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Thursday, May 05, 2011

Harman Kardon's MAS 102 stereo has a petite profile, luxury looks and matching $999 price tag

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/harman-kardons-mas-102-stereo-has-a-petite-profile-luxury-look/

Harman Kardon has departed from its austere design language on occasion and come up with some questionable aesthetic results, but its latest compact stereo system sports the clean and classic lines for which H/K is famed. Of course, looks aren't everything, so the MAS 102 slings songs at your skull using a two-channel 65W amp, five-inch mid bass drivers, and one-inch waveguided dome tweeters. The MAS 102 also has dual USB ports for accessing digital music and a phono input for those who prefer sourcing tunes from an old school turntable. It's not all sonic bliss, however, as an optional dock (sold separately) is needed to hook up the iDevice of your choosing. That's a glaring omission for a stereo that costs just under a grand -- but forgiving that flaw should be easy for the form-over-function crowd. More info can be found in the PR after the break.

Continue reading Harman Kardon's MAS 102 stereo has a petite profile, luxury looks and matching $999 price tag

Harman Kardon's MAS 102 stereo has a petite profile, luxury looks and matching $999 price tag originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 22:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surface SDK gets input simulator, opens doors to indie devs

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/surface-sdk-gets-input-simulator-opens-doors-to-indie-devs/

Microsoft Surface Input Simulator

There's one big, table-shaped obstacle to developing apps for Microsoft's Surface: you kind of have to own one. A new Surface 2 SDK, landing this summer, will sidestep that problem with an input simulator so devs can test their code on any Windows 7 PC. You can tap fingers, place tags, or paint "blobs" for your virtual SUR 40 to interact with, and even fake multitouch gestures by "stamping" a finger in one spot then moving a second one. If the Surface you're programming for happens to be movable (though we're not sure who would put a $7,600 computer on hinges) you can also alter the tilt of the display to trigger UI changes. You'll still need access to one of these behemoths to make sure your wares work in the really real world, but at least the preliminary work can be done on any old laptop or desktop. Frankly, this is something we'd have thought would be included from day one -- as they say, better late than never.

Surface SDK gets input simulator, opens doors to indie devs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 22:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung SENS-240 Navigation Tablet is strange and familiar

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/samsung-sens-240-navigation-tablet-is-strange-and-familiar/

It's been a few years but iriver just released an updated version of its NV GPS navigator with SPINN UI. Wa... wait a second, that's a Samsung logo. Sorry, this is the Samsung SENS-240, a hybrid car navigation system / tablet that plays nice with your Android-powered Samsung smartphone or, uh, tablet. According to Akihabara News, the SENS-240 uses Bluetooth to take over your voice, data, voice search, and even "video features" from your smartphone when driving. You can then control the SENS-240 using your smarpthone or tablet as an "advanced" remote when idle. The details behind how this works, or why you'd want to do it, is a mystery. We do know that the SENS-240 comes packing 256MB of RAM, USB-host mode, and an SD slot in addition to a 1.43GHz processor (of unknown origins) said to be powerful enough to handle 3D maps, video, or DMB TV on that 7-inch, 800 x 480 pixel display. Oh, and it's Korea-only for now.

Samsung SENS-240 Navigation Tablet is strange and familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 03:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iOS 5 updates expected to be carried over-the-air, at least for the Verizon iPhone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/05/ios-5-updates-expected-to-be-carried-over-the-air-at-least-for/

Having spent a good part of our day yesterday negotiating with iTunes and downloading a whopping 666.2MB file to update our iPhone to version 4.3.3 -- a version, we might add, whose sole claim to fame is the removal of things -- we know well the pains of updating Apple's mobile software. Those aches, however, may soon be coming to an end. 9to5Mac has multiple sources informing it that Apple and Verizon are scheming to start delivering iOS updates over the air from this fall, or just as soon as iOS 5 is made available. Untethered OS updates are a familiar feature to users of other smartphone operating systems and even the iOS-infused Apple TV, but getting Apple's mobile devices up to date has so far always required going through the company's own cable and software.

