| The iPod turns 10, celebrates a decade of destroying physical media Posted: 23 Oct 2011 10:17 AM PDT It's hard to believe, but it's been exactly ten years since the iPod was first unveiled, ultimately changing the music industry forever. The iPod wasn't the first, it wasn't the smallest, it didn't have the largest hard drive, but it did have an iconic style and simple to use interface that led march away from CDs. When the history of Apple is written the iPod (perhaps more than the iMac, OS X or the iPhone) will be credited with helping spearhead the company's second coming. Over the years the music player has seen countless iterations and redesigns, and an expansion of the product line to include smaller devices and touch screens -- but for most it's the scroll wheel and white earbuds that define the iPod. Sure, what is now called the iPod classic hasn't seen a serious update since about 2007, but it still holds a special place in our hearts, especially for those of us who don't measure their music collection in a few dozen iTunes downloads. |
| Sony's 3D HMD goes exclusive for Harrods, leaves America waiting Posted: 23 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT Sony's Personal 3D Viewer's finally found its way off the showroom floor and on to the shelves of Harrods? That's right, the dual screen 1280 x 720 0.7-inch OLED sporting headset'll initially be a limited exclusive to the well-heeled UK retailer, with a general country-wide release set for later this month. US gamers will have to hold out just a few more days until its end of October launch, but if you're super impatient, there's always that import option. Think you can shell out for the £800 (about $1,276) price tag? Then plan to pick one up the next time you're in town to see the Queen. |
| Refresh Roundup: week of October 17, 2011 Posted: 23 Oct 2011 07:00 AM PDT Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt comand let us know. Enjoy! Official Android updates - Given up on the HTC Thunderbolt's mystical Gingerbread update? HTC's still insisting that it's on its way, despite multiple delays. This time, however, the OEM isn't giving a timeframe for ETA. [Droid-Life]
- The T-Mobile G2 was boosted to Android 2.3.3 in July, but we're glad to see the device getting yet another refresh. This time the G2 is getting hooked up with 2.3.4, which promises better battery life and improved data roaming, among other minor fixes. [AndroidCentral]
- What other device is getting 2.3.4 this week? The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, that's what. It's only rolled out to parts of Europe and the Middle East, so be patient if you haven't seen an update show up for your unit yet. [AndroidCentral]
- Up north, the LG Shine Plus on Telus is getting Android 2.3.3. [MobileSyrup]
- Anyone using a Motorola Atrix or Milestone 2 in the UK should expect to have an update to Gingerbread sometime next month. [Unwired View]
- Motorola mentioned on its Facebook page that the Droid Bionic will receive Ice Cream Sandwich, though it wouldn't share details on when. [Thanks, Grant]
Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery - Amazingly enough, the Samsung Epic 4G is still missing Gingerbread (officially, at least). In hopefully what could be considered another step forward, Sammy's pushed out the kernel source for Android 2.3. Keep those fingers crossed, Epic 4G owners. [AndroidCentral]
- Motorola released the kernel source for the Droid Bionic. [AndroidCentral]
- Speaking of kernel source, HTC's also gone ahead and released code for the myTouch 4G Slide, Desire (Gingerbread), and the Raider 4G. [AndroidCentral]
- Three days after its kernel was made public, T-Mobile's version of the Samsung Galaxy S II has now been successfully rooted. [Phandroid]
- Looking down at your HTC Sensation 4G (or any other Sense 3.0 or higher device) filled with Dre envy? Wish you had the cool Beats that's starting to trickle out to the latest HTC handsets? Leave it to XDA to find a way to port the new audio functionality over to any Sense 3.0 or 3.5 phone without having to ditch your current ROM. [Droid-Life]
- Anyone frustrated by the news about the HTC Thunderbolt above and is savvy to the rooting world may want to check out a new Gingerbread RUU just leaked for the device. [Android Police]
Other platforms - Select Symbian Anna devices are currently getting a bug fix. Sadly, it's not Belle. [Unwired View]
- The Windows Phone Team has reported that the Mango update is available to nearly everyone now. [Windows Team Blog]
- The iPhone Dev Team brought out a new version of Redsn0w, 0.9.9b7, which was designed to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to jailbreak your iDevice. [Pocketnow]
Refreshes we covered this week |
| Samsung Stratosphere, Motorola Droid RAZR to be first Verizon LTE phones with Micro SIMs? Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:33 AM PDT Looks like Verizon's got a hardware-crush on teensy 3FF Micro SIMs. The carrier's two latest 4G handsets, Samsung's Stratosphere and Motorola's Droid RAZR, both appear to make do with the diminutive cards. Neither, however, would be the first, as that honor was bestowed upon the carrier's version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1. If you're eager to call one of these devices your own, but already sport Big Red's LTE service, then get set to bust out the scissors for a little SIM card arts and crafts. Further pictorial proof of these itsy, bitsy modules awaits you at the source. |
