I'm getting ready to make the move to Android; would love to hear what y'all think -- what device should I get? http://bit.ly/9EoT4T

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Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon 'in the coming months'

And just like that, the rumor mill smirks. HP has just come clean with a device that we've been hearing more and more about over the past few weeks, and with it will come the next generation of webOS that we've been hearing about for even longer. The Palm Pre 2 will be the first device to ship with HP webOS 2.0, with the revamped and renamed (presumably to use on more than just Palm smartphones) mobile OS promising "true multitasking," Stacks (for organizing apps) Just Type, HP Synergy (links your email and social networking accounts), Exhibition (enabling users to run apps designed specifically for the Palm Touchstone Charging Dock) and support for Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 Beta. It's also bringing along a new Favorites tagging option, Skype Mobile (on the Verizon version only), text assist, integrated Quickoffice, VPN support, a redesigned launcher and full support for Bluetooth keyboards and SPP peripherals.

As for Pre 2 itself? Little is being revealed at the moment, but we're told to expect a 1GHz CPU, a five megapixel camera (LED flash, extended depth of field, geotagging, and video capture), glass display and a "sleeker, streamlined design" that still combines a touchpanel with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. In other words, it's a faster, slimmer Pre, and some would argue it's what the Pre Plus should've been. At any rate, SFR customers in France will get first dibs on Friday, with Verizon and an undisclosed carrier in Canada scheduled to get it "in the coming months." Oh, and as for US-based developers? They'll be able to purchase unlocked UMTS versions of the Pre 2 (!) in their homeland, though pricing remains elusive.

Update: The Pre 2 portal is now live, showcasing a 3.1-inch 480 x 320 (HVGA) multitouch display, a black enclosure, Exchange support, built-in GPS, ambient light / proximity sensors, an accelerometer, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, 16GB of inbuilt storage space, a battery good for around 5.5 hours of talking and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Gallery: Palm Pre 2 press photos

Gallery: Palm Pre 2 and HP webOS 2.0 press screenshots

Continue reading Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon 'in the coming months'

Palm gets official with webOS 2.0 and Pre 2: hitting France on Friday, Verizon 'in the coming months' originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Attribution Reporting: The Most Overlooked Media Planning Tool via @hollisthomases on @clickz

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New ultra-flexible, waterproof LEDs can be implanted under your skin [Mad Biology]

LEDs are, on small scales, the cheapest, most reliable, and most technologically powerful light sources out there. But their true potential is finally being unleashed. A new generation of LEDs can go anywhere - even into your body.

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are often used for text and video displays, and their infrared counterparts are everywhere in remote control technology. You can't take a trip without running into an LED - traffic signals are all LEDs, as are most of the lights on a car dashboard. And anyone who has been to a rock concert has probably run into a few people going crazy with LED-powered glowsticks.

Still, as researcher John Rogers of the University of Illinois points out, LEDs are brittle, meaning they can't be bent into different shapes. Well, no more, thanks to his new invention. He and his team have put tiny LEDs, each one smaller than the tip of a pen, on flexible electronic sheets. These sheets can be stretched and twisted up to 720 degrees without any loss in LED function, and they can hold up under soapy water or even underneath the skin, which they demonstrated by implant one sheet under the skin of mice.

As scientist's tend to do, Rogers looks at this from the perspective of how it might benefit humanity. He sees great potential applications in using implanted LEDs for diagnostic purposes, and putting his LEDs on surgical gloves could allow doctors an even better view at what they're operating on.

But let's be real here - the crazy awesome applications of this invention way outstrip the humanity-benefiting ones. Implanted LEDs can be the new tattoo - put red ones down your spine for the sexy Cylon look!) Take your boring old household pets and stick some LEDs in them - instant excitement with glowing kitties and puppies! New glowsticks could be twisted 720 degrees to look like double helixes of DNA and handed out to biologists, giving scientific conferences a refreshingly heavy metal feel. And you just know somebody is figuring out how to put these things on a condom.

What crazy ideas do you have for these ultra-flexible LEDs? Here are some more awesome pictures of Rogers's LEDs in action to get your creative juices going.

[Nature Materials]

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Apple's Q4 earnings are out, records set for revenue, earnings, and sales (Update: earnings call liveblog!)

Another Apple earnings report, another winner quarter for the company. Apple says its 2010 fiscal fourth quarter results are its "highest revenue and earnings ever," with records set for Mac, iPhone and iPad sales. Some of the highlight numbers include 14.1 million iPhones sold (up 91 percent over Q4 last year), 3.89 million Macs (up 27 percent), 9.05 million iPods (down 11 percent), and 4.19 million iPads. It all added up to an all-time record for Apple of $20.34 billion in revenue for a net profit of $4.31 billion. And of course, Apple couldn't resist stoking the upcoming-event-rumor flames a little bit: "We still have a few surprises left for the remainder of this calendar year." Hit up the press release after the break. The earnings call is starting in a few minutes, we'll be liveblogging it right here!

