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Friday, January 27, 2012

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Insert Coin: Dash car stereo gives your iPhone a new home, away from the cupholder (video)

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:04 AM PST

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

We're pretty fond of new ways to integrate smartphones with car stereos here at Engadget, which is why we're particularly intrigued by a new Kickstarter project called Dash. Unlike MirrorLink, which reflects a phone's interface onto a larger touchscreen, this nifty creation puts the smartphone front and center in the stereo itself. While the Dash will initially support only the iPhone 4 / 4S and iPod Touch -- which connects via the dock connector -- the company seems ambitious to target other platforms in the future.

The Dash comes in two parts, the double-DIN stereo itself, along with a detachable aluminum faceplate that's held to the main unit with neodymium magnets. The only interface element is a volume knob, as every other interaction is performed on the iPhone's 3.5-inch display -- just promise to keep your eyes on the road when you sort through your tunes. The stereo contains four 50W channels and two 2V preamps. The Dash is currently projected to ship in July for $300, but a $250 donation serves as a discounted preorder right now. It'll be available in a variety of colors, which you can peep in the gallery below, and be sure to check out the project's video after the break.
Insert Coin: Dash car stereo

Previous project update: Since we featured the 50-Dollar Follow Focus in our January 25th segment of Insert Coin, nearly $50,000 in funding has been amassed -- close to five times the amount originally sought. Stragglers have until February 13th to hop aboard, where a $60 commitment will score one of the units and cover shipping charges.

The Love Box is an analog video mixer, house of mirrors for your iPhone (video)

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 09:39 AM PST

There's something romantic about hacking the iPhone, especially when it means finding ways to personalize the massively popular handset. Apps like Instagram may help you realize artistic talent, but software just doesn't get those creative juices flowing like an old-fashioned piece of hardware can. Despite its taboo-sounding name, The Love Box isn't an adult toy in the traditional sense, instead serving as an analog video (and stills) mixer for your iPhone 4 or 4S. Consisting of a wooden box and an angled sliding mirror, the homegrown contraption lets you simultaneously capture the action in front of and behind you in a single image. It was originally designed in Barcelona to capture two people conversing for a documentary called "The Love Box Conversations," hence the name. The "lowest-tech accessory for the highest-tech phone" is available now as part of a very limited initial run of 100 units, and can be yours for €57.63 (about $77.50) if you hit up the source link below.

Google upgrades Earth with better rendering, teaches it to sing in perfect harmony

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 09:14 AM PST

Google's bringing a number of changes to its Earth service courtesy of version 6.2, including Google+ integration and improvements to search. Most notable here, however, is a new method of rendering that stitches aerial photos together in a manner less patchy than before, making for "the most beautiful Google Earth yet," according to the company. The new version is available now for download -- more info in the source link below.

Microsoft reportedly working on Kinect-enabled laptops

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 08:48 AM PST

It remains to be seen when or if they'll turn into actual products, but The Daily reports that Microsoft is at least working on getting its Kinect technology shoved into laptops. While details are light, the iPad-based publication says that it's seen a pair of prototypes that "appear to be Asus netbooks running Windows 8," but which have had their webcams replaced with an array of sensors that run along the top of the screen (a set of LEDs are said to be at the bottom). The Daily also says that it's confirmed with a source at Microsoft that the devices are indeed official prototypes of a Kinect-enabled laptop, and it unsurprisingly suggests that Microsoft would likely license the technology to laptop manufacturers rather than build its own hardware.

Sony Xperia S jogs past the FCC carrying AT&T 3G radios

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 08:16 AM PST

The FCC boys were clutching at their multimeters in horror when they saw how much work they'd have to do when Sony's new Xperia S rolled into the bunker. Still, their loss is connectivity's gain, as the Ericsson-branded (for now, at least) phone packs quad-band GSM / EDGE, 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 UMTS and HSPA, RFID, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 802.11 WiFi b/g/n and GPS. ANT+ is also included, which is a healthy sign that support for the fitness tracker will carry on through Ericsson's departure.

In related news, thanks to a post on the company's Facebook wall we know that the unit will be clad in an "anti-stain shell," -- hinting at a similar nano-coating to what we've seen on the Droid Razr. We've also heard rumors of a fast-charging mode that'll provide an hour's usage with just ten minutes of cable-time. Either way, it won't be long until we find out what's true, since the unit's sashayed past the FCC then it's most certainly on for that promised Q1 launch.

Jon Rubinstein leaves Hewlett-Packard

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 07:56 AM PST

Former Palm chief Jon Rubinstein has left Hewlett-Packard, having completed the 24-month commitment period he agreed to when HP acquired Palm. An HP spokesperson has confirmed the story, first reported by AllThingsD, in a brief statement: "Jon has fulfilled his commitment and we wish him well."

Rubinstein rose to fame as a hardware guru at NeXT, ultimately joining Apple after the company acquired NeXT in 1996. He was instrumental in developing the iMac and PowerMac desktops before spearheading the iPod project that would herald the company's business dominance. After retiring in 2006, he joined Palm to revitalize the flagging device maker's fortunes, developing the Palm Pre and WebOS software before being crowned as its CEO in 2009. A year later, Hewlett-Packard purchased the company for $1.2 billion: but just a year later, pulled the shutters down as Rubinstein was shifted (or "dumped") to a "product innovation role" within HP, where he saw out the last of his retention period before departing. In a terse comment to The Verge, the man himself has said that he's "going to take some well deserved time off," and after the last twelve months, we wouldn't blame him.

Toshiba announces color e-reader in Japan, hopes people buy more e-books from its store

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 07:22 AM PST

If you're gonna be late to a party, you should at least be fashionably late. That's the mindset behind Toshiba's entry into the dedicated e-reader space with its new 7-inch BookPlace DB50. Toshiba hopes adding an e-reader alongside its existing AT200 and Thrive tablets will push more eyeballs towards the 100,000 or so titles in its BookPlace online bookstore. The ¥22,000 ($284) BookPlace DB50 sports a TFT-LCD screen with an LED backlight, a 1GHz Freescale i.MX535 processor, 8GB of internal flash memory and a microSD slot. The device also measures 120mm wide, 190mm tall, 11mm thick and weighs 330 grams (11.6 ounces), with battery life rated at up to 7.5 hours. Toshiba did not mention the operating system in its release though the hubbub in the Interwebs is that it will use customized versions of Linux and Android Gingerbread. The Japanese debut is pegged for February 10th and the company is apparently considering a release outside the country, too.

World's longest lab experiment still going strong, via webcam

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 06:55 AM PST

In 1927, a physics professor named Thomas Parnell launched an experiment on viscous liquids. 85 years later, we're still waiting for his results. It all began with a funnel, a beaker, and some melted tar pitch. Parnell, a professor at the University of Queensland in Australia, was hoping to demonstrate that brittle tar pitch actually behaves as a liquid when kept at room temperature. To prove this, he melted some tar pitch, let it cool for three years, and placed it within the funnel, held over the beaker. The first drop rolled down the funnel eight years later. The second came nine years after that. By the time the third rolled around, Parnell had already passed away. Following his death, the experiment was shelved, quite literally, in a closet, before Professor John Mainstone revived it shortly after joining the University of Queensland in 1961. In 1975, Mainstone successfully lobbied the university to put the experiment on display, but he likely could've never imagined how large an audience it would ultimately have. Today, in fact, the experiment is on display 24 hours a day, via a dedicated webcam. It's been hailed as the world's longest running lab experiment, and it's available for gazing at the source link below. Mainstone expects the next drop to come down the pipeline sometime next year, but you probably shouldn't hold your breath. The last drop ran down the funnel in 2000. Unfortunately, it was never recorded on video, due to a very untimely camera malfunction.

