Sponsored
Engadget News |
- Oprah launching 'Book Club 2.0,' your mom now knows what 'webisode' means
- Microsoft updates SkyDrive for iPad with Retina Display support, file-sharing features
- Engadget Giveaway: win an HTC One S, courtesy of Bell Canada
- CTA Digital unlocks your Nintendo 3DS's inflatable race car potential
- 2012 MotoCzysz E1pc may set an e-motorbike speed record, our hearts afire
- Sony to sell downloadable content at GameStops in Europe and Australia
- Corsair Force GT SSDs put through their paces, have graphs to prove it
- BlackBerry Music Gateway goes on sale, brings a little NFC into your life
- Motorola MOTOACTV update adds Twitter and Facebook to keep you company during marathons
- Avengers Blu-ray preorders listed, including massive 10-disc Marvel Cinematic Universe set
- Google: Ice Cream Sandwich now accounts for 7.1 percent of Android user base
- Chipworks, iFixit tear down the Galaxy S III for all to see, spot iPhone 4S' camera sensor hanging around
- ComScore: Android's US share dips ever so slightly, iPhone slowly marching up
- ITU lays out recommendations on 3DTV, Ultra High Definition TV standards (video)
- Tips have Acer, ASUS and Toshiba showing Windows 8 tablets at Computex, color us unsurprised
- FCC Fridays: June 1, 2012
- Motorola doesn't think two SIMs are enough, launches Motokey 3-Chip in Brazil
- iCache Geode claims title of first shipping iPhone e-wallet, asks 'who needs NFC?'
- Google Shopping to change formats, charge merchants
- Opera Mini 7 comes to feature phones and BlackBerry, upgrade notifications in tow
- Vizio PCs officially launch in June, home theaters look on with envy
- NASA's Robonaut 2 shown pushing buttons, firing lasers on the ISS (video)
- Verizon's Motorola Xoom to get ICS upgrade on June 4th
- Verizon to buy Hughes Telematics for $612 million in cash
- Viper outs SmartStart 3.0, knows where your car is and what it's up to
- T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II getting ICS June 11th
- Huawei Ascend P1 review
- Stuxnet pinned on US and Israel as an out-of-control creation
- Roku adds Slacker Radio to app locker, Watchlist now live on Amazon Instant Video
| Oprah launching 'Book Club 2.0,' your mom now knows what 'webisode' means Posted: 02 Jun 2012 10:28 AM PDT Everyone! Check under your chairs! It's a...new book club from Oprah! Yep, the former queen of daytime TV is revamping her famed literary organization for the 21st century. Winfrey says she was so taken by Cheryl Strayed's Wild, that she absolutely had to get back on the book peddling bandwagon. The talk show icon will be launching digital editions of the book for the Kindle, Nook and iPad on Monday, featuring exclusive content like a reader's guide. Webisodes featuring Winfrey will go up each week and readers can submit questions via Twitter and Facebook. The whole thing leads up to a live streaming interview with the author on July 22nd. More info -- and a video of a woman who desperately needs someone to give her that talk show back -- after the break.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft updates SkyDrive for iPad with Retina Display support, file-sharing features Posted: 02 Jun 2012 09:07 AM PDT Those who like to swing both ways will be glad to know that SkyDrive for the iPad now supports Apple's gorgeous Retina Display. Now, before you ask why the hell pixel density would be of concern for a cloud storage app, remember that SkyDrive also allows users to view photos and documents from within the application -- only now at a properly rendered 326ppi. In addition to the peeper-pleasing improvement, SkyDrive users will also find the ability to upload multiple photos and videos from their iPad to the cloud, new file-sharing options (either via email, or a link that you can copy and paste), along with the ability to open SkyDrive files from within other iOS apps. It's funny how something so out of place can be so right. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Engadget Giveaway: win an HTC One S, courtesy of Bell Canada Posted: 02 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT The HTC One S has been making a splash across carriers in Canada, so it's only fitting that we ride the wave and give one away to a reader in the true north strong and free. The example we're giving out is Bell Canada's model, which mates the dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 and Android 4.0 with Bell-specific extras like Mobile TV. Should you live in the land of the red and white, fire off an entry according to the rules and you might just get HTC's super-skinny smartphone for yourself.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CTA Digital unlocks your Nintendo 3DS's inflatable race car potential Posted: 02 Jun 2012 07:22 AM PDT Forget about Sony and Microsoft. The Wii U? Ha! Everyone knows inflatable race car add-ons are what E3 2012 is all about. CTA Digital is leading the way, doing for the 3DS what it did for the Wii before it, letting players clip their portable console into the giant peripheral's steering wheel. The Inflatable Sports Car is also Wii compatible, for those who are bi-console. You can pick one up for $40 on Amazon, foot pump included. Shoes, clearly, are optional.