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- Pandora channel gets refresh, version 3.0 arrives on Roku
- Legend of Zelda prototype cartridge goes to auction: $150,000 proves your loyalty to Hyrule (video)
- Yahoo confirms Mail / Messenger outage, working on a fix
- China sending a probe to the moon next year to look for Moonbase Alpha
- Amazon updates Cloud Player with 256 Kbps matched files, faster import, direct delivery (update: Roku, Sonos coming soon)
- Gmail for iOS adds option to save photos, becomes a smoother operator
- FreedomPop's $99 WiMax iPod touch case promises an iPhone without the bills (video)
- Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow
- PSA: Apple to shut down iWork.com beta today, iCloud patiently awaits you
- Outlook.com preview: Microsoft reinvents its online email offerings
- Microsoft launches Outlook.com, a new email service with limited ads, unlimited storage and built-in Skype
- Miramax arrives on Lovefilm to let you relive the golden age of Weinsteins
- YouTube will throw another $200 million at wannabe channel producers
- Power goes out in India, affecting 600 million
- Sprint starts rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich update to HTC EVO 3D
- Pantech Marauder QWERTY slider gets official for Verizon, runs $50 after rebate
- Google brings NYC subway alerts to Maps, makes public transit a little more bearable
- BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why?
- Hulu Plus app live on Apple TV
- OUYA partners with Square Enix, names Final Fantasy III as launch title
- T-Mobile urges the FCC to approve Verizon's spectrum deal
- The mighty Kuratas gets assembled on video
- Sony Xperia Tablet leaked from internal slides: Surface-style keyboard and tentative $450 price tag
- Spotify adds radio streaming to its Android app
- Engadget Mobile Podcast 147 - 07.31.2012
- Panasonic Photosynthesis System converts carbon dioxide to organic material with plant-like efficiency
- Wikipad specs get real: 10.1-inch 1,280 x 800 display, 1.4 GHz Tegra 3, Jelly Bean
- First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy
- Twitter quietly adds clickable stock symbols
- Verizon may cut what's left of Alltel data starting January 10th, 2013
- Toshiba slips into the red as latest earnings reveal $153 million loss
- Panasonic's 2013 Q1: things are looking up with a $164 million profit
- Bing search lets you tag Facebook friends, forces them to Google 'Bing'
- Nexus 7 dock and covers leak, promise high style in small sizes (update: source goes down)
- Republic Wireless reopens its unlimited $19 per month beta, starts offering Motorola Defy XT
- Samsung Galaxy S Duos details make the rounds, bring Galaxy S III vibe to the dual-SIM world
- X-RHex Lite robot grows a tail, always lands on its feet (video)
- Huawei Ascend G 302D goes public in FCC docs
- Samsung Retina-like 11.8-inch tablet in the works according to court docs
- Archos' ICS-loaded 97 Carbon tablet now up for sale, priced at $230 for a limited time
| Pandora channel gets refresh, version 3.0 arrives on Roku Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:29 AM PDT Pandora's music-sharing channel on Roku has been spruced up with a new station screen design and a few minor (but welcome) new features. Version 3.0 adds genre station functionality within a new grid interface, while the whole family (or at least up to five of them) can now connect their Pandora accounts to the same Roku hardware. For extended play, a new screen saver will display track details alongside album art and the renovated search will also display those album covers in results. Roku owners can expect their channel to auto-update in the next 48 hours, but anyone who hasn't yet sampled the delights of Pandora can pick up the free download from the streaming box's channel store. |
| Legend of Zelda prototype cartridge goes to auction: $150,000 proves your loyalty to Hyrule (video) Posted: 31 Jul 2012 11:03 AM PDT And you thought that Nintendo World Championships gold cartridge would make a nice start to the retirement fund. An eBay auction from tjcurtin1 is offering a prototype NES cartridge for the US release of The Legend of Zelda at a Buy It Now price of $150,000, or roughly ten times more than the typical final bid that Price Charting quotes for a typical NWC cart. While it looks like an unassuming yellow chunk of plastic, it's actually a Nintendo of America copy from February 23, 1987 -- half a year before the definitive action adventure reached the US market. The game still plays and can even save its game on the still functional, industry-first battery backup. Just remember that it's not necessarily going to reveal any design secrets from Shigeru Miyamoto or Takashi Tezuka: the seller warns that he can't see any practical differences between the early copy and the (also included) shipping version. Anyone well-heeled enough to buy the prototype is therefore going solely for the collector's value. But for those determined to be the coolest kid on any block about 25 years late, there's only one way to go. |
| Yahoo confirms Mail / Messenger outage, working on a fix Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:49 AM PDT Google Talk and Twitter had their moments last week, and now it's Yahoo's turn. As noted by a flood of readers -- and confirmed by the company itself -- the exclamation marked mail service is currently experiencing some issues. Yahoo Mail is prompting users to accept its terms and then just sort of conking out. We reached out to Yahoo for comment and received the following response:
We'll update you when things are back to normal. Update: Phew, everything seems to be back in working order. |
| China sending a probe to the moon next year to look for Moonbase Alpha Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:44 AM PDT State news agency Xinhua is reporting that China is planning to launch a probe to the moon in the second half of 2013. The Chang'e-3, named after the Chinese moon goddess, will deposit a lander and rover on our natural satellite to survey its bumpy surface. It'll launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province and is a sign of the continuing ambition of the nation's space program -- after it deposited a crew on its Tiangong-1 space station two months ago. |
| Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:31 AM PDT Amazon's Cloud Player service just scored some major upgrades, including quality and import enhancements. Perhaps most notable is a new 256 Kbps option for matched files, including songs you imported before today. That bitrate, in MP3 format, is available for new tracks and albums added to the cloud -- a process that's been streamlined as well, with Cloud Player scanning your library and automatically offering up matched tracks, rather than requiring manual imports. In addition, music you buy in the Amazon MP3 Store will show up in your Player automatically, including past purchases (in cases where the site has the necessary rights). There's also an option to edit metadata directly, such as artist and album info, along with album art, or you can use the label information already in Amazon's catalog. Cloud Drive will also be less integrated with Player -- previous uploads will be moved to an "Archived Music" folder and won't count against storage caps, but will still be accessible and downloadable, while new imports will be stored in Player directly. You can upload up to 250 songs to Cloud Player for free, or pay a $25 annual fee to bump that cap to 250,000. Full details are at the source link below. Update: Amazon also mentioned that it has secured new licensing agreements with Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, adding that Cloud Player will be available on Roku and Sonos devices soon as well. Updated Amazon Cloud Player Includes New Scan and Match Technology, Free Audio Quality Upgrades, and More Amazon announces licenses from Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and more than 150 independent distributors, aggregators and music publishers Coming soon, Roku and Sonos - following the recent addition of iPhone and iPod Touch, Roku and Sonos will join the list of Cloud Player compatible devices SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul. 31, 2012-- (NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced Cloud Player licensing agreements that bring significant updates to Amazon Cloud Player. The agreements are with Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and more than 150 independent distributors, aggregators and music publishers. Amazon's scan and match technology gives customers a fast and easy way to get all of their music from their computers to the cloud. Cloud Player customers can then enjoy their music on their favorite devices, including Kindle Fire, iPhone, iPod Touch, Android devices and any web browser, and soon, Roku streaming players and Sonos home entertainment systems. New Cloud Player features include: Amazon MP3 purchases - including music that customers purchased in the past - are automatically saved to Cloud Player, which means that customers have a secure backup copy of the music they buy from Amazon, free of charge. Amazon scans customers' iTunes and Windows Media