There's no reason to believe this wireless update feature will be limited to Verizon, mind you -- that's just where the informants are coming from in this instance -- though Apple will almost certainly have to alter the file sizes of its updates. We can't think of many carriers who'll be happy to push more than half a gigabyte of data per user per update. Additionally, since iTunes currently acts as the major backup hub, 9to5Mac speculates Cupertino must be working on a cloud backup service as well, which would seem a very sensible idea. Of course, that doesn't paint a very happy or busy future for iTunes, but so what?

iOS 5 updates expected to be carried over-the-air, at least for the Verizon iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Verizon Droid X2 and LG Revolution—the First Android Phone With Netflix—Coming May 12 [Unconfirmed]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5798498/verizons-next-android-phones-droid-x2-lg-revolution-and-sony-xperia-play

According to Droid Life, Verizon is getting ready to release an onslaught of Android phones in the next few weeks. Tthe Droid X2, expected to pack a dual-core Tegra 2 chip, and the LG Revolution, a 4G LTE Android phone that's supposed to be the first Android phone with Netflix, are both expected to release on May 12th (next Thursday). On May 26, the Xperia Play aka the PSP Phone is expected to become available on Big Red.

It's shaping up to be a major month for Verizon (who also has their first Windows Phone, the HTC Trophy coming on the 12th) and an even bigger month for Android. Three awesome phones on the heels of the two that just released (Droid Incredible 2 and Droid Charge)? What a pace. [Droid Life]

FCC gives the RED EPIC-M its teardown treatment, so you don't have to

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/red-epic-m-gets-torn-down-by-the-fcc-so-you-dont-have-to/

Ever wondered what it feels like to tear down a $58,000 professional video camera? Well, unless you're as minted as Peter Jackson or James Cameron, chances are you'll never get close to a RED EPIC-M (without breaking the law) to find out. That said, you may get some insight from this fresh batch of disassembly shots, courtesy of the FCC. Sure, there aren't any jewels or unicorns hidden inside this powerful 5K imager, but you'll get plenty of close-up shots of its delicate circuitry -- it's actually pretty impressive how much the hand-machined chassis holds. Head over to Wireless Goodness to admire the full glory, but make sure you don't dribble over your keyboard.

FCC gives the RED EPIC-M its teardown treatment, so you don't have to originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/casio-tryx-ex-tr100-review/

Given the sheer quantity of marketing muscle that Casio put behind the Tryx, you'd think the company was gearing up to rival Nikon and Canon in the DSLR space. Instead, out popped the outre device you see above. Without qualification, this is one of the strangest, most bizarrely designed cameras we've ever seen, featuring a pop-out display and a grand total of two buttons for operation. At 4.8- x 2.3- x 0.6-inches, it's certainly one of the slimmest, easy-to-carry point-and-shoots on the market, but is the absence of an optical zoom and a removable battery enough to tank an otherwise radical idea? Head on past the break for our two pennies.

Gallery: Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) hands-on

Continue reading Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) review

Casio Tryx (EX-TR100) review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Nokia Making a Dual-Screen 3D Phone? [Phones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5798414/is-nokia-making-a-dual+screen-3d-phone

When in doubt, go 3D. Hey, it's working so well for everyone else, so why shouldn't Nokia have a stab too? A patent has arisen showing a Nintendo 3DS-style dual-screen phone with both 2D and (glassesless) 3D screens. Dual-cameras would shoot 3D content similar to LG's G-Slate/Optimus Pad and Optimus 3D/Thrill 4G phone, but unlike LG's tablet it actually shows autostereoscopic 3D right there on the screen.

