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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

IntoNow for iPhone [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5762497/intonow-for-iphone

Hot damn. It's like Shazam for your TV.

What is it?

IntoNow, Free, iPhone. Shazam for your TV. That pretty much sums it up. Basically everything that's been broadcast on TV in the last five years (on the top 130 stations or so, that is) has a unique soundprint that can ID the show. IntoNow listens for a few seconds, searches the soundprint database, and tells you which episode of which show you're watching (or which movie, if it's been broadcast in the last few years). Then it'll spit out a bunch of relevant links and give you options to broadcast what you're watching on Twitter, FB, etc. It even works on stuff you're watching on Hulu or episodes of TV you downloaded off the internet. Impressive!

Who's it good for?

People who watch a lot of TV, I guess? Or people who want a way to "check in" to that episode of Gilmore Girls they're watching.

Why's it better than alternatives?

As far as I know it's the only TV Shazam out there.

IntoNow for iPhone

How could it be even better?

Well, it's pretty amazing seeing it in action, and it works more or less flawlessly with the material it's intended to work with, but if you're not into announcing which shows you're watching to your friends, there's not a whole lot of use scenarios, I don't think? I guess if you're at the gym? Still very impressive.

Into Now, iPhone | iTunes

We're always looking for cool apps—for iOS, Android, Windows Phone or whatever else—to feature as App of the Day. If you come across one you think we should take a look at, please let us know.

For more apps, check out our weekly app roundups for iPhone, iPad, and Android

Glasses-Free 3D Classes Down the Metropolitan Opera [3D]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5762346/glasses+free-3d-classes-down-the-metropolitan-opera

The biggest attention grabber at the Met's upcoming production of "Siegfried" won't be some Nordic diva. It's going to be the advanced 3D projections on a 45-ton set that will create an intricate forest scene. Better still: audiences own't have to dawn those geeky glasses:

For its visual sleight of hand, the 3-D technology being deployed at the Met will also interact with the movement of the set. The set uses a bank of projectors, motion-capture cameras and computers to fashion the images. The tilt on the stage allows for hundreds of different projections, changing in slivers of a second, at the different depths to help create, say, the color, shading and contour of a rock, or at least to convince the eye.

The imagery is rendered in realistic detail using fractals: fractured geometric shapes that keep iterating reduced-size copies of themselves according to mathematical formulas. When the fractals are programmed into the computerized light system, the result is a dense symphony of geometric detail, giving the illusion of three dimensions.

Exciting that they can do this! Whether they should, though, depends on just how how big a headache those fake rocks give you by the second act. [NY Times]

Confirmed: Samsung will launch an 11.6-inch 9 Series laptop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/confirmed-samsung-will-launch-an-11-6-inch-9-series-laptop/

We had a feeling the 11.6-inch version of Samsung's 9 Series laptop was the real deal when it popped up on Provantange's site yesterday, and the company just confirmed for us that it does in fact have a smaller model waiting in the wings. Sadly, our Samsung contact wouldn't confirm anything on the pricing front, but he did tell us that it will be available with a Core i3 processor. We didn't get any information on that rather interesting listed USB 3.0 port, either. Sure, we've still got a few question marks here, but hey, at least we know it's real.

Confirmed: Samsung will launch an 11.6-inch 9 Series laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's 2011 smartphone and tablet lineup leaked: Android Ice Cream, WP7 sliders, and a slate running Windows 8

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/dells-2011-smartphone-and-tablet-lineup-leaked-android-ice-cre/

Wrigley, Hancock, Millennium, Gallo, Sterling, Rosemount, Silver Oak, Peju and Opus One. What are we rattling off? Oh, just the list of codenames from one of the largest leaks we've ever seen out of Dell. WPCentral and Android Central got their hands on alleged smartphone and tablet roadmaps for the entire year, detailing the company's plans for devices running operating systems that have yet to be formally announced, including Android Ice Cream (yes, Ice Cream!) and Windows 8 as well as the tablet-friendly Honeycomb. Here's the full rundown.

Smartphones:

Things look pretty boring (and by boring, we mean beautifully curvy) until approximately mid-April of this year, when the Venue Pro gets some "additional features and enhancements" which we're pretty sure we can name.

Then, Q3 brings the Wrigley, what looks like a vertical QWERTY slider identifying itself as "Windows Phone 7 Next Gen," and sporting a 1GHz CPU, 4-inch 800 x 480 screen, and a 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording. Nothing out of the ordinary, as far as we know.