Continue reading Apple's Q4 earnings are out, records set for revenue, earnings, and sales (Update: earnings call liveblog!)

Apple's Q4 earnings are out, records set for revenue, earnings, and sales (Update: earnings call liveblog!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple TV hits 250,000 in sales, says Steve Jobs

Deep within the heart of Apple's fiscal earnings call Q&A session, straight from the mouth of CEO Steve Jobs: "I can report that we've sold a quarter million Apple TVs." Quite an impressive number for a device that's only been out for 18 days but by no means on par with the likes of some other Apple debuts (the iPad, for instance, sold 300,000 on day one). Still, not bad for the once (and possibly still) hobby.

Apple TV hits 250,000 in sales, says Steve Jobs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bose enters single-ear Bluetooth headset market with expected swagger and price tag

"It's not every day you see a company release a Bluetooth headset" is something we'd like to say, but alas, it was not meant to be. Bose is the latest, launching what it claims is its first single-ear Bluetooth headset. The aural implant carries the family name and touted audio quality / proprietary technology, but functionality-wise, it's not much different than your run-of-the-mill earpiece. Of course, that branding carries a lot of weight with some folks, and for them, plan on paying just shy of $150 (before tax) when it comes out late November. Your weekly dose of bravado can be found in the press release after the break.

Gallery: Bose enters single-ear Bluetooth headset market with expected swagger and price tag

Continue reading ! Bose enters single-ear Bluetooth headset market with expected swagger and price tag

Bose enters single-ear Bluetooth headset market with expected swagger and price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 3,2 rumored to be in near-final testing phase, cue the CDMA speculation

Apple's all aglow with its fiscal triumphs, but that's nothing new. Here's something else that follows the Cupertino company like night follows the day: Verizon iPhone rumors. Boy Genius Report claims it's heard from one of its "solid Apple sources" that iPhone 3,2 (seen previously in iOS code) has hit "AP testing phase," which reportedly means final hardware and near-final software. Said source also claims it has a SIM card slot, which would be fine except for BGR's assertion that 3,2 is the oft-rumored CDMA iPhone -- you know, the one that Wall Street Journal is all but certain is coming next year. So how might these two apparently contradictory elements form some tangible paradox machine? One possibility the publication is suggesting is a CDMA / GSM dual-mode "global" phone that'd work on virtually all major carriers. Then again, it could just be a GSM iPhone 4 with some design finagling (antenna revision?). If any of this pans out, that is, but at least you can say you witnessed the Verizon iPhone rumor merging with existing iPhone 4 to form a mythical "carrier Voltron" device. Or something like that.

iPhone 3,2 rumored to be in near-final testing phase, cue the CDMA speculation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 21:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEC introduces 23-inch MultiSync EX231W LCD monitor, complete with DisplayPort

NEC's new MultiSync EX231W may not be the sexiest LCD of all time, but it's still decidedly sleek for a screen that's all-business underneath. This 23-incher weighs just 9.3 pounds, has an ultraslim bezel (14.6mm) and a native 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, and it's also packing 250 nits of brightness, 25,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a Mother Earth-approved ECO mode that consumes just 16 watts. There's also DVI and DisplayPort options, not to mention a USB pass-through on the top of the monitor that enables quick webcam or flash drive connections. The usual extras are also in attendance, with an ambient light sensor, carbon savings meter, touch-sensitive on-screen controls, four-way adjustable stand and an intelligent power manager all making the cut. It'll ship next month for $339, and that does indeed include the company's three year limited warranty.

Continue reading NEC introduces 23-inch MultiSync EX231W LCD monitor, complete with DisplayPort

NEC introduces 23-inch MultiSync EX231W LCD monitor, complete with DisplayPort originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 officially pictured, coming this Friday

AMD said it's bringing the new heat this week, but, in a classic act of showmanship, it's teasing out only imagery today and insisting on making us wait until Friday to truly learn what the next generation of Radeon graphics is made of. For now, we have the full titles of its leading lights, namely the Radeon HD 6870 and Radeon HD 6850, along with plenty of pictorial evidence of their existence in a lab somewhere. We note with glee that the default output arrangement includes no less than five ports, including two DVI, one HDMI (1.4a), and two Mini DisplayPorts. We'd rather the latter two were full-sized, but it doesn't look like ATI AMD had the room to fit them in. As to power requirements, the HD 6870 will need two 6-pin connectors to augment the juice it gets from the PCI Express port, while the HD 6850 will sate its needs with just the one. Anyhow, enjoy the gallery below and make sure to have your popcorn ready for the benchmark-heavy reviews coming up at the end of the week.