Strategy Analytics: Nokia tops global handset shipments, Apple sees quarterly surge

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 06:27 AM PST

Fresh off the publication of its latest tablet report, Strategy Analytics has come out with a new batch of statistics on the global mobile market. In a report published yesterday, the research firm crowned Apple as the world's largest smartphone vendor by volume, on the strength of the 37 million iPhones it shipped during Q4 2011 -- good for 23.9 percent of the market. Samsung wasn't too far behind, though, with 36.5 million smartphones shipped during the quarter, comprising 23.5 percent of the market. Nokia finished in third place, with 19.6 million smartphones and a 12.6 percent market share, though it fared notably better among handset makers on a global (i.e., smartphone and feature phone) level. According to Strategy Analytics, the Finnish manufacturer shipped 417.1 million handsets for the full year, 113.5 million of which were shipped during the fourth quarter of last year. For the year, Nokia accounted for 26.9 percent of the market, followed by Samsung, which shipped 327.4 million units shipped during 2011 and finished with a 23.1 percent market share. As for Apple, it accounted for 8.3 percent of the market in Q4 (its best showing, according to Strategy's metrics), with 37 million quarterly shipments. You can find more details in the pair of press releases after the break, or at the source link below.
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Strategy Analytics: Apple Becomes World's Largest Smartphone Vendor in Q4 2011

BOSTON, Jan 26, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew 54 percent annually to reach a record 155 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple reclaimed top position as the world's number one smartphone vendor during the quarter.

Alex Spektor, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartphone shipments grew 54 percent annually to reach a record 155.0 million units in Q4 2011. Apple overtook Samsung to become the world's largest smartphone vendor by volume with 24 percent market share. Apple's global smartphone shipments surged 128 percent annually to 37.0 million units, as distribution of the iPhone family expanded across numerous countries, dozens of operators and multiple price points."

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "While Apple took the top spot in smartphones on a quarterly basis, Samsung became the market leader in annual terms for the first time with 20 percent global share during 2011. With global smartphone shipments nearing half a billion units in 2011, Samsung is now well positioned alongside Apple in a two-horse race at the forefront of one of the world's largest and most valuable consumer electronics markets."

Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Nokia's global smartphone market share halved from 33 percent in 2010 to 16 percent in 2011. A lackluster touchscreen smartphone portfolio and a limited presence in the huge United States market caused Nokia's shrinkage last year. Nokia's partnership with Microsoft will be very much in focus during 2012, and the industry will be watching closely to see how swiftly the two companies can expand in the high-value 4G LTE market that is rapidly emerging across the United States, Japan and elsewhere."
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Strategy Analytics: Global Handset Shipments Reach 1.6 Billion Units in 2011

BOSTON, Jan 26, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global handset shipments grew 11 percent annually to reach 445 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple was the star performer, capturing a record 8 percent market share worldwide during the quarter. Full-year handset shipments reached 1.6 billion units globally in 2011, with annual growth of 14 percent.

Alex Spektor, Associate Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Despite continued macroeconomic difficulties in major markets like Western Europe, global handset shipments grew a reasonable 11 percent annually to reach 445 million units in Q4 2011. Apple was the star performer, shipping 37.0 million iPhones worldwide and capturing a highest-ever 8 percent market share. Apple's growth was fueled by intense demand for its refreshed iPhone 4S, as well as the availability of three generations of iPhones at a variety of price points at operators like AT&T in the United States."

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Nokia's global handset shipments declined 8 percent annually to 113.5 million units in Q4 2011. Volumes were buoyed by the sales of Nokia's low-end dual-SIM models in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, but were a little soft overall, as initial shipments of Microsoft Lumia phones could not offset declining Symbian sales. Hot on Nokia's heels, second-ranked Samsung captured 21 percent share with shipments of 95.0 million units. Samsung's 18 percent annual growth was fueled by robust shipments of its broad Galaxy-branded 3G portfolio, headlined by the Galaxy S2 superphone."

Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "Smartphone specialist Apple shipped 93.0 million handsets worldwide in 2011, nearly doubling the previous year's volumes. Currently in just its fifth year of participation in the handset market, Apple is on track to ship well over 100 million units during 2012. China is becoming a key market for Apple this year, and we expect Apple's share to grow rapidly in 2012, despite countless copycat rivals."

Engadget Podcast 278 - 01.26.2012

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST

Sometimes we like to tell ourselves it's not, but in the end, it's all about the Benjamins. We tried to get someone named Benjamin on this podcast to underscore this point, but, you know, he had other plans. Tune in for this special Rich Dad, Poor Dad edition of the Engadget Podcast: we'll let you decide which dad is which.

Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater, Dana Wollman
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Longview

01:14 - RIM's Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis are out, new CEO Thorsten Heins may license BlackBerry 10
12:01 - Google updates ToS, shares your data across its services (video)
18:42 - Apple announces Q1 earnings, sets quarterly record with $46.33 billion in revenue
21:14 - Apple's Q1 hardware sales: 37 million iPhones, 15.43 million iPads, 5.2 million Macs, 15.4 million iPods
30:50 - Microsoft paid Nokia $250 million to adopt Windows Phone, Q4 earnings report reveals
42:23 - Netflix Q4 results: 220k new streaming-only customers, beats earnings estimates (Update: no game rentals coming)
47:30 - Nintendo releases quarterly earnings report: 61 percent drop in profit, grim forecast
55:25 - HP: Open webOS 1.0 arriving in September, Enyo 2.0 framework free to developers today
58:32 - Listener questions






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With new privacy controls onboard, Google+ opens up to teens

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 05:41 AM PST

The world's teenage population can pontificate from a new digital platform, now that Google+ has decided to open its doors to high schoolers. Google+ VP Bradley Horowitz made the announcement yesterday, confirming that anyone old enough to own a Google account can now join the social network. In most countries, that applies to anyone older than 13 (previously, Google+ had been restricted to the 18-and-over crowd). This expansion also introduces a new set of privacy controls for younger users, who will be warned every time they try to publish a public post, and can only be contacted by those in their immediate circles. If a teen joins a Hangout, moreover, he or she will only be able to receive audio and video from those in his or her circles. Find more at the link below.

Distro Issue 25: Ultrabook overload, Snap Analysis and Gina Trapani

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 05:15 AM PST

Distro is 25... weeks old, today! And to celebrate we're debuting a new page that puts you, our readers, front and center. We've been sending out questions over various social networking channels and collecting your answers for the inaugural run of Snap Analysis. Among other things, you weighed in on RIM's CEO switch up, as did our own Darren Murph in his editorial, "RIM's New CEO Isn't the Shakeup It Needed." We have more editorializing coming your way from the desk of Donald Melanson, who's taking the Ultrabook marketing hype to task. Also in this issue, we test drive the BlackBerry Porsche Design P'9981 and review the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1 and Huawei's Honor. Lifehacker's Gina Trapani takes on the Distro Q&A, IRL goes back to CES and Ross Rubin explores Apple's education push. There's a lot to soak up in this issue, so hit the appropriate link below and get to reading!