Player libraries and matches the songs on their computers to Amazon's 20 million song catalog. All matched songs – even music purchased from iTunes or ripped from CDs – are instantly made available in Cloud Player and are upgraded for free to high-quality 256 Kbps audio. Music that customers have already uploaded to Cloud Player also will be upgraded. Any customer with a Kindle Fire, Android device, iPhone, iPod touch, or any web browser - and soon, a Roku streaming player or Sonos home entertainment system - can play their music anywhere. "Music fans are passionate consumers, so making it as easy as possible for them to buy music and enjoy it anywhere, anytime and on any device, is important to us," stated Rob Wells, President of Global Digital Business at Universal Music Group. "And Amazon's new service does just that by enabling fans to find, discover and experience more music than ever before. UMG is committed to working with innovative services like Amazon to provide consumers more choice and to expand the marketplace even further for digital music." "Amazon is an important destination for music fans, and we're pleased to see them creating innovative music services that offer fans the ability to enjoy their music conveniently on all their devices," said Mark Piibe, Executive Vice President of Global Business Development for EMI Music. "Cloud Player makes it easy for users to have their entire music collection at their fingertips wherever they are, so that they'll get even more value from the music they buy, and will form an even deeper connection with the artists they love." "Cloud technology is producing a powerful new generation of entertainment experiences, making the discovery of new content easier and offering instant access to music across multiple devices. Amazon's locker service has an impressive set of capabilities, which expand the value of owning music. It will give fans greater flexibility with their libraries and entice new customers to explore the benefits of a digital collection," said Stephen Bryan, Executive Vice President, Digital Strategy & Business Development, Recorded Music, Warner Music Group. "We are excited to be working with Amazon to offer consumers the ability to enjoy their music anywhere-on any device-with Cloud Player," said Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, Sony Music Entertainment. "Amazon continues to innovate on behalf of music fans, and we believe our new licensing agreement makes it easier and more convenient than ever for Amazon customers to access, discover and ultimately buy more music." Cloud Player is available in a Free tier and a Premium tier. Cloud Player Free customers can store all MP3 music purchased at Amazon, plus import up to 250 songs from their PC or Mac to Cloud Player, all at no charge. Cloud Player Premium customers can import and store up to 250,000 songs in Cloud Player for an annual fee of $24.99. Amazon-purchased MP3s (including all previous purchases) do not count against the 250 or 250,000-song limits and will be added to both Free and Premium Cloud Player libraries at no charge. Amazon Cloud Player is automatically integrated into Kindle Fire and the new Cloud Player features will be automatically delivered to Kindle Fire users over the next few days. Customers can also visit www.amazon.com/cloudplayer or download the app on iOS or Android. Starting today, Cloud Drive will be used for file storage and Cloud Player will be used for music storage and playback - each service will offer separate subscriptions. Customers can still use Cloud Drive to store any of their files in the cloud and access them from any web browser or by using the Cloud Drive Desktop Apps. Customers can store up to 5GB free and storage plan prices have been lowered to start at $10 per year for 20 GB. To learn how to get started on Cloud Drive visit www.amazon.com/clouddrive/learnmore. |
| Gmail for iOS adds option to save photos, becomes a smoother operator Posted: 31 Jul 2012 10:30 AM PDT |
| FreedomPop's $99 WiMax iPod touch case promises an iPhone without the bills (video) Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:58 AM PDT FreedomPop's free-"4G"-for-all plans are clearer now that it's started taking pre-orders on its $99 iPod touch sleeve. The free data allocation has been halved to 500MB, with each additional gigabyte costing $10, with the company offering bulk discounts to heavy users. Marketing VP Tony Miller also told TechCrunch that the iPod sleeve wasn't a high priority until public clamor forced a shift in its plans, but said that an Android-compliant version of its gear was "on the roadmap." There's video after the jump. |
| Samsung Music Hub launches on Galaxy S III stateside with free trial in tow Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:44 AM PDT Samsung's come a long way from the days of its first Galaxy S device. Relying back then, out of necessity, on third parties like 7Digital and Kobo to provide a white label content platform. Time, fortune and the popularity of its Android devices has changed the company's tack and with the unveiling of the Galaxy S III, it's heading for a streamlined user experience that integrates hardware with in-house software. Although Music Hub has already launched overseas in several European countries as part and parcel of its latest flagship, that service is now finally ready for primetime in the US. Built upon the mSpot tech it acquired this past May, the company's freemium service combines the best of both worlds, offering non-paying users access to a digital storefront loaded up with millions of tracks from all four major labels (and some indies, too), a web-based player, as well as the ability to store purchased music remotely and offline for "registered devices." Whereas, the subscription version builds upon those gratis goods by adding personalized radio stations, free streaming and an iTunes-like "Scan & Match" feature to the mix for $10 monthly. Ever cognizant of the already crowded digital music platforms provided by rivals, Samsung's tricking out this stateside debut with some goodies for the curious: a 30-day trial and one free album of their choosing. It's a nice incentive, for sure, but with so many already entrenched in the musical realms of rivals -- iTunes, Google Play and Spotify, for starters -- adoption of this new ecosystem's going to be a hard sell indeed. Click on past the break for the lowdown on this me-too, mobile music offering. Samsung Mobile Launches Music Hub in U.S. on the Galaxy S III with a |
| PSA: Apple to shut down iWork.com beta today, iCloud patiently awaits you Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:37 AM PDT In the months leading up to this very moment, we've seen Apple introduce a full set of new MacBook Airs and an extremely high-res Pro of its own -- but today the company's taking a slightly different route, shutting down its doc-sharing iWork.com for good. Not all is lost, however, as this a natural move from the Cupertino outfit to make an expected transition to a more iCloud-heavy ecosystem -- a place where you'll essentially be able to accomplish similar things. The good news is you still have the rest of the day to clean out your invisible locker and save your must-have documents, and in case you need help with that, Apple's support page (linked below) will fill you in on all those step-by-steps. |
| Outlook.com preview: Microsoft reinvents its online email offerings Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:01 AM PDT Maybe you heard, but Microsoft launched a new email service today. No, not Hotmail -- a completely new, built-from-scratch service. This is Outlook.com, and for the time being, at least, it will exist separately from Hotmail. So why didn't Redmond just give Hotmail a drastic overhaul? Well, friends, there are two explanations. First, the polite one: for technical reasons, the engineers found it easier to build a new service from scratch rather than retrofit the old one. The frank answer: Microsoft is keenly aware Hotmail has a bad rap, thanks to those banners and flashy video ads. In fact, the company has been very candid that it wants not just to compete with Gmail, but siphon away some of its growing user base. As such, Outlook offers a fresh, minimal interface -- far cleaner than Hotmail ever looked. What's more, the ads are more pared-down here: no video adverts, and no targeted ads on messages between people (newsletters are still fair game). The service is open to the public as of today and you get virtually unlimited storage, along with 7GB of SkyDrive space if you create a new Microsoft account. (Microsoft uses the word "virtually" to hedge itself against spammers who might otherwise use limitless storage to game the system.) And you should take our word when we say it's worth giving the service a shot: we've been testing it for almost two weeks. Go get yourself situated and then meet us after the break for details, impressions and lots more screenshots. Note: many of our screenshots say "NewMail" instead of "Outlook.com" in the upper left corner. NewMail is a codename Microsoft used before announcing the service to the public. A clean design It takes a special kind of nerd, perhaps, to get giddy