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Engadget News |
- Senator Al Franken asks about Carrier IQ, the companies answer: the complete breakdown
- Motorola Xoom tablet gets an Ice Cream Sandwich makeover with 4.0.3
- NASA shows first global image taken from new satellite; Captain Planet approves
- Mobile Miscellany: week of December 12, 2011
- Samsung Stratosphere review
- Droid RAZR MAXX appears in Verizon Wireless inventory, details remain mysterious
- Time Warner Cable shows Android some love with My TWC app and TWC TV for phones
- iGloLEDset brings the party to the Kindle Fire, helps you lighten the mood (video)
- Nintendo completes 3DS Ambassador program, delivers ten GBA games to early adopters
- Transformer Prime heading to UK shelves next month, bundled with dock for complete transformation
- Warpia to show ConnectHD device at CES, let you couch-Skype on your HDTV
- Time Warner finally cuts a deal for HBO Go streaming, launches 'in the next month'
- GSM Galaxy Nexus 4.0.2 update rolls out, matches its cousin on Verizon
- CPU Wars and c-Jump: the nerdiest card and board games ever
- HP releases X4000 and X5000 mice that don't mind which hand you use (video)
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 rolls through the FCC packing Verizon-friendly LTE
- PS Vita gets first public unboxing treatment, leaves nothing to the imagination (video)
- Listen to the Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5PM ET with special guest Ian Hardy!
| Senator Al Franken asks about Carrier IQ, the companies answer: the complete breakdown Posted: 17 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST  As we reported previously, the Senator wasn't all too pleased by what the companies had to say. But what exactly is found in these pages and pages of documents? A few answers, and some more questions. We have pored through each company's letter, so follow us below as we break down their responses to each of the Senator's queries. Note: The level of involvement by the government seems to be making an impact, as Sprint is now disabling all Carrier IQ software on its devices so that data cannot be collected anymore. Its response to Senator Franken, however, should not be discounted as it provides insight into why the carrier's been a "valued customer" of CIQ's since 2006, and how it's been using the data it has collected over the past five years. Read on! |
| Motorola Xoom tablet gets an Ice Cream Sandwich makeover with 4.0.3 Posted: 17 Dec 2011 10:37 AM PST  Only a day after Google released Android version 4.0.3, one XDA developer has already installed it on his Motorola Xoom WiFi tablet -- making it the first slate to run the frosty Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. Of course, trendsetting is nothing new for the Xoom, which was also the first to ship with Honeycomb's sweetness back in February. Being first does have its disadvantages, though, as some of the features like the camera don't work, and there seems to be a green overlay on the screen from time to time. If you're willing to overlook these early adopter flaws, head on over to the source to satisfy your ICS-inspired sweet tooth and try it for yourself. |
| NASA shows first global image taken from new satellite; Captain Planet approves Posted: 17 Dec 2011 09:18 AM PST  |
| Mobile Miscellany: week of December 12, 2011 Posted: 17 Dec 2011 07:26 AM PST 
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| Posted: 17 Dec 2011 05:33 AM PST  Shortly afterward, the Samsung Stratosphere sneaked up and snatched the spotlight away from Pantech, offering the very first QWERTY keyboard on an LTE-capable device for a cost similar to that of the Breakout. But when we first saw the phone, something felt eerily familiar: it looked almost exactly like the Epic 4G, a Galaxy S-era device that was released on Sprint's WiMAX lineup nearly a year and a half ago. Looks are one thing, but what about the internals? Does the brand new Stratosphere perform like an old phone, or does it give a completely fresh perspective on a 2010 classic? Read on for the full scoop. HardwareThe Epic 4G got a lot of praise when it first came out... in August 2010. Almost a year and a half later, it's still a decent phone, especially now that it's finally been updated to Android 2.3. Still, its chassis isn't exactly what we'd expect to see in Verizon's premier LTE lineup in late 2011. And yet, here comes the Samsung Stratosphere, a phone with eerily similar guts and looks to Sprint's version of the Galaxy S (with the obvious exception of high-speed radios, of