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 MotoCzysz E1pc may set an e-motorbike speed record, our hearts afire Posted: 02 Jun 2012 06:19 AM PDT Our first peek at the MotoCzysz E1pc was at the 2010 Isle of Man TT, where the fearsome-looking e-motorbike smashed potential speed limits, even if it didn't completely rock the two-wheeled establishment. Improvements were made in 2011, but the new 2012 model is the one that's really poised to upset the cart. The updated E1pc's most conspicuous changes are on the outside: it tackles the problem of wind resistance at high speeds by bringing on aerodynamic ducts and fins. Inside, torque looks to be down to 162 foot-pounds, but the equivalent to 200 horsepower (twice what we saw in 2010) should more than compensate -- and a much upgraded battery cooling system should keep MotoCzysz' creation running at full bore for considerably longer before rider Michael Rutter has to back off the throttle. That consistent speed may be even more important to MotoCzysz and Rutter than actually winning at the TT Zero race, practice for which starts June 2nd. The Isle of Man very nearly handed over a £10,000 ($15,369) prize to the team for breaking a 100MPH average speed barrier for electric bikes last year, and the substantial tweaks could make all the difference. [Image credit: Asphalt and Rubber] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sony to sell downloadable content at GameStops in Europe and Australia Posted: 02 Jun 2012 04:08 AM PDT Sony isn't about to let Nintendo and PC games get a leg up on it in the downloadable content (DLC) arena. That's why the company's European arm (which also runs the show in Australia and New Zealand) is taking its digital wares to GameStop, where customers will be able to use cash, gift cards or trade credits to purchase activation codes for PlayStation Network games and add-ons. All told, some 1,600 stores in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland will soon be offering the ability to purchase content usually ordered from the comfort of your couch and Crash Bandicoot boxer shorts. The complete PR awaits you after the break. GameStop International and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Announce Downloadable Content (DLC) Initiative GameStop's European and Australian Stores to Start Selling PSN Digital Content GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), the world's largest multichannel video game retailer, announced today the addition of PlayStation®Network downloadable content (DLC) from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) to its European and Australian store base. This digital option will be available at more than 1,600 store locations in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Customers in those countries will have the ability to purchase DLC with any form of payment including trade credits, gift cards and cash. Last year, GameStop returned more than $ 1.2 billion in trade credits for pre-owned games, and those customers are eligible to apply their trade credits toward any game purchase, including DLC. "The ability to use cash and trade credits as currency is a powerful tool and SCEE recognizes that it provides a new channel for gamers to access and purchase exclusive digital content" "Helping customers discover great digital content at retail is what GameStop does best," said Jim Ryan, CEO Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. "We look forward to continued success with our DLC partnership and the payment flexibility it brings to GameStop customers worldwide." About GameStop GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Grapevine, Texas, is the world's largest multichannel video game retailer. GameStop's retail network and family of brands include 6,614 company-operated stores in 15 countries worldwide and online at www.GameStop.com. The network also includes: www.Kongregate.com, a leading browser-based game site; Game Informer(R) magazine, the leading multi-platform video game publication; Spawn Labs, a streaming technology company; and a digital PC game distribution platform available at www.GameStop.com/pc. General information on GameStop Corp. can be obtained at the company's corporate website. Follow GameStop on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/GameStop and find GameStop on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/GameStop. About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®Vita, PlayStation®2, PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 109 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. More information about PlayStation products can be found at www.playstation.com. PlayStation, the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PS3 and PSP are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Corsair Force GT SSDs put through their paces, have graphs to prove it Posted: 02 Jun 2012 02:44 AM PDT Instead of singling out one of Corsair's latest SandForce-equipped SSDs, the folks at StorageReview sussed out performance differences by putting each drive through the wringer. Though read / write specs