over a new email service. Throughout testing, I pulled various coworkers aside, asking them to stop what they were doing and see how much cleaner this new service looked compared to Hotmail. "It's pretty," they said. "Also, it looks like Gmail." And in a way, that's the point. In conversations with company reps ahead of the launch, it was obvious that Microsoft is not just aiming to distance itself from Hotmail's bad rap, but to take a bite out of Gmail's growing user base. The company is quick to point out, for instance, that the header contains 60 percent fewer pixels, making room for 50 percent more emails on a page. Another stat the company shared with us early testers: in a survey of current Gmail users, 80 percent said they would consider switching. Tellingly, Microsoft did not include Yahoo Mail users in its focus group. In any case, whatever the inspiration behind Outlook.com's minimalist look, it's utterly pleasing to look at. Gone are the display banners and flashy ads with embedded videos. In its place, a home screen with most of the space given over to the emails themselves. As in Outlook 2013, which also just launched in preview, many key buttons like delete, flag and "mark as read" don't show up unless you hover over an email with your mouse. Again, "clean" is the word here. To the left there's a narrow pane, where you'll see your various folders stacked on top of one another. We particularly dig "Quick views," which filter down your inbox to specific (and highly customizable) categories, like emails with photo attachments. (You can always collapse these menu trees if you want even less clutter.) There's also a search field over there, in case you want to find a long-lost email. On the right side of the screen, there's another narrow pane, this one filled with discrete advertisements (more on that later). Up top, there's a high-level menu, and Microsoft wasn't kidding when it said that area had been pared-down. From there, you access things like your calendar, SkyDrive or People hub, but that's all hidden behind a neat arrow sign. That's a stark contrast from Gmail, which lists its other offerings prominently at the top of the page. The nice thing about that high-level menu is that the options change depending on what you're doing. So, if you're looking at deleted items, you'll see a prompt to empty the folder in one fell swoop. If you've opened a message, the options expand to include reply, delete, "Move to," etc. Wherever you are, there will always be a shortcut for starting a new email. (Bonus: it has a large, finger-friendly icon next to it, making the site slightly easier to use on phones and tablets.) That's ultimately a more efficient approach than Google is taking with Gmail, where the email options, search field and top-level tabs (Documents, YouTube, etc.) each have their own row. In Gmail, then, the list of messages starts further down on the screen, and you ultimately don't see as many on a page. Limited adsAs Microsoft seems to have discovered, you can't pull off clean web design without seriously rethinking the way you present ads. For starters, you won't find any distracting video advertisements on Outlook.com. In fact, all ads must adhere to a template, which will give them a uniform look, regardless of whether they're shilling Thai food or yoga pants. (Yes, kind of like what Apple's doing with its iAd platform.) And, in a pointed departure from Gmail, you won't find any targeted ads in emails between people (newsletters and the like are still fair game). How does Microsoft know you're a human? Partnerships. Several of them. The company has been working closely with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, making good use of their massive user databases. Chances are, if someone sends you an email, one of those three sites will recognize that address and be able to confirm there's a real person sending that message. We'll admit, we're a little skeptical that using Twitter will help, just because the site is already overrun with spammers, but this otherwise seems like a smart approach. Indeed, we didn't notice any ads on emails to friends and coworkers, and the ads we did see were discreet and fairly generic (think: cafes and tanning salons). If you bother to click, you might find that some of them aren't even relevant; in one instance alone, we saw ads for three restaurants in Virginia, four states over. Built-in social networking So you won't see any ads alongside your emails to your buddies. But that blank space to the right of your message has to be used for something, right? (Just say, "right.") Instead of ads, you'll find Facebook and Twitter baked right into the UI, allowing you to peek at recent status updates from whomever you're messaging with. (Don't worry, it's okay if your Twitter and Facebook accounts aren't tied to your Hotmail, Outlook.com or Live.com address.) In the case of Twitter, you can actually retweet someone right from Outlook.com without having to go to Twitter's site or open TweetDeck. From Facebook, you can like or comment on someone's post. All told, this feels very similar to Outlook 2013, which just launched in preview earlier this month -- that, too, has Facebook and LinkedIn built in so that you can glance at what your contacts are up to. Personalization optionsWant a ninja theme for your inbox? Stick with Gmail. Though you can personalize the site, you won't find any loud background patterns here; just 12 solid colors, available from the small settings icon in the control bar at the top of the screen. Though it's a small detail, we particularly love that as soon as you click the settings button, you'll see a small pop-up with the various color choices, among other options. Hover over any color to preview how it looks. All in all, it's much easier than with Gmail, where you have to drill into the settings menu, away from your inbox, and can't preview any changes. If you like, you can also add a reading pane on the bottom or right part of the screen to make Outlook.com look more like Outlook, the desktop app. You can also change the language by digging into "More mail settings" (there are 106 to choose from at the moment). Overall performance and spam control In general, this early build of Outlook.com feels fast and stable. We do have one quibble unrelated to stability, though, and that's that when you respond to an email, your response shows up as an unread email. We offered this as feedback to Microsoft as well, though no word on whether the engineering team will heed our suggestion. Knock on wood, we haven't been seeing any spam turn up in our inbox. Take note, though, that in the beginning, at least, you'll be asked occasionally to stop what you're doing and prove to Microsoft that you yourself are not a spammer. You'll know this is happening to you when you hit send and are prompted to complete a CAPTCHA test to verify that you're a real person. According to a Microsoft rep, this reputation-building phase will eventually peter out, and you can build credibility faster by verifying your cell phone number, something spammers don't usually do. Still, it's unclear how long you might have to put up with these periodic interruptions, and Microsoft also isn't saying whether certain behavior (e.g., sending too many emails in a short period of time) will make it more likely that you'll get stopped and frisked by the spam police. Oh, and in case you're wondering, SSL is turned on by default here. That's true in Gmail, too, but unfortunately, the same cannot be said of Hotmail. What you getIn Outlook.com, the storage is "virtually" unlimited, to use Microsoft's words. (The company won't fully promise unlimited storage, since it needs a way to hedge against spammers.) That compares with 10GB of free storage on Gmail. Not bad, eh? Also, as you might know, every Microsoft account comes with 7GB of SkyDrive storage, so that's what you'll get if you're new to the company fold. Also, anyone can sign up; you don't need an invitation, and there's no limit to the number of people allowed to test the service in its preview stage. Getting startedCreating an account If you already have a Hotmail account, you can upgrade by clicking Options in the upper-right corner and selecting "Upgrade to Outlook.com." Once you make the jump, you can always revert back to the old service if you feel more comfortable there. For now, the two services will exist separately, and according to Microsoft, that will be the case for the foreseeable future. Interestingly, the company isn't promising that it won't ever force you into an Outlook.com upgrade, but it would seem, at least, that this isn't the plan for the near term. Coming over from another email service If you're transferring over from Gmail (and Microsoft sure hopes you are), you can skip straight to Outlook.com and create an account. You'll also need to go into Gmail settings and set up forwarding. (By default, Gmail keeps a copy of your incoming messages. It's your call if you want Google to mark them as read, archive them or just leave them sitting there, unopened.) Once we did that, we had no problem importing our contacts list, which we'll discuss in more detail down in the "Email features section." If you want, you