course). The Stratosphere uses the same display, 1GHz single-core Hummingbird Cortex A8 CPU with 512MB of RAM and five megapixel rear camera with LED flash and front-facing cam. At 4.96 x 2.54 x 0.55 inches (126 x 65 x 14mm) and 5.8 ounces (164.4g), it's a tad longer, a hair thinner and about 0.3 ounces heavier than the Epic 4G. The in-hand experience is almost exactly the same, as the extra heft doesn't make a substantial difference. All in all, we're not looking at identical twins here, but it's easy to see the family resemblance. Verizon and Samsung have made a few tweaks to the keyboard and buttons, and it feels more solid and durable than the Epic -- we're not sure whether or not that's simply a perceived notion, but it helps put our mind at ease.  On the front you'll find the same 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED (read: PenTile) screen, a display technology that we highly praised last year because of its beautiful color saturation and contrast, but is now well behind the 720p HD display found on high-end devices like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, HTC Rezound and LG Nitro HD. Granted, first-time smartphone buyers likely won't care as much about lower pixel density because of the bright and saturated colors, but it was difficult for us to go back to a low resolution after reviewing a string of newer devices. The fact that the Stratosphere is using a display that was considered top-of-the line a year and a half ago is a tough pill to swallow, given that it's a brand new phone. Yes, it's an LTE device, but it should have made room for some fresher components as well. Also on the front is the same set of four capacitive navigation buttons. Above the screen sits a 1.3MP front-facing cam, a decent improvement over the Epic's VGA. Continuing our tour of the phone's exterior, you'll see tiny nuances in design when compared to the Epic 4G: the Stratosphere is completely missing a hardware shutter button, the front speaker has moved down a few millimeters, the screen lock / power button is longer, the four capacitive buttons are actually visible when not being used (a welcome change), the volume rocker has a slightly varied design and the micro-USB charging port is located at the bottom of the device rather than the top.  The battery cover of the Stratosphere has ridges on both ends of the device, which offers a little extra grip when you're using the slide-out keyboard. It's also lightly textured, which adds just a smidge more friction than the Epic 4G's smooth plastic finish. Fortunately, much like its WiMAX counterpart, smudges and fingerprints aren't easily noticeable. Pulling off the cover reveals an LTE-capable microSIM card, a microSD slot with a 4GB card included (though you can fit up to 32GB if you prefer) and a 1,800mAh battery, much good deal more substantial than the Epic 4G's 1,500mAh juicepack. Overall, we were highly impressed with the Stratosphere's battery life: it easily lasted a full ten hours on our video rundown test and we found that the phone could get through a full day and a half on moderate usage (consisting of emailing, social networking, taking pictures and videos and the occasional call). Our tests were conducted using 3G, so battery life when using LTE will certainly be reduced. Still, unless you're using the mobile hotspot, we'd expect you to be able to get a good full day of use with "4G" turned on. Speaking of high-speed connectivity, the Stratosphere gives you the native ability to turn off LTE and rely solely on CDMA. Go into settings, choose Wireless & Networks, scroll all the way to the bottom to find Mobile networks and choose "system selection." We feel this deserves mentioning since a large number of LTE phones on Verizon and AT&T alike neglect this feature, giving third-party developers the need to come up with a toggle switch of their own.  It's more difficult to slide open the Stratosphere's keyboard, but it feels less likely to fall apart than the fast-springing Epic slider; we're not sure if that's a false sense of comfort or if it really is a more solid mechanism. When we first began using the phone, it almost took a little too much effort to get the keyboard to open with two hands, and was a nearly impossible feat to accomplish one-handed. Not surprisingly, the slider softened with enough use, but was still rather stiff. The keyboard itself was less comfortable to use for long periods of time. It utilizes a five-row pad with a dedicated row of numbers, which we feel is a must-have for long-term typing. In direct