again originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Today I had a quick play with the Google Docs drawing tool. It's awesome, but yet there's a strong chance that you didn't even know it existed! Just head over to docs.google.com > Create New > Drawing and give it a go. Don't forget to Insert > Image -- a whole wealth of Google Images await your artistic meddling! Poke around with the tools; they're very easy to use.
OK, drawn something fun? Now I can tell you about cool bits that I really didn't expect to see in a browser-based drawing tool. Hit Ctrl-Z to undo your last action -- Ctrl-Y to redo works as well. Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V are available for copying and pasting. Because it's vector-based, you can click anything you've scribbled and grab a corner to stretch or scale it.
There's more! The Drawing tool has a complete set of flow chart symbols (and other shapes) that you can drag and drop into place -- and because this is Google Docs, you can collaboratively work on the same chart or diagram! I'm sure there's a plethora of potential organizey-businessy applications for that kind of functionality.
Finally, there's a ton of ways in which you can export your Google Drawings. There's a new 'Web Clipboard', which lets you select your image and then paste into another Google Doc. This clipboard is associated with your Google account, so you can store something there and retrieve it from any Web-attached computer if you desire. You can also download your finished image as a JPEG, PNG, SVG or PDF file.
I told you it was awesome! Die, MS Paint, die.
Share TweetGoogle Docs Drawing tool removes any reason to use MS Paint ever again originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Is LiquidMetal all about the manufacturing process for Apple?
Cult of Mac has an interesting post up that shows some of the truly spectacular LiquidMetal injection moulding and manufacturing processes that will let Apple make stronger, better, faster unibodies, antennas, and pretty much everything else. Here are some choice quotes:
Apple will soon start experimenting with a new prototype injection molding machine, says Drew Merkel, [...]Is LiquidMetal all about the manufacturing process for Apple? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Apple will soon start experimenting with a new prototype injection molding machine, says Drew Merkel, [...]Is LiquidMetal all about the manufacturing process for Apple? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog
Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video)
Surfing and science are something of an odd mix, but we've seen time and time again that the two subjects to together like, well, salt and water. The latest high-tech stick to hit that briney mix comes from a team at UC San Diego, who outfitted a board with eight sensors on the bottom that measure the speed of the water as it rushes beneath. All are controlled by a waterpoofed computer embedded in the nose, which transmits data wirelessly to an Eee PC left sadly on the beach while its partner splashes around in the waves. The goal is to attempt to determine what level of flex is optimal and, once determined, to create the ultimate board and rule the world... the surfing world, at least.Continue reading Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video)Researchers use sensors to find the perfect surfboard, Gidget still looking for that perfect bikini (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Switched | Jacobs School of Engineering | Email this | Comments
Intel buys McAfee for nearly $8 billion
Filed under: Security
Holy acquisitions, Batman!
While most of the IT guys I know aren't fans of McAfee -- especially after that teensy little definition screwup which resulted in thousands of unwanted desktop support hours -- Intel is obviously a fan. In a press release this morning, the IT behemoth has announced that they're swallowing up McAfee for the princely sum of $7.7 billion dollars.
Whether guys like you or I like it or not, McAfee still has a lot going for it. It's preinstalled on loads of OEM PCs and gets plenty of subscription buys as a result. It's a force to be reckoned with in the enterprise, and they're one of the most widely-recognized names in antivirus.
Maybe this is a bad time to point out that McAffee 2010 posted the worst repair mark out of the 19 apps tested by AV-Test labs this quarter... Heck, it didn't even manage the 12 points required for certification.
(awesome Horatio generator hosted here)Intel buys McAfee for nearly $8 billion originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Holy acquisitions, Batman!
While most of the IT guys I know aren't fans of McAfee -- especially after that teensy little definition screwup which resulted in thousands of unwanted desktop support hours -- Intel is obviously a fan. In a press release this morning, the IT behemoth has announced that they're swallowing up McAfee for the princely sum of $7.7 billion dollars.
Whether guys like you or I like it or not, McAfee still has a lot going for it. It's preinstalled on loads of OEM PCs and gets plenty of subscription buys as a result. It's a force to be reckoned with in the enterprise, and they're one of the most widely-recognized names in antivirus.
Maybe this is a bad time to point out that McAffee 2010 posted the worst repair mark out of the 19 apps tested by AV-Test labs this quarter... Heck, it didn't even manage the 12 points required for certification.
(awesome Horatio generator hosted here)Intel buys McAfee for nearly $8 billion originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Will policy support help Google Chrome make enterprise gains?
Filed under: Google, Browsers
While Google Chrome has seen plenty of uptake from enthusiasts, developers, and end users at home, enterprise environments have always been a bit tougher to penetrate. Internet Explorer is still king of the hill when it comes to enterprise browsing -- and even Firefox has only recently begun to make serious inroads.
One thing which might help is the addition of policy support to Chrome. With administrators able to control things like access to Wrench > Options, extension installs, and content settings, they might just be a little more willing to deploy Chrome on their corporate machines -- where manageability is a primary concern. There's still the tech support hurdle to overcome: many large businesses outsource their IT help desks and Chrome support skills could be in short supply. It's still a very young browser, after all.
