Friday, December 18, 2009

Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment on track to get Android 2.1, not 2.0

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/sprints-htc-hero-and-samsung-moment-on-track-to-get-android-2-1/

So Sprint's backtracking on its promise to deliver Android 2.0 to its Hero and Moment in the first half of next year, but it's backtracking in an awesome way for a change of pace -- they'll actually be getting 2.1. That makes tons of sense considering that the leaked Hero builds have all been on 2.1 and 2.0 will be all but obsolete by the time HTC gets around to releasing anything -- so yeah, we probably could've predicted this anyway, but now it's official. Unfortunately that 1H 2010 window hasn't been reigned in at all, but here's hoping this is a case where they under-promise and over-deliver.

Sprint's HTC Hero and Samsung Moment on track to get Android 2.1, not 2.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gearlog  |  sourceOfficial Sprint Twitter account  | Email this | Comments

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IEEE begins work on new cellphone battery standard, we circle 2029 for ratification

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/ieee-begins-work-on-new-cellphone-battery-standard-we-circle-20/

You'll excuse us for poking a bit of fun at the IEEE, but after it took seven years to finalize a wireless standard that didn't change for most of that time, we have to wonder how long a new battery rulebook is going to take. IEEE Std 1725 is the current set of commonly agreed rules, in effect since 2006, but apparently "the cellular industry has grown tremendously since then" and our needs as consumers have changed. No kidding, 1GHz processors and 1080p video recording can kind of do that. The Cell Phone Battery Working Group (a real entity!) will hold its first meeting on the topic in February, and the final outcome will lay out up-to-date rules on the requisite quality, reliability, construction, and discharge characteristics of modern cellphone batteries. Let's hope "smartphones that last more than a day" figures somewhere on that list.

IEEE begins work on new cellphone battery standard, we circle 2029 for ratification originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBusiness Wire  | Email this | Comments

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ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE with Atom N450 and 12.5-hour battery breaks cover

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/asus-eee-pc-1005p-pe-with-atom-n450-and-12-5-hour-battery-breaks/

You do realize that all those Atom-based netbooks on sale for the holidays will be abandoned entirely in January right? Go ahead and pull the trigger for that "new" ViewSonic netbook if you must, just realized that you'll be running last-gen hardware in less than a month if rumor, innuendo, and leaks all converge with the release of Pineview netbooks as expected. More details have appeared today at retailers listing specifications and pics for the unannounced ASUS EeePC model 1005P and 1005PE. Sporting the Eee PC Seashell design, we're looking at a pair of 10-inch LED backlit displays with a 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution, Intel Atom N450 proc, 1GB DDR2-RAM, and a Windows 7 Starter Edition preload riding GMA 3150 graphics -- a slightly faster version of Intel's G31 based GMA 3100. The PE model sports a bigger 250GB hard disk and higher capacity 6-cell battery for a reported 12.5 hours of go-go juice thanks, in part, to the more efficient N450 CPU. Expect to see these Eees get official with price and launch date any day now.

ASUS Eee PC 1005P/PE with Atom N450 and 12.5-hour battery breaks cover originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEeePC.it, Netbooknews.de  | Email this | Comments

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Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/notion-ink-smartpad-comes-with-tegra-aims-to-be-first-pixel-qi/

Now here's a way to excite all the tablet naysayers. Slap that ultra-efficient Tegra chipset inside a 10.1-inch touchscreen tablet, make the display a matte (yay!) Pixel Qi slice of glory and then stand back as all of geekdom rejoices. We're still only looking at renders, but this device is all set to make waves at CES with an impressive spec sheet that also includes WiFi, Bluetooth, UMTS/HSDPA, and A-GPS on the wireless front and connectivity via USB, HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The most important thing is still that display, though, whose efficiency leads to the unnamed device boasting 48 hours of battery standby juice, also good for 8 hours of HD video playback or 16 hours of WiFi-enabled Engadget reading. Driven by a default (for now) Android UI and supposedly capable of running three simultaneous 1080p streams with little frame loss, this should be one hot piece of kit come January. For now, we have another shot after the break as well as the full data sheet.

Continue reading Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device

Notion Ink smartpad comes with Tegra, aims to be first Pixel Qi device originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSlashGear  | Email this | Comments

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Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/18/archos-9-tablet-and-its-windows-7-starter-edition-unboxed-video/

Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed
It's been a long time coming, but the Archos 9 is finally being unleashed wholesale upon the world. The 9-inch tablet has been delayed and had its price hiked, but if you haven't leapt off the hype train yet you'll be interested in watching the unboxing and initial impressions video after the break courtesy of UMPCPortal. The 60GB device contains a mere 1.1GHz Atom processor and has been unfortunately crippled with Windows 7 Starter Edition, lacking the cool tablet features that you might have wanted to use on a tablet device. A few times during this video the Archos is likened to the Joojoo, which will almost surely face some delays of its own before receiving a similar berth months from now. Overall it's looking like a nice machine if you have the bank -- and don't want to do anything particularly processor intensive.

