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- V-Moda VAMP for the iPhone: an analog converter and headphone amp with a $650 pricetag
- TiVo and PayPal let you buy stuff using your remote, hopes you swing past the shopping channel
- Rivals AMD and ARM unite, summon others to become 'heterogeneous'
- ASUS PadFone review
- Amped Wireless caps off its new range with a dual-band repeater
- HTC decides to buy S3 after all, keeps it on ice for future patent wars
- HTC confirms One S with 1.7GHz Snapdragon S3 being sold 'in select markets'
- Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300), courtesy of Bubbly!
- Samsung Galaxy S III coming to C Spire 'later this year'
- NASA opens up Launch Control Center for public tours
- Sanho HyperJuice Plug solves the multiple iPad owner's power conundrum
- Engadget HD Podcast 303 - 06.12.2012
- Amazon Cloud Player app arrives on iPhone and iPod Touch
- Naver's Skype rival Line arrives on Windows Phone
- Velocity Micro relaunches Overdrive gaming desktop: overclocked to 4.6GHz, with trio of GeForce graphics
- Dell Vostro line gets Ivy Bridge CPUs, optional 4G LTE
- Verizon's Share Everything data plans go live June 28th, let you add family (or a tablet) for a little extra
- Columbia announces Omni-Freeze ZERO, sports gear that cools you down the hotter you get (video)
- Nike+ Basketball and Training slamdunk the FCC, jog one step closer towards availability
- Facebook Camera app gets renamed Camera•, punctuation shortcuts get relearned
- Spotify Android update hits Google Play today, brings Last.fm scrobbling with it
- Retina Display MacBook Pro lacks IR sensor, is Apple offing the remote?
- Leaked Sprint slides reveal Touch Wallet NFC app, Google Wallet eyes the door
- AnandTech takes a long hard look at the MacBook Pro Retina Display
- Samsung Galaxy Note with T-Mobile-ready 3G swings by the FCC (update: demo units?)
- Kodak plans to sell off digital imaging patents
- Slacker now streaming six ESPN stations, Radio and Deportes amongst them
- VIA Technologies' $49 Android barebones PC available for pre-order, ships in July
- 2012 Apple Design Awards showcase standout apps on iOS, OS X
- Max Payne Mobile hits Android June 14th, metes out justice on your Galaxy Tab
- Apple releases Mountain Lion Preview 4 and iOS 6 for developers, iTunes 10.6.3 for everyone else
- Mad Catz partnering with Microsoft Studios for Halo 4-branded headsets
- Seagate Backup Plus hard drive: one-click backup with a social twist
- Android 4.0.3 now available for T-Mobile Galaxy S II, get it while it's cold
- Microsoft Office 15 leaks suggest Office 2013 name, show off Metro logo and Web Apps UI
- Listen to the Engadget Mobile Podcast, live tonight at 11pm ET!
- Newport Media claims tiniest, lowest-power 802.11n WiFi chip yet, smartphones get a little less thirsty
- Go to school, get a Lumia 900: all incoming Seton Hall University freshmen to receive a Windows Phone
- Amazon Appstore reportedly travelling to Europe this summer, we hope its passport is up to date
- Sony teases new Xperia phone unveiling within days, wants you to speed it up on Facebook
| V-Moda VAMP for the iPhone: an analog converter and headphone amp with a $650 pricetag Posted: 12 Jun 2012 11:14 AM PDT If money really isn't an issue when it comes to your search for the finest sound possible from your iPhone, V-Moda has a new accessory for you to consider. The company has announced the VAMP: an iPhone 4 / 4S case that converts digital to analog for hi-fi listening. How does it work? Well, the kit uses a 150mW x 2 amplifier to bypass the smartphone's internals to offer the auditory elbow grease needed to adequately power that set of fancy headphones. For controls, you can expect a volume knob, hi / lo gain switch and toggle switch with LED indicator for either Pure or VQ listening mode. There's also an optical audio output for using your phone as a vehicle "for the purest and unparalleled audio listening experience," but you'll have to splurge for an extra cable to do so. In addition to the aforementioned conversion, the aircraft-grade metal add-on provides eight hours of playback from it's own battery -- which can be used as a backup for your Apple handset, should the need arise. Sound good so far? Well, the VAMP is now shipping and will set you back a whopping $650 with $50 of the asking price benefitting the InTheLoop Foundation. You know, if you happen to really love listening to Sigur Rós on the go and are obsessed with high fidelity playback. V-MODA Vanquishes "The Great Compression" Via VAMP for iPhone 4/4S – Integrated Headphone Amplifier, Digital-to-Analog Convertor and Battery Spy-worthy gadget for mobile audiophile connoisseurs ushers in a new era of pure sound, sophistication and power LOS ANGELES – June 12, 2012 – V-MODA, the maker of critically-acclaimed and award-winning headphones including the Crossfade M-80 and LP-Class lines, introduces a novel accessory for the modern audio connoisseur with VAMP, a precision headphone amplifier made in Japan that combines a dedicated 150mW x 2 Hi-FI amplifier, DAC (Digital-to-Analog convertor), optical audio output and 2200mAh battery all integrated into a solid metal casing for the iPhone 4/4S. "I have dubbed the last decade of sacrificing pure high-fidelity sound for the sake of mobile digital convenience as 'The Great Compression'. V-MODA's VAMP is a flashback to our passion and roots in the analog and solid equipment days of hi-fi." says Val Kolton, Chief Visionary Officer and Founder of V-MODA. "VAMP is a statement that you march to your own drum and appreciate sophisticated sound and style. People always criticize the quality loss in the analog-to-digital conversion but few consider the advantages of reversing the process. VAMP unleashes the full potential of your music with vibrant, pure, powerful sound for both power-hungry and small headphones." VAMP's audiophile-grade, high fidelity DAC processor extracts the digital signal of the iPhone to bypass the iPhone's internal DAC. VAMP's 150mW x 2 amplifier is five times more powerful than the iPhone's amplifier and provides up to 8 hours of playback. VAMP's rotary volume knob allows you to finely adjust the volume and its hi/lo gain switch adjusts the output level. The VAMP features two new audio processing modes for the most discerning audiophile. The PURE mode processes audio in the truest of forms while the VQ (V-MODA eQualizer) mode adds a slight spatial 3D soundstage, tightened bass and increased treble attack that invigorates an all-around sensory experience. The AMP/DAC is seamlessly integrated into a beautifully sleek, aircraft-grade brushed metal that is designed to pay homage to the grooves in a vinyl record. The shock absorbing silicone protects your iPhone and allows for quick removal. The 2200 mAh lithium-ion battery can be used as a backup power source for the iPhone 4/4S, virtually doubling its battery life. Another unique feature is an Optical audio output that allows you to connect VAMP to your A/V receiver or DJ mixer via Toslink or SPDIF optical audio, transforming the iPhone into a Hi-Fi grade audio source that can be used a lifetime after the phone function is retired. Specifications: VAMP is available immediately at V-MODA.com/VAMP and Amazon.com for $650. It is also available at the finest boutiques across the world including Collette in Paris. $50 from each sale at V-MODA.com will go to the InTheLoop Foundation, a non-profit entity dedicated to educate and promote the practice of "safe sound." For more information images and videos, visit V-MODA.com and facebook.com/VMODA. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TiVo and PayPal let you buy stuff using your remote, hopes you swing past the shopping channel Posted: 12 Jun 2012 10:52 AM PDT Those late-night adverts for a steam-powered ab-crunching bagel toaster (just $400, plus $99 postage and packing!) will soon be much harder to resist, thanks to TiVo. The DVR maker has teamed up with PayPal to enable you to purchase goods with your remote control during the commercial. A global financial meltdown will probably ensue just as soon as the company can get compatible adverts developed, currently slated to begin airing during this year's fall TV season. TiVo to Integrate PayPal Enabling Simple Shopping on TV and Strengthening Its Interactive Advertising Solution Will Allow Users to Easily Purchase Featured Products Through a Few Clicks of the Remote Control Improving Advertisers' Ability to Reach Consumers in Today's Fragmented TV Viewing World SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 06/12/2012 -- TiVo Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO), a leader in advanced television services and advertising solutions, and PayPal announced they have teamed up to provide TiVo users with the ability to purchase products featured in interactive advertisements on the TiVo user interface through PayPal, the faster, safer way to pay. This integration creates a new opportunity for advertisers and brands to connect with TiVo users and to turn their 30-second spots and interactive TiVo ad placements into actionable purchasing opportunities through a one-time account link. "In today's fragmented TV viewing world it is harder than ever before for advertisers to reach their audiences, and it's important to find creative ways to get in front of viewers," said Tara Maitra Senior Vice President, General Manager, Content and Media Sales, TiVo Inc. "TiVo's interactive ads allow advertisers to grab the attention of viewers in unobtrusive ways and on the viewer's terms. By teaming with PayPal consumers will be able to instantly purchase products with just a few clicks of the remote after an easy, one-time account setup. PayPal's expertise in online payments, customer service, and working directly with merchants and sellers makes the entire payment process easy and trustworthy and will create a valuable experience for TiVo users and advertisers." Scott Dunlap, Vice President of Emerging Opportunities and New Ventures for PayPal, said, "At PayPal we have been redefining commerce from online to mobile to offline and we see television as the newest channel in commerce. Teaming up with TiVo will help us connect merchants and consumers via the TV set in the fastest and safest way possible. We are excited about the prospect of delivering a more complete and seamless couch commerce experience." TiVo's other interactive advertising solutions are currently being used by various leading brands in a host of industries as they allow advertisers to target consumers in a time-shifted world without unwelcomed interruption and offer them the option of exploring products that interest them. TiVo will be working with its advertisers and agency partners to develop PayPal-enabled TiVo ads and Showcase campaigns beginning with the fall 2012 television season. This solution will also be available to TiVo's MSO customers such as RCN, Suddenlink and more. Products purchased through PayPal will be charged to the TiVo user's PayPal account through a secure transaction and shipped to the address the user has registered with PayPal for deliveries. Orders will be fulfilled either by the advertiser or a trusted merchant that accepts PayPal for payment. TiVo and PayPal unveiled news of this new offering during the TV of Tomorrow Show 2012 in San Francisco. To learn more about TiVo's interactive ad opportunities visit www.tivo.com/advertising. For more information about PayPal and t-commerce visit the PayPal Blog. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rivals AMD and ARM unite, summon others to become 'heterogeneous' Posted: 12 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT In other words, while Intel pursues Moore's Law and packs ever-more sophisticated transistors into its CPUs, AMD, ARM and the other HSA pals want to achieve similar or better results through parallel computing. In most cases, that'll mean using the graphics processor on a chip not only for visuals and gaming, but also for general tasks and apps. This can already be achieved using a programming language called OpenCL, but AMD believes it's too tricky to code and is putting mainstream developers off. Equally, NVIDIA has long had its own language for the same purpose, called CUDA, but it's proprietary. Whatever niche is left in the middle, the HSA Foundation hopes to fill it with an easier and more open standard that is not only cross-OS but also transcends the PC / mobile divide. If it works, it'll give us a noticeable surge in computational power in everyday apps by 2014. If it fails, these new-found friends can go back to the less awkward custom of ignoring each other. AMD, ARM, Imagination, MediaTek and Texas Instruments Unleash the Next Era of Computing Innovation –Technology Leaders Establish the HSA Foundation to Create a Unified, Open Industry Standard Architecture for Heterogeneous Processing; Heterogeneous Processors, Which Combine Two or More Different Types of Processors into a Single Chip, Accounted for Nearly Half of All Microprocessor Revenue in 2011 – BELLEVUE, WASH. – June 12, 2012 – Today at the AMD Fusion Developer Summit (AFDS), global technology leaders came together to announce the formation of the Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) Foundation The HSA Foundation is a non-profit consortium established to define and promote an open, standards-based approach to heterogeneous computing that will provide a common hardware specification and broad support ecosystem to make it easier for software developers to deliver innovative applications that can take greater advantage of today's modern processors. AMD (NYSE: AMD), ARM, Imagination Technologies, MediaTek Inc., and Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN) are the initial founding members of the HSA Foundation. The companies will work together to drive a single architecture specification and simplify the programming model to help software developers take greater advantage of the capabilities found in modern central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), and unlock the performance and power efficiency of the parallel computing engines found in heterogeneous processors. By standardizing the heterogeneous programming model, developers can more easily and cost-effectively develop new software tailored to take advantage of the expanding $55.5B heterogeneous (also known as "hybrid") processor market1. The HSA Foundation will help usher in the next era of software innovation, from enabling unprecedented user experiences to improving cloud-based data management, streaming, and security. "HSA moves the industry beyond the constraints of the legacy system architecture of the past 25-plus years that is now stifling software innovations," said Phil Rogers, HSA Foundation President and AMD Corporate Fellow. "By aiming HSA squarely at the needs of the software developer, we have designed a common hardware platform for high performance, energy efficient solutions. HSA is unlocking a new realm of possibilities across PCs, smartphones, tablets and ultrathin notebooks, as well as the innovative supercomputers and cloud services that define the modern computing experience." As an independent consortium, the HSA Foundation is open to any and all computing industry professionals with an interest in driving the next era in computing performance and energy efficiency. The HSA Foundation welcomes forward-thinking semiconductor companies, platform and OS vendors, device manufacturers, independent software vendors, academia and open source developers. Members of the HSA Foundation plan to deliver robust development solutions for heterogeneous compute to drive innovative