can use POP to import all your old email. You can also program Gmail keyboard shortcuts if you go into the full settings menu. (Alternatively, if you want to educate yourself on Hotmail / Outlook.com shortcuts, this would be a good place to start.) Still, our experience transitioning from Gmail to Outlook.com wasn't completely smooth: our labels didn't come with us, and whenever we responded to a message from Gmail, our response didn't sync with Outlook.com. Email featuresIf you're wondering why we're only now starting to talk about email features, it's because they're not very different from what you'll get in Hotmail. Since the real story is the fresh UI and the new approach to ads, we decided to get the look and feel bit out of the way first. That said, if Microsoft succeeds in luring away some of Google's users, it's worth recapping what features Hotmail and Outlook.com have to offer. Handling junk mail, newsletters and urgent items As in Hotmail you can use the Sweep feature to automatically delete, file or forward certain kinds of messages as they arrive. This comes in particularly handy with things like daily deals and newsletters, which can easily clog up your inbox if you're not careful to read them right away. For instance, then, you can tell Outlook to delete Groupon emails that are more than four days old, or to archive that monthly newsletter with 30-minute recipes (hey, you might try them out eventually). Other kinds of rules: emails from your baseball coach go to a "Baseball folder," while Facebook notifications get sent to the trash. As for high-priority items, you can keep them fixed at the top of your inbox (you can do something similar in Gmail as well). When it comes to unwanted mail, you can select "Unsubscribe" from a drop-down menu and you'll never see emails from that company again, even if you somehow end up back on the mailing list again. Naturally, you can mark things as junk, but you can also select an option that says "Phishing scam" or "My friend's been hacked!" -- both of which you can do in Hotmail as well. Attachments It would be incorrect to say there's no file attachment size limit in Outlook.com, but the max size is certainly higher than Gmail's: 300MB versus 25MB. But, that number assumes you're uploading attachments from SkyDrive; if you're uploading from anywhere else, the file limit drops to 100MB. By default, Outlook.com will check for missing attachments when you're sending a message, though you can turn this feature off if you're so inclined. Like Hotmail, Outlook.com has so-called Active View, which lets you open slideshows, YouTube clips and other attached media files from within the inbox. Open a batch of photos for instance, and they'll appear as a big overlay on your screen, allowing you to click through pictures instead of making you open them in a new tab or download them. Additionally, you can open Office files (Word, PowerPoint and Excel) in the browser, even if you don't have Office installed locally. Create aliases One neat thing you can do in Outlook.com as well as the older Hotmail service is create an alias -- a separate email address that's tied to the same parent account. When you set up a new alias under either the Hotmail.com or Live.com domain, that email will live in its own folder within your main inbox, so you don't need to sign out and log in again. That's a handy thing if you use a secondary email address for newsletters or online shopping, but still want to peek in at your mail from time to time. Universal address book Like any mobile OS worth its salt, Outlook.com is smart about pulling in information about your contacts from various sources. From the People hub, accessible from the top left corner of the main screen, you can link your Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Sina accounts. Once you've entered the requisite log-in information, your contacts will quickly populate. If you know someone through multiple networks, you won't see duplicate entries; just a single card with all of that person's info in one place. Conversation view It was a pretty big deal when Microsoft added a Gmail-like conversation view to Hotmail, so it's not surprising to see that feature has carried over to this more modern email service. Though conversation view is enabled by default, you can also switch to a more traditional view where each message appears separately in your inbox. (You can do this in Hotmail, too, of course. This layout is just prettier.) Search in email The built-in search bar on the left side of the screen responds quickly, narrowing down results as you type more letters. If you click in the field, you'll also see an option for advanced search, which lets you filter by sender, recipient, subject, folder, date range, keywords and whether or not the message has an attachment. Skype integration To all of you who have been wondering just what Microsoft was going to do with Skype, here's your answer: Outlook.com will have Skype built in, not unlike the way Gmail has Google Talk integrated. (That would explain those job postings for Skype in the cloud, huh?) Unfortunately, the service isn't ready just yet, but Microsoft says it will be rolling out soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can use Facebook Chat to talk to people, with the option of saving conversations in your inbox. We have to say, though, we did miss Google Talk after we made the switch: Facebook isn't as widely used a chat client, and Microsoft also doesn't have an IM client quite that ubiquitous (no, not even Live Messenger). Still, Skype will naturally come in handy for video chatting, though. Mobile accessAt the moment, there aren't any standalone mobile applications, so if you want to access Outlook.com on the go you'll need to use either a browser or any app that already supports Exchange ActiveSync. In fact, if you open the Hotmail.com app and log in using your Outlook.com credentials, you'll be able to use the app (minus, of course, the UI you'll get on Outlook's full site). For now, Microsoft won't say which mobile platforms it's considering, or when the first apps might arrive. SkyDrive and Calendar: no changes (yet)Not news, but worth mentioning: within the past few months, SkyDrive has been revamped with a more Metro-inspired user interface. Microsoft plans to announce more changes in the coming months, according to a company rep. It's worth reiterating, too, that the attachment size limit jumps to 300MB when you use SkyDrive. You also get 7GB of complimentary SkyDrive storage when you sign up for a new Microsoft account. As for the calendar, it's the same ol' Hotmail app -- nothing new to report here. We're told Microsoft is considering making changes to the calendar in a future release. Wrap-up We have to hand it to Microsoft: Outlook.com is gorgeous, intuitive, feature-rich and manages to feel even more calming than Gmail, which is no small feat, given how Google has taken pains in recent months to pare down the UI. We highly suggest giving it a try, even if you think Gmail is the greatest thing since sliced bread -- yours truly, for one, might just convert full-time. Our only hope, though, is that Microsoft will make it even easier for those coveted Gmail users to make the switch; it's great that we can easily import our inbox, contacts and keyboard shortcuts, but it would be even better if our labels could come with us, and if mail sent from Gmail also synced with Outlook. Barring that detail, we've sincerely enjoyed our time testing Outlook, and something tells us we'll be poking around for some time yet. |
| Posted: 31 Jul 2012 09:00 AM PDT So Microsoft launched a new email service today -- not a redesigned version of Hotmail, but a completely new, built-from-the-ground-up service. It's called Outlook.com, and for now, at least, it will exist separately from Hotmail, as Microsoft attempts to distance itself from Hotmail's bad rap. As it happens, the email features are basically the same across the two services, but from a visual standpoint, Outlook.com is everything Hotmail is not: where Hotmail has distracting banners and video ads, Outlook's are discreet. Indeed, you won't find any targeted ads on conversations with individual people (newsletters and such are still fair game). In lieu of those creepy personalized ads, you'll see quick access to Twitter and Facebook, where you can retweet and like things, as well as post comments. Skype integration is coming too (finally!), though that feature isn't live today. Most importantly, though, it brings a fresh, minimal interface designed to lure away Gmail users who wouldn't have otherwise given Hotmail the time of day. Outlook.com is open to the public starting today. You can create a new account or sign in using an existing Hotmail address. Though it's still in its preview phase, anyone can sign up (read: no invites necessary). Storage is "virtually" unlimited -- Microsoft doesn't want to promise potential spammers a limitless account -- and anyone creating a Microsoft account for the first time gets the usual 7GB of complimentary SkyDrive storage. Hit up that source link if you want check it out yourself, and then head over to our in-depth preview for detailed impressions and screenshots galore.
