Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Qualcomm Snapdragon roadmap leaks, Krait slithering on the scene soon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/qualcomm-snapdragon-roadmap-leaks-krait-slithering-on-the-scene/

Qualcomm Roadmap
We've gotten a few peeks at Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon chips, codenamed Krait, but now we've got a proper roadmap, including time frames for release, model numbers, and even details about the memory channels. Glancing at the slide above doesn't reveal anything terribly surprising -- the dual-core 8960 (LTE), 8270 (HSPA), and 8260A (HSPA+) will all be shipping to manufacturers later this quarter, in speeds ranging from 1.5GHz to 1.7GHz and come packing the latest Adreno 225 GPU. In Q3 of next year Qualcomm's 28nm tech will trickle down from the high-end to mid-range phones, just ahead of the launch of those quad-core, 2GHz mobile monsters the company teased back in February. Check out the full PDF presentation at the source for more nitty-gritty details.

[Thanks, Gadgeteer]

Qualcomm Snapdragon roadmap leaks, Krait slithering on the scene soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jul 2011 18:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileTechWorld  |  sourceQualcom (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

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Netflix for Android gets first HD streaming certification, Texas Instruments accepts your applause

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/05/netflix-for-android-gets-first-hd-streaming-certification-texas/

Texas Instruments just called First!... on Netflix, that is. The Watch Instantly app for Android has an HD streaming future coming soon to OMAP 4-equipped devices thanks to the SoC's inbuilt security measures. The announcement marks the first time any Netflix partner has received 'Netflix Silicon Reference Implementation certification,' a clumsily-titled, yet essential requirement for end-to-end protection of mobile streamed 1080p content. The chip's M-Shield security tech "runs on the OMAP processor [without the need for] a dedicated chip or extra CPU cycles," so you're free to multi-task that dual-core (we assume) to its breaking point. And because you can never be too safe, TI's also thrown in its onboard WiLink 7.0 solution -- an industry first -- that makes use of WEP, WPA and WPA2 to keep the unsecured funny business at bay. The only downside to all this joyous high-definition news: it only runs on Gingerbread, so current LG Optimus 3D owners are out of luck until things get up to speed. Hit the break for some densely-worded silicon accolades.

Continue reading Netflix for Android gets first HD streaming certification, Texas Instruments accepts your applause

Netflix for Android gets first HD streaming certification, Texas Instruments accepts your applause originally appeared on Engadg! et o n Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, July 04, 2011

Quadrocopters reined in by Kinect leash, we feel safer already

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/04/quadrocopters-reined-in-by-kinect-leash-we-feel-safer-already/

Kinect controlled quadrocopter
It seems like the folks over at the Flying Machine Arena are finally starting to catch on -- those quadrocopters are going to kill us all. Thankfully, after teaching them to juggle and tap out some tunes, the researchers came to their senses and put the flying machines on a Kinect-controlled leash. Instead of flitting about autonomously, the four-rotored nightmares are directed by a puppeteer waving his hands. Movement is controlled by the right hand, while raising the left one tells the copter to do a little flip for its master's amusement, and a commanding clap makes it sit down like a good little pup. Best of all, if you don't give it any arm-waving instruction it just hovers and waits until you tell it otherwise. On further consideration, maybe we haven't been creating our own murderers, but a new man's best friend -- after all, they don't eat much and can't chew up your remotes. Check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Quadrocopters reined in by Kinect leash, we feel safer already

Quadrocopters reined in by Kinect leash, we feel safer already originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFlying Machine Arena (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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Caffenol turns Folgers into DIY film developer -- decaf won't do (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/04/caffenol-turns-folgers-into-diy-film-developer-decaf-wont-do/

Caffenol turns Folgers into DIY film developer -- decaf won't do (video)We knew instant coffee was good for something. The folks at Make just demoed a rather novel method for developing negatives from a roll of black and white film -- you remember film, don't you? Known as Caffenol, the process involves a smattering of household substances, including Vitamin C powder, instant coffee (caffeinated only), good ole H2O, and Cascade. Of course, it's not as simple as throwing this stuff in a slosh bucket with a roll of film and mixing it up, but it's not that complicated, either. If you're looking for something to do with those instant crystals, and still have a non-digital camera laying around, hop on past the break for a homebrew tutorial.

