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Thursday, February 10, 2011

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3net 24/7 3D channel launches this weekend, but only on DirecTV

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 10:14 AM PST

The number of 24/7 broadcasting 3D channels in the US will go from one to three next week, now that Sony, Imax and Discovery have announced the launch of their channel, 3net, on DirecTV alongside its existing n3D channel and ESPN 3D, which will start looping its sports videos 24/7 on Valentine's Day. Scheduled to go live at 8 p.m. Sunday night on channel 107 it promises fresh debuts all month with a new show added to the rotation every night at 9 p.m. It's big promise is to "offer viewers the largest library of native 3D entertainment content in the world by the end of 2011" although any 3D TV owners who don't have DirecTV would probably just be glad if it got added to their channel lineups anytime soon, check the press release after the break for all the details.


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SONY, DISCOVERY AND IMAX TO LAUNCH 3NET, THE 24/7 3D TELEVISION NETWORK,
IN THE U.S. FEBRUARY 13, 2011 ON DIRECTV


-- Network to Debut Premieres Every Night Throughout February --


February 10, 2011 – Culver City, Calif. – 3net, the joint venture television network from Sony Corporation, Discovery Communications and IMAX Corporation today announced that DIRECTV will be the first distributor to launch 3net, the 24/7 3D network, beginning February 13, 2011. 3net will initially be available to millions of DIRECTV customers across the country.

3net will go live at 8:00 PM ET on DIRECTV (channel 107) with a primetime slate featuring world premieres of new, one-hour, native 3D original programs CHINA REVEALED and FORGOTTEN PLANET, in addition to the world 3D television premiere of INTO THE DEEP 3D. Throughout February, the network will offer an unprecedented rollout of original 3D series and new program debuts every night at 9:00 PM ET.

3net will deliver compelling, native 3D content to the marketplace and thus serve as a critical driver for consumer adoption of in-home 3D entertainment. The partnership's commitment to the emerging 3D market is historic, with plans for the channel to offer viewers the largest library of native 3D entertainment content in the world by the end of 2011.

"Today's announcement marks the culmination of a dynamic collaboration, and we are very proud of what has been accomplished in the seven short months since the network began its development," said Tom Cosgrove, 3net's President and Chief Executive Officer. "DIRECTV is the leader in meeting consumer demand for video entertainment and has clearly been an industry innovator in 3D. We are proud to partner with DIRECTV on this historic launch and bring compelling, original 3D programming and key content from our partners to DIRECTV subscribers across the country on a 24/7 basis."

"Quality 3D programming is vital to the success and increased adoption of the technology, and with industry leaders like Discovery, Sony and IMAX making a commitment to this category, it is clear that 3D is here to stay and is only going to get better," said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV. "We are excited to be the first distributor to announce the launch of 3net and we look forward to continuing to provide our customers with the largest and most compelling 3D programming lineup available."

"The broad availability of high-quality, native 3D content is a critical step towards consumers fully embracing 3D," said Rob Wiesenthal, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Sony Corporation of America. "Beginning February 13, a deep and diverse array of great 3D programming will be available in the home 24 hours a day. 3net is an important element in our strategy to maintain a leadership position in all things 3D."
"Discovery's business strategy has always focused on delivering groundbreaking content through new platforms and technologies. The launch of 3net represents a giant leap in our march to bring audiences the closest-to-real viewing experiences," said David Zaslav, President and CEO, Discovery Communications.

"3net brings together three global brands with a single mission – to deliver premium 3D entertainment experiences to audiences in the comfort of their own homes," said Richard L. Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. "We are proud to embark on this new venture with Sony and Discovery, and we believe that our popular library of breathtaking IMAX content is in great company with the range of compelling programming from our partners."

3net Premiere Night Schedule (all times Eastern):

CHINA REVEALED (8:00 PM)
China's beauty is little seen, often hidden and always surprising. This hour-long series explores the thronging cities, epic vistas and spiritual heartlands of this huge and mysterious nation in stunning 3D. Produced by Natural History New Zealand Ltd.

INTO THE DEEP 3D (9:00 PM)
This IMAX special takes audiences on a spectacular three-dimensional exploration of the undersea world. Using the IMAX 3D camera in its underwater housing for the first time, this film captures unique marine life and magnificent underwater vistas.

FORGOTTEN PLANET (10:00 PM)
Explore the strangest places on earth – once vibrant cities now completely devoid of all humanity. This series of one-hour programs imagines the world humans will one day leave behind by exploring what we've already abandoned. Produced by Flight 33 Productions.

DIRECTV delivers more 3D programming than any other distributor with its suite of dedicated 3D channels. DIRECTV HD customers received a free software upgrade that enables them to have access to the 3D channels on DIRECTV. DIRECTV HD customers will need a 3D television set and 3D glasses to view 3D programming on DIRECTV. For more information on DIRECTV's 3D programming platform, please visit: www.DIRECTV.com/3D.


About 3net
3net, the joint venture of Sony Corporation, Discovery Communications and IMAX Corporation brings together three of the world's leading media, technology and entertainment companies to bring a fully programmed, 24/7 3D network to U.S television audiences. The three partners bring an extraordinary collection of award-winning 3D content, technology and production expertise, television distribution and operational strength to the project, with a mission to bring viewers the highest quality and most immersive in-home 3D viewing experience possible. The channel will feature the most extensive library of 3D content in the world, featuring genres that are most appealing in 3D, including natural history, documentary, action/adventure, travel, history, hyper-reality, lifestyle and cuisine, concerts, movies, scripted series and more. For more information, please visit www.3net.com.

About DIRECTV
DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV) is the world's most popular video service delivering state-of-the-art technology, unmatched programming, the most comprehensive sports packages available and industry leading customer service to its more than 25 million customers in the U.S. and Latin America. In the U.S., DIRECTV offers its 18.56 million customers the capacity for more than 200 HD channels in Dolby 5.1 theater-quality sound, access to exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™, award winning technology like its DIRECTV® DVR Scheduler and higher customer satisfaction than the leading cable companies for nine years running. DIRECTV Latin America, through its subsidiaries and affiliated companies in Brazil,
Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries, leads the pay-TV category in technology, programming and service, delivering an unrivaled digital television experience to 6.5 million customers. DIRECTV sports and entertainment properties include three Regional Sports Networks (Northwest, Rocky Mountain and Pittsburgh) as well as a 65 percent interest in Game Show Network. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please call 1-800-DIRECTV or visit directv.com.

Obama announces plan to free up 500MHz of spectrum, invest in 4G for rural areas, and build out nationwide public safety network

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 09:38 AM PST

We knew the White House was on board with the FCC's desire to free up an additional 500MHz worth of spectrum over the next decade from private and federal holders, as announced last year, and now Obama has announced the plan to do it. The plan is to incentivize the current spectrum squatters with a share of the revenue gained from auctioning off the spectrum -- mostly for mobile broadband use -- which only seems fair, and for now it seems those auctions will be voluntary. But that's just the tip of the iceberg: the plan also includes a $5 billion investment in constructing 4G networks in rural areas (with a goal to reach at least 98 percent of Americans with the service), a $3 billion fund for 4G R&D to help the rollout, and $10.7 billion for a wireless public safety network. The beauty of this plan is that all these proposed costs are offset by the spectrum auction, which is estimated to raise $27.8 billion, of which $9.6 billion will be dedicated to deficit reduction. Oh, and the best news? The government has already found 115MHz worth of Federal spectrum that it can free up by using its other spectrum more efficiently, and has another 95MHz worth in its sights. Hit up the source link to see President Obama's speech on the subject, which has just begun, or check it out embedded after the break.



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The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release February 10, 2011
President Obama Details Plan to Win the Future through Expanded Wireless Access

Initiative expands wireless coverage to 98% of Americans, reduces deficit by nearly $10 billion, invests in nationwide public safety network

WASHINGTON-President Barack Obama will today detail his plan to win the future by catalyzing the buildout of high-speed wireless services that will enable businesses to grow faster, students to learn more, and public safety officials to access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a National Wireless Initiative to make available high-speed wireless services to at least 98 percent of Americans. The Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative laid out today will make it possible for businesses to achieve that goal, while freeing up spectrum through incentive auctions, spurring innovation, and creating a nationwide, interoperable wireless network for public safety. It will also reduce the national deficit by approximately $10 billion.

The President will announce the new initiative at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, a city where local businesses have been able to grow as a result of broadband access, with particular benefit in exporting goods to new markets around the world. He will also see a demonstration of how the university's WiMAX network has enabled distance learning for university and community students.

For more details on the President's Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative, please see the fact sheet below:

The White House

FACT SHEET: President Obama's Plan to Win the Future through the Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative

In his State of the Union address, President Obama set the goal of enabling businesses to provide high-speed wireless services to at least 98 percent of all Americans within five years. The rollout of the next generation of high-speed wireless-the "4G" technology now being deployed in the United States by leading carriers-promises considerable benefits to our economy and society. More than 10 times faster than current high speed wireless services, this technology promises to benefit all Americans, bolster public safety, and spur innovation in wireless services, equipment, and applications. By catalyzing private investment and innovation and reducing the deficit by $9.6 billion, this initiative will help the United States win the future and compete in the 21st century economy.