Continue reading Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video)

Archos 9 tablet and its Windows 7 Starter Edition unboxed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Dec 2009 06:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink  &nbs! p;|  ; sourceUMPCPortal  | Email this | Comments

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Some say believing in ad-nets, view-throughs, and demand generation is like believing in santa, smurfs, easter bunny - http://bit.ly/5aKbu4

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Giant White Elephant in the Room Is a Relic - http://bit.ly/5aKbu4

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Rumor: Google Working On Chrome OS-Branded Netbook With One (Secret) Manufacturer [Google Chrome OS]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/J0NYx2x5NbI/rumor-google-working-on-chrome-os+branded-netbook-with-one-secret-manufacturer

Google's already said you'll need to buy a Chrome OS machine if you want it officially, but if TechCrunch's sources are right, they could be launching Google-branded hardware for the platform, much like they're doing with the Nexus One.

Sure, you may've already downloaded an early Chrome OS build on your current machine, but unless you want it to be your sole platform, and running just the way Google intended, then you'll need to buy the official hardware. Acer's stated its intent to be first with a product release, presumably at the tail-end of next year, but ASUS, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba are also involved in the Chrome OS project too.

A "request for proposal" has already been issued to potential suppliers, such as those mentioned above, supposedly listing the specifications Google would like to see in that first netbook. Google is believed to be working with just the one manufacturer, to build the ideal netbook. TechCrunch's sources are claiming they'll be 3G-embedded, and quite possibly subsidized by a carrier.

Michael Arrington, editorializing at this point, goes on to say that:

"I'd be willing to bet one of our writers' right hands that it's ARM [as opposed to an Intel Atom processor]. And I'd even go out on a limb and suggest that they may very well be targ! eting Nv idia's Tegra line."

Adobe, Freescale, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are the other parties already working with on the Google Chrome OS project, so presumably the netbook will contain some components from them as well.

So, which company do we think Google will choose in this all-important talent show? Acer, ASUS, HP, Lenovo or Toshiba, or even someone else? ASUS obviously has strong heritage with netbooks, thanks to inventing the market for it back in 2007, but Acer launched the first Android-powered netbook. HP, Lenovo and Toshiba have all produced some solid netbooks in their time, but haven't quite measured up to Acer and ASUS' success just yet. [TechCrunch]




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ASUS says EeeBots are coming, inevitably running Android OS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/asus-says-eeebots-are-coming-inevitably-running-android-os/

We've seen humanoid bots ranging from the cute to the downright insane with none of them ever coming close to commercial viability, but stick an Eee in front of their name and all bets are off. ASUS, the company that started the seemingly unlikely netbook revolution (sorry, FIC), is about to apply its golden touch to the field of consumer-friendly robotics. Intended to serve as an educational tool for young children to interact with, the EeeBot will be driven by a modified version of the aptly titled Android OS and ASUS is said to be hard at work developing a content and services ecosystem around the hardware. Teased technologies include voice, video and navigation abilities, but we'll have to wait a while before we see any of it since production won't begin for another two years.

ASUS says EeeBots are coming, inevitably running Android OS originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYahoo! News  | Email this | Comments

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Nook hacked with Web browser, Facebook, and Twitter apps for starters

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/nook-hacked-with-web-browser-facebook-and-twitter-for-starters/

And here we go. With the Nook rooted and plenty of Android devs at the ready to exploit the device's free 3G data and semi-useful WiFi connection, it's officially open season on Barnes & Noble's new e-reader. Within the last few hours the Nook has been given a web browser (pictured left) to join the Pandora hack just announced by NookDevs. A trick that adds plenty of functionality to the Nook including the ability to login to public WiFi hotspots and read the news on an RSS aggregator (pictured right with Google Reader). Better yet, the rogue band of devs have already ported AndTweet and the Facebook app from the Android Marketplace. Unfortunately, the Google Maps port failed due to some missing libraries within the Nook's Android implementation. Naturally, none of this has been packaged for the everyman yet, but at this rate we might have off the shelf Nook homebrew before those January Nook orders can be delivered. Hey Barnes & Noble, welcome to the wild west of consumer electronics.