The patent shows that the 3D cameras can be controlled using gestures or by touching the bottom 2D screen, and mentions that rivals' efforts (looking at Nintendo, obviously) are "typically poorly implemented," suggesting they're going to have a wider 3D viewing area rather than just the usual sweet spot. Nokia is also exploring making the 3D display touchscreen along with the 2D screen, which could certainly lead to some interesting games in the future. [UnwiredView via IntoMobile via SlashGear]

ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/asus-planning-quad-core-tegra-3-and-intel-based-tablets/

The Eee Pad Transformer may be wowing tablet lovers with its unbeatable price-to-features ratio today, but ASUS looks to have its sights set on even mightier devices for the future. DigTimes reports that the Taiwanese company is hard at work on a Tegra 3 tablet -- built around the spectacular Kal-El quad-core SOC that we saw demonstrated at MWC 2011 -- as well as another one running an Intel CPU. As far as the Intel slate is concerned, we're probably looking at the tablet-centric 1.5GHz Atom Z670, which promises 1080p playback and great battery life. You'll forgive us if we reserve our excitement for the Tegra 3-powered tablet, however, which should be able to churn through quite a few more pixels than regular old 1080p. There's no indication on when ASUS intends to deliver it, but NVIDIA's roadmap for devices with the quad-core chip expects to start appearing in August. Video of that awe-inspiring MWC demo follows after the break.

Continue reading ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate

ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 04:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Isis mobile payment system to work with Visa and MasterCard, shelving plans for its own network

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/isis-mobile-payment-system-to-work-with-visa-and-mastercard-she/

When AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon came together to create the Isis mobile payment system, they touted a standalone service, powered by Discover's payment network, that would revolutionize the way we make small purchases on the move. Well, the revolution is still on schedule, apparently, but the big trio is now being said to have made a concession in reaching out to the incumbent leaders in this field, Visa and MasterCard. The Wall Street Journal cites multiple sources in reporting that Isis has turned into a less ambitious "mobile wallet" project that would seek to let you use your Visa or MasterCard account via your NFC-capable smartphone. As far as the consumer is concerned, it's still the same swipe-to-buy proposition, but the move was apparently necessary for Isis "to avoid falling further behind" in the race to corner this developing market. We'd say it's encouraging to see these guys showing a bit of swiftness -- it's about time the rest of the world caught up to Japan.

Isis mobile payment system to work with Visa and MasterCard, shelving plans for its own network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Wuala Is a Powerful, Cross-Platform File Syncer (With Lots of Tricks for Extra Free Space) [Video]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5798179/wuala-is-a-powerful-cross+platform-file-syncer-with-lots-of-tricks-for-extra-free-space

Windows/Mac/Linux and iOS/Android: If you have more than a few gigs of files to sync between computers, Wuala is a great cross-platform tool that syncs, shares, and saves multiple versions of your files, for a low (or free) price.

We've mentioned Wuala before, long ago, but it's recently become a bit more popular, no doubt due to its great prices and recent iPhone and Android apps. It's now positioned as a real Dropbox contender, as it syncs files between all your computers, from different folders, and at great prices—in fact, some of the best prices we've seen yet.

Wuala's a good deal cheaper than competitors like Dropbox (Only $79 a year for 50 GB), and offers more tiers than its competitors. If you only need 10 GB, you can grab that for $29, or 25 GB for $49. If you're looking to pay for large amounts of space, Wuala's got prices that are pretty hard to beat.

Wuala Is a Powerful, Cross-Platform File Syncer (With Lots of Tricks for Extra Free Space) Even better than that, though, are their other methods for getting free space. Like Dropbox, you can invite your friends and get a bit of extra space, but the best way is to "trade" local space on your hard drive for extra Wuala space. If you have extra space on your hard drive you aren't using, you can let Wuala use it as extra space for their caches, and get free cloud space with them in return. It isn't an exact 1:1 ratio, though; it multiplies the space you trade by how often your computer is connected (since they need you to be connected to use the space). So, if you trade them 100 GB of your local space and your computer is connected 70% of the time, you'll get 70 extra GB of cloud space to sync your files.

In addition, you can grab coupon codes for Wuala over at RetailMeNot. While there are a lot of great ways to increase your free space on Dropbox, if you really need a large amount of space, Wuala's got you covered in quite a few ways, including just plain lower prices. The downside, I've found, is that Wuala's a tad more difficult to use. Syncing files isn't quite as straightforward as Dropbox, but you can also sync files from anywhere on your computer, and sync them to any location on your other computers, making it a bit more powerful than Dropbox's more all-or-nothing method. And, if you're a little confused, they offer a lot of tutorial videos on their site to help you get started.