are relatively uniform across the line, barring some slight dips in speed, they dug up a few juicy morsels of info that could benefit both frugal and performance-minded shoppers. In a read intensive gaming test, the 60GB entry drive performed similarly to the 480GB behemoth. Another notable result was a 60% jump in throughput between the 120GB and 180GB models. Keen on eking out the most performance-bang for your buck? Hop over to the source for the full skinny and a bevy of charts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BlackBerry Music Gateway goes on sale, brings a little NFC into your life Posted: 02 Jun 2012 12:22 AM PDT RIM showed off the BlackBerry Music Gateway with the promise of a June release, and it's clearly not wasting any time: the first of the month has seen the tiny audio bridge go on sale. It'll set you back $50, but you'll get a conduit for music from any Bluetooth-packing device, whether or not it has that signature 7-dot logo on the back. The extra-special BlackBerry affection comes through NFC support, where equipped phones like the Bold 9930 can pair faster through a friendly tap. Buying straight from the source will lead to a one- to two-week wait, but if you're looking for the most polished way to share your musical tastes from a BlackBerry or PlayBook, it's likely worth being patient. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motorola MOTOACTV update adds Twitter and Facebook to keep you company during marathons Posted: 01 Jun 2012 10:27 PM PDT If you wish you could tweet during that round-the-block 5K, then Motorola's latest update to MOTOACTV is for you. The fitness computer will display Facebook and Twitter messages on the device as well as offering more accurate mapping, easier WiFi network setup and more flexible workout planning. Additionally, golfists who plumped for the Golf edition get some more links-appropriate features like tee location options and putt distance-tracking. You can get the update by connecting the device to your computer and Motocast will handle the rest. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Avengers Blu-ray preorders listed, including massive 10-disc Marvel Cinematic Universe set Posted: 01 Jun 2012 08:49 PM PDT If you left the theater after watching Marvel / Disney / Joss Whedon's The Avengers ready to buy the Blu-ray disc as soon as it hit then get your credit cards ready. As Blu-ray.com notes, Amazon has listings for both a 2-disc Blu-ray edition and a 4-disc Blu-ray 3D version, but the one that's caught our eye is the just updated listing for Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled. A 10 disc set, it has every movie in this chapter of Marvel flicks -- Avengers, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man 1 & 2, The Incredible Hulk -- with 3D copies where applicable plus collectible packaging and a bonus "The Phase One Archives" disc. The only pic of the casing we have is the promo image shown above which hints at a replica of Nick Fury's Cosmic Cube suitcase from the movie, but more information is promised to be revealed July 15th. Until then you'll have to decide if $153 ($25~ per movie) is worth it for the set, or maybe take this time to finance it by selling off your existing copies on Craigslist. Your choice. [Thanks, Victor] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google: Ice Cream Sandwich now accounts for 7.1 percent of Android user base Posted: 01 Jun 2012 07:36 PM PDT Well, it's about time that Ice Cream Sandwich made some headway -- even if the process is much slower than consumers deserve. According to the Android developer hub, Android 4.0 now accounts for 7.1 percent of all Android smartphone and tablet installations, which is a sharp and welcome increase over the 2.9 percent figure that we reported just two months ago. Naturally, Gingerbread users still account for the lion's share of the Android ecosystem with 65 percent, but it's worth pointing out that this segment also grew during the last month -- no doubt at the expense of Froyo and Eclair. Don't know about you, but we like our desserts fresh, thank you very much. Go ahead and hop the break to see the full breakdown. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 01 Jun 2012 06:41 PM PDT You've picked up the Galaxy S III. You've grabbed the source code. But you probably like the quad-core monster too much to tear it down, which is why Chipworks and iFixit have taken to disassembling the phone for themselves to look for any surprises. We certainly knew to expect the Exynos 4 Quad and 2,100mAh battery, but we now know how Samsung is claiming a boost to speed and image quality for the 8-megapixel camera: it's using the same Sony-made, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that we've seen since the Xperia Arc and made its biggest splash in the iPhone 4S. Just don't anticipate replacing many components yourself. That 4.8-inch screen is not only permanently attached to the glass, but to the phone frame, leaving any face-first accidents a dicey fix. We're expecting a few more discoveries once iFixit gives the Galaxy S III a second scan, but the source will give you everything there is to know right now. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ComScore: Android's US share dips ever so slightly, iPhone slowly marching up Posted: 01 Jun 2012 05:32 PM PDT Here's a minor surprise: Android slipping at all in US market share. Although it saw just a tiny drop of two tenths of a point from where it was in March, and still saw a gain over January, Google's platform was down to 50.8 percent in April. Nothing dramatic enough to make Mountain View worry, as such, but definitely a sharp break from the rapid growth of last year. Apple could meanwhile claim a small victory for the month as a result by continuing to grow -- even if we wouldn't call its 31.4 percent iPhone share a revolution. Of the other platforms, only Microsoft had anything to crow about, as the Lumia 900 launch brought Windows Phone back just over the four percent mark. The positions among individual cellphone makers as a whole didn't budge in April, and whatever losses came to Android's partners in that area were spread evenly across top-dog Samsung as well as LG and Motorola. Perhaps the biggest twist was HTC holding its ground at a steady six percent, which hints that the HTC One S' arrival at T-Mobile might have been just the ticket to keeping Taiwan in the fight. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ITU lays out recommendations on 3DTV, Ultra High Definition TV standards (video) Posted: 01 Jun 2012 04:24 PM PDT The ITU has stayed busy, as we mentioned earlier it met to hammer out standards for UHDTV (Ultra High Definition TV), and also recently announced a new set of recommendations for 3DTV. On the 3D front it focused on standardization for delivering video in both 720 and 1080 line formats, digital interfaces used for studio production and methods to evaluate quality based on picture quality, depth and comfort levels. As far as UHDTV which is still quite a bit further off, the group has decided the term will cover both 4K and 8K (aka Super Hi-Vision) resolution video, as multiples of the existing 1080p standard. That means Quad Full HD (QFHD, or 3840x2160 resolution) and Digital Cinema 4K resolution (4096x2160) both fall under the umbrella of 4K (check the aspect ratios to see where the "missing" pixels went, or have a listen to this week's podcast. After the break we've got a video with Study Group Chairman Christoph Dosch discussing the future possibilities of both 3DTV and UHDTV, as well as press releases with a few extra details. 3DTV gets a boost with new ITU-R Recommendations Programming, picture quality and viewing comfort to be enhanced Geneva, 31 May 2012 – New ITU Recommendations on 3DTV will provide much needed tools to evaluate, make, and exchange 3DTV programmes. Intended to promote the further use of this format worldwide, the new Recommendations are being submitted to Administrations for accelerated approval. Ultra High Definition Television: Threshold of a new age ITU Recommendations on UHDTV standards agreed Geneva, 24 May 2012 – ITU has announced a new Recommendation that represents a major advance in television broadcasting that will create an entirely new television broadcast environment with the advent of 'Ultra High Definition Television' or UHDTV. ITU's Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has developed the standard – or Recommendation – in collaboration with experts from the television industry, broadcasting organizations and regulatory institutions in its Study Group 6. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tips have Acer, ASUS and Toshiba showing Windows 8 tablets at Computex, color us unsurprised Posted: 01 Jun 2012 03:41 PM PDT We know Computex will involve nothing less than a deluge of new laptops, but if we believe Bloomberg, it's going to be a Windows 8 tablet-topia as well. Hot on the heels of the Windows 8 Release Preview, it's claimed by the ever-present "people with knowledge of the matter" that Acer, ASUS and Toshiba will all be showing tablets with the new OS at the Taipei show. ASUS will reportedly get the star treatment at Microsoft's keynote and show off Transformer-style Windows 8 tablets that we suspect are hinted at in ASUS' slightly cryptic trailers. Processor loyalties could be split across the wider group, though: ASUS is said to be spreading the love by showing both an Intel-based tablet as well as one using NVIDIA's ARM-powered Tegra line, but Acer's previously rumored tablet is poised to go the Intel-only route, and Toshiba's may exist solely in a TI OMAP-based ARM camp. It's not apparent if anyone else will join the Windows 8 tablet frenzy, although Qualcomm is expected to show yet another Snapdragon-running test device. We'll be on the ground at Computex next week, so you can be sure that we'll give you the full rundown on Windows 8's opening salvo. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 01 Jun 2012 03:20 PM PDT Phones
