Sponsored

Engadget News

---

• MSI trots out 20-inch Wind Top AE2070 with USB 3.0, Wind Touch 4 UI
• Apache's new infrared targeting system spots foes when they fire, doesn't wait for the smoke
• Droid Charge review
• BlackBerry Bold 9900 hands-on (update: video)
• ING Direct's iOS app adds 'bump' money transfer feature for well-heeled posses
• Sn0wbreeze brings untethered jailbreak to Verizon iPhone for Windows users
• Bonhams' Space History Sale includes spacesuits, memorabilia, and a Game Boy flown in space
• Compulab's Trim Slice on sale, for power users only
• New Zealand paralympian buys first Rex Bionics exoskeleton, takes robot walking legs for a spin
• Supercomputer cracks sixty-trillionth binary digit of Pi-squared, gets beaten up by normal computers
• Time Inc., Apple to offer free iPad downloads to print magazine subscribers
• Dell's 17-inch Precision M6600 workstation laptop goes on sale early in the UK
• Gaming gets immersive thanks to union of pico projector and eye tracking camera (video)
• State Farm app uses iPhone sensors to grade your driving habits, oh joy
• BlackBerry PlayBook to get Video Chat and Facebook apps in May
• BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 (Bold Touch) official
• RIM announces BlackBerry 7 OS with better browser and BlackBerry Balance, but no legacy support
• Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series now available for $649 Amazon pre-order
• ITC judge sides with Apple in Elan multitouch patent dispute
• Dish Network, EchoStar will pay TiVo $500 million to settle DVR lawsuit
• Nokia announces pink N8 with Symbian Anna, neglects to give us a release date
• Amar Bose donates majority of Bose Corporation shares to MIT, says thanks for the education
• Qualcomm shows off MSM8660's slick video performance on development kit (video)
• Tactile kiss transmission device finally makes it okay to smooch your computer (video)
• HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner passes CableLabs tests - Update: Preorder pulled, 6-tuner ships first
• Samsung's Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 now rolling out to countries far away from you
• Inhabitat's Week in Green: sugar-covered lamps, IKEA's solar lamp, and the 30MPH all-wood racing bike
• Switched On: Honeycomb or the highway
• HP's Veer gets AT&T logo, two-tone exterior
• Motorola promises more Atrix-like laptop docks for future phones
• Researchers create two 100 terabit per second optical connections, dare us to torrent something

MSI trots out 20-inch Wind Top AE2070 with USB 3.0, Wind Touch 4 UI Posted: 02 May 2011 11:15 AM PDT MSI sure is keeping itself busy with all-in-ones these days. The inexpensive Wind Top AE2050 arrived stateside a month ago, and now the company is back with the Wind Top AE2070, a more tricked-out 20-incher. This iteration also has a 1600 x 900 display, but steps up to USB 3.0 and can be upgraded to a 3.1GHz Core i3 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GT540M graphics. Other specs include a 500GB 7,200RPM hard drive, two three-watt speakers, a DVD burner, and a 6-in-1 memory card reader. Software-wise, it runs Windows 7 along with the latest version of MSI's Wind Touch UI on top, which includes Facebook and Twitter buttons in the browser, a dedicated window for viewing photos and video, sticky notes, and weather and time widgets for the desktop. No word yet on pricing or availability, though we assume it'll be more wallet-friendly than this. Show full PR text MSI Wind Top AE2070 Touch It Your Way- The 4th Generation Smart Touch AIO (April, 2011, Taipei) MSI, the global leading brand of All-in-One PCs, has released its new touch model- Wind Top AE2070 in response to the increasingly demand of touch capability. The perfect 20-inch, multi-touch LCD screen with MSI proprietary "Wind Touch 4" smart user interface and value-added software allow you to connect social networks and embrace the digital life all at one move of your finger tips. The built-in Intel 2nd generation Dual-core Processor G620 and Intel HD Graphics 2000 deliver breathtaking graphics performance you can enjoy seamless videos and vivid image in the best response time. Wind Top AE2070 also provides hardware upgrade options so you can customize the AE2070 with Intel Core™ i3 CPU or NVIDIA GeForce GT540M high-performance graphic card based on your own need. Experience the revolution of all-new touch control technology from now on! Innovative Interface for Synchronizing Social Networks: Wind Top AE2070 comes with MSI's proprietary "Wind Touch 4" user interface to provide full touch control support. The web browser is equipped with dedicated tabs and menu buttons for social networking websites by default so you can surf the web and keep in touch with your friends through Facebook and Twitter at the same time without having to open another window. The Wind Touch 4 smart user interface also consolidates diverse popular programs. The most commonly used "Music" and "Photos" are always shown in interchangeable windows while other applications and games are available through a semi-hidden rotating menu. The calendar on the home screen offers digital sticky notes to make it even easier to keep track of important tasks and dates. When connected to the Internet, the desktop background in the Wind Touch 4 can automatically display the local weather and time. A cloudy sky would be shown when the weather is overcast while a night scene would displayed during the evenings -to make it an interesting state of interactivity. Perfect Chipset Combinations: The Intel® H61 high-speed chipset and the second generation 32-nm technology integrates the CPU and GPU into a single chip for improved adaptive performance and onboard graphics capabilities. The AE2070 comes standard equipped with the dual-core G620 CPU which can be upgraded to the Intel Core™ i3 CPU clocked at 3.1GHz with 4-way multitasking support as needed. Special Intel® Smart Cache technology distributes the workload to each core as necessary to optimize the performance of the computer. Balanced High Quality Audio-Visual Performance: The Wind Top AE2070's standard 20" screen supports resolutions up to 1600 x 900. The integrated Intel HD Graphics 2000 graphics can also be supplemented with the optional NVIDIA GeForce GT540M discrete graphics card so that whether you are enjoying HD movies, new HTML5 websites, or running the latest DirectX11 games, you can enjoy even smoother and clearer imagery. In addition, the two 3W speakers on the Wind Top AE2070 support SRS Premium Sound. The cinema-grade audio quality delivers everything a user could ask for and provides an exceptional balance between high-quality Audio-Visual effects. 10X Faster Transfer Rates and Super Charger: USB 3.0 ports are provided which are backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1. Tests have shown that USB 3.0 can reach transfer rates of up to 4.8 Gbps. This means that 1GB data from USB flash can be transferred to PC in just 3.3 seconds, it's around 10 times faster than USB 2.0, greatly speeding up transfer times of digital files. The 'Super Charger' is an exclusive MSI feature that allows USB 3.0 devices to be charged while the computer is turned off. Charging times have been reduced by 40% to let you to stay on the move with your high-performance peripherals. Hardware Upgrade Options: The 500GB 7200rpm high-speed hard disk enables you to store large amounts of digital content. 2GB of DDR3 memory is sufficient for the general computing needs of most users and can be upgraded to up to 8GB to satisfy advanced users. The Wind Top AE2070 also comes with a Tray-in DVD Super Multi and 6-in-1 card reader. The ease of data access makes it easier for you to edit and process videos, music, photos, and more multimedia files.

Apache's new infrared targeting system spots foes when they fire, doesn't wait for the smoke Posted: 02 May 2011 10:53 AM PDT It just keeps getting harder for America's enemies to hide from the technological marvel that is the modern US military. A new ground fire acquisition system (GFAS), coming to Apache Attack helicopters next spring, uses infrared sensors to detect muzzle flashes from small arms fire and pinpoint enemy positions to within five meters. Before the sound would have a chance to reach current acoustics-based sensors the source of the shot pops up on the targeting computer, is sent back to commanders in the Operations Center, relayed to ground troops, and fed to other aircraft -- by the time they're able to pull the trigger again combatants may already be on the wrong side of a Hellfire missile. The new system will make spotting opposing forces easier and keep pilots as safe as they can be -- at least until missions can be flown from the comfort of their couch.