| AmtrakConnect WiFi now available on at least one Northeast Regional train Posted: 23 Oct 2011 03:27 AM PDT Okay, so it's a little later than expected, but we're happy to report that at least some Northeast Regional trains have now been augmented by AmtrakConnect. This (free) WiFi has been available on Acela trains for some time now, and in a few lucky Regional trains in the Northwest. Amtrak still hasn't confirmed the existence of this connectivity, so we can't say for sure just how many of its trains have been suitably augmented, but we know that at least number 69, the Adirondack, has it, because we're using it right now. Connectivity is a little rough and speeds are decidedly low -- problems that can certainly be applied to this particular railway relic as a whole. |
| Coby Kyros MID7012 tablet gets an FCC teardown, flaunts a roomy case Posted: 23 Oct 2011 12:35 AM PDT Coby's latest in budget slates hit the federal testing tables on Friday, getting the customary teardown and tell-all photo shoot. The Coby Kyros MID7012 comfortably fits a 800Mhz processor, 256MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, WiFi and a microSD card slot into its case. The seven-inch Gingerbread tablet hasn't landed on Coby's US website yet, but nimble fingered Googlers can find the slab for about $100. |
| Ask Engadget: best AirPlay speakers for travel? Posted: 22 Oct 2011 09:39 PM PDT We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Christian, who seems to be into the idea of traveling sans wires. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I am looking for some AirPlay-enabled speakers that I can use to travel with. They should support 110 to 240 volt and have WiFi built-in so I don't have to carry around an AP. Also, it would be cool if this WiFi could connect to the hotel network, if possible. Thanks!" It'd also be cool if you share any relevant advice down in comments below. Cheers! |
| Sharp FanLabs goes inside soccer fans' minds, measures loyalty with brainwaves (video) Posted: 22 Oct 2011 07:26 PM PDT No matter what country you're in, you'll find at least one body-painted sports nut willing to act a fool in the name of fandom. To figure out what makes these hooligans tick, Sharp's setting up trucks outside EuroCup 2012 matches to measure fans' brainwaves using biometric technology. Once inside these mobile FanLabs, volunteers will watch the game while wearing the company's NeuroSky headsets -- a super sensitive EEG that uses dry electrodes to measure cerebral activity. By looking at brainwaves, along with heart rate and vocal excitement, scientists hope to reveal what levels of attention, stress, relaxation and excitement a fan goes through while supporting a specific team. Even if you're not lending your melon to science, you can still join in the fun online, and see how you stack up against fans from around the world. So, bust out the body paint, grab your foam fingers and check out the video after the break. |
| Motorola Xoom will get updated with Ice Cream Sandwich, but when? Posted: 22 Oct 2011 05:15 PM PDT |
| Achtung: German satellite to crash down tonight, won't land in Germany Posted: 22 Oct 2011 03:10 PM PDT As if it weren't hard enough keeping your house safe from debt collectors these days, now you have something else to worry about: a falling German satellite called ROSAT. The German Aerospace Center has estimated that the hunk of decommissioned, extra-orbital metal will enter the atmosphere sometime between 7:30pm ET tonight and 1:30am ET tomorrow. It's unknown whether any of the thing will survive re-entry, but the 1.7 ton telescope mirror onboard very well may, striking the surface at a hasty 17,398MPH. The agency doesn't know where it will fall, but did reassuringly say that it won't hit Europe -- German scientists basically telling the rest of the world to spend all night worrying while they doze away, peacefully. At least it won't be taking any of its orbital brethren with it... |
| DirecTV shows off its new HD UI with a website and trailer, still no release date Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:06 PM PDT That slick, speedy new interface DirecTV recently pushed out to beta testers is officially getting hyped with a new landing page and (unfortunately not embeddable) video trailer. It advertises all the features we'd heard about, including the facelifted HD graphics, "lightning fast" scrolling, visual browsing experience and personalized recommendations. The HD UI is still without a release date however, and while we'd probably put it it ahead of the DirecTiVo on the company's current priority list, let's not forget who we're dealing with here. Hit the source link for the orientation materials, there will be a quiz later. Update: You can now view the video here, embedded after the break, thanks to our friend Dave Zatz! [Thanks, Stuart & cypherstream] |
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