By September, things should get very interesting as Android Ice Cream will apparently be out, and Dell's Hancock will scoop it onto a a 4-inch qHD screen with dual cameras, dual-core processing and 1080p recording.

Starting Q4, would-be Hancock buyers will have a dual-core multimedia slate alternative, as the Millennium drops the keyboard for a larger 4.3-inch screen and DLNA support (though the front-facing camera is limited to VGA resolution.)

Tablets:

Dell's Streak 10 won't keep us waiting for long: come April, the Gallo will reportedly be chomping away at some tasty Honeycomb. But that's not all -- Dell lists a handwriting update for the Gallo in October or thereabouts. There's also a Streak 7 update scheduled for July -- we imagine that's the point when Dell believes it can shoehorn Android 3.0 onto its older brother.

Meanwhile, Dell's 10-inch Windows 7 slate, internally known as Rosemount, is slated for June, with a 1366 x 768 resolution that should allow for native playback of 720p video.

We can't tell you what the Sterling is, but it's likely a mid-sized one, as it's slated to take over the Streak 7's duties in or about October with Android Honeycomb on board.

Finally, come CES 2012 in January, we now expect Dell to drop three new tablets at once: the Opus One and Silver Oak running Android Honeycomb, and the Peju with Windows 8. (The Streak 10 / Gallo will apparently soldier on.) Numbers on the left of the charge suggest that the Opus will be small, the Silver Oak mid-sized, and the Peju large.

As noted at the head of the slide, all details here are subject to change, but we're sure as heck a lot more confident that Dell plans to do something with all those tacky mockups. One more chart after the break!

Continue reading Dell's 2011 smartphone and tablet lineup leaked: Android Ice Cream, WP7 sliders, and a slate running Windows 8

Dell's 2011 smartphone and tablet lineup leaked: Android Ice Cream, WP7 sliders, and a slate running Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android Central (1), (2), WPCentral | Email this | Comments

Apple details call-related differences between CDMA and GSM iPhones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/apple-details-call-related-differences-between-cdma-and-gsm-ipho/

The only thing conspicuously missing here are the differences that actually count.

Apple details call-related differences between CDMA and GSM iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

9to5Mac, iLounge | source

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Qualcomm's FlashLinq long-range peer-to-peer communications tech demoed at MWC (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/qualcomms-flashlinq-long-range-peer-to-peer-communications-tech/

Taken a look at our AllJoyn hands-on here at Mobile World Congress? You should, and then pick up here. Back? Good. Qualcomm's FlashLinq is a quasi-extension of AllJoyn, but unlike the latter, this is a proprietary solution that actually requires Qualcomm hardware to run (for now anyway; licensing deals could be in the works). Basically, this wireless technology allows FlashLinq-enabled devices to sense up to 4,000 other FlashLinq devices within a radius of up to 1km, which puts things like WiFi and Bluetooth to shame. Of course, that's under "ideal" circumstances, but even in subpar situations, the range should still beat out existing short-range alternatives. Why develop a solution like this? For one, businesses will be all over it; imagine a Yelp! instance that specifically hones in on businesses that have a FlashLinq-enabled device in their store, which is advertising deals for those who stop in and mention that FlashLinq sent 'em. Secondly, social networking / Latitude addicts will be head over heels for something like this. Once a connection is made, there's a steady 15Mbps beam available between the users -- that's more than enough for videochats, media streaming and multiplayer gaming.

The major difference between this and WiFi (aside from the range) is that unlike WiFi -- which operates in unlicensed spectrum -- FlashLinq requires licensed 5MHz TDD spectrum. That enables control over interference, which in turns boosts range and device density. Moreover, this system uses dramatically less power than BT or WiFi to sense other devices -- you're only using power for discovery two percent of the time, we're told. Beyond that, a lot remains up in the air. The company is still hammering out which chips will ship with FlashLinq support, and it'll be waiting for results from its SK Telecom trial (which starts in April) before committing to a commercialization date. Sadly, none of this can be retrofitted into older devices, but the good news is that it's hardly limited to mobiles. FlashLinq-enabled televisions, laptops, in-car infotainment systems, etc. could all be used to create a discoverable network of interactive goodness, but of course, it's hard to say how much success Qualcomm will have in a world already loaded down with connectivity options. The technology itself is fairly fascinating, though, as is the social networking demonstration that's embedded just past the break. Hop on down and mash play, won't you?

