Friday, May 01, 2009

Google and dozens of Android purveyors slapped with trademark lawsuit

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/01/google-and-dozens-of-android-purveyors-slapped-with-trademark-la/

Google and dozens of Android purveyors slapped with trademark lawsuit
Hold on to your positronic caps, readers. It seems our little green robo-friend may be in for a little bit of legal trouble. Erich Specht has sued Google and seemingly every company that has ever thought about using its mobile OS (like T-Mobile, Vodafone, Intel, Motorola, Samsung, and lots more) for infringing use of the name "Android." He's the owner of the trademark for Android Data Corporation, granted way back in October of 2002. Google came around and filed a trademark application for Android five years later and, wait for it, had that trademark application denied due to confusion with Mr. Specht's. In other words, it looks like Google and its Open Handset Alliance cronies are on the defensive and, seemingly, not on particularly firm ground. Specht wants damages and a name-change for Google's OS, and as of now we wouldn't be surprised if he got at least one of his wishes.

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Google and dozens of Android purveyors slapped with trademark lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 4:09 PM

How-to: set up dual-band WiFi (and juice your downloads)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/01/how-to-set-up-dual-band-wifi-and-juice-your-downloads/


Yeah, we think you should make the switch.

Let's come right out with it -- you should be running a dual-band 2.4 and 5GHz WiFi network. Why? Because the 2.4GHz spectrum is cluttered with everything from other networks to Bluetooth to cordless phones and microwaves, and all that RF interference slows everything down, making file transfers interminable and HD streaming nearly impossible. On the other hand, 5GHz 802.11n is clean and incredibly fast -- we're talking almost hardwire fast. But you can't just move up to 5GHz without leaving your phones and other legacy devices behind, so you've got to keep 2.4 around as well -- which is really easy if you've got a simultaneous dual-band router like Apple's new Airport Extreme or something like the D-Link DIR-825, and only slightly harder if you don't. And, as luck would have it, Apple just sent us a new AEBS to play with, so we thought we'd show you how to configure both kinds of setups. We promise you'll thank us.

Continue reading How-to: set up dual-band WiFi (and juice your downloads)

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How-to: set up dual-band WiFi (and juice your downloads) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 4:08 PM

Canon gets all 'Steve Zissou' with its Mixed Reality Aquarium

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/01/canon-gets-all-steve-zissou-with-its-mixed-reality-aquarium/


In some ways, augmented reality is an elegant solution to the main problem with VR: while there are some areas where insane levels of immersion are required, this stuff ain't cheap -- relegating solutions like CirculaFloor to academics, the military, and the extremely well-heeled. But how about those who just want to see wild graphics while they, you know, "party?" Canon's Mixed Reality Aquarium headset transforms any area you inhabit into a giant fishbowl. Not the sort of thing that you'll want to do more than once, probably -- although, to the company's credit, this is more of a research project than an actual product. How about an option to swim with Daryl Hannah from Splash? That would be pure gadget gold. That said, this does make for a fun video -- which we've graciously provided for you, after the break.

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

Continue reading Canon gets all 'Steve Zissou' with its Mixed Reality Aquarium

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Canon gets all 'Steve Zissou' with its Mixed Reality Aquarium originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 4:07 PM

Samsung Alias 2 launching on May 11, E Ink confirmed?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/01/samsung-alias-2-launching-on-may-11-e-ink-confirmed/

We're hearing that the Alias 2 is on track for a release in less than two weeks from now -- May 11, to be exact -- which would mean that we're just a few short days away from seeing the very first E Ink handset launch in the States. Yes, that's right, we said it -- after all the heated debate over the technology powering the Alias 2's configurable keypad, our tipster tells us that new information floating down from corporate confirms that the device is using E Ink, which would explain why it's able to maintain state even with the power off. We still think it's one awfully ugly phone, but this might be one of those all-too-frequent cases where cool tech ends up winning our hearts anyway. As for pricing, the tipster thinks it may come in at $79, which seems improbable even with deep contract discounting and a big mail-in rebate -- but if by some miracle it does end up being accurate, they're going to be selling tons of these to text-heavy geeks like ourselves.

[Image via PhoneArena, thanks ehjun]

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Samsung Alias 2 launching on May 11, E Ink confirmed? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 May 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 4:07 PM

Fujitsu gets official with M2010 netbook, Engadget Chinese goes hands-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/30/fujitsu-gets-official-with-m2010-netbook-engadget-chinese-goes/


We already caught sight of Fujitsu's new 10.1-inch LOOX M netbook in Japan earlier this month, and it looks like the company has now gotten official with the seemingly identical M2010 model for some other markets, although it still hasn't made it all the way over here. The netbook itself is about as standard as can be, and includes a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and built-in Bluetooth, among other not at all surprising specs -- although you will apparently get a bundled DVD burner and wireless mouse with it, which makes the nearly $650 price tag at least a tad more reasonable. What's more, while they didn't get ton of time to spend with it, our pals at Engadget Chinese did manage to snap a few hands-on pics at the launch event, which you can check out by hitting up the link below.

[Via Engadget Chinese]

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Fujitsu gets official with M2010 netbook, Engadget Chinese goes hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:53 AM

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