Nearly Double Wireless Spectrum Available for Mobile Broadband: The President has set the goal of freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum for everything from smartphones to wireless broadband connectivity for laptops to new forms of machine-to-machine communication within a decade. Critical to realizing this goal are "voluntary incentive auctions" and more efficient use of government spectrum, estimated to raise $27.8 billion over the next decade.
Provide At Least 98% of Americans with Access to 4G High-Speed Wireless: Private investments are extending 4G to most of the Nation, but leaving some rural areas behind. The President's initiative would support a one-time investment of $5 billion and reform of the "Universal Service Fund" to ensure millions more Americans will be able to use this technology.
Catalyze Innovation Through a Wireless Innovation (WIN): To spur innovation, $3 billion of the spectrum proceeds will go to research and development of emerging wireless technologies and applications.
Develop and Deploy a Nationwide, Interoperable Wireless Network for Public Safety: The President's Budget calls for a $10.7 billion commitment to support the development and deployment of a nationwide wireless broadband network to afford public safety agencies with far greater levels of effectiveness and interoperability. An important element of this plan is the reallocation of the D Block for public safety and $500 million within the WIN Fund.
Cut the Deficit By $9.6 Billion Over the Next Decade: Nearly $10 billion of spectrum auction revenue will be devoted to deficit reduction.
Details of the President's Initiative

Nearly Double Wireless Spectrum Available for Mobile Broadband. The number of "Smartphones" will soon pass both conventional mobile phones and computers around the world, promising lower costs for such devices, more functionality, and greater demand for bandwidth (speed). 4G deployment is rising to meet this demand, but it relies on access to the "airwaves" that is currently constrained by a spectrum crunch that will hinder future innovation. To address this challenge, the President's initiative has set the goal of freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum. Specifically, the plan provides:
Win-win incentives for government holders. New financial-compensation tools and a commitment to using advanced technologies more effectively will enable government agencies to use spectrum more efficiently.
Win-win incentives for commercial holders. As recommended in the FCC's National Broadband Plan, legislation is needed to allow the FCC to conduct "voluntary incentive auctions" that enable current spectrum holders to realize a portion of auction revenues if they choose to participate.
The majority of the freed up spectrum would be auctioned for licensed mobile broadband, raising a projected $27.8 billion over the next decade, and a remainder would be for unlicensed use.
A Goal of 98% of Americans with Access to 4G High-Speed Wireless. America's businesses are building out 4G networks to much of the nation, with some major companies crediting the President's recent tax incentives for accelerating their efforts. Nevertheless, absent additional government investment, millions of Americans will not be able to participate in the 4G revolution. To that end, the President's Budget supports the 4G buildout in rural areas through a one-time $5 billion investment. This investment, to be managed by the FCC, will help catalyze universal service reform to provide access to higher-speed wireless and wired broadband, dovetail with the need for public safety to have a wireless network available in rural areas, and extend access from the almost 95% of Americans who have 3G wireless services today to at least 98% of all Americans gaining access to state-of-the-art 4G high-speed wireless services within five years. Extending access to high-speed wireless not only provides a valuable service to Americans living in those areas-access to medical tests, online courses, and applications that have not yet been invented-but also catalyzes economic growth by enabling consumers and businesses living in those areas to participate in the 21st century economy.
A Wireless Innovation (WIN) Fund to Help Drive Innovation. This $3 billion fund will advance our economic growth and competitiveness goals, supporting key technological developments that will enable and take advantage of the 4G rollout and pave the way for new technologies. The WIN Fund will support basic research, experimentation and testbeds, and applied development in a number of areas, including public safety, education, energy, health, transportation, and economic development.
Develop and Deploy A Nationwide, Interoperable Wireless Network For Public Safety. The 9/11 Commission noted that our homeland security is vulnerable, in part, due to the lack of interoperable wireless communication among first responders. The rollout of 4G high speed wireless services provides a unique opportunity to deploy such a system in conjunction with the commercial infrastructure already being developed and deployed. To seize that opportunity, President Obama is calling for an investment of $10.7 billion to ensure that our public safety benefits from these new technologies: $3.2 billion to reallocate the "D Block" (which is a band of spectrum that would be reserved and prioritized for public safety and not auctioned as called for under existing law); $7 billion to support the deployment of this network; and $500 million from the WIN Fund for R&D and technological development to tailor the network to meet public safety requirements. This investment, in coordination with the investment in rural buildout, will ensure that the rollout of 4G in rural areas serves the needs of public safety and the broader community.
Cut the deficit by $9.6 billion over the next decade. The President's proposals to auction off spectrum freed up from the government and voluntarily relinquished by current commercial users, is estimated to raise $27.8 billion. This total is above-and-beyond the auction proceeds that are used to provide an incentive for private and government users as well as the auction proceeds that are expected even absent the President's proposal. After the cost of the investments proposed by the President, the initiative would reduce the deficit by $9.6 billion over the next decade.
Building on Progress

The Administration has already made progress on its decade-long spectrum goal and on expanding broadband access.

A 115 MHz downpayment on the President's 500 MHz goal. Last June, President Obama issued a Memorandum calling for action by the Federal government and Congress to enable large swaths of spectrum to be used more efficiently. The NTIA has already taken steps to make good on that commitment. In particular, the agency has identified 115 Megahertz of Federal spectrum that can be freed up as part of a "fast track" process for exclusive or shared use, selected another 95 MHz of valuable spectrum for immediate evaluation, and has a workplan for evaluating other Federal spectrum bands that can be used more efficiently.
Recovery Act investments by the Commerce and Agriculture Departments have boosted deployment and adoption of broadband technology. The Recovery Act provided around $7 billion to expand broadband access and adoption, with more than $2.5 billion going to the Rural Utility Service at Agriculture for rural areas and $4.4 billion going to National Telecommunications and Information Administration at Commerce to support a number of broadband initiatives. In particular, NTIA provided around $400 million in grants to jurisdictions using wireless broadband for public safety.

Qualcomm gets official with TouchPad-powering Snapdragon APQ8060 processor

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 09:31 AM PST

HP already put out the first official word about Qualcomm's new Snapdragon APQ8060 processor yesterday when it revealed that its TouchPad was based on it, but Qualcomm's now also come out and properly announced the new processor itself. That's, of course, a dual-core processor, and comes paired with an Adreno 220 GPU that Qualcomm says helps to deliver "unprecedented processing and 3D graphics performance." What's more, while the TouchPad is the first device to use the processor, it obviously won't be the last, and Qualcomm has now also given us an idea of what sort of capabilities those devices (including smartphones in addition to tablets) might have -- namely, cameras up to 16 megapixels, and the ability to capture and display 1080p stereoscopic 3D video or 8 megapixel stereoscopic still images. Head on past the break for the complete press release.
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Qualcomm's Snapdragon Processor Powers Advanced 3D Gaming and Stereoscopic 3D in the Latest Tablets and Smartphones

Single and Dual-Core Custom CPUs and Advanced GPUs Enhance Performance Levels and Enable Next-Generation Mobile

SAN DIEGO – February 10, 2011 – Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its Snapdragon™ processors are enabling the latest and greatest multimedia experiences in today's commercial mobile devices, including stereoscopic 3D (S3D) entertainment, 1080p 30fps HD video capture and playback, console-quality gaming and full web browsing with Adobe Flash 10. The newest member of the Snapdragon family, Qualcomm's APQ8060 dual-CPU processor, powers the HP TouchPad, which HP introduced yesterday.

"Our work with industry leaders has allowed us to showcase the full spectrum of Snapdragon's graphics and multimedia capabilities in both the tablet and smartphone space across major software platforms," said Raj Talluri, vice president of product management for Qualcomm. "With more than 75 Snapdragon devices already announced, 150 Snapdragon devices in development and over 100 high end mobile games optimized for our GPU, Qualcomm continues to be a leader in delivering high performance devices to market."

The first webOS tablet, the HP TouchPad, offers a 9.7-inch diagonal multitouch display, an innovative and intuitive multitasking UI and a robust platform for game development. Qualcomm and HP collaborated with Polarbit to optimize its action-packed arcade flight simulation game, Armageddon Squadron II, for the HP TouchPad. Running on the HP TouchPad, Squadron II showcases dynamic lighting and shading with enhanced motion blur visual effects to create a real-world gaming experience, which is made possible with the power of Qualcomm's Adreno® 220 GPU.

"With the APQ 8060 and Adreno 220 GPU, the HP TouchPad delivers a high-performing and fluid multitasking user interface, as well as offers game and multimedia application developers a high-performance environment for their applications," said Jon Oakes, director of TouchPad Product Marketing at HP.

Qualcomm's embedded CPUs and GPUs are designed from the ground up to deliver unprecedented processing and 3D graphics performance with industry-leading efficiency to extend battery life. The 8x60 family, with the APQ8060 being the newest addition, is part of the third generation of the Snapdragon family and is the ultimate solution for the latest multi-tasking smartphones and tablets. The third-generation includes: two asynchronous processor cores; an integrated Adreno 220 GPU with twice the processing power of its predecessor; support for up to a 16 Megapixel camera; and can capture and display HD 1080P stereoscopic video or 8 Megapixel stereoscopic still images to an autostereoscopic panel or a 3DTV (via HDMI), allowing consumers to capture high resolution video or stills and watch them without the need for special glasses.

The second generation Snapdragon single-core family of CPUs is already powering numerous smartphones that are commercially available today, including the recently launched Sharp Galapagos 003SH, a 3D entertainment smartphone. The Galapagos 003SH is powered by the Snapdragon MSM8255™ processor, which provides the ability to capture and display pictures, as well as play movies, in stereoscopic 3D without the use of glasses. The Galapagos 003SH also supports the Adreno 205 GPU for 3D gaming capability in addition to a 9.6 Megapixel camera and HD 720p video for playback and recording.

"In order to provide the best mobile user experience possible for the Galapagos 003SH, we were thrilled to work with an industry leader such as Qualcomm," said Hiroaki Tochihara, division general manager, Personal Communication Systems Division II, Communication Systems Group, Sharp Corporation. "The 003SH provides an innovative and robust user experience with its next-generation 3D entertainment capabilities, and Qualcomm has been instrumental in helping to enable these features and bring this device to market."

For more information about Snapdragon and to see the latest devices it's enabling, please visit us at the GSMA's Mobile World Congress in the Company's exhibit, located in Exhibit Hall 8, #8B53 or visit www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon.

About Qualcomm
Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is a world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies. For 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other. Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere. For more information, visit Qualcomm around the Web:
www.qualcomm.com
Corporate Blog: www.qualcomm.com/blog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/qualcomm
Facebook: www.facebook.com/qualcomm

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of APQ8060, MSM8X90 and MSM8255 components on a timely and profitable basis, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 26, 2010, and most recent Form 10-Q.
###

Qualcomm and Adreno are registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. Snapdragon and MSM8255 are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Internet Explorer 9 RC now available to download, tracking protection in tow

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 09:20 AM PST

The Internet Explorer 9 beta pleasantly surprised us with Microsoft's renewed competitiveness in the web browser wars, and the pinnable, hardware-accelerated experience is getting even better today -- you can download the IE9 release candidate right now, which streamlines and beautifies the tabbed browsing layout considerably, adds those previously promised, fully customizable tracking protection lists for privacy and freely toggled ActiveX filters, as well as an updated Javascript engine, geolocation support via HTML5, the ability to pin web apps to the taskbar, and a host of assorted speed and functionality improvements. Find the files you need at our source link below, and let us know if the Beauty of the Web captivates you this time around.