content and applications with developer tools, software developer kits (SDKs), libraries, documentation, training, support and more. "One year ago, AMD boldly announced a roadmap for making HSA a reality, starting with combining the CPU and GPU as a unified processing engine to create an architecture that would greatly simplify the programming of heterogeneous platforms," said Manju Hegde, corporate vice president of Heterogeneous Applications and Developer Solutions for AMD. "Today, we are continuing our heterogeneous computing leadership and dedication to driving broad industry adoption by making the HSA architecture an open standard." "We are all demanding more from the technology that connects us to our digital worlds. Graphical interfaces are critical to the user experience but can have a power impact. With open standards, developers can now provide outstanding graphics without compromising power-efficiency," said Jem Davies, ARM Fellow and vice president of Technology, Media Processor Division, ARM. "ARM welcomes the formation of the HSA Foundation and is pleased to be one of the founding members. ARM's extensive experience with heterogeneous systems brings a unique leadership perspective to developing the right compute processor for the right tasks based on the latest ARM technology, such as ARM® Mali™ GPUs and Cortex™ processors." "Imagination is delighted to be one of the founders of the HSA Foundation. Our long-held view is that heterogeneous processing architectures are fundamental to scalability, flexibility and performance for future SoC (Systems-on-Chip) design," said Tony King-Smith, vice president of Marketing, Imagination Technologies. "We believe that the combination of CPUs with increasingly powerful on-chip GPUs, using industry standard APIs such as OpenCL™, Renderscript Compute, and Direct Compute, is the vital first step along this path. The HSA APIs and tools complement these higher level APIs to help SoC systems engineers create future generation computing platforms. As applications developers embrace the benefits of embracing such architectures, the HSA Foundation will provide a valuable cross-platform, cross-OS means of ensuring maximum heterogeneous application portability and optimization. We look forward to working closely with all of the founders and other members of the HSA Foundation to deliver this key open standard that is set to fuel the future of mass market high performance computing." "MediaTek is excited about the potential of heterogeneous computing in enabling innovative mobile applications. We believe that an open standard is key to bringing the technology to the mainstream smartphone market, said Chien-Ping Lu, senior director, Corporate Technology Office, MediaTek. "As a chipset and platform supplier with a strong focus on mainstream smartphones, we are excited to join AMD, our IP partners, Imagination, ARM, TI and other industry leaders to promote HSA as the open standard for heterogeneous computing." "TI's expertise in delivering low-power, high-performance experiences via the smart, multicore architecture of our OMAP™ platform undoubtedly makes our position as a founding member of the HSA Foundation a natural fit," said Matthew Locke, director, Linux Development Center, TI. "We look forward to working with other leaders in the industry to drive adoption of heterogeneous computing as a standard platform across embedded, mobile, personal and cloud computing." In addition to the founding members, contributor and supporting-level members will assist with research, development, production, manufacture, use, and the sale of HSA and heterogeneous computing software. For more information about the HSA Foundation's membership levels and benefits or to join the organization, please go to www.hsafoundation.com. Supporting Resources - For additional information about HSA and the HSA Foundation visit the HSA Foundation website at www.hsafoundation.com . About Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) Developers will benefit from the open standard programming of HSA for both the CPU and GPU, which allows the two processors to work cooperatively and directly in system memory. Additionally, HSA provides a single architecture across multiple operating systems and hardware designs. By maximizing the full compute capabilities of systems with both CPUs and GPUs, users can see performance and energy efficiency boosts across a variety of applications. About the HSA Foundation The HSA (Heterogeneous System Architecture) Foundation is a not-for-profit consortium for SoC IP vendors, OEMs, academia, SoC vendors, OSVs and ISVs whose goal is to make it easy to program for parallel computing. HSA members are building a heterogeneous compute ecosystem, rooted in industry standards, for combining scalar processing on the CPU with parallel processing on the GPU while enabling high bandwidth access to memory and high application performance at low power consumption. HSA defines interfaces for parallel computation utilizing CPU, GPU and other programmable and fixed function devices, and support for a diverse set of high-level programing languages, thereby creating the next foundation in general purpose computing.
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| Posted: 12 Jun 2012 09:16 AM PDT It's been a long ride for the PadFone. ASUS' last smartphone was the Android 2.1-powered A10 from two years ago, then five months later the company ended its smartphone partnership with Garmin (though they're still friends). The next thing we knew, the outfit was openly considering Windows Phone, but obviously nothing came to fruition despite its E600 engineering units floating about in the wild. Meanwhile, a bunch of Android Eee Pads started entering the market to get a slice of that hot tablet pie. Eventually, the PadFone shocked the industry at last year's Computex (remember our brilliant mockup based on the teaser pics?), but ASUS went on to miss its Christmas launch target, allowing it extra time to rejig the phone's software and design. Then CES and MWC went by, with the latter hosting the official launch event to unveil the PadFone's final design and availability date. This time, the new April target was missed by only three weeks, and shortly afterwards we got hold of our retail unit from Taiwan, which is still the only place where you can get hold of the product. But enough with the story. What we want to know is whether ASUS' courageous and unique project has all the right ingredients to squeeze itself into a market now dominated by the likes of Apple, Samsung and HTC. Most importantly, will the company set a new trend with this two- or three-in-one form factor -- in the same way it did with netbooks -- thus taking the Android ecosystem to the next level? Let's see. Hardware
If you've been following this product closely, you should know by now that the full PadFone package -- assembled in Pegatron's Shanghai plant -- comes in three main parts: the phone, the PadFone Station pad and the PadFone Station keyboard dock. Let's focus on the phone first: in Taiwan, you can buy this HSPA+ handset on its own -- for NT$17,990 (about US$610, or US$580 before tax) without contract. You get a 4.3-inch, 960 x 540 Samsung Super AMOLED display (with Gorilla Glass plus a hard coat, low reflection film), a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 SoC (MSM8260A at 1.5GHz), 1GB LPDDR2 RAM, an 8-megapixel AF camera with LED flash, a VGA front-facing camera and a removable 3.7V 1,520mAh battery. The Taiwanese version also comes with a generous 32GB of internal eMMC flash storage plus another 32GB of free ASUS Webstorage for three years. You can add even more via microSDXC -- that could be an additional 64GB if you're lucky enough to track down one of those unicorn cards. In terms of dimensions and weight, the PadFone comes in at 128 x 65.4 x 9.2mm (5.0 x 2.6 x 0.4 inches) and 129g (4.6 ounces), making it one of the lighter smartphones in the 4.3-inch class. For comparison, the similarly sized Galaxy S II (international) officially weighs just one gram more, whereas the Sony Xperia S and the Lenovo LePhone K2 take a big jump to 144g and 145g, respectively. Then we go towards the other end of the scale with the 121g LG Optimus L7, the 119.5g HTC One S (also with a 4.3-inch PenTile Super AMOLED screen and MSM8260A chip) and the 103g Panasonic Eluga -- though the Eluga does have a much smaller, non-removable battery. For a device featuring an aluminum frame and a slab of glass, ASUS has delivered a pleasant surprise with the PadFone's weight -- after all, the designers do need to keep the overall package as light as possible, but more on that later. In an era full of flagships with screen sizes above 4.3 inches, going back to grasping this smaller handset actually gave us quite a welcoming sensation, but obviously it wasn't just the size at play here. To achieve this feat, ASUS used a matte aluminum frame to provide a fairly rigid structure. Having it tapered both length-wise and depth-wise makes the phone appear not only slimmer (the actual thickness along the length of the phone is more consistent than it looks), but also lets our palm wrap around the back cover's rounded sides in a more seamless manner. Speaking of which, the PadFone's backside sports the same Zen design ID as seen on the Transformer Prime and the Zenbook series. However, the cover isn't metallic, so the spun finish is achieved with circular etches on the slightly flexible plastic, with the camera acting as the "source" of the ripple pattern -- this would've looked weird had ASUS stuck with the original off-center camera position. We dig the look and feel here, plus the texture provides the additional benefit of resisting fingerprints. The back cover can be peeled off from the bottom edge, thus exposing the spring-loaded microSD slot, mini-SIM slot and removable battery. Much like many of the Ice Cream Sandwich phones (including the new trio of Motorola RAZRs in China), the PadFone utilizes the system's virtual soft buttons instead of physical ones. The only facial features on the phone are the shiny earpiece and the VGA camera at the top, as well as the ASUS logo at the bottom. Below that is a black, shiny plastic lip that traces back to the rim around the glass, and all of this is encompassed and accented by the lower silver bezel. If you look closer, though, you'll notice the bezel is segmented around the shiny lip, and that part is actually a silver-painted extension of the black plastic inner frame (right underneath the battery cover) -- this is obviously intended for the antenna and the mic. Call us picky, but now and then we cringe at the seam between the metal bezel and its slightly duller plastic counterpart. Leaving that minor niggle aside, we're quite pleased with the rest of the external features -- the slots are nicely cut for the micro-HDMI port and the micro-USB port on the left. The finish of the three buttons (power, volume up and volume down along the right) are pretty consistent with the bezel's. You'll also find the 3.5mm headphone jack bang in the middle of the phone's top side, which is a rare sight in the mobile market these days (the short list also includes Huawei's Ascend Y200; Nokia's Lumia 610 and Lumia 710; and Sony's Xperia neo V, Xperia X10 and Live with Walkman). Given that the tablet part features an LCD panel, we're still baffled by ASUS' decision to feature a Super AMOLED display on the phone, as opposed to using LCD for the sake of consistency. The PenTile subpixel arrangement is an old issue that we won't bother grumbling about again (LG's already done most of the talking, anyway), though a Plus version of the Super AMOLED panel would have been very welcome. ASUS said it went with AMOLED because it believes that it's "the best solution for [a] phone with high contrast and lightness." It also allowed the company to produce a thinner device. On the bright side, the PadFone offers an "outdoor mode" toggle which boosts the screen brightness, and with that, the Super AMOLED display is quite usable under strong sunlight. For the sake of your battery life, don't forget to disable this feature when you go back inside. Accessories Let's get to the meat then, shall we? While Motorola was the first to deliver a laptop-docking phone, ASUS' implementation is more organic and flexible. Rather than letting you access the device through an Ubuntu-based webtop app on the bigger screen, the PadFone takes advantage of Android 4.0's interchangability between the phone and tablet UI, meaning you don't need to install a different set of apps just for a separate OS. Also, the Android system and supported apps can switch to the appropriate interface depending on which screen is active; so in theory, it should be a seamless transition from one mode to another, regardless of whether you're working or enjoying multimedia content. As to why we say "in theory," we shall explain later. As we mentioned earlier, the full PadFone package consists of three main parts: on top of the 32GB PadFone in Taiwan, an additional NT$6,990 (US$236) gets you the PadFone Station plus the stylus Bluetooth headset with a soft tip, and another NT$3,000 (US$101) gets you the PadFone Station Dock. (ASUS also recently outed a display docking monitor, though we've received no word on pricing or availability.) In the US, you can get hold of the PadFone and the PadFone Station together from our friends over at Negri Electronics for US$860. PadFone Station The PadFone Station is essentially just an external 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS display (also with Gorilla Glass and HCLR film, but more prone to attracting fingerprints) and a battery pack for the PadFone, but it also packs a loudspeaker at the back and a 1.3-megapixel camera at the front (better than the phone's VGA counterpart). The circuitry inside is quite a sight: as you can see below, we opened ours up for the sake of curiosity and, wow, there are quite a lot of wires and ribbons squeezed into the tiny bit of space. Similar to its Transformer cousins, the PadFone's tablet and keyboard dock both pack a 7.4V 24.4Wh battery (each consisting of two 3,300mAh cells in a series). However, since the system's rated at just 3.7V, the effective battery capacity in each PadFone Station part is actually 6,600mAh, hence the difference in figures on the spec sheet and on the battery label. There are also two noteworthy discoveries inside the PadFone Station that we'd like to share. First, underneath the back chassis, we spotted a dual-GPS antenna implementation which, according to our friends over at AnandTech, is a rare sight on mobile devices. ASUS explained to us that one of these Foxconn antennas is for receiving signals for both GPS and GLONASS, and the other one is for transmitting the signal by air, coupling to enhance the GPS performance in tablet mode. This external GPS structure links back to the Qualcomm RTR8600 multi-band / mode RF transceiver in the phone, so there's no separate GPS chip in the pad -- just a low noise amplifier there for the structure. While in most cases our PadFone gets a good GPS lock-on within about 10 seconds in either mode, it's still a tad quicker and more accurate when the phone's outside the pad. Hey, at least it works! And while we're talking about antennas, the PadFone Station also has an external 3G antenna (sourced from Inpaq) that traces back to three metal contact pins in the phone chamber, where they touch the metal contacts on the bottom left of the phone. We haven't noticed any significant signal drop when putting the phone into the tablet, so it looks like this feature is serving its purpose well.