Droid Charge review Posted: 02 May 2011 10:00 AM PDT We're still shaking our heads and sighing longingly at the performance of Samsung's Galaxy S II, a phone that wowed us in Europe but likely won't be coming to American shores for some time -- and who knows what it'll look like when it does. But don't get too down, dear reader, because here comes another slice of Samsung and this slab has that same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display tucked in there. It's a little less slim, a little less classy, and a little less quick than Sammy's latest world-conquering wunderphone, but the LTE-equipped Charge is a proper contender in its own right. Read on to see why. Samsung Droid Charge Hardware The Droid Charge is definitely a bit of a handful, as you'd expect with its 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 display. Still, we wouldn't call it a big phone by today's standards. It's .46-inches (12mm) at its thinnest, though it swells slightly in a little flare at the bottom (out to about 14mm). That's in the same ballpark of the recently-released Thunderbolt, which we're thinking many people will cross-shop this with. The Thunderbolt comes in at about .52-inches (13mm) thick, but the taper and profile on the Charge makes it seem thinner. It's considerably lighter, too, 5.04oz (143g) versus 6.23oz (177g), though that relative lightness comes at a cost: a somewhat plasticy build. It certainly doesn't feel as bad as that Samsung flip-phone you had back in 2002, the one you rocked until your dog got ahold of it, but compared to the metal and unibody offerings seen elsewhere the Charge lacks any feeling of prestige in the hand. It doesn't feel bad; there's a comfortable taper about it, a little bulge at the bottom that shifts the center of balance of the phone downward toward the center of your palm when holding it. It's quite comfortable to hold, helped by the smooth, glossy back that, sadly, seems a bit prone to scratches. When held this way the power button on the right side and the volume rocker on the left fall to fingers quite readily. But, and here's something of a shocker, those aren't the only physical inputs here. On the phone's chin, which is designed with a hint of a pointy goatee, you'll find four honest-to-gosh buttons. Touch them and they actually depress! Some might call this a dated throwback to the olden days of cellular telephony, others will quite appreciate their presence. We like them, though we do wish they lit up a bit brighter. Display The buttons may be a bit dim, but there are no issues with brightness on that display, which again is 4.3-inches of Super AMOLED Plus goodness. Resolution is not jaw-dropping at 800 x 480, though the contrast is. Blacks are, naturally, perfectly black and the brights are borderline blinding in a darkened room, while viewing angles are unlimited. Even outdoors in the screen is quite readable. We had no problem composing shots when the sun finally broke through the clouds and lit up our weekend. However, color reproduction can leave a bit to be desired. On the default, automatic-brightness settings, white sections of the display instead fall toward green. Remove that toggle, dial up the brightness and you get far more pure shades -- just make sure you squint a little before popping on the display in a dimly-lit area. The color-tweaking feature found on the Galaxy S II? Sadly not here, though the display is still mighty impressive even without. Performance and battery life The Charge is sadly not a member of the dual-core militia, but despite its 1GHz Hummingbird internals we found it to be quite responsive. You know, snappy. It won't blow your mind with ridiculous benchmark scores but, more importantly, it never left us waiting. In fact benchmark scores were something of a mixed bag, leaving us unconvinced that they're correctly reflecting the performance of the phone. Quadrant delivered scores around 1,000 and Linpack 13.8 MFLOPS -- on the poor side. Neocore, meanwhile, managed 56.8fps and Nenamark 45fps, while the Sunspider Javascript benchmark completed in a respectable 6,194ms. Again, most importantly the phone feels quick to use -- it's no Atrix, but it's certainly on par with the Thunderbolt. When it comes to battery life, there's no competition. The Charge blitzed through a full day of what we'd consider typical use, coming off the charger at about 9am and not getting slotted back in again until 9pm the next night. Yes, you read that right, two working days of what we'd consider average use with GPS and WiFi on, taking pictures and videos, all powered by a single 1,600mAh battery. Granted, we weren't running our performance benchmarks at the time, but we were hammering the LTE antenna to get some speed results. And what results they were! On LTE we managed a maximum download of 15.1Mbps down and 3.9Mbps up, enough to shame your average cable modem. And those with lots of friends (or lots of tablets) can share that connection with up to 10 devices. Oh, and in case you're still worried about the GPS performance of your Sammy handset, fear not. The Charge didn't exactly impress us with its geolocation abilities, occasionally struggling to find a lock when in an occluded area, say on a porch or inside near a window. However, once in the clear it found enough orbiting birds in the sky quickly and accurately. Software The Charge comes with Android 2.2 Froyo installed and, yes, that's a bit of a disappointment in these days of Gingerbread, but the light customizations applied here by Samsung help to keep it looking somewhat fresh. The phone's lock screen has you dragging a puzzle piece to get access to the main OS, though missed calls and other events will pop up here and, if you put them in their place, you'll be taken right to whatever event caused them to appear in the first place. A healthy seven home screens are on offer, and pinching on any of them zooms you out to see them all from high, high above. By default the middle one is your go-to screen, but you can choose any of them to take that place. Samsung adds a few custom widgets to the mix, but nothing too mind-blowing, like a dual-clock that will tell you what time it is at home and afar, plus a task manager widget that's handy if you think you're better at memory cleaning than Android. The cool accelerometer-augmented gestures for zooming and moving on the Galaxy S II are sadly not here, however there are a number of inclusions here that are rather less wanted -- a huge amount of icons for bloatware and game demos that cannot be removed. They're not exactly filling the phone to capacity, but having three full pages of apps on your phone the first time you boot it up seems a bit excessive. Camera Out through a little chrome highlight on the back of the phone peers what we believe is the same eight megapixel sensor that earlier impressed us on the Galaxy S II. It impresses us here, too, capturing bright, clear images even when lighting conditions are less than optimal. Tap-to-focus quite naturally works, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that the camera used auto-focus when capturing video. The payback is a little bit of focus noise injected into your footage, a sort of tapping you can hear in the sample above, but we didn't find it to be too obtrusive. However, the auto-focus is a bit slow, so we still preferred manually focusing by tapping. Video quality is again quite good, not quite the 1080p stuff that the Galaxy S II can deliver, but there's only so much you can do with a single core processor. Samsung Droid Charge sample images Wrap-up The Droid Charge is a total sleeper. We'll be perfectly honest that we weren't expecting to be wowed but, well, we're certainly impressed. In terms of performance it's more or less on par with the recently-released Thunderbolt, but battery life is far superior and, while the Super AMOLED Plus display has its quirks, we think they just add character. The imaging sensor 'round the back is top-notch and, overall, this is a very good phone. The only real disappointment? A plastic design that probably will be looking a bit rough after a few months in your pocket. And then there's the cost: $300 on-contract puts the 32GB Charge in an unfortunate tie for the position of Verizon's most expensive smartphone. That tie is, of course, with Apple's 32GB iPhone 4. That's $50 more than the Thunderbolt, which also comes with the same number of gee bees. Worth the extra? Given the battery life and display improvements here, we'd be inclined to say yes.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 hands-on (update: video) Posted: 02 May 2011 09:56 AM PDT So we finally got our dirty little hands on RIM's new BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone here at BlackBerry World 2011. It's basically the old Bold but with a capacitive touchscreen and updated innards including a 1.2 GHz CPU, 768 MB of RAM, a GPU , HSPA+, and NFC support. From a design perspective it mixes BlackBerry's traditional formula with iPhone 4-like materials (that familiar stainless steel rim). It certainly looks premium and feels lovely in the hand, and the keyboard is typical BlackBerry -- which is to say fantastic. The screen is beautiful too, perfect to showcase that new BlackBerry 7 OS. Still, we can't help but think that we're looking at the device RIM should have shipped last summer instead of the Torch. We'll have a hands on video up soon but for now take a peek at our gallery below. Update: Our video is now live after the break. BlackBerry Bold 9900 hands-on

ING Direct's iOS app adds 'bump' money transfer feature for well-heeled posses Posted: 02 May 2011 09:42 AM PDT Look, violence doesn't solve everything, but ING Direct reckons a gentle fist bump can help fix financial quarrels between you and your buddies. Recently added to the bank's iOS app is a feature that makes use of Bump Technologies' API, with which a physical bump between two active devices instantly triggers a money transfer, thus saving the sender from having to put in account details. 'Course, this is only usable for transactions within ING for the time being, so you'll have to stick to other methods for some quick and dirty mobile payments to the outside world.

