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Thursday, August 05, 2010

Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/jolicloud-1-0-now-ready-for-your-downloading-delight-on-windows/

Tariq Krim's app-based cloud OS has been a long time coming, but it's finally freely available for download -- just grab a 16MB installer and you too can join the Jolicloud. We've been impressed more than once by the responsive netbook operating system which can boot in seconds flat, and now that it's got touchscreen support and a streamlined Windows dual-boot installer all for the bargain price of free, it's definitely worth a try. Give it a spin at our more coverage link, and let us know if it improves your life in any meaningful fashion. If your keyboard is inexorably intertwined with Windows, however, don't fret; a little penguin tells us a tablet PC version is also on the way.

Gallery: Jolicloud 1.0 press screens

Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PlayOn's web app brings Hulu and Netflix to iPod touch, iPhone

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/playons-web-app-brings-hulu-and-netflix-to-ipod-touch-iphone/

Tired of waiting around for Apple's "review process" to complete? So was PlayOn. Rather than sticking it out and dealing with the App Store's near-limitless amount of red tape, the content streaming startup has kicked out an HTML5 web app that enables Hulu (for now, at least) and Netflix streaming to iPod touch and iPhone devices. It's still hard at work perfecting things for the iPad, but given that it's completely free to surf over to its mobile web site (linked below), it's tough to complain with what we're being given right now. Early testers have praised the app's speed, and while you'll still need a Windows PC (yeah, PlayOn still doesn't have a Mac client) and a PlayOn subscription before indulging on your mobile, at least you've got an option that you once didn't. So, anyone digging the new avenue?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

PlayOn's web app brings Hulu and Netflix to iPod touch, iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid 2 flyer confirms Froyo (again), promises 40 percent boost in website load times

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/droid-2-flyer-confirms-froyo-again-promises-40-percent-boost/

It's not often that we know this freaking much about a major smartphone prior to its announcement -- not to say that we're complaining. Latest in the never-ending string of Droid 2 leaks is this handy little flyer, seemingly part of internal training for sales reps, pimping a variety of features like Android 2.2 out-of-the-box (something the original Droid is just now getting), the 8GB of on-board storage with another 8GB on an included microSD card, the Droid X-like UI skin, Swype, and -- this is interesting -- a claimed 40 percent gain in website loading time over its predecessor thanks to the 1GHz core. Of course, Froyo's quite a bit faster than Eclair, so if they're benchmarking a Froyo Droid 2 against an Eclair Droid, that could account for part of the performance improvement, too -- not to say that we're complaining. Hit the gallery below for a larger version of the page.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

Gallery: Droid 2 flyer confirms Froyo (again), promises 40 percent boost in website load times

Droid 2 flyer confirms Froyo (again), promises 40 percent boost in website load times originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BlackBerry Torch review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/blackberry-torch-review/

When we began our review of the BlackBerry Torch (aka the Bold 9800), our hearts were all aflutter. The leaked shots we'd been seeing of some kind of Palm Pre-esque RIM slider were different and frankly weird enough to cause a kind of low hum gadget lust. Furthermore, although no one on the Engadget team was blown away by what the company had shown us in recent BlackBerry OS 6 demo videos, the promise of a substantially revamped UI and new, Webkit-powered browser certainly got us interested. Even if Research in Motion had been slipping on its once-unassailable smartphone game, there was a sentiment amongst the team that the opportunity for a return to innovative, industry-driving design was wide open for the Canadian company. So when we got our very own Torch to play with, we were understandably excited. A new OS, a new form-factor (completely new for RIM), and from what we could tell, a new outlook from the company about where it wanted to target this product: namely, the average consumer. A great story in the making, no? But it's a fiercely competitive market out there, with devices like the EVO 4G, iPhone 4, and Galaxy S line all vying for the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of the buyer. Can the BlackBerry Torch pick up where hugely successful models like the Curve and Bold have left off? Or is the new phone too little and too late in an industry where technology advances not by tiny step but leaps and bounds? Get the answer to that question -- and many, many more -- in the full Engadget review below!

Gallery: BlackBerry Torch review hands-on

Continue reading BlackBerry Torch review

BlackBerry Torch review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/hacker-reveals-how-apple-artifically-restricts-iphone-chargers/

Most cell phone manufacturers have charging standards these days, even if they can't always agree on which version of USB to use, but as the hair-tearing message above shows, third-party renditions of Apple's proprietary dock connector haven't always been universal solutions for iPods and iPhones. Now we know another important reason why -- secret resistors placed on the data lines in connectors for each iDevice. Minty Boost creator ladyada recently reverse-engineered the chargers for a variety of Apple gadgets, and discovered that iPhones in particular don't draw electricity until they detect 2.8V and 2V signals when they attempt to charge. At that voltage, the handsets suck down about one amp, leading to a rapid filling of your device's Li-ion belly, but by adding additional resistance to drop the voltage further, the iPhone can be coerced into accepting 500mA instead -- perfect for the set of AAA batteries you stashed away in that Altoids tin. Video after the break, full explanation at our source link.

Continue reading Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video)

Hacker reveals how Apple artificially restricts iPhone chargers (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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