[Thanks, Scott]

Nook hacked with Web browser, Facebook, and Twitter apps for starters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Guys  |  sourceTwitter  | Email this | Comments

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Blu-ray 3D specifications finalized, your PS3 is ready

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/blu-ray-3d-specifications-finalized-your-ps3-is-ready/

In case plans by AMD and a slew of other tech vendors planning to showcase 3D Blu-ray compatible products at CES wasn't a tip-off, the updated specifications are done. The key details? First, that the Blu-ray Disc Association has chosen the Multiview Video Coding (MVC) codec to store 3D, so that even though it is now providing a full 1080p frame for each eye, it will only require about 50% more storage space compared to the 2D version, and all discs will be fully backwards compatible, in 2D, on existing players. Better than backwards compatibility, the PlayStation 3 will be forwards compatible with the new discs -- a new HDTV setup (the spec promises to work with plasmas, LCDs or projectors equally well) with IR emitters and glasses will still be necessary. According to the PR (after the break) we can expect Blu-ray 3D-stickered products in 2010, our only advice is to keep those responsible for the Cowboys Stadium abomination far, far away from it.

Continue reading Blu-ray 3D specifications finalized, your PS3 is ready

Blu-ray 3D specifications finalized, your PS3 is ready originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.!

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Hot Virtual Keyboard for Windows 7 is hot, virtual, multitouch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/hot-virtual-keyboard-for-windows-7-is-hot-virtual-multitouch/

Hot Virtual Keyboard for Windows 7 is hot, virtual, multi-touch
Thought that multitouch support in Windows 7 was only good for putting twice the smudges on your screen in half the time? Here's the app that makes all those blemishes worthwhile. It's the 5.0 release of Hot Virtual Keyboard, which provides the ability to do mindblowing things like hold a shift key while pressing another key to make on-screen letters bigger! Crazy, right? It offers a variety of flavors, including thumb-friendly UMPC models and even a pseudo-ergonomic one, complete with comically oversized spacebar, as apparently those with bad wrists have big thumbs. It's all hugely customizable and could make text entry on that svelte new tablet of yours a little less of a chore -- if you don't mind fronting the $29.95 entry fee.

Hot Virtual Keyboard for Windows 7 is hot, virtual, multitouch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink PRWeb  |  sourceHot Virtual Keyboard  | Email this | Comments

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EyeTV iPhone app granted 3G streamability, App Store's WiFi-only club hemorrhaging members

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/eyetv-iphone-app-granted-3g-streamability-app-stores-wifi-only/

EyeTV iPhone app granted 3G streamability, App Store's WiFi-only club hemorrhaging members
Happy day, iPhoners; your days of living life one hotspot at a time are over. You can now use that data plan for all its worth as more and more apps break through the WiFi-only iron curtain. Last week it was Ustream, the week before Knocking, and now EyeTV has released an updated app able to stream your own personal TV broadcast to your iPhone wherever you are. Assuming, of course, you're not situated within a "coverage gap" -- or a major metropolitan area.

Update: To be clear, this isn't actually a new App Store app, it's a webapp, available at live3g.eyetv.com via Safari and fed by an update to the service's desktop client.

EyeTV iPhone app granted 3G streamability, App Store's WiFi-only club hemorrhaging members originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gear Diary  |  sourceEyeTV  | Email this | Comments

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Iraqi insurgents using $26 software to monitor Predator video feeds

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/iraqi-insurgents-using-26-software-to-monitor-predator-video-fe/

We can't say we've ever heard of a $26 Russian program called SkyGrabber before, but it's about to get famous real fast -- according to the Wall Street Journal, Iraqi insurgents have been regularly using the satellite-snooping software to monitor live Predator video feeds. Apparently the Predator transmits video over an unencrypted link, so there's no major hacking or security breach going on here, but it's obviously a huge issue -- and we'd say the bigger problem is that Pentagon officials have known about this flaw since the 1990s, but they didn't think insurgents would figure out how to exploit it. Way to underestimate, guys. The WSJ says the military is working to encrypt all Predator feeds from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, but it's slow going because the Predator network is more than a decade old and based on proprietary tech -- too bad it's not proprietary enough to keep prying eyes out of it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Iraqi insurgents using $26 software to monitor Predator video feeds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

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Ericsson demos 42Mbps HSPA Evolution for the laypeople

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/ericsson-demos-42mbps-hspa-evolution-for-the-laypeople/

Talk about making good on a promise... and then some. Back in March, Ericsson proudly proclaimed that it would be able to make 21Mbps look like child's play by reaching 28Mbps before the dawn of 2010, and now the company is tooting its horn once more after demonstrating 42Mbps equipment to common folk over in Stockholm, Sweden. Reportedly, it's the planet's first 42Mbps HSPA achievement on commercial products, and better still, it's now available for mass deployment. Unfortunately, details beyond that were few and far between -- we're guessing Ericsson just needed an avenue to gloat -- but we suspect carriers like Telstra will be pushing out their own releases once the upgrades start rolling out. Granted, we've seen mobile data rates tickle the 42Mbps mark before, but those showcases were hardly ready for public consumption. Meanwhile, Verizon and AT&T are spending bundles arguing about their comparatively glacial "3G networks." Way to go, America.

Ericsson demos 42Mbps HSPA Evolution for the laypeople originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEricsson  | Email this | Comments

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