Sn0wbreeze brings untethered jailbreak to Verizon iPhone for Windows users Posted: 02 May 2011 09:17 AM PDT Verizon iPhone owners, your untethered jailbreaking prayers have been answered. Hacker iH8Sn0w updated the Sn0wbreeze tool, adding support for Big Red handsets running iOS 4.2.7 and finally allowing those who have forsaken AT&T to bring the magic of Cydia to their phones without the cumbersome need for tethering. The usual caveats apply: you'll have to get your hands on a copy of iOS 4.2.7 (just do a little Googling) and there is always a very small chance that something could go horribly wrong and you'll wind up with a very shiny paperweight. Mac users will have to sit this one out -- Sn0wbreeze is a Windows-only affair. Hit up the source link to get your iHack on. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Bonhams' Space History Sale includes spacesuits, memorabilia, and a Game Boy flown in space Posted: 02 May 2011 08:55 AM PDT Bonhams' upcoming Space History Sale -- happening May 5th in New York -- is filled with items that will make any space geek reconsider their current spending priorities, but we couldn't help but notice one particular item that hits a little closer to home. Mixed in with spacesuits expected to fetch upwards of $100,000 and other various memorabilia from both the US and Soviet space programs in this, a wholly ordinary Nintendo Game Boy (complete with Tetris, of course) that accompanied cosmonaut Aleksandr A. Serebrov on Soyuz mission TM-17 in 1993. Interested? The estimate is pegged at a somewhat reasonable $1,500 to $2,000, but we have a sneaking suspicion Bonhams might be underestimating the will of a considerable number of folks who are both space and video game nerds (we're speaking as one ourselves, of course). Hit up the source link below to check out everything up for auction.

Compulab's Trim Slice on sale, for power users only Posted: 02 May 2011 08:31 AM PDT Remember the Trim Slice, that Tegra 2-powered nettop that surfaced back in January? Well, it's finally on sale, but the company would prefer that casual consumers hold off on buying. To recap, the chassis, just six tenths of an inch thick, is home to a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 CPU, GeForce ULP chip, SATA SSD, 1GB of RAM, 802.11n WiFI, Bluetooth, and a cornucopia of I/O ports. It starts at $199 for a model that lacks internal WiFi and storage (you can add these via dongles), and graduates to models with 4GB of microSD storage and a WiFi dongle ($219) and a "Pro" version with a 32GB SSD and wireless and Bluetooth dongles ($319). Whichever iteration you choose, though, you'll be greeted by a warning that the software remains a work in progress, so you'll probably want to stay away for now. Unless, of course, you're a developer -- or you really know how to have a good time.

New Zealand paralympian buys first Rex Bionics exoskeleton, takes robot walking legs for a spin Posted: 02 May 2011 08:10 AM PDT Surely we weren't the only ones to wonder aloud who would be the first come up with $150,000 for a Rex Bionics robotic exoskeleton when the Auckland-based company introduced it last summer. Of course, no price seems too high for the ability to walk again, but that's still a lot scratch to get together -- and the space has been getting a lot more competitive as of late. The honor went to fellow Kiwi Dave MacCalman, a multiple medal-winning paralympian, who lost the use of his legs after sustaining a spinal cord injury while diving into a river. The 6-foot, 4-inch athlete took his first steps in over 30 years with the use of his newly-purchased robot legs -- and from the look on his face, he definitely got his New Zealand dollar's worth. If you need a quick refresher on exactly what this thing can do, check out the video after the break.

Supercomputer cracks sixty-trillionth binary digit of Pi-squared, gets beaten up by normal computers Posted: 02 May 2011 07:53 AM PDT Pencils down, everyone. IBM's "BlueGene/P" supercomputer has beaten you to the sixty-trillionth binary digit of Pi-squared after only a few months -- at one quadrillion calculations per second. Running thousands of independent processors, the number-crunching monster accomplished what would have taken a single CPU 1,500 years. A cloud-computing effort last year calculated Pi itself out to the two-quadrillionth digit, but you may wonder why this all matters. "What is interesting in these computations is that until just a few years ago, it was widely believed that such mathematical objects were forever beyond the reach of human reasoning or machine computation," said one researcher, "Once again we see the utter futility in placing limits on human ingenuity and technology." So there's that. But in all the commotion no one seems to have announced whether the landmark digit was a one or a zero: all you betting on the outcome will have to dig deeper into the source link.

Time Inc., Apple to offer free iPad downloads to print magazine subscribers Posted: 02 May 2011 07:26 AM PDT After months of speculation, Time Inc. has finally inked a deal with Apple that will allow print magazine subscribers to access the company's iPad editions for free. Beginning this week, subscribers to print versions of Sports Illustrated, Fortune, and Time will be able to download the iPad counterparts at no cost, directly within the magazines' apps. Today's deal comes just a few months after the company struck a similar arrangement with HP, but iPad users, unlike TouchPad readers, still won't be able to purchase exclusively digital subscriptions to Time Inc.'s stable of publications. It's no secret that Time Inc. wants to incorporate digital subscriptions to its iPad model, but negotiations have hit some roadblocks, largely thanks to disputes over how Apple shares subscriber data. Publishers say they need that data to apply the TV Everywhere model to magazines, but Apple thinks subscriber information should only be shared on an opt-in basis. We don't really expect Apple to budge any time soon, but execs at Time Inc. seem optimistic, telling the Wall Street Journal that today's deal proves that the two parties are "moving closer" on the issue -- apparently not close enough, however, for Apple to comment.

Dell's 17-inch Precision M6600 workstation laptop goes on sale early in the UK Posted: 02 May 2011 06:58 AM PDT We were promised we'd get Dell's latest Precision powerhouses on May 10th, and that may still be the case for the US, but the company's UK outlet is ready to let you customize and buy an M6600 today. The 17.3-inch laptop offers options for a multitouch display with stylus functionality, a 2.5GHz quad-core Core i7-2920XM CPU, 16GB of DDR3 RAM, up to half a terabyte (2x 256GB) in solid state storage, and NVIDIA Quadro 4000M graphics. Prices start at £1,549 ($2,590) excluding VAT and shipping, though the spec we've listed above would set you back a neat £4,714 ($7,880). Still, a pretty sweet rig if you can afford it. [Thanks, Stephen]

Gaming gets immersive thanks to union of pico projector and eye tracking camera (video) Posted: 02 May 2011 06:31 AM PDT Although in the earliest stages of development, this virtual reality gaming rig already looks pretty intriguing. Engineered by clever kids at the University of Texas at Austin, it hot-wires an eye tracking camera to a motorised pico projector with the result that the player literally can't take their eyes off the screen. Wherever they look, that is where their view of the gaming world is projected. The rig makes most sense in a first-person shooter, although the students have also tried it in a flight simulator where the player uses their head to roll and pitch the aircraft. Yes, it looks rather similar to the Microvision PicoP laser projection gun we wielded at CES, but there's a key difference: the player does not need to hold anything or have anything attached to their body. This unencumbered Kinect-esque approach could potentially allow a greater sense of freedom -- except that, for it to work, the player is forced to sit directly in front of the eye tracker. Find a way to fix this, dear Longhorns, and you could be onto something. Video after the break.

State Farm app uses iPhone sensors to grade your driving habits, oh joy Posted: 02 May 2011 06:08 AM PDT Remember when you took your driving test and and had an inspector second-guessing your every stop, turn, signal and lane choice? State Farm's new Driver Feedback app is like having said individual with you all the time. Simply put, it uses your smartphone's accelerometer and GPS to gauge your acceleration, braking and cornering habits (sound familiar?) and spit out a score, letting you brag to your (parents / significant other / stranger / the family dog) just how safe and secure you are. State Farm claims it doesn't collect any information and won't adjust your insurance rates based on your score, which is a bit of a bummer if you ask us -- wouldn't it be nice if you could earn some cash back for perfecting your heel-toe? Either way, you'll find it for free in the iTunes App Store.