In fact, from what we've learned during our recent tour at ASUS' Taipei headquarters, this is basically what Huang's team implemented across all SonicMaster-certified products (including the Transformer Prime). The team creates as much space as possible for the audio chamber (even the loudspeaker on the PadFone phone has one), and at the same time they employ the biggest possible speaker driver that they can fit in for the sake of better audio reproduction. Huang reminded us that professional grade audio equipment like loudspeakers, amplifiers and turntables are intentionally big and heavy for stability, which was why he took the liberty of criticizing a minuscule Zylux speaker driver that pretty much all of ASUS' competitors use (though funnily enough, Zylux's website lists ASUS as a general customer -- awkward!). With the company placing audio quality before other aspects in some of their product lines, the Golden Ear team doesn't hold back on the size of the speakers. They'd often debate with the engineers over how much space the audio parts should get in upcoming devices. The engineers would then eventually come up with a solution that Huang claims offers no sacrifices. What's left to do then is to strategically place the speakers to avoid mechanical and electromagnetic interference, because obviously the last thing you want is data loss or annoying noises. The end result is surprisingly loud and punchy sound with very little distortion. Alas, it's a shame that the PadFone Station's speaker is facing away from the user by design, so you'd want to be facing a wall to get the most out of it from the reflection. Wired headset Alternatively, you can just use the PadFone's wired headset. For a pair of free earphones we were blown away by their sound quality. Huang, who's a fan of Sony's high-end headphones, told us that these are just moving-coil earphones but with a super thin diaphragm that offers good bass at this size. As good as they sound, we regret to report there is one major design flaw here. The mic is located at the point where the two channels split up, so we always had to hold it up closer to our mouth for the person on the other end to hear us. Also, the plastic sleeve of the main wire has already come off the mic module after just a few weeks of usage. Hopefully ASUS can address these issues with a new design. Stylus headset While we're on the topic of making phone calls, apart from extracting the phone out of the tablet you can also just use the stylus headset. Packed inside a smooth aluminum shaft, this Bluetooth device claims to sustain seven hours of talk time and can go on standby for 10 days -- we'll take ASUS' word on that. Pairing up is done in the same manner as most Bluetooth audio devices, but ASUS has also thrown in an appropriately named "Stylus Headset" app to walk you through the process. With the headset turned off, hold down the circular power button above the volume rocker until the LED flashes red and blue (for about three seconds), and then you should see the stylus show up on the PadFone's scan list. When you get an incoming call the stylus vibrates, then you'll need to figure out how best to place the earpiece on your ear -- something that took us a good several seconds for our first few attempts. While this is a cool and convenient feature, we found that our hands became uncomfortable quite quickly, so we wouldn't recommend this method for super long conversations; or try using an elastic band instead, if you must. Weight Enough with audio for now -- it's time to go back to the grand scheme of things. According to our scale, our brainless tablet matches the official weight of 724g and our keyboard dock got 635g -- just a few grams shy from the similar-looking dock for the OG Transformer. This makes a total of around 1.49kg (about 3.28 pounds) when we put all three PadFone parts together. The phone-in-tablet combo comes in at 854g or 1.88 pounds, making the laptop setup rather top-heavy. Despite the limited hinge angle up to about 100 degrees (at which point that end of the keyboard dock is elevated by the hinge's feet by about 8mm), we still had to be careful to make sure the PadFone laptop didn't tip over our lap or the edge of our bed. Sadly, though, we've already failed once at the latter. It really doesn't take much to tip the whole thing over, so be very careful. The aforementioned weight figures are rather hefty for their respective 10.1-inch form factors, especially when you compare them to the 1.1kg / 2.42-pound ZenBook Prime UX21A (an 11-inch Ultrabook) and the 1.123kg / 2.47-pound (docked) or 586g / 1.29-pound (undocked) Transformer Prime. Considering that extra components are needed for housing and connecting the phone, this extra burden is no surprise for a first-of-its-kind device, but it does beg the question as to whether people will tolerate it. Needless to say, you'll probably want to use a backpack rather than a messenger bag for the laptop combo. You could simply leave the keyboard dock at home or in the office if you don't consider yourself a road warrior -- hold that thought until we get to the software part later on. Sleeve As for the tablet, we enjoyed the soft-touch finish on the back for a landscape grip and the thicker part of the tablet (formed by the hinged, circular-patterned polycarbonate cover over the phone-docking chamber) for a portrait grip. You'll either have to lean your arm(s) or the device on something, or use the official multi-purpose slide-in "VersaSleeve" (NT$1,190 or about US$40; free with the PadFone Station in Hong Kong when it launches there) to prop it up at two different angles on the table -- one for watching video, and one for typing. To our surprise the sleeve works rather well as a stand, but only time will tell how tough its brown 1680D polyester exterior and black velvet lining are. PadFone Station Apart from the soft-touch finish to match the pad, the keyboard dock is fundamentally identical to the one for the very first Transformer tablet. You get the same 254mm chiclet keyboard (92 percent of the size of a full keyboard) and touchpad with two click buttons, as well as a 40-pin power-only dock connector and a USB 2.0 port (with a magnetic latch) on the left. Another USB port and an SD card reader (now supporting up to SDXC) can be found on the right. We'd even go as far as to say that the keyboard feels just as good as before, though we wish ASUS would one day relocate the lock key that's just above the backspace key -- once in a blue moon we'd lock the device by accident while typing, and that tends to happen more often when we let a newbie try our device. The PadFone Station Dock's aluminum hinge and tablet release latch appear to be identical to the one on the TF101 dock. However, we had to really force our PadFone Station into the latter to just about get a connection (as pictured above), so it's safe to say that the two are officially incompatible. In other words: don't do this at home, kids. While it's disappointing that we're not allowed to re-use the older dock here (be it for the sake of saving money, reducing waste or purely mixing-and-matching patterns), ASUS pointed out that the heavier PadFone tablet does require a stronger hinge. Docking the PadFone Inserting the phone into the PadFone Station is as simple as releasing the station's hinged cover using the latch up top. Then slide the phone into the bay (which has a slick plastic strip on both "walls" to smooth the action) until you feel a soft click akin to that of plugging in a micro-USB cable. Within just over a second after the insertion (regardless of whether the cover is still open), the tablet comes to life with the sweet Ice Cream Sandwich tablet interface. When you're done, just release the cover and push it down to about 90 degrees in order to trigger the phone release mechanism, which is just two little plastic probes that stick out to push up the phone. In fact, you can even just force-pull the phone out by anchoring your thumb on the screen and then gripping the phone with the tips of your fingers -- this is, ahem, handy for when you want to extract the phone while keeping the tablet in your bag. Obviously, the official way is easier, and it really isn't as scary as it sounds as the cover's hinge is pretty strong. Before long we had mastered a single-handed technique: unlatch the cover with one hand (usually just with an index finger), then slide the hand down to push the cover with the middle finger, and then grab the undocked phone out. Pro tip: do this slowly so people around you can watch with awe. Second pro tip: our single-handed technique doesn't work well when the docked PadFone Station is tilted at the maximum angle, as the slippery feet below the keyboard's hinge are just asking for trouble when you try this trick. Performance
Like the HTC One XL (or simply the One X on AT&T) and One S, the slick PadFone takes advantage of Qualcomm Snapdragon S4's Krait, which is technically a more capable architecture than the Tegra 3's Cortex-A9. That said, after thoroughly comparing the two SoCs, AnandTech concluded that each has its own advantage, and it really depends on how heavily threaded the apps are -- something that the legendary site doubts would favor phones with quad-core Tegra 3 any time soon. Yet the PadFone is also a tablet (effectively making it the first commercially available Snapdragon S4 tablet) and a netbook. Both form factors are begging for a wider range of applications in order to slowly overtake the role of conventional PCs. At one point we were even certain that ASUS would launch the PadFone with Tegra 3, which would've given it slightly more graphics oomph than the MSM8260A's Adreno 225 engine (the beefier Adreno 320 will have to wait for the MSM8960 Pro). What officially happened with that plan remains a mystery, but if we must guess, it was probably because ASUS wanted a smooth upgrade path to the PadFone LTE that was also announced at MWC; while Tegra with integrated Icera LTE won't materialize until next year. With that considered, and judging by these scores plus our smooth experience, we think this is a damn good decision, especially for an extremely adventurous product that's never been done by others before. Battery life
*Battery life of tablet mode and laptop mode include phone-only time after battery is depleted on the PadFone Station. The PadFone Station does not operate once it runs out of battery. As you may have seen in our Transformer reviews, it requires a fair amount of patience when grilling these multi-battery devices to test their endurance. So you can imagine the pain -- or joy, depending on how you look at it -- we went through with the whole PadFone package. As mentioned earlier, the phone itself houses a removable 3.7V 1,520mAh battery, and that got us through about six hours and 15 minutes in our standard rundown test (that's with a video looping, a 3G data connection, WiFi enabled but not connected, brightness fixed at 50 percent and some specific background sync settings). Yikes, that's almost three hours short of what we got from the similarly specced HTC One S -- same display panel, same SoC, just with 130mAh more battery juice. We imagine this likely has more to do with the way ASUS set its power management profiles. For this test, we used balanced mode, which still keeps the CPU clocked at 1.5GHz max, but the system processes with both cores less often than it does in performance mode. As for power saving mode, ASUS told us the CPU is capped at a surprisingly high 1.2GHz and the display brightness is set to 90 percent by default -- same as balanced mode (but we changed it back to 50 percent and made sure it was non-outdoor mode for the test, obviously). Going back to those official real-life figures we obtained a while back, it's interesting to see how ASUS' lab only got about 2.6 hours and 2.1 hours on the phone alone for continuous web browsing over WiFi and 3G, respectively. By comparison, we got around 6.25 hours with our video loop test plus 3G data connection. That's almost three times as much stamina than what ASUS got out of its 3G browsing test! Our money's on the Super AMOLED panel sucking up all the power for the web pages' white backgrounds (again, a drawback that's been cheekily pointed out by LG). It's a good thing, then, that the larger PadFone Station -- naturally the eye-friendlier option for web browsing -- uses an LCD panel instead. Well, not that ASUS has a choice until someone makes an affordable 10-inch OLED panel. Despite the outcome of the rundown tests from us and ASUS, the PadFone's battery performed very well under our normal usage and easily lasted a full day. We also recall one night when we forgot to plug the phone into a charger before going to bed, but when we woke up about eight hours later it had only drained about 10 percent of battery, presumably mostly due to its WiFi connection. We also tested constantly listening to music from the phone while using its personal hotspot for our laptop (mainly for Twitter, Facebook, typing and the occasional random YouTube clips for giggles), and that lasted for three hours and 50 minutes. Needless to say, you'd get a lot more hotspot time if you utilize the pad and the keyboard dock as well. Speaking of which, with the same battery rundown test, we got just under 10 hours out of the tablet combo, whereas the laptop combo pumped out 17.5 hours. Coincidentally, neither are far off the official claims for continuous web browsing over WiFi (and they're respectively about one hours and three hours more than ASUS' 3G figures). However, there is a caveat with these numbers: the PadFone Station pad fails to operate once it runs out of its own battery, so the aforementioned figures actually include the duration of the phone running on its own using its remaining battery juice. This is also why, by default, you're given the intelligent charging mode, so that when the keyboard dock still has battery juice, it keeps the PadFone at no less than 90 percent battery level, with the pad's battery level staying pretty much untouched if full. However, if the pad's battery is significantly lower than the keyboard's, then the latter will share the love with the former as well. When the keyboard's battery is exhausted, the system will lower the minimum threshold of the phone's battery level so that the pad can operate longer. On the contrary, the charging pack mode simply prioritizes all the battery power to the phone, but again starting with the keyboard dock's battery. For those interested, here's a brief breakdown of what we got from the intelligent charging mode corresponding to the above figures. In our tablet combo the PadFone Station gave up at about eight hours and 45 minutes into the 10-hour rundown test, leaving the phone with 28 percent battery left. In our laptop combo the PadFone Station died at about 14 hours into the 17.5-hour test, but somehow the phone had 55 percent battery left. In the above tablet mode rundown chart, despite the lack of samples in the early hours, you can still see how the intelligent mode's bias towards the phone keeps it alive for a wee bit longer after the PadFone Station gives up. Later on we inserted our almost-depleted phone into a fully charged PadFone Station, and about three hours later the phone went from 11 percent to 94 percent, with the pad at 90 percent. This is presented by the chart above. Camera
The PadFone's 8-megapixel (3264 x 2448, 4:3) f/2.2 camera does a solid job all around, offering good color reproduction in most cases and can easily handle macro shots, while night shots depend on the environment. For instance, streets with some lit signs look great in our photos, though we still needed several tries in order to get rid of the blurriness or find the right focus. Most of the time we just ended up manually boosting the ISO for the sake of speed and steadiness, or used the night scene mode to extend the exposure time (as long as we had somewhere to lean our phone against). It's also safe to say that the less dense PenTile subpixel layout made it a tad more difficult to check the pictures' sharpness, so be sure to double check your important shots in the gallery. Another hitch is that when taking pictures with a white, cloudy sky in the backdrop, we often had to manually increase the exposure level rather than tapping the appropriate focus area to make this adjustment -- 'tis a widespread issue amongst Android devices. We've tried the backlight scene mode as well, but it only added a light shade of white over the image instead of improving it. We collected the good shots in our extensive gallery below, so enjoy. The biggest problem with the PadFone's camera is the shutter speed: in a well-lit environment we measured around 1.4 seconds from hitting the virtual shutter button to seeing a refreshed viewfinder. It's not bad, but it's certainly no match for the "zero shutter lag" on the HTC One series and the Galaxy S III, so brace yourself if you do switch from those devices to the PadFone. Similarly, the PadFone's camera app is very much a skinned version of Ice Cream Sandwich's native app, so you'll miss out on the extra goodies like HDR, image stabilizer, slow motion capture, smile trigger, burst shot mode or simultaneous photo and video capturing. This is obviously a big disadvantage compared to some of the competitors, so hopefully ASUS will fix this in a future update. Furthermore, the native camera app's "Silly faces" and "Background" effects in camcorder mode are absent for some reason, but ASUS has added three filter effects (greyscale, negative and sepia) in both camera mode and camcorder mode to sort of compensate. As usual, you can use Android's Photo Studio for more still filter options afterwards, but that's obviously not as fun as seeing the effects applied onto the camera's live viewfinder. What's left in the camera app are the usual ICS panorama mode, 1080p video capture and three camera scene modes (night, backlight and vivid). You can find all these settings in a pull-out tray on the left (next to the slider for digital zoom). On the right you have the toggles for still camera mode, camcorder mode and panorama mode, followed by buttons for the shutter, switching cameras, toggling flash and opening the gallery. Last but not least, there's a handy counter at the top right indicating how many photos or how much video you can capture.
