Monday, April 02, 2012

HTC One X review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/htc-one-x-review/

HTC One X review
It's been a difficult year for HTC. After several successful quarters, things have started looking less rosy in recent months with the company facing stiff competition and suffering from apparent brand dilution -- the results of launching too many handsets with forgettable names, making too many compromises for the carriers, continuing to rely on Sense, and lacking an iconic flagship to take on Samsung's mighty Galaxy S II. We knew something important was coming for Mobile World Congress after HTC timidly revealed the Titan II at CES -- after all, the company has a long history of innovation.

A few days before flying to Barcelona and after being sworn to secrecy, we were quietly whisked into a San Francisco conference room with clear instructions: no pictures or video. There, in the middle of the table, was a white phone that instan! tly caug ht our eye -- the HTC One X. To write that we came away impressed after briefly using it is a massive understatement. This was obviously a halo device made for geeks like us, something designed to take on the Galaxy Nexuses of the world, something with the mother of all spec sheets, something running Ice Cream Sandwich with a significantly thinner and lighter version of Sense. Better yet, there were two other handsets with the same impeccable attention to detail -- the One S and the One V. HTC was finally showing some vision again with strong branding, gorgeous design and a polished user experience. While first impressions go a long way, there's a lot to be learned about a product by living with it for a few days. So is the One X truly HTC's comeback device? Are we still delighted? Is this the Engadget phone? Hit the break for our full review.

Continue reading HTC One X review

HTC One X review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Sense 4 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/htc-sense-4-0-review/

HTC Sense 4.0 review
Over the last year, HTC has established a reputation for fragmenting its proprietary Sense UI even within the same version of Android. Why, Gingerbread alone is the foundation for at least three different iterations (2.1, 3.0 and 3.5) of the firmware. The bump to Ice Cream Sandwich is no different, with legacy devices getting an update to Sense 3.6 and the One series (and presumably any future devices) benefiting from version 4.0.

When we previewed Sense 3.6, we were disappointed at its similarity to previous versions and the sloppiness of its integration with key features in ICS. Even though it marked an improvement in functionality and performance, it seemed as if the OS and customized UI were at war with each other.

Sense 4 is a different story. It's lighter, cleaner and much more visually appealing than older versions of the user interface, and it has the full suite of ICS goodies to go along with it. HTC also throws in its own imaging technology, dubbed ImageSense, to offer some cool new enhancements to the camera. Ultimately, HTC has successfully tweaked Sense's design in a way that keeps the spirit of stock Android 4.0 alive, while still offering ! somethin g familiar to loyal HTC fans. The tour is about to begin, so park yourself in your favorite chair and join us.

Continue reading HTC Sense 4 review

HTC Sense 4 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel 330 SSD leakage hints at bargain price tag, perhaps just $149 for 120GB

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/intel-330-ssd-leakage-hints-at-bargain-price-tag-perhaps-just/

Intel 330 SSD leakage hints at bargain price tag, perhaps just $149 for 120GB
A number of online retailers listed an Intel 330 SSD over the weekend, which would have been cool except that the drive was supposed to remain in the shadows until given a proper announcement. Some sellers pulled their listings pronto, but not before giving us a good glimpse at the drive's likely specs. These include the arrival of the SATAIII 6Gbps interface in this budget line, the same 25nm NAND fabrication process used for last year's 320, and promised sequential read / write speeds of up to 500MB/s and 450MB/s. None of this is especially thrilling, perhaps, when you recall that a similarly-specced SSD, the SanDisk Extreme, topped even the premium Intel 520 in recent benchmarks, but it all starts to make sense when you look at the pricing. SabrePC lists $149 for the 120GB variant, which is a full $40 cheaper than SanDisk's rival, $60 cheaper than the Intel 320, and only enough to pick up 60GB-worth of Intel 520. There are also 60GB and 180GB flavors, listed at $89 and $234 respectively. Assuming these prices hold tight, and that there's no repeat of the 320's firmware issues, this could be a bargain drive worth waiting for.

Update: Amazon UK helpfully lists April 13th as launch day.

Intel 330 SSD leakage hints at bargain price tag, perhaps just $149 for 120GB originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung throws in free extended battery with VZW Galaxy Nexus, applies to new purchases only

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/02/samsung-direct-verizon-galaxy-nexus-free-extended-battery-promotion/

Samsung must be keenly aware that the Galaxy Nexus' battery life takes a hit on Verizon's LTE network: for a limited time, the outfit's throwing in a free 2,100mAh extended battery for first-time buyers (sorry, current Nexus owners are out of luck). To take advantage of the promotion, you'll have to purchase it through Samsung Direct (link below), which means you'll be paying $300 for the device and agreeing to a two-year contract. As Android and Me notes, though, you'd save quite a bit of money picking up the VZW Nexus and accompanying battery pack at Amazon for a combined $134. Suffice to say, then, this isn't a stellar deal, but those of you who disagree can avail yourselves through May 10, or while supplies last.