Tablets and peripherals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Motorola doesn't think two SIMs are enough, launches Motokey 3-Chip in Brazil Posted: 01 Jun 2012 03:02 PM PDT Nope, it's definitely not the first handset we've seen that allows to be paired alongside a trifecta of SIM cards all at once. Nonetheless, Motorola's introduced a triple-SIM slab of its own: the Brazil-bound Motokey 3-Chip. Aside from the aforementioned feature, the Motokey also packs a set of physical QWERTY keys, two gigs of internal storage which can be expanded via microSD, an MP3 player / FM radio for tunes and a 2-megapixel rear shooter. Moto's 3-Chip is expected to be up for grabs next week in Pelé's country, with pricing being set at R$349,00, or around $170 in US cash. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| iCache Geode claims title of first shipping iPhone e-wallet, asks 'who needs NFC?' Posted: 01 Jun 2012 02:40 PM PDT Apple has been sending mixed signals as to whether or not it will bring NFC to the iPhone for mobile payments, but iCache clearly isn't waiting for the technology to show its face -- the company just started shipping its Geode e-wallet. As we saw just a few weeks ago, the Geode simply rolls existing credit and debit cards into a proxy GeoCard that's scanned at the store to handle transactions. Although it demands a specially-made case with an e-paper screen and fingerprint reader, not to mention an app to manage the attached cards, the choice lets an iPhone owner buy goods at all the usual places instead of having to hunt down special terminals. We like the one-card universe it creates, although it's clear the shopper has to carry a lot of the responsibility for making this digital payment dream a reality: at $200 a pop, the Geode's wallet-slimming effect carries a premium, especially since it won't work with anything besides an iPhone 4 or 4S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Google Shopping to change formats, charge merchants Posted: 01 Jun 2012 02:21 PM PDT It's just about closing time for Google Shopping's free merchant listings. The iconic search engine has traditionally shown us products regardless of a commercial relationship with sellers, but they'll be required to fork over some coin if they want to join the party after the fall. Currently called Google Product Listings, the platform's name and format have evolved several times since the Froogle days. Google says the older model can lead to some shady and obsolete info, whereas charging vendors will "encourage them to keep their product information fresh and up to date." New shopping formats are already being tested with a small population of users and include bigger pics and the ability to fine tune the search based on brand or product type. As the song goes, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opera Mini 7 comes to feature phones and BlackBerry, upgrade notifications in tow Posted: 01 Jun 2012 02:03 PM PDT Opera Mini 7 has been available via the Google Play market since the end of March, but if you're still milking a feature phone for all it's worth, you haven't been able to enjoy the latest version of the mobile browser. Opera Mini 7 is now available for basic phones and BlackBerry, allowing these devices to store an unlimited number of speed dials and access the new Smart Page feature for shortcuts to favorite sites. In addition to those new features, Opera Mini 7 includes several improvements and tweaks, including upgrade notifications and the ability to close tabs with one click on touchscreen phones. Of course, the browser still promises to cut down on your device's bandwidth usage, so your flip phone can keep on chugging. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vizio PCs officially launch in June, home theaters look on with envy Posted: 01 Jun 2012 01:45 PM PDT The FCC gave us a clue that Vizio's first-ever PCs would be shipping soon, and the company is now spilling a few beans more directly. Although the official statement is still short on many of the details we've been hoping to know, Vizio is promising that the line will launch before June is up. As a refresher, the normally home theater-focused company is planning to go all-out despite being the new kid on the block, going with a trio of mid-size laptops as well as two sizes of all-in-one desktops that rely on Magic Trackpad-like input to draw attention. Mum's the word on whether or not the 10-inch tablet will be part of the June arrivals, although there's unconfirmed talk that Walmart will carry at least some of the lineup and trigger some jealousy in the 2012 Vizio TVs across the aisle. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NASA's Robonaut 2 shown pushing buttons, firing lasers on the ISS (video) Posted: 01 Jun 2012 01:22 PM PDT Robonaut 2 is the International Space Station's friendly 300-pound | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Verizon's Motorola Xoom to get ICS upgrade on June 4th Posted: 01 Jun 2012 01:05 PM PDT Well, it looks like T-Mobile's Galaxy S II isn't the only device that's gotten some Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade news today. Verizon has now also confirmed that its version of the Motorola Xoom will finally be getting an ICS update of its own on June 4th. That will bring the tablet up to Android 4.0.4, and add features like speech-to-text functionality, a customizable launch bar, a new built-in photo editor, and the ability to dismiss notifications with a swipe. Those having problems with the tablet will also be glad to know that the update brings with it a slew of fixes and promised performance improvements -- the full rundown on those can be found at the second source link below. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Verizon to buy Hughes Telematics for $612 million in cash Posted: 01 Jun 2012 01:01 PM PDT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Viper outs SmartStart 3.0, knows where your car is and what it's up to Posted: 01 Jun 2012 12:38 PM PDT Viper reckons it can be your singular, all-round vehicle app judging by the considerable leap in features for version 3.0 of its Android, iOS or Blackberry SmartStart. On top of previous car lock, security and ignition controls, the aux channels now let you monkey with other parts from afar, like the sunroof, windows, stereo, AC and more. The new SmartSchedule pings you when it's time to (remotely) start 'er up, and vehicle diagnostics flag engine issues through DTC repair codes, if you drive certain models. The jazziest addition is the Directed Cloud Services which let you monitor your car's status and position through GPS, and start it, lock it, or access the other aforementioned controls -- regardless of where in the world you both are. For the true micro-manager, there's no such thing as overkill. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S II getting ICS June 11th Posted: 01 Jun 2012 12:18 PM PDT If you've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting some more for Ice Cream Sandwich to show up on the US variants of the Galaxy S II, it looks like the upgrade is ready to begin trickling in. T-Mobile is the first to announce an official date for its flavor of last year's flagship device, with its version of the GSII rolling out on June 11th. Unfortunately, it's not an OTA refresh as we'd prefer -- you'll have to surrender yourself to the will of Kies, but at least it's going to be available. AT&T and Sprint, the move is now yours to make. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 01 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT Drastic product strategy adjustments appear to be a hot trend for smartphone manufacturers in 2012, and Huawei is one such example of a company doing its best to hang out with the cool kids. It's hard to blame it, of course: the OEM's previous success has been in its ability to crank out budget-friendly smartphones, feature phones and USB sticks like nobody's business and pushing them out to emerging markets. The story's even more dire within the US, as most carriers have kept Huawei out of the spotlight by choosing very few of its devices, white-labeling each one and selling them as prepaid. In an effort to gain awareness and improve its market share, Huawei's turned to establishing brand recognition and improving device selection as its focal points for 2012.
Hardware Like the RAZR, the P1 and P1 S have attempted to create a buzz around their slender build. With a width of 7.7mm at its thinnest point, our test unit is the beefier of the pair on the spec sheet (the RAZR hits 7.1mm at its most svelte spot). A phone's claims of slimness are only as good as its thickest point, however -- and using an old-fashioned ruler, we discovered that the camera's hump is an extremity that gives the P1 the same maximum thickness as the RAZR (roughly 10.5mm). The P1 takes advantage of an incredibly lightweight construction, barely gracing the scales at a mere 3.88 ounces (110 g). Sure, we've seen plenty of other devices that weigh less than this, but generally the selection is much lower-end than what you'll find here. While we're not too fond of brick-heavy handsets, there's something about feather-light phones that exudes an aura of cheapness. The Ascend P1 is made of the typical inexpensive, glossy plastic we've come to expect on budget-friendly handsets, which leaves us a little concerned in this case -- a "Platinum series" phone shouldn't offer the same materials as many of Huawei's lower-end devices. Speaking of glossy, the phone does a better job picking up fingerprints than a Hoover vacuum picks up crumbs -- even with an all-white test model, they weren't difficult to spot. The aforementioned microSD port resides on the right edge of the Ascend P1, just barely below the power / wake button. On top you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, micro-USB port and full-sized SIM slot. The left side of the phone only houses the volume rocker. The front is outfitted with the 4.3-inch qHD display, flanked by a row of three capacitive buttons (menu, home and back) below and a front-facing 1.3MP video chat camera and speaker above. We were disappointed to find a meager amount of onboard storage: 4GB, to be exact, and the amount of user-accessible memory is even smaller. You won't be able to take advantage of the device's 8MP camera or its 1080p video recording prowess for very long, so you'll definitely need to grab a microSD card and throw it in to satisfy whatever memory requirements you may have. We were also saddened by the P1's lack of NFC, which means Android Beam and Google Wallet can't be used.