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| Miramax arrives on Lovefilm to let you relive the golden age of Weinsteins Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:42 AM PDT Miramax has reached a deal with Lovefilm to get its back-catalog of award-winning films available on-demand in the UK and Germany. It's an unsurprising move given the company has similar deals in place with Netflix and Hulu to let you watch classics like Pulp Fiction, Clerks and Trainspotting whenever the urge takes you. While there was no official confirmation of a launch window, a cursory check of our own account reveals that some of the titles (including Kill Bill) are already popping up on the instant service. Amazon's LOVEFiLM Seals Deal With Miramax LONDON, July 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LOVEFiLM, an Amazon company, today announced a Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) deal to give subscribers in the UK and Germany streaming access to titles from Miramax, the independent studio with a renowned library of critically-acclaimed films. Beginning this summer, LOVEFiLM subscribers in both the UK and Germany will have instant, on-demand access to Miramax films including the Oscar-winning epic drama There Will Be Blood and Martin Scorsese's critically acclaimed Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator. Other titles include the dark crime drama Sin City and Quentin Tarantino's cult classics including Kill Bill, Kill Bill 2 and Jackie Brown. Jim Buckle, Managing Director at Amazon's LOVEFiLM, said: "We are thrilled to bring Miramax films to our customers. This exciting deal will enable us to deliver even more high-quality content to our members and reinforce, once again, our leading position as the first choice subscription service when it comes to exceptional range and unbeatable value for money." LOVEFiLM Instant is available on the PC, Mac or via Sony Playstation®3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Apple iPad® and a growing number of Internet-connected TV sets and Blu-ray players, giving members immediate access to a huge range of films and TV shows. |
| YouTube will throw another $200 million at wannabe channel producers Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:19 AM PDT Google's about to expand its original content experiment by spreading another $200 million around the video production community. The original $150 million, which created nearly 100 new YouTube channels with notables like Amy Poehler and NBA Star Blake Griffin, apparently caught on with advertisers who were willing to pay a premium to appear alongside branded, non-crummy content. It's also popular with the creative set, who like the instant feedback and flexibility to take a show 180 degrees if needed in order to draw eyeballs. Mountain View could possibly bring the more polished programs to French and British viewers by next year, on top of new US channels, according to WSJ sources. So if your talent needs an outlet, but the Sears gift card and allowance from your Mom won't cover the necessary explosions, you may want to get your pitch in order. |
| Power goes out in India, affecting 600 million Posted: 31 Jul 2012 08:01 AM PDT A power outage struck India's northern and eastern electrical grids earlier today, hitting around 600 million people -- that's roughly half of the country's population of 1.2 billion -- cutting off electricity to businesses, transit and traffic lights, to name but a few. The power failure hit around 1pm local time "without warning" according to the electric company. The incident follows another major outage the day prior, which affected around 300 million people. Regions have taken to seeking out alternative energy sources such as hydro power, with local business utilizing backup diesel generators and the like, which have helped keep hospitals and airports in service. [Photo by NASA] |
| Sprint starts rolling out Ice Cream Sandwich update to HTC EVO 3D Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:41 AM PDT It's official: we can finally add Sprint's three-dimensional EVO to that endeavoring list of slabs running Ice Cream Sandwich. According to multiple tipsters, and promptly confirmed by The Now Network's legitimate support page, Google's ICS assortment is now being delivered OTA -- a wee bit earlier than expected, no less -- to the now-discontinued HTC EVO 3D. As we could imagine, the tasty software update brings previously known features to the 4.3-inch device, including folders, improved browser, resizable widgets and the crowd-pleasing Face Unlock method. Needless to say, Sprint certainly took its sweet time to dish out the long-awaited 4.0 nuggets -- but better late than never, right? |
| Pantech Marauder QWERTY slider gets official for Verizon, runs $50 after rebate Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:23 AM PDT We just saw some evidence a few days ago a new QWERTY slider from Pantech would soon be hitting Verizon, and it turns out that was indeed the case. The carrier has now officially announced the Pantech Marauder, an LTE-equipped device that will set you back just $50 after a $50 mail-in rebate (on a two-year contract) when it becomes available on August 2nd. Not surprisingly, that won't exactly buy you the highest-end phone around -- you'll get a 3.8-inch WVGA screen, a 5-megapixel camera, an unspecified 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, mobile hotspot functionality, and Android 4.0. Somewhat notably, the phone also offers you a choice of Standard and Starter modes, the former of which is apparently stock Android (or something close to it) while the latter provides a simplified UI aimed at new smartphone users. Assuming they aren't scared off by a name like "Marauder," that is. Pantech Marauder™ To Launch On The Verizon Wireless 4G LTE Network Dual-Interface Option and QWERTY Keyboard Make Pantech Marauder the Perfect Crossover Choice for Basic Phone Customers Switching to a Smartphone BASKING RIDGE, NJ and HAUPPAUGE, NY - Verizon Wireless and Pantech today announced the 4G LTE-powered Pantech Marauder™ is coming exclusively to America's largest 4G LTE network starting Aug. 2. The Pantech Marauder provides first-time smartphone customers with a dual-interface option, allowing customers to fit the device to their lifestyles or specific needs. Brought to market by Personal Communications Devices, LLC (PCD), the Pantech Marauder offers customers the option to choose between Starter Mode and Standard Mode. Starter Mode is a simplified and more intuitive experience that is perfect for those who are new to the smartphone world. This option eases first-time customers into the smartphone experience with the help of four easy-to-learn home screens featuring preset widgets and an uncluttered, easy-to-use lock screen. Starter Mode also features a quick dialer icon that allows customers to make phone calls directly from the home screen. Standard Mode is a general smartphone setting for those who are familiar with the Android™ experience. It offers up to seven fully customizable home screens and a customizable lock screen with quick access to frequently used applications. All settings are maintained when switching between modes so customers do not have to worry about losing information. The Pantech Marauder features a virtual keyboard as well as a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, making it the perfect choice for messaging aficionados and for those who want an excellent messaging experience. With the 5-megapixel camera, customers can take pictures, capture high-definition video, and easily share them as well as video chat with family and friends, using the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. Additional features Notification Curtain that displays quick on/off settings, phone settings, connectivity and sync, social media and email The Pantech Marauder will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com starting Aug. 2 for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted. New customers that purchase a Pantech Marauder smartphone will need to subscribe to a Verizon Wireless Share Everything plan. Customers can purchase unlimited talk and text messaging with 1 GB of data for $90 monthly access. Customers can visit www.verizonwireless.com/shareeverything for additional information on data plans. For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com. About Verizon Wireless About Pantech |
| Google brings NYC subway alerts to Maps, makes public transit a little more bearable Posted: 31 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Google has offered up New York City subway information via Maps for some time now, but as anyone who's navigated the 100-plus-year-old transit system will happily tell / complain to you, such information is only so useful without info on the requisite service changes -- a lot of work goes into maintaining something that old. Google's upping its game by bringing services changes to Maps for Android and its web-based counterpart. Clicking on one of the 468 stations in Maps will bring up relevant maintenance information, as well as step-by-step instructions for navigating around it. Until Boingo rolls out WiFi to more stations, however, you might want to check your status before going underground. |
| BBC shows off 33-megapixel Super Hi-Vision Olympic footage, we ask: why? Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:30 AM PDT The first live Super Hi-Vision broadcast for public consumption was of the Olympic opening ceremony in London last week. We didn't get to see that premiere, or the second or third screenings either -- but the fourth? Oh yes. We grabbed a seat right up front of a small theater inside BBC Broadcasting House, watched a live 33-megapixel feed from the Aquatics Center and absorbed some very fond memories in the process. At the same time, a question hung over the footage like a watermark: why bother? The world is barely getting to grips with the notion of 4K, which already solves pixelation at regular viewing distances, so why did the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK go to the expense of sending a dedicated SHV video truck, a SHV audio truck rigged for 22.2 channel sound, and the world's only three 8K Ultra HDTV cameras to London? Fortunately, we caught up with someone in charge who was able to respond to that question. Read on for what they said, plus a slightly fuller sense of what the footage was like to watch.