comparison, the Stratosphere's keys were wider and shorter than the Epic 4G; as a result, the main board was a tad wider. While the Epic's keys were flat and offered just the right amount of bounce, the Stratosphere opted for rounded ones that provide an additional amount of give -- this will ultimately be a matter of personal preference, of course, but our hands felt better using Sprint's iteration. The performance we got out of the Stratosphere was exactly what we'd expect from a device with Galaxy S-class specs, thanks to its 1GHz single-core Hummingbird CPU. Before we venture into benchmark scores, the touchscreen was very responsive, and in real-life use we only experienced the occasional lag; even in those cases, however, it was minimal and didn't add much frustration. Power users who absolutely need the speediest and most powerful phones won't want to bother with the Stratosphere, of course, but everyone else will be plenty satisfied. So how does it measure up in the cold hard numbers?  Mind-blowing? Not at all. Bearable? Of course. Let's put it this way: the Stratosphere performed better than its older LTE brother, the Samsung Droid Charge, in every benchmark we ran. It also fared pretty much the same as the Android 2.3-powered Epic 4G. Our only concern here was the fact that the Pantech Breakout, Verizon's other budget-friendly LTE phone, did far better in a few tests (such as SunSpider and Linpack) and worse in others (Nenamark and Quadrant, for instance). Taking calls -- they're still technically called "phones," after all -- wasn't a problem, as we never had to repeat ourselves to the people on the other end of the line and didn't have any trouble hearing them. The speaker may not be the loudest we've ever heard, but it was sufficient. The same can be said about the loudspeakers for calling and listening to media. As some of you may recall, lackluster GPS performance was a huge concern with quite a few Galaxy S-class devices, so we wanted to check up on the Stratosphere's signal to see if we could give it a clean bill of health. In nearly every circumstance, the phone was able to hunt down our location -- accurate to ten meters -- within fifteen seconds. We even found success holding the device near a window in our basement without the assistance of WiFi.  We're not going to fret too much about this camera. It's a 5MP offering from Samsung, which already has a reputation for using optics with better quality than most other OEMs. As such, we had high expectations for the Stratosphere's camera and weren't disappointed. It uses continual autofocus and takes advantage of touch-to-focus if you want to hone in on something besides the center of your image. The usual suite of Samsung settings are present here, such as macro and infinity focus, ISO (up to 400), metering options, blink detection, panorama along with other shooting modes, and the ability to adjust contrast, exposure, sharpness and saturation. There's also an LED flash. Granted, it didn't offer the best white balance in direct sunlight and we weren't sold on the phone's macro focus, but pictures looked good otherwise. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised by its low-light performance when it was set to "night mode." In this mode the shutter stays open longer, allowing ample time to collect as much light as possible. We came away impressed by how much backlight the camera was able to pick up; be mindful, of course, that taking advantage of the open shutter will naturally require an amazingly steady hand to prevent blurry images. While we were satisfied with the still camera performance, we couldn't help but feel a little baffled by Sammy's decision to limit video resolution to 480p. We would've expected more from a mid-range LTE device launched in late 2011 -- especially when the Epic 4G offered a max resolution of 720p. Perhaps the OEM took our words from that review to heart, in which we mentioned that its "HD" quality was a complete fallacy and should be capped at 480p. Kudos to Samsung for taking feedback if that's what really happened, but in the space of 15 months we were hoping to see an improvement in the 720p quality rather than a demotion in specs altogether. With that said, anyone who could care less about having HD video resolution will likely be completely satisfied with the Stratosphere's performance, as it delivered smooth and crisp clips when capturing a good deal of motion. SoftwareAccompanying Android 2.3.5 is Samsung's signature TouchWiz UI, though Sammy doesn't come right out and mention a specific version