Nokia's Capital Markets Day is tomorrow, and we'll be there live!

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 09:03 AM PST

February 11th, 2011. It looks set to be a day to remember in the grand history of that titan of the mobile industry, Nokia Corporation. Its fearless new leader has been trumpeting the need for change both in public appearances and in the private corridors of Espoo, and tomorrow he gets the stage all to himself, having been handed the keys and told to pick a direction in which to drive. Will he steer Finland's proudest export into the warm embrace of Microsoft and its developing Windows Phone 7 platform? Will he respond to being described as the orchestrator of a turkey sandwich? Or will he be his usual understated self and lay out a sensible roadmap for righting the wrongs of Nokia's recent past? If we're lucky, he'll do all three tomorrow morning. The show gets started early, at 10AM GMT, but whether you're staying up late or getting up early, we don't expect you to miss a moment of it.

12:00AM - Hawaii
02:00AM - Pacific
03:00AM - Mountain
04:00AM - Central
05:00AM - Eastern
10:00AM - London
11:00AM - Paris
01:00PM - Moscow
03:30PM - Mumbai
07:00PM - Tokyo
09:00PM - Sydney

Windows Phone 7's copy and paste update now coming in March?

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 08:47 AM PST

If you don't have a Windows Phone 7 device, you may have assumed that first major update with copy and paste support had been released to end users by now -- and we wouldn't necessarily blame you. If you do have a Windows Phone 7 device, however, you know how very untrue that is... and the latest rumors suggest that you won't be on track to get it this month. To be fair, Microsoft never promised that we'd see the update on handsets in February in any official capacity, but rumors at one time had suggested it'd happen; of course, they also suggested January, so you see how that goes. Anyhow, both Neowin and ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley are liking March 8 as a possibility, citing the difficulties in getting carriers and manufacturers on board for a coordinated launch of a firmware update that they're all accustomed to having more control over. Since early last year, Microsoft had said it'd be controlling platform updates pretty tightly -- certainly more tightly than in the disjoint Android world -- and we can imagine that takes a little bit of adaptation for the likes of LG and Samsung. Anyhow, here's hoping everyone's up to date on the 8th, eh?

HTC to debut Android phone with dedicated Facebook button that doubles as Winklevii irritant

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 08:23 AM PST

Do you know how much time is lost having to jump out of an application to click on the Facebook icon (or widget) on your home screen? That 0.4 seconds, when done hundreds of times each and every day (assuming you ever leave the Facebook screen in the first place) can really add up -- precious time you could spend updating your status and liking your girlfriend's brother's Business Cat wall post. INQ figured it out, and HTC may have found a way to restore those precious seconds, as well. According to The Financial Times, the company plans to introduce an Android device with a dedicated Facebook button (note: not a "Facebook phone"). We wouldn't expect anything crazy out of the clicker, however, as the dream crushers known currently as "people familiar with the device" say its purpose is to take you to the Facebook front page -- if you want something more. HTC is expected to introduce it this month, and if we were betting folk, we'd say that meant Mobile World Congress next week.

Sprint posts best customer gains in five years

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 07:52 AM PST

The decision to move to WiMAX instead of LTE will probably be second-guessed by pundits and investors for years to come, but regardless, Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has emerged as one of the wireless industry's great comeback kids now that he appears to be succeeding in his goal of turning the carrier's tailspin right around. The latest victory comes in the form of Sprint's fourth quarter 2010 results, which reveal its largest subscriber gain since the first and second quarters of 2006 -- yes, 2006. Total adds were 1.1 million, though net postpaid adds were only 58,000, suggesting that prepaid services are the big push right now. Additionally, Sprint reported its lowest postpaid customer churn in the fourth quarter of any year in its history at 1.86 percent. On the downside, the company's still technically in the red, reporting an operating loss of $139 million on revenues of $8.3 billion. Overall, Hesse says they've got "momentum" heading into the new year, anticipating net customer additions in 2011. Give us an EVO 4G 2, Dan, and we might just be willing to agree.

Camera Mic app turns your iPhone mic into a shutter release

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 07:29 AM PST

Camera Mic app turns your iPhone microphone into a shutter release
That pretty much says it all, folks. It's an app for your iPhone that lets you run your finger across the mic on your handset or headset and use it to trigger the camera. Simple? Yes. Genius? Maybe, so long as you aren't the sort who mindlessly strokes your headphone cable while on the subway or bus. Yours now for a buck.

Pelican Imaging's prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 07:05 AM PST

Pelican's prototype array camera could make your pictures better, phones thinner (video)
If you want to look for life on another planet you don't build one radio telescope that's miles wide, you build a bunch of smaller ones and create an array out of them. As it turns out that basic idea works for capturing visible wavelengths as well. It's called a plenoptic camera, using an array of very small lenses that, when combined, can create an image as good as a larger one. Pelican Imaging is largely interested in the slim factor this kind of system could offer, potentially allowing for thinner phones, but this could also open the door to some interesting effects. Check out the video after the break for an example of the dynamic aperture control this sort of setup can allow, where you can change the focal plane of an image after it was taken. Given the small size of the array here you probably couldn't do anything too crazy, like take a picture through a tree, but the days of poorly focused cameraphone shots might finally be at an end -- whenever this actually comes to market.



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Pelican Imaging Unveils Revolutionary Approach to Smartphone Cameras, Announces Three Technical Advisory Board Members



Company Attracts Renowned Experts in Development of Computational Array Cameras
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pelican Imaging Corporation, a venture-backed pioneer in computational imaging, today announced that it has developed the first prototype array camera for mobile devices. In addition, the company has announced its Technical Advisory Board comprised of three leading experts in computational imaging. The members are Professor Marc Levoy, Professor Shree K. Nayar and Dr. Bedabrata Pain.
The Technical Advisory Board leverages several decades of experience in helping guide Pelican Imaging's pioneering work building the industry's thinnest high-resolution camera, targeting smartphones and tablets.
"We are excited about attracting some of the foremost experts to Pelican's Technical Advisory Board. This relationship gives us a collaborative forum that leverages their unique insights and maximizes the potential of our architecture," said Kartik Venkataraman, CTO and co-founder of Pelican Imaging.
Pelican Imaging has developed a computational camera array architecture and fundamental intellectual property with 12 pending patent applications in array optics, sensors and image reconstruction algorithms. Pelican's camera improves upon image and video quality while allowing for thinner smartphones. New applications are also enabled by introducing features such as 3-D depth, gesture control, and the ability for users to interact with the image before and after capturing the shot.
"What Pelican has developed represents a paradigm shift in imaging and video that has the potential to overcome many of the inherent limitations of mobile cameras," said Professor Shree Nayar of Columbia University. "Pelican's expertise in optics, architecture and software algorithms uniquely positions the company to bring computational imaging applications to the mass market."
Professor Marc Levoy, of Stanford University commented, "Pelican's technology has the potential to upset the traditional tradeoff between the sensitivity and resolution of a camera and its thickness. It also brings new capabilities to cameras, including post-capture focusing, foveal imaging and programmable frame rates. We have been investigating these aspects of computational photography in our laboratory at Stanford for a number of years, through the Stanford Multi-Camera Array, which is big, slow and expensive. Pelican's solution is small, fast and inexpensive – which makes it a very exciting technology."
"Pelican's architecture relaxes key pixel design constraints, thereby enhancing pixel performance beyond those in legacy cameras. I am equally excited about its potential for early and cost-effective adoption of new sensor technologies. The next generation of mini- and micro-cameras is upon us," said Dr. Bedabrata Pain, CEO of Edict Inc.
Technical Advisory Board Members Bio
Dr. Marc Levoy – Currently a professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, Dr. Levoy co-designed the Google book scanner and launched Google's Street View project. In the 1970s, he worked on computer animation, developing a cartoon animation system that was used to make The Flintstones, Scooby Doo and other shows. His current activities include computational imaging techniques that extend the capabilities of digital photography. Dr. Levoy has been awarded the National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator (1991), ACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics Achievement Award (1996) and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Fellow (2007).
Dr. Shree Nayar – Currently the T. C. Chang Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, he co-directs the Columbia Vision and Graphics Center and heads the Columbia Computer Vision Laboratory (CAVE), which is dedicated to the development of computational cameras and vision systems. In 2008, Dr. Nayar was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
Dr. Bedabrata Pain – Currently the CEO of Edict Inc., a technology consulting firm, he was previously a senior research scientist at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech. Dr. Pain is a co-inventor of the active pixel sensor technology that resulted in the development of the world's smallest camera in 1995 at NASA, and subsequently sparked the explosion in cameraphones. In 1997, Dr. Pain was inducted to the U.S. Space Technology Hall of Fame.
About Pelican Imaging
Headquartered in Mountain View, California, and founded in 2008, Pelican Imaging Corporation is a venture-backed software and IP start-up in the business of commercializing computational array cameras for the mobile market. Pelican's array camera directly addresses the challenges posed by conventional camera design and small pixels. Investors include Globespan Capital Partners, Granite Ventures, InterWest Partners and IQT. For more information, go to www.pelicanimaging.com.
Pelican Imaging and Pelican are trademarks of Pelican Imaging Corporation. All other brands or product names are the property of their respective holders.
SOURCE Pelican Imaging Corporation

RunCore USB 3.0 Express SSD offers 64GB of storage and two ports in one killer device

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 06:42 AM PST

RunCore USB 3.0 Express SSD stores 64GB of birds with one, USB 3.0-having stone
Let's say you have a laptop. It has an ExpressCard slot but, because it's a little old, it doesn't have USB 3.0. Also, it just doesn't have enough storage to suit your needs any more. Oh, and the keys are kind of worn and shiny, especially H for some reason. RunCore can't help with that last problem, but it certainly has a tidy solution for the other two, a solution with a highly appropriate name: the USB 3.0 Express SSD. It offers 64GB worth of SSD storage plus a pair of cerulean USB 3.0 ports poking out the side just waiting for something -- like maybe another SSD. No word on price or availability, but we're hoping for soon, because this ExpressCard slot here isn't going to fill itself.