The grubby, high-ISO 1080i video above can't transmit this experience -- all we could do is zoom in on a detail and then zoom out again to show how small a proportion it was of the total image. Instead, it's better to just come out and say it: while watching the swimming event and cut-down highlights of the opening ceremony, there were moments when we could almost have believed we were looking not at a projected image, but rather through a window direct onto the Olympic Stadium or Aquatics Center itself. Unlike HDTV and even 4K, there wasn't even the merest hint of pixelation or compression in the 500Mb/s IP feed, and even the tiniest figures in the scene were totally vivid and sharp; and, with 60 progressive frames per second of clean digital footage, there were none of flickers, artefacts or low-frame rate issues that come with trying to replicate 'reality' on 35mm celluloid. The sound was a big part of it too -- with an inordinate number of channels to position sound in the theater, it was impossible to tell whether the people sitting behind us were clapping or if it was actually someone in the Aquatics Center. Embarrassingly, there were a couple of occasions when we applauded an athlete and then realized we were the only ones in the theater making a sound. That's honestly how engaged we were. However, these feelings never lasted long, because the shot would switch to another camera position which had worse contrast, or greater lens distortion, or shallower depth of field, and the illusion would be broken. In particular, there were occasions when what we wanted to focus on jarred with what the cameraman actually focused on -- because the vista was often so wide and detailed that it seemed we could choose any subject we wanted, and there was no need for cutaways. Wide shots worked best, when everything was visible and in focus. That said, many of these issues can be overcome, even if it means directors and cameramen have to work differently when broadcasting in 8K. Ultimately, there's plenty of reason to believe the BBC's project head, Tim Plyming, when he says that "8K is the maximum the human eye can understand" and that "it's the end of the resolution story." As far as he's concerned, anyone investing in 4K may as well go right to the end of the track and put their money in 8K instead, because that's the technology that "puts people at the event." As a broadcaster peering into the future, the BBC recognizes two very separate trends. The first, of course, is towards mobile, in which people increasingly want their video to be sent to phones and tablets as part of a data-rich stream of content. The second trend is towards immersion, in which people seek premium experiences on huge TVs and in theaters, and they want nothing to get in the way of their escapism: that's why the Olympic footage we saw had no commentary and no info-rich graphical overlays -- nothing except what a person at the event would see or hear. Plyming didn't state it specificially, but if you take this view to its logical conclusion, a regular 42-inch HDTV would get pushed into a no man's land somewhere inbetween -- it's not portable, not immersive, and therefore not able to compete in the long-term. And that's why broadcasters' investment in 8K perhaps isn't so wild after all. |
| Hulu Plus app live on Apple TV Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:10 AM PDT We Update: We have official confirmation now, check the Hulu Blog for more information, or after the break for two quick demo videos.
[Thanks, Rune] Ben Drawbaugh contributed to this report. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| OUYA partners with Square Enix, names Final Fantasy III as launch title Posted: 31 Jul 2012 06:06 AM PDT We've been saying for a while now that a large deal of the success of Kickstarter blockbuster OUYA will hinge on the console's game selection. News just got a fair bit brighter on that front -- particularly for RPG fans. The company announced via its Kickstarter page (as per usual) that it has partnered with Square Enix. The first fruits of that burgeoning relationship will be Final Fantasy III, making the game a launch title for the console. The company is promising that the title will be "updated to exploit OUYA's high-definition resolution in glorious graphic detail" -- and, as is OUYA's M.O., players will be getting a free demo of the game. Oh, and for those keeping track, the product's Kickstarter page is currently at a mind-boggling $5,820,345 with eight days to go. |
| T-Mobile urges the FCC to approve Verizon's spectrum deal Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:33 AM PDT It's strange to see another network provider stepping up to the plate for Verizon, but some of T-Mobile's big hitters have visited the FCC to do just that. The company wants Verizon's acquisition of AWS spectrum licenses from SpectrumCo, Cox and Leap to be pushed through as quickly as possible, and its motives are pretty obvious: it comes just a month after the companies agreed to some friendly bandwidth-sharing once the deal's done. T-Mobile has also challenged comments from the Rural Telecommunications Group (RTG), which argues that Verizon's acquisition will hurt competition. Oh, how things have changed since T-Mobile was battling in completely the opposite direction. |
| The mighty Kuratas gets assembled on video Posted: 31 Jul 2012 05:11 AM PDT
It'll cost you $1.35 million to own one, but putting together a Kuratas isn't any easier. The latest video of the monstrous mech shows it being transported and assembled. That means flatbeds, cranes and a whole lot of socket wrenches. Of course, at the end of the day, you've got a 13-foot tall robot you can climb inside. Certainly puts that Ikea bookshelf project into perspective, huh? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sony Xperia Tablet leaked from internal slides: Surface-style keyboard and tentative $450 price tag Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:24 AM PDT Sony's next-generation tablet appears to have leaked on internal slides spotted by German news site, Mobiflip. In short, it's thinner and lighter than the Tablet S, while internal specifications also trump it, including a Tegra 3 quad-core processor, Android 4.0 ("or later"), 3G connectivity and three storage options; 16, 32 and 64GB. The whole tablet follows the same folded magazine design of Sony's existing tablet, is splashproof and houses a 6,000mAh battery that the slides suggest will manage 10 hours of WiFi-based web browsing. There's even some tentative pricing, with the different-sized models marked up at $450, $550 and $650, respectively. The pictures also cover Sony's plans to add a lightweight keyboard to its next tablet, similar to Microsoft's Surface plans, but with some Smart Cover-esque kickstand skills thrown in for good measure. We've added a shot of the keyboard cover after the break, but you can take a tour of the rest of the slides -- which include a raft of accessories and docks -- at the source link below. Update: We've been in touch with a Sony spokesperson, who had "no comment at this stage." We may have to wait until next month, when European trade show IFA kicks off -- with Sony in attendance -- until we hear anything more concrete. |
| Spotify adds radio streaming to its Android app Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:11 AM PDT Catching up to its iOS sibling, Spotify's announced that its premium (and all US-based) users can now enjoy the same not-so-random radio playback functionality on Google-powered mobile devices. This includes creating "radio stations" from any artist, album or playlist you suggest and the ability to gradually improve Spotify's playlist-making skills by offering thumbs-up (or down) feedback on its efforts. Visit the source for the Android app's latest version. |
| Engadget Mobile Podcast 147 - 07.31.2012 Posted: 31 Jul 2012 04:02 AM PDT  We're later than usual with this week's Engadget Mobile Podcast, but can you blame us? Just look at all of those long, complicated topics below. Earnings, specs, leaks, beams, Notes...it's a mobile casserole, just like Mom used to make, with a little dash of something unquantifiable...just a hint...oh, it's a healthy dose of Lutz to round things out. Grab a plate and gather 'round because this dish needs to be eaten while it's hot, hot, hot! 00:01:22 - Samsung Galaxy Note for T-Mobile review Hear the podcast This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:41 AM PDT Greenery may fulfill a superficial need to improve the landscape aesthetic, but plants play a much more critical role in regular life function, converting carbon dioxide to oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Panasonic is among the companies attempting to replicate this natural procedure through artificial means, and it looks like the Japanese electronics maker is well on its way towards a viable solution. Presenting at the International Conference on the Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy this week, Panasonic announced the development of an Artificial Photosynthesis System, which uses a nitride semiconductor to convert water and carbon dioxide -- a byproduct of factories and power plants -- into an organic material called formic acid, which is used in the