number; in reality, it looks incredibly similar to 3.0 (it even offers the same puzzle-piece home screen found on 3.0 devices) but offers a couple notable changes. The Stratosphere offers only five main panels on the home screen instead of seven, but also improves the app tray experience by adding in the same ability to add folders as we've seen on the Galaxy S II series and TouchWiz 4.0. If you're wondering why this is such a big deal, consider the explosive amount of uninstallable bloatware Verizon tacks onto its phones; without the option to tuck them away into folders, your menu is forever littered with apps you'll most likely never use. The Stratosphere even offers the ability to snap native screenshots directly on the phone. This feature was baked into TouchWiz 4.0 phones such as the Galaxy S II, so we were glad to see it show up here as well. To take advantage of the capability, all you need to do is press home and the power button simultaneously, and the image gets saved in a new folder within your photo gallery. Also improved in the Stratosphere's flavor of TouchWiz is its overall look. More specifically, it doesn't offer the same ultra-cartoony and boxy icons that you'd see on most Galaxy S-class devices. Aside from this, anyone who's used a TouchWiz device before will have no problem becoming acquainted with the Stratosphere's interface. We briefly mentioned bloatware, but let's dive in. Of the four major carriers in the US, Verizon seems to be the worst offender at most pre-installed apps onto its phones, and we found well over 20 loaded on the Stratosphere. As we were expecting, none of them appeared to be uninstallable, which simply means you'll have several apps taking up valuable storage space. If you rely on Google Talk for video calling, you'll need to look for a different phone or find an alternative app. Even though the feature was introduced in Android 2.3.4, it's up to the OEM and carrier to decide whether or not to implement it on each individual phone -- and the Stratosphere didn't make the cut. Lastly, we did a routine check to see if CarrierIQ is loaded on the phone, and are happy to report that it's nowhere to be found on the Stratosphere. Wrap-up There were few surprises in our assessment of the Stratosphere, if any. It's meant to be a budget offering on Verizon's LTE lineup, and certainly includes specs indicative of that fact. However, we still couldn't shake the idea that this is little more than an LTE-enhanced version of a device from the Galaxy S era, with just a few minor improvements in UI and performance. It's still a good phone, but it's more or less a rehash of a handset that's already 15 months old. That said, it remains the sole LTE device on Big Red's network that offers a physical QWERTY -- at least, until the Motorola Droid 4 becomes official -- and even when it gets some company, it'll likely continue to be a decent choice for anyone who doesn't need a phone with pizazz. |
| Droid RAZR MAXX appears in Verizon Wireless inventory, details remain mysterious Posted: 17 Dec 2011 03:39 AM PST  |
| Time Warner Cable shows Android some love with My TWC app and TWC TV for phones Posted: 17 Dec 2011 12:46 AM PST  Time Warner Cable's TWC TV™ App Now Available on Android Smartphones NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Time Warner Cable today announced the launch of the TWC TV™ app for Android smartphones. The free app allows Digital TV customers to search program listings by title or episode name, browse network schedules, set favorite channels and even program their DVR right from their smartphone. The app is available to video customers at the standard (expanded basic) level or higher, with at least one compatible Navigator set-top box or DVR. Analog (cable ready) customers and those with Motorola set-top boxes or DVRs running iGuide are not supported. Features on TWC TV™ 1.0 for the Android smartphone include: Interactive Program Guide (IPG) – up to 7 days of TV listings, optimized for display on smartphone screens in one-hour time blocks. Network Schedule view – Tap on a network logo from the IPG and see the schedule for a specific network Search – search TV listings by title or episode name Remote Control of STB – the ability to use the Android smartphone as a set-top box remote control, choosing a program from the grid guide and tuning the DVR or set-top box to the selected channel. DVR Manager – the ability to remotely schedule or change upcoming DVR recordings Customers can download TWC TV™ 1.0 from the Android Market, launch it, log in and scroll through the interactive program guide to select preferred programming, or tap the search icon to find shows by title. For more information on the app, please visit the Time Warner Cable Untangled blog at www.twcableuntangled.com. |