Marvell unveils Avastar 88W8797, first wireless SoC for mobile devices with 2x2 MIMO

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 06:17 AM PST

Avastar 88W8797The days of the shotgun modem live on with MIMO -- multiple-input and multiple-output adapters that offer numerous antennas to aggregate numerous parallel connections. Marvell just became the first to put such a solution on a tiny SoC, debuting its Avastar 88W8797 with dual 802.11n connectivity for transmission and receiving. This allows for 300Mbps transfers along with Bluetooth 4.0 and even FM transmission and reception, all built into a single chip with "advanced power management designed specifically for handheld products such as smartphones and tablets." You know what that means: shotgun WiFi in next-gen mobile devices. Yee haw!

Show full PR text
Marvell Unveils Industry's First 'Mobile MIMO' Wi-Fi Solution



The Avastar 88W8797 delivers unprecedented level of integration and power profile ideal for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvell (Nasdaq: MRVL), a worldwide leader in integrated silicon solutions, today announced the Avastar™ 88W8797, an 802.11n 2x2 dual-band Wi-Fi System-on-Chip (SoC) designed to support high data rates for next-generation mobile devices. With Wi-Fi Tx beamforming technology, Bluetooth 4.0 low energy capabilities and FM Tx/Rx, the Avastar 88W8797 is the industry's first high-performance multiple input multiple output (MIMO) combination radio with advanced power management designed specifically for handheld products such as smartphones and tablets.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100719/SF36559LOGO-b)
"As the promise of seamless connectivity fast becomes a reality, Wi-Fi provides a common link across many different mobile devices," said Weili Dai, Marvell's Co-Founder. "The Avastar 88W8797 represents a breakthrough for our industry: for the very first time the powerful performance of MIMO technology is now available and practical for mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. By integrating multiple cutting-edge technologies and several low-power radios into a single system-on-a- chip, the Avastar solution ushers in an exciting new era in mobile computing and communications."
Poor wireless performance in first-generation tablets has been widely attributed to the limitation of single antenna design and placement. Given a tablet's unique industrial form factor, device designers and manufacturers have little flexibility in the physical location of the antenna on the device. Marvell's new Mobile MIMO technology alleviates this challenge by adding a second transceiver in a true MIMO configuration. Offering Wi-Fi data rates up to 300Mbps, the Avastar 88W8797 can double the performance available on today's mobile products, enabling new, high-bandwidth media applications regardless of the device's spatial orientation. By allowing flexibility in the placement of two antennas on the device, robust performance is ensured even if one antenna is partially or completely obstructed.
The Avastar 88W8797 comes equipped with Tx beamforming technology, enabling a far more expansive network range when compared with existing 11n 2x2 products. The Avastar 88W8797 also supports the Bluetooth low-energy ecosystem, allowing communication with a new breed of mobile devices, including body sensors for personal health monitoring and remote controls for home automation and other applications. The Avastar 88W8797 is also well-suited to other products that require MIMO Wi-Fi performance such as home media servers, notebook computers, set-top-boxes, and digital televisions.
Marvell will be demonstrating the Avastar 88W8797 in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress (Courtyard CY15) and is already sampling the device to customers.
About Marvell
Marvell (NASDAQ: MRVL) is a world leader in the development of storage, communications and consumer silicon solutions. Marvell's diverse product portfolio includes switching, transceiver, communications controller, wireless and storage solutions that power the entire communications infrastructure, including enterprise, metro, home and storage networking. As used in this release, the term "Marvell" refers to Marvell Technology Group Ltd. and its subsidiaries. For more information, visit Marvell.com.
Marvell and the M logo are registered trademarks of Marvell and/or its affiliates. Avastar is trademark of Marvell and/or its affiliates. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

Inq Cloud Touch preview

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 05:31 AM PST

We can't accuse Inq of having the best timing in the world -- the company announced its new Facebook-centric Cloud Touch and Cloud Q phones at about the same time that HP was busy blowing minds with its new webOS range in San Francisco -- but at least that gave us an excuse to get out of the Engadget bunker this morning and go check out some new gear. We've gotten to grips with the 3.5-inch touchscreen-equipped Cloud Touch and have broken down our first impressions of the device for you after the break. Aside from Facebook, Inq has chosen to integrate Spotify Premium into this phone along with Fluency, the typing prediction engine that powers SwiftKey. The two serve as significant upgrades on the default media player and keyboard software, respectively, and add a nice sprinkling of value to a phone that's already expected to go easy on the wallet. The gallery below will illustrate anything else you may need or want to know, although you'll have to check out the video to see the multifunctional unlock screen and Facebook widgetry in action.
Inq Cloud Touch preview

Our first glance at the Cloud Touch immediately brought HTC's Wildfire to mind, thanks to its rounded edges and infusion of color, and playing with it kept that impression up. The Wildfire offers a smaller display and resolution than the Cloud Touch's 3.5-inch HVGA panel, however, and of course lacks the turbocharged Facebook integration that Inq has introduced here. Running Android 2.2 as the underlying platform, the Cloud Touch is dominated by what amounts to an enlarged and enhanced Facebook widget sat atop the home screen. It feeds you news, notifications and updates from your precious Friends, while Facebook's Social Graph API is also exploited to pick out your top five most-contacted friends as a sort of automated shortlist, which is what you're presented with once you enter the app.

Beneath that Facebook jumbotron, you get an app-launching dock that dedicates one half of its links to basic functions like the camera and browser and stacks another set of Facebook options on the other half. You slide it left and right to pick which section you're looking at and it generally works very nicely. Speaking of performance, we've got to say we were pleasantly surprised by the Cloud Touch -- it only has a humble 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor inside, but for such a modest spec, it really doesn't feel limited by any excess of lag. Then again, as you'll see in the video below, loading up the camera and processing images taken with the 5 megapixel sensor does take quite a while longer here than on your typical 1GHz Snapdragon. Still, with the right sort of pricing, we can definitely recommend this as an uncomplicated entry-level device -- it has the basic ergonomics, resolution, and (acceptable) UI responsiveness to facilitate your rampant socializing, while neat extras like the large, above-average loudspeaker on the back and additional hard keys on the sides (one for a system info panel and another to play / pause music) make it a well rounded value proposition. The Cloud Touch is launching in the UK in April, which is when we should know exactly how much that value will cost us.

Immersion's MOTIV development platform integrates haptics into Android, we go hands-on

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 05:30 AM PST

You may know that Immersion's haptic technology is in everything from surgical simulators to game controllers, but we're willing to bet you didn't know it's already baked into over 200 million existing devices -- including every Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and handsets by Nokia and LG. Now, using Android handsets' existing vibrator motors, a cheap software upgrade can inject force feedback into existing elements across the entire Android UI (2.2 and up), and with future devices -- built with multi-dollar piezoelectric actuators that vibrate the screen itself -- the haptic experience goes hi-fi. Now that it's revealed that little easter egg to the world, Immersion wants you to build some apps, and to that end it's releasing the MOTIV developer platform this March. Read all about it after the break.
Immersion's piezoelectric haptic reference handset, hands-on

So what's MOTIV? One, it's an SDK, which lets devs configure haptic feedback every which way. Two, it's a packaged solution for OEMs to bake into devices from the factory on, adding 150 stock taps, clicks, and rumbles which you feel every time you press a stock Android button or scroll through a list. Of course, apps would need to actually use the corresponding Android UI elements to take advantage of the feedback, but Immersion's got a backup plan: the package also comes with a nifty Reverb module that actually analyzes the sound output of your device and adds corresponding haptic feedback -- which definitely adds a little something extra to movies and games.

The piezo-enabled phone we saw was a dev unit built in-house (read: not for production) with Nexus One underpinnings. When we compared the experience using the dev unit to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab, the difference between them was readily apparent. Playing a guitar app on the dev unit was satisfying -- we could feel each individual string as we strummed the screen -- but the Galaxy's feedback, with just a standard vibrator motor, felt muddled in comparison. Ditto for the pinball game we played next -- both Samsung devices let us feel the bumps and shakes you'd expect from such a game, but the dev handset was better able to localize and differentiate the different types of feedback built into the game thanks to the piezoelectric element.

We also got to feel how the effects are incorporated into the general Android UI, and came away impressed -- for us, the addition of haptic feedback really did make touchscreen use a more precise experience. The click-click-click vibration under our fingers (like a tactile iPod clickwheel) as we scrolled through a list or the feeling of individual on-screen buttons as our fingers dragged across them were welcome additions, especially for free, although we have to admit the slightly more expensive piezoelectric handset was where we felt the offering truly compelling. Unfortunately, Immersion admitted that though piezo components are readily available from numerous suppliers, there aren't any such handsets currently in the works, so we'll have to hope developers embrace the inferior vibrator motors and build compelling enough apps for the idea of mobile haptics to take off. Chicken, meet egg.

Sean Hollister contributed to this post.

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Immersion Announces MOTIV™ Development Platform for Android
Immersion's MOTIV™ Development Platform for Android delivers next-generation haptic effects to device manufacturers and application developers through automated tools

SAN JOSE, Calif., February 10, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Immersion Corporation (Nasdaq:IMMR), a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, today announced the MOTIV™ Development Platform, designed to automate haptic integration into the Android OS and allow both OEMs and application developers to create differentiated and engaging user experiences with high quality tactile feedback. The first development platform of its kind, MOTIV provides the mobile ecosystem with access to the world of tactile interfaces, ushering in a new era of customizable touch effects to drive next-generation user interfaces.

"Immersion is focused on delivering high-definition haptic experiences to consumers by creating solutions that address the system-level challenges in designing haptics into a mobile interface," said Dennis Sheehan, Immersion's vice president of marketing. "While enabling technologies have evolved to provide high fidelity haptic sensations, utilization ultimately hinges upon ease of implementation. Today, haptics provides critical tactile feedback for typing and touch confirmation in touch screen phones and tablets, but it is a complex exercise to design haptics into a UI and applications. With the release of the MOTIV Development Platform, we are simplifying that process for the Android OS and providing the tools to create next-gen experiences such as personalized touch-based themes, games with tactile effects and multi-modal applications that engage the user's sense of touch."

The MOTIV Development Platform is comprised of two key elements, the MOTIV Integrator for OEMs and the MOTIV SDK for application developers:
MOTIV Integrator
The MOTIV Integrator offers a unique set of modules that provide build-time integration options for OEMs that automatically add haptics into the Android UI and applications and provides an easy way to customize the overall tactile feel of the device. MOTIV works in conjunction with Immersion's TouchSense® technology, which has created crisp and realistic haptic effects in hundreds of millions of mobile phones to date. Features of MOTIV Integrator include:
UI Module: Integrates haptics into the Android OS user interface within a matter of minutes, eliminating engineering cycles while creating a superior user experience. UI Module inserts haptics into Android's user interface through its view and notification frameworks, creating a consistent user experience throughout the mobile device, both in the user interface as well as downloaded applications which use the view and notification framework. Additionally, the UI Module provides a tailored experience by allowing users to adjust and personalize haptic effects.
Theme Manager Module: Allows OEMs to select from a list of haptic themes that can be applied to the Android OS and mobile user interface. Themes range in levels of intensity and personality, and can be customized by the OEM or carrier, creating a distinct and differentiated mobile experience for consumers.
Reverb Module: For applications not optimized for haptics by developers using the MOTIV SDK, OEMs can install the Reverb Module, which automatically inserts haptic feedback into applications by translating audio data into effects. Examples of applications that benefit from the Reverb Module include video and music playback enhanced by the sense of the music thumping reminiscent of a subwoofer effect, or a downloaded first person shooter game where the users feel the explosions and game play in their hands.

MOTIV SDK
Expected to be available to application developers in March 2011, the MOTIV SDK provides an assortment of haptic design resources. These tools include the API, sample code, effect libraries with over 100 pre-designed effects, reference documentation, and a conversion layer that allows developers to easily and quickly incorporate specialized haptic effects into their Android applications. In addition, the MOTIV SDK includes a haptic effect design studio for advanced users.

"Nearly 90% of respondents from our recent consumer testing indicated that they would want high-definition haptics in their next mobile device, illustrating a clear preference for mobile devices with haptics and a phenomenal response to haptic-enabled applications," explains Robert Lacroix, vice president of engineering at Immersion. "We are committed to developing tools that enable the broader mobile ecosystem access to Immersion's expertise and taps into the burgeoning application development community. We're excited to see innovations that result as developers and OEMs now have the freedom to easily integrate haptics into their UIs, applications and games."

Sonos Controller for Android with voice search will blow you away (video)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 05:00 AM PST

You can exhale Sonos fans, it's finally happening. The Sonos Controller for Android is official. After almost a year in development, the free WiFi music remote finally gives Sonos owners control over their whole-home audio system from any Android 2.1 and above device with a screen size of HVGA 320 x 480, WVGA 480 x 800 or WVGA 480 x 854. At least it will when it hits the Market at the end of March. Better yet, it trumps the Sonos iOS controller with music controls mapped directly to the buttons on your Android hardware. As such, you can control the volume of your Sonos system with the physical volume rocker on your Desire Z or use the search button on your Droid X to forage for that certain artist, track, or album. Oh, and the Sonos Controller for Android also supports voice search -- take that iOS app. Sorry, Sonos isn't announcing anything related to an Android tablet-equivalent of the Sonos controller for iPad today as the company is waiting to see how that market develops and which screen sizes and resolutions gain the most traction. Nevertheless, we'll be getting our first hands-on opportunity of the handset controller at Mobile World Congress next week. So, until then, why not wipe the tears from your $349 Sonos CR200 controller and watch the video preview after the break.



Show full PR text
ROCK THE HOUSE:
SONOS INTRODUCES SONOS CONTROLLER FOR ANDROID

Wireless Music System for Android Provides
Unlimited Music, Incredible Control and Amazing Sound in Every Room

SANTA BARBARA, CA – February 10, 2011 – Sonos, the leading developer of wireless multi-room music systems for the home, today introduced the Sonos Controller for Android, a free app that transforms most Android™ smartphones into a wireless music controller for the award-winning Sonos Multi-Room Music System. The Sonos Controller for Android, available in late March as a free download from Android Market™, will make its public debut next week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. To watch a video introduction of the Sonos Controller for Android, please visit www.sonos.com/android.

With the award-winning Sonos S5 in any room and an Android phone in hand, music lovers will enjoy an unmatched wireless music experience in the home. You'll be able to access and play all the music on earth-from the Internet and your personal music library-throughout the home, wirelessly. Use the free Sonos Controller for Android app to control all your music and rooms, all from the palm of your hand. And, Sonos Controller for Android features Sonos' latest innovation in the home music experience – music voice search - allowing users to find any artist, album or track by simply speaking into the phone.

"Sonos' mission is to fill every home with music," said John MacFarlane, CEO, Sonos, Inc. "We are thrilled to bring the joy of music to the homes of Android fans worldwide."

To get started enjoying music in any or every room of the home, all you need is a Sonos ZonePlayer and a Sonos Controller such as the free Sonos Controller for Android. The most popular Sonos ZonePlayer is the Sonos S5, an all-in-one wireless music system you can plug in anywhere. Now you can play any track you like, anytime you like, in any room you like. Wirelessly play the same song in every room of the house – perfectly synchronized. Or, mix it up and play different songs in different rooms.

When it comes to controlling Sonos, you simply reach into your pocket for your Android smartphone. With Sonos Controller for Android, you can search for songs and stations by typing or speaking, choose the music and control the volume in as many rooms as you like. And because your Android phone is controlling the music, and not the source of it, when a text comes in or you need to make a phone call, the music doesn't stop.

Sonos connects directly to the Internet so you can access a world of music without ever turning on your computer. Search and play more than 100,000 Internet radio stations, shows and podcasts - from around the world. Play songs, playlists and radio from the most popular music services like Deezer, iheartradio, Last.fm, Napster, Pandora, Rdio, Rhapsody, SiriusXM Internet Radio, Spotify, Wolfgang's Vault, and more. And of course, Sonos can play your entire digital music library (such as iTunes) stored on a computer or Network Attached storage drive.

The Sonos Controller for Android is designed to work on any Android smartphone running Android 2.1 or later with a screen size of HVGA 320 x 480, WVGA 480 x 800 or WVGA 480 x 854. Sonos Controller for Android joins the family of Sonos Controllers which includes free apps for iPhone and iPad, a dedicated touchscreen controller, the Sonos Controller 200, and free software for your Mac or PC, included with every ZonePlayer. All controllers work together seamlessly.

Sonos will be demonstrating the Sonos Controller for Android at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 13-17, 2011.

Amazon app released for the newest Windows Phone 7 models

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 04:27 AM PST

It's an important day for Windows Phone 7 users. No, not because the free Amazon app was just launched in the Windows Phone Marketplace. It's because we get to test drive this Photoshop image in preparation for Friday. You feelin' it?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Phantom of the Floppera (video)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 03:50 AM PST

This is what happens when you connect a few floppy drives to a PIC18f14k50 microcontroller operated by a MIDI-wielding madman. Be sure to watch until at least the 2 minute 30 second mark for a 5 1/4 inch surprise. Look closely, and you might just notice that Box 5 was left empty.

[Thanks, Jussi J.]

WiFi-only Motorola Xoom tablet does its FCC duty, silver version spotted in Dubai (video)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 03:31 AM PST

WiFi-only Motorola Xoom tablet does its FCC duty, silver version spotted in Dubai (video)
We heard some weird reports over the weekend that the 3G Motorola Xoom tablet couldn't be sold unless you bought at least one month of wireless data. That, plus the groan-inducing $800 MSRP, is surely giving some potential buyers a wee bit of pause. This might help. Crossing the wires at the FCC is what appears to be a WiFi-only version of the Xoom, called a "wireless tablet with embedded WLAN." It's lacking a 3G radio so, unless Moto has another trick up its sleeves, this is probably that. Obviously any speculation on price would be highly... speculative, but here's to hoping ditching that modem brings this thing down a Benjamin or so. Also spotted, this time in Dubai but also embedded below, was a silver version of the Xoom, sporting a two-tone back that will nicely complement your Casio Data Bank calculator watch. No word on whether we'll get that on these shores, but we hope so. Variety is, dear readers, the spice of life.

Brain-controlled robot arm kicks off new FDA program to speed up approval of medical devices

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 02:55 AM PST

As we've seen, the FDA approval process for medical devices and other gadgets can be a long one, but it looks like things could soon be speeding up considerably. The agency has just announced a new "Innovation Pathway" program that promises to allow for priority reviews of "truly pioneering technologies," which could potentially cut the approval process time in half. Somewhat ironically, however, that program itself will first need some further review before it's broadly deployed, but the FDA has already kicked things off on a limited basis with its first submission: a brain-controlled robotic arm from DARPA. It's not clear which arm that is, but it sounds a lot like the now-famous "Luke" arm developed by Dean Kamen's Deka organization, which just so happens to be funded by DARPA. Head on past the break for the official press release, and a video of the FDA's webcast announcing the program.

Update: A tipster has pointed out that the robotic arm seen briefly in the video after the break is actually the Modular Prosthetic Limb developed by Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (now pictured above), not Deka's Luke arm.


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FDA Launches Medical Device Innovation Initiative

DARPA-funded prosthetic is first test case

SILVER SPRING, Md., Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed the Innovation Pathway, a priority review program for new, breakthrough medical devices and announced the first submission: a brain-controlled, upper-extremity prosthetic that will serve as a pilot for the program. The FDA also announced plans to seek further public comment before the Pathway can be used more broadly.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090824/FDALOGO)

The new proposed Innovation Pathway program for pioneering medical devices, highlighted in a report published on the FDA's website today, is part of a broader effort underway in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) designed to encourage cutting-edge technologies among medical device manufacturers.

The initiative will also seek to strengthen the nation's research infrastructure for developing breakthrough technologies and advancing quality regulatory science. Proposed actions include:

* establishing a voluntary, third-party certification program for U.S. medical device test centers designed to promote rapid improvements to new technologies during a product's development and clinical testing stages;
* creating a publicly-available core curriculum for medical device development and testing to train the next generation of innovators; and
* using more device experience and data collected outside the United States.


In addition, CDRH intends to engage in formal horizon scanning – monitoring medical literature and scientific funding in a systematic way to predict where technology is heading. CDRH will include public input in this process to prepare for and respond to transformative innovative technologies and scientific breakthroughs.

"Each year, millions of American patients benefit from innovative medical devices that reduce suffering and treat previously untreatable conditions," said CDRH Director Jeffrey Shuren, M.D., J.D. "CDRH's Innovation Initiative will help accelerate the development of and patient access to innovative medical devices, which often fulfill unmet public health needs."

The FDA has accepted its first submission from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to review a brain-controlled, upper-extremity prosthetic designed to restore near-natural arm, hand and finger function to patients suffering from spinal cord injury, stroke or amputation. The arm system uses a microchip implanted on the surface of the brain to record neuronal activity and decode the signals to actuate motor neurons that control the prosthesis. DARPA and the FDA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding addressing both the development and review of this project.

The proposed Innovation Pathway program includes the following features:

* products would have to be truly pioneering technologies with the potential of revolutionizing patient care or health care delivery;
* selected products would receive an Innovation Pathway memorandum from CDRH containing a proposed roadmap and timeline for device development, clinical assessment and regulatory review; and
* products would be assigned a case manager, their important scientific issues would be identified and addressed earlier in the development process, and they might be able to qualify for flexible clinical trial protocols.


Applications would be reviewed by the Center Science Council, a new oversight body currently being developed within CDRH comprised of senior managers and experienced scientists, who would facilitate this device development and evaluation process. Enrollment in the Innovation Pathway program would not change the scientific or regulatory standards that CDRH would use to evaluate device submissions and determine their appropriateness for marketing.

Because of the transformative nature of the devices that would be eligible for this pathway, CDRH expects them to generally be approval pathways intended for either high risk or novel products.

The FDA could conduct premarket reviews of products in the Innovation Pathway within 150 days, nearly half the time it currently takes the FDA to review most premarket approval applications.

CDRH has set up a public docket to solicit public comment on the Innovation Initiative and will host a public meeting on the topic on March 15, 2011 at the Center's White Oak campus.

For more information:

http://www.fda.gov/deviceinnovation

Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Researchers steal iPhone passwords in six minutes (video)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 02:16 AM PST

Losing your smarpthone is bad enough. But if you lose your iPhone and don't issue a remote wipe command (available for free with the Find My iPhone app) then you could find yourself in a world of hurt. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute Secure Information Technology (Fraunhofer SIT) can jailbreak and decrypt passwords from the iPhone's keychain -- for say, your Gmail account, corporate VPN, home WiFi, and MS Exchange -- in about six minutes using existing, known exploits. Sorry kids, your flimsy lockscreen passcode won't help. Video proof, after the break.

Gartner and IDC dispute Android's dominance over Symbian in Q4 2010

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 01:54 AM PST

According to Gartner's latest mobile sales numbers, the rise of Android hasn't been quite as meteoric as you might think -- even with 888.8 percent growth in 2010. Last month, Canalys quoted Android as the top earner for smartphone platforms in Q4 of last year, beating out Symbian for the top spot, but Gartner says it ain't so. In fact, IDC already quietly chimed in on the topic a few days ago saying that Symbian was still the smartphone OS "market leader." Gartner's numbers do show Android overtaking Nokia's Symbian devices in unit sales, but it points out that the OS' use across a variety of brands in Q4 actually "kept Symbian slightly ahead of Android." Symbian ultimately outsold Android by more than 44 million units last year, but considering the little green robot's astronomical growth in 2010, we'd say even super star is an understatement. Check out the PR after the jump to see how the rest of the competition stacks up.
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Gartner Says Worldwide Mobile Device Sales to End Users Reached 1.6 Billion Units in 2010; Smartphone Sales Grew 72 Percent in 2010

Apple and RIM Displaced Sony Ericsson and Motorola in Mobile Device Manufacturers Ranking
Egham, UK, February 9, 2011-

Worldwide mobile device sales to end users totaled 1.6 billion units in 2010, a 31.8 percent increase from 2009 (see Table 1), according to Gartner, Inc. Smartphone sales to end users were up 72.1 percent from 2009 and accounted for 19 percent of total mobile communications device sales in 2010.

"Strong smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2010 pushed Apple and Research In Motion (RIM) up in our 2010 worldwide ranking of mobile device manufacturers to the No. 5 and No. 4 positions, respectively, displacing Sony Ericsson and Motorola," said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. "Nokia and LG saw their market share erode in 2010 as they came under increasing pressure to refine their smartphone strategies."

Overall, the mobile device market showed less seasonality than in previous years in mature markets such as Western Europe and North America. Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users reached 32.7 percent growth in the fourth quarter of 2010 as mobile phone sales to end users totaled 452 million units.

Shortages continued to affect popular components, such as camera modules, touchscreen controllers, and active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) screens, in the fourth quarter of 2010. "This situation will not ease until at least the second half of 2011. Shortages will be a long-term consideration for mobile device vendors, because other fast-growing categories of connected consumer devices, such as media tablets, are competing for the same components," said Ms. Milanesi.

White-box sales exceeded 115 million units in the fourth quarter of 2010 and 360 million units in 2010 overall. Although white box sales helped boost mobile device sales to 1.6 billion units in 2010, it would be misleading to interpret this as market "growth" in the strictest sense. "What we see is an increase in addressable market for mobile device manufacturers as consumers shift their behavior to buying new phones from legitimate channels over second-hand and black market devices," said Ms. Milanesi.

In 2010, Nokia's annual mobile phone sales to end users reached 461.3 million units, a 7.5 percent drop in market share from 2009. The year-on-year decline is not solely attributable to Nokia's continuing deficiency in high-end devices but is, in part, the result of the growth of legitimate white-box sales. Nokia's share of the smartphone market dropped 6.7 percentage points from 2009. Nokia's future rests on the announcements it will make on February 11 and how well the company can execute on those plans in the limited time available.

RIM's overall mobile phone sales to end users in 2010 reached a total of 47.5 million units, an increase of 38.2 percent year-on-year (see Table 2). Performance in the fourth quarter of 2010 was particularly strong in Southeast Asia (Indonesia) and Europe (the U.K. and the Netherlands). These sales rested on aggressively priced prepaid offerings, as well as steady uptake of the BlackBerry Messenger service. Despite growing volume sales, RIM was unable to keep up with market growth and saw its market share decline from 19.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 13.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. At the end of 2010, RIM announced it will release its media tablet, the PlayBook. It remains to be seen if this move will help RIM strengthen its ecosystem.

Apple sold 46.6 million units in 2010, 87.2 percent growth from 2009. This growth is largely due to expansion into new countries and the ending of exclusivity deals, which has made the iPhone available through 185 communication service providers (CSPs) around the world. The end of exclusivity deals also encouraged CSP competition on tariffs and data plans, making the total cost of iPhone ownership more in line with other high-end smartphones. For 2011, Apple's main growth opportunity will come from adding Verizon Wireless to its list of CSPs in the U.S. Gartner analysts said Apple will maintain a stable average selling price, which favorably impacts margins at the expense of market share opportunity. However, Apple is not targeting the mass market, which is a fundamental difference in approach from Android.

The smartphone market remains concentrated in advanced markets, where buyers have more disposable income and where networks are fast enough to support smartphones' full feature sets. "Western Europe and North America accounted for 52.3 percent of global smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2010, with smartphones accounting for close to half of all handsets sold in these regions," said Roberta Cozza, principal research analyst at Gartner. Intense competition affected shares at the top of the smartphone market in the fourth quarter of 2010, continuing trends that we have seen throughout 2010.

In the smartphone operating system (OS) market, ''Android grew 888.8 percent in 2010 and moved to the No. 2 position. Android sales in the fourth quarter of 2010 continued to be driven by broad availability of many high-end products from HTC (Desire range, Incredible and EVO), Samsung (Galaxy S) and Motorola (Droid X, Droid 2).

Symbian's market share dropped further in the fourth quarter of 2010 to 32.6 percent or 32.6 million units. This allowed Android to overtake Nokia's Symbian unit sales during the fourth quarter of 2010. However, the Symbian OS is also used by Fujitsu and Sharp as well as in legacy products from Sony Ericsson and Samsung. "This aggregated volume kept Symbian slightly ahead of Android," said Ms. Cozza.

The wider availability of the iPhone 4 helped Apple to maintain its share of the smartphone market to 16.0 percent in the fourth quarter 2010 and led the iPhone OS platform to reach the No. 4 position in 2010. "As a platform, iOS is in excellent shape," said Ms. Milanesi. With every iPad and iPod Touch sold, Apple increases the profile of iOS with potential iPhone buyers and strengthens its developer ecosystem.

"With the Mobile World Congress 2011 taking place next week, we can expect smartphones and tablets to be at center stage of the show, and a number of new application announcements such as 3D technology, improved user interfaces around touch, faster networks on LTE technology, and new forms of payments, such as near field communication available on smartphones," Ms. Milanesi said.

Additional information is in the Gartner report "Competitive Landscape: Mobile Devices, Worldwide, 4Q10 and 2010." The report is available on Gartner's website athttp://www.gartner.com/resId=1542114.

Beauty Lift High Nose puts the plastic in (and leaves the surgery out of) plastic surgery

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 01:24 AM PST

Sizable schnoz? Problem probiscis? Looking for a dubious, crapgadgety alternative to costly rhinoplasty? A Japanese company called Omni has a device called the Beauty Lift High Nose that claims it will do the trick. You can get yours for $140 if you dare -- but don't hold out for an Engadget review before placing your order.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 available for everyone on February 22nd

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 12:56 AM PST

Get ready for it because the final release to manufacturing (RTM) of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1 (SP1) have just been handed off to Microsoft's OEM partners. What that means for you is that starting February 22nd you can download Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 from the Microsoft Download Center or via Windows Update. MSDN and TechNet subscribers will see the official updates a bit earlier on February 16th... about the same time they'll be released unofficially into the bitTorrent and usenet wilds.

Olympus E-PL2 Micro Four Thirds camera now shipping, Penpal still has us buzzing

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 12:21 AM PST

Right on cue, Olympus' latest entrant into the world of Micro Four Thirds is now shipping. Just a month after receiving its official unveil at CES, the E-PL2 is finally taking over for the E-PL1. Aside from an ISO range topping out at 6,400, a 3-inch rear LCD, an SDXC slot, RAW image support and a newfangled accessory port, this guy's also fully compatible with the Penpal Bluetooth dongle. For those unaware, that enables photos to be shared and uploaded on the fly so long as your BT-enabled, 3G-ready smartphone is by your side, though it looks as if the camera itself has beat said accessory to market. The camera's yours for the taking at $599.99 (bundled with a ED m14-42mm f3.5/5.6 zoom lens) at the source links below.

[Thanks, Tom]

Skype for iPhone upgrade lets it videocall Skype for TV, if you actually want to

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 11:44 PM PST

There's a new update out for Skype on iOS devices today that which expands the new videocalling compatibility to "a wider selection of Skype clients and devices" by adding the h.264 compatibility necessary to chat with any Skype for TV clients. That's available on certain LG, Panasonic and Samsung HDTVs right now, while Sony and Vizio have both announced it will be in some of their new HDTVs coming out later this year. The ability to call mobile devices seems to give a big edge to Skype over other living room videochat setups from Cisco, Logitech or Microsoft's Kinect, but even with a compatible (& pricey)camera in hand, good luck finding someone out enjoying the world who wants to chat while you're chilling on the couch.

Researchers aim to replace copper with aluminum as a conductor in auto power systems

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 11:04 PM PST

As every lonely cat lady with a police scanner knows, the price of copper is as high as it's ever been -- and there is no reason this trend won't continue. Of course, this affects more than those creeps that sneak into basements to steal the plumbing: the aforementioned ductile metal is currently the best conductor for on-board power systems in automobiles. But with any luck this might soon change. In order to replace copper with aluminum in power supply systems, several challenges need to be addressed, including the fact that aluminum creeps as temperatures increase, and the corrosive effect of bringing the two materials together. Among the efforts of Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM) and BMW to bring aluminum into EVs, the LEIKO power plug uses a sheet metal cage and a pressure spring to allow copper and aluminum elements to remain in contact. If all goes according to plan, TUM's Professor Udo Lindemann (not to be confused with Udo Dirkschneider, the diminutive frontman of German heavy metal bands Accept and U.D.O.) predicts that "the high-voltage on-board systems of most electric vehicles to be based on aluminum by 2020." Check out an awesome picture of Dirkschneider after the break.

Mophie sneaks out new Juice Pack Air with Verizon and AT&T iPhone 4 compatibility

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 10:25 PM PST

There's been no shortage of cases for Verizon's flavor of the iPhone 4 -- Ballistic, iLuv, iKit, AGF and Scosche have already announced ones of their own -- but if you're looking for a mainstay in the industry, you can now turn to Mophie. The company's life-doubling Juice Pack Air has been ever-so-slightly reengineered to work with both AT&T and Verizon iPhone 4 units, with initial shipments expected by the end of the month. At first it'll ship in black with silver accents, while soft-touch red and glossy white versions are scheduled for release shortly thereafter. Still $79.95, and still awfully hard to resist for 3G power users.
Show full PR text
mophie Announces juice pack air for Verizon

iPhone 4 rechargeable external battery case available for pre-order

SANTA ANA, Calif., Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- mophie™ today announced it is accepting pre-orders for a new juice pack air designed with dual compatibility for the Verizon and AT&T iPhone 4. The light-weight and ultra-thin external rechargeable battery case best known for virtually doubling the battery life of the iPhone on one charge is also widely recognized for its fresh design and first-class components. Honored at this year's CES with an Innovations Design and Engineering Award in the portable power category, the juice pack air is a must-have power solution for Verizon and AT&T iPhone 4 owner's alike.

The dual compatible juice pack air can be pre-ordered on www.mophie.com for $79.95 with an expected ship date of Monday, February 28. The juice pack air for Verizon and AT&T is being sold in soft-touch black with a brushed silver band, with soft-touch red and glossy white versions expected in late March.

"The addition of the Verizon iPhone is exciting because it opens up a huge market that is untapped," says Susan Schedel, mophie's vice president of sales and marketing. "mophie's passion is creating power solutions that give Apple fans an enhanced user experience and solve the battery challenge that on the go users face every day. We are excited to announce a solution that is compatible with both Verizon and AT&T iPhones and for a new audience of Verizon customers to experience the benefits of the juice pack air."

Key features and benefits of the juice pack air for the Verizon and AT&T iPhone 4 include:

* juice pack Legacy–With more than one million juice pack units sold to-date, mophie cases have been made for every iPhone and iPod touch form factor since the devices' debut and was the first-ever "Works with iPhone" battery case
* The Ultimate Power Solution– Packing a 1500mAh rechargeable lithium polymer battery, the juice pack air delivers an incredible amount of "juice" in an ultra-thin, light weight case, virtually doubling the battery life of the iPhone 4 on one charge
* Protection with Style – Delivers complete device protection from bangs, bumps and drops without sacrificing style! Sleek, ergonomic design features a soft-touch rubberized finish in black with a brushed silver band that mirrors the aesthetic of the iPhone 4 itself
* Acoustic Sound Enhancement – The case design acts as a virtual speaker box, redirecting sound from the bottom of the iPhone 4 to the front, resulting in a richer, fuller sound quality
* 4 Light LED Battery Status Indicator – An integrated LED status indicator tells you exactly how much "juice" is left and also displays how much time remains during the charging process
* Standby/Charging Switch – Features a simple toggle switch allows for standby and charging mode so you only have to use the juice pack air battery when you need it
* Charge and Sync Feature – No need to remove your juice pack ever, as this well thought out device allows customers to charge and sync with the iPhone in the juice pack


For additional information regarding the mophie suite of power solutions for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, please visit www.mophie.com.

About mophie

mophie is a California-based, award-winning designer and manufacturer of mobile intelligent devices and accessories. It is widely recognized and highly acclaimed for its creative designs and innovative solutions. mophie is the proud developer of the juice pack, the first "Works With iPhone" portable battery solution certified by Apple Inc. All of mophie's products are developed to address real consumer and business needs and are seamless integrations of industrial, electronic, software and artistic designs. Its products are available in Apple stores, AT&T stores, Best Buy stores and on www.mophie.com and www.amazon.com. Follow mophie on Twitter at twitter.com/mophielovesyou or on Facebook at facebook.com/mophielovesyou

Monopoly Live adds a nagging, money counting computer to the Hasbro classic

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 09:41 PM PST

Once again, technology might have just sucked the fun out of a beloved (or at least tolerated) past-time. Hasbro's refresh of Monopoly -- Monopoly Live -- includes a ten-inch tower that sits in the center of the board, keeping an eye on it via IR technology. This bad boy rolls the dice, counts the money, and makes sure you don't nudge your thimble someplace it shouldn't be. Of course, the game's basics remain intact: domination of your friends and loved ones with skill and greed -- although we fail to see how kids are to properly learn about capitalism when they no longer have the ability to cheat. Coming soon for $50.

Rovi Connected Platform brings another flavor of Android-to-anything streaming

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 09:05 PM PST

And then, there were two. Just days after Qualcomm pushed out its DLNA Certified Skifta Android app for streaming content from your smartphone / tablet to just about anything else, along comes Rovi with an awfully similar alternative. The company -- which swallowed up Sonic Solutions just months ago -- obviously has a thing for slinging contained media all over the place, and its new Connected Platform will soon be available pre-ported to Android 2.1 or higher. In short, that'll enable Android devices to beam multimedia stored on their microSD cards to an array of PCs, set-top boxes or NAS devices, which in turn would be connected to a monitor or HDTV of some sort. The dirty details on what kinds of devices it'll support remain murky, but we're hoping to hear more once the app makes its debut in the Android Marketplace sometime this quarter. Something tells us you'll need a phone with a bit more oomph than the Acclaim to actually have decent streaming performance, though.
Show full PR text
Rovi Launches Connected Platform Technologies on Android Platform

Rovi One of First to Bring Connected, Interoperable Device Functionality to Android CE Manufacturers for More Personalized, Media-Centric Consumer Entertainment Experience

Santa Clara - 2/8/2011 - Rovi Corporation (NASDAQ: ROVI) announced today that its Connected Platform technologies will be available pre-ported on the Android™ platform, powering a robust entertainment experience for consumers that will enable them to share and stream entertainment content from their Android devices to a variety of connected devices throughout the home. At the core of Rovi Connected Platform is advanced home networking capabilities that will allow CE manufacturers to quickly and easily deploy interoperable device functionality to their Android based mobile device, phone and tablet product offerings.
Music, photo and video files stored on Android devices powered by Rovi Connected Platform will be capable of sharing media over the consumer's home network for streamed playback on connected entertainment products such as digital TVs, set-top boxes, digital video recorders, Windows 7 PCs and network-attached storage (NAS) devices. Connected Platform on Android will also enable consumers to access and manage their connected devices around their home right from their personal Android device, and stream their personal, premium and recorded content stored on their PC or NAS devices directly to the Android mobile device in the palm of their hand.

"We continue to see rapid growth for the Android platform on a global basis as we estimate that over 15 CE device suppliers will be selling Android-based tablets by mid-2011," said Anna Hunt, principal analyst, IMS Research. "We also believe that Android will hold 15.2 percent of the tablet market in 2011 and project that this will grow to 28.4 percent in 2015."

"Consumers want easy to use media experiences and at the same time are growing the number of devices they use to enjoy entertainment. Sharing among devices is complicated and must be simplified to meet market demand," said Corey Ferengul, executive vice president of product management and marketing for Rovi Corporation. "Pre-porting Connected Platform on the Android platform is a significant step in bridging this gap in the Android ecosystem, enabling device manufacturers to easily integrate robust, standards-based connected device capabilities into their mobile offerings."

The Rovi Connected Platform solution is pre-ported to Android 2.1 and includes a reference User Interface that allows CE manufacturers to customize their Android device offerings. Rovi Connected Platform pre-ported to the Android platform is planned to be available for licensing in Q1 2011.

About Rovi Corporation
Rovi Corporation is focused on revolutionizing the digital entertainment landscape by delivering solutions that enable consumers to intuitively connect to new entertainment from many sources and locations. The company also provides extensive entertainment discovery solutions for television, movies, music and photos to its customers in the consumer electronics, cable and satellite, entertainment and online distribution markets. These solutions, complemented by industry leading entertainment data, create the connections between people and technology, and enable them to discover and manage entertainment in an enjoyable form.

Rovi holds over 4,700 issued or pending patents and patent applications worldwide and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with numerous offices across the United States and around the world including Japan, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom. More information about Rovi can be found at http://www.rovicorp.com/.

Visualized: a hundred CDMA iPhone 4 handsets prepare for Best Buy assault

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 08:30 PM PST

Too preoccupied to pre-order? Looks like Best Buy's your best bet starting tomorrow morning. And don't try anything sneaky -- you know, like sneaking the whole lot into Israel.