Display What you're looking at with the Ascend P1 is your run-of-the-mill 4.3-inch qHD display with a resolution of 960 x 540 (shining forth at a pixel density of 256ppi). It's super AMOLED, which will run cold shivers down the spines of PenTile haters everywhere. And to pre-emptively answer any question you might have about the RGBG matrix: yes, at that level of density, the pixels are visible. It likely isn't enough to bother anyone besides the aficionado; going from an HD display on today's flagship phones, it's easy enough to see the difference the lower pixel count makes. It's yet another commonality the phone shares with the RAZR, and you'll see absolutely no difference in resolution between the two. As an aside, the viewing angles on the Ascend P1 aren't quite as good as the HTC One X, but we were still able to get close to edge-on before the screen disappeared from our view. Software
Diving deeper into the UI, the resemblance to ICS is minimal, though Huawei has at least stayed true to the five-button shortcut bar layout and the use of Roboto. Long-pressing the home panel brings up the option to add your choice of 2D or 3D widgets as well as folders and shortcuts (all of which were left out of this menu on stock ICS). Wallpapers can still be accessed, but only by pressing the menu key, which -- incidentally enough -- throws together a whole smorgasbord of various options you'd never find available in pure vanilla form, such as app management, settings, transitions and application icon appearance (you can choose between two icon styles). The app tray is a 4x4-icon grid with no option to peruse widgets. You'll also notice two large buttons at the bottom: home on the left and an icon manager on the right. The latter option gives you the ability to quickly uninstall apps you don't want anymore, and it even lets you add folders within the app menu itself (similar to later versions of TouchWiz). That's one feature we'd love to see used more often. Looking back at the mostly-stock Android build, there are only a few places Huawei lightly salted with its own flavor. One of the most obvious differences is the inclusion of a capacitive menu button (arguably, including any capacitive buttons at all is a glaring differentiator from the virtual keys found on the Galaxy Nexus), which isn't uncommon to legacy devices with the four-key setup. The lock screen offers four quick-access points, consisting of home, phone, camera and messages. In addition to the usual suite of styles for opening your device such as Face Unlock, pattern, 2D unlock and PIN, Huawei's also added a "3D unlock" option. Notice a theme here? Again, it's nothing you'd need a pair of special glasses to see -- it's just a version of the standard 2D unlock screen with fancier logos and a circle in the middle that resembles a globe. Within the default ICS skin on the device, three different themes are offered. Essentially, all this does is change the wallpaper and appearance of the icons on the screen. This is a nice customization option if you don't like the look of stock ICS (we're obviously huge fans of it though), but in switching back and forth between themes we discovered -- to our frustration -- that the wallpaper settings on the default theme don't get saved. So when we returned to our original theme, we had to manually switch to our preferred wallpaper once more. Camera The 8-megapixel autofocus shooter on the back of the Ascend P1 didn't blow our minds, but it didn't disappoint us either. Why the mixed bag? We found the color to be well-saturated in most cases and we were satisfied with the white balance, but the images didn't seem to turn out as crisp or detailed as those taken with the HTC One X -- especially when comparing shots at 100 percent zoom. It's a perfectly average camera when it comes to performance, but at least it comes fully stocked with features and offers respectable images when taken casually.
Touch to focus is ever-present in the P1 camera, which comes in handy whenever you want to focus on an object that doesn't happen to be in the middle of the viewfinder. It works well, subtly blurring out close-up items when you're attempting to focus on something in the background -- and vice versa. The P1 also allows you to use the built-in dual LED flash to help you focus on an object at night, prior to actually taking the shot. The flash is reasonably bright, although low-light performance (sans LED) could have been better. To get somewhat decent shots in these circumstances, your best bet is to find the "night" scene in the miscellaneous settings. Candlelight, low-light and HDR modes just won't get it done here. One other minor detail we uncovered in our testing revolves around the responsiveness of the shutter button: on several occasions we pressed the button only to find that nothing happened (we suppose this is one silver lining to its inability to shut off sound), but after a more precise touch of the button, it would begin working without a hitch. Speaking of which, shutter lag is quite reasonable on the P1 -- we had to wait a full 1.5 seconds for the image to get captured.