| iGloLEDset brings the party to the Kindle Fire, helps you lighten the mood (video) Posted: 16 Dec 2011 10:26 PM PST  |
| Nintendo completes 3DS Ambassador program, delivers ten GBA games to early adopters Posted: 16 Dec 2011 07:53 PM PST  |
| Transformer Prime heading to UK shelves next month, bundled with dock for complete transformation Posted: 16 Dec 2011 06:42 PM PST  |
| Warpia to show ConnectHD device at CES, let you couch-Skype on your HDTV Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:28 PM PST  Warpia will be showcasing its latest media multitasker, the ConnectHD, at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. The ConnectHD comes with a wide-angle wireless HD video camera and a multi-directional microphone, allowing users to make 720p video calls au naturel or otherwise from the living room via apps like Skype or MSN Messenger. It can also be used for playing PC webcam games and streaming media from your PC to an HDTV in 1080p. Although the ConnectHD won't come with extra appendages to help you do all that stuff at once, it does come with a wireless USB PC adapter, a wireless USB TV adapter, a HDMI cable and, naturally, the requisite software for the device. Pricing is pegged at a piggy bank-busting $199.99, placing it right alongside Biscotti's TV Phone. New Warpia products to be showcased at CES 2012 San Jose, CA. – Warpia, a premier technology brand dedicated to delivering innovative connectivity solutions, announces the ConnectHD (SWP400VC). With its advanced wide-angle wireless HD video camera and multidirectional microphone, it can also be used to make video calls in the comfort of your living room. It also provides users with an easy way to stream content wirelessly from any laptop computer to an HDTV without limitation. The ConnectHD can be used for additional entertainment such as playing PC Webcam games, watching movies and any online content on your large screen HDTV with the entire family. The ConnectHD with HD video and stereo audio enables users to stream any content from their notebook or PC wirelessly to an HDTV in 1080p full high definition. Content such as streaming video, pictures, movies, presentations, Facebook, Twitter and other applications can be shown on your HDTV in the room without the hassle and clutter of wires while you continue to use your laptop screen to surf the web, check email, and more. Full features and benefits include: Make Video Conference calls on your HDTV Make and receive video teleconference calls with the built in wide angle MJPEG HD webcam and high quality external microphone from your living room using any Video Conferencing applications including Skype or MSN Messenger. View Internet and Laptop Content Wirelessly on your HDTV Stream any type of media wirelessly from your PC* to any HDTV**, including movies, pictures and online content, all in HD quality. Play on your HDTV Playing PC Webcam games in front of a large HDTV enhances the gaming experience and transfers game play from the desk to the living room for a more enjoyable experience. The ConnectHD includes a wireless USB PC adapter, a wireless USB TV adapter with HDMI (Audio and Video) and camera, external microphone, a HDMI cable and a CD with easy to install software. Two screens at once, the Warpia ConnectHD now extends your world wirelessly for $199.99 SRP at www.warpia.com/products/connecthd-swp400vc . * Notebook PC must have USB 2.0 port and a minimum of 1.8 GHz, Core 2 Duo processor and 1 GB memory **HDTV must have built in HDMI port |
| Time Warner finally cuts a deal for HBO Go streaming, launches 'in the next month' Posted: 16 Dec 2011 05:07 PM PST  TIME WARNER CABLE TO LAUNCH LATEST ONLINE OFFERINGS FROM HBO®, HBO GO® AND MAX GO® IN THE NEXT MONTH –More Than 1,400 Titles Will Be Available Online to Time Warner Cable Customers Who Subscribe to HBO, With Over 400 Additional Titles Available to Cinemax® Subscribers – December 16, 2011 – Time Warner Cable today announced the upcoming launch of HBO's authenticated online video destinations, HBO GO® and MAX GO®. The companies will run a brief beta trial and then the service is expected to launch to all Time Warner Cable customers who subscribe to HBO in the next month. Time Warner Cable customers who subscribe to HBO and/or Cinemax will have free, unlimited access to the corresponding online services