While the features are lacking in the camera app, the PadFone makes up with pretty decent camcorder video quality. The recorded 1080p, 30fps MPEG-4 clips are of AVC baseline profile level 4.0, and they were encoded at up to 20Mbps -- higher than One X's 10Mbps (baseline profile at level 4.2, 23fps) and the Galaxy S III's 17Mbps (high profile at level 4.0, 30fps) -- which is the maximum video bit rate specified for this profile. The accompanying audio comes at a bitrate of 156kbps (nominal 96kbps) -- again beating the aforementioned competitors -- and sampled at 48kHz. Even without these technical comparisons you can still appreciate the fine details in the clips; but when filming in the dark, the frame rate is reduced to no less than 15fps (which is acceptable for the quality it achieves), and the camera finds it harder to focus. The lack of touch focus in camcorder mode doesn't help, either. As for audio, we were impressed by how well the mic picked up our voice, except the first second always got cut out -- no doubt an easy bug to fix. At least there's no audio and video sync issue. While there's no optical difference between using the phone's camera inside the tablet and outside, we noticed that the audio in our recorded clips sounded slightly muffed when recorded from inside. You'd think, due to the nature of the mic's poorly chosen position, that this was probably because we accidentally covered it up with our right hand, but we've triple-checked this by gripping the tablet with just the tips of our thumbs and index fingers during the tests. Having inspected the sample clips we sent it, ASUS told us this phenomenon was more to do with the external mic's audio path via HDMI when in tablet mode. So, by design, the audio quality would be a bit different, and it seems there's nothing that ASUS could do here. Software Considering ASUS already released three iterations of Transformer Pads that are now running Ice Cream Sandwich, we naturally have high expectations when it comes to the PadFone's software features and performance. Luckily, the company's preserved many of its goodies here: the overall look and feel are very much in line with Google's vanilla skin. You'll only see ASUS' customization straight away in the notification panel (in both tablet mode and phone mode), widgets and the extra "Pad only" tab in the app tray -- shameless plug but this is where you'll also spot our Distro magazine app once installed. As with the Transformer Pads, you can revert to the original notification panel under "ASUS Customized Setting" in Settings; but we actually much prefer the beefed up version. Here, you have a row of quick access buttons for auto-rotate screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, vibrate, auto sync, GPS, airplane mode and WiFi hotspot, followed by a screen brightness slider with buttons for toggling outdoor mode (née Super IPS mode à la Transformer Prime) and auto brightness. Gone are the buttons for switching system performance modes (performance mode, balanced mode and power saving mode), but they are still accessible in Settings. Another nice, but subtle, enhancement by ASUS lies in the dialer: again, the essence of the vanilla skin is here to stay, only to be garnished by the popular T9 smart dialing feature that somehow never made it to the Galaxy Nexus. Oh, and in phone mode, ASUS has managed to slip in the recent callers list underneath the lightly condensed dialpad as well, thus part of the list is conveniently displayed above the retractable dialpad. Of course, the PadFone's main selling point when it comes to software is the Dynamic Switching feature, where apps are supposed to switch between their phone interface and tablet interface upon docking or undocking the phone. Sadly, we regret to say that this isn't quite as ready as anticipated. With the Android build (IML74K.CHT_PadFone-9.18.8.2_CHT_9.0.33-0) shipped with our retail unit, only the handful of pre-loaded apps got Dynamic Switching working: People, Messaging, Dialer, Camera, Browser, Calendar, Supernote, Clock, Email, File Manager, Gallery and Video Player. This list may seem to have the basics covered and it's easy to impress your friends with the seamless video playback in the default video player, but trust us, this is far from sufficient when you consider how all other apps slap you in the face with this painful message: "Application does not support dynamic display switching and has been closed." The black list includes pretty much all Google services (e.g., Maps, Gmail, Play services, Movie Studio and YouTube); some of the pre-loaded apps like Garmin and WebStorage; popular downloads such as Facebook, Twitter and Angry Birds, and our very own Engadget app as well. Just to rub salt in the wound, the recent apps list is wiped clean every time Dynamic Switching is attempted, regardless of the outcome. So whatever you're doing, you must always make sure you save your work before tinkering with Dynamic Switching -- we had already managed to lose a draft in Gmail back in the early days. Good thing it wasn't an essay.
Given the supposedly tight relationship between ASUS and Google, we were surprised by the severe incompatibility with Google services, so our assumption is that ASUS had to rush this product out ahead of Computex. On the bright side, ASUS told us this is something it's constantly honing, so here's hoping the OTA update coming this month adds more apps to the list. We also asked ASUS who to contact for support should a developer wish to ensure Dynamic Switching compatibility, but the response we got was rather odd: apparently its local sales reps, not a dev support team, will be handling this. While exploring Dynamic Switching, we were initially baffled that the phone interface and the tablet interface can't share the same wallpaper. You'll have to set this manually if you're picky (although we're pretty sure many people would rather have two options instead of one). ASUS says this is due to the two different resolutions and having to take portrait and landscape modes into consideration. It's hard to offer an automatic solution and keep the picture quality well-controlled at the same time, plus the company wants to stress the fact that you can run two totally different UIs in one system here. We guess that's a fair point, and at the end of the day, you can't share the same icon layout between the homescreens of the two interfaces anyway. Fans of Transformer Pads should be familiar with most of the widgets on the PadFone, namely MyZine, battery, task manager, weather and WebStorage. With the exception of MyZine, all of these are available in phone mode. There are also a few new widgets here, with the pad-only PadFone Station Utility letting you toggle settings for charging (intelligent mode or charging pack mode), inbox check frequency, incoming call action (retrieve to answer or retrieve and select action) and preferred answering mode (Bluetooth headset or speaker). Again, these are also accessible under "ASUS Customized Setting" in the Settings menu. You'll also find a healthy set of preloaded apps on the PadFone. With the exception of the Hami utilities from Emome.net (a Taiwanese portal operated by local partner carrier Chunghwa Telecom), most of these should come in handy for those living outside Taiwan. Starting off with the oldies from the Eee Pads, we have App Locker, WebStorage, SplashTop Remote (under MyCloud), asus@vibe, File Manager, SuperNote, Polaris Office and Garmin StreetPilot. This has productivity, navigation and entertainment covered, so not a bad package at all. Then there's the phone-only FM Radio as well as the new Watch Calendar, the latter offering a cool and surprisingly tidy clock-style layout for your daily agenda. While the asus@vibe hub offers a selection of channels for streaming and purchasing multimedia content, the PadFone lacks powerful multimedia apps to support more formats or to offer a more intelligent service. For music, the device only supports MP3, WMA, AAC and AAC+ out of the box. You also have Android's native Play Music which does a fine job (despite the incompatibility with Dynamic Switching), but you'll have to look elsewhere if you want smart features like the Music Square auto-playlist tool on the Galaxy S III. Video support is more of a worry: the spec sheet lists just MPEG4, H.264, H.263 and WMV HD 1080p as compatible formats, so we've had to rely on third party apps to get AVI and MKV support which don't always work well. And even so, these apps lack Dynamic Switching support. We don't mind if the phone comes with a relatively basic music player, but for a device that's often been shown doing seamless video playback while switching screens, we were seriously hoping for a robust video player that'd handle all the formats you can think of. A DivX certification and some tweaking should be all that ASUS needs in order to turn the PadFone into the ultimate multimedia hub that'd make your neighbors jealous. Wrap-up More InfoWhile it may seem like we moan a lot about the PadFone in its current state, we do it only out of love. To put it simply, we're all over ASUS' vision of making the smartphone the literal center of our lives, but the company can do so much more: what we see here is just the core of the idea, the foundation to get things started, while the rest of the product seems half-finished and doesn't yet realize its full potential. On the other hand, you have to start somewhere, and a product like this will surely inspire many to take advantage of this hybrid form factor, be it consumers, developers or even manufacturers. Focusing on the PadFone that's already on the market, we can't help but feel ASUS really just wanted to get it out of the way ahead of Computex, and then rely on OTA updates to beef up the device. This is okay as long as ASUS keeps up its pace, and looking at its track record of updating the Transformer series, we're confident that the fixes will be delivered in good time. Leaving the software bugs aside, at this point it's hard to tell whether the PadFone will appeal to the masses who are spoiled by multi-device options, or those who think the glass is half empty -- as in the tablet is useless without the phone. But then again, the off-contract price for the full package is already very competitive, let alone the subsidized offers from carriers. Ultimately, not only does Android need to become even more productive, but the PadFone also needs to shave off some weight. We guess it'll follow the same path as the first Transformer and evolve into a slimmer model, and you have to remember how fast Jonney Shih came back with the Transformer Prime after the TF101's launch in the same year. What we want ASUS to do now is cuddle up to Google and sort out Dynamic Switching for everyone, as well as come up with even more applications and ideas that will truly push its transforming Android devices to a more significant role in our everyday lives. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amped Wireless caps off its new range with a dual-band repeater Posted: 12 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Anyone keeping track of Amped Wireless' new range of dual-band products might have spotted that repeater-shaped hole in the team. It should come as no surprise that the company is now unveiling its SR20000G repeater, capable of extending your wireless network by a further 10,000 square feet. Built with the same five Ethernet jacks and USB 2.0 port for file sharing that we saw on its brother, it'll set you back $180 when it arrives later this month. AMPED WIRELESS UNVEILS THE INDUSTRYS MOST POWERFUL DUAL BAND WI-FI REPEATER TO EXTEND RANGE UP TO 10,000 SQ FT New Long-Range, High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Wi-Fi Repeater Chino Hills, CA – June 12, 2012 – Amped Wireless, the leading manufacturer of high-power, long-range wireless communications products for the home and office, today introduced the SR20000G High Power Wireless-N Gigabit Dual Band Repeater, the Company's new flagship, high-performance, long range Wi-Fi repeater. This new universal range extender allows a wireless network to be expanded by repeating, amplifying and rebroadcasting the signal from any existing wireless router. "Building materials and other electronic devices can all interfere with a wireless signal, distorting it and limiting its range," stated Jason Owen, CEO at Amped Wireless. "By adding the SR20000G High Power, Wireless-N Gigabit Dual Band Repeater to your network, you are ensuring strong coverage through a home or workplace while allowing wireless devices roam and keep their connectivity. This product is a must have if you are looking for a high performance signal boost and additional range for your connected TV, game console, tablet or smart phone." Designed specifically to meet the needs of the small business, office, and home office networking requirements, the SR20000G introduces a number of industry firsts, including: The first repeater to include 5 gigabit networking ports for connecting PCs, A/V devices and game consoles at full speed The first repeater to include USB port for sharing files over the local or extended networks The first repeater to deliver long range, dual band speed of up to 600Mbpsfor smooth streaming of video, music and uninterrupted gaming across a number of devices, including: Game Consoles, iPads, Internet TVs, Notebooks, PC, Smart Phones, Tablets, VoIP devices and more. The SR20000G is universal and extends the range of any 802.11a/b/g/n, single or dual band router. Equipped with high power dual band amplifiers, low noise amplifiers and high gain antennas, the SR20000G is capable of extending simultaneous dual band Wi-Fi coverage by up to 10,000 square feet or a quarter of an acre. Built upon the Company's award-winning Wi-Fi technology, the SR20000G is engineered with the latest state-of-the-art wireless features which includes: Dual high power 2.4Ghz 600mW amplifiers, dual high power 5.0GHz amplifiers and dual low noise amplifiers for improving wireless reception Dual High Gain 5dBi detachable dual band antennas High speed 620MHz internal processor for faster networking Simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz dual band 802.11n technology The combination of advanced power amplifiers, wireless reception amplifiers and high gain antennas, provide users with a significant increase in signal strength over great distances to improve home or office Wi-Fi coverage. The high power repeater includes premium features such as, guest networks, adjustable Wi-Fi coverage controls, user access controls and support for the latest Wi-Fi security to secure your Wi-Fi experience. All Amped Wireless products include industry leading, US based, in-house Elite Support, provided by Amped Concierges and the Wi-Fi Analytics App to assist users in optimizing Wi-Fi networks. In addition, the SR20000G is eligible for Amped Wireless' Range Increase Guarantee Program. For more information, please visit: http://www.ampedwireless.com/ Pricing and Availability It will be available via retailers online and in-store nationwide by mid June 2012. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HTC decides to buy S3 after all, keeps it on ice for future patent wars Posted: 12 Jun 2012 08:40 AM PDT HTC was exhibiting more than a bit of buyer's remorse after its acquisition of S3 Graphics went off the rails: it had used the $300 million deal to scoop up a company with a victory over Apple in a patent dispute at the ITC, only to see that decision reversed and its dreams crumble. S3 will be glad to know that HTC wants the shotgun wedding to last. The One X creator's general counsel, Grace Lei, is now promising that the buyout will wrap up at some point in the near future after "cautious assessment" of its worth. The union won't help HTC fend off escalating Apple assaults, but the 270 patents may make other companies think twice before starting a feud -- oh, and give HTC some graphics technology to improve its products. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HTC confirms One S with 1.7GHz Snapdragon S3 being sold 'in select markets' Posted: 12 Jun 2012 08:22 AM PDT Confirming the news that HTC's One S had arrived in the mother land of Taiwan toting a higher-clocked (but older) Snapdragon processor, the company has added where this rejigged device is headed -- at least broadly. While the US, UK, Japan, Korean, France and Germany have been enjoying the high-performance thrills of a dual-core Snapdragon S4, according to The Verge, the S3 variant will launch across Asia-Pacific regions and some (as-yet unspecified) European markets. HTC will, however, be marking out which sort of processing hardware's inside the two models -- if it's got a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, you've got the Snapdragon S3, if it's 1.5GHz then you have the newer S4. The company is also working to claim more of Qualcomm's latest mobile processor for the One S roll-out, but we'd advise checking the spec sheet before you take the plunge in the aforementioned regions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Engadget Giveaway: win a Samsung Galaxy S III (I9300), courtesy of Bubbly! Posted: 12 Jun 2012 08:01 AM PDT Now here's a giveaway we know you'll really like: an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III (aka GT-I9300)! The Korean giant's latest flagship is the talk of the Android community right now, so of course you're going to want to make it your daily driver. Thanks to Bubble Motion, the developer behind Bubbly, you now have that chance. Bubbly is a "voice social network," which means you can create and share short voice updates with followers -- sort of like a Twitter for soundbytes. It's free to sign up, and it's available on Android and iOS. Intrigued? Head to the links below to grab the app! With this particular contest, there's just one additional rule: when you leave a comment, be sure to tell us what celebrity you'd most like to hear voice status updates from. Good luck! The rules:
