Motorola announces RAZR Developer Edition with unlocked bootloader for Europe, US variant on the way

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/29/motorola-announces-razr-developer-edition-with-unlocked-bootload/

Promises. You can either let technicalities get in your way of fulfilling them, or you can just find a way to keep them. Motorola, it seems, wants to do the latter. Sorta. In a new blog post, the outfit announced the Motorola RAZR Developer Edition, a fully unlockable version of the handset destined for European shores. The announcement didn't come with a release date, but pointed towards a (currently non-functional) pre-order page for the CM7 hungry. Don't fret, America -- Motorola's thinking of you as well, mentioning that a similar developer device will be available in the United States through MOTODEV, the firm's developer network. Ready to furiously refresh the pre-order page until it goes live? Check out the links below.

[Thanks, Michael]

Motorola announces RAZR Developer Edition with unlocked bootloader for Europe, US variant on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S Advance gets official: 1GHz dual-core CPU, Super AMOLED and Gingerbread

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/samsung-galaxy-s-advance-smartphone-announced/

Samsung added a new star to its Galaxy universe today, with the release of the Galaxy Advance S. Powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU, this handset boasts a four-inch, 480 x 800 Super AMOLED display, and packs up to 16GB of memory, along with 768MB of RAM. The device also supports HSPA connections at speeds of up to 14.4Mbps, and boasts a five megapixel rear-facing camera, along with a 1.3 megapixel shooter, up front. As far as software goes, the Advance S will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, plus a full suite of Samsung's apps, available via its Hubs and ChatON services. No word yet on pricing, but the Korean manufacturer plans to roll out its latest smartphone on a gradual basis, beginning with Russia next month, followed by Europe, Africa, Middle East, Southeast and Southwest Asia, Latin America and China. Notably absent from that list, of course, is the US. Find more details in the full press release after the break, as well as the gallery of press shots, below.

Gallery: Samsung Galaxy S Advance

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy S Advance gets official: 1GHz dual-core CPU, Super AMOLED and Gingerbread

Samsung Galaxy S Advance gets official: 1GHz dual-core CPU, Super AMOLED and Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MicroOLED viewfinder delivers 5.4 megapixels in 0.61-inch monochrome display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/microoled-viewfinder-delivers-5-4-megapixels-in-0-61-inch-monoch/

Photographers who've spent years looking through the window of a high-end optical viewfinder may never find an electronic version that fully satisfies them. But this new MicroOLED EVF may get us closer than ever to an acceptable digital replacement for the TTL OVF, which will never find a home in modern-day compacts and mirrorless ILCs. Developed with military and medical-industry heads-up displays and digital camera viewfinders in mind, the new microdispay is able to deliver a 5.4 megapixel (2560 x 2048) monochrome image, or 1.3 megapixels in full 16-million color -- all in a 0.61-inch diagonal panel. The display boasts a top contrast ratio of 100,000:1, 96-percent uniformity and 0.2 watts of power consumption. There's no word yet on when the new tech will start popping up in enterprise devices and digital cameras, or how much of a premium it'll carry for electronics manufacturers, but it looks like we're closer than ever to having an excellent electronic alternative to the optical viewfinder. Jump past the break for the full PR from MicroOLED.

Continue reading MicroOLED viewfinder delivers 5.4 megapixels in 0.61-inch monochrome display

MicroOLED viewfinder delivers 5.4 megapixels in 0.61-inch monochrome display originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sky Anytime+ achieves impossible, will carry iPlayer (and ITV Player)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/sky-anytime-achieves-impossible-will-carry-iplayer-and-itv-pl/

Sky's burgeoning Anytime+ VOD platform is getting a hefty boost today. It was previously open only to customers who also hitched to Sky Broadband, but that restriction's being gently relaxed: opening it up to all five million Sky+HD box owners. It's also somehow sweet-talked deadly rivals BBC and ITV into letting their offerings onto the platform -- with ITV Player arriving tomorrow and iPlayer slated for arrival later in the year. Head past the break for the official line while we sit here and grumble about the company buying up all the UK rights to Mad Men and charging a kings ransom.

Continue reading Sky Anytime+ achieves impossible, will carry iPlayer (and ITV Player)

Sky Anytime+ achieves impossible, will carry iPlayer (and ITV Player) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy Note available at AT&T February 19th for $300, pre-orders begin February 5th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/samsung-galaxy-note-att/

We've known for a while that the Samsung Galaxy Note was coming to AT&T sometime soon, but now we actually have a date: February 19th. If that day just isn't going to come soon enough, there's a way to get it delivered two days earlier -- the carrier's offering a pre-order option beginning next Sunday, and your February 17th delivery is promised as long as you click that "order" button by the 15th. Just as predicted, the device will be available for $300 with a two-year commitment. Check out the press fact sheet and video past the break for more info.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Note available at AT&T February 19th for $300, pre-orders begin February 5th

Samsung Galaxy Note available at AT&T February 19th for $300, pre-orders begin February 5th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Qualcomm's MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 benchmarks pop up online

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/qualcomms-msm8960-snapdragon-s4-benchmarks-pop-up-online/

We put Qualcomm's S4 development platform through its paces (twice, no less) at CES, but shorn of the glitz of Las Vegas, does it have the oomph to wow us? Someone at the company loosed Nenamark 2 on the slate, producing a score of 54.90. Given the fact that its producing graphics for a 1024 x 600 screen, we're excited to see it comfortably edge the Galaxy S II Skyrocket (54.1) and Galaxy Note (32.8) -- with our mouths watering at the thought of what this 28nm CPU can do in a smartphone. We've included the benchmark in full after the break, if you're ready for such exciting revelations.

Continue reading Qualcomm's MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 benchmarks pop up online

Qualcomm's MSM8960 Snapdragon S4 benchmarks pop up online originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tilera sees sense in the server wars, puts just 36 cores in its newest processor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/tilera-sees-sense-in-the-server-wars-puts-just-36-cores-in-its/

While Tilera's forthcoming 100-core processors threaten to set off fire alarms around the world, the company has finally brought out its more sensible 36-core variant. The 1.2GHz Tile-GX36 sips just 24 watts and is designed to be especially handy with short and sharp jobs like processing internet transactions. It's a reduced instruction set (RISC) chip, so it's less power hungry and cheaper than Intel's x86 silicon. It also sports 64-bit architecture, whereas rival ARM is set to remain 32-bit until 2014. Then again, with Tilera lagging behind in terms of brand recognition and software support, a two-year head start might not be long enough.

Tilera sees sense in the server wars, puts just 36 cores in its newest processor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel quietly outs seven new Sandy Bridge CPUs to check we're paying attention

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/intel-quietly-outs-seven-new-sandy-bridge-cpus-to-check-were-pa/

Intel opened its back door and shuttled out a refresh of its chips without so much as a phone call, typical! Three desktop Core i5 chips made their way into the big bad world, the i5-2550K replacing the i5-2500K, the i5-2450P replacing the i5-2400 and the i5-2380P replacing the i5-2320. There's a suspicion that the P that follows the two latter models means the GPUs have been disabled / removed to differentiate the price. The four Celerons, two low-voltage, two ultra-low voltage similarly replace older models, from the $70 B720 (replacing the B710) through to the $134 Celeron 867, supplanting the 857. If that list of numbers hasn't whetted your appetite for, erm, more numbers, then head on past for detail so comprehensive you'll have to make sure it's covered by your HMO.

[Thanks, Malek]

Continue reading Intel quietly outs seven new Sandy Bridge CPUs to check we're paying attention

Intel quietly outs seven new Sandy Bridge CPUs to check we're paying attention originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Five Million Android Users Might Have Fallen Victim to Another Malware Attack [Android]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5880268/five-million-android-users-might-have-fallen-victim-to-another-malware-attack

According to Symantec, 13 apps from three developers—many in the official Android Market—have been carrying malicious chunks of code called Android.Counterclank, and are suspected of running on as many as five million phones, stealing info and running ads against the will of the device's owner.

ComputerWorld, speaking to Symantec, learned that the apps have been downloadable for over a month, and Symantec calls it the biggest android malware outbreak to date.

Some of the 13 apps that Symantec identified as infected have been on the Android Market for at least a month, according to the revision dates posted on the e-store. Symantec, however, discovered them only yesterday.

Users had noticed something fishy before then.

"The game is decent ... but every time you run this game, a 'search icon gets added randomly to one of your screens," said one user on Jan. 16 after downloading "Deal & Be Millionaire," one of the 13. "I keep deleting the icon, but it always reappears. If you tap the icon you get a page that looks suspiciously like the Google search page."

The apps, distributed by iApps7, Ogre Games and redmicapps, are mostly games with titles such as Counter Strike Hit Force, Wild Man and Stripper Touch girl. Here's the full list:

Counter Elite Force
Counter Strike Ground Force
CounterStrike Hit Enemy
Heart Live Wallpaper
Hit Counter Terrorist
Stripper Touch girl
Balloon Game
Deal & Be Millionaire
Wild Man
Pretty women lingerie puzzle
Sexy Girls Photo Game
Sexy Girls Puzzle
Sexy Women Puzzle

Not-so-shockingly Symantec believes these publishers exist solely to distribute malware. Google might want to get rid of those. [Symantec via ComputerWorld]

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Notion Ink explains OMAP over Tegra decision for the Adam II

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/29/notion-ink-explains-omap-over-tegra-decision-for-the-adam-ii/

While which chip ends up in a particular device will significantly affect its performance and access to future upgrades, it's not often that we get to peek behind the curtain and find out why those decisions were made. A post on Notion Ink's new Adam II development blog adds some transparency to the process, discussing the switch from an NVIDIA Tegra chip in its first Adam slate to a TI OMAP solution in the just announced tablet. According to the blog, while theoretical performance marks are nice, the company decided its expertise and that of available programmers would let it squeeze the most out of a Texas Instruments chip, as opposed to its first effort that didn't "fully utilize" the power of Tegra. Hit the source link for more details and a breakdown of some of the tech packed into the OMAP4 CPU, and keep an eye on the blog for more details in the run up to the Adam II's release.

Notion Ink explains OMAP over Tegra decision for the Adam II originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inhabitat's Week in Green: glowing green sea, an equinox house and energy-efficient skyscrapers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/29/inhabitats-week-in-green-glowing-green-sea-an-equinox-house-a/

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

Tidal energy made waves around the world this week as Inhabitat reported that Verdant Power was awarded the first license for an East River power project in NYC, while across the pond the UK announced plans for a gigantic 27 gigawatt Marine Energy Park and a new SeaRaser tidal power plant that could be the world's cheapest method of producing electricity. We also watched President Obama set forth a green blueprint for America in his State of the Union Address, despite going on to support oil and gas drilling in his following speech on Thursday. Meanwhile, Scotland made headlines as a new company launched with plans to turn whisky into biofuel, and Google Earth revealed an alarming patch of glowing green sea n! ear a nu clear power plant.

It was also a big week for solar-powered architecture as Deutsche Bank completed the world's tallest roof-mounted solar array and the U.S. Department of Energy announced that the 2013 Solar Decathlon will be taking place in sunny Southern California. We also took a peek inside a crazy solar-powered billboard house, and we showcased plans for a super efficient Equinox house that tracks the sun. We also brought you the world's first 1.4 billion Euro home made from shredded bills, and we rounded up the 6 most energy-efficient skyscrapers in New York City.

In other news, this week Apple CEO Tim Cook responded in outrage to New York Times accusations that Apple abuses workers' rights in Chinese factories, and green transportation blasted off as auto manufacturers unveiled a trio of high-performance vehicles - theTS030 hybrid race car, Toyota's solar-powered 2000GT, and the sexy Lotus-based PG Elektrus. We ! also saw researchers developed the world's smallest train from a strand of DNA, while Mitsubishi developed a way to make ships more efficient by blowing tiny air bubbles. Finally, we brought you the hottest news in high-tech fashion as the U.S. military developed a pair of high-tech undies to monitor soldiers' vitals and Chanel built a life-size airplane plane for its spring 2012 Paris Couture Week show.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Inhabitat's Week in Green: glowing green sea, an equinox house and energy-efficient skyscrapers originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Puts New Engineers On Fake Products Until It Can Trust Them (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-puts-new-engineers-on-fake-products-until-it-can-trust-them-2012-1

Apple is so obsessed with secrecy, it sometimes puts new hires on fake products until they can be trusted.

Adam Lashinsky reported this tidbit in his new book "Inside Apple," and a former Apple employee confirmed it when Lashinsky spoke at LinkedIn the other day.

Here's what the engineer said:

A friend of mine who's a senior engineer at Apple, he works on -- or did work on -- fake products I'm sure for the first part of his career, and interviewed for 9 months. It's intense.

The employee also believes that Tim Cook has the charisma to be president. Not the president of Apple -- the president of the United States.

The exchange was captured on video by Fortune's Philip Elmer DeWitt, and pointed out by Jim Romenesko earlier today. 

Here it is:

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Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Facts About Apple's Business That Will Blow Your Mind
• THE APPLE INVESTOR: Everything You Need To Know Post-Earnings
• Tim Cook Gives Apple Employees $250 Discount On iPads

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NVIDIA dresses up CUDA parallel computing platform

Source: http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-01-nvidia-cuda-parallel-platform.html

(PhysOrg.com) -- This week’s NVIDIA announcement of a dressed up version of its CUDA parallel computing platform is targeted as a good news message for engineers, biologists, chemists, physicists, geophysicists, and other researchers on fast-track computations using GPUs. The new version features an LLVM (low-level virtual machine)-based CUDA compiler, new imaging and signal processing functions added to the NVIDIA Performance Primitives library and a redesigned Visual Profiler with automated performance analysis and expert guidance. NVIDIA says the new enhancements are ways to advance simulations and computational work for these users.

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Instant Smoke Drops Add a Little Magic To Your Photographs [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5880173/instant-smoke-drops-add-a-little-magic-to-your-photographs

Unless you're a master at 3D and compositing, digitally adding smoke to a photo is a lot harder than adding it practically while you're shooting. And with these instant smoke drops, you can easily create plumes without burning your studio down.

The drops actually come in two separate bottles of unnamed chemicals that when combined produce a bonafide smoke effect—without ever having to start a fire. The smoke keeps billowing for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, and just how much is produced is dependent on how many drops, or squirts, you use.

While the instant smoke can obviously be used for adding magical effects to your photos, on a more practical level it's perfect for creating steam coming off of food that's supposed to be piping hot. And if you need some more inspiration to justify their $49 price tag, just check out what Amar Ramesh is doing with smoke in his shots. [Photojojo via The Fancy]

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At Just $40, the Price Is Right For Tenqa's Bluetooth Headphones [Headphones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5880152/at-just-40-the-price-is-right-for-tenqas-bluetooth-headphones

I haven't had a chance to test Tenqa's new REMXD Bluetooth headphones, so I have no idea what they sound like. But at just $40 they're some of the cheapest wireless headphones you can buy, and might be worth a try.

They of course support an A2DP connection to a Bluetooth capable audio device, and promise up to 15 hours of listening time on a single charge, facilitated by a miniUSB port. A built-in mic also means you can make and take calls when using it with a smartphone, while a stereo mini jack allows you to plug in a headphone cable so the REMXD can still be used when the battery is dead.

The feature set is, not surprisingly, pretty basic, as is the choice of colors—black or white—but even if they only sound 'just ok' they seem like a real bargain when they go on sale next month. [Tenqa via Android Community]

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