BlackBerry PlayBook to get Video Chat and Facebook apps in May Posted: 02 May 2011 05:41 AM PDT Who's going to get the very first "tablet-optimized" Facebook app? Why, it's RIM and the PlayBook! The Canadian company has today revealed it's bringing a native Facebook app to its 7-inch, QNX-based slate, which will also be joined by a new Video Chat application. The latter will be available to download on May 3rd, with an over-the-air update dishing it out to current PlayBook owners. Its functionality will be no different from what we've come to expect from such clients -- both voice and video calls will be available anywhere you can find a a WiFi connection. As to the Facebook app, it's coming some time later in the month, and will let you view and add your friends, share photos and videos "seamlessly," access Facebook Chat, and view and interact with the news Feed. Both should be getting extensive demos at BlackBerry World, which is taking place this week, and we'll be sure to have a gander and report our findings. Skip past the break for the full press releases. Show full PR text May 2, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RIM Announces New Video Chat Application for the BlackBerry PlayBook Tablet Allows BlackBerry PlayBook users to easily share special moments with friends and family Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced the availability of the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ Video Chat application - an easy and fun way for friends and family to place and receive video calls between BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets over an internet connected Wi-Fi® network. "BlackBerry is a renowned mobile communication solution for connecting users to the people and information that matter most throughout their day," said Tom Goguen, VP, Collaboration and Social Networking at Research In Motion (RIM). "With the BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat application we are excited to be enabling our customers to share important moments and events with family and friends via video calls. With the BlackBerry PlayBook's high-resolution video cameras and stunning display, a Video Chat call is the next best thing to being there." Key features of the PlayBook Video Chat application include: • One-Click Video and Voice over Wi-Fi Calls - with just one click users can make a call from their Video Chat contact list, log of recent calls or simply by entering the BBID email address of the person they want to call. • Incoming Call Notifications - users will receive a notification pop-up when a new video call comes in, allowing them to accept the call as either a video or voice call, or decline the call. For those quiet moments - such as when while watching a movie or playing a game -users will also have the ability to simply set the "Do Not Disturb" option and the BlackBerry PlayBook will automatically ignore all incoming calls. • Powerful In-Call Functions - by using the picture-in-picture function users can easily preview their own video image prior to placing the call in order to see what will be displayed on the other end. They can also easily switch cameras from front to rear so their friends can see what they are seeing, and for private moments users can mute/unmute audio or make or take calls using voice only. • Friends List - BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat comes complete with a Friends List for maintaining your favorite contacts. A picture can easily be added to a contact to personalize the entry and a Call Log makes it simple to keep track of received and missed calls. The BlackBerry PlayBook Video Chat application will be showcased this week at BlackBerry World 2011 (www.blackberryworld.com) in Orlando FL. It is expected to be available on May 3 and will be distributed to existing BlackBerry PlayBook customers through an over-the-air software update and will also be available on BlackBerry App World™. Show full PR text May 2, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RIM Announces New Facebook App for BlackBerry PlayBook Waterloo, ON - Following on the success of the Facebook for BlackBerry® smartphones app, Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today announced Facebook for BlackBerry® PlayBook™ -- a new app that delivers popular features of Facebook, optimized for the 7" high resolution, multi-touch LCD display of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. "There are over 30 million users of our Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones app who are staying in touch with their social network while on the go," said Tom Goguen, VP, Collaboration and Social Networking at Research In Motion, "Now with Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook we can also offer customers highly engaging social experiences optimized for the PlayBook including the ability to share FaceBook pictures and videos with friends and family on an HDTV." Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook offers users a highly engaging experience by integrating popular features and functionality of Facebook including: • View and add Friends - Users can interact with friends quickly and easily: find friends by scanning the new grid view of their profile pictures; search for and add new friends and manage new friend requests; browse their profiles, photos and videos; view and interact with wall posts; view key information on profiles and pages; and view, comment and 'like' photos on profiles and pages. • Enjoy seamless photo and video viewing - Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook makes it easy to upload photos from the BlackBerry PlayBook Picture Library, tag friends in photos, view comments, tags and likes. The BlackBerry PlayBook can also be connected to an HD TV to display photos and videos at a whole new level in full 1080p HD. • Connect with friends using Facebook Chat - On the BlackBerry PlayBook screen, users can enjoy side-by-side viewing of online contacts and active conversations. Notifications of new Chat messages are displayed on the Notifications Bar, so users can quickly and easily read and respond to new Chat messages while browsing friends' profiles, viewing their pictures or reading their status updates. • View and interact with the News Feed - Users will be able to browse highlights such as photo uploads and status updates and seamlessly view links in the BlackBerry PlayBook browser. They will also be able to "Comment" and "Like" to discuss and show appreciation for friends' content, as well as publish a status update or upload a photo from the status publisher accessible from their Profile or from within the News Feed. The Facebook for BlackBerry PlayBook application will be showcased this week at BlackBerry World 2011 (www.blackberryworld.com) in Orlando, FL and is expected to be available on BlackBerry App World™ in May.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 (Bold Touch) official Posted: 02 May 2011 05:30 AM PDT We've seen it photographed, videotaped, and even, briefly, up on RIM's own website. Now it's up there to stay, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 (aka the Bold Touch) have been made official as RIM kicks off BlackBerry World in Orlando. As expected, the phone packs a 1.2GHz Snapdragon processor that has only a 2.8-inch VGA touchscreen with a 287dpi pixel density to worry about. On the back is a five megapixel camera and inside is 8GB of internal storage (with microSD expansion) and NFC circuitry. At 10.5mm it's RIM's thinnest handset yet, featuring a stainless steel circumference and a fiberglass back, while up front of course it makes room for a full QWERTY keyboard. The 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity to get its 4G on, while the 9930 is the world variant, adding dual-band CDMA and quad-band GSM to the mix, and both do 802.11a/b/g/n along with Bluetooth 2.1. Both, quite naturally, include the new BlackBerry 7 OS, including a faster browser and voice-activated search. Another picture and full specs are listed after the break, which will have to do you until this handset releases sometime in the summer, meaning this could be your next great beach accessory for those working vacations. Update: Full press release and more images after the break. Show full PR text FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Bold Smartphones New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones are the Thinnest and Most Powerful BlackBerry Smartphones yet, Featuring the Renowned BlackBerry Keyboard Together with a Brilliant Touch Screen and the New BlackBerry 7 OS Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today unveiled two new BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphones. The high-performance BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a stunning and iconic design that integrates an incredibly easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard with a brilliant, high resolution, capacitive touch screen. These exceptional smartphones are built on a new, performance-driven platform powered by the BlackBerry® 7 operating system and designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world. "The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience." Thin, Sleek, Iconic Design Distinguished by an iconic design and the industry's best keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature the premium materials and finishes that characterize the BlackBerry Bold line. Both models have a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate. They are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet, at only 10.5mm. The quality materials and optimized design of the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones are instantly evident when held in the hand. Performance-Driven These BlackBerry Bold smartphones are built on a new performance-driven platform featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid Graphics™ touch screen, and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks. The Liquid Graphics touch screen, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7, delivers fast, smooth performance for highly responsive touch-based navigation, web browsing, pictures, video and graphics intensive games*. Offering up to 60 frames-per-second performance with instant UI action/response, Liquid Graphics gives customers a visually rich and immersive experience that's responsive to the touch. In addition, the smartphones feature brilliant displays with an eye-popping 287 dpi to deliver crisp, stunning visuals. The new platform also provides support for 4G networks; the 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity, and the 9930 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA+ global roaming on GSM/UMTS networks. NFC The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable many rich and exciting experiences. Through NFC, users will be able to, for example, pair the BlackBerry Bold to an accessory or read information such as a web link from smart tags by simply tapping their BlackBerry Bold to an NFC tag (eg. Smart Poster). Augmented Reality The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a built-in compass (magnetometer) to support location-based services and augmented reality. APIs will allow third party developers to take advantage of the new functionality within their applications. The new smartphones will also include Wikitude, the leader in mobile augmented reality, which overlays contextual information on what the user sees through the smartphone's camera viewfinder. HD Video The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones support up to 720p HD video recording and playback. Users can easily share their videos directly from the smartphone or sync videos, as well as music and photos, to their computer using Media Sync in the BlackBerry® Desktop Software. BlackBerry 7 The BlackBerry 7 OS is designed to power the new performance-driven BlackBerry Bold platform. It provides an easier and faster user experience with improved browsing, voice-activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box. The BlackBerry Browser has been significantly enhanced in BlackBerry 7. In addition to the general performance gains of Liquid Graphics, which helps deliver faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming, the BlackBerry 7 browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages. The new browser also includes support for additional HTML5 elements, such as HTML5 Video. Building upon the Universal Search feature introduced in BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 expands the capability to include voice-activated search. This new capability makes it even easier and more convenient to search for content on the smartphone or web. BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® Balance™, which separates personal content from corporate content on the smartphone, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the handset for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps while satisfying the very real need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls such as wiping only corporate data from the handset or blocking work related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts. With BlackBerry 7 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, users will also get the full version of Docs To Go® with all "premium" features enabled out-of-the-box so that users can easily work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone. Docs To Go also includes a native PDF viewer. Availability The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer. For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com/touchbold APPENDIX BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Specifications • 115 x 66 x 10.5 mm, approximately 130 g • 2.8" capacitive touch screen display – VGA (640x480), 287 dpi resolution • Ultra-easy QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad • 1.2 GHz Processor, 768 MB RAM • 8 GB on-board memory, plus microSD slot supporting up to 32 GB cards • NFC technology • 5.0 MP camera, supports 720p HD video recording • Orientation Sensor (Accelerometer), Digital Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity Sensor • Built-in GPS / aGPS • Dual-Band Wi-Fi® - 802.11 b/g/n at 2.4 GHz and 802.11 a/n at 5 GHz • Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support • Wireless Network support: o 9900: Tri-Band HSPA+, Quad-Band GSM/EDGE o 9930: Dual-Band CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A, Dual-Band HSPA+, Quad-Band GSM/EDGE • 1230 mAh removable, rechargeable battery • BlackBerry 7 OS ### * Features OpenGL 2.0 support for developers.

RIM announces BlackBerry 7 OS with better browser and BlackBerry Balance, but no legacy support Posted: 02 May 2011 05:30 AM PDT The BB OS 6.1 update that grew too big for its name has just been made official by RIM as BlackBerry 7. Its ambassador into the wide world of smartphones will be the newly minted BlackBerry Bold Touch, which is expected to arrive "this summer." What can you look forward to? The user experience is promised to be both easier and faster, voice-activated searches are available for content both on your phone and the web, and the browser has been "significantly enhanced" with new features like a JIT (just-in-time) JavaScript compiler and HTML5 Video support. BlackBerry Balance is also part of the new OS, allowing you to compartmentalize your personal and professional lives into neat and separate piles of content. Full PR can be found after the break. Update: RIM has just noted that there will be "no legacy support" with BB 7, meaning that older devices, even those running version 6 of the OS, won't be getting any (official) updates to the latest stuff. This has been justified by how tightly integrated the software build is with the underlying graphics hardware in the touch-capable Bold handsets. Basically, the old phones won't be able to run the new OS. Oh, and in case you were wondering, there's no trace of QNX in BB 7. Show full PR text May 2, 2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Bold Smartphones New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones are the Thinnest and Most Powerful BlackBerry Smartphones yet, Featuring the Renowned BlackBerry Keyboard Together with a Brilliant Touch Screen and the New BlackBerry 7 OS Waterloo, ON - Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today unveiled two new BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphones. The high-performance BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a stunning and iconic design that integrates an incredibly easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard with a brilliant, high resolution, capacitive touch screen. These exceptional smartphones are built on a new, performance-driven platform powered by the BlackBerry® 7 operating system and designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world. "The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style," said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. "These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience." Thin, Sleek, Iconic Design Distinguished by an iconic design and the industry's best keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature the premium materials and finishes that characterize the BlackBerry Bold line. Both models have a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate. They are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet, at only 10.5mm. The quality materials and optimized design of the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones are instantly evident when held in the hand. Performance-Driven These BlackBerry Bold smartphones are built on a new performance-driven platform featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid Graphics™ touch screen, and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks. The Liquid Graphics touch screen, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7, delivers fast, smooth performance for highly responsive touch-based navigation, web browsing, pictures, video and graphics intensive games*. Offering up to 60 frames-per-second performance with instant UI action/response, Liquid Graphics gives customers a visually rich and immersive experience that's responsive to the touch. In addition, the smartphones feature brilliant displays with an eye-popping 287 dpi to deliver crisp, stunning visuals. The new platform also provides support for 4G networks; the 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity, and the 9930 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA+ global roaming on GSM/UMTS networks. NFC The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable many rich and exciting experiences. Through NFC, users will be able to, for example, pair the BlackBerry Bold to an accessory or read information such as a web link from smart tags by simply tapping their BlackBerry Bold to an NFC tag (eg. Smart Poster). Augmented Reality The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a built-in compass (magnetometer) to support location-based services and augmented reality. APIs will allow third party developers to take advantage of the new functionality within their applications. The new smartphones will also include Wikitude, the leader in mobile augmented reality, which overlays contextual information on what the user sees through the smartphone's camera viewfinder. HD Video The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones support up to 720p HD video recording and playback. Users can easily share their videos directly from the smartphone or sync videos, as well as music and photos, to their computer using Media Sync in the BlackBerry® Desktop Software. BlackBerry 7 The BlackBerry 7 OS is designed to power the new performance-driven BlackBerry Bold platform. It provides an easier and faster user experience with improved browsing, voice-activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box. The BlackBerry Browser has been significantly enhanced in BlackBerry 7. In addition to the general performance gains of Liquid Graphics, which helps deliver faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming, the BlackBerry 7 browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages. The new browser also includes support for additional HTML5 elements, such as HTML5 Video. Building upon the Universal Search feature introduced in BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 expands the capability to include voice-activated search. This new capability makes it even easier and more convenient to search for content on the smartphone or web. BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® Balance™, which separates personal content from corporate content on the smartphone, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the handset for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps while satisfying the very real need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls such as wiping only corporate data from the handset or blocking work related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts. With BlackBerry 7 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, users will also get the full version of Docs To Go® with all "premium" features enabled out-of-the-box so that users can easily work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone. Docs To Go also includes a native PDF viewer. Availability The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer. For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com/touchbold

Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series now available for $649 Amazon pre-order Posted: 02 May 2011 05:09 AM PDT Samsung has yet to announce a revised release date for its Sliding PC 7 Series tablet / laptop hybrid, but the 2.2-pound netvertible slider is already available for pre-order on Amazon. According to Amazon's listing, the 7 Series should ship with many of the same specs we noticed at this year's CES: a 10-inch touchscreen with 1366 x 768-resolution, dual front and rear cameras (1.3 and 3.0 megapixels, respectively), a 32GB SSD, 2GB of RAM and, of course, Intel's 1.5GHz Atom Oak Trail Z670 processor, which was originally scheduled to launch in March, before being pushed back to May. The slider will also run on Windows 7 Home Premium, and come equipped with 802.11b/g/n WiFi. When it debuted earlier this year, the Series 7 boasted optional 3G and WiMax features, as well as a six-cell battery that claimed to last up to nine hours on a single charge. Amazon doesn't mention either of these specs in its listing, but everything else checks out with what we've already heard. And, at $649, it's even a little cheaper than we expected.

ITC judge sides with Apple in Elan multitouch patent dispute Posted: 02 May 2011 04:34 AM PDT It's not over just yet, but Apple has now scored a significant victory in its longstanding dispute with Elan Microelectronics. As those with a long memory for patent-related matters may recall, Elan had claimed that Apple infringed on two of its multitouch-related patents in its various iOS devices, and it asked the ITC to impose an outright ban on the sale of those devices until the matter was settled. That obviously hasn't happened, and ITC Judge Paul Luckern has now ruled that it shouldn't happen in the future either, as he found that Apple did not violate the patents in question. That now leaves the final decision in the hands of the full International Trade Commission, which is expected to issue its ruling in August.