Gallery: Qualcomm's FlashLinq long-range peer-to-peer communications tech at MWC 2011

Continue reading Qualcomm's FlashLinq long-range peer-to-peer communications tech demoed at MWC (video)

Qualcomm's FlashLinq long-range peer-to-peer communications tech demoed at MWC (video) originally appeared on E ngadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/keyport-slide-can-now-store-your-files-open-your-beers/

Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers

Sometimes it's hard getting drunk and downloading files when you have a pocket full of keys. The Keyport Slide is finally ready to manage those inebriated backups, with the USB key version we've been waiting for now up for order, letting you streamline your keychain and your thumb drive too. There's also a new slide-out bottle opener available. A 4GB key insert will cost you $18.99, $28.99 if you want 8GB, and a Keyport with five blades and USB starts at $89. Cheap? No, but just how much longer were you going to tote around that cacophonous mass of metal in your pocket?

Continue reading Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers

Keyport Slide can now store your files, open your beers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/motorola-xoom-vs-samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-vs-lg-g-slate-batt/

Hello, Moto -- no wait, Samsung... or is it LG? Three of the world's biggest smartphone makers have leapt at the opportunity to serve up Google's brand new Honeycomb build of Android, however their selection of menu items looks to be somewhat lacking in diversity. Motorola's Xoom matches Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in both screen size and resolution (1280 x 800), while LG's Optimus Pad / G-Slate offers only marginally smaller measurements with an 8.9-inch display spanning 1280 x 768. More than that, all three tablets run the bone-stock Honeycomb UI and are built around NVIDIA's 1GHz Tegra 2 system-on-chip, leaving little room for differentiation on the basis of user experience or internal performance (LG would have you believe its 3D camcorder is a big advantage for its slate, but we're not so sure). Most choices between the three, then, will come to things like brand loyalty, ergonomics and pure, basic aesthetic appeal. To help you judge the latter of those three points, we've prepared an exhaustive barrage of side-by-side photos below -- we expect you to view every last one of 'em... at least twice.

Gallery: Xoom vs. Optimus Pad... fight!

Gallery: Xoom vs. Galaxy Tab 10.1... fight!

Gallery: Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. Optimus Pad... fight!

Motorola Xoom vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs. LG G-Slate -- battle of the Tegra 2 Honeycomb tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 12:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel's Otellini insists company is committed to MeeGo, says he 'understood' why Nokia moved to Microsoft

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/intels-otellini-insists-company-is-committed-to-meego-says-he/

We've already seen some evidence that Intel was still pushing strongly ahead with MeeGo despite Nokia's deal with Microsoft, and now CEO Paul Otellini has chimed in on the matter to reassure folks that the company is still committed to the mobile OS. Speaking with Bloomberg at Mobile World Congress this week, Otellini said that he doesn't see that "Nokia changing its strategy changes the industry strategy," and added that "operators still look for an open, operator-friendly operating system." Otellini further went on to say on a panel discussion that he "understood" why Nokia made the decision it did, and even said that if he were in the same position he would have made "the same or a similar call." That doesn't mean he wasn't disappointed by it though -- in fact, he revealed that he used a word that Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz "has often used" when he first received the news from Stephen Elop himself (we'll let you look that up if you don't know it).

Intel's Otellini insists company is committed to MeeGo, says he 'understood' why Nokia moved to Microsoft originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro tablet sneaks out, coming this spring

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/huawei-ideos-s7-pro-tablet-sneaks-out-coming-this-spring/

Can you handle one more Android tablet? Let's find out. That one up there is Huawei's IDEOS S7 Pro, which is not to be confused with its new IDEOS S7 Slim. The Pro didn't get a formal introduction here at MWC 2011, but it was lounging around the Huawei booth with a placard revealing its specs. Unfortunately, this one won't be launching with Honeycomb -- it packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3, HSPA+, WiFi 802.11bgn, and two cameras. The metal model on display seemed to be just a mockup, and despite the LED buttons lighting up, it wouldn't actually boot. We overheard a company representative say that it would be launching this spring and our comrades at Engadget Spanish have also heard that it will launch at 10-inch version later in the year. You know what that means? Yep, even more Android tablets!