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| Samsung Galaxy S III coming to C Spire 'later this year' Posted: 12 Jun 2012 07:50 AM PDT Samsung Galaxy S III Coming Soon On Nation's First Personalized Network Iconic 4G LTE smartphone design and premium content sharing experience will be combined with C Spire Wireless' exclusive suite of personalized services Ridgeland, Miss. (June 12, 2012) – C Spire Wireless announced plans today to introduce the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S® III, optimized for peak performance on the nation's only personalized 4G LTE® network, later this year. Exact pricing and retail availability will be announced in the coming weeks. "We're excited that the Galaxy S III will be among the first 4G LTE devices launched on the nation's only personalized network optimized for the next generation of high-speed data services," said Kevin Hankins, chief operating officer for C Spire Wireless. The company's initial launch of 4G LTE mobile broadband services in 20 Mississippi markets beginning in September will cover 2,700 square miles, a population of 1.2 million and more than 360 cell sites. The new service will provide four out of every 10 consumers and businesses in Mississippi with wireless data speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G, allowing C Spire to be the first provider to make these services widely available in the state. Powerful Performance The lightweight and powerful Samsung Galaxy S III weighs 4.7 ounces and is 8.6 millimeters thin, making it lighter and sleeker than other leading smartphones. The brilliant 4.8 inch display extends to an ultra-thin bezel to maximize the viewing area. The Galaxy S III delivers impressive processing power to allow more applications to be accessible simultaneously. The Galaxy S III includes Android™ 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with TouchWiz enhancements, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5 GHz dual core CPU and 2GB of internal RAM to provide high-speed performance enabling efficient and seamless multi-tasking. The dual-core processor offers competitive speeds and performance as leading quad-core processors without sacrificing valuable battery life. The brilliant 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED™ touchscreen display brings content to life, without compromising the device's true portability. The expansive display is protected by Gorilla Glass® 2.0 to guard against cracks and scratches and provide enhanced touchscreen responsiveness. The device, which comes in Marble White and Pebble Blue, is powered by a removable 2100 mAh battery for extended use on a single charge. Users can store large libraries of photos, videos and music onboard the Galaxy S III with expandable memory up to 64GB to compliment the standard 16GB onboard storage. Sharing Made Simple Hankins said Samsung has introduced several new elements of technological innovation and device sharing capabilities on the Galaxy S III. "This device goes far beyond content consumption to content sharing," he said, adding that Samsung simplifies how users share content and control their device with a single touch, through enhanced gesture technology or the simple eye movements. The content sharing experience on the Galaxy S III addresses the sharing needs of consumers, whether it's sharing and editing a presentation with a large group in real-time, sending digital images to several other smartphones at the same time or transferring large files within seconds from one phone to another. Further, these sharing experiences are simple and require little, if any, set-up. Sharing With Multiple Devices The Galaxy S III introduces the next evolution of Samsung's content sharing service with AllShare® Play. This service automatically notifies the Galaxy S III to Samsung HDTVs, mobile tablets, laptops and other consumer electronic devices on the same network that are ready to receive video files. Users can also remotely access files from devices on other networks. Sharing with Groups With AllShare Group Cast on the Galaxy S III and a Wi-Fi network, users can share and collaborate on documents, presentations or images in real-time with multiple friends or co-workers' without loading the file separately. Sharing Smartphone to Smartphone S-Beam is an industry first, providing fast, easy transfer of large files, such as videos and documents, with a single touch of the Galaxy S III without needing a Wi-Fi connection or cell signal. A 1GB movie file can be shared as quickly as three minutes and a 10MB music file can be transferred in seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone. Smartphone Simplicity The S-Voice™ feature on the Galaxy S III offers much more than just asking and answering questions. S-Voice allows users to control the applications and services used most with words instead of touch. Use S-Voice to turn the volume up or down on the music player, answer or reject incoming calls, shut off or choose to snooze the alarm clock, or take a picture by saying "smile" or "cheese." Samsung Galaxy S III and other C Spire devices and services, go to www.cspire.com. For more information about C Spire's 4G LTE plans, go to www.cspire.com/4G. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NASA opens up Launch Control Center for public tours Posted: 12 Jun 2012 07:42 AM PDT The NASA control center, responsible for a huge chunk of space-faring history, will open its doors to tour groups for the first time in over 30 years, celebrating the Kennedy Space Center's 50th anniversary. Starting this Friday, a "limited number" of tours will take bright-eyed enthusiasts into the Launch Control Center, where all 152 launches were counted down -- visitors will even get to peer at the very same clock. NASA has also granted access to the "bubble room", which is surrounded by windows showing what went on in the firing room just below. The daily tour also throws in a drive-by viewing of one of the shuttle launch pads. The tours will run through the end of 2012 -- adults will need to fork out an extra $25, while kids will cost $19 on top of the typical entrance fee. [Image Credit: Britannica Online, 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sanho HyperJuice Plug solves the multiple iPad owner's power conundrum Posted: 12 Jun 2012 07:21 AM PDT One for fun, the other for work? If that's how you roll with your iPads, then you might be well trained in the art of battery juggling. If, however, you're not, or you just like to keep things tip-top at all times, then makers of fine accessories, Sanho, have the product for you. The company claims the HyperJuice Plug is the world's first 15,600 mAh portable battery pack that can recharge a brace of iPads at the same time -- complete with retractable wall plug for convenience. It's not just Apple's slates, of course, with pretty much all USB gadgets being able to mainline the 15 watts (sharable over two ports) of juice. The HyperJuice Plug launched this week at the Singapore PC show, and lands in six "juicy" colors, yours from an equally juiced up $129. Sanho Unveils HyperJuice Plug – The World's First 15,600mAh Portable Battery Pack That Can Charge Two iPads Simultaneously. Features Retractable Wall Plug For Easy Recharging. Fremont, CA based Sanho Corporation, creators of the "Hyper" Compatibility will not be an issue, as users of Apple, Android, most tablets, smartphones, "HyperJuice Plug's innovation lies in its ability to actively distribute its 15W power across An iPhone/smartphone will always get 5W of power and an iPad/tablet will always get A built-in retractable wall plugs allow for convenient recharging without the need to carry In addition to the 15,600mAh HyperJuice Plug, a smaller 10,400mAh HyperJuice Plug Specifications Model: P15 Model: P10 Price and Availability The HyperJuice Plug 10,400mAh and 15,600mAh come with an aluminum battery | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Engadget HD Podcast 303 - 06.12.2012 Posted: 12 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT 00:09:05 - Apple announces first Retina display in a MacBook, 220ppi with 2880 x 1800 resolution Hear the podcast This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amazon Cloud Player app arrives on iPhone and iPod Touch Posted: 12 Jun 2012 06:46 AM PDT Amazon has rolled out its Cloud Player to Apple's smaller screens, with both the iPhone and iPod able to play the full catalogue of music stored in your Cloud Drive. This time, it's a dedicated app, although it may mean re-purposing the music library you've already built up from Apple's own collection. You can't buy tracks from within the app just yet, but at least your iTunes-bought AAC tracks are transferable. There's unlimited storage available for anyone willing to pay up for a storage plans and for those less willing to pay, Amazon's willing to offer up 5GB of storage gratis. Hit up the source to download, then upload, then listen. Amazon Cloud Player App Now Available for iPhone & iPod touch SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ:AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced its Amazon Cloud Player App for iPhone and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. The app allows customers to stream or download music stored in Cloud Player to their iPhone or iPod touch, play music that is already stored on their device, and manage or create playlists. "Customers tell us that they want access to all of their music, wherever they are, and on all of the devices they use" "Customers tell us that they want access to all of their music, wherever they are, and on all of the devices they use," said Steve Boom, Vice President of Digital Music for Amazon. "By bringing Cloud Player to iPhone and iPod touch, we now have the most widely compatible cloud playback solution available, giving our customers the ability to buy once and enjoy their music everywhere." Customers using the Amazon Cloud Player App can stream, download, and manage their music in the cloud, eliminating the need to download files before playing them. With this new app, customers have full access to their Cloud Player music libraries and also can seamlessly add playlists that are currently on their iPhone or iPod touch. All Amazon customers automatically start with 5 GB of free storage to begin uploading their digital music library to Cloud Player, and for a limited time, those who purchase any storage plan will receive unlimited space for MP3 and AAC (.m4a) music files at no additional cost. The Amazon Cloud Player App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Naver's Skype rival Line arrives on Windows Phone Posted: 12 Jun 2012 06:23 AM PDT Japanese Skype rival Line is branching out from its iPhone and Android garden to visit Windows Phone. Whilst the app will initially arrive with free calls disabled, the company has promised to rectify that issue in the near future. Still, WP7 users can enjoy all of that free messaging as soon as they've downloaded the app, available at our source link. NHN Japan Releases New Windows (R) Phone Version of LINE, Free-Calling and Free-Messaging App TOKYO, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NHN Japan Corporation announced on June 12 the release of the Windows (R) Phone version of LINE, its free-calling and free-messaging app. Using "Metro UI" featuring an intuitive design allowing for greater operability, NHN Japan is strengthening the cross-platform integration of its services. LINE is a smartphone app which allows users to enjoy free calls and messages to one another, both nationally and internationally, regardless of which mobile network provider they are using. It is currently used in over 230 countries with the total number of active users exceeding 40 million worldwide (18 million in Japan). This new version makes use of the unique Windows (R) Phone user-interface system, Metro UI, which increases user friendliness and promotes stress-free communication by arranging text for increased clarity, as well as introducing sideways menu scrolling for ease of access, a distinctive characteristic of Windows (R) Phone. Although the release of this version will feature the all-important messaging function, it will not include the free-calling function. NHN Japan plans to add this function in the near future. The Windows (R) Phone version is seen as a welcome addition to the current versions of LINE which are available on iPhone, Android, feature-phones and PCs as well as a browser version for smart-tablets. NHN Japan hopes to increase the strength of its mobile messenger service by making it available across all platforms and devices. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 12 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT After furnishing its latest machines with fresh Ivy Bridge processors, Velocity Micro has decided to tend to its high-performance gaming machines. The desktop's Overdrive BigBlock GTX promises to be "the new benchmark for extreme speed and luxury." It reckons it accomplishes this with a Core i7 3960X processor, "hyperclocked" to 4.6GHz, 32GB of quad-channel memory, three (yes, three) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 graphics cards in Tri-SLI and two SSDs backed up with a weighty 2TB hard drive. The machines will also get treated to a splash of sports car-style paint, aiming to mirror the likes of Ferrari and BMW. Naturally, all that top-drawer tech corresponds to a similarly top-drawer price tag. The gaming rigs start from $8,000, which helps soften the blow of another recent product launch. Velocity Micro Relaunches Overdrive PC Brand
Overdrive BigBlock.GTX Becomes the Premium Option in Velocity Micro's Line of Ultra-Performance Gaming Desktops
Richmond, VA - June 12, 2012 -Velocity Micro®, the premier builder of award winning enthusiast desktops, laptops, peripherals, and the remarkable line of Cruz™ tablets announces the relaunch of the Overdrive PC™ brand with the Overdrive BigBlock.GTX. Powered by only the very latest and most powerful pre-qualified parts, the Overdrive BigBlock.GTX is the new benchmark for extreme speed and luxury in a desktop PC, continuing an ultra-performance desktop legacy that dates back to 2003. With the relaunch of Overdrive PC, Velocity Micro has the most appealing extreme performance desktop option on the market-one of the most powerful, benchmark crushing gaming PCs that money can buy, supported by Velocity Micro's US-based customer care.