Dish Network, EchoStar will pay TiVo $500 million to settle DVR lawsuit Posted: 02 May 2011 04:01 AM PDT Dish Network, EchoStar and TiVo have come to a settlement on their long running patent dispute (since 2006) that will see the satellite company pay $500 million to settle all ongoing litigation. We stopped covering the various court judgements in this case last year as each side continued to file one stay and injunction after another, but this time it's finally over. The most recent court judgement came April 20th in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and found EchoStar in contempt of an earlier injunction despite modifications to its DVR software. The companies have licensed certain patents to each other, including the infamous Time Warp patent that was at the heart of the dispute. Details are in the press release after the break, but TiVo's scored an upfront $300 million cash payment (Dish Network is also reporting today it added 58,000 subscribers and had a net income of $549 million last quarter, we guess there was some loose change rolling around after its Blockbuster and DBSD purchases), with the remaining $200 million to be paid out between 2012 and 2017. Now that the lawyers are out of the picture we wonder if we'll see any TiVo technology on Dish boxes or if a few hundred million in cash is enough to speed up the pace of updates for the Premiere. Interestingly, the press release noted Dish "work with TiVo to help develop our Blockbuster video service" so perhaps the ties between the rental company and TiVo played a part in seeing this dispute come to an end. TiVo's conference call mentioned the marketing agreement to promot Blockbuster's digital service and also how this settlement demonstrates the strength of its patent to other companies it's in litigation with -- that means you Microsoft, AT&T and Verizon. Show full PR text TiVo, DISH Network and EchoStar Announce Half-Billion Dollar Settlement of Patent Litigation ALVISO, CA and ENGLEWOOD, CO, May 02, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), and EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) announced today that they have settled all of their ongoing patent litigation. Under the terms of the settlement, DISH Network and EchoStar agreed to pay TiVo $500 million, including an initial payment of $300 million with the remaining $200 million distributed in six equal annual installments between 2012 and 2017. TiVo, DISH Network and EchoStar agreed to dismiss all pending litigation between the companies with prejudice and to dissolve all injunctions against DISH Network and EchoStar. The parties also granted certain patent licenses to each other. TiVo granted DISH Network a license under its Time Warp patent (US Pat. No. 6,233,389) and certain related patents, for the remaining life of those patents. TiVo also granted EchoStar a license under the same '389 patent and certain related patents, for the remaining life of those patents, to design and make certain DVR-enabled products solely for DISH Network and two international customers. EchoStar granted TiVo a license under certain DVR-related patents for TiVo-branded, co-branded and ingredient-branded products. "We have tremendous respect for TiVo's management, and we have always said that regardless of the outcome of the case, there were many ways that we could work together with TiVo," said Charlie Ergen, Chairman and CEO of DISH Network. "The results of TiVo's formidable intellectual property enforcement program speak for themselves, and consequently, we are pleased to put this litigation behind us and move forward. Additionally, we believe that our agreement with TiVo provides us a competitive advantage as one of the few multichannel operators with rights to operate under TiVo's Time Warp patent, which ultimately will allow us to enhance the performance of our award-winning DVRs. We look forward to continuing to offer DISH Network customers the most choices in video service." "We are extremely pleased to reach an agreement with DISH Network and EchoStar which recognizes the value of our intellectual property," said Tom Rogers, president and CEO of TiVo. "The compensation from this settlement, including the resulting reduction in legal expenditures, puts TiVo in an enviable financial and strategic position. This settlement, which brings the total compensation paid by DISH Network for use of TiVo's '389 patent family to over $600 million, demonstrates the significant return afforded to our shareholders by diligent enforcement of TiVo's intellectual property rights. Those efforts will aggressively continue with other parties." In addition, TiVo will play a role in helping DISH Network promote the Blockbuster digital video service. Ergen added, "We are excited to work with TiVo to help develop our Blockbuster video service. Resolving the patent infringement case allows us to further engage with TiVo on a variety of exciting strategic initiatives, like Blockbuster, where we are uniquely positioned to collaborate." About TiVo Inc. Founded in 1997, TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO) developed the first commercially available digital video recorder (DVR). TiVo offers the TiVo service and TiVo DVRs directly to consumers online at www.tivo.com and through third-party retailers. TiVo also distributes its technology and services through solutions tailored for cable, satellite, and broadcasting companies. Since its founding, TiVo has evolved into the ultimate single solution media center by combining its patented DVR technologies and universal cable box capabilities with the ability to aggregate, search, and deliver millions of pieces of broadband, cable, and broadcast content directly to the television. An economical, one-stop-shop for in-home entertainment, TiVo's intuitive functionality and ease of use puts viewers in control by enabling them to effortlessly navigate the best digital entertainment content available through one box, with one remote, and one user interface, delivering the most dynamic user experience on the market today. TiVo also continues to weave itself into the fabric of the media industry by providing interactive advertising solutions and audience research and measurement ratings services to the television industry. www.tivo.com TiVo and the TiVo Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries worldwide. Copyright 2011 TiVo Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. About DISH Network DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides more than 14.19 million satellite TV customers, as of March 31, 2011, with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value, including HD Free for Life. Subscribers enjoy industry-leading customer satisfaction, the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com. About EchoStar Corporation EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), provides equipment sales, digital broadcast operations, and satellite services that enhance today's digital TV lifestyle, including products from Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., EchoStar has more than 25 years of experience designing, developing and distributing award-winning television set-top boxes and related products for pay television providers and is creating hardware and service solutions for cable, Telco, IPTV and satellite TV companies. EchoStar includes a network of 10 digital broadcast centers and leased fiber optic capacity. EchoStar also delivers satellite services through 10 satellites and related FCC licenses. For more information, please visit www.EchoStar.com. This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements by TiVo, DISH Network, and EchoStar relate to, among other things, TiVo's future aggressive enforcement of its intellectual property against other parties and the promotion and marketing of the Blockbuster digital video service by TiVo and DISH Network as well as other possible strategic initiatives between TiVo and DISH Network in the future. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "intend," "estimate," "continue," or similar expressions or the negative of those terms or expressions. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include delays in development, competitive service offerings and lack of market acceptance, as well as the other potential factors described under "Risk Factors" in each company's public reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including each company's most recent annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K. Each company cautions you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect an analysis only and speak only as of the date hereof. Each company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. SOURCE: TiVo

Nokia announces pink N8 with Symbian Anna, neglects to give us a release date Posted: 02 May 2011 03:20 AM PDT It must be hard for Nokia to keep consumer interest in Symbian going while simultaneously developing a whole new ecosystem, so we'll forgive the unimaginative move to just do a pink version of the N8. That handset already benefited from the widest set of color options among any smartphone flagships, and will soon be adding a very T-Mobile-friendly shade of light red to its anodized aluminum case. Judging by those curvy icons on its 3.5-inch AMOLED screen, the pink N8 will also feature the latest version of Symbian, dubbed Anna, though Nokia unfortunately fails to tell us when we may expect this mildly refreshed phone to arrive. Then again, we suspect it'll be pretty hard to miss whenever it does show up.

Amar Bose donates majority of Bose Corporation shares to MIT, says thanks for the education Posted: 02 May 2011 02:48 AM PDT If you haven't heard of Dr. Amar Bose directly, you've surely heard of his eponymous audio equipment company. Late last week, the 81-year old founder and chairman of Bose Corporation announced that he's donating the majority of shares in the privately held company to his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A member of that college's graduating class of 1951 and its electrical engineering faculty all the way until 2001, Bose felt compelled to give something back and he's opted for the most grandiose of gestures. MIT won't be able to sell its shares in Bose Corp. nor have any say in the way it is run, but it'll receive dividends as and when they're paid out, which will then be reinvested in its research and education programs. In making this perpetual endowment public, Amar Bose took the time to credit Professors Y. W. Lee, Norbert Wiener and Jerome Wiesner as his mentors -- in the image above, you can see him pictured with Lee (left) and Wiener (right) back in 1955. Chalkboards, that's where it all began.