Continue reading Caffenol turns Folgers into DIY film developer -- decaf won't do (video)

Caffenol turns Folgers into DIY film developer -- decaf won't do (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMake  | Email this | Comments

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Sunday, July 03, 2011

Turn Your iPhone Into a Universal Remote For $10 With BlinQ [Stuff We Like]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5817504/turn-your-iphone-into-a-universal-remote-for-10-with-blinq

Turn Your iPhone Into a Universal Remote For $10 With BlinQI've previously checked out the Peel remote, which turns your iPhone into a universal remote by way of an Ethernet adapter and a fruit-shaped IR blaster. The blinQ, on the other hand, skips the adapter and fruit by just placing an IR blaster into your iPhone, which saves you $90 in the process.

The blinQ app is free, whereas the Q IR blaster, which plugs into the headphone jack, costs $10. After customizing the remote to your specific set of equipment by cycling through various IR code frequencies, you start using it as a universal remote. The app isn't as polished as the Peel one—which in turn falls quite short of a full-blown universal remote like a Logitech Harmony.

Turn Your iPhone Into a Universal Remote For $10 With BlinQThe Q app does work on iPhones, iPod touches and iPads, and gives you an on-screen guide that you can quickly navigate and choose shows from. There are other, and now seemingly mandatory, social features that you can use to watch TV "with" friends at the same time, or just tell them what you're watching. It doesn't add a lot to the value of the app, and I would have rather them use that development time to add more IR code support for various devices and clean up their interface more.

The bottom line is that while the universal remote functionality is more like a 5 out of 10, it works, and it's only $10. It's a type of thing that's perfect for using in the bedroom or exercise room where you're there only occasionally, yet still want to control various things with your iDevice.

Turn Your iPhone Into a Universal Remote For $10 With BlinQ Blinq on iTunes

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Droid Bionic seemingly clears the FCC, may finally be headed for (US) glory

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/03/droid-bionic-seemingly-clears-the-fcc-may-finally-be-headed-for/

Is this the Droid Bionic, eager to make its US debut at long last? After a false start, it's looking more and more like Motorola's next superphone could be inching ever closer to that elusive "summer release," with a new FCC filing showcasing a cellular communications device with EVDO, LTE, 700MHz radios, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and an inductive charging battery cover. 'Course, a few things are still under wraps until August 7th, so it's fairly impossible to tell with any level of certainty what handset we're peering at. The clues most certainly add up, however, and if you were thinking of holding out just a wee bit longer, maybe the outline above is just what you needed to find patience (and all her friends).

Droid Bionic seemingly clears the FCC, may finally be headed for (US) glory originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central  |  sourceFCC (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments

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Samsung's Galaxy S II becomes company's quickest selling phone: three million in 55 days

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/03/samsungs-galaxy-s-ii-becomes-companys-quickest-selling-phone/

Samsung sold three million of its original Galaxy S phone in 85 days. A few months later, a full ten million had been moved. Now, it looks as if the superphone's proper successor may put that latter statistic to shame. The outfit just announced that it took but 55 days to move three million Galaxy S II handsets, which works out to one phone every 1.5 seconds. It's Sammy's briskest-selling smartphone ever, and we're guessing that it'll keep up the pace once that AT&T variant lands on US soil. Which is coming soon, right Samsung?

Continue reading Samsung's Galaxy S II becomes company's quickest selling phone: three million in 55 days

Samsung's Galaxy S II becomes company's quickest selling phone: three million in 55 days originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Spanish, OLED-Inf! o  |  sourceSamsung Tomorrow (Flickr)  | Email this | Comments

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Kinect / iPad hack should help you get Obi-Wan's attention (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/03/kinect-ipad-hack-should-help-you-get-obi-wans-attention-vide/

You know the old story, right? You come into possession of plans for the Empire's moon-sized space station, and now they've come to capture you. What to do? Well, if you've got access to a Kinect, an iPad, and the String SDK, you're in luck. The folks at LAAN Labs demonstrated a nifty little hack that can turn 3D data recorded using the Xbox 360 peripheral into a Princess Leia-esque augmented reality image playable on the Apple tablet. Check the video below -- unless you're a scruffy-looking nerf herder, that is.

