Thursday, February 19, 2009

Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/google-demos-offline-gmail-for-iphone-android-at-mwc/


If you were thinking offline Gmail on your desktop was the greatest thing since sliced bread, prepare yourselves people. If an MWC keynote from Google's VP of engineering, Vic Gundotra, is any indication, the same functionality might be coming soon to an iPhone / Android phone near you. Amongst other things, the souped up web app boasts an overhauled interface, supports labels, and of course, offline access. Despite our own hunch that Google's just using black magic and voodoo to make this happen, Gundotra claims that it's all made possible through HTML5 standards -- AppCache being the biggie. This development certainly opens the doors to more offline-enabled web apps in the future -- Docs, anyone?. Of course, we know Apple has a thing about people messing with its own apps, so it's probably going to take some time / knee-breaking to get them to come around, but for some reason, we don't think it'll take as long with Android. There's a demo video available after the break, and please, try to contain yourselves.

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Google demos offline Gmail for iPhone, Android at MWC originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hulu asks Boxee to pull content, it complies

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/18/hulu-asks-boxee-to-pull-content-it-complies/

Hulu on Boxee
That was short lived -- it hasn't been six months since Boxee added one of its most popular features yet and now Hulu is putting a stop to it. A real reason wasn't given -- big surprise -- but Hulu is saying it was at the request of the content providers. While no one really knows what Fox and NBC's objections are to Boxee, we're sad to say it actually kinda makes sense to us. Both media giants make most of their money from traditional cable and broadcast TV, and offering this content on your TV in a convenient way threatens the current model (read money) -- you can't say you haven't thought about getting Hulu on your TV so you could cancel cable. The real bad news is that we'd bet that this is just the beginning, and that every STB out there with Hulu will follow. Of course some of them won't comply, but either way it puts them in a bad situation. Hopefully this won't another trend and that the likes of ABC, CBS and Netflix don't follow.

[Via Boxee Blog]

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Hulu asks Boxee to pull content, it complies originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gateway unveils 14-inch TC7306u and TC7307u laptops

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/19/gateway-unveils-14-inch-tc7306u-and-tc7307u-laptops/


We can't say for certain what's gotten into Gateway this year, but it's on a roll. The company's MD and UC families, which were introduced at CES, earned high praise from reviewers and came in at very respectable price points. Now, the outfit is expanding things further with the 14-inch TC line, which is currently comprised of the TC7306u and TC7307u. Designed to hit that sweet spot between a full blown 15-incher and an ultraportable, these media-centric lappies get going at $649.99 and tip the scales at 5.3 pounds. Each one sports a 1.3 megapixel webcam, WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, a 1,366 x 768 resolution panel, a built-in multicard reader and three USB 2.0 ports. You'll also find a variety of colors, Intel's Core 2 Duo CPUs, a dual-layer DVD writer and a 6-cell Li-ion battery. Nah, you haven't missed anything out of the ordinary, but these two don't seem half bad for handling basic tasks without spending a bundle. Full release is after the break.

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Gateway unveils 14-inch TC7306u and TC7307u laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Verizon LTE Wireless Clocking 60Mbps In US Tests, Confirmed to Launch in 2010 [Mwc'09]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/fqAz31xSoRs/verizon-lte-wireless-clocking-60mbps-in-us-tests-confirmed-to-launch-in-2010

Verizon's rollout of its 4G Long Term Evolution network is in the trial phase in three metro areas, and lucky testers are seeing peak speeds of 60Mbps—wireless. Best of all, 2010 commercial launch is confirmed.

Though AT&T seems to be talking excitedly about its own LTE network—a technology that derives from the GSM networks that AT&T and T-Mobile run, and not the CDMA networks of Sprint and Verizon—Verizon really will be first, and at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, Verizon CTO Dick Lynch made a point of letting the world know it. Most of the chatter was stuff we'd published before, but the coolest part of the released statement, about the current and upcoming trials, was new:

Utilizing their existing spectrum, Verizon Wireless and Vodafone have been field testing 4G LTE networks in Minneapolis, Columbus, Ohio, and Northern New Jersey in the United States, as well as in Budapest, Düsseldorf, and Madrid in Europe, with a variety of network infrastructure providers. These field trials have demonstrated download rates of 50 to 60 Mbps peak speeds, though actual average download results will not be determined until the commercial launch of the new Verizon Wireless LTE network. Utilizing its recently acquired 700 MHz spectrum, Verizon Wir! eless wi ll expand trials this summer, and Lynch said the company will commercially launch its LTE network in 2010. Once the initial rollout is complete, plans are in place for aggressive deployment throughout Verizon Wireless' entire network, including areas not currently covered by the existing Verizon Wireless footprint.

WiMax is already here, and Sprint has proven to be adept at rolling out next-generation data services, but still, I can't help but think that between Verizon and AT&T, LTE will definitely be the 4G technology of choice in America. [More Mobile World Congress 2009 Coverage]



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Canon Digital ELPH SD970, SD960 SD780 and SD1200 Point-and-Shoots Look Pretty, Feel Nice [Digital Cameras]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/1nvZQ5J1yUU/canon-digital-elph-sd970-sd960-sd780-and-sd1200-point+and+shoots-look-pretty-feel-nice

Most point-and-shoots have extremely similar feature sets now, whoever they're from—smile, booger and blink detection; image stabilization and other boingos you never use. So Canon's choice to focus on look-and-feel stands out—and pays off.

Here's the new PowerShot Digital ELPH line, most expensive to cheapest:

The SD970 is the fully loaded model with 12MP, 3-inch screen, 5x optical zoom lens, 720p video recording and more creative features like Zoom Blur and Creative Light Effect. Unlike the other cameras though, you don't have a whole rainbow of colors to pick from. It's $380.

The SD960 stepdown knocks off $50 for shrinking the screen to 2.8 inches and zoom to 4x (but it's a 28mm wide-angle lens), but it's still 12MP and can shoot 720p video. And it come in a few different (pastel-y) colors.

The SD780 has a tapered boxy look to it that I really liked because it felt classy, but spec-wise it's a stepdown from the SD970 and SD960, with a smaller 2.5-inch screen, 3x optical zoom and fewer whizbang modes. But it's still 12.1MP and does the 720p thing for $280 when it drops next month. Multiple colors, all very metallic, but the hot rod red is pretty nice.

• The SD1200 is the cheapie side, as the neon Lifesavers colors probably clued you in. 10 megapixels is the only spec Canon deems worthy of mentioning besides the $230 price, if that tells you anything. But they're delicious looking!

I got to grope all of the! se a mon th ago, and all of these cameras really do look and feel fantastic in your hand, a noticeable step above the other new point-and-shoots I've seen so far in the design department. How well they actually shoot, we'll have to wait and see, but if you really care about aesthetics, these are lookin' like the cameras to look at (at least until I see what else is coming out for PMA). [Canon]



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