Qualcomm shows off MSM8660's slick video performance on development kit (video) Posted: 02 May 2011 01:56 AM PDT If you've been closely tracking the development of Qualcomm's 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8660, you would've already seen AnandTech's impressive set of benchmark results back in early April. But of course, it'd be more convincing to actually see this chipset in action, so Qualcomm's latest videos of its Mobile Development Platform should satisfy your curiosity. As demoed after the break, this Snapdragon's Adreno 220 is seen effortlessly handling in-page HTML5 video streaming, Flash video streaming, and 1080p playback. And as a sideshow, Qualcomm even put its current-gen single-core QSD8255 head-to-head with a rival dual-core chipset -- no doubt a Tegra 2 in an LG Optimus 2x -- and easily won the Flash video contest. All of this might lure you into getting the MDP as your next everyday phone, but here's the bad news: this professional kit will cost you a dear $1,350. So unless you're feeling very generous, you'd probably want to wait for the consumer devices to arrive in the summer -- think EVO 3D, Sensation (with GSM-flavored MSM8260, naturally), and TouchPad. Show full PR text BSQUARE Announces General Availability of the Next Generation Snapdragon Mobile Development Platform Based on the MSM8660 Processor New Platform Accelerates Android Application Development Bellevue, Wash., – April 27, 2011 – BSQUARE Corporation (NASDAQ: BSQR), a leading enabler of smart, connected devices, today announced general availability of the next generation of the SnapdragonTM Mobile Development Platform (MDP) for AndroidTM, a development platform based on Qualcomm's dual-core MSM8660TM Snapdragon processor running speeds of up to 1.5 GHz. The MSM8660-based Snapdragon MDP provides application developers and device manufacturers with early access to a high-performance platform used to develop, test and optimize Android applications for a wide range of pre-commercial devices. This new generation of the Snapdragon MDP offers developers powerful built-in graphics, power management and other profiling tools, which, when complemented by BSQUARE professional engineering services and TestQuest test automation solutions, enable developers to accelerate time to market for Android applications. BSQUARE began providing customers with the first-generation Snapdragon MDP, based on the MSM8655TM processor, in December of 2010. This new generation of the Snapdragon MDP, based on the MSM8660 processor, introduces new features, including a dual-core CPU that supports asynchronous architecture and console quality and stereoscopic 3D graphics performance. As with the MSM8655-based Snapdragon MDP, BSQUARE will also support developers and manufacturers using the MSM8660-based Snapdragon MDP with engineering services, as well as technical support and access to the BSQUARE Knowledge Base, documentation, complimentary tools and Snapdragon MDP software updates. Users of the MSM8660- based Snapdragon MDP can also benefit from the industry-leading TestQuest automated testing solutions from BSQUARE, which support testing of Android solutions and the MSM8660-based Snapdragon MDP. "The need to accelerate development of high-quality Android applications continues to grow along with the size of the Android market," said John Traynor, vice president of products for BSQUARE. "The MSM8660-based Snapdragon MDP, with a dual core CPU and Adreno® 220 GPU, is one of the fastest development devices currently on the mobile market. When combined with BSQUARE support and services, the MSM8660-based Snapdragon MDP, along with the MSM8655- based Snapdragon MDP, will be key drivers in helping to accelerate the development of innovative applications." The MSM8660-based Snapdragon MDP, available at www.bsquare.com/qualcomm, includes the MSM8660-based smartphone form-factor with a 3.61″ WVGA responsive multi-touch touch screen display, asynchronous dual-core CPUs running independently at up to 1.5 GHz, Adreno 220 GPU, 13MP rear camera, 1MP front camera, stereo loudspeakers, 1GB of RAM , and 16GB of storage memory. To help developers optimize their applications for Snapdragon platforms, specific tools are also available from Qualcomm including the Adreno Profiler for optimizing 3D graphics performance and the TrepnTM Profiler for optimizing application power usage. "We are thrilled to work on the next generation of the Snapdragon MDP with BSQUARE," said Tia Cassett, senior director of business development for Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. "The combination of a powerful developer device in the MSM8660-based Snapdragon MDP and support and services from BSQUARE means faster time to market for Android developers."

Tactile kiss transmission device finally makes it okay to smooch your computer (video) Posted: 02 May 2011 12:47 AM PDT They say the vast majority of communication is done physically rather than verbally, but in the realm of technological advances we seem to have rather neglected the transmission of physical contact. Thankfully, there's always Japan to provide us with off-the-wall innovations, this latest one being a kiss transmission device that will record, relay, and -- if you wish it -- replay your finest tongue gymnastics. It's the height of simplicity at the moment, with a plastic implement taking input from one person's mouth and conveying it to a second box, intended to be gobbled up by the recipient of this techno-affection, who may respond in kind or just sit back and enjoy the thrill of it. The researchers sagely point out that there's more to be done, as the sense of taste, manner of breathing, and moistness of the tongue are all important aspects of a kiss that have yet to be recreated. Once they do get their kiss transmitter to v2.0, however, they envision a pretty neat market for it in reselling kiss replays performed by celebrities. For now, you can see a celeb-free video demo after the break.

HDHomeRun Prime TV tuner passes CableLabs tests - Update: Preorder pulled, 6-tuner ships first Posted: 01 May 2011 10:26 PM PDT We've been waiting for SiliconDust's CableCARD-compatible HDHomeRun Prime for a little over a year and it seems finally ready to bring its triple tuner TV magic home, having gained CableLabs certification as of April 28th and subsequently showing up for preorder on Amazon. While this is mostly big news for Windows Media Center fans who need a new way to get premium channels on their box it also supports other DVR software like MythTV on Copy Freely-marked content. HTPC builders don't have to choose between this HDHR3-CC and the (suddenly in abundant supply and still $399) Ceton InfiniTV 4 just yet, since the listing has no shipping date and the last we'd heard from SiliconDust was that preorders would ship around 30 days after it completed certification. Check out our hands-on impressions from CES a few months ago if you're on the fence, but right now all that's standing between you and that grey box is a little bit of time... and $207. Update: According to a post on its forum, SiliconDust confirmed the HDHomeRun Prime has been certified and an email announcement will follow shortly, however it expects to deliver a 6-tuner Theater version first with the three tuner box appearing afterwards. The post also notes sites are "incorrectly listing" the HDHomeRun Prime for preorder and "will not be first in line for delivering product" so you may want to wait for the official word on which "major retailer" has the go-ahead to make sure you're first in line. The option to preorder disappeared from Amazon this morning, we'll let you know when and where the option to purchase pops up next. [Thanks, robniep] Hands-on with the HDHomeRun Prime [Thanks, Neil]

Samsung's Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 now rolling out to countries far away from you Posted: 01 May 2011 08:20 PM PDT While Samsung has yet to announce an actual date for its new Galaxy Players in the US, their international counterparts are already heading towards other parts of the world for a head start. The Galaxy S WiFi 4.0 is said to be debuting in Russia followed by other countries, whereas its 5.0 sibling will be launched in Switzerland. In terms of specs, not much has changed since we last saw these 1GHz, DivX-friendly Android PMPs, and yes, they'll still be shipped with Froyo "with a possibility to upgrade to 2.3 Gingerbread." As always, we'll let you folks know when we eventually find out about the US launch (if ever), though to be frank, we'd rather just go for the beefier Galaxy S II instead. Show full PR text Samsung Launches GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0:Smart Mobile Entertainment - Two different sizes combine greater entertainment opportunities with smartphone-like innovation and app experiences SEOUL--(Korea Newswire) May 2, 2011 -- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a leading provider of Smart Mobile Devices, today launched GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and a fresh addition to its smart player portfolio, the GALAXY S WiFi 5.0. Each featuring 4" and 5" screen-sizes and delivering the powerful application experiences as the original GALAXY S, the two versions give users an unrivalled entertainment experience through a clear display, a swift 1GHz processor and the Android™ 2.2 "Froyo" platform. The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 will be first available in Russia and will be gradually rolled out in other countries. The GALAXY S WiFi 5.0 will be first available in Switzerland. "With the GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 we're delivering a rich, immersive experience for multimedia enthusiasts." said JK Shin, President and Head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business. "A large, high-quality screen, a world of fun and useful applications and great communications services make this a powerhouse device at an affordable price. The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 will deliver all the rich smartphone experiences of the GALAXY S smartphone. With video communications via VoIP services and rich video and music entertainment with multi-codec support, the Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 will keep you constantly entertained. Stunning Performance, Powerful Features Key Features of the GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 include: - Display: The clear display makes web surfing and multimedia viewing a joy. Keep your lifestyle mobile - enjoy movies, your favourite TV shows, photos and web-browsing anywhere. Samsung's latest mDNIe image engine technology ensures that video and images look stunning. - Android™ 2.2 "Froyo": The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 feature the Froyo operating system, with a possibility to upgrade to 2.3 Gingerbread. - Application Customization: With access to over 150,000 apps available on Android Market™, the Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 are fully customizable smart devices. Integrated GPS support further expands the capabilities of the device, letting you benefit from Google's map services and directory applications. - Google Mobile Services: Enjoy premium Google™ services such as Gmail™, Google Talk™ and YouTube™. Utilize voice recognition technology to search with Google faster than ever on the Internet. Stay plugged into the world with premier Google applications. - Samsung Social Hub: Your entire social life in your hand. Simultaneously post messages and pictures on Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter using Samsung's Social Hub. The integrated address book provides the ultimate command & control station for the most popular SNS services. Synchronize your personal calendar with friends, family, and the latest events. - VoIP Voice & Video Calls: The GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 utilize cost-effective video and voice communications services. The Qik application allows video chat which can be shared over social network services. - HD Video & Images: A camera lets you shoot and share your life, capturing high-quality video or still images. The Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 support DivX HD, allowing high-definition video playback; Support for various codec standards including MPEG4, H264, DivX, XviD, WMV codecs ensures you can enjoy huge catalogues of content from all over the web. - Audio excellence: The Samsung GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 "Smart Player" put entertainment at its core, designed to deliver the best possible audio and video experience. Samsung SoundAlive™ technology provides unrivalled sound quality, with deeper bass and greater tone articulation. - Enhanced Memory Capability: Packed with generous 8/16 GB memory, plus mircoSD slot and powered by a powerful 1GHz for an industry leading performance, the GALAXY S WiFi 4.0 and 5.0 are equipped to handle any user demand.