manufacturing of dyes and fragrances. Covering the planet in formic acid wouldn't necessarily represent progress, but assuming demand isn't exceeded, it certainly beats CO2. Best yet, Panasonic claims that the system converts the substances at plant-like efficiency rates, or 0.2 percent. Hit up the PR after the break for a more granular look at the company's creation. Panasonic Develops Highly Efficient Artificial Photosynthesis System Generating Organic Materials from Carbon Dioxide and Water Osaka, Japan - Panasonic has developed an artificial photosynthesis system which converts carbon dioxide (CO2) to organic materials by illuminating with sunlight at a world's top efficiency*1 of 0.2%. The efficiency is on a comparable level with real plants used for biomass energy. The key to the system is the application of a nitride semiconductor which makes the system simple and efficient. This development will be a foundation for the realization of a system for capturing and converting wasted carbon dioxide from incinerators, power plants or industrial activities. CO2 is one of the substances responsible for greenhouse effect and as such, efforts are being made to reduce the emissions of CO2 worldwide. The problem of CO2 is also directly connected to an issue of the depletion of fossil fuels. Artificial photosynthesis is the direct conversion from CO2 into organic materials, which can solve both of these problems. In the previous approaches so far, the systems have had complex structures such as organic complexes or plural photo-electrodes, which makes it difficult to improve their efficiency in response to the light. Panasonic's artificial photosysnthesis system has a simple structure with highly efficient CO2 conversion, which can utilize direct sunlight or focused light. We found firstly that a nitride semiconductor has the capability to excite the electrons with enough high energy for the CO2 reduction reaction. Nitride semiconductors have attracted attention for their potential applications in highly efficient optical and power devices for energy saving. However, its potential was revealed to extend beyond solid devices; more specifically, it can be used as a photo-electrode for CO2 reduction. Making a deviced structure through the thin film process for semiconductors, the performance as a photo-electrode has highly improved. The CO2 reduction takes place on a metal catalyst at the opposite side of nitride semiconductor photo-electrode.(See Fig. 1) The metal catalyst plays an important role in selecting and accelerating the reaction. Here, it is noted that the system comprises of only inorganic materials, which can reduce the CO2 with low energy loss. Because of this, the amount of reaction products is exactly proportional to the light power. This is one of the merits in such an all-inorganic system while some conventional systems cannot follow the light power in general because of their internal or external rate-limiting processes in the complex structures. The system with a nitride semiconductor and a metal catalyst generates mainly formic acid from CO2 and water with light at a world's top efficiency of 0.2%. The efficiency is of a comparable level to real plants used in the biomass energy source. The formic acid is an important chemical in industry for dye and fragrances. The reaction rate is completely proportional to the light power due to the low energy loss with simple structure; in other words, the system can respond to focused light. This will make it possible to realize a simple and compact system for capturing and converting wasted carbon dioxide from incinerators and electric generation plants. On this development, Panasonic holds 18 domestic patents and 11 overseas patents, including pending applications. This development was partially presented at 19th International Conference on the Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy held on Pasadena, United States on July 30, 2012. *1: As of July 30, 2012. The energy proportion of synthesized materials to input light. |
| Wikipad specs get real: 10.1-inch 1,280 x 800 display, 1.4 GHz Tegra 3, Jelly Bean Posted: 31 Jul 2012 03:14 AM PDT The Wikipad gaming tablet has been ticking off boxes on its way to becoming a real product, and after bedding down with Gaikai game streaming and settling in to a 10.1-inch form factor, the rest of the hardware is now set. The chunky handheld will brandish an IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, NVIDIA Tegra 3 T30 quad-core 1.4GHz processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, at least 16GB storage and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Other notable items include 8-megapixel rear / 2-megapixel front cameras, six hours continuous gaming battery life and a 2D-only screen instead of the 3D originally touted -- at least, for the first model. The controller remains the same with a pair of triggers, bumpers, joysticks and start/select buttons, and will cover the slate's speakers and route sound out the front. The rest of the story is yet to come, namely exactly what that price will be and when you'll actually be able to pew-pew with it, but the company has promised to 'fess up soon. Meanwhile, though airy for a tablet at 560 grams (1.2 pounds), it's not exactly PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS XL territory -- but then a heavyweight contender could be exactly what handheld gaming needs. |
| First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:54 AM PDT The GHz Edition was supposed to deliver a significant mid-cycle performance bump to AMD's flagship 7970, without any attendant rise in cost. Instead, according to AnandTech, it looks like third-party vendors are looking to exploit the GE has a chance to max out every other spec in addition to the updated silicon and then charge a premium. Sapphire's new Toxic card is a case in point -- a 6GB double-helping of VRAM and a "Lethal" BIOS mode that takes base clock up to 1150MHz and memory clock to 6.4GHz (compared to 6GHz on the stock card). Those who can splutter up $699 will surely love it, but it's no substitute for the $499 upgrade that AMD originally intended. |
| Twitter quietly adds clickable stock symbols Posted: 31 Jul 2012 02:22 AM PDT It might not pack the same thrill as the rumors of in-feed video, but Twitter has added clickable stock symbols on tweets. This now throws up search results for both the stock and the company, using a new 'cash' tag, like $FB, to differentiate from typical links and tags. As noted by TNW, it's bad news for the founder of StockTwits, a service that offered similar functionality to gather tweet-based financial nuggets. The new feature is live across Twitter's web client -- though it hasn't hit TweetDeck just yet -- and should make discovering exactly how many millions companies have made (or lost) all a bit faster. |
| Verizon may cut what's left of Alltel data starting January 10th, 2013 Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:49 AM PDT Alltel customers brought under the Verizon umbrella have been getting more and more signals that it's time to let go of that legacy phone. The latest red flag is a letter that Droid-Life understands is making its way to holdout customers. According to one copy, Verizon will start shutting down the remnants of Alltel's data service on or near January 10th, 2013. Alltel's mobile data should be completely inert after April that year -- and those still clinging to the past will be down to basic phone calls and SMS until they get Verizon-blessed devices. At least corporate customers are getting incentives to cross the divide, so you can't accuse Verizon of forgetting to use the carrot along with the stick. We'll admit that we aren't exactly mourning the eventual loss ourselves: customers by that point will have had four years to make the leap, which in this era can feel like an eternity. |
| Toshiba slips into the red as latest earnings reveal $153 million loss Posted: 31 Jul 2012 01:23 AM PDT Toshiba's most recent fiscal results (the first of its 2012 financial year) show that while the company pulled in $16 billion in turnover, it slumped to a $154 million loss for the last three months. While its "social infrastructure" unit (power plants, LED light bulbs and radiation detectors) generated a $107 million profit, the consumer electronics and white-goods sectors continued to lose sales. The company attributes the loss to further restructuring costs as well as pointing an accusatory digit toward the European financial crisis and concerns about power generation capacity in Japan. Despite the gloom, the company says that it still expects to hit a target of $81 billion turnover and $3.8 billion profit before March 2013. |
| Panasonic's 2013 Q1: things are looking up with a $164 million profit Posted: 31 Jul 2012 12:33 AM PDT Panasonic's financial year runs from summer to summer, so its first-quarter results for 2013 just hit the wire. The figures proudly show that the company has managed to turn around the losses it suffered so badly in the previous period -- with $23 billion in turnover generating a tidy profit of $164 million. While sales dropped by six percent compared to the first three months of the year, it's been reducing fixed costs and restructuring each segment of the business to ensure a return to profit making despite the worsening financial crisis in Europe. The company's even been able to stick some cash into the savings account, tucking $16.6 million into the piggy bank for a rainy day. |