Gallery: Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro hands-on

Huawei IDEOS S7 Pro tablet sneaks out, coming this spring originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sleep as an Droid Wakes You Up Gently at Your Best Time [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5760593/sleep-as-a-droid-wakes-you-up-gently-at-your-best-time

Android: You're the mayor of New York, you have super powers, this donut tastes incredible, and then, then—the terrible, awful digital rooster sound. Wake up easier, and with better timing, with this clever customized Android alarm app.

Sleep as an Droid ("Sleep as an Android"—get it?) this app has soothing sounds to wake up to, that can fade in gradually—a nice feature, in itself. But the real benefit of Sleep as an Droid is keeping it on your mattress, so it can measure your movements and get a sense of your sleep cycles. It also logs your sleeping hours, so you can see just how far you're falling behind in the quest for a good night's rest.

With that movement analysis in place, the Sleep app suggests better wake-up times from the data it collects. This might not work for everyone, but you've got 14 days to try it out for free, before you'd need to pony up a small $1.34 (currently) for the unlocked version.

Sleep as an Droid [Android Market via Droid Life]

SearchReviews Lets You Read Tons of Product Reviews by Scanning Barcodes with Your Phone [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5761411/searchreviews-lets-you-read-tons-of-product-reviews-by-scanning-barcodes-with-your-phone

SearchReviews Lets You Read Tons of Product Reviews by Scanning Barcodes with Your Phone iPhone/Android/web: There's no shortage of product review aggregators on the net, but new service SearchReviews adds a convenient feature to the formula: Now you can just scan a product's barcode with your phone to read reviews from all around the web.

Search Reviews is an incredibly simple app: just open it up, search for a product, or scan a product's bar code with your phone, and it will return to you a very long list of product reviews. It doesn't give you a ton of control over where you grab those reviews, nor how you sort them, but its beauty is in its simplicity. If you neglected to do your product research before visiting the store (or didn't foresee the options you'd have once you got there), it's a really nice, quick way to see if a specific product has any popular issues or unhappy customers.

Search reviews is a free service on the web, as well as a free download for iOS and Android devices.

SearchReviews [via TechCrunch]

You can contact Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Be Aware of the "Unit Effect" to Avoid Marketing Tricks [Mind Hacks]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/#!5761667/be-aware-of-the-unit-effect-to-avoid-marketing-tricks

We've shown you one way in which numbers can play tricks with our heads, and researchers have just found another, that shows we prefer larger numbers—even when they're equal to a smaller number of a different unit.

The "unit effect", as it's called, says that even if you're aware of the units in a measurement, your mind will still put more emphasis on the size of a number, rather than the value it carries:

Consumers will readily attach weight to completely fictitious product statistics, preferring items with the most bogomips, even if they have no idea of what the significance of that figure is. That may be disappointing, but apparently it's even worse than that-even when they do know what the units are, people tend to prefer a bigger number. As a newly released study shows, people would rather pay for expedited service to get things in 31 days than they would to get it in one month.

Of course its counter-intuitive, but if you aren't actively converting that measurement to other units, you aren't aware of your biases. Of course, as soon as you become aware of these biases, the unit effect goes away—so the next time you're told something will, say, ship in 31 days, do a quick check in your brain to see if that fits another familiar unit that casts a different light on the result. You may find you escape some marketing tricks by doing so. Hit the link to read more. Photo by Biking Nikon OGG.

The "Unit Effect" Makes 31 Days Seem Better Than a Month [Ars Technica]

You can contact Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Renesas Wins DivX Plus HD Certification, For MKV Files on Your Phone [Smartphones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5761740/renesas-wins-divx-plus-hd-certification-for-mkv-files-on-your-phone

The DivX Corporation has awarded its first DivX Plus HD certificate to Renesas Mobile, producer of several HD-capable system-on-chip processors. Any phone that features Renesas Mobile's SH73704 will therefore be able to manage full HD 1080p playback, including the popular HD content ripping format MKV. In this age of ever-growing screens, that has to be a good selling point.

The announcement hasn't hit the press sites of the companies concerned as yet, so here's a cut & paste for you:

Renesas Mobile's Full-HD Capable Application Achieves DivX Certification as World's First DivX Plus™ HD System-on-Chip

Enables DivX Plus™ HD 1080p video playback and easy transfer to millions DivX devices without conversion

Barcelona, Spain– February 16, 2011 – DivX®, a division of Sonic Solutions® (NASDAQ: SNIC) today announced that Renesas Mobile Corporation's full-HD capable application processor SH-Mobile MT1 (SH73704) is the world's first mobile system-on-chip (SoC) to be awarded DivX Plus™ HD Certification. Smartphones with Renesas Mobile's SoC will deliver full HD 1080 playback of DivX Plus HD videos including MKV files.