Distro Issue 25 PDF
Distro on the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Android Market
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

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RIM CEO Thorsten Heins clarifies comments on change, rejects Android speculation

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 04:49 AM PST

Freshly anointed RIM CEO Thorsten Heins sat down with Crackberry this week to discuss his vision for the future of BlackBerry, his thoughts on Android and, most strikingly, his recent comments about maintaining the status quo. Shortly after his appointment, Heins issued a video address in which he implicitly claimed that RIM doesn't need an overhaul. "If we continue doing well what we're doing, I see no problems with us being in the top three players worldwide in the next years in wireless," the exec said. At the time, we and many other observers read this as a sign that the Heins era would look a lot like the Balsillie-Lazaridis era, but according to the new CEO, that's not the case. "I was talking about drastic or seismic changes," he clarified. "What I was trying to address was that there was some suggestion that RIM should be split up or should even be sold. My true belief is that RIM has the strength and the assets that we can really succeed in this market." Heins went on to claim that there's already "a lot of change" going on at the company -- citing the company's adoption of QNX as a prime example -- and that there's "no standstill at any moment here at RIM."

During the same sitdown, Heins also reiterated his belief that RIM shouldn't outsource its software needs to Android, because BlackBerry, in his view, is a hallmark of differentiation. "Just take a look where the Android OEMs are," Heins said. "Take a look at their recent announcements and what you will immediately see is there is just no room for differentiation because they are all the same." The exec acknowledged that RIM may be taking the road less traveled, but seemed confident in its ability to rise to the challenge -- even if there are some bumps along the way. "This is not baking cookies," Heins elaborated. "This is building high tech products. From time to time your aspirations and your development timelines hit some bumps in the road that were not foreseen."

Hawaii's proposed online tracking law comes under fire from ISPs, civil libertarians

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 04:15 AM PST

There may be some trouble brewing in paradise, thanks to a seemingly draconian law currently under consideration in Hawaii's state legislature. If passed, H.B. 2288 would require all ISPs within the state to track and store information on their customers, including details on every website they visit, as well as their own names and addresses. The measure, introduced on Friday, also calls for this information to be recorded on each customer's digital file and stored for a full two years. Perhaps most troubling is the fact that the bill includes virtually no restrictions on how ISPs can use (read: "sell") this information, nor does it specify whether law enforcement authorities would need a court order to obtain a user's dossier from an ISP. And, because it applies to any firm that "provides access to the Internet," the law could conceivably be expanded to include not just service providers, but internet cafes, hotels or other businesses.

Democratic Representative John Mizuno is the lead sponsor of the bill, though his support already seems to be waning. Not long after H.B. 2288 was introduced, Republican Representative Kymberly Pine told CNET that she would be withdrawing her support for it, adding that her intent was not to track Hawaiian web surfing, but to simply protect "victims of crime." "We do not want to know where everyone goes on the Internet," Pine explained. "That's not our interest. We just want the ability for law enforcement to be able to capture the activities of crime." Pine went on to acknowledge that the proposal has come under fire from many civil libertarians and internet companies within the state, and that the measure will likely be revised. In retrospect, she said, the concept of storing personal information "was a little broad," and Hawaii's lawmakers "deserved" the criticism they received during today's hearing.

Google Music now lets you download your entire library

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 03:27 AM PST

Computer meltdown? No backup? Well, at least your tunes are safe. Google Music just gained a new feature that lets you to download your entire library including purchased songs. A simple click in the Music Manager is all it takes to restore your entire collection -- or just your purchased music -- from the cloud. In addition, the web interface now allows you to select and copy multiple tracks to your device of choice. While there are no limitations when using the Music Manager, purchased items are restricted to two downloads each via the web interface. So next time your system crashes go right ahead -- rev up that broadband and fill up those hard drives.

Windows Phone 7.5 gets multiple Google Calendar sync, additional Gmail features

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 02:15 AM PST

Windows Phone 7.5 gets multiple Google Calendar sync, additional Gmail features

Google's improved how its calendar and email services interact with Windows Phones running the Mango update. Users can now cram up to 25 different calendars into the Metro OS's built-in calendar app. The setup's not exactly seamless; you need to navigate your Windows Phone to the Google Sync page, login and check the boxes found there. While testing on our phones, although one device was able to immediately sync, the other couldn't pick up on our multiple calendars. We had to delete and re-assign our Google account to the phone in order to get it working. However, once we did, the Metro styling lent itself well to multiple calendar listings, with the ability (like the web-based Google Calendar) to assign colors to each.

At the same Google Sync page, you can now choose to enable the "send mail as" feature if you're using multiple addresses, with the option to delete unwanted emails instead of archiving. However, aside from replying from the same address that you received emails to, we haven't discovered a way to assign new mails to our multiple guises. We were able to send messages through our own Engadget mail account, although that's then used on all future missives. Despite these rough edges, it remains a welcome bit of extra functionality. Are we still longing for a dedicated Gmail app? Definitely. We just hope those devs don't drop the ball.

Windows Phone Google Calendar update

North Korea makes using a cellphone a war crime during 100 day mourning period

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 01:15 AM PST

Dear Leader may have blessed his subjects with the gift of 3G in 2008, but in his death he is taking it back... at least temporarily. As part of the country's 100 days of mourning, cellphones have been banned within its borders. If you're caught pulling out a portable to make a call, send a text or get directions to the nearest statue of the departed dictator you'll be charged as a war criminal -- that means serious time in a labor camp or death. Fun! Then again, in a nation where the average income is about $1 a month and cellphone ownership is a highly restricted privilege, we can't imagine too many people have anything to worry about. Sadly, this also means there's one less way to get information out of the already hard to crack territory.

Twitter to begin 'reactively' censoring tweets in specific countries, still no love for China

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 12:20 AM PST

It's no secret that certain countries have different views over freedom of expression on the internet, but this hasn't stopped Twitter's attempt to keep its service running in as many places as possible. In its latest blog post, the microblogging service announced that it'll begin "to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country" when required, in order to keep said content available to all users elsewhere (as opposed to blocking it globally). The withheld tweets will be marked accordingly while their authors get notified with reasons where possible, and internet legal rights monitor Chilling Effects will also post the relevant take-down notices on a dedicated page.

This may seem like some form of censorship taking over Twitter, but the company only mentioned those of "historical or cultural reasons" like the ban of pro-Nazi content in France and Germany; so it's not clear whether Twitter will also handle similarly with tweets that potentially lead to events such as the UK riots last year. Even though Twitter didn't elaborate further for Reuters, there is one reassuring line in the post:

"Some [countries] differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there."

One such country is most likely China, and back at AsiaD in October, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey told us that there's simply no way for his company to work with the Chinese government (you can watch him answering us at 38:17 in the video -- courtesy of All Things D -- after the break):

"The unfortunate fact is we're just not allowed to compete in this market, and that's not up to us to change. The person to ask is trade experts between both governments, but at the end of the day we can't compete. They (Chinese microblogging platforms) can compete in our markets, and we're certainly interested in what that means for us... We would love to have a strong Twitter in China, but we'd need to be allowed to do that."