"We're always looking for new ways to revolutionize the desktop PC through our meticulous engineering to create a truly mind blowing customer experience. With the Overdrive brand, we're able to continue to push that envelope," said Randy Copeland, President and CEO of Velocity Micro. "By giving our customers this extreme luxury option, the new Overdrive PC rounds out our line of ultra-performance desktops perfectly."
Acquired by Velocity Micro in 2007, Overdrive PC has always represented the pinnacle of desktop performance, pillared by Hyperclocking, a trademarked form of overclocking that yields faster clock speeds and unparalleled reliability at lower thermals than traditional methods. Along with a six-core Intel® Core® i7 3960X Extreme Edition Processor Hyperclocked™ to 4.6GHz, the Overdrive BigBlock.GTX features include:
· Asus® Rampage IV Extreme motherboard · 1500W Power Supply · 32GB Quad Channel Premium Memory · 3 x NVIDIA® Geforce® GTX 680 Graphics in Tri-SLI · 2 x Intel® 520 Series 240GB SSD · 2TB Storage Hard Drive · Windows® 7 Ultimate · 100% aluminum chassis with custom fans · Automotive quality paint options mirroring premier sports cars from Bugatti®, Ferrari®, and BMW® · Lifetime US-based phone support For more information on the Overdrive PC legacy or to purchase a custom configured, expertly tuned Overdrive PC system, visit http://www.Velocitymicro.com/opc.php. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dell Vostro line gets Ivy Bridge CPUs, optional 4G LTE Posted: 12 Jun 2012 06:00 AM PDT Dell's Vostro line of entry-level business notebooks is next up to receive the good 'ol Ivy Bridge update. Today the company is announcing the Vostro 3360, 3460 and 3560 laptops, in 13-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch sizes, respectively. All models will be configurable with either second- (Core i3) or third-gen (Core i5 or Core i7) Intel CPUs along with several graphics options and up to 8GB of RAM. And let's not forget those business features: fingerprint readers, file and folder encryption and security software are available on all three models. The Vostro 3360 and 3460 will also offer optional 4G LTE mobile broadband. Getting more specific, the $649 Vostro 3360 measures 0.76 inches thick, weighs 3.67 pounds and comes standard with a 320GB hard drive spinning at 7,200RPM (a 750GB configuration and an optional 32GB SSD are also available). Starting at $599, the 4.92-pound Vostro 3460 comes with the same processor options and is available with NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M graphics and up to a 7,200RPM, 750GB hard drive coupled with a 32GB SSD. Unlike the 3360, the 14-incher comes with a backlit keyboard and includes an optical drive. Lastly, there's the 15-inch, 5.75-pound Vostro 3560, which can be configured with AMD Radeon HD 7670M graphics and a 1920 x 1080 display (you get the same storage options as the 3460, along with the same backlit keyboard and optical drive). The Vostro 3560 is currently on sale for $599 on Dell's website, while the 3360 and 3460 will be available on June 21st. Head past the break for more photos and the full press release. Growing Businesses Thrive with Dell Vostro Laptops and Dedicated Services · Dell's latest Vostro laptops deliver portability, value and performance to style-savvy professionals · Dell services and support help businesses with little to no IT support prosper in competitive environments Designed for professionals in search of power, portability, and value, the new Vostro laptops offer three elegant sizes – 13-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch, and three colors – Aberdeen Silver, Brisbane Bronze and Lucerne Red. The laptops are available with options such as the latest Intel 3rd generation processors that enable professionals to breeze through their intensive day-to-day tasks, while 6-cell batteries on the 3460 and 3560 (4-cell battery on the 3360) enable hours of mobile productivity. Comprehensive wireless connectivity and collaboration solutions such as an HD web cam and microphone, Waves MaxxVoice Pro, Bluetooth 4.0 and optional 4G LTE mobile broadband (Vostro 3360 & 3460) with Dell NetReady mobile broadband service allow customers to stay connected anywhere, at any time. An increasingly mobile workforce has made it a requirement for growing businesses to depend on reliable, secure and simple to use technology with little or no maintenance. The Vostro line delivers dependable, worry-free business security and services allowing customers to concentrate on succeeding with their business without focusing on their IT. The Vostro 3560 laptop is available now on Dell.com, starting at $599. The Vostro 3360 (starting at $649) and Vostro 3460 (starting at $599) will be available from June 21st on Dell.com. Zach Honig contributed to this report. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 12 Jun 2012 05:37 AM PDT Verizon has been promising shared data plans for awhile, so it's with some relief (and trepidation) we can say they're here. Share Everything, as it's called, starts off with the assumption you'll want unlimited voice and messages and then bolts on shared data along with a maximum of 10 individual devices: a core plan starts at $50 per month for 1GB of data and requires that you tack on $40 a month for every smartphone, $30 for basic phones, $20 for hotspots and $10 for tablets. Of course, Verizon will gladly let you pay for more data if your family loves to stream Netflix on 4G all day, up to $100 for a common pool of 10GB. A stiff price, but it also includes tethering or hotspot creation support on any device in the mix. The new plans will be ready to tempt you away from your unlimited data on June 28th. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Columbia announces Omni-Freeze ZERO, sports gear that cools you down the hotter you get (video) Posted: 12 Jun 2012 05:06 AM PDT Columbia is announcing the Omni-Freeze ZERO, a range of sports gear that cools you the more you sweat. Blue rings of cooling polymer cover the garments, which swell when exposed to moisture -- letting air pass around you as if you had goosebumps. Unlike typical compression garments, which wick the sweat away from you, this puts your natural resources to good use, so much so that the company believes it's cooler than taking your top off entirely. The futuristic gear will also turn up in a new range of footwear, but before you can get too excited, there's a catch; it isn't due to hit stores until next year, so you've still got a few months of getting sweaty.
Columbia Sportswear Previews Omni-Freeze® ZERO New and unique visual apparel cooling technology to be released to consumers in Spring 2013 and to select athletes much sooner PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Columbia Sportswear, a global leader in active outdoor apparel, footwear and accessories, today announced the upcoming Spring 2013 availability of Omni-Freeze ZERO, the company's latest groundbreaking apparel technology. "Historically, outdoor and athletic brands have looked at sweating as a problem...something to be wicked away with so-called 'technical,' decades-old polyester fabrics" Omni-Freeze ZERO is the culmination of a four-year effort to develop a new, revolutionary line of apparel that becomes cooler in hot, moist conditions. Distinctive little blue rings, embedded and visible in the fabric of Omni-Freeze ZERO apparel and footwear, contain a special cooling polymer. When exposed to sweat or moisture, these rings actually swell (similar to goose bumps) creating an instant and prolonged cooling sensation. "Historically, outdoor and athletic brands have looked at sweating as a problem...something to be wicked away with so-called 'technical,' decades-old polyester fabrics," said Mick McCormick, executive vice president. "Omni-Freeze ZERO is an entirely new approach, and unlike anything the industry has ever seen. We see sweat as a renewable resource that will allow athletes, outdoor enthusiasts or anyone that spends time in hot, humid conditions to sweat smarter, staying more comfortable." Columbia will release the new technology to consumers in the spring of 2013. Omni-Freeze ZERO will be integrated across a line of 40 styles that will include men's and women's shirts, performance layers, headwear, sleeves and other accessories. Columbia will also add Omni-Freeze ZERO to its Powerdrain footwear models to keep the shoes cool in hot weather. The full line is designed to keep consumers and athletes comfortable from head to toe, even as temperature records continue to rise. Omni-Freeze ZERO is the latest in a string of new technologies developed by Columbia's Performance Innovation Team (PIT). The PIT is the research and innovation division of Columbia Sportswear Company tasked with developing revolutionary consumer solutions for the company's entire brand portfolio, which includes Columbia, Sorel, Mountain Hardwear, and Montrail. "We see Omni-Freeze ZERO as a real game changer in terms of how people think about performance and comfort in hot weather," said Woody Blackford, vice president of innovation and head of the Performance Innovation Team. "In general, people remove clothing layers to stay cool, but sponsored athletes using Omni-Freeze ZERO have noted that in hot, humid conditions, this is the first technology that feels cooler and more comfortable than wearing nothing at all. We're continuing to test the properties of this new technology in our lab and are sponsoring independent laboratory research." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nike+ Basketball and Training slamdunk the FCC, jog one step closer towards availability Posted: 12 Jun 2012 04:43 AM PDT It was back in the cold, cruel darkness of February -- when physical exertion was far from our mind -- that we learned about Nike+'s Basketball and Training experiences. Now, in the warm glow of early summer, here they are, limbering up at the FCC. So, it might be a little too late for you to inject a little tech-spice into your college season, but you'll have all year to train up for the next one. Either way, looks like Nike is going to cross the line in plenty of time for that June 29th release date. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Facebook Camera app gets renamed Camera•, punctuation shortcuts get relearned Posted: 12 Jun 2012 04:23 AM PDT Following the news that Apple and Facebook are cosying up together, the social network has decided to tweak its own iOS camera app to avoid any mix-ups. Unfortunately, it involves the inclusion of an awkward bullet point. The update, which re-labels the app, also increases the chances of upload success and (oddly) improves the app's performance "when location services are turned off." Hit up the source for the download -- where it's still hanging out under its old moniker. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spotify Android update hits Google Play today, brings Last.fm scrobbling with it Posted: 12 Jun 2012 04:00 AM PDT Remember that Android Spotify app we saw way back in April? After a couple of months, it seems that the music streaming service finally has a version for those who appreciate the more stable things in life. The new Android app is available today, bringing with it a complete redesign, full support for Ice Cream Sandwich, added social functionality, cross-fade and gapless playback, hi-res album art and streaming at 320kps. Improvements over the beta version include a widget to control playback from the home screen, folder support and Last.fm scrobbling. Spotify's offering the fairly noncommittal, "we reckon this might be our best mobile app yet." You can find out for yourself by downloading it from Google Play today.