Samsung throws in free extended battery with VZW Galaxy Nexus, applies to new purchases only originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, April 01, 2012

CrowdCall Is a Simple Way to Make Group Calls from Android and iPhone [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5897735/crowdcall-is-a-simple-way-to-make-group-calls-from-android-and-iphone

CrowdCall Is a Simple Way to Make Group Calls from Android and iPhoneiOS/Android: Group calling isn't something most of us need to do often, but it comes in handy when you're trying to make plans with a bunch of people or when you're making the rounds for holiday calls. CrowdCall simplifies the process by making it easy to make calls to up to 20 people directly from your iPhone or Android phone.

The nice thing about CrowdCall is that only one person needs the app to use it so you don't have to worry about getting everyone set up in front of a computer or having their apps in order. To set up a call you tap a plus symbol and start adding people from your contacts list. You can save that list for later so you can quickly bring up sets of people. CrowdCall is supported by ads and with that comes a slightly annoying text message that follows the call, but as an annoyance to an otherwise free app and service it's a reasonable trade-off.

CrowdCall | via The Next Web

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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Amazon stores 1,700 human genomes in the cloud

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/31/amazon-stores-human-genomes/

Amazon stores 1,700 human genomes in the cloudNot content with speeding up web browsing and hosting federal data, Amazon Web Services are now helping in the fight against disease. Bezos' crew is donating a chunk of free cloud storage to the 1000 Genomes project, which aims to make it easier for scientists to search for genetic variations linked to diseases. These gene-hunters can also use Amazon's Elastic Cloud Compute service to analyze data and discover patterns, although those functions won't come gratis. The DNA sequences of 1,700 mostly anonymous Homo sapiens from around the world have already been logged, but the project needs another 1,000 samples before it meets statistical requirements. Perhaps a free USB gene sequencer and a Prime subscription might entice fresh volunteers?

Amazon stores 1,700 human genomes in the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 31 Mar 2012 09:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, March 30, 2012

HTC One X and One S on sale now in Germany, flagship gets unboxed in France (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/30/htc-one-x-and-one-s-on-sale-now-in-germany-flagship-gets-unboxe/

HTC One X and One S go on sale in Germany

Itching to get your hands on HTC's new breed of smartphones? Best get yourself over to Germany then, as a batch of the flagship One X and its (slightly) smaller brother, the One S, are up for sale -- early. Mediamarkt is where you'll need to go, with several stores also providing HTC One X models on the shop floor to play with. Better still, some excited Frenchmen have already performed the requisite packaging autopsy on the new plastic capsules, revealing (amongst other things) a new SIM pin that's -- logically -- shaped like a micro-SIM. You can marvel at all the rubber bands and plastic bags after the break.

Continue reading HTC One X and One S on sale now in Germany, flagship gets unboxed in France (video)

HTC One X and One S on sale now in Germany, flagship gets unboxed in France (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceHTC Hub, The Unwired  | Email this | Comments

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DoubleTwist adds Google Music support, gets an alarm clock app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/30/doubletwist-adds-google-music-support-gets-an-alarm-clock-app/

DoubleTwist Alarm Clock
DoubleTwist is certainly still one of the better music management options for Android, and it just keeps improving. Two days ago the player app got an update and now it can hook into Google Music, though, it only recognizes songs that you've checked for offline access from within the Google app. An unfortunate restriction, but at least your tracks don't disappear into the ether if you prefer to play back your tunes via DoubleTwist. There's also new functionality coming to what is now less an app than an ecosystem, thanks to the just released DoubleTwist Alarm Clock. The functionality is pretty much what you'd expect -- set a time and pick a song from your DoubleTwist library to gently rouse you from your slumber (or kick your butt out of bed). The Alarm Clock is just $0.99 in the Play Market right now for the first 10,000 customers. After that it'll go up to $1.99. So don't waste any time, go download it now.

DoubleTwist adds Google Music support, gets an alarm clock app originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus Elite gets photographed, decked out in Sprint and Virgin livery

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/30/lg-optimus-elite-sprint-virgin-mobile/

LG Optimus Elite gets photographed, decked out in Sprint and Virgin livery
Not a fan of that 5-inch, IPS display on the Optimus Vu? Perhaps, you'd be more interested in a smaller, lesser-specced member of the family. According to PocketNow, the Optimus Elite is sprinting its way toward The Now Network and Virgin Mobile, with an expected launch on the former "rather soon" and the latter as early as May. The Elite is allegedly packing some run-of-the-mill features, including a 3.5-inch, HVGA screen alongside a five-megapixel rear shooter and an 800Mhz CPU. Both flavors look identical, save for Virgin's prepaid flavor going with a darker look, which you can gander at by jumping past the break.

Continue reading LG Optimus Elite gets photographed, decked out in Sprint and Virgin livery

LG Optimus Elite gets photographed, decked out in Sprint and Virgin livery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opel Ampera popular in ye old continent, likely to meet sales goals unlike Volt

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/30/opel-ampera-likely-to-meet-sales-goals/

Opel Ampera popular in ye old country, likely to meet sales goals unlike Volt
To say that Chevy's Volt hasn't had the smoothest inaugural year would be an understatement, but over on the other side of the pond, things couldn't be going more swimmingly for its badge-engineered cousin, the Opel Ampera. Sales are reportedly brisk with over 7,000 Europeans preordering the electrified hatchback, prompting the company to push its 2012 sales target from 8,000 to 10,000 units -- matching the figure Chevy had initially set, and then missed for its variant here in the US of A. That got us thinking, are Europeans the electrified forward-thinking mavericks we think they are? Or have they simply fallen prey to the Ampera's far better looks? Decide in the comments below.