There are obviously many factors that add up to this sour relationship, but the contradiction between China's strict internet monitoring policy and Twitter's core values is most likely the biggest obstacle. And of course, the Chinese government would favor its home-grown tech properties, anyway. That said, several months ago, one of the country's largest microblogging services Sina Weibo was criticized by the authorities for not censoring fast enough, so it's obvious that it'd be even trickier to work with a foreign company that sees things differently. Things are unlikely to change any time soon, or ever, unless China relaxes its policy.

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German court rejects Samsung's second 3G patent complaint against Apple

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 11:43 PM PST

About a week after suffering a legal setback in Germany, Samsung received another bit of bad news this morning, when the Mannheim Regional Court rejected the second of its patent infringement claims against Apple. As with last week's ruling, today's decision addresses one of Samsung's arguments that Apple's 3G / UMTS technology infringes upon its patents. Judge Andreas Voss officially shot down these claims early this morning, though he didn't offer an immediate reason for his ruling. As FOSS Patents points out, however, these initial decisions against Samsung may be based on the validity of the specific patents themselves, and would therefore have no bearing upon the outcome of the Korean manufacturer's three other claims -- all of which are based upon different 3G / UMTS patents. In addition, the company is pursuing two lawsuits based on patents not related to 3G standards, including one, apparently, that details a way to type smiley emoticons on a mobile handset. We're still awaiting more information on today's outcome and will update this post as soon as we hear more.

Steam beta journeys to Android and iOS, for select invitees

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 11:02 PM PST

Our friends at Joystiq are members of a privileged club of which we are not. We've both downloaded and installed the mobile version of Steam -- now available as a free beta download for Android and iOS -- but where they found Mac and PC games for sale, along with the ability to chat with friends, browse profiles and read gaming news, we were greeted with red text that states our accounts are not part of the beta. Damn our luck! For those interested to give Valve's handiwork a spin, it seems that downloading and installing the app puts you in the queue for a future invite. Won't you join us in the line?

South Korea's Live Park uses RFID and Kinect to bring your Holodeck fantasies one step nearer

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 09:44 PM PST

All those long, long drives to Florida in the family station wagon seemed worth it at the time, but now that we've found out that those lucky South Koreans have another crazy theme-park, we might just change our minds. Located near Seoul, Live Park uses 3D video, holograms and augmented reality, interacting with RFID wrist bands and Kinect sensors to stitch together a continuous immersive story. You (and your avatar!) have 65 attractions, over seven themed zones, and the world's biggest interactive 360 degree stereoscopic theater to wave, jump and shout your way through. Two years and $13 million in the making, Live Park's creator d'strict is now looking to license the concept out internationally, with locations in China and Singapore already earmarked. We're not sure we could handle that long of a family drive just yet, but with a Hollywood entertainment "powerhouse" reportedly nibbling, maybe we won't have to.
Show full PR text
'Live Park,' World's First 4D Avatar Theme Park, Success in Korea
The future of theme parks is here today: 4D avatar technology previously only imagined in movies becomes reality, as new media entertainment company d'strict present the 'Live Park 4D World Tour' at the KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. d'strict CEO Choi Eun-seok says, "'Live Park' is d'strict's grand challenge for the world's entertainment market."

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'Live360'
Quote start"Last year James Cameron announced plans for an 'Avatar' themed land at Disney's Animal Kingdom ... d'strict have created an interactive 4D avatar theme park that's here today! "Quote end

(PRWEB) January 25, 2012

The future of theme parks is here today: 4D avatar technology previously only imagined in movies becomes reality, as new media entertainment company d'strict present the 'Live Park 4D World Tour' at the KINTEX in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, Korea. d'strict CEO Choi Eun-seok says, "'Live Park' is d'strict's grand challenge for the world's entertainment market."

4D Avatar Theme Park a Reality Now

The age of the passive theme park attraction has gone. Today two year olds play Xbox games; the silver generation own i-pads and consumers of all ages expect the latest interactive technology across all areas of entertainment. The 'Live Park'4D is a new genre of theme park that pushes the limits of future entertainment.

'Live Park' enables visitors to experience a virtual world previously only seen in movies like 'Minority Report' and 'Avatar.' Mixed reality architecture allows the visitor to create an avatar and become the main character in a unique adventure. With interactive game elements as well as installation art, the visitor creates their own story in augmented reality.

The 10,000 square meter space represents an investment of $13 million over 2 years and can accommodate up to 3,000 visitors at any one time or 10,000 visitors a day. Open to the public since December 2011, the 'Live Park 4D World Tour' has been such a success that d'strict plan to extend the Season 1 Tour at KINTEX.

The 'Live Park'

'Live Park' is composed of 65 attractions over 7 thematic stages and uses state of the art 3D video, holograms and augmented reality technology to create a seamless story. Visitors and their avatars move through the theme park's stages interacting with the attractions using RFID wristbands and kinect sensors to recognize their gestures, voices and faces. Highlights include:

The 'Ender Mirror'- visitors create their own look-alike avatar and take photos by laughing at a mirror loaded with a 'smile engine.'

'Live360'- the world's biggest interactive 360 degree stereoscopic theatre. Shouting and running together alongside their avatars, visitors can directly experience a realistic video game with multiple story endings in a huge space.

'Live Square' - allows visitors to enjoy the world's most advanced avatar game in the world's largest interactive projection square stretching over 150 meters.

'Live Holo' - holograms created by a collaboration between d'strict and domestic and overseas artists including David Garrett, Boxer Rebellion and 2NE1.

'Syno Star Performance' - visitors perform with their avatars in augmented reality on the hologram stage.

'Mega Live Event' - 'Live Park' is transformed into an evening entertainment venue providing unconventional performances, events and exhibitions in co-operation with top Rave DJs, artists, clubs, brands and fashion magazines.

February 14th is Valen... Angry Birds day

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 08:52 PM PST

Forget poking: from February 14th, show you love someone by flinging a mis-tempered avian toward them. It's Valentines Day that Angry Birds will finally arrive on the ubiquitous social network -- just in time to ensure half the coupled population of the world misses its dinner reservation, in order to get past one more level. The basic game will be free, but upgrades like the Mighty Eagle, double-sized birds, an earthquake weapon and a max-strength catapult will cost you. It'll be launched in Jakarta around the same time you offer up that heart-shaped box of chocolates, so if you want to ensure the day remains romantic, we'd suggest waiting until the 15th before installing.

Wii U controller to pack NFC, says Iwata, create new gameplay options

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 08:18 PM PST

Aching for more details on Nintendo's elusive Wii U console? Let Satoru Iwata scratch your itch -- quarterly reports aren't just for reporting losses and announcing new networks, after all. Boss hog Iwata told investors that Nintendo is spicing up their next console's tablet-esque controller with a little NFC magic. Nintendo's President briefly entertains the possibilities of a console controller rocking near field communication, suggesting that Skylander-like figurines or NFC enabled cards could be created to present a "new play format in the video game world." He even says the technology might be used to implement micropayments. Sounds neat -- but will you be able to buy DLC with your Google Wallet?