Continue reading Kinect / iPad hack should help you get Obi-Wan's attention (video)

Kinect / iPad hack should help you get Obi-Wan's attention (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4 prototype surfaces on eBay: A+++ condition, would buy again

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/03/iphone-4-prototype-surfaces-on-ebay-a-condition-would-buy-a/

And with that, the tradition continues. Every year or so, it seems that an iPhone prototype of some description manages to find its way onto eBay, and just over a year after the first iPhone 4 prototype made its way into public view, the precious item you see above is now available on a public auction site. To our knowledge, this is the first iPhone 4 prototype to be offered for sale on eBay -- at least from someone who actually appears to be legitimate and in possession of the device he / she claims to own -- boasting an etched 'DF1692' label in the lower right, omitted volume button markers and a mysterious 'XXGB' label around back. Unfortunately, we're told that it can't be activated through iTunes, and popping in an AT&T SIM did the seller little good. 'Course, at $810 and rising, we highly doubt such trivial matters will deter collectors from ponying up. Hit the source link to get your bid in -- you know, before Apple's henchmen convince Mr. Donahoe to pull the plug.

iPhone 4 prototype surfaces on eBay: A+++ condition, would buy again originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink This is my next  |  sourceeBay  | Email this | Comments

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Switched On: webOS wherever

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/03/switched-on-webos-wherever/

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

This week's release of the HP TouchPad, the first device other than a handset to feature webOS, aptly demonstrates the promise and perils of HP's adopted operating system. The 4:3 tablet provides the large canvas that webOS seemed born to cover. However, like the Xoom and PlayBook before it, the TouchPad suffers from an impoverished app library among other holes. To help share development costs of webOS and expand the market for its developers, HP has warmed to the idea of licensing the Palm-developed operating system.

HP's willingness to license webOS while continuing to make devices based on the operating system serves up a healthy helping of déjà vu for those who followed the history of Palm, Inc. The PDA pioneer sought to take advantage of its dominance in handhelds, and stave off rival Pocket PCs powered by Windows CE, by licensing the Palm operating system while continuing to use it.

The decision proved to be Palm's short-term salvation and long-term ruin. One of the first companies to license the Palm OS was Handspring, founded by former Palm executives. Handspring created the Treo, which became Palm's entry into smartphones when Palm acquired Handspring. A few other companies licensed the Palm OS for smartphones, including Kyocera and Samsung, but the inherent conflict created by competing with licensees forced Palm to spin Palm OS out into a company called PalmSource, which folded three years later.

Continue reading Switched On: webOS wherever

Switched On: webOS wherever originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Galaxy Tab 10.1 update coming soon, ushers TouchWiz into the Honeycomb era

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/03/galaxy-tab-10-1-update-coming-soon-ushers-touchwiz-into-the-hon/

Galaxy Tab 10.1 Update
That "future software upgrade" Samsung promised us for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is "coming soon" according to the company's site, though, when exactly "soon" might be is anyone's guess. When it does start trickling its way on to Sammy's slate, it'll be bringing with it a host of new features, including that Honeycomb edition of TouchWiz that's sure to be just as divisive as its smartphone ancestor. It does, however, pack in some nice functionality, like a multimedia clipboard for copying and pasting pictures and videos as well as text, and a Live Panel widget for pulling in news, weather, and updates from your social networks. Other features that you're used to on Samsung devices are also coming along for the ride, including the Media Hub for purchasing videos and the latest, intense version of Swype. There's also a remote tracking and wipe function for those who have a tendency to leave their gadgets behind at Starbucks, and it unlocks USB, SD card, and HDMI functionality -- with the appropriate accessories of course. Check out the source link for a few more details.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 update coming soon, ushers TouchWiz into the Honeycomb era originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 20:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSamsung  | Email this | Comments