[Thanks, J.]

Hamster-powered miniature Strandbeest proves that sometimes, cute is a gadget

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 07:41 PM PST

Sometimes, after a hard day of gadget blogging, you just want to sit down at your terminal and watch a funny, heart-warming video of a hamster running furiously (as they will) in a plastic ball attached to a Strandbeest traveling across a table to the delight of watching children. Right? Video is after the break.

Apple TV gaming hinted strongly in iOS 4.3 beta code

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 07:16 PM PST

Let's not jump to any conclusions, but a trusted tipster has uncovered evidence that's suggests some folks in Cupertino have learned a thing or two from Xbox Live. New code in the iOS 4.3 beta 3 firmware hints that Apple TV may soon support online gaming. Several references have been found pertaining to "ATVGames" and "ATVThunder" that point to a controller of some sort, leaderboards (think Game Center), a way to schedule games (multiplayer?), and a store front (think App Store, iTunes). We're particularly intrigued by two strings -- "com.apple.appletv.play.live.thunder" and ".play.archive.thunder" -- but what those actually mean in the grand scheme of things is ultimately ambiguous. Apple TV's minimum storage capacity (about 8GB) suggests the company might look to streaming not entirely unlike how OnLive works; as our tipster speculates, the OpenGL is mature and thoroughly implemented enough that streaming low bandwidth data and computing locally could happen, but that's just theoretical with nothing in the code to back it up.

Additionally, there are two more codenames and a handful of other strings that popped up relating to Apple TV: Sedona and Flagstaff. Based on references to director, episode, season, and the like, we reckon Sedona is all about video merchandising and streaming, something tightly integrated into the traditional iTunes experience. As for Flagstaff, aside from a nod to Account Types and Merchants (i.e. iTunes merchandising), there's really nothing else to say. Think of it as a mystery wrapped in an enigma hung on a, erm, flag staff. Our tipster found numerous other little goodies, but the only other one really worth bringing up is feature_remote_screensavers, which suggests that you can use screensavers from other devices -- like, say, your Mac.

Finally, elsewhere in the world, Alex Hisrbrunner used a Harmony remote to find hidden Apple TV commands that resemble iOS functions not normally possible with the standard ATV remote -- namely, wiggling icons that can me resorted using the directional pad. Video of that is after the break.

webOS Enyo framework free to developers today, brings pixel density agnostic apps to phones, tablets and PC (video)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 07:09 PM PST

Development frameworks don't make for exciting gadget news, but HP's Enyo is kind of a big deal. It's the little dealie that allows new webOS apps to stretch between vastly disparate screen resolutions -- say, tablet and phone -- and still work just fine, and since it's based completely on web technologies, they can also run in a PC browser with no formal emulator or OS install required. While dev team lead Matthew McNulty pitched the browser functionality as a debugging boon, we're starting to wonder if that's how HP could bring webOS to PCs to start -- rather than a dual-boot or a UI layer, it could simply make your favorite apps available in a web store. Sound like fun? HP says you can download the basic package right now for free if you're a member of the webOS developer early access program, and start cracking on some apps of your very own. We'll have video of an Enyo-powered app on PC in just a tad, so keep your eyes glued to this post.

Update: Video after the break!
webOS framework "Enyo" eyes-on

CIA adds social media functions that nobody asked for to its website

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:39 PM PST

The CIA just revamped its website -- that's right guys -- the CIA has a website. Now you may not spend a ton of time trolling the government's various portals of information but the new and improved CIA website is a veritable treasure trove of data. The CIA isn't immune to the world around it, either, and its refreshed design brings with it a YouTube channel, a Flickr stream (we culled the photo you see above from there), as well as Quick Links for sharing on various social media sites. Now, we can't embed the best video we found on the CIA's YouTube channel (they're not that social yet) but it's called "CIA Overview," and is surely worth your time. There's a press release after the break.

Show full PR text
CIA Introduces Enhancements to Public Website

February 7, 2011

Today the Central Intelligence Agency launched several enhancements to CIA.gov to improve its functionality and refresh the site's design. Among the updated features, visitors will find new ways to connect to a broad array of Agency content, including through social media sites.

"The idea behind these improvements is to make more information about the Agency available to more people, more easily," Director Panetta said. "The CIA wants the American people and the world to understand its mission and its vital role in keeping our country safe."

The CIA.gov homepage now includes links to a CIA YouTube channel and Flickr site. The CIA YouTube channel features current and historical videos about the Agency, including speeches by Director Leon E. Panetta and a CIA Overview video. The CIA Flickr site links to copyright-free pictures from CIA.gov for easy access. Both features, which are used by many Americans, will enable the Agency to more easily share information on its mission and history. They can be found under "Quick Links" on the homepage.

The improved CIA.gov homepage also includes a new "CIA Interactive" section that highlights some of our most popular, fun, and educational interactive content. Visitors who regularly use this content will find it much more accessible. In addition, the CIA added new photos on the homepage, broadening the public's glimpse into the Agency.

More enhancements are planned in the next few months, including content that is mobile-friendly and in foreign languages. These features also will improve the Agency's ability to reach new audiences. Because more than half of Internet users browse with mobile devices, CIA.gov is developing a truncated, text-based version of the full site. Offering content in foreign languages underscores the global nature of the CIA's mission and highlights Director Panetta's emphasis on language excellence at the Agency.

The changes to CIA.gov aim to improve visitors' experience with the site, increase connections to those using popular Internet sites and tools, and share even more information on employment opportunities with the CIA.

Former Lucasfilm CTO Richard Kerris takes over as head of webOS developer relations

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:20 PM PST

HP's having a blowout webOS developer event here in San Francisco to bookend its big product announcements from this morning, and it kicked things off with a personnel announcement -- Richard Kerris is taking over as head of webOS developer relations. Don't recognize the name? Richard was formerly the chief technology officer at Lucasfilm, where he was named one of Variety's "Top 10 innovators to Watch," and before that he was a senior director of developer relations for a little company called Apple. That's quite a pedigree -- and Richard told the crowd here that he views developers as his primary customers, so it's clear he'll be working hard to win their favor. That said, we think he's got quite a challenge evangelizing developers to support a platform that won't have compelling new products out for months -- let's all wish him luck.

Bloomberg: Nokia definitely in talks with Microsoft, partnership likely (update: WSJ, too)

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 06:10 PM PST

Nokia will jump from the burning platform this Friday, but whither will it dive? Towards Microsoft and Windows Phone 7, as continually rumored, or towards Google and Android? Two turkeys told us the latter isn't likely, and Bloomberg's anonymous sources seem to agree, saying that Nokia is indeed in the final stages of talks with Microsoft, and is "close to announcing a software partnership." These spooks also say that Google was also in the running, but is no longer favored for the job, and as such we're very likely to see Windows Phone 7 running on Nokia devices soon. We're sure you'll have some very strong opinions about that -- we had a few ourselves -- but please keep it clean in comments below!

Update: The Wall Street Journal just published a report of its own, by and large saying pretty much the same thing as BW. "If an agreement can be reached in time... Elop likely would announce the deal Friday." The report also said an executive shakeup might be in the works, with "several senior members of the executive board expected to leave." Show of hands, who all's excited for Friday's announcement?

Activision kills Guitar Hero division to the consternation of fake musicians everywhere

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 05:51 PM PST


Guitar Hero had its time in the sun as one of the most successful franchises in musical gaming. Still, it's been no secret that the once-respected brand, owned by Activision, has experienced pretty steep declines in the past few years, especially on the lackluster Guitar Hero 5. So, surprising or not, the announcement today that Activision would disband the Guitar Hero team and kill off development of the next title in the series is a sad bit of news to hear (though in fact, not as sad as hearing, say, Chinese Democracy). This announcement comes on the heels of larger-scaled layoffs at Activision, and more cuts are rumored in the DJ Hero division, as well. At least we still have Rock Band, right?

Visualized: A very young Steve Jobs prepares for television

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 05:24 PM PST

Back in the late 70's Steve Jobs wasn't exactly a household name, but he was important enough to appear on Nightline. The footage after the break is not of the actual interview, Steve's just getting his microphone and monitor set up, but he's visibly nervous and seemingly impressed with the technology around him. It's not exactly news, but it is a very interesting way to spend one minute and thirty-seven seconds on the internet.

[Thanks, GDub]

Original Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi and Pixi Plus won't get updated to webOS 2.0

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 04:55 PM PST

We had a chance to sit down with Jon Rubinstein after HP's webOS event today, and he confirmed some unfortunate news for us: older Palm devices like the original Pre, the Pre Plus, the Pixi, and the Pixi Plus won't receive that previously promised update to webOS 2.0. Jon was pretty candid with us, saying that Palm had "missed a product cycle" in the midst of its financial troubles and subsequent acquisition by HP last year, and that the older products simply don't have the horsepower to properly run webOS 2.0 and beyond. That said, it's clear that he wants to do right by customers -- he told us that HP would do "something special" for owners of older hardware when the Pre 3, the Veer, and the TouchPad hit the market. We'll see what that entails -- and whether or not anyone actually sticks it out on webOS 1.4.5 until the new gear ships sometime this summer.

P.S.- We have lots more from our talk with Jon coming up -- including some actually good news -- so keep an eye on this space.

WSJ: Clearwire moving away from retail, will concentrate on network wholesale business

Posted: 09 Feb 2011 04:17 PM PST

Though it apparently doesn't have any plans in place to close its existing 140 stores around the country, The Wall Street Journal is reporting this evening that network operator Clearwire is halting its direct retail strategy to concentrate on selling the use of its airwaves to other providers -- providers such as Sprint and Comcast, for example, both of which make use of Clearwire's WiMAX network for their own 4G services. The move doesn't come as much of a surprise since the company announced unfortunate numbers back in November of last year -- numbers that forced it to scale back its headcount and its dreams of launching Clear-branded handsets in the near term -- and WSJ says that the move may make Sprint more comfortable investing more cash in the company since they'll no longer be giving off the appearance that they're competing head-to-head on the customer level. Investment is exactly what Clearwire needs to survive right now, and whether it comes from Sprint or another national carrier that's in the market for 4G spectrum, you know what they say: money is money.
at 11:43 AM

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