Nintendo officially announces Nintendo Network, promises personal accounts for Wii U

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:31 PM PST

Nintendo's third quarter financial briefing just spilled the beans on the recently spied Nintendo Network, causing Nintendo fans everywhere to collectively sigh, "It's about time." Company head honcho Satoru Iwata says the network will offer "competitions and communication among users, as well as the sales of digital content," and in the case of the Wii U, will introduce personal user accounts. Iwata stopped just short of confirming that the Nintendo Network will end the company's policy of tying downloaded titles to Nintendo hardware, rather than individual users, but mentioned that it packed an infrastructure that supports not only add-on content, but fully downloadable retail games as well.

"This concept was built into the design of the Nintendo 3DS, and we already have the necessary infrastructure," Iwata said, "We will prepare the same infrastructure for the Wii U. However, we have not decided the concrete timing of when we will start it." Iwata pointed to Mario Kart 7's community building features and DLC offerings in the upcoming Theatrythm Final Fantasy as an early look at how the Nintendo Network is trying differentiate itself from the outfit's existing Nintendo Wi-Fi connection services. Hit the source link to read Iwata's briefing for yourself.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon clip breaks down shooting movies, special effects in 3D (video)

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 07:02 PM PST

The Transformers: Dark of the Moon Limited Edition Blu-ray 3D doesn't hit the streets officially until next week, but you can get a look at one of the special features early right here. In this video clip director Michael Bay and other members of the production team explain some of the special challenges that came with shooting the special-effects heavy movie in 3D. It required changes to his usual frenetic cutting style with fewer pans and longer shots, as well as extra work by the editors on each element of animation overlaid on each frame. For a longer discussion about the background of shooting the flick you can check out an interview featuring Bay and 3D-master James Cameron here, otherwise just press play, or check out the press release after the break for a full list of special features included when he disc debuts January 31st.
Show full PR text
7-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray of All Three Films Also Blasts Off for a Limited Time in a Spectacular Deluxe Package Including a
Plaque of Movie Images Signed by Michael Bay


HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. (December 27, 2011) – From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, Paramount Pictures' global smash hit Transformers: Dark of the Moon returns to Earth January 31, 2012 in a four-disc Ultimate Edition Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD combo pack with UltraViolet™ and a Digital Copy. A must-own film for every home media collection, Transformers: Dark of the Moon features "jaw-droppingly amazing 3D" (Harry Knowles, AintItCool.com) and fan-favorite characters OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE and Sam Witwicky amidst bigger and more spectacular action in an adventure that surpassed its predecessors to earn over $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office and become the #4 biggest movie of all time at the global box office.
Bursting with nearly four hours of sensational behind-the-scenes footage, cast and crew interviews and more, the Transformers: Dark of the Moon Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD combo pack delivers blockbuster entertainment.
"This Blu-ray 3D of Dark of the Moon will blow you away. If you've been waiting for the right time to get a 3D television, this is it," said director Michael Bay. "For fans who've been waiting patiently to bring Dark of the Moon home, this Ultimate Edition release delivers the goods."

And, for a limited time, all three eye-popping films in the Transformers franchise will be available in a 7-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray Trilogy featuring each film in high definition, Transformers: Dark of the Moon in high definition 3D, more than 10 hours of special features and a plaque of movie images signed by Bay.
The ongoing epic story of the mighty AUTOBOTS continues in Transformers:
Dark of the Moon and the four-disc Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD combo pack takes fans behind-the-scenes, across the U.S. and into the far reaches of space for a fully immersive entertainment experience. The set includes a nearly two-hour documentary about the making of the film, which follows the cast and crew around the world, reveals the secrets behind the breathtaking stunts, including more footage of the amazing "birdmen," and documents the film's progress all the way through its triumphant release. Plus, additional features show how Chicago was transformed into the movie's biggest action set, offer a look inside NASA, unveil artists' renderings of the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS and much, much more. The combo pack will also be enabled with UltraViolet, a new way to collect, access and enjoy movies. With UltraViolet, consumers can add movies to their digital collection in the cloud, and then stream or download them – safely and securely – to a variety of devices.

Four-Disc Ultimate Edition Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray & DVD

The Transformers: Dark of the Moon Blu-ray 3D and Blu-ray are presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English 5.1 Discrete Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Discrete Surround Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The English 5.1 and English 2.0 tracks were each individually mastered to ensure optimal sound for the home entertainment experience.
The DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Discrete Surround, French 5.1 Surround, Spanish 5.1 Surround and English Audio Description and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
The disc breakdown is as follows:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray):
· Feature film in high definition

Disc 2 (Blu-ray):
· Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon
o Rising from the Fallen: Development and Design
o Ready for Prime Time: Filming Across America
o Battle in the Heartland: Shooting in Chicago
o Attack of the Birdmen: Aerial Stunts
o Shadow of the Sentinel: Post-Production and Release
· Uncharted Territory: NASA's Future Then and Now
· Deconstructing Chicago: Multi-Angle Sequences
o Previsualizations with optional commentary by director Michael Bay and previsualization supervisor Steve Yamamoto
o Previsualizations/Final Shot Comparison with optional commentary by director Michael Bay and previsualization supervisor Steve Yamamoto
o Visual Effects with optional commentary by visual effects supervisors Scott Farrar and Matthew Butler
o Visual Effects/Final Shot Comparison with optional commentary by visual effects supervisors Scott Farrar and Matthew Butler
· The Art of CYBERTRON
o AUTOBOTS
o DECEPTICONS
o Environments
o Weapons and Gear
o Ships
· The Dark of the Moon Archive
o 3D: A Transforming Visual Art
o Moscow World Premiere
o Birdmen Featurette
o Cody's iPad
o The Sound of Transformers: Dark of the Moon
· The Matrix of Marketing
o Trailers
o Marketing Gallery

Disc 3 (Blu-ray 3D):
· Feature film in high definition 3D

Disc 4 (DVD):
· Feature film in standard definition
· Digital Copy-Compatible with iTunes® and Windows Media




7-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray Trilogy

The 7-Disc Limited Collector's Edition Blu-ray Trilogy includes all three films in high definition, Transformers: Dark of the Moon in high definition 3D, more than 10 hours of bonus material, as well as a plaque of movie images signed by director Michael Bay. Disc specifications are as follows:

· Two-disc Special Edition Blu-ray of Transformers presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
· Two-disc Special Edition Blu-ray of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
· Three-disc Combo Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray of Transformers: Dark of the Moon presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English 5.1 Discrete Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Discrete Surround Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.

Synopsis

A mysterious event from Earth's past threatens to ignite a war so big that the TRANSFORMERS alone will not be able to save the planet. Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and the AUTOBOTS must fight against the darkness to defend our world from the DECEPTICONS' all-consuming evil in the smash hit from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg.