"DivX Plus HD is our premium level of certification, and it's a testament to Renesas Mobile's technology leadership that they are the first integrated circuit company to achieve our most comprehensive standards for HD video playback on a mobile phone," said Matt Milne, Executive Vice President and General Manager, DivX. "By partnering with an innovator like Renesas Mobile that supplies technology to a range of top-tier device manufacturers, we'll help ensure more consumers can watch the highest quality DivX videos at home or on the go."

"Smartphone technology is transforming exponentially, and adding DivX Plus HD Certification helps us enhance the advantages of our application processor product line," said Kazuhiko Yoshimatsu, Department Manager, Mobile Platform Marketing Department, Renesas Mobile Corporation. "Together with DivX we can better help our mobile OEM customers quickly implement an end-to-end solution for the high-quality playback of DivX HD videos and secure premium content. We also look forward to integrating DivX technology on our new integrated application processor line, 'R-Mobile,' which is under development."

To enjoy DivX videos on mobile devices with Renesas Mobile's SH-Mobile MT1, consumers can seamlessly load their video libraries of both standard definition and HD 1080p files directly on any DivX Certified device without conversion. In addition, all DivX Certified mobile phones support the playback of Hollywood studio movies from leading retailers in the DivX® format.

DivX Plus HD Certification is the most comprehensive level of certification available from DivX, awarded to consumer electronics products supporting the optimized playback of all content created with DivX software. Available on www.divx.com, DivX Plus Software allows users to create and playback H.264 video in an .mkv file container. DivX Plus HD Certified devices will playback all previous versions of DivX video and DivX Plus HD video files with the .mkv file extension and AAC audio created with third-party tools.

The Renesas Mobile SH-Mobile was designed to offload application processing from the baseband LSI, ease system development and realize significant performance improvement. SH-Mobile enables separation of the application software and communications protocol software developments. This baseband independent approach reduces time-to-market, and allows rapid evolution of multimedia applications whilst retaining investment in established communications protocol software. The SH73704 performs video processing at full HD (1,920 × 1,080 pixels) resolution, as well as functions such as noise reduction and audio processing (5.1-channel/2-channel), while maintaining low power consumption.

Known for great performance, visual quality, and interoperability on any DivX Certified device, DivX provides consumers with a comprehensive digital media solution supporting the majority of high-quality Internet video on their TVs or other consumer electronics devices. All DivX devices contain proprietary digital rights management technology and are capable of playing back premium movies in the DivX format from major studios. Global online retailers offering titles in the DivX format include WB Shop, Media Markt, Film Fresh, and Best Buy's CinemaNow, which is powered by RoxioNow™.

DivX creates, distributes, and licenses digital video technologies that span the "three screens" comprising today's consumer media environment - the PC, television, and mobile devices. Over 400 million DivX devices have shipped into the market worldwide from leading consumer electronics manufacturers. DivX also offers content providers and publishers a complete solution for the distribution of secure, high-quality digital video content. Driven by a globally recognized brand and a passionate community of hundreds of millions of consumers, DivX is simplifying the video experience to enable the digital home.

For more information about Renesas Mobile, visit www.renesasmobile.com

For more information about DivX, visit www.divx.com

Samsung 9 Series laptops to include 11.6-inch model?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/15/samsung-9-series-laptops-to-include-11-6-inch-model/

Samsung managed to impress us back at CES with its ultrathin 9 Series laptop but, as far as we knew at the time, the company was only planning to produce a 13.3-inch version of it. If a listing from online retailer Provantange is any indication though, it looks like there could also be a 11.6-inch model in the pipeline. While there's no indication of a release date, the specs do seem to suggest that this is something more than a typo, as they include in a Core i3 processor instead of the i5 on the 13-incher, 2GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD, and the same 1,366 x 768 resolution as its larger counterpart but a lower 340 nits brightness. As you can see above, it also lists a price of just under $1,200, which would place it about $400 less than the 13.3-inch model.

[Thanks, Vikram]

Samsung 9 Series laptops to include 11.6-inch model? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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