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Verizon data charges leak continues, $30 tethering for 4G customers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/02/verizon-data-charges-leak-continues-30-tethering-for-4g-custom/

The scan above purports to show a Verizon customer brochure that will appear in stores next Thursday, revealing nothing beyond the detailed leaks we've already reported but at least providing some reassuringly crinkled corroboration of the salient details. New customers will barred from the happy land of unlimited data, and will instead have to cough up tiered monthly fees ranging from $10 for 75MB up to $80 for 10GB, plus an extra $20 for tethering rights. In a separate turn to this tale, we hear that customers who want to tether to a 4G handset will have to pay $30 per month to keep Big Red happy. This might come as a shock if you've been living it up on the free tethering offer that ends next week, but we had a strong inkling it was coming. Besides, it's not all bad: those 30 bucks will get you unlimited data on the fastest LTE network around, whereas $20 crew must make do with a mere 2GB monthly.

[Thanks, Verizon Guy]

Verizon data charges leak continues, $30 tethering for 4G customers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDroidLife, PPCG  | Email this | Comments

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Facebook to launch in-browser video chat powered by Skype?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/02/facebook-to-launch-in-browser-video-chat-powered-by-skype/

Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype hasn't closed yet, but it looks like Redmond is already working behind the scenes to make the service even more ubiquitous. According to an anonymous source interviewed by TechCrunch, Facebook is going to introduce video chat next week, and that service will be powered by none other than Skype. And while the service will be browser-based, it's also said to include a desktop component. We'd say none of that sounds too fantastical -- video calls would be a logical extension of Facebook chat, and let's not forget about the $240 million Microsoft invested in the site back in 2007. What's more, Facebook sent out invites for an event next week, where Mark Zuckerberg was clear the outfit would unveil a new product from its Seattle team. That's in Microsoft's backyard, of course, the invites themselves have chat icons on 'em, and, most tellingly, that Seattle office has been snapping up engineers specializing in desktop software. All told, that adds up to a likely true story to us, but we won't know for sure until the long, beachy weekend is through.

Facebook to launch in-browser video chat powered by Skype? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Jul 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechCrunch  | Email this | Comments

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Skype 2.0 hotfix enables video chat on Sprint's Nexus S 4G

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/03/skype-2-0-hotfix-enables-video-chat-on-sprints-nexus-s-4g/

Looks like some of the Skype crew might've had a sleepless night to please owners of the Nexus S 4G. If you'll recall, June 30th saw a major update to its Android app enabling video chat on four devices; although the Nexus S was part of the club, its door was locked for Sprint's 4G variant. That's quickly changed, however, as the team's set loose a hotfix to grant it access -- this despite initially stating we'd have to wait for a "future release." You can grab the app from the Android Market if you haven't yet, and be sure to let us know how it goes in comments. Oh, and for those anxious Thunderbolt owners? We'd recommend not holding your breath until after the 4th of July holiday.

Skype 2.0 hotfix enables video chat on Sprint's Nexus S 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jul 2011 00:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central  |  sourceSkype (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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Friday, July 01, 2011

World of Fourcraft brings battle of the boroughs to Foursquare

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/01/world-of-fourcraft-brings-battle-of-the-boroughs-to-foursquare/

World of Fourcraft
There's a war on in New York City. The lines of loyalty were drawn way back in 1898 and, ever since, it's been battle for borough superiority. A team of hackers has ushered this county rivalry into the internet age, turning the Big Apple into a giant Risk board where check-ins replace dice rolls and armies are gathered on Foursquare. In World of Fourcraft users pledge fealty to a particular locale then, for the honor of their homeland, check-in to wrest control of neighborhoods from their residents and defend their own turf from potential usurpers. The whole project was whipped up last weekend during a hackathon at New York's General Assembly. At the moment it does little more than tally check-ins, but the creators plan to add new features in the future. Now, go forth and do battle for your block but, don't stray too far -- to the north and east of the Boogie Down Bronx, and the south and west of the Slums of Shaolin, lies The Waste Land.

World of Fourcraft brings battle of the boroughs to Foursquare originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink USA Today  |  sourceWor ld of Fourcraft  | Email this | Comments

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