About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company's world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY. The Hub, Hasbro's multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. The Hub logo and name are trademarks of Hub Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com. © 2011 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

About Paramount Home Entertainment
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. PHE is responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products on behalf of various parties including: Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS and for providing home entertainment fulfillment services for DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment.
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German scientists shoot world's fastest movie: gone in 50 femtoseconds

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 06:13 PM PST

No, it's not another Fast & Furious sequel, it's something much quicker -- 800 billion times quicker, to be precise. Scientists at DESY (Germany's largest particle physics center) are premiering the Guinness World Record-holding fastest "movie" to a select audience at its light sources users' meeting. The film was shot using an X-ray Laser, and splitting the light in two. By firing one beam off on a minuscule detour (0.015 millimeters) and delaying its arrival by 50 femtoseconds, two separate images are captured. Okay, so two frames isn't exactly Lord of the Rings, but it's still the smallest interval ever recorded. This technique won't be popping up in Hollywood any time soon -- instead, it's actually used for snapping subatomic glimpses of ultra-fast molecular processes and chemical reactions. Despite the brevity of this record-breaking flick, the plot is apparently still more complex than Tokyo Drift.

SwitchMe brings makeshift guest account to Android root users

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 05:27 PM PST

Wouldn't it be absolutely splendid if you could hand your phone over to a friend (or complete stranger) without fear of them mucking up your system or digging into your personal bits? Yes, we'd absolutely love to see guest accounts become standard issue on all handsets, but until that day arrives, a new application called SwitchMe will work in a pinch. Word of caution, this app requires root privileges, which may deter many folks.

Rather than allowing multiple sessions to run simultaneously, as you'd expect on a desktop computer, SwitchMe lets users easily jump between different installations of Android -- they exist separately and don't talk to each other. Naturally, this also allows hobbyists to easily jump between their favorite ROMs, and gives developers clean sandboxes for app testing. The first hit is free, but if you want to manage more than two installations, you'll need to buy the unlock key for $1.98. Still, those who find the SwitchMe useful should consider tossing the developer a few bones.

Update: As a commenter pointed out, multiple ROMs are not supported at this time. The developer has verified this, stating that any content inside /system cannot be changed. Bummer.

[Thanks, Alan]

Potential Samsung Galaxy SII-sibling heads to China via the FCC

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 04:42 PM PST

A mysteriously packaged Samsung device departed the FCC's secure zone with a few question marks over its character. We know it's got GSM/EDGE 850 - 1900 radios and can access WCDMA Bands II and V, plus the usual WiFi and Bluetooth gear, but that's about it. The folks at Wireless Goodness are staking the GT-i9070 as a China-bound variation of the Galaxy SII (assessed for roaming safety), which would seem logical, since we've clearly got enough models over here.

Amazon prices Verizon Galaxy Nexus at $99, tests your self control

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 04:24 PM PST

Looking for an excuse to buy a LTE-enabled superphone? Look no further. Online retail giant Amazon has priced Verizon's iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus at a paltry $99 for customers opening a new line of service. For those keeping score at home, that's a full $200 less than the on-contract price ($299) currently being peddled by Big Red. Why are you still reading this? Hit the source link, hammer in your Amazon credentials and get yourself one of these lean, mean, Ice Cream Sandwich running machines.

Samsung 2011 Q4 earnings official: $42 billion in sales, $4.7 billion operating profit

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 03:37 PM PST

It might not be making as much money as the competition in Cupertino, but that doesn't mean Samsung isn't raking in cash at an astonishing clip. We reported earnings estimates a few weeks ago, but now it's official that the firm posted a 5.3 trillion won ($4.7 billion) operating profit in Q4 2011. That represents over a 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion) increase year over year. In all, it pulled in 47.3 trillion won ($42 billion) in sales, thanks in no small part to the over 300 million phones Sammy sold last year. While mobile accounted for roughly 40 percent of company sales and half of its operating profit (2.6 trillion won, or $2.3 billion), its semiconductor business did almost as well, raking in 2.3 trillion won ($2 billion) in profit over the same period. Samsung's Display Panel business outperformed 2010 -- buoyed by strong sales in LED televisions -- as sales were up almost 20 percent, to 8.55 trillion won ($7.6 billion).

Well the call just finished up, and Sammy provided some prognosication for 2012. It anticipates the mobile business to continue to grow, with LTE and and new market segments (read: Galaxy Note) helping drive sales. TV sales are also expected to remain on the uptick, as Samsung anticipates demand to continue growing due in part to the London Olympics and roll-out of more Smart TVs. Feel free to check out all the numbers giving Samsung reason for its optimism at the source link below.

Samsung's earnings call liveblog

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 03:25 PM PST

Vlingo co-founder explains data-collection issues

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 03:14 PM PST

With Carrier IQ and O2's most recent data-snooping, people's vigilance about what information cellphones transmit is increasing. Using a Galaxy Note, AndroidPit found that every four minutes, Vlingo's voice-recognition app was sending a packet of data to an unencrypted server. The packet contained your GPS co-ordinates, IMEI (unique device identifier), contact list and the title of every song stored on your device -- without proper warning in the privacy policy you agree to when starting up the app. We spoke with co-founder John Wynn, product marketing head TJ Leonard and communications manager Erin Keleher, who gave us a full and frank discussion about what's going on and the steps it's taking to remedy the situation, which we've got for you after the break.

The trio conceded that the privacy policy and user agreement included in the app were simply out of date and didn't match the behavior of the software it offers. The company is preparing a revised version, the biggest hurdle being that it has to be accurately translated into six languages. The use of your IMEI number as the key to your stored information wasn't seen as an issue because it's anonymous, but it will investigate a less-reliable cookie-based system. The names of your contacts and song titles are stored to help the app accurately match your voice requests, although we'd hope it would be able to distinguish "Lady Gaga" and "Larry Garber" without it. Still, no cellphone numbers are sent or recorded by the app -- with GPS co-ordinates used to provide location-relevant results.

So why the alarmingly regular data updates? The four minute upload time is unintentional, it should only update when the app is used, and only then to refresh any changes. The company has been unable to replicate the issue in the lab, suggesting that it's isolated to a narrow group of units. Unencrypted transmissions will shortly be a thing of the past, as the company migrates its storage to HTTPS. It has full (and sole) control of your data, promising that it would never sell or share it, but it is kept indefinitely to aid in future product testing. Users can, if they wish, email the site to ask for their information to be wiped at any time. Vlingo's promised to switch to a model where if someone hasn't used the app within six months, the data will be wiped, but there's no timeframe on that.

In order for Samsung users to enjoy the benefits of the secure update, the company has to complete a revised, fully tested version of the app before passing it along. There it will be tested again by the Korean giant's in-house team before being rolled out to users. This will take a significant period of time. Vlingo's attempting to resolve as many of these issues as it can before entering into a "full conversation" with its partner. It's also planning to foreground a revised privacy policy and public statement as it aims to maintain a level of trust with its user base, we'll include the latter here as soon as we get it.

Show full PR text
We take any claims about our customers' privacy and security very, very seriously. We certainly appreciate that we have individuals who are passionate enough about Vlingo's products and about their own privacy rights to conduct this sort of in depth investigation. No question it has raised some real issues, and we have already begun to address the bugs internally.

First, to be clear, Vlingo does make use of information about each device in order to improve the quality of our service. Some examples of this include:

· We use the current location of the device to improve search results, for example, to display nearby restaurants when the user does a restaurant search.

· We use the device make & model to improve recognition accuracy since microphone characteristics can vary from one type of device to the next.

· We use names from the address book on the device to improve speech recognition accuracy (and to spell those names correctly) when users speak those names while performing tasks like voice dialing or SMS dictation.

· We use song titles and artist names from music on the device to improve speech recognition accuracy when users speak those names while requesting that specific music be played.