Recording video on the P1 was a pleasant experience overall. The camcorder offers a max resolution of 1080p, and does a better job at it than most smartphones using the same specs. We didn't spot any motion blur and there weren't any laggy or choppy bits. Color was accurate, and the mics picked up our voice clearly, despite an incessant breeze that was attempting to dominate the conversation. Performance and battery life Gaming was also a smooth experience with the PowerVR SGX540 GPU included in the OMAP 4460 chipset. We suffered from very little lag time when playing graphics-heavy titles such as Riptide, and the graphics were fairly well-detailed -- the only major exception to this was the fact that the water wasn't realistic enough. The jetski never appeared to float properly in the water, and when bobbing up and down it seemed as though it was surrounded by a strange grey mass instead of the aquatic goodness we've come to expect with the upper echelons of today's graphic capabilities. It may be enough to take a few hardcore gamers out of their element, to be sure, but most casual players will hardly notice at all.
Looking at the table, we notice that the Ascend P1 holds its own against another OMAP 4460 device that happens to run stock ICS. Quadrant scores are slightly skewed in favor of the P1's qHD display when compared to the superior 720p HD panel on the Galaxy Nexus, but the benchmark still far exceeds the margin of error we'd give to the lower-res screen. Testing GLBenchmark Egypt offscreen, a test specifically designed to run at the same screen resolution in order to eliminate possible misrepresentation, the Ascend barely edged out the Galaxy Nexus in graphics performance. Nearly every other benchmark is neck-and-neck between the two phones, which indicates that the Ascend P1 is a decent alternative for anyone seeking the same kind of performance as Sammy's Nexus. That said, neither device came even close to matching wits with the Snapdragon S4-running HTC One S, a glaring fact that doesn't bode well for TI. In our standard video rundown test, the phone lasted a full six hours and 40 minutes before needing a new charge. That's right around average, and exactly what we'd expect from a 1,670mAh battery. It also eked out a respectable total of six hours and 20 minutes when we used the P1 as a mobile hotspot (with one device connected and tethering at all times). Wrap-up It's a sure sign of how quickly things can change in the mobile industry. The Ascend P1 was a top-notch phone -- in January. Five months later, the landscape has changed drastically: Huawei's "Platinum device" will be released in a world in which the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III are available as alternative options. The P1 is a good phone, but it's not in the same league as those big guns. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stuxnet pinned on US and Israel as an out-of-control creation Posted: 01 Jun 2012 11:48 AM PDT Ever since Stuxnet was discovered, most of the accusing fingers have been pointed at the US, Israel or both, whether or not there was any evidence; it was hard to ignore malware that seemed tailor-made for wrecking Iranian centrifuges and slowing down the country's nuclear development. As it turns out, Occam's Razor is in full effect. An exposé from the New York Times matter-of-factly claims that the US and Israel coded Stuxnet as part of a cyberwar op, Olympic Games, and snuck it on to a USB thumb drive that infected computers at the Natanz nuclear facility. The reason we know about the infection at all, insiders say, is that it got out of control: someone modified the code or otherwise got it to spread through an infected PC carried outside, pushing Obama to either double down (which he did) or back off. Despite all its connections, the newspaper couldn't confirm whether or not the new Flame malware attack is another US creation. Tipsters did, however, deny that Flame is part of the Olympic Games push -- raising the possibility that there are other agencies at work. [Image credit: David Holt, Flickr] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roku adds Slacker Radio to app locker, Watchlist now live on Amazon Instant Video Posted: 01 Jun 2012 11:34 AM PDT Well, hello there Roku owners. Via its blog site, the creator of the tiny, but entertainment-packed boxes announced it's now giving you access to the renown Slacker Radio application, allowing you to listen in on over 200 music stations -- much like you already do on your iOS and Android slabs. That's not it, though, Roku also notes the recently announced Amazon Watchlist feature is now live on the outfit's channel, which should make Instant Video junkies very happy. The fresh goods are available now, so power on your miniature box and put 'em to good use. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Engadget News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment