Friday, October 09, 2009

RIM posts new BlackBerry widget APIs, dev kit

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/09/rim-posts-new-blackberry-widget-apis-dev-kit/

We know you love widgets, so feast your eyes on this: RIM has just announced a software development kit for creating web-based widgets on the BlackBerry platform. With new APIs that allow access to a everything from email and calendar applications to the GPS, media player, files and documents stored on the smartphone, the handset's push technology and more, hot-to-trot software developers such as yourself can build all kinds of crazy apps for OS 5. What are you waiting for? Hit the read link for everything you need -- including the Smartphone Simulator and BlackBerry Widget SDK beta. And be sure you drop us a line after creating some award-winning apps. PR after the break.

[Via PhoneArena]

Continue reading RIM posts new BlackBerry widget APIs, dev kit

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RIM posts new BlackBerry widget APIs, dev kit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Lumix GF1 reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/09/panasonic-lumix-gf1-reviewed/

The typical Micro Four Thirds review seems to come down to a matter of tradeoffs -- size and convenience for a bit of a drop from the image quality and performance of a real DSLR. The GF1 doesn't break that trend, but it has some pretty nice things to offer for the inquisitive interchangeable lens shopper. The most notable feature when put up against its direct competition, the E-P1, is the GF1's built-in pop-up flash, and the primary drawback of both of these cams versus their regular Micro Four Thirds counterparts is the lack of an eye-level viewfinder, though the GF1 does offer a pricey hot-shoe mounted approximation. As for images PhotographyBLOG says the camera gets "almost everything right," and video doesn't look bad neither -- a couple samples are after the break. The camera is no ultra-compact, but it seems another good proof for the existence of Micro Four Thirds as a DSLR alternative.

Continue reading Panasonic Lumix GF1 reviewed

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Panasonic Lumix GF1 reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NSF awards Harvard $10 million for robot bees (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/09/nsf-awards-harvard-10-million-for-robot-bees-video/

When we heard that the National Science Foundation awarded $10 million to Harvard to make a swarm of robot bees, our first thought was: "We could do it for half the price." Then we remembered that the university has been down this path before, including its robot fly program (whatever happened to that thing?) and might be the better choice after all. What does the NSF and Harvard hope to get for all that time and money? Aside from insight into such areas as distributed intelligence, robotic flight, and energy storage, a swarm of these bad boys could be tasked to do anything from battlefield spying to pollination (which might be necessary, with the way that real bees are vanishing at such an alarming rate). The RoboBee project is slated to run for the next five years. Video after the break.

[Via Switched]

Continue reading NSF awards Harvard $10 million for robot bees (video)

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NSF awards Harvard $10 million for robot bees (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MOTOBLUR ported to the G1, unreleased CLIQ looks on in envy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/09/motoblur-ported-to-the-g1-unreleased-cliq-looks-on-in-envy/

It's unclear exactly how MOTOBLUR software might've leaked into the wild, but it's already been repurposed in the best sort of way into a G1-friendly ROM. Despite its beta status it's looking relatively snappy, but there are still some missing elements like WiFi and Bluetooth. If anything it's a testament to how portable and hackable Android is turning out to be so far, and we look forward to the ongoing improvements to Android by diverse manufacturers being disseminated far and wide -- though if Motorola had its way, it'd probably at least happen after the relevant device has hit the market. Video is after the break.

[Via OnlyGizmos; thanks Annkur]

Continue reading MOTOBLUR ported to the G1, unreleased CLIQ looks on in envy

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MOTOBLUR ported to the G1, unreleased CLIQ looks on in envy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asus Eee Top ET2002 reviewed, thoroughly enjoyed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/09/asus-eee-top-et2002-reviewed-thoroughly-enjoyed/

The kids at Liliputing got their hands on the Asus Eee Top ET2002 all-in-one recently and were cool enough to both put it through its paces and clue us in on their findings. According to the reviewer the device, which sports a 1.6GHz Dual Core Atom 330 processor, a 20-inch / 1600 x 900 pixel display, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive, was "impressive... in many ways." It easily handles 1080p playback and video games that would cause "most Intel-Atom based PCs to choke." Aside from the ION graphics, unfortunately, this guy comports itself like a "typical" Atom netbook: unzipping large files takes forever, boot times are slow, and the system sometimes felt overtasked when browsing the web. Then again, when you're spending less than $600 on a machine (Amazon's currently selling 'em for $581) you're going to have to make some compromises. Hit the read link to see for yourself.

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Asus Eee Top ET2002 reviewed, thoroughly enjoyed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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