Inhabitat's Week in Green: sugar-covered lamps, IKEA's solar lamp, and the 30MPH all-wood racing bike Posted: 01 May 2011 07:00 PM PDT Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. Several breakthroughs sent shock waves through the field of renewable energy this week as Inhabitat reported on a new type of "invisibility cloak" that could supercharge solar cells and researchers at MIT harnessed viruses to improve the efficiency of dye-solar cells by a full third. We also cast a keen eye on the royal wedding, which is expected to produce 6,765 tons of CO2, and we explored a new wireless charging technology being developed by Toyota and WiTricity. And if futuristic eco cities float your boat, check out this self-sustaining ecotopia designed to produce energy and food in the North Sea. We also showcased several novel electric vehicles, including the crazy Uno 3 transforming scooter which is now available for pre-order. Alternative fuels also took off as a Kentucky man unveiled a car that runs on bourbon and a mobile greenhouse powered by renewable energy hit the streets of New York City. And from the realm of pedal-powered transportation we brought you the SplinterBike - a bicycle made entirely from wood that can hit a record-breaking 30 miles per hour. In other news, energy-efficient lighting advanced by leaps and bounds this week as we flipped the switch on IKEA's new solar-powered Solvinden lamp and we spotted a crystalline "Stardust" LED lamp made from sugar at the Milan Furniture Fair. Finally, we shined a spotlight on Katy Perry's debut on American Idol as a LED-studded Extraterrestrial, and we took an exclusive look inside New York City's first LEED gold skyscraper - the Hearst Tower!

Switched On: Honeycomb or the highway Posted: 01 May 2011 05:30 PM PDT Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. During the holiday season of 2009 when netbooks were the hot commodity, Apple lost share in the PC market. It had nothing to compete with the sunken prices and shrunken sizes of those miniature laptops. PC vendors such as ASUS and Acer, on the other hand, did well in the netbook segment, as they could call on their expertise in building inexpensive Windows notebooks. After the iPad's introduction, though, the tablets were turned. While many PC vendors loathed the low profitability of netbooks, they were now faced with competing with their own products. With the exception of HP, which shelled out billions of dollars for webOS, the iPad set PC vendors scrambling to choose which operating system might best compete. Is it Windows, the devil they know, or Android, where they have far less experience than competitors from the smartphone market? Switched On has already taken on the role that Windows might play in future tablets, but what about Honeycomb? In contrast to the original version of Android, which was in the works prior to the introduction of the iPhone, Honeycomb arrived a year after the iPad. Android licensees, particularly smartphone vendors, surely beseeched Google for a tablet-optimized version of their preferred mobile OS. But Google may also be a victim of the iPad's jujitsu. For while entering the tablet market helps the viability of Android and keeps competitive pressure on Apple, Google itself has relatively little to gain from a strong presence in the tablet market even if it can gain such a foothold. It's becoming clear that much of tablet usage is in the home and growth is coming at the expense of notebooks, where Google already has dominant market share in search. Unlike in smartphones, where Android was able to ride the wave of carrier preference to become a force to be reckoned with in the U.S., there's a far more tenuous tie between the tablet and cellular service. And while we are starting to see more big names such as Acer, Sony and Samsung follow Motorola down the Honeycomb path, we're also seeing companies opt out in order to hit price points that are farther afield from where Apple is playing. Of course, there is the argument that Android tablets also cause competitive pain for Google's search competitor Microsoft. But Microsoft is well on its way to an expanded presence in another computing setting that represents a better opportunity for Android: the automobile. More than a decade after the disappointing debut of the AutoPC, Microsoft has created a winning partnership with Ford on Sync. And at the IFA Press Conference in Alicante, Ford announced that it is expanding Sync to Europe. Clearly that opens a driver's side door for Android to power competitive systems. And if Android won't step in, car companies have another option in MeeGo, which is being developed in a dashboard-centric version. Car companies are notoriously slow in integrating new technologies, but the vehicle is a platform where Apple has chosen to go with behind the curve with third-party connections rather than address the opportunity head-on, so Google can play to the kind of distribution that made Android a smartphone powerhouse. More importantly, cars are probably the second-most powerful devices behind the smartphone for connecting sellers to buyers in the physical world. And that is simply core to Google's revenue stream. The company has demonstrated that it realizes this with its work on driving directions in its navigation app and has tried to seed the market with car docks for products like Nexus One and Droid smartphones. Like Microsoft, Google is doing some great work in voice recognition that is showing up on Android handsets. Sync has shown, though, how intelligent in-vehicle multimedia control can nicely complement smartphones. For Google, an integrated offering for the imminently connected car is a more important long-term priority than the relative homebody that is the slate. Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) is executive director of industry analysis for consumer technology at market research and analysis firm The NPD Group. Views expressed in Switched On are his own.

HP's Veer gets AT&T logo, two-tone exterior Posted: 01 May 2011 04:14 PM PDT We suspected HP's diminutive webOS 2.2 smartphone might be on its way to AT&T, and now a handful of leaked photographs rocking a panda-like color scheme have further confirmed our suspicions. As you can see from the image above, the little guy's working the carrier's logo in the upper left-hand corner of its 2.6-inch display. The photos of HP's smallest webOS smartphone first appeared over at Pocketnow on Friday, just days before the Veer's May 2nd launch party is scheduled to pop off in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we still don't know exactly when the Snapdragon-packing device will be available for purchase, or how much it will cost when it lands, but we're hoping to have more on that after tomorrow's alleged event. Until then, you can always live vicariously through our hands-on with this little multi-tasking wonder. Now, isn't that just precious?

Motorola promises more Atrix-like laptop docks for future phones Posted: 01 May 2011 03:02 PM PDT Motorola's Atrix 4G laptop dock was a seriously sweet concept, which is why we were so disappointed when it failed to pan out. Sounds like Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha is ready to give it another try, though -- on the company's earnings results call this past week, he told investors that Moto is planning a whole series of Lapdock devices in the second half of the year: You will see multiple devices from us in the second half launching with these capabilities, and we will expand the range of our Lapdock devices so we cover a broader price point, addressing both the enterprise premium tier as well as more consumer tiers. "We plan on introducing successive iterations of our Webtop software and accessories that incorporate improved productivity tools and multiple price points," he also said, echoing previous promises to include Webtop in all high-end smartphones starting this summer. Perhaps those closely spaced I/O ports on the Droid Bionic and Targa won't go to waste after all? If you simply can't wait, Sanjay claims there's also an official price drop inbound for the Atrix 4G -- AT&T will offer a bundle with the Lapdock and phone for $400 later this month.

Researchers create two 100 terabit per second optical connections, dare us to torrent something Posted: 01 May 2011 01:02 PM PDT Even a woman with a 40 Gbps internet connection might feel a twinge of jealousy at this news -- Japan has successfully tested two separate 100 terabit per second data links that use a single optical fiber to carry their loads. New Scientist reports that NEC scholars stuffed the light from 370 lasers into 165 kilometers of fiber to achieve a speed of 101.7 Tbps, while NICT researchers set a new record of 109 Tbps using a special fiber with seven cores to manage the trick. We imagine that Alcatel-Lucent and NTT aren't sitting still. Not that we really care who has the fastest fiber... just so long as one end leads to our house.

You are subscribed to email updates from Engadget News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610