Opel Ampera popular in ye old continent, likely to meet sales goals unlike Volt originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon's CEO has a plan for wireless pay-TV, if the government will allow it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/29/verizons-ceo-has-a-plan-for-wireless-pay-tv-if-the-government/

Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam doesn't quite have all of those SpectrumCo AWS licenses in his pocket just yet, but if he does get them he has a decidedly old school idea of what to flood the airwaves with: TV. The Wall Street Journal quotes him saying Verizon and its new cable friends could have "the beginnings of an integrated offering" out by the holidays, so pay-TV customers could watch video on their mobile devices. Even though many of the TV services are already streaming video to tablets, PCs and phones, currently most subscription services are limited to the space of the home's WiFi network, unlike the video on-demand seen above. According to McAdam the potential to negotiate rights for outside the home streaming and even busting open the bundles for à la carte programming exist -- provided the FCC and DOJ allow Verizon to complete the proposed $3.9 billion purchase. Of course, consumption based billing would still be on the table, so don't start planning your streaming schedule just yet. For now we'll wait and see if the pros of this arrangement outweigh the cons (and how its Redbox play is mixed up in this), or if the pie-in-the-sky NowTV-style elements of the plan are merely being floated to get the deal done.

Verizon's CEO has a plan for wireless pay-TV, if the government will allow it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

HTC One S to join T-Mobile's lineup this April 22nd?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/29/htc-one-s-to-join-t-mobiles-lineup-this-april-22nd/

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Does your smartphone bill wave a Magenta flag? If so, then you should circle April 22nd on your calendar because rumor has it that's the hallowed day HTC's One S could touch down. Whispers of that purported launch date recently surfaced over at TmoNews, pegging the carrier's exclusive dual-core S4, ICS handset for a Spring bow, although that tentative window could easily slip. We do know for sure that the OEM's committed to a Q2 release, so fret not eager Sense-beavers, you'll have that plasma-heated, micro arc oxidized unibody in your sweaty palms in no time.

HTC One S to join T-Mobile's lineup this April 22nd? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Insert Coin: Soundlazer speaker plays music with extreme focus

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/insert-coin-soundlazer-speaker-plays-music-with-extreme-focus/

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.
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Here's a neat little project -- a parametric speaker that can only really be heard from the front. According to its inventor, the Soundlazer utilizes ultrasonic carrier waves, focusing its output in a single direction. The Soundlazer has a 20 to 30 foot range. You can hear it from head-on, but if you move to the side or shift the direction of the speaker a bit, the output drops off. The project has 52 days to go, to reach its goal of $48,000. Interested parties who pledge $175 or more will get a fully assembled speaker kit. To see the device in action, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Insert Coin: Soundlazer speaker plays music with extreme focus

Insert Coin: Soundlazer speaker plays music with extreme focus originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD's G-Series APUs now come with Integrity, other ethical constructs due later

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/amd-g-series-integrity/

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AMD's G-Series APUs are the type of chips that'll nurse one pint of power at the bar for hours on end, driving set top boxes, medical equipment and tablet-style devices. Now the manufacturer's adding the equally sensible Integrity real-time operating system from Green Hills Software to the platform. The super-stable RTOS has previously been available as part of the Cortex A15 lineup, but these new chips combine a multi-core x86 CPU and GPU that'll be used in industrial control systems where accuracy is paramount. If you're on the hunt for some silicon to drive your production line robots, head on past the break for the deep dish.

Continue reading AMD's G-Series APUs now come with Integrity, other ethical constructs due later

AMD's G-Series APUs now come with Integrity, other ethical constructs due later originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers develop new plastics that 'bleed' and heal like human skin

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/researchers-develop-new-plastics-that-bleed-and-heal-like-huma/

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It looks like plastics may not be something for the squeamish in the not-too-distant future. Researchers from the University of Southern Mississippi recently revealed a new type of plastic they've been working on that takes its inspiration from human skin -- it "bleeds" red when it's scratched or cut and then heals itself when it's exposed to light. As Popular Science notes, self-healing plastics aren't something entirely new, but the "bleeding" (achieved using small molecular links or "bridges" that break when the plastic is scratched) is, as is the fact that this plastic can heal itself over and over again in the same spot. What's more, as it's made from water-based copolymers, it's also more environmentally-friendly than other plastics. Of course, it's all a ways from being used in actual products, but the researchers see no shortage of possibilities, including everything from self-healing car fenders to aircraft applications that could warn of problems before they get too severe.

Continue reading Researchers develop new plastics that 'bleed' and heal like human skin

Researchers develop new plastics that 'bleed' and heal like human skin originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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