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Engadget News |
- Video Time Machine for iOS (hands-on)
- Adobe and Sony create contest to put Air apps on Android tablets
- Sony S1 and S2 hands-on
- Pandora ditches Flash, opens up the HTML5 box for redesign
- Nokia prepping $120 million ad campaign ahead of Windows Phone launch?
- Editorial: Netflix was too cheap before, but now it's just wrong
- Cowon D3 firmware update brings Android 2.3, now treats your fingers as well as your ears
- Sony 3D Experience brings free on-demand movie trailers, sports clips to Bravia TVs
- Amazon Kindle 3G gets AT&T-sponsored ad-supported option priced at $139
- Nioncom's pico projector-equipped mini-tablet gets demoed on video
- Sony's S2 tablet coming to AT&T, price and availability remain a mystery
- Lenovo IdeaPad K1 begins shipment odyssey, courtesy of Office Depot
- Apple TV to score Bluetooth support with iOS 5, make search slightly less painful?
- Haier's HaiPad ships in August, to become the preferred tablet of lolcats everywhere
- BlackBerry App World hits one billion downloads, finally
- Virgin Mobile shuffles Beyond Talk pricing, saves BlackBerry owners duckets
- Ford adds operator assist to its SYNC service, lets you scream at a cospecific
- T-Mobile brings 42Mbps HSPA+ to 56 new markets, now tops 150 locales
- Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets
- Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro won't ship until 'late September' in the UK
- USC computer scientist makes geo-immersion maps, leaves other maps feeling inferior
- DiaForce film captures your virtuoso performance, could replace guitar pickups
- Nokia's Live View AR app reveals what's nearby, how to socially ostracize yourself in public
- Fujitsu's e-reader gets a refreshed look at e-Book Expo Tokyo (video)
- First synthetic organ transplant paves way for post-op, immunosuppresive drug-free future
- Clearwire boosts NYC WiMAX coverage by 21 percent, 91,363 people rejoice uncontrollably
- Philly papers to offer subscribers discounted Android tablets that make terrible birdcage lining (video)
- MIT researchers revolutionize solar cell printing, fold the power of the sun into your everyday home (video)
- Google Voice adds spam filter, lets solicitors get caught in the web
- Intel to owners of failed SSD 320s: we're 'aware of the customer sightings'
- Andy Lees says no to Mango on Windows tablets
- IDC: tablet shipments drop 28 percent in Q1 2011
- The Engadget Interview: HP's Stephen DeWitt
- SKA radio telescope to pump out more data than the internet in 2020, spot ALF before he lands
- Samsung NC215S solar netbook delayed, won't see sunlight until August
- HTC Status hands-on (video)
- ViviTouch haptic tech offers range of feedback, aims to reinvent the mobile gaming wheel
- Ramona Fricosu case to determine if decrypted laptop files are safe under Fifth Amendment
- HP TouchPad 4G for AT&T hands-on (video)
- AT&T launches Sony Ericsson Xperia Play with Gingerbread, blue color option
| Video Time Machine for iOS (hands-on) Posted: 13 Jul 2011 11:11 AM PDT  Video Time Machine's secret sauce is in sorting each one of its moving pictures by year and giving you the option of filtering that selection down to several categories: news, games, sports clips, ads, movies, TV, and music. The ability to narrow our choices didn't make much difference when perusing the first half of the 20th century -- since so few videos are available -- but it turned out to be absolutely essential when scanning the catalog from the last 50 years. 1987, for instance, has 154 clips to choose from, so good luck trying to find something precise. If you're not looking for a specific year or category, a "random" button is included in the app to provide you with hours of mindless entertainment. This option does exactly what it sounds like -- it selects one at random out of the thousands of clips in the app's index. We liked the inclusion of this feature, though it reminded us too much of flipping through the channels on our TV without finding anything we want to watch. What if you do stumble across something special, perhaps timeless classics like Captain EO, the moon landing, or Doug Flutie's "hail Mary" pass against Miami, and want to share them with the world? Fortunately, VTM added in options to share videos via Facebook and Twitter. While we would've preferred a search option included somewhere in the app, we should point out that all of the catalogued videos in VTM have been brought over from YouTube, meaning it's easy enough to go through the service itself to find your desired clip. If you're wondering why you should pay for an app that provides the same clips found on YouTube, VTM isn't designed to simply mimic it; rather, the program's meant to act more as a history lesson, giving us a unique opportunity to witness a slice of life. What was pop culture like in the 1950s? What did our parents do or watch when they were kids? What important events occurred? It can even go beyond that by bringing back some of those precious memories from our own youth. Either way, it may be worth digging through your couch cushions for some extra change. | ||||||
| Adobe and Sony create contest to put Air apps on Android tablets Posted: 13 Jul 2011 10:44 AM PDT  Adobe and Sony to Bring Unique Android Applications to New "Sony Tablet" Devices 'Adobe AIR App Challenge Sponsored by Sony' to Inspire Application Innovation SAN JOSE, Calif. and SAN DIEGO, July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe) (Nasdaq: ADBE) and Sony Corporation ("Sony") (NYSE: SNE) today announced the 'Adobe® AIR® App Challenge Sponsored by Sony' to drive the creation of innovative Android applications for the two models of "Sony Tablet" devices and offer developers a chance to win $200,000 in total cash prizes. Adobe and Sony also announced the expansion of their long-standing relationship to deliver great content experiences for "Sony Tablet" devices. Both companies will enable developers to tap into native device capabilities and combine Adobe Flash® technology and HTML5 to deliver unique, high-performance mobile applications using Adobe Creative Suite® 5.5 and the open source Flex framework. Announced earlier this year, "Sony Tablet" will deliver the perfect combination of hardware, content and network with seamless usability for a high-quality, engaging entertainment experience. Based on decades of engineering heritage, Sony is developing two tablets with unprecedented design, including S1 (codename), which is optimized for rich media entertainment and S2 (codename), which is ideal for mobile communication and entertainment. "Sony Tablet" devices will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011. "Adobe's creative tooling brings digital experiences to life on small screens and large, unleashing the imagination of millions of the industry's best designers and developers on a new breed of devices," said Hideyuki Furumi, Deputy President VAIO & Mobile Business Group, Consumer Products & Services Group at Sony Corporation. "We are thrilled to empower these cutting edge creatives to be the first to bring innovative content and apps to our "Sony Tablet" devices later this year." With support for Adobe AIR, developers will be able to deliver new application experiences in addition to thousands of AIR applications already available on Android Market today. They can use the latest tools including Flash Professional CS5.5, Adobe Flash Builder® 4.5 and the mobile-optimized open source Flex 4.5 framework to create a wide range of powerful applications including media, gaming, and data-driven applications. "Creative Suite 5.5 and our latest developer tools combined with Sony's innovative tablets provide content publishers with the ideal platform to deliver great experiences," said David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Creative and Media Solutions at Adobe. "We are excited about Sony's sponsorship of the App Challenge, which will recognize the most creative applications our developer community produces." Adobe AIR App Challenge Sponsored by Sony The 'Adobe AIR App Challenge Sponsored by Sony' contest offers developers a chance to win $200,000 in total cash prizes and the promotion of the application on "Sony Tablet" devices. Adobe and Sony are challenging developers and content publishers to build breakthrough mobile apps optimized for the S1 and S2 tablets. The contest will give selected developers pre-release access to "Sony Tablet" prototypes and the latest version of Adobe tools. Contest categories include Entertainment, Lifestyle and Community, Games, Business and Productivity, and Innovation. A panel of Adobe, Sony and third party judges will evaluate application submissions based on quality and performance, innovation and creativity, as well as overall user experience. The contest is open to submissions from the U.S., Japan, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. In addition, Sony will be a platinum sponsor of Adobe MAX, Adobe's annual developer conference, which will kick off in Los Angeles on October 1. Developers, who submit working versions of their applications by September 16 have the opportunity to be selected as a MAX Showcase App, win a full MAX conference pass and more. For more information on how to participate in the contest, visit www.airappchallenge.com. Adobe AIR, Flash Player Developers can easily build AIR applications with Adobe tools and deploy them as native applications via the Android Market. Adobe AIR enables rich application experiences through tight device integration, including support for camera, video, microphone, multi-touch and more. Support for geo location allows developers to create location-based applications and services. With SQLite support developers can easily store and cache databases inside an AIR application. As part of the collaboration, Sony will pre-install Adobe Flash Player on "Sony Tablet" devices enabling a complete Web browsing experience that includes an array of videos, games and other rich content. Users are expected to experience performance gains on Sony's high performance Web browser when compared with the native Android browser(1). One of the top free apps on Android Market, with close to 13 million downloads to date and more than 300,000 users giving it a 4.5-out-of-5 star rating, Flash Player brings rich Flash based content via the Web browser to devices. (1) Performance gains will depend on various circumstances including the website being browsed. About Adobe Systems Incorporated Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com. About Sony Corporation Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $87 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/ Adobe, the Adobe logo, AIR, Creative Suite and Flash are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. "Sony" and "Sony Tablet" are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Corporation. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. | ||||||