Overall, if you need some serious cloud space for syncing files, I highly recommend checking out Wuala. And, of course, if you already have a favorite file syncing service, there's no reason you can't use them alongside one another for free and organized backup.

Wuala is a free download for Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. You get 1 GB to start with, and it doesn't come with file syncing and sharing by default—just cloud storage. However, by trading up local space or buying extra space directly, you automatically get a Pro account, which brings in all the advanced features. Check out the video above for more info. Thanks, Bill!

You can contact Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.

Amateur Astrographer Creates Largest-Ever Night Sky Panorama [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5798294/amateur-astrographer-creates-largest+ever-night-sky-panorama

One day, Nick Risinger, a 28-year-old marketing director in Seattle, felt like he needed a change. So he quit his job, packed up six professional astronomical cameras, and hiked 60,000 miles through western United States and South Africa, taking 37,000 color pictures of the night sky.

The result? This 5000-megapixel interactive, zoomable map showing our full Milky Way galaxy, stars, planets, and the nebulae surrounding it. It's the largest-ever, 360 degree panorama of the heavens—all created by this first-time astrographer. What's even more remarkable is that it's considered better than previous professional sky surveys—like the Digitized Sky Survey of the 1980s—which were shot only in red and blue.

According to the Risinger, his aim was to create an image that had more real feeling: "I wanted to create something that was a true representation of how we could see it, if it were 3,000 times brighter," he said And lucky for us, he's made it freely available to the public. You can see the incredible Phototopic Sky Survey right here: [Sky Survey via Wired]

LG Optimus Black vs. Galaxy S II and Xperia Arc... fight!

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/03/lg-optimus-black-vs-galaxy-s-ii-and-xperia-arc-fight/

It's time for us to welcome yet another contender in the battle for world's slimmest Android phone: the LG Optimus Black. This 9.2mm-thick handset made its debut to oohs and aahs of admiration at CES earlier in the year, and is now on the very precipice of a global release. Admittedly, it's not quite slender enough to knock the 7.7mm-thick NEC MEDIAS N-04C off its perch as the absolute thinnest, but it is sufficiently slender to give Samsung's Galaxy S II and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Arc a good fright. That pair of smartphones offer thinner proportions on the spec sheet, but when rested on a flat surface they sit ever so slightly higher than the Optimus Black. This is because, unlike its tricky contemporaries, the Optimus Black keeps to the same thickness along its full length (don't laugh), which, technically speaking, makes it the thinnest Android handset on the European market. Check it out in the gallery below or video after the break -- and hold tight, we'll have a full review for you in the coming days!

Gallery: LG Optimus Black vs. Galaxy S II and Xperia Arc... fight!

Continue reading LG Optimus Black vs. Galaxy S II and Xperia Arc... fight!

LG Optimus Black vs. Galaxy S II and Xperia Arc... fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 12:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adobe Photoshop update ushers in new era of iPad compatibility

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/03/adobe-photoshop-update-ushers-in-new-era-of-ipad-compatibility/

We've been quite enamored with Adobe's demos of iPad / Photoshop interactivity for some time, and now it looks as if we'll finally be able to take the whole thing for a spin. As promised, the company today released Creative Suite 5.5, which offers, among other things, the ability to use tablets and smartphones to interact with the company's flagship image editing software. While there's still no word of apps for other platforms, Adobe has given Apple's "magical" device a special namecheck, and those previously announced Eazel, Color Lava, and Nav apps will likely be hitting the App Store any minute now. Owners of the now ancient Photoshop CS5 will also be able to utilize the new feature through the recently released 12.0.4 update. Press releases after the break.

Continue reading Adobe Photoshop update ushers in new era of iPad compatibility

Adobe Photoshop update ushers in new era of iPad compatibility originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 14:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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