· We use the carrier information to work around some issues we've found on some carrier-specific wap gateways

While we transmit and store this information, Vlingo itself does not store any user-identifiable information-meaning we have no way to associate a list of songs or contact names to the user they came from.

Even though we intend to be very transparent about what information we are using in our Privacy Policy, we have discovered that our Privacy Policy is somewhat out of date. For example, we are not mentioning the fact that we are sending song titles and artist names from the device. We will be updating the Privacy Policy to reflect this.

The above information is currently being sent via the HTTP protocol. We are in the process of migrating our communication protocols from HTTP to more secure HTTPS. Already, some of our client applications are using HTTPS, and new versions of our applications will be using HTTPS in the future.

In many cases, we are using the device IMEI as the unique identifier to distinguish communication from different devices to our system, which matches the convention used by many other mobile applications to identify unique devices. The IMEI cannot be used to track the actual identification of the user, but we understand that in some rare cases, the IMEI can be abused. We're investigating switching to other mechanisms like cookies in the future.

We have found several bugs that are causing us to send more data than we intend:

· If you start the application for the first time using the widget (and only using the widget) and then cancel out of the initial disclaimer, we are currently sending some device-specific data to the server erroneously.

· Our application is currently including the device location information with device information like contact names and song titles. Our intention is to only send location with a speech recognition request, and the location should be omitted from background device-information transmissions.

These issues are errors and are by no means intentional. We plan to fix them as soon as possible and will release updates to the user community as well as through our OEM partners. In addition, we will be improving our processes to ensure that our application behavior with respect to privacy matches our intention.

For users who are happy with the Vlingo application and want to continue using it, we thank you and recommend that you continue using the service. For users who want to stop using Vlingo and are concerned that our servers can still contain data from your device, you can contact support@vlingo.com with your IMEI, and we will remove sensitive information such as contact names from our servers.

Again, we are grateful to the individuals that uncovered these security issues. We are all very proud of the service that Vlingo provides to millions of happy active users, we apologize for these mistakes, and we are doing all we can to ensure that our users can continue accessing our application in full knowledge that their personal information is secure.

Listen to the Engadget Mobile Podcast with special guest CrackBerry Kevin, Friday at 5PM ET!

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 03:00 PM PST

A lot of Canada news this week, which is why three of the four podcasters behind the mic today are from the land up north: international man of mystery Sean Cooper, Myriam Joire (yep, she's got some Canadian blood in her) and our special guest Kevin Michaluk -- also known to millions as CrackBerry Kevin. Brad Molen's here too, and while he's admittedly all US of A through and through, he can still say "eh" like the best of 'em. We kid, of course, but we're serious that we want you to join us tomorrow afternoon at 5PM ET!

Note: Oh, and there's plenty of other stuff to talk about as well, so if RIM isn't your schtick, you'll probably still find it of interest. As always, send your questions to us via Twitter (@engadgetmobile) and we'll pick some out to answer.

January 27, 2012 5:00 PM EST

Open source controller framework lets you add the finishing touch

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 02:27 PM PST

There are plenty of off-the-shelf controllers out there, but what if you fancy something a little more... you? How about fully customized, with a good seasoning of affordability and style? Design student Alex S has built a framework to help you build just that. The units shown above are for DJ-based programs, but you can create interfaces for any software that takes HID or MIDI input, and as they're modular, create endless ultra-custom set-ups. Keen to dismantle any technical barriers, Alex created a step-by-step Instructable, but you'll still need to get your hands dirty with Arduino and some circuitry. The whole project is open source, and while it's a step up from Lego, until we can just print these things, it seems like a great option to us.

LikeBelt concept encourages a very physical kind of Facebook liking (video)

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 02:00 PM PST

This is the LikeBelt: a concept device that inserts an NFC chip into a belt-buckle. Instead of tapping your mobile device on a "check-in" tag, you get the belt buckle close enough to do the same. There are only two downsides: how close you have to get and where most people's belts are situated. Suffice to say, the Quagmire-style movements required to ensure a connection aren't the sort of thing you'd do in front of your parents, priest or spouse. The creators provide instructions on how to build your own at the source link, but before you consider it, we insist you watch the video of it in action after the break. No, seriously.

T-Mobile urges Congress, FCC to keep spectrum auctions competitive

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 01:35 PM PST

T-Mobile may be getting a new batch of spectrum as a result of its failed merger with AT&T, but it's obviously going to always be on the hunt for more, and it's now urging Congress to ensure that the playing field for future auctions is level for all bidders big and small. Specifically, it's asking members of Congress to reconsider some pending legislation that it says would "effectively preclude the FCC from considering existing spectrum holdings in determining the qualifications for participation in auctions." That, it suggests, would put smaller players like itself at a disadvantage to the big spectrum holders in future auctions (namely, AT&T and Verizon), and would represent a drastic break from the past twenty years -- during which it says the FCC has continued to fine-tune it's process to ensure "pro-competitive auction rules." T-Mobile's full case, laid out by VP of Federal Regulatory Affairs Kathleen Ham, can be found at the source link below.

Spotify tops three million paying subscribers, 20 percent of its active user base

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 01:18 PM PST

It hit two million paying subscribers in September of last year and 2.5 million in November, and now Spotify has hit another big milestone. According to the Financial Times, it now has three million subscribers paying for one of its premium services, which reportedly represents more than 20 percent of its active user base. As the FT notes, that percentage is up from 15 percent in March of last year, and Spotify says that its "active" users don't include folks who signed up for a a free trial of its premium service but didn't continue to use the free service. Interestingly, the company also revealed that over half of its paying subscribers are under 30, which Spotify's Ken Parks says is a "remarkable number of people who are generally hard to monetize."

Motorola announces Q4 2011 earnings: $3.4 billion revenue, $80 million net loss

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 12:52 PM PST

Motorola offered a estimate that lowered expectations for its Q4 2011 earnings earlier this month, and it's now out with the final numbers, reporting net revenues of $3.4 billion and a GAAP net loss of $80 million. That's a swing in the opposite direction from $80 million in net earnings during the same quarter a year ago, although the company did achieve the "modest profitability" it had promised on a non-GAAP basis, reporting earnings of $61 million by that accounting standard. Its earlier estimates of device shipments for the quarter also proved to be on the mark, with the company confirming that it shipped 10.5 million mobile devices in total, 5.3 million of which were smartphones. Mobile device shipments for all of 2011 totaled 42.4 million, with 18.7 million of those being smartphones.

As for the company's efforts to break into the tablet business, it says it "shipped" 200,000 tablets in Q4 and an even one million during the year, although there's no word on actual sale figures to consumers. Motorola's Sanjay Jha also says that the company remains "energized" about the proposed merger with Google, which is still expected to close in early 2012 (it's also, incidentally, precluded an earnings call for today). Those interested can find all of the company's numbers at the source link below.
Show full PR text
Motorola Mobility Announces Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Financial Results

Jan. 26, 2012

Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights

Net revenues of $3.4 billion
Non-GAAP net earnings of $0.20 per share compared to net earnings of $0.37 per share in fourth quarter 2010; GAAP net loss of $0.27 per share compared to net earnings of $0.27 per share in fourth quarter 2010
Mobile Devices net revenues of $2.5 billion, up 5 percent from fourth quarter 2010; Non-GAAP operating loss of $19 million; GAAP operating loss of $70 million
Shipped 10.5 million mobile devices, including 5.3 million smartphones
Home net revenues of $897 million, down 11 percent from fourth quarter 2010; Non-GAAP operating earnings of $84 million; GAAP operating earnings of $57 million
Click here for printable press release and financial tables.