at any time, on any computer in the U.S. with a high-speed Internet connection, as well as a host of other devices, including the iPad®. "HBO GO has been a tremendous success with our subscribers," said Eric Kessler, co-President of HBO. "We're happy that Time Warner Cable customers will be able to enjoy this great product which provides streaming of HBO's programming library." "We're very pleased to have completed an agreement that's good for our customers," said Susan Weinstein, Group Vice President, Content Acquisition for Time Warner Cable. "HBO and Cinemax offer unique and compelling programming for our customers, and soon they'll be able to access it both anytime and anywhere." HBO GO, which offers more than 1,400 titles online, allows Time Warner Cable's authenticated HBO customers to instantly watch every episode of every season of the best HBO shows including current series like Game of ThronesSM, True Blood®, and Boardwalk Empire®, classics like The Sopranos®, Sex and the City® and Deadwood®, plus HBO original films, miniseries, sports, documentaries, and specials as well as a wide selection of blockbuster theatricals. HBO's sister service, MAX GO, adds more than 400 titles of Cinemax programming online, providing instant access to hundreds of Hollywood hit movies, indies, cult favorites, the MAX After Dark series as well as new and exclusive, primetime high-impact drama series like Strike Back℠, specifically created for the channel. With the online services, Time Warner Cable customers get most new titles simultaneously with their premiere on the networks; the ability to create a "Watchlist" that keeps track of bookmarked content for later viewing; bonus content including interviews, recaps, and behind-the-scenes extras; and customizable views showing titles in slideshow, grid or list format. In addition, HBO GO can be personalized through a "Series Pass®" capability which automatically alerts viewers to new episodes of favorite HBO programs when they arrive on the service. HBO GO and MAX GO are the latest additions to HBO's digital offerings and a perfect complement to HBO On Demand® and Cinemax On Demand® with even more viewing choices. On both services, most programming is available in high definition. Once launched, to access online, Time Warner Cable's HBO and Cinemax subscribers can go to HBOGO.com and MAXGO.com. Subscribers can then sign in with their Time Warner Cable user name and password, make their viewing selection and begin watching. |
| GSM Galaxy Nexus 4.0.2 update rolls out, matches its cousin on Verizon Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:25 PM PST  |
| CPU Wars and c-Jump: the nerdiest card and board games ever Posted: 16 Dec 2011 04:14 PM PST  |
| HP releases X4000 and X5000 mice that don't mind which hand you use (video) Posted: 16 Dec 2011 03:03 PM PST  Christmas at the House of Meg means there's two new wireless mice coming to fill the stockings of those who don't eat chocolate. Both units are clad in shimmering plastic and (not-so-shimmering) soft touch rubber, accommodating righties and lefties with equal ease. The 2.4GHz devices will give you 30-foot of roaming distance and a purported battery life of 30 months (on the X4000). The higher-end X5000 [pictured] has a touch scroll strip and four customizable buttons -- including a one-click Facebook button to match the social butterfly X7000. We've got a teaser video below that's either hyping these mice or the next James Bond movie (we're not sure) and you can snap 'em up from our source links, costing $29.99 (X4000) and $39.99 (X5000) respectively. |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 rolls through the FCC packing Verizon-friendly LTE Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:42 PM PST  |
| PS Vita gets first public unboxing treatment, leaves nothing to the imagination (video) Posted: 16 Dec 2011 01:12 PM PST  |
| Listen to the Engadget Mobile Podcast, live at 5PM ET with special guest Ian Hardy! Posted: 16 Dec 2011 12:45 PM PST  Mobcast? Yes, yes it is. As usual, we have tons to go over this week in the Mobile Kingdom as it continues its quest for global dominance. And we'll have another special guest to add some fresh perspective; this week's honorary podcast crew member is Ian Hardy from MobileSyrup, who will join Myriam Joire, Brad Molen and Joseph Volpe at 5PM ET. And speaking of guests, please be our guests and listen in, won't you? Note: Don't hesitate to sign up for Ustream before the show so you can join in the chat! |
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