| Bing search lets you tag Facebook friends, forces them to Google 'Bing' Posted: 30 Jul 2012 11:34 PM PDT Microsoft has already made its "decision" engine get all buddy-buddy with Facebook and Twitter, but now it's taking the integration one step further. You'll now actually be able to tag your friends in searches. Why, pray tell, would you need to do such a thing? Perhaps you've got a buddy who grew up in Paris and need suggestions for where to eat while you're visiting. Or maybe you've spotted an awesome hiking trail and want others to tag along. Just enter the question in the Bing side bar then tag the appropriate people. The search will show up on your timeline and others can pitch in. Of course, you could always just ask these same people via Facebook message, text or (gasp!) in person. But why would you want to simplify matters? Check out the source for more info and the video after the break. <A data-cke-saved-href="http://video.msn.com/?vid=ac07de95-2eca-4292-a73f-30983606173b&mkt=en-us&src=SLPl:embed:syndication:uuids&from=shareembed-syndication" href="http://video.msn.com/?vid=ac07de95-2eca-4292-a73f-30983606173b&mkt=en-us&src=SLPl:embed:syndication:uuids&from=shareembed-syndication" target="_new" title="Tag Your Friends When Searching on Bing">Video: Tag Your Friends When Searching on Bing</A> |
| Nexus 7 dock and covers leak, promise high style in small sizes (update: source goes down) Posted: 30 Jul 2012 10:47 PM PDT There have been teases here and there that Google's Nexus 7 was going to get a full, official accessory treatment from ASUS, but actual details have been scarce. Consider ASUS' cover blown, almost literally. Presentation files finding their way to Nordic Hardware show the known Smart Case-like, $20 Travel Cover that's already lurking on the ASUS and Google websites, but they also spoil a leather Premium Cover that will reportedly cost $40. As for a cradle to round out the set? While the company had previously confirmed that a dock was coming, we're now getting a glimpse of the $50 Nexus Dock's super-simple wedge design and audio output. With the exception of the Travel Cover, the accessory bonanza is pegged by the slides as arriving in late August -- just in time for that last-gasp summer vacation. Update: Nordic Hardware has since taken down its original post "at the request" of an unnamed party. |
| Republic Wireless reopens its unlimited $19 per month beta, starts offering Motorola Defy XT Posted: 30 Jul 2012 09:34 PM PDT Republic Wireless is finally ready for more customers on its low price cellphone service, announcing today that it's reopening signups for its beta and offering customers a new phone. The new hardware is the Motorola Defy XT, an Android 2.3 device with a 3.7-inch display, 1GHz CPU, 1650 mAh battery, 5MP camera / VGA front camera, 1GB of ROM and microSD slot. It can be your for $249, which may seem pricey for a Gingerbread phone in 2012, however Republic Wireless' truly unlimited $19 / month plan hopes to make up for it on the back end. Those who signed up for the service and are slotted in Wave B are welcome, while Wave A customers rocking the launch LG Optimus are being offered $100 off the price of an upgrade to the new phone. Check out a few more details after the break in the press release. republic wireless Further Disrupts Wireless Market; Reopens Beta & Introduces New Motorola Android™-powered Smartphone $19 Unlimited Talk, Text & Data on Motorola DEFY™ XT About Bandwidth |
| Samsung Galaxy S Duos details make the rounds, bring Galaxy S III vibe to the dual-SIM world Posted: 30 Jul 2012 09:05 PM PDT Fans of Samsung's Duos phones wanting 2012 updates have had to make do with last year's looks so far. From what's surfacing through multiple Indian sites, though, Samsung must want to spread some of the Galaxy S III's modern, nature-influenced style to the Duos' twin-SIM audience. The Galaxy S Duos S7562 won't make its bigger sibling jealous with a 4-inch WVGA display, a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM7227A chip or 512MB of RAM, but they're not the point. As always, the highlight is that pair of SIM slots for carrying both home and work phone lines -- or simply mixing and matching prepaid plans. The rest of the hardware falls in line with what's likely to be a much less expensive smartphone, including a 5-megapixel back camera, a VGA front camera and 4GB of storage. Buyers will be glad to know that Android 4.0 should still be coming along for the ride in addition to that stone-inspired look. We've asked Samsung for more official details; there's talk of an Indian launch before the end of the summer, which (if true) could give the crowds in Bangalore and Mumbai more to look forward to in the fall than just cooler temperatures. |
| X-RHex Lite robot grows a tail, always lands on its feet (video) Posted: 30 Jul 2012 07:41 PM PDT By far the greatest challenge for robots with legs is staying upright when the going gets rough. A team at the University of Pennsylvania's Kod*lab has a hunch that we don't need extra smarts to make that happen -- just an extra appendage. The upgraded X-RHex Lite (XRL) carries a tail that will swing in the right direction to keep the robot upright if it's caught out by a fall, much like a cat. That's impressive for a nearly 18-pound robot (the previous Tailbot was 0.4 pounds), but we're pretty sure no feline has six springy legs; the XRL can crash to the ground and still get back up like it ain't no thing, which gives it a fudge factor others don't have. We don't know if the hexapod critter will lead to more than further experiments. If there are fewer stuck rovers on future exploration missions, though, we'll know who to thank. |
| Huawei Ascend G 302D goes public in FCC docs Posted: 30 Jul 2012 06:19 PM PDT It's a curious thing to have gold signify the low-end, but that's just what Huawei's done with its G series smartphone line. That bottom-dwelling, budget tier, first announced at this past Mobile World Congress, has already seen a couple of category cousins come out into the open (see: Vodafone's G 300 and T-Mobile's G 312), so color us unsurprised to find yet another single-core, Googlefied device crop up at the FCC. The associated docs leave little to the imagination, treating us to unobstructed images of the Ascend G 302D -- presumably, a 4-incher. We're not quite sure what software the phone'll run when it ships, though from the looks of those very ICS-like capacitive keys, we wouldn't rule Android 4.0 out. Spec-wise, we have the included manual and some RF testing to go off of, revealing two different sized batteries -- a 1,350mAh and 1,500mAh -- support for Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n and AT&T-compatible radios. That's not to say this lil' guy's guaranteed an official U.S. slot on that carrier's lineup, but it should make for a decent import option. Hit up the source below for additional shots of this mobile minor leaguer. |
| Samsung Retina-like 11.8-inch tablet in the works according to court docs Posted: 30 Jul 2012 05:25 PM PDT If you've been following the Apple vs. Samsung case even casually, you're probably aware that today marked the start of the patent trial in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, with Judge Lucy Koh presiding. And while the proceedings themselves won't necessarily justify an Olympics-level play-by-play, several interesting bits are sure to come to light. Today's nugget relates to Samsung's tablet roadmap, revealing that a Retina-like tablet may be in the works. The P10, as it's been labeled internally, packs a 2,560 x 1,600-pixel, 11.8-inch display, along with WiFi and LTE connectivity. Details are thin beyond that, and it's still possible that Samsung may not have a high-res tablet for us this year -- though with the company's mysterious New York City event coming up in two weeks, followed by IFA later in the month, there are plenty of opportunities in August alone for such an official reveal. Philip Palermo contributed to this report. |
| Archos' ICS-loaded 97 Carbon tablet now up for sale, priced at $230 for a limited time Posted: 30 Jul 2012 04:57 PM PDT Its brief, mandatory appearance at the FCC a couple of weeks ago certainly let us know it'd be ready to take anyone's cash sooner rather than later, and surely enough, the 97 Carbon's now making itself available to all. Just as we'd heard, Archos is pricing the Ice Cream Sandwich slate at $250, though the company's currently running a deal where it's parting ways with the Elements slab for $20 less than MSRP -- naturally, this is a "limited time only" offer, and thus it could change at any given moment. Either way, that amount of greenbacks snags you an eye-pleasing 9.7-inch, IPS display with a run-of-the-mill 1GHz, single-core CPU and 16GB of built-in storage. Obviously the spotlight's still shining high on Google's Nexus 7, so we're interested to find out how many of you think this is enough to make you look past the Jelly Bean sweets -- do let us know in the comments below. |
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