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| Retina Display MacBook Pro lacks IR sensor, is Apple offing the remote? Posted: 12 Jun 2012 03:43 AM PDT It appears that Apple is ditching the remote control on the latest retina-display MacBook Pro. Our side-by-side comparisons yesterday revealed the new hardware doesn't have an infra-red receiver. The news compelled a reader to contact Apple's support service, which apparently confirmed that the accessory won't work on the new laptop. We'll keep you updated when we know more. [Thanks, Robert] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leaked Sprint slides reveal Touch Wallet NFC app, Google Wallet eyes the door Posted: 12 Jun 2012 03:30 AM PDT Sprint is reportedly developing its own wallet app to rival that of Google Wallet, slides leaked to Android Central reveal. Entering a four-digit code opens your handset to make payments, while tapping an NFC reader will let you directly access your credit cards. Loyalty options are also included, with logos for Starbucks, Macy's and Barnes & Noble amongst others on the slides -- although it's unclear if there's an official partnership or we're looking at placeholder images. Given that Sprint is the only carrier that uses Mountain View's digital payments system, we can't see the move going down well the next time the pair go out for dinner. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AnandTech takes a long hard look at the MacBook Pro Retina Display Posted: 12 Jun 2012 03:09 AM PDT Not quite fully sated with the latest Apple updates from this year's WWDC? Without doubt, one of the most anticipated goodies to come from the keynote yesterday was the introduction of the MacBook Pro into the Retina Display-fold. We'll, of course, be giving all the new hardware our own thorough shakedown, but in the meantime, AnandTech has given that new display a detailed dissection. In summary: excellent brightness and solid black-levels fend off the glare, apps look amazing, upscaling will cover you in the meantime. For the full nitty-gritty though, number by number, be sure to hit up the source. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Samsung Galaxy Note with T-Mobile-ready 3G swings by the FCC (update: demo units?) Posted: 12 Jun 2012 02:37 AM PDT A T-Mobile-capable version of the Samsung Galaxy Note has been floating around in pictures, but official evidence has been hard to come by. Imagine our surprise when it saunters by the FCC with few disguises: going under a hinted-at SGH-T879 codename, the giant smartphone has passed through the agency with the needed 1,700MHz HSPA band for T-Mobile 3G while also supporting 850MHz and 1,900MHz 3G in the same breath. The wireless support leaves the possibility that the unit we're seeing here is for 1,700MHz Canadian carriers like Mobilicity or Wind Mobile, but earlier photos of T-Mobile branding and a browser user agent profile allude to the American provider having at least toyed with the idea of a Galaxy Note on its network. Fans of supersized phones have reason to cheer, then, although we have doubts revolving mostly around the T879's absence on a leaked roadmap for mid-2012 and the lateness of the arrival. It might be hard for T-Mobile to steer customers to a 2011-era Samsung phone when the Galaxy S III is on the doorstep. Update: Some more fuel for the fire: an inventory sheet reportedly leaked to TmoNews has more explicitly made the link between the T879 name and the Galaxy Note along with suggesting that demo units are in the queue. Although we wouldn't count on the rumored July 11th release being solid, there's enough to suggest T-Mobile is serious about getting its first phablet. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kodak plans to sell off digital imaging patents Posted: 12 Jun 2012 02:11 AM PDT Kodak has filed proceedings to enable the bankrupt company to sell off its digital imaging patents. With a looming June 30th deadline in its lending agreement, the fallen camera maker is petitioning the court to approve a closed bids auction at a hearing on July 2nd. The company has broken the haul into two portfolios, one surrounding digital camera technology and the other concerning image analysis, manipulation and tagging. It's been pitching the pair around to various interested parties for the past year, with 20 companies reportedly registering an interest. If all is approved, the auction will be held in early August, with the winning bidder to be informed on the 13th of the month. The only question now is to wonder which industry values the portfolio more: the camera guys, or the cellphone guys. [Image Credit: MercerFilm] Kodak Files Motion for Competitive Auction of Digital Imaging Patents Sale Process Allows Confidential Bids Bidding Procedures Filed Ahead of Schedule ROCHESTER, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eastman Kodak Company today filed a motion seeking approval of bidding procedures for the prompt bankruptcy auction of its Digital Capture and Kodak Imaging Systems and Services (KISS) Patent Portfolios, comprising more than 1,100 patents that are integral to the capture, manipulation, and sharing of digital images. "The proposed structure of the auction is tailored to the special nature of the assets" Kodak's motion outlines a sale process that is open to all qualified bidders subject to the rules of the bidding procedures. No disclosure of the unsuccessful bidders will be made to other bidders or the public. Only the winning bidder and the amount of the successful bid will be announced publicly at the end of the auction. "The proposed structure of the auction is tailored to the special nature of the assets," said Timothy M. Lynch, Kodak Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Officer. "The bidding procedures are designed to allow bidders to give us their best offers without fear of showing their cards to competitors. In filing these proposed procedures in advance of the June 30 deadline in our lending agreement, we are moving ahead as quickly as possible with the process of monetizing our digital imaging patent portfolio." Over the past 12 months, Kodak's financial advisor, Lazard, has conducted an extensive marketing process for these assets. To date, 20 parties have signed confidentiality agreements and have been provided access to an electronic data room. Lynch noted that the two portfolios being sold have different characteristics and may interest different buyers. The Digital Capture Portfolio includes over 700 patents, covering key aspects of image capture, processing, and transmission technologies that are crucial to the design and operation of digital cameras and multi-function devices, including camera-enabled smartphones and tablets. The KISS Portfolio includes over 400 patents that cover technologies including image analysis, manipulation and tagging, and network-based services, including image storage, access, and fulfillment. Since 2001, Kodak has generated more than $3 billion from licensing its digital imaging portfolio to industry leaders, including Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Nokia, and is currently pursuing patent litigation against infringers that include Apple, RIM, and HTC. Kodak expects the motion to approve bidding procedures to be heard by the Court on July 2, the auction to be held in early August, and the winning bidder to be announced by August 13. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Slacker now streaming six ESPN stations, Radio and Deportes amongst them Posted: 12 Jun 2012 01:39 AM PDT Hot off the heels of making its way into those tiny Roku boxes, Slacker has struck yet another deal for your very own listening pleasure. The streaming service just announced it's now offering a total of six "live" stations from The Worldwide Leader in Sports, including ESPN Radio, Deportes, and regional ones such as New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. Naturally, the ESPN offerings will allow users to listen in on live events such as this year's NBA Finals and the ongoing Euro 2012 ESPN Radio and Slacker Launch Live ESPN Stations on Slacker Radio Slacker Now Offers National and Regional Live Programming and Sporting Events BRISTOL, CT / SAN DIEGO – June 11, 2012 – Slacker, Inc. today announced the availability of six new national, regional and Spanish language ESPN stations dedicated to live streaming of ESPN shows and sporting events. Slacker subscribers can now access the live ESPN content on the web at www.Slacker.com and through the free Slacker Radio application on all major smartphone platforms. The live ESPN Radio stations on Slacker include the ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes Radio networks, which stream sporting events and hosted programs, as well as four regional stations featuring programming for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. For the next 30 days, all six live ESPN stations will be available to all Slacker Radio listeners. After this period these stations will be available to all Slacker Radio Plus and Slacker Premium Radio subscribers. The previously released interactive ESPN Radio station will remain free and available to all Slacker listeners. "Giving sports fans the freedom to enjoy their favorite team and events when they're not in the stadium or in front of a television is very important to us," said Traug Keller, Senior Vice President, Production Business Divisions, ESPN, Inc. "Offering live ESPN Radio programming to sports fans through Slacker gives listeners an extremely flexible option for custom listening on-the-go." Upcoming programming includes: "ESPN Radio is the most well respected source in the nation for sports coverage," said Jonathan Sasse, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Slacker. "Adding live ESPN Radio programming to the Slacker lineup enhances the wide variety of content we're offering with customized listening for the sports fan, setting the Slacker Radio experience even further apart from anything else out there." In addition to live ESPN content, Slacker is also the first digital radio service to feature ESPN Radio in a personalized context, with up-to-the minute coverage of all major sporting events and top news stories on both a local and national level. The interactive ESPN Radio stations on Slacker offer access to content from multiple ESPN programs and platforms, including Mike and Mike in the Morning, SportsCenter, The Herd with Colin Cowherd and more. The complete Slacker Radio experience includes more than 200 expert-curated music stations, customizable programming from ABC News, comedy, custom artist-hosted showcase stations and leading music festival stations along with the ability for listeners to create their own personalized radio stations from a music catalog that is more than 10 times larger than Pandora. Slacker has three complementary service tiers, from the entirely free Slacker Basic Radio and the ad-free Slacker Radio Plus to the on-demand access of Slacker Premium Radio. Pricing and Availability | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VIA Technologies' $49 Android barebones PC available for pre-order, ships in July Posted: 12 Jun 2012 12:47 AM PDT VIA Technologies' small -- but not bite-sized -- Neo-ITX-based barebones Android PC is now up for pre-order. Folks willing to plunk down $49 now will be among the first to play with the APC's version of Gingerbread that's been modified for use with a mouse and keyboard. When can you expect the return on investment? Well, it's slated to ship in early July, meaning you'll get your hands on its 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 2GB of storage before the end of summer. [Thanks, Nikolas] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 Apple Design Awards showcase standout apps on iOS, OS X Posted: 12 Jun 2012 12:10 AM PDT While we tend to get caught up in keynote hoopla, Apple's WWDC event is about connecting with the third party developers of software for its various platforms and it highlighted a few with its annual Design Awards yesterday. While 2011's winners included standouts like Infinity Blade, selections for 2012 included high profile pics like the Paper sketchbook app for iPad, the game Limbo on OS X, National Geographic's National Parks iOS app and several others. Hit the source link to see all the winners including student projects daWindci and Little Star, along with descriptions of why they were picked. Unsurprisingly, tight integration with the various APIs and services Apple is pushing (plus a polished and widely appreciated user experience, of course) is the way to its heart -- worth keeping in mind for those hoping to be in the winner's circle for 2013. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max Payne Mobile hits Android June 14th, metes out justice on your Galaxy Tab Posted: 11 Jun 2012 11:45 PM PDT We'd been wondering where Rockstar Games' promised Android version of Max Payne Mobile had gone after missing its original April release window, but the company has at last narrowed down a release for its third-person revenge shooter on Google's OS. The game swings by Google Play on June 14th, although the nature of the platform means Rockstar is only vowing support for certain phones and tablets. You'll find the whole list at the source link, but it's safe to say that you'll want a higher-end Android device made during the past year by Acer, ASUS, HTC, LG, Medion, Motorola, Samsung, Sony or Toshiba. Thankfully, the $2.99 price will cover either form factor and gives you every excuse to take down Valkyr-peddling thugs on New York City's streets. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Apple releases Mountain Lion Preview 4 and iOS 6 for developers, iTunes 10.6.3 for everyone else Posted: 11 Jun 2012 10:07 PM PDT Looking to tame Apple's Mountain Lion? Step right up, Cupertino's latest build of OS X is ready for consumption -- assuming you're a registered developer, of course. Following WWDC's reveals and teases, Apple has released an updated preview of its desktop and mobile operating systems, serving up Mountain Lion Preview 4 and an iOS 6 beta to developers. The rest of us will have to console ourselves with iTunes 10.6.3, which adds support for the mobile and desktop OS' those fancy devs are getting their hands on. Don't worry, the updated music management software will be able to make full use of Mountain Lion next month, but you'll have to wait until this fall to sync with iOS 6. Hit the source link below to get your update. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mad Catz partnering with Microsoft Studios for Halo 4-branded headsets Posted: 11 Jun 2012 09:07 PM PDT Mad Catz® and Microsoft® Studios Sign Deal for Licensed Halo®4 Gaming Headsets New Headset Range Expected to Ship in Time for Holiday 2012 SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. ("Mad Catz") (NYSE MKT: MCZ) today that it has entered into an agreement with Microsoft Studios, to create Halo 4 branded Gaming Headsets to be released later this year. "Halo is one of the world's most popular video games and these new Halo branded headsets are sure to appeal to the passionate gamer who wants to maximize his or her Halo experience." Frank O'Connor, the Franchise Development Director at 343 Industries stated, "We've worked closely with TRITTON™ engineers and industrial designers to ensure compelling and appropriate technological and aesthetic designs that map closely to Halo's epic sci-fi universe." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seagate Backup Plus hard drive: one-click backup with a social twist Posted: 11 Jun 2012 09:00 PM PDT Quick: what's more important? Your entire My Documents directory, or your Facebook / Flickr galleries? The answer seems fairly obvious, but for those too proud to admit it, Seagate's got a new hard drive that'll delicately handle both. The outfit's latest line of 2.5-inch mobile HDDs goes by the name Backup Plus, aiming to give consumers one-click backup and the ability to save and share your content on Facebook and Flickr. They'll work interchangeably with both Windows and Mac platforms, and they ship with a new Seagate Dashboard interface that makes all of that "one-click magic" possible. The company's proclaiming that these guys are the world's first external drives to "provide backup for content on social networks, such as Facebook and Flickr," with a single-click path to Save (download) and Share (upload) personal videos and photos. Backup Plus drives can be snagged in the US starting today, with Amazon, Best Buy and other reputable dealers offering 'em in 500GB, 750GB and 1TB capacities for portable drives and 1TB to 4TB for Backup Plus Desk drives. Pricing and color details are spelled out in the presser just after the break. SEAGATE REINVENTS BACKUP FOR YOUR DIGITAL LIFE New Consumer Storage First to Offer Saving and Sharing of Facebook and Flickr Photo/Video Albums CUPERTINO, CA - June 12, 2012- Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX) today introduced Backup Plus storage devices – its reinvented consumer storage product family that delivers the easiest setup, one-click backup and the ability to save and share your content on Facebook and Flickr. Seagate® Backup Plus hard drives are newly designed external storage that work interchangeably with both Windows® and Apple® computers and deliver new features to protect, share and save nearly every aspect of one's digital life. These products come loaded with the new hassle-free Seagate Dashboard software for one-click local backup making it easier than ever to eliminate excuses or apprehensions about backing up one's most valuable digital content. Seagate Backup Plus products are the world's first external hard drives to provide backup for content on social networks, such as Facebook and Flickr. Storing a local duplicate copy of photos from social networks is now as easy as backing up files on your computer. Seagate Backup Plus will provide the peace of mind that every aspect of one's digital life is safe from loss. Backing up data is an absolute necessity that many people put off until after it's too late. According to a 2011 study by Parks Associates less than one-quarter of the households in the survey have a weekly backup plan for their systems and only 4% are diligent enough to manually perform a backup on a daily basis[1]. "The idea of providing a backup of photos and videos from Facebook is an interesting one, which I believe may help people come to realize the importance of maintaining multiple copies of any digital asset regardless of where it is stored," said Brett Sappington, director of research for Parks Associates. "Social media has become a massive repository for personal digital content, and most consumers have not likely considered the possibility of losing access to those shared memories." Seagate Backup Plus hard drives featuring the new Seagate Dashboard backup software remove the barriers to performing backup and content preservation by making it as easy as possible. With just a click of an icon, computer files are replicated onto a Backup Plus drive. The Seagate Dashboard included on Backup Plus also provides a single click path to Save (download) and Share (upload) personal photos and videos on Facebook and Flickr. According to a recent survey commissioned by Seagate and conducted online by Harris Interactive from May 22-24, 2012, more than half (54%) of U.S. adults personally have and/or know someone who has lost files. Over one-quarter (27%) of U.S. adults personally have lost files and found that it was upsetting for them. While almost all (97%) of those surveyed [MLM1] [MLM1] were identified as computer owners; only 11% have a continuous backup plan and only 10% have a daily backup[MLM2] [MLM2] plan.[2] "Backing up needs to be an essential part of everyone's digital life. Nearly everything that is dear to us is now in a digital format; from tax documents, to emails, to family photos and video, many of these files can not be recreated in the event of an accidental loss or system failure," said Scott Horn, vice president of Marketing at Seagate. "Seagate is in the business of keeping digital content and files protected in every aspect, whether it is in the cloud, stored on PC or with our external consumer products. Backup Plus is a product that eliminates the barriers to protecting these digital assets. The new Dashboard delivers a simple and complete backup experience with the added benefit of saving photos and video stored on Facebook and other social networks." A Versatile Storage Device In 2010, Seagate adopted the Universal Storage Module (USM®) standard, which enables consumers to easily add the newest Mac® and PC connection capabilities to their Seagate storage product even if these technologies are introduced later. To add yet another level of versatility, Seagate has introduced a way to have the company's external storage products work cross-platform with both Mac® and Windows® operating systems without reformatting. Seagate Backup Plus Storage Available immediately from Amazon, BestBuy and other retailers including Seagate.com, Seagate Backup Plus drives will initially be available in capacities of 500GB, 750GB and 1TB capacities for portable drives and 1TB to 4TB for Backup Plus Desk drives. This new family of external storage will be available in red, blue, silver and black for the portable 2.5-inch form factor with a manufacturer's suggested retail prices at launch are: 500GB, $119.99; 750GB, $129.99 and 1TB, $139.99. The Backup Plus Desk 3.5-inch drive: 1TB, $129.99; 2TB, $149.99; 3TB, $179.99 and 4TB, $249.99. MSRP. Backup Plus for Mac portable is available in silver and will ship in 500GB for an MSRP of $119.99 and 1TB at $139.99. The Backup Plus Desk for Mac will be available at launch for 2TB, $189.99 and 3TB, $209.99 MSRP. Seagate® Slim storage in its svelte 9.5-mm package will be now be available in a 500GB capacity at $129.99 MSRP and will also include the new Seagate Dashboard software for simple backup of on-board and social media albums. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Android 4.0.3 now available for T-Mobile Galaxy S II, get it while it's cold Posted: 11 Jun 2012 08:11 PM PDT It may be late in the evening here in the States, but for T-Mobile users, your time in the sun has finally arrived -- Android 4.0.3 is now available via Samsung Kies for the Galaxy S II. According to the carrier, the update won't be made available via an OTA download, which means that if you don't have a PC, you'd best shake down a friend at this late hour -- or, at least give 'em a call in the morning. In addition to Ice Cream Sandwich, the update is said to bring WiFi calling improvements and enhancements to the voicemail system. It'd also be wise to ensure that your phone's software is up-to-date before you begin, as Android 2.3.6 is a prerequisite of the upgrade. Ready to dive in? Just hop the source link for the complete set of instructions. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Microsoft Office 15 leaks suggest Office 2013 name, show off Metro logo and Web Apps UI Posted: 11 Jun 2012 07:45 PM PDT Didn't make it into Microsoft's Office 15 Technical Preview? Neither did we, however that has not stopped details about the next iteration of the office software suite from leaking out. CNbeta.com is flashing shots of a new red Metroized logo (no surprise) that's similar to Windows 8's err... window and showing off the name "Office 2013 Preview", while LiveSide.net has a comparison shot of the Web Apps Preview, seen above featuring a flattened look and spaced out buttons similar to screenshots seen earlier. We're still expecting a public beta of Office 15 / 2013 later this summer so it shouldn't be too long before we're all sharing the excitement of filling up cells and parsing data as though it was for the first time. Update: Added clarification that the shot above is from the Office Web Apps preview. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listen to the Engadget Mobile Podcast, live tonight at 11pm ET! Posted: 11 Jun 2012 06:50 PM PDT It's another fireside chat, but we didn't want to wait any longer than necessary to talk about the happenings at WWDC earlier today. But don't worry, Apple haters: we'll have plenty of other stuff to discuss, since Myriam just returned from Computex and has plenty on her mind. So join her and Brad for a late-night urgent edition of the Engadget Mobile Podcast! June 11, 2012 11:00 PM EDT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 11 Jun 2012 06:27 PM PDT Cellular chipsets get all the love these days, but it's WiFi that's still the most ubiquitous -- and often the most consistent drain on the battery. Newport Media might have that last problem solved through its new NMC1000 chip. The part is billed as the lowest-power 802.11n wireless system-on-a-chip you'll find, and potentially a big help to smartphones and other devices that lean heavily on a wire-free existence. At just 2.5mm (0.1 inches) square, the equally record-setting size should also please device makers trying to squeeze wireless into an exceptionally tiny footprint. If you're as excited about the prospect of WiFi everywhere as Newport's Stock Photography Woman above appears to be, you can get more details below and expect full-scale production in the fall. Newport Media Introduces World's Smallest, Lowest Power 802.11n Wi-Fi SoC Newport Media's NMC1000 Connectivity SoC addresses the rapidly growing global smartphone market LAKE FOREST, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Newport Media, an innovative fabless communications semiconductor company supplying products to the broadcast media industry, today announced its first system-on-chip (SoC) product to address the wireless connectivity market. The NMC1000 is a Wi-Fi® SoC that includes all RF and Baseband circuitry required to provide IEEE 802.11b, g, n-compliant operation including all necessary power amplifiers and switches. By leveraging Newport Media's advanced OFDM baseband and RF CMOS technology, the NMC1000 offers levels of performance, power consumption, and external bill of material (BOM) typically associated with the world's leading connectivity solutions providers. "As smartphones replace feature phones as the norm in wireless markets throughout the globe, there will be great demand for connectivity solutions that provide dramatically lower bill of material costs without compromises in performance," said Mohy Abdelgany, president and chief executive officer for Newport Media. "Newport Media has a well-established track record of supplying best-in-class OFDM SoC solutions into highly price-competitive markets and looks forward to expanding its connectivity offering to address this dynamic and rapidly growing market." The NMC1000 is available in 40-pin, 5mm X 5mm quad flat no-lead (QFN) and 2.5mm x 2.5mm chip scale packages, requiring the industry's smallest external BOM. Engineering samples will be available next month with volume production scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of 2012. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 11 Jun 2012 05:54 PM PDT Granted, this'll be just one more way for upperclassmen to quickly identify the newbies, but all incoming freshmen to New Jersey's Seton Hall University will be given a Nokia Lumia 900 upon orientation, as a means to integrate technology with the school's curriculum -- quite similar to previous efforts that we've seen for the iPad and iPhone. Not to stop there, university officials hope to make the smartphone a key component of student life with the SHUmobile app and its Freshman Experience hub. Here, freshmen may interact with each other via social media and direct messaging, find peer academic advisors, learn about their future housing situation and get to know their roommates. As for mobile service, it's said that students will receive pre-paid access to AT&T through the fall semester. After that, it seems that freshman will need to pick up the bill or leverage WiFi networks to remain connected. To learn more of how SHU is thinking very differently, just hop the break for the PR. Seton Hall University provides Nokia Lumia 900 to incoming freshmen Nokia's Windows Phone smartphone on AT&T extends the Academic Learning Environment Orlando, FL - Nokia, AT&T, Microsoft and Seton Hall University announced today a step forward in Seton Hall's Mobile Computing Initiative, whereby all incoming freshmen will receive a Nokia Lumia 900 each for extensive use across the University. The entire class of 2016 will receive a Nokia Lumia 900 powered by the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system, to support the university's mission of providing state of the art technology tools to enhance the student experience and prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world. Since 1997, Seton Hall has provided mobile technology to its students and faculty to support the integration of technology into the curriculum. Enhancing the University's philosophy of open-ended exploration, students discover new opportunities for learning with mobile computing, sharing ideas and collaborating with peers and faculty while learning how to utilize technology effectively in their academic professional and personal lives. Mobile technology provides a means of enhancing all aspects of university life, and encourages students to engage with each other and the university community from orientation through graduation. "Nokia has a long history of innovation and their partnership with Microsoft allows us to extend the core academic and community resources of the University into the pocket of our students," noted David Middleton, Executive Director, Center for Mobile Research and Innovation, and Assistant Vice President of Administration at Seton Hall University. "By providing our new incoming students with the Nokia Lumia 900, Seton Hall University can expand our existing Windows services and infrastructure while providing a unique, high quality, dynamic and engaging mobile experience." All Seton Hall students have access to SHUmobile, an app available across multiple platforms that provides access to campus news feeds, directories and maps. However, Seton Hall freshmen will have access to a custom Freshmen Experience component of this app exclusive to the Lumia 900. This personalized element adds customized social media integration and direct communication channels with their freshmen peers, peer academic advisors, housing information and roommates. Additionally, the University will leverage Nokia Data Gathering, recently made available for Windows Phone, to communicate with the incoming freshmen beginning this summer by conducting polls, providing information to help students prepare for college and to learn how the Lumia 900 and other technologies are being used. "Mobile technology has become ubiquitous and pervasive, but we are just beginning to understand the breadth of its impact across campus. Smartphone use in higher education has tended to rely on finding a specific app to fulfill a specific curricular purpose. With the close collaboration between Nokia and Microsoft on the Lumia 900, the phone itself takes center stage" added Michael Taylor, Academic Director, Center for Mobile Research & Innovation. Professor Taylor explains that the seamless integration of core academic tools such as Microsoft Office increases the opportunity for faculty and students to connect, collaborate, and create. The synthesis of Windows Phone features and Lumia 900 hardware are a natural enhancement to the University's commitment to teaching and learning with technology. Utilizing AT&T's 4G network, these partnerships will help foster new opportunities for learning, content creation and experimentation. Teaching and learning can now take place not just in the classroom but virtually anywhere, providing a more engaged and integrated learning experience. Nokia provides the business market with a portfolio of compelling, high-quality devices at every price point that meets the needs of people both as consumers and business users. With business productivity tools and applications to ensure that business decision makers and employees have access to the information they need within the framework of a well-governed IT environment and an ecosystem of partners and providers, Nokia ensures the long-term viability of businesses' IT investments. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amazon Appstore reportedly travelling to Europe this summer, we hope its passport is up to date Posted: 11 Jun 2012 05:22 PM PDT Amazon had a successful first year with its Appstore; outside of a false start, however, no one beyond the US could enjoy it. That looks to be changing, if whispers to AllThingsD turn into shouts. The reputed insiders have Europeans getting their crack at the third-party Android store sometime in the summer, with app submissions starting as soon as next week. Amazon hasn't confirmed anything, so don't be surprised if the Appstore isn't packing its bags for the trip just yet -- especially as other services like Instant Video haven't made the jump. Should the Appstore go on a European vacation, though, it could be an early preamble to the Kindle Fire following suit. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sony teases new Xperia phone unveiling within days, wants you to speed it up on Facebook Posted: 11 Jun 2012 04:51 PM PDT As much as we're used to companies offering big teasers for their future devices, it's still rare that they put the revelation itself under our control. Sony's trying just that: its mobile division's Facebook page is promising a new Xperia phone whose unveiling date is contingent on how many people "fast forward" the unveiling date from its original June 22nd. As we're writing, the date has already been moved up to June 20th, and there's a good chance the phone will show up sooner. Just what we'll see is a mystery -- it could be the finished version of the tiny ST21i we saw in April, an international version of the Xperia Neo L, or something else entirely. We'll know as soon as enough visitors give Sony the go-ahead, although we wouldn't be surprised if the references to time are clues. |
The other cool feature inside the PadFone Station is its impressively loud monospeaker -- much louder than the ones on the original Transformer and the Transformer Prime. This is all thanks to the ingenuity of ASUS' Golden Ear team who managed to pack a 36mm driver and its own little sound chamber inside such a tight space. We reached out to the team's senior director Henry Huang (pictured left), a man who's spent 27 years in the audio industry, to give us a little background on this feature:
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