| Posted: 13 Jul 2011 10:19 AM PDT  Now that Sony has spilled the carrier-exclusive beans on at least one of its tablets, the S2 clamshell, the company kindly gave us a chance to get some long-awaited hands-on time with both it and its sibling, the S1 slate. And at time when it feels like we handle a new Honeycomb Android tablet every other day, these at least usher in some pretty unusual form factors. On the one hand, you've got the S1, a 9.4-inch number whose rounded wedge profile was designed to mimic a folded magazine. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there's the S2, which opens to reveal twin 5.5-inch displays -- all the more of a novelty since we've barely seen Android 3.0 running on devices that don't have 10-inch displays. Alas, we only had a few minutes to poke around, and in particular we would have loved to spend more time sinking our teeth into Sony's spin on Honeycomb. For now, though, enjoy those close-up shots below and head on past the break for some early impressions. Let's start with the S1, shall we? As far as hardware flourishes go, we'll take ergonomic genius over a gimmick any day, and in that department, the S1 delivers. You see wedges all the time on laptops, but with a slate, it's an unexpected, wonderful thing. It makes it easy to hold with one hand, and it improves viewing angles when you place it face-up on a table. What's more, the S1 feels simply airy in the hands. We know, we know. We often come away from these events saying a tablet is lighter than it looks. (We're looking at you, Toshiba Thrive.) But after handling some slates that are weightier than you'd expect (ahem, Touchpad), it's refreshing to pick up something that feels well-made, yet unassuming. Sony also decked the tablet out in a textured finish, as you might guess by looking at that dot pattern in the photos. That, too, makes this one of the easier-to-grip slates we've handled. The viewing angles on that 9.4-inch (1280 x 768) display are also pretty good. You might get a taste of that in our gallery, but we didn't have a problem watching a movie from the side, or with the screen tilted away from us. We got to see it in a conference room with a mix of fluorescent and natural lighting, though, so we'll be curious to see how it fares in the great outdoors. Movie playback looked smooth, too, though it's too soon to say if the HD experience has anything on any of the other tabs on the market.  Moving on to the S2, it doesn't look quite like any other clamshell handheld we've seen -- not even Sony's own VAIO P series, one of the oddest takes on a netback we've ever beheld. Closed, it has a long rectangular shape with rounded edges, a silhouette that makes it look kind of like an enlarged eyeglasses case. The case opens quietly to reveal dual displays. Although they're bright, it doesn't look like Sony had any more success than Kyocera did with the Echo in minimizing the bezel separating the two panels. Pulling it all together, there's the software. We still feel like we've only started to scratch the surface on what Sony's done here, so it's best if we dissect that in our full review. In brief, though, what left the biggest impression wasn't any cosmetic tweaks Sony made to Honeycomb, but the technologies it used to make the user experience better. Mainly, we're talking about Quick View, which loads photos on websites before the javascript to create the illusion of faster loading times. You can disable it if you like, though Sony swears up and down that leaving it on won't have a negative impact on battery life or overall performance. Next up, there's Quick Touch Panel, an algorithm that detects and analyzes finger gestures to make the panel more responsive. We'll be honest: the performance and responsiveness on both tablets was pretty zippy, but we'd say the difference between these and other slates is subtle at best. Finally, we'd be remiss if we didn't point out that these are both PlayStation Certified, which means you'll have access to a host of familiar titles. Sadly, we were hustled out of the event before we could get lost in a game of Crash Bandicoot, but we did linger long enough to see how nicely the onscreen controls fill one of the S2's panels, with the game taking over the other. So there you have it. We've at last gotten our hands on the S1 and S2 and have a pretty good feel (no pun intended) for the hardware, though we're still oh-so curious about how the software experience will be different from all the other Honeycomb tabs on the block. We'll get to the bottom of that in our full review -- whenever these finally hit the market, that is. | ||||||
| Pandora ditches Flash, opens up the HTML5 box for redesign Posted: 13 Jul 2011 10:09 AM PDT  | ||||||
| Nokia prepping $120 million ad campaign ahead of Windows Phone launch? Posted: 13 Jul 2011 09:47 AM PDT  [Thanks, John] | ||||||
| Editorial: Netflix was too cheap before, but now it's just wrong Posted: 13 Jul 2011 09:00 AM PDT  But there's one problem: after cutting Instant loose, creating a new $7.99 streaming-only plan, Netflix stuck the dagger right in its own side by not re-thinking its disc-based rentals -- plans that looked a lot more valuable before than they do now. Netflix has succeeded in making its on-demand offerings so good that those unlimited snail mail samplings can't quite stand up on their own two feet anymore. At least, they can't stand up tall enough to support their $7.99 and up prices. Maybe, Netflix, it's time to go back to the fundamentals. I won't fully recount the nearly miraculous growth and development of Netflix from its beginnings as a niche rental service, but here's a quick overview just to make sure we're all on the same page. The company's website went live back in 1998, charging $4 per rental plus $2 shipping on each -- an almost laughably high cost that, at the time, was quite comparable with what aging rental stores were asking of their card-carrying members. That only lasted until 2000, when the now famous unlimited rentals without due dates program began.
Now, though, I'm not sure what's going to happen. If previously you had the "1 DVD out at-a-time" plan with unlimited streaming, you'd be paying $9.99 monthly. That was, quite simply, an incredibly good deal. A really, really good deal. Under the new scheme that plan drops to $7.99 ($9.99 if you want access to Blu-ray movies), but if you want streaming you'll have to pay another $7.99. Now you're looking at $15.98 a month for the pair, which is still a damned fine deal -- but there are a few problems. For one thing, Netflix isn't adding any new content to go along with this price hike. To say "our service today is worth 50 percent more than it cost yesterday" is awfully brash when that service hasn't changed a lick over that 24-hour period. Sure, there was that Star Trek deal from a few weeks ago, but the ability to revisit the Kirk vs. Picard vs. Archer vs. Sisko vs. Janeway debate (again) doesn't make up for such a big hike. More importantly, the very notion of receiving a disc in the mail suddenly feels a lot more quaint than it did back in 2007, when users got one hour of "Watch Now" streaming for every dollar they spent on disc-based delivery. There was nothing to watch back then, but these days there's enough for me to spend way more time streaming stuff than spinning discs -- enough that I'll easily go a week or two without peeking to see what's in the latest crimson Tyvek pouch.
Why is Netflix doing this? Because that streaming content isn't cheap and, as more people watch, those licensing fees are only going to get higher. And that's just the beginning: if Netflix is hustling more data than anybody else on the planet, just try and calculate the company's hosting costs. This extra money coming in will help Netflix to go after more and better content, and to get it earlier -- but with this big price hike the company runs a real risk of alienating its subscribers, a sentiment that many of you have shared with us. For me, as a subscriber myself, it's decision time. Will I keep my Netflix account? Yes -- at least partially. I like Netflix's streaming options more than what's on offer from the identically priced Hulu Plus service and, while I think Amazon Prime Instant Video will be a contender in the future, right now the lack of console support makes it a non-starter for me. I'm going to think long and hard about canceling my disc services, or at least dropping back to the twice-monthly DVD plan. But, I'd really like for Netflix to take a cue from Redbox (and, indeed, from its original pricing scheme) and let me pay per-disc. More and more often I'm happy to wait for the random selection of decidedly non-new releases to pop up on the company's Instant service before I watch them. It's only the hot, high-impact, exciting new releases that I really want on disc. You know, the kind of movie you thought about going to see in the theater and totally planned to, but then one of your friends flaked or you got lazy or you called ahead for ticket prices and you decided "Yeah, I'll just wait for Netflix and put that money toward my college loans." Those are the movies that I want on disc.
Sure, it's almost anti-American to want to step away from the fully-inclusive offer, but this new plan would be like having full access to an all-you-can-eat buffet while also selecting an a la carte menu for those particular treats not found beneath a sneeze guard. That's the best of both worlds, enough to sate a content glutton who has a taste for the finer things, and the kind of exclusive garnish that might keep Netflix looking tastier than its rapidly improving, streaming-only competition. | ||||||
| Cowon D3 firmware update brings Android 2.3, now treats your fingers as well as your ears Posted: 13 Jul 2011 08:31 AM PDT  [Thanks, Stefan] | ||||||
| Sony 3D Experience brings free on-demand movie trailers, sports clips to Bravia TVs Posted: 13 Jul 2011 08:07 AM PDT  HDTV manufacturers have used a variety of tactics to attract customers to the 3D segment, bundling free glasses, discounting Blu-ray players, and nearly eliminating unsightly bezels, but with content selection still incredibly limited, there's been little incentive for consumers to shell out extra cash for a 3D set. Sony's new 3D Experience sets out to expand those content offerings, streaming on-demand sports highlights and select movie trailers to Bravia LCD TVs, and eventually Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The Experience launches with just 30 clips in the US, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK today, but will eventually grow to include more movie, music, sports, and documentary titles. There's no word on whether or not we can expect full-length films (or anything else we may actually be interested in watching) in the future, but with a commitment from Samsung to launch paid content later this year, we imagine Sony won't follow too far behind. | ||||||
| Amazon Kindle 3G gets AT&T-sponsored ad-supported option priced at $139 Posted: 13 Jul 2011 07:42 AM PDT  Update: As Ahecht pointed out in comments, this new, cheaper Kindle is actually a replacement for the older ad-supported 3G model.
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| Nioncom's pico projector-equipped mini-tablet gets demoed on video Posted: 13 Jul 2011 07:12 AM PDT  | ||||||
| Sony's S2 tablet coming to AT&T, price and availability remain a mystery Posted: 13 Jul 2011 06:45 AM PDT  AT&T to Connect "Sony Tablet" S2 on Nation's Fastest Mobile Broadband Network | ||||||
| Lenovo IdeaPad K1 begins shipment odyssey, courtesy of Office Depot Posted: 13 Jul 2011 06:24 AM PDT  [Thanks, Dan] | ||||||
| Apple TV to score Bluetooth support with iOS 5, make search slightly less painful? Posted: 13 Jul 2011 06:00 AM PDT  | ||||||
| Haier's HaiPad ships in August, to become the preferred tablet of lolcats everywhere Posted: 13 Jul 2011 05:34 AM PDT  [Thanks, Marco] | ||||||
| BlackBerry App World hits one billion downloads, finally Posted: 13 Jul 2011 05:08 AM PDT  | ||||||
| Virgin Mobile shuffles Beyond Talk pricing, saves BlackBerry owners duckets Posted: 13 Jul 2011 04:43 AM PDT  Virgin Mobile, the contract-free subsidiary of Sprint, is giving its Beyond Talk plans a pricing overhaul -- with its cheaper choices getting a bit of a bump in the wrong direction. Sprint spokesperson Jayne Wallace confirmed to FierceWireless that this week its $25 unlimited text and data plan that comes packaged with 300 minutes will move to $35, while its 1,200 minute $40 option will become a $45 one. It's not all bad news though -- the unlimited everything $60 service tier is being cut to just $55 and the company is doing away with the $10 add-on fee for BlackBerries. So, try not think about it as a price hike, think about it as saving you $15 a month when the blessedly Blur-free Triumph hits.Update: And now it's doubly official! | ||||||
| Ford adds operator assist to its SYNC service, lets you scream at a cospecific Posted: 13 Jul 2011 04:15 AM PDT  Ford Trials Complimentary Live Operator Assistance for SYNC Services; Free Business Search and Address Entry Support • Ford is beta testing an Operator Assist feature for the cloud-based network of SYNC® Services, giving all registered Services users complimentary access to a live operator for help with business searches and address entry for turn-by-turn directions • About 70 percent of calls to SYNC Services are for business searches and/or directions • SYNC Services provides access to more than 14 million business listings DEARBORN, Mich., June 11, 2011 – Getting directions or finding a business using SYNC® Services has become even easier thanks to a new feature called Operator Assist that allows users to instantly connect with a live person. Operator Assist is only a voice command away, making it part of the growing list of cloud-based driver aids offered by Ford Motor Company. The new feature provides customers with the ability to safely connect with a live person who can quickly access information databases to help drivers get where they're going. Operator Assist is currently in a beta test trial phase and being offered as a complimentary feature for registered users of SYNC Services. No additional software or hardware is needed. "Ford is committed to continuously improving the ownership experience and delivering the level of connectivity that customers want," said Doug VanDagens, director, Ford Connected Services Solutions Organization. "By leveraging what's available in the cloud, we continue to innovate and improve our customers' experience without having to touch the vehicle or inconvenience the owner." How it works Cloud-based, on-demand, voice-activated SYNC Services provides access to information about traffic, news, sports, weather, horoscopes, stock quotes, and movie listings along with business searches and turn-by-turn directions. Operator Assist is available for the directions and business search functions of SYNC Services. Seventy percent of all SYNC Services calls are for business search and directions, said David Gersabeck, product manager, SYNC Services. Using advanced vehicle sensors, integrated GPS technology and comprehensive map and traffic data, the SYNC Services automated system delivers turn-by-turn directions to the user. Further, with access to more than 14 million business listings, SYNC Services' automated system directs users to the businesses they seek. Now, with Operator Assist, at any time during a business search or directions interaction between the user and the SYNC Services automated system, the user can say, "Operator," confirm his or her request to speak with an operator, and connect to a live operator. This system gives Ford customers the choice of interfacing with a live operator or utilizing the interactive voice recognition system. "Our customers asked for additional assistance in situations where their voice request was not understood," said Gersabeck. "If you want the most reliable user experience, enabling alternative methods for customers to access information will increase success, which is where Operator Assist factors into the equation." In the event a user says an address or business that the automated system can't identify, the user will be prompted with the option to connect to a live operator. If the user confirms he or she would like to speak with an operator for further assistance, the system automatically connects the user to the live operator. When a live operator assists with a business search, the user can choose to receive turn-by-turn directions to the business, receive a text message with name, address and phone number information about the business (applies to certain phone carrier networks), or be directly connected to the phone number of the business. When a live operator assists with address entry, the user can have the directions sent directly to the vehicle. "We want Ford SYNC Services customers to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing they can get where they're going or want to go," said Gersabeck. "Being able to connect with a live person at any time contributes to that peace of mind." The live operator services are provided by MyAssist, a leading live assistance and telematics service company for individuals and businesses based in Stevens Point, Wis. | ||||||
| T-Mobile brings 42Mbps HSPA+ to 56 new markets, now tops 150 locales Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:40 AM PDT  True to its promise of bringing 42Mbps service to 150 million Americans by mid-year, T-Mobile will double its 4G speed in 56 additional markets today -- thereby surpassing its self-imposed goal (and leaving the door open for greater ambitions). Of course, the Category 20 Rocket 3.0 USB modem is currently the only way to experience this brisk performance, but the magenta-clad carrier seems intent to bring a 42Mbps HSDPA smartphone to market by year's end, or much sooner. Cities such as Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Boise, Boston, Charlotte, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C., may count themselves among the fortunate, where T-Mo-packing citizens should benefit from the network's newly increased capacity and reliability, whether or not they're wielding ZTE's stick. A complete list of cities is included in the PR just beyond the break. T-Mobile's Faster 4G Network Now Available in More Locations America's Largest 4G Network™ is now twice as fast in more than 150 markets, available to more than 170 million Americans BELLEVUE, Wash. - July 13, 2011 - Today, T-Mobile USA, Inc. announced that the company is doubling the speed of its 4G network in 56 additional markets, to reach more than 170 million people in 152 markets. T-Mobile customers now have access to T-Mobile's faster 4G network in markets including Baltimore; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Hartford and New Haven, Conn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Lancaster, Pa.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Providence, R.I.; and Washington, D.C., among several others. For a full list of new markets where T-Mobile's HSPA+ 42 4G network is available, see below. In addition to T-Mobile customers experiencing speeds twice as fast as T-Mobile's current 4G network on compatible devices, customers also will enjoy increased network capacity and reliability. Offering a compelling 4G experience across a broad lineup of devices, America's Largest 4G Network™ allows customers to stay connected in new and innovative ways in more places than ever before. From downloading files to streaming video or surfing the latest social networking sites, T-Mobile's faster network provides a richer-than-ever mobile data experience, with anytime high-speed access to the data and information customers need and desire. "America's Largest 4G Network is now faster than ever and continues to deliver a fast and reliable broadband experience in more places than any other carrier," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer, T-Mobile USA. "Video streaming on T-Mobile's network has more than tripled over the last year, and consumer demand for access to rich mobile content from anywhere continues to grow. T-Mobile is now supplying more than 170 million Americans with lightning-fast HSPA+ 42 speeds to feed that explosive demand." T-Mobile's portfolio of 4G products gives customers ultra-fast access to the content they want at home or on the go. The company recently introduced the T-Mobile Rocket™ 3.0 laptop stick, its first HSPA+ 42-capable device, offering average download speeds on its HSPA+ 42 network approaching 10 Mbps, with peak speeds of 27 Mbps. T-Mobile also continues to expand its 4G device lineup with innovative 4G handsets such as the new HTC Sensation™ 4G and the upcoming T-Mobile myTouch® 4G Slide. In the last year, T-Mobile has launched more than a dozen 4G-capable smartphones, tablets and mobile broadband products, and the company expects to launch its first HSPA+ 42 smartphone later this year. T-Mobile 4G markets where 42Mbps service is launching today: Allentown, Pa.; Anderson, S.C.; Asheville, N.C.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Baltimore, Md.; Barnstable, Mass.; Bellingham, Wash.; Bloomington, Ind.; Boise, Idaho; Boston, Mass.; Bremerton, Wash.; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.; Brunswick, Ga.; Carson City, Nev.; Charlotte, N.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Chico, Calif.; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Eugene, Ore.; Flagstaff, Ariz.; Flint, Mich.; Greensboro, N.C.; Greenville, S.C.; Harrisburg, Pa.; Hartford, Conn.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Lafayette, Ind.; Lancaster, Pa.; Laredo, Texas; Lynchburg, Va.; Manchester, N.H.; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; New Haven, Conn.; Ogden, Utah; Providence; R.I.; Provo, Utah; Raleigh-Cary, N.C.; Redding, Calif.; Reno-Sparks, Nev.; Richmond, Va.; Roanoke, Va.; Rockford, Ill.; Salem, Ore.; Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Spartanburg, S.C.; State College, Pa.; Tallahassee, Fla.; Terre Haute, Ind.; Tucson, Ariz.; Washington, D.C.; Wichita Falls, Texas; Winchester, Va.; Winston-Salem, N.C.; Worcester, Mass.; and York, Pa. | ||||||
| Report: Touchscreen demand to grow by 90-percent, led by mobile, tablet markets Posted: 13 Jul 2011 03:04 AM PDT  Touch Panel Demand Soars; 2011 Revenues to Grow by 90% Y/Y Growth in Mobile Phones, Tablet PCs, and Portable Gaming Driving the Industry, as Capacitive Overtakes Resistive in Revenues Santa Clara, CALIF., July 12, 2011-In the recently released Touch Panel Market Analysis , DisplaySearch reported that total touch screen module revenue will reach $13.4 billion in 2011, and nearly double in six years, reaching $23.9 billion by 2017. "Touch screen penetration has rapidly increased in mobile phones, handheld games, game consoles, and tablet PC applications, which collectively will account for more than $10.5 billion in touch screen revenues this year," noted Jennifer Colegrove , PhD, Vice President of Emerging Display Technologies at DisplaySearch."In addition, we see strong touch screen growth over the next several years driven by demand in larger display applications such as all-in-one PCs, notebook PCs, and consumer gaming." Projected Capacitive Increasingly Becoming the Dominant Touch Technology As DisplaySearch previously forecasted, projected capacitive became the leading touch screen technology in terms of revenue in 2010. Projected capacitive growth has been explosive since being popularized by Apple in 2007, and many tablet PCs manufacturers have adopted it. In 2011, projected capacitive shipments are expected to grow by more than 100% Y/Y, and will account for 70% of all touch screen revenues. In addition to dedicated touch screen suppliers moving into projected capacitive, several color filter suppliers and LCD manufacturers have converted lines to produce it. In fact, over 60 companies are supplying projected capacitive in 2011. Shipments for in-cell touch, which first came to market in 2009, didn't materialize in 2010. However, in-cell touch is expected to take off in 2012 as yield rates improve. On-cell touch, meanwhile, has seen greater adoption, but the mix has shifted to smaller screen sizes used in mobile phones and digital still cameras, whereas it has had difficulty competing with projected capacitive in tablet PC applications. Other touch technologies are experiencing market growth, such as combination-type touch panels which offer both pen and finger touch. Mobile Phone Still the Leading Application, Tablet PCs Gaining Share in 2011 Mobile phones are the major application for touch screens in terms of unit shipments, accounting for two-thirds of units shipped in 2010. DisplaySearch forecasts that 868 million touch screens will ship for mobile phone applications in 2011, up 68% Y/Y. The tablet PC represents a fast-growing application for touch screens, accounting for 26 million units in 2010. Growth continues to be strong, with DisplaySearch forecasting over 72 million touch screens for tablet PCs in 2011, and over 100 million in 2012. Revenues for projected capacitive touch screens in tablet PCs are expected to grow by more than $1 billion in 2011. Touch penetration is increasing in consumer gaming devices, including consoles such as Microsoft Kinect, as well as handheld games such as the Nintendo 3DS. Over the next few years, notebook and all-in-one PCs as well as automobile monitors are expected to contribute to touch screen market growth as well. Touch technologies with high transmittance, low power consumption, multi-touch or gesture recognition will benefit the most. The DisplaySearch Touch Panel Market Analysis report is a comprehensive analysis of the touch panel technologies and their market forecasts through 2017. This report has a detailed breakdown of 22 applications (with tablet PCs application) with 11 touch technology categories and nine size categories. It also has details on touch controller ICs, the sensor market, and an area and multi-touch forecast through 2017. DisplaySearch surveyed over 190 suppliers of touch screen modules, controller ICs, ITO film, and other components to produce the 2011 Touch Panel Market Analysis report. These firms are profiled in the report, along with 2010 history, shipments, and revenues for over 100 touch screen suppliers. | ||||||
| Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro won't ship until 'late September' in the UK Posted: 13 Jul 2011 02:34 AM PDT  When the Xperia Pro first went up for pre-order back in June, we thought it would be available relatively soon. According to Sony Ericsson's page, however, the handset won't start shipping to UK customers until "late September." A couple of friendly tipsters notified us about the change, though the SIM-free price, as you'll notice, remains fixed at £349.99 (or about $558). We have yet to hear an explanation for the delay, but in the meantime, you can tide yourself over with our hands-on. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] | ||||||
| USC computer scientist makes geo-immersion maps, leaves other maps feeling inferior Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:48 AM PDT  | ||||||
| DiaForce film captures your virtuoso performance, could replace guitar pickups Posted: 13 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT  The perfect connection between guitar and computer Research News July 2011 Guitar virtuosos have to master all kinds of playing techniques. But how can the intricate process of playing the instrument be captured digitally? A special thin film on the tailpiece has the answer. Functioning as a sensor, it converts the tension on the string into digital control signals. Rapidly, but expressively and with amazing ease, the guitarist's fingers move over the strings on the neck of the instrument. His fingertips move up and down and a vibrato resonates. From the guitar a cable leads to a laptop, which records the virtuoso performance in minute detail. The computer registers each vibrato, each bend precisely and almost instantaneously. Afterwards the guitarist can play back the digital recording and process it on a computer. The guitar incorporates a piece of Fraunhofer technology. Engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST have developed a sensor which translates complex guitar-playing movements into digital control signals. "This enables the different techniques such as vibrato and bending to be precisely captured," explains Saskia Biehl, head of the micro and sensor technology group. The key element is a thin film bearing the name DiaForce®, which coats the tailpiece, the part of the instrument anchoring the guitar strings to the body. DiaForce® is based on amorphous carbon and is piezoresistive. Biehl explains what this means: "When the player changes the string tension, the pressure on the film changes. This in turn leads to a change in resistance, which is measured by electrodes on the film." To be able to record the string tension forces and therefore the various playing techniques accurately and with as little delay as possible, Biehl and her group have tested various coating parameters and contact materials. They achieved good results with a tailpiece coated with a ten-micrometer DiaForce® film. The intention is also to measure the strength of the string vibration, which would make it additionally possible to digitally represent the stroke strength and fading – regardless of whether the player plucks the strings with their fingers or a plectrum. The development partner for this Fraunhofer technology is M3i Technologies GmbH. The company has already developed a laser-based sensor system which captures the pitch of chords and individual notes. A software program converts this data into digital control signals. DiaForce® supplements this development and makes it the perfect sensor system for guitar playing. The Fraunhofer research engineers now aim to develop suitable processes for mass producing the DiaForce® coating as a low-cost tension sensor for guitars. "We also want to extend its application to other musical instruments," says Biehl. "After all, force is exerted at various points on many string instruments, and so the possible applications are numerous." In the future, coated tailpieces could replace the pickups on electric guitars which convert the string vibration into an electrical signal to create the sound from an electric guitar. "The DiaForce® film will need to be particularly sensitive for this, which is what we are working on right now," concludes Biehl. | ||||||
| Nokia's Live View AR app reveals what's nearby, how to socially ostracize yourself in public Posted: 13 Jul 2011 12:17 AM PDT  | ||||||
| Fujitsu's e-reader gets a refreshed look at e-Book Expo Tokyo (video) Posted: 12 Jul 2011 11:38 PM PDT  | ||||||
| First synthetic organ transplant paves way for post-op, immunosuppresive drug-free future Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:54 PM PDT  First Successful Transplantation of a Synthetic Tissue Engineered Windpipe [PRESS RELEASE 2011-07-07] For the first time in history, a patient has been given a new trachea made from a synthetic scaffold seeded with his own stem cells. The patient, a 36-year old man, is well on the way to full recovery and will be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. The operation was performed on June 9th 2011 at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Stockholm, by professor Paolo Macchiarini, of Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, and colleagues. Professor Macchiarini led an international team including professor Alexander Seifalian from the UCL (University College London, UK) who designed and built the nanocomposite tracheal scaffold and Harvard Bioscience (Boston, USA) who produced a specifically designed bioreactor used to seed the scaffold with the patient´s own stem cells. The cells were grown on the scaffold inside the bioreactor for two days before transplantation to the patient. Because the cells used to regenerate the trachea were the patient's own, there has been no rejection of the transplant and the patient is not taking immunosuppressive drugs. The patient had been suffering from late stage tracheal cancer. Despite maximum treatment with radiation therapy, the tumor had reached approximately 6 cm in length and was extending to the main bronchus. It was progressing and almost completely blocked the trachea. Since no suitable donor windpipe was available, the transplantation of the synthetic tissue engineered trachea was performed as the last possible option for the patient, referred by professor Tomas Gudbjartsson of Landspitali University Hospital (Reykjavik, Iceland) who was also part of the surgical team. The successful transplantation of tissue engineered synthetic organs, referred to as regenerative medicine, could open new and very promising therapeutic possibilities for the thousands of patients who suffer from tracheal cancer or other conditions that destroy, block or constrict the airway. Professor Macchiarini has previously performed successful transplants of tissue engineered tracheas, but on those occasions the tracheas used were taken from organ donors and then reseeded with the patient's own stem cells. Transplantations of tissue engineered windpipes with synthetic scaffolds in combination with the patient's own stem cells as a standard procedure, means that patients will not have to wait for a suitable donor organ. This would be a substantial benefit for patients since they could benefit from earlier surgery and have a greater chance of cure. In addition to treating adult patients; tissue engineered synthetic trachea transplants would, not least, be of great value for children, since the availability of donor tracheas is much lower than for adult patients. | ||||||
| Clearwire boosts NYC WiMAX coverage by 21 percent, 91,363 people rejoice uncontrollably Posted: 12 Jul 2011 10:13 PM PDT  Consider yourself a New Yorker? If so, you could find yourself underneath Sprint / TWC / Clearwire's 4G umbrella, as the trio has announced a 21 percent coverage expansion in the greater New York City area. Folks in Alpine, Bayonne, Elizabeth, Fair Lawn, Newark, Paramus, Secaucus, Union, NJ; and Hartsdale, New Rochelle, New York, Rockville Centre, Yonkers, NY will now be covered in the regional Clear network, and as of last count, that amounts to an extra 91,363 people. 'Course, a few newcomers will be born every minute, so maybe we've breached 91,369 by now. Or maybe more. Talk about confusing. Clearwire, Time Warner Cable and Sprint Expand New York City Metro 4G Mobile Broadband Network By 21 Percent Regional New York City 4G Network Covers 11,927,000 People KIRKLAND, Wash., NEW YORK CITY, and OVERLAND PARK, Kan., July 12, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearwire (NASDAQ: CLWR), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and Sprint (NYSE: S) today announced a significant expansion of the Clearwire 4G network footprint and key capacity upgrades for mobile broadband customers in the greater New York City metro area. The regional CLEAR®, Time Warner Cable Mobile Internet and Sprint 4G service area have added coverage for an additional 91,363 people. Now, more than 11,927,000 people in the New York City area have access to Clearwire's 4G mobile broadband network. This expansion represents new coverage since Clearwire's initial launch on November 1, 2010. Enhanced capacity and expanded coverage can be experienced in the following communities: Alpine, Bayonne, Elizabeth, Fair Lawn, Newark, Paramus, Secaucus, Union, NJ; and Hartsdale, New Rochelle, New York, Rockville Centre, Yonkers, NY. "Across New York and New Jersey, Clearwire's 4G speed continues to set the standard in delivering a high-speed network that businesses and consumers demand," said Sean Reid, regional general manager for Clearwire. "Unlimited mobile broadband usage is a product that Clearwire pioneered across the country over the last several years and is currently now in seventy-one markets across the United States." "Sprint 4G customers in the Greater New York area will benefit from these enhancements," said Karen Paletta, Sprint vice president-East Region. "Our customers enjoy a wide selection of cutting-edge 4G devices - smartphones, tablets and mobile connectivity devices. Sprint 4G allows for sophisticated services such as video chat and a wide variety of applications that keep expanding every day with great new mobile devices from Sprint." "Time Warner Cable continues to take steps as a leader in the industry by offering our customers multiple ways to access the information and content they want at home, at work and on the go," said Lou Lazzaro, vice president of wireless, Time Warner Cable New York City. "Mobile Internet keeps Time Warner Cable business and residential customers connected in multiple ways from multiple places so they're never out of touch." 4G customers in these cities will be able to increase their mobility and productivity in many ways: from instantly downloading large files to get work done on the run, browsing the Web just like at home from across the city, or watching online videos and movies while travelling in the family car around town. A variety of 4G devices are available from both service providers. A detailed coverage map of CLEAR 4G service is available at www.clear.com/coverage. Additional information about Sprint 4G is available at www.sprint.com/4G. Additional information about Time Warner Cable Mobile Internet is available at http://mobileservices.timewarnercable.com | ||||||
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| Google Voice adds spam filter, lets solicitors get caught in the web Posted: 12 Jul 2011 08:11 PM PDT  | ||||||
| Intel to owners of failed SSD 320s: we're 'aware of the customer sightings' Posted: 12 Jul 2011 07:27 PM PDT  | ||||||
| Andy Lees says no to Mango on Windows tablets Posted: 12 Jul 2011 06:46 PM PDT  Microsoft's Andy Lees quashed dreams of Windows tablets running a Mango-style OS during a talk at the company's Worldwide Partners Conference today, saying the mobile operating system would conflict with the outfit's ideas of what makes a slate. According to Electronista, Lees said the computing giant sees tablets as PCs, making the mobile OS incompatible with its vision. He went on to say that Windows 8's networking and printing functions make it more suited to the needs of tablet users. So, if you're looking for the sweet style of Mango, it looks like you'll have get your hands on one of these bad boys. | ||||||
| IDC: tablet shipments drop 28 percent in Q1 2011 Posted: 12 Jul 2011 06:03 PM PDT  Media Tablet Sales Lag Optimistic First Quarter Targets, But Forecast Remains Strong, According to IDC 08 Jul 2011 FRAMINGHAM, Mass., July 8, 2011 – Worldwide media tablet shipments into sales channels fell by 28% on a sequential basis in the first calendar quarter of 2011 (1Q11) to 7.2 million units worldwide, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker. Looking forward, however, IDC raised its shipment forecast for 2011 to 53.5 million units from a previous projection of 50.4 million units. For 1Q11, the seasonal trends typically found in more mature consumer electronics and computing categories had a notable impact on the burgeoning media tablet market, suggesting that demand for the category may not be quite as strong as recent media hype suggests. The eReader market (which IDC counts separately) experienced similar seasonality, undergoing a sequential decline in shipments to 3.3 million units as the post-holiday season proved to be challenging for that category. However, eReaders enjoyed 105% year-over-year growth as the devices continue to grow in overall popularity, particularly with the introduction of color devices, such as Barnes & Noble's Color Nook. (Note: Media tablets have been shipping less than a full year and year over year growth comparisons are not yet available.) Apple's iPad and the recently introduced iPad 2 continue to dominate the media tablet market, as other vendors have had a more difficult time finding market acceptance for their products. But even Apple's shipments for the quarter were well below expectations. Some supply-chain hiccups on screens as well as the pre-release announcement of the iPad 2 several weeks before its actual availability combined to have a noticeable impact on the company's shipments for the quarter. Mobile phone vendors, such as Samsung and Motorola, who have focused their distribution through the telco carriers, found moderate success with their media tablets, but sales were largely stymied by many consumers' unwillingness to sign up for the 3G/4G data plans that the carriers typically require along with these devices. As an operating system, Android-based devices grew to 34% of the total, a share increase of 8.2 points over the previous quarter. For eBooks, Barnes & Noble's Color Nook helped the company to take the lead in the eReader market for the first time. Amazon's Kindle was second, but the lack of a color offering has clearly impacted the company's previous dominance in the eReader market. IDC forecasts the worldwide eReader market to ship 16.2 million units in 2011, a 24% increase over 2010. "Like the PC market, Media Tablets had a bit of a challenging quarter in Q1, as concerns about general macroeconomic issues and the post-holiday letdown took a toll on demand," said Bob O'Donnell, IDC Vice President, Clients and Displays. "We expect the rest of the year to be much stronger, but we believe vendors who continue to focus on the telco channel for distribution will face serious challenges." "Although media tablet sales were not as high as expected in 1Q11 due to slower consumer demand, overall economic conditions, and supply-chain constraints, we believe with the entrance of competitive new devices in second half of 2011, the market will sell close to 53 million units for the year and continue to grow long-term," said Jennifer Song, IDC Research Analyst. | ||||||
| The Engadget Interview: HP's Stephen DeWitt Posted: 12 Jul 2011 05:01 PM PDT  We managed to grab some time with DeWitt, in spite of what's sure to be a fairly packed schedule at the moment, discussing the impact of the TouchPad's reviews, the present and future of webOS, and what smartphone he carries around in his pocket. Can you give us a little background on yourself? I've been running the PC business of HP, here in the Americas. I joined HP three years ago. The "FedEx" version of what I've been doing: I'm a longtime techie, did my first startup when I was a teenager, and then served on the executive staffs of Symantec in the early 90s, Cisco in the mid-90s, left there and did my first full-blown startup as the CEO of Cobalt Networks. We were a pioneer in the server appliance space. Everybody said we couldn't take on companies like HP and Dell, but we did a pretty darn good job. We took the company public and then sold it to Sun for a couple of billion dollars earlier this century. And then I stayed on with Sun to redefine their Edge computing strategy. I left to do another startup called Azul Systems, which was a pioneer in massive throughput computing, primarily designed for massive parallel workloads like transaction processing, reservation systems, etc. So I've seen the first unit go out the door, and I've also seen the 100 millionth unit go out the door. I've operated in every geography around the globe. I had the opportunity to work with HP -- the goal of bringing me on was to transform what has historically been a business defined by the gross margin and transaction (how many dollars can you eke out of a PC?), to a relationship-driven model. And that's what we've been working on. A ton of stuff has been accomplished. I'll bring that same passion for experience and global reach to webOS. Are there any specific products that you've worked on at your time at HP that you can point to as successes? It's not just products. It's really experiences more than anything. I'll give you an example -- in the last 24 months, we've opened nearly 275 HP stores. You don't see any of them here, because all of them have been opened in places like Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. We have dramatically overhauled our online experience. We're in the process right now of moving from a transactional model to a relationship model. Our support systems -- literally everything around the products -- is moving to a model of elite support 7 / 24 / 365. Look what we're doing with the Butler system surrounding the TouchPad. We know people are going to get excited when they come home and tear that shrinkwrap off. We want to make sure that experience is flawless. That Butler paradigm is extending across everything we do. Our transformation comes in lot of different sizes and shapes. Are you interested in expanding the HP Store model into the States?
Well, we already have awesome retail representation here in the States. If you walk into a Best Buy this weekend and look around, I think you're going to see an evolved experience from what the old retail experience has been in the US. The era of having a table full of PCs with no identity around them is going away, and it's been replaced with a much more intimate experience. We're working with people like Best Buy and Staples -- Staples does a fantastic job of moving customer data, of making sure that initial experience is great. And we want the Butler paradigm to extend throughout all of our retailer partners. Are we bringing HP stores to the US? That's not in our plan. But what is in our plans is transforming the retail experience, and we'll work with our partners to do that. You have a lot of experience being in the position of the underdog, prior to working at HP. Is that how you view webOS in its current state? I appreciate the underdog, I guess, because I'm a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, and you have to be an underdog. But I'm a son of an entrepreneur, and my dad beat into my head as a young man that I should build my own businesses, innovate, don't let other people set my agenda. I went to an entrepreneurial college -- Babson. I did my first startup when I was a teenager. I love technology. It's the only industry I've been in, and I've had the opportunity to play on a lot of sides. Are we an underdog in this battle? Look, Apple came to the market two years before we did with their iPad. We know all about their iPad, we know all about what it does well, we know all about what Apple's doing. That's great. I've always applauded companies in this industry that have been innovation pioneers. HP has a long history of being an innovation pioneer, as well. In fact, we've created many, many industries, we've spun off many companies. HP has innovative roots. That's why I came here, to innovate at a different scale.
I think that the future of computing is going to be about maintaining your state, about taking everything that matters to you, your content, your apps, and holding your state against any screen you look at. That's the future of computing. In order to get from where we are today, the devices, the technology, the platform, the developer community, all of the global ramifications to that, you're not going to do this in a federated model, you're going to have to do this with a well-orchestrated, global community that can drive this. I think that's as big an opportunity and forward pass as anywhere in the industry, and that's why I'm fired up to do it. You have a lot of experience on the business side of the spectrum -- do you see the TouchPad as a primarily business-minded tablet? No, because we're not looking at business and consumer, anymore. It's you. All that matters is you. You're the design center. It's not, "oh, here, we want to sell a product to someone who works at Bank of America," or, "we want to sell a product to Jane Doe in Findlay, OH." We want to sell products that allow your individual identity to be reflected in that device, and we want to make accessibility to that flawless -- all the human factors: touch, voice, video. One of the beautiful things about webOS is how awesome the accessibility is in the platform, and if we can add to that accessibility unique services for the developer community, like Synergy and a whole slew of other things we've talked about (and believe me, we've got a lot more in the hopper), we think that's a pretty powerful combo.  There are certain elements that need to be incorporated into the device if it's going to appeal to users on the enterprise and SMB side. Do you feel that the TouchPad fulfills those needs in its current state? Absolutely, and if they're not there, we're probably aware of them. And one point I want to make on this is -- hold small businesses aside at the moment -- one size does not fit all. And one of the realities about selling to the commercial world is, you can't just throw it over the fence and say, "oh, I'm excited about that product, make it work." You've got to customize, you've got to bring an application portfolio out to these devices. It's got to have all levels of security, from remote wipe if the device goes rogue -- how do you make sure it doesn't go bad -- to the connection into corporate data. And by the way, not everyone's legacy apps were built the same way by the same code base. There's a lot of work there, and a key part of what we're gonna do is build the sort of mobility practices that can be extended both through our service organization -- and as you know, we've got a pretty substantial service organization. We acquired EDS a couple of years ago. There's 175,000 employees over there that are all day, every day running the IT infrastructure for a lot of big name companies that we all know and love. We're gonna bring this portfolio into that world and allow them to tailor solutions to their specific environment. You can't fake that. There's work there, and we think we're well positioned to deliver that. I imagine you've seen most, if not all of the TouchPad reviews. The reception for a lot of reviewers has been fairly lukewarm. What's your reaction to the criticism? Well, look what we got criticized on. I've gotta love this. First people are saying that we've got a fat device. You need a cord to power an iPad. You don't in our world. The fact that we're a couple of millimeters fatter is because we have Touchstone, and Touchstone allows our device to be inductively powered. And that Touchstone feature allows us to do things like touch-to-share. So we traded off a couple of millimeters -- which at the end of the day, isn't going to have any impact on functionality -- for features and function. We have other devices that we're going to work on that are going to have other form factors and weights, etc. But we don't lament the fact that we think we offered an awesome ease of use capability for the tradeoff of a couple of millimeters. That's one issue we got hit with in the press, and I think that, at the end of the day, users will see the value, and we just have to communicate that.
The second piece is application availability. This is probably the most simplistic, no-brainer argument there is. Of course everybody's going to come out and say, "well, you don't have the apps Apple has." Well, no kidding, Apple's been on the market for a couple of years. We have more native TouchPad apps than Apple had when they launched the iPad. Everybody understands there's a period of time when you're working at inspiring the developer community to get all of the apps out. We have all of the key apps out, and we're going to have a ton more every day. There were some questions about the Movie Store app and a couple of others -- they weren't ready and weren't planned to be ready until the 17th of July, and they will be ready by the 17th of July. We're going to be delivering over-the-air updates, which will have no complexity for customers, on a very regular basis. We're working on an over-the-air update that we expect to have out by the end of the month. This is one of the slings and arrows that you get by showing products before they're ready for the reviewer community. We knew full well that we were going to get this sort of feedback, and we're very confident that we've addressed every single one that was in there. Did you feel that any of the criticisms were apt, that you plan to work on, moving ahead?
Um...yeah. And you know, it's not just the feedback you get from reviewers, it's also the fact that our user community is extremely vocal. On the thousands of units that are already out there, the feedback that we're getting from the customer base is fantastic. One of the things that's new for HP -- and I'll admit it, though I don't want to be defensive, because it's nothing to be defensive about -- we haven't done this in the past. We haven't had assets like this. We haven't had a community, per se. And so, we're getting used to this regular cadence of delivering updates. Remember, this is an environment that evolves every single day. Six months from now, we're going to have a very different discussion about apps. My hope is that in six months we're going to have a discussion about all of the new stuff that we brought to the market, all of the innovation that we've brought to the market, not just playing catch up, so our number is as big as somebody else's number.  What can we expect for the 17th? That's our official retail launch date. What you're gonna see is all of the major retailers will have their advertising and their promotions. This weekend is really the beginning of the month-long back to school season. We very consciously picked this as a launch date. Look for major promotional activities, broadly. Not only across all of our webOS devices, but across our PC products as well. Look for a lot of in-store experiences: merchandising, labor, promotions, bundles -- all sorts of things will kick off on the 17th. And the OTA update? That will be out by the end of the month, as well. We're trying real hard to match the 17th, but you can at least expect it by the end of the month. And, by the way, there will be another update after that and another update after that one. That's the way it's going to be in the future, and I think the elegance of that is awesome for end users. Their products are literally getting better, and they don't even know it. These updates are coming soon after the initial reviews and feedback. Are these lessons learned from the device, or are they features that didn't arrive in time? A little bit of both. Yes, yes, and yes. There are bug fixes, there are new features, there are new apps, new capabilities, all of the above. You mentioned the trouble you may have in communicating how this device is better than the iPad.
My point was, reviewers -- and this is the kind of thing that drives people nuts -- one writeup was, "HP has a really elegant OS, we love it, but also a big, clumsy design." Are you kidding me? There's nothing big and clumsy about this design. Pick it up. Hold it. There's nothing big and clumsy here. Everyone wants to go, "look at the iPad 2" -- and by the way, Apple spends a lot of time marketing thin and light. That's great. We've spent a lot of time marketing thin and light in our PCs. And we are certainly going to have a broad portfolio of products that are thin and light. We made a decision for capabilities that we feel are meaningful, making it a couple of millimeters bigger. That's not something that we lament. We wish that the reviewers had said, "by the way, the fact that it's a couple of millimeters bigger is because you don't have to charge it." It's because we do touch-to-share, it's because of these unique capabilities. We clearly didn't do a good enough job in communicating that and we're going to fix that. Will you fix that by comparing the device directly to the iPad? Apple's Apple, and HP's HP. We feel very confident in our products and where we're going. We believe that we're going to be more open than some of our competitors, and at the same time, not a loose federation. We're going to be very global, and we think that, at the end of the day, we're going to bring a value proposition that can stand on its own. Are we nervous about competitors? Heck, we're nervous about everyone that's out there. We have a lot experience about being nervous about a lot of competitors. When you operate at the size and scale and number of geographies that we do, we get in the competitive game. But we're focused on what we're doing right now, and at the end of the day, we've got to win in the market, and we know that. You made references to other products that will be using the webOS platform. We've heard mention of printers and other products of that nature in the past. Can you talk about specifics?
No. And I'm not trying to be glib here. There's no question when we lifted the shroud on webOS, we gave our competition fair warning, as far as what we're bringing to the market. I'm sure glad we didn't launch at CES in that cluster of products, because we're not slapping Android on a device and calling it a day. We're creating something meaningful that fits in an end-to-end ecosystem and ultimately can deliver against the vision that I shared earlier about holding you in-state. And we wanted to have the ability to control the experience from top to bottom, and that's what we wanted to do. We have a great and multi-decade relationship with Microsoft. We're going to bring webOS to our PCs -- not to replace Windows. That's absurd. We're going to marry together what we think are unique capabilities of both platforms. And we're going to continue to explore ways to do that. We've got a very aggressive smartphone plan of record and a very aggressive tablet plan of record. We have a lot of products that we're working on, and we will lift the kimono when we're ready to bring it to the market. And there's the possibility of moving beyond the PC, tablet, and smartphones for webOS? Sure. Can you speak at all about what Jon [Rubinstein]'s new role will be? We're going to have Jon bring his magic to a lot of things we do. I'm going to be able to leverage Jon day to day as I come up to speed with some of the initiatives that his team is working on, and as we drive this scale phase, Jon and I will be lockstep with a lot of that. Beyond what we're doing in the webOS world, we're going to bring Jon's product expertise and vision to our broad PSG portfolio. Jon is a national treasure, and you'll see his expertise in a lot of our products.  Can I ask really quickly what kind of phone you're carrying around at the moment? I'm going to admit it: I carry the Veer. Everyone kind of says it's more of a phone targeted at the female demographic and the young demographic, but I like the fact that it's small. I always use Bluetooth, so having its small form factor in my pocket just works for me. This thing is just so little. It's perfect and everything is synced with everything else. I use my Veer with my TouchPad. It works for me. | ||||||
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| Posted: 12 Jul 2011 03:23 PM PDT  HardwareAfter spending some quality time with HTC's Flyer and EVO View 4G tablets, we were struck by how much this lilliputian phone resembles its 7-inch cousins. For one, HTC went and combined a band of metallic metal with white plastic, much the same way it did with the gray-and-white Flyer. That color-blocking extends onto both the front and back sides of the phone, with a metallic strip stamped across the rear, and that same flat finish stretching across the front and between the QWERTY keys. Also like its tablet cousins, the Status has a contoured shape that looks something like the little dipper when you examine it from the side. The idea is to bring the screen closer to you, and generally add some personality to what is otherwise a middling handset (our words, not HTC's ours). Alas, though, it's a portrait QWERTY, so we're not sure why HTC didn't just stick with clean lines. One area where HTC did keep things simple: the sides. Both the bottom and right edges of the handset are devoid of buttons or openings. That leaves just the power / lock key and 3.5mm headphone jack on the top, and a volume rocker and mini USB port on the left. On the back, of course, is where you'll find the 5 megapixel camera, along with an LED flash. In the upper right-hand corner of the bezel, you'll find an LED light for notifications, with a thin, finely grated speaker grille stretching across the top of the 2.6-inch display. KeyboardUsing the Status reminds us just how much we miss physical QWERTY keyboards, and how underrated portrait-style ones are, in particular. The keys are tactile without feeling too chintzy, and we had a smooth time adjusting to the layout. We didn't make any typos, and were up and entering URLs right away. The dedicated ".com" button -- something that's missing from, say, our old-school Droid -- is a welcome touch. DisplayNot our favorite. That's partly a function of the size, but mostly it's the resolution. With a 480 x 320 pixel count, everything -- text, photos -- looks blurrier than you're probably used to. And that's not even mentioning the extra scrolling you'll do when looking at websites, your Facebook feeds, and any manner of apps. The viewing angles aren't great either. Even in a dimly lit room, where the overhead lighting was kept to a minimum and the rays coming through the window weren't overwhelming, the display was still too reflective to really make out from the sides. On the plus side, the touchscreen's as responsive as you'd want it to be, as are the typical Android haptic controls sitting below it. In general, we found it quick to respond as we flicked through the five home screens and tapped on shortcuts to launch apps. As for the Like button, it's pretty seamless. As soon as we used it on our own Engadget post (narcissists that we are), we saw a small onscreen dialog box letting us know it was posting to our wall. In fact, you'll move away from whatever it was you liked on to your Facebook wall, where you'll have a chance to add a comment before posting. All we can say is, thank goodness for lock buttons -- we'd hate to accidentally like something from our pocket. Software and PerformanceThe good news: the Status is AT&T's first Gingerbread handset. The bad news: it runs HTC Sense. Now, don't get us wrong: we can appreciate Sense on larger-screened devices like smartphones and tablets. But even after spending a few minutes playing with the Status, we still, for the life of us, couldn't understand what it was doing on a phone with such a diminutive display. Even swiping the ring on the lock screen, we felt our finger come close to moving off the touchscreen. It's not unlike attempting multi-touch gestures on a trackpad that's just too narrow. Once you're in, you'll find that Sense's widgets simply overwhelm the screen. Sure, they take up lots of space even on larger-screened devices, but in this case it's especially infuriating that the widgets actually take precedence, leaving precious few pixels for shortcuts, even key ones like email, Facebook, and messaging. As it is, the display is small and the resolution laughable. Why make the user experience more difficult by burying icons around a faux-analog clock, of all things? In better news: we're optimistic about AT&T's HSPA+ speeds. It's too early to draw any conclusions at this point, but it is at least comprehensively faster than Verizon's 3G network at the same location. BatteryThe handset has a small 1200 mAh battery, which came almost empty out of the box. Of course, we'll resume judgment on the longevity until we put it through its paces in a full review. Early thoughtsAnd there you have it, folks. We've spent just a few minutes with theZach Honig contributed to this report. | ||||||
| ViviTouch haptic tech offers range of feedback, aims to reinvent the mobile gaming wheel Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:58 PM PDT  ViviTouch™ Offers a New Sensory Dimension to Mobile Gaming Bayer MaterialScience LLC's technology boosts tactile sensitivity and responsiveness in mobile gaming devices July 11, 2011 10:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--With the explosive growth of the mobile gaming market, device manufacturers will be looking for ways to differentiate their products. By providing a platform that integrates ViviTouch™, a next-generation technology from Bayer MaterialScience LLC, device makers now have the potential of reaching even more consumers in the gaming market by creating a mobile gaming experience that can rival console gaming. ViviTouchTM, pioneered by Artificial Muscle Inc., a Bayer MaterialScience LLC company, brings a completely new level to the mobile gaming experience by synchronizing realistic tactile feedback with the sight and sound of gaming applications. This creates a brand new vector for innovation in the design of both mobile devices and the games themselves. Players will soon be able to feel the difference between hundreds of sensations, not just the one-buzz-fits-all vibration from before. A rolling pinball will feel different than a revving motor, a big explosion or even a sharp blade slicing through fruit. The possibilities are endless. The jump from traditional rumble to ViviTouchTM is like the leap from black-and-white to color TV. "This level of sensitivity and responsiveness hasn't been seen before on a mobile device," said Dirk Schapeler, CEO, Artificial Muscle Inc. "The technology vividly captures the full spectrum of high-fidelity movement, far beyond what has been experienced." ViviTouch™ is made possible through advances in Electroactive Polymer (EAP) technology. As a result, ViviTouch™ creates the most realistic tactile feelings (50-300 Hz frequency range) that can be felt immediately (within 5 milliseconds). Additionally, the technology's customizable design and performance options consume significantly less battery life than other technologies in the market. Currently, there are several integrations of the ViviTouch™ actuator that are available. For example, the Device Shaker Design uses ViviTouch™ to precisely move an inertial mass to provide an incredible level of feedback that can be felt in a user's hand. The Moving Touch Screen Design also uses the same actuator to provide a direct tactile response to the user by moving the touch surface, such as a smartphone screen. A technology license to Immersion's TouchSense® can be bundled with ViviTouch™. The time is right for this next-generation technology. In fact, a survey conducted by Information Solutions Group shows that the mobile phone has now become the primary gaming device of choice. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said playing mobile games had become a part of their daily activity. Among all mobile phone gamers, nearly a quarter (23 percent) of their mobile phone usage time was spent on gaming. Most of all, nearly half of the gamers in ViviTouchTM's national focus groups indicated they would pay more for this new sensory technology. ViviTouch™ intensifies the mobile gaming experience by immersing players with a revolutionary type of tactile feedback. It brings High Definition feel to a world of High Definition audio and video. This innovative technology is ideal for gaming devices like smartphones, tablets, console controllers, gaming peripherals, and other touch interface products. The first commercial application of ViviTouch will arrive later this year via the mophie® pulse for iPod touch. Visit www.vivitouch.com to learn more. | ||||||
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| HP TouchPad 4G for AT&T hands-on (video) Posted: 12 Jul 2011 02:12 PM PDT  Earlier today, AT&T announced that the HP TouchPad is coming to its 4G network, complete with a processor bump to 1.5GHz (up from 1.2GHz) and an HSPA+ radio. The carrier wasted no time getting its latest slate out in the public, showing it off at an event in NYC this afternoon. There aren't any cosmetic changes to speak of, but that faster connectivity and notable processor boost are certainly nothing to shrug at. We had a chance to see the tablet in action, and it performed fairly well, especially considering the poor connectivity environment AT&T selected to host its event. Jump past the break to see it in action in our hands-on video, or check out our full review of HP's slower, WiFi-only TouchPad. | ||||||
| AT&T launches Sony Ericsson Xperia Play with Gingerbread, blue color option Posted: 12 Jul 2011 01:54 PM PDT  |
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