Gallery: AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 official images

Continue reading AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 officially pictured, coming this Friday

AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 officially pictured, coming this Friday originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's Inspiron 15R Alloy Edition makes the wrong kind of waves

An "Alloy Edition" laptop sounds like something that should look pretty decent, right? Well, ideas and execution are two entirely different things, as evidenced by Dell's new Inspiron 15R Alloy Edition. While the alloy part of the equation isn't bad, it's unfortunately only available in a "waves" pattern that we can only hope looks better in person. As for the laptop's specs, you can expect the usual choice of Core i3, i5 or i7 processors, a 15.6-inch 1,366 x 768 display, integrated Intel graphics or an optional ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to a 750GB hard drive. Somewhat curiously, while the laptop is up on Dell's site with a "customize" button, it isn't yet actually available to customize, and there isn't a starting price or release date to be found.

[Thanks, Nik G]

Dell's Inspiron 15R Alloy Edition makes the wrong kind of waves originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry PlayBook 64GB variant confirmed, strapped to a 5,300mAh battery (video)

You already know most of the spec sheet delicacies that RIM has in store for its PlayBook, but here are a couple more details to complete the picture. The PlayBook will indeed match the iPad in having 16GB, 32GB and 64GB variants available, and will also come equipped with a pretty huge 5,300mAh battery. That'd be a generously proportioned cell for a full-sized laptop, we imagine it'll turn the PlayBook into quite the endurance champ. Beside those tidbits, there's another video appearance by the tablet that we weren't allowed to touch just after the break. You know you wanna see it.

Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook 64GB variant confirmed, strapped to a 5,300mAh battery (video)

BlackBerry PlayBook 64GB variant confirmed, strapped to a 5,300mAh battery (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Wave II has its Super Clear LCD tested against Galaxy S Super AMOLED display

Well, "tested" might be a strong word, but the living legend that is Eldar Murtazin has squared up Samsung's latest Bada handset against the company's top of the line Galaxy S for a bit of side-by-side screen comparison action. The 3.7-inch display on the Wave II holds its own admirably against the hyper-advanced Super AMOLED panel alongside it, but it does seem to have a tendency to introduce a slight yellow hue into images, as illustrated above. Regrettably, the Russian weather wasn't conducive to doing any comparisons under sunlight, so we'll just have to content ourselves with even more pictures setting the Wave II up against Nokia's N8 and Samsung's first Bada phone, the Wave numero uno.

[Thanks, Ronan]

Samsung Wave II has its Super Clear LCD tested against Galaxy S Super AMOLED display originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell trots out eight new LED-backlit LCD monitors, promises 21.5-inch multitouch IPS model

We had a hunch that Dell's latest quartet of LCD monitors would be making the short trip from Asia to America in the not-too-distant future, and sure enough, Dell's delivering the four we saw in September (along with four more) to US consumers today. Kicking things off is a new trio in the Studio line, which is available in 22-inch (ST2220), 23-inch (ST2320) and 24-inch (ST2420) sizes. The whole lot boasts a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, five millisecond response time, a 16:9 aspect ratio, ST panels (read: not IPS) and touch controls on the bottom right panel. You'll also find VGA and DVI ports, with the ST2220L ($199.99) / ST2320L ($229.99) / ST2321L versions adding HDMI. Moving on, there's a new pair of budget-friendly 20-inchers, the IN2020 and IN2020M. These guys tout a 1600 x 900 screen resolution, five millisecond response time and a VGA socket; the latter steps it up with the addition of DVI. Hit the source link for further details, including a brief teaser on a forthcoming ("later this fall") 21.5-inch multitouch model with an IPS panel. Mmm, delicious.

Dell trots out eight new LED-backlit LCD monitors, promises 21.5-inch multitouch IPS model originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony Ericsson brings 16 megapixel Cyber-shot S006 cellphone to KDDI

KDDI may have done its best to bury it amongst the few dozen other phones it announced today (including that eye-catching X-RAY clamshell), but we're not about to let the first phone using Sony's new 16.4 megapixel CMOS sensor slip by. That honor naturally goes to Sony Ericsson itself, which has stuffed the sensor into the otherwise ordinary looking Cyber-shot S006 cellphone. In addition to all those megapxiels, you'll also get ISO settings up to ISO 12800, and the rest of the camera's specs aren't too shabby either, including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.3-inch screen (said to be VGA, though we're assuming it's actually HVGA or WVGA), and built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Unfortunately, all of that is paired with Sony's own proprietary non-smartphone OS and it's, of course, exclusive to KDDI in Japan for the time being (and only being released next spring).

Sony Ericsson brings 16 megapixel Cyber-shot S006 cellphone to KDDI originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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