Google also recently introduced an .MSI package for Chrome, and that too could help further adoption. The .MSI allows for machine-wide installs into the Program Files directory rather than into your Application Data folder and should make deployment a painless procedure (at least the install portion).
Share TweetWill policy support help Google Chrome make enterprise gains? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
While Google Chrome has seen plenty of uptake from enthusiasts, developers, and end users at home, enterprise environments have always been a bit tougher to penetrate. Internet Explorer is still king of the hill when it comes to enterprise browsing -- and even Firefox has only recently begun to make serious inroads.
One thing which might help is the addition of policy support to Chrome. With administrators able to control things like access to Wrench > Options, extension installs, and content settings, they might just be a little more willing to deploy Chrome on their corporate machines -- where manageability is a primary concern. There's still the tech support hurdle to overcome: many large businesses outsource their IT help desks and Chrome support skills could be in short supply. It's still a very young browser, after all.
Google also recently introduced an .MSI package for Chrome, and that too could help further adoption. The .MSI allows for machine-wide installs into the Program Files directory rather than into your Application Data folder and should make deployment a painless procedure (at least the install portion).
Share TweetWill policy support help Google Chrome make enterprise gains? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Toshiba reportedly prepping glasses-free 3DTV for Q4 launch
Hot news out of Japan if you're an eager 3D beaver: a report from Toshiba's home nation indicates that the company has three models of glasses-free 3D displays in the pipeline, which are being prepared for launch "before Christmas" at prices of "several thousand dollars" each. As you might recall, we got our first inkling about Toshiba Mobile Display's multi-parallax technique back in April, which is when the above 21-inch panel was being touted along with promises of eliminating eye strain and widening 3D viewing angles. We suspect that by now Toshiba has put a slinky bezel on the thing and started thinking up alphanumeric product names for it, though do bear in mind that queries to its press office were deflected with the boilerplate "no comment" response.Toshiba reportedly prepping glasses-free 3DTV for Q4 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | AFP | Email this | Comments
Nokia 5250 gets official: ?115 for a 2.8-inch touchscreen with 16:9 display ratio (updated)
Nokia is being coy this morning by revealing a trio of pictures of what it only describes as its "new device." Of course, being a devoted Engadget reader, you'll instantly recognize the visage above as that of the Nokia 5250 -- the already leaked successor to the 5230 ( aka the Nuron). Specs are promised for later today, so contain your excitement until a more civilized hour. For now, you'll find one more pic -- of the bodacious, camera-adorned back -- after the break.
[Thanks, Adam B.]
Update: That wasn't a long wait. Nokia Conversations has the scoop on the 5250, including confirmation of the name. The real headline here is the eminently frugal price of €115 ($146) before taxes and subsidies. For that handful of change, you'll get your old favorite S60 5th OS with a mobile version of Guitar Hero 5 pre-installed, along with an FM radio and a media player slap bang in the middle of your 2.8-inch homescreen, all to underline this new phone's musical inclinations. The touchscreen panel fits 640 x 360 pixels (16:9 display ratio), and battery life is rated for 18 days of standby, seven hours of talktime, or 24 hours of music playback. Not bad at all. Shipping in Q4 [Thanks, Keith!].Continue reading Nokia 5250 gets official: ?115 for a 2.8-inch touchscreen with 16:9 display ratio (updated)Nokia 5250 gets official: ?115 for a 2.8-inch touchscreen with 16:9 display ratio (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Nokia (Facebook) | Email this | Comments
[Thanks, Adam B.]
Update: That wasn't a long wait. Nokia Conversations has the scoop on the 5250, including confirmation of the name. The real headline here is the eminently frugal price of €115 ($146) before taxes and subsidies. For that handful of change, you'll get your old favorite S60 5th OS with a mobile version of Guitar Hero 5 pre-installed, along with an FM radio and a media player slap bang in the middle of your 2.8-inch homescreen, all to underline this new phone's musical inclinations. The touchscreen panel fits 640 x 360 pixels (16:9 display ratio), and battery life is rated for 18 days of standby, seven hours of talktime, or 24 hours of music playback. Not bad at all. Shipping in Q4 [Thanks, Keith!].Continue reading Nokia 5250 gets official: ?115 for a 2.8-inch touchscreen with 16:9 display ratio (updated)Nokia 5250 gets official: ?115 for a 2.8-inch touchscreen with 16:9 display ratio (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Nokia (Facebook) | Email this | Comments
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Toshiba reportedly prepping glasses-free 3DTV for Q4 launch
Hot news out of Japan if you're an eager 3D beaver: a report from Toshiba's home nation indicates that the company has three models of glasses-free 3D displays in the pipeline, which are being prepared for launch "before Christmas" at prices of "several thousand dollars" each. As you might recall, we got our first inkling about Toshiba Mobile Display's multi-parallax technique back in April, which is when the above 21-inch panel was being touted along with promises of eliminating eye strain and widening 3D viewing angles. We suspect that by now Toshiba has put a slinky bezel on the thing and started thinking up alphanumeric product names for it, though do bear in mind that queries to its press office were deflected with the boilerplate "no comment" response.Toshiba reportedly prepping glasses-free 3DTV for Q4 launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | AFP | Email this | Comments
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