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Jan. 26, 2012 – Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MMI) today reported net revenues of $3.4 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011, comparable to the fourth quarter of 2010. The GAAP net loss in the fourth quarter of 2011 was $80 million, or $0.27 per share, compared to net earnings of $80 million, or $0.27 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2010. On a non-GAAP basis, net earnings in the fourth quarter 2011 were $61 million, or $0.20 per share, compared to net earnings of $108 million, or $0.37 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2010.

For the full year, 2011 net revenues were $13.1 billion, up 14 percent compared to 2010. For the full year, the GAAP net loss was $0.84 per share compared to a loss of $0.29 per share in 2010. On a non-GAAP basis, net earnings were $0.33 per share compared to a loss of $0.28 per share in 2010.

The Company generated positive operating cash flow of $225 million and $357 million in the fourth quarter and full year, respectively. Total cash at the end of the quarter was $3.6 billion and includes cash, cash equivalents, and cash deposits.

Details on non-GAAP adjustments and the use of non-GAAP measures are included later in this press release and in the financial tables.

"In the fourth quarter, we received very positive consumer response to Motorola RAZR, which combined an iconic brand with ultra-thin in an innovative smartphone. Our Home business continues to be a leader in the industry's transformation to all IP, with unique solutions that enable rich media experiences across any screen," said Sanjay Jha, chairman and chief executive officer, Motorola Mobility. "We remain energized by the proposed merger with Google and continue to focus on creating innovative technologies."

Operating Results

Mobile Devices net revenues in the fourth quarter, impacted by the increased competitive environment, were $2.5 billion, up 5 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The GAAP operating loss was $70 million compared to operating earnings of $72 million in the year-ago quarter. The non-GAAP operating loss was $19 million compared to operating earnings of $56 million in the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2011, net revenues were $9.5 billion, an increase of 22 percent compared to 2010. The 2011 GAAP operating loss was $285 million compared to an operating loss of $76 million in 2010. The 2011 non-GAAP operating loss was $126 million compared to an operating loss of $198 million in 2010.

The Company shipped a total of 10.5 million and 42.4 million mobile devices in the fourth quarter and full year 2011, respectively. This included 5.3 million and 18.7 million smartphones and approximately 200 thousand and 1 million tablets in the fourth quarter and full year, respectively.

Mobile Devices highlights:

Launched Motorola RAZR™ extending the iconic RAZR brand around the world
Announced DROID RAZR MAXX™, featuring twice as much battery life as the leading competitor and measuring only 8.99 millimeters
Unveiled the award-winning DROID 4 by Motorola, the thinnest and most powerful 4G LTE QWERTY smartphone featuring a five-row keyboard and edge-lit keys
Introduced two new 4G LTE tablets, the DROID XYBOARD 10.1™ and XYBOARD 8.2™.
Announced the "life proof" Motorola DEFY™ MINI and slim MOTOLUXE™, two new value priced additions to Motorola's growing budget-friendly portfolio
Shipped award-winning MOTOACTV™, the world's first combined GPS fitness tracker and MP3 player
Launched two flagship devices in China – the TD-SCDMA Motorola MT917 and the Motorola XT928, a dual-core, dual-mode, dual-standby smartphone

Home segment net revenues in the fourth quarter were $897 million, down 11 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. GAAP operating earnings were $57 million, compared to $54 million in the year-ago quarter. Non-GAAP operating earnings were $84 million compared to $90 million in the year-ago quarter. Fourth quarter set-top shipments were down 3 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. For the full year 2011, net revenues were $3.5 billion, compared to $3.6 billion in 2010. GAAP operating earnings increased to $226 million from $152 million in 2010. The 2011 non-GAAP operating earnings increased to $332 million from $272 million in 2010. Full year set-top shipments were up 6 percent compared to 2010.

Home highlights:

Launched DreamGallery next-generation HTML-5 video navigation software in North America with Shaw Communications
Expanded video leadership and paved the way for Canada's move to all-MPEG-4 broadcast and On-Demand HD services with Eastlink
Demonstrated market leadership with introduction of new carrier Ethernet product line for the deployment of cost-effective commercial services
Introduced Motorola APEX3000, which delivers market-leading density to cost-effectively add greater demand for narrowcast services such as VOD and DVR
Selected by Altibox AS in Norway to provide VAP 2400 HD wireless video bridge to enable multi-room TV services
Merger Update

As previously announced on August 15, 2011, Motorola Mobility and Google Inc. ("Google") (NASDAQ: GOOG) entered into a definitive agreement for Google to acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $12.5 billion. On November 17, 2011, Motorola Mobility stockholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the proposed merger with Google at the Company's Special Meeting of Stockholders. The Company continues to work closely with Google to complete the proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility as expeditiously as possible.

The Company notes that the transaction remains subject to various closing conditions. Antitrust clearances, or waiting period expirations, are required by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), by the European Commission, and in Canada, China, Israel, Russia, Taiwan and Turkey. Requisite filings have been submitted to the appropriate regulatory body in each of these jurisdictions. Clearances have been received in Turkey and Russia. In Canada and the United States, the statutory waiting period for the transaction has expired although the parties have been informed that the reviewing agencies have not closed their respective investigations. In December 2011, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce proceeded to phase two of its investigation. In February, the European Commission is expected to announce whether it will close its investigation or proceed to a phase two investigation.

The Company currently expects the transaction to close in early 2012 once all conditions have been satisfied and reminds stockholders that it is possible that the failure to timely meet such conditions or other factors outside of the Company's control could delay or prevent completion of the transaction altogether.


For more information on the proposed merger, please visit http://investors.motorola.com.

Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video)

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 12:47 PM PST

Here at Macworld 2012, Western Digital demoed a preview of their essentially finished, yet not final, MyBook Thunderbolt Duo. Scheduled to ship in Q1 for an "aggressive price," the unit plays host to two 3.5-inch drives, which'll come stuffed from the factory in either 4TB (2x 2TB) or 6TB (2x 3TB) configurations. On the outside, you're looking at the MyBook aesthetic you either love or loathe, but around back you'll find all connectivity has been gutted, save for power and two Thunderbolt ports. The latter means that up to six can be daisy-chained off one interconnect, which when setup in RAID 0 equates to rather speedy transfers, like 700MB/sec reads and 500MB/sec writes in the four-unit demonstration configuration we toyed with. And it's future proof too, as there's a door up-top which enables plebes to swap drives should the need arise. We'll keep an ear out for pricing, but until that day arrives, peep them in the gallery below, or in video form after the break.
Western Digital MyBook Thunderbolt Duo eyes-on at Macworld 2012 (video)


This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The Engadget Podcast is live tonight at 5PM!

Posted: 26 Jan 2012 12:30 PM PST

Another Engadget Show is in the can, and for once, everyone's back in their respective homes. This time out, Tim and Brian will be joined once again by Dana. You can join us too in the chat after the break.
at 11:22 AM

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