Motorola Xoom coming to Best Buy on February 24th, HTC Thunderbolt on the 14th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/04/motorola-xoom-coming-to-best-buy-on-february-24th-htc-thunderbo/

We're already fatigued of reporting launch dates for devices announced at this year's CES -- it seems like each one has had at least four different potential release points -- but when you get one of Best Buy's official Facebook pages blabbing about when the Moto Xoom and HTC Thunderbolt will be arriving... well, you sum up the strength to do it one more time. Contrary to earlier insider leaks pinning the Xoom to a February 17th launch, Best Buy is now promising to have the vanguard of the Honeycomb tablet revolution on February 24th. That's exactly a week later than our earlier info, so perhaps somebody somewhere decided to push things back a bit. We have no doubt, however, that Motorola is nearly ready with its slate -- there have been plenty of them spotted around the Super Bowl this week. In the meantime, HTC's LTE-equipped 4.3-incher seems to have finally settled down on Valentine's Day as its time of reckoning, a day after the similarly sized Inspire 4G hits AT&T.

Motorola Xoom coming to Best Buy on February 24th, HTC Thunderbolt on the 14th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use! of feed s.

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LG Optimus Pad (aka G-Slate) coming to MWC 2011 with Honeycomb, Tegra 2 and 3D display

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/04/lg-optimus-pad-aka-g-slate-coming-to-mwc-2011-with-honeycomb-a/

The T-Mobile G-Slate may be fully official now, but the rest of the world needs love too, and LG's just announced it intends to deliver said loving at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a few days from now. The Optimus Pad, as this 8.9-inch tablet will be known outside the US, will offer Android Honeycomb as its OS, along with a 3D-capable 1280 x 768 display, dual-core Tegra 2 processor, a front-facing camera plus a pair of imagers on the back allowing for 3D picture-taking, 32GB of onboard storage, and a 6,400mAh battery. We should be getting to grips with the device at MWC in due course -- look for it to launch alongside or shortly after its US twin hits retail in March.

LG Optimus Pad (aka G-Slate) coming to MWC 2011 with Honeycomb, Tegra 2 and 3D display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Unwired View, Android Community  |  Hankyung  | Email this | Comments

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Mitsubishi creates giant curved OLED, probably won't fit in your living room (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/04/mitsubishi-creates-giant-curved-oled-probably-wont-fit-in-your/

Display companies like Mitsubishi still don't make a big-screen OLED we can buy, yet look at this, a curved display created by the company that looks to be about four feet tall and maybe 10 feet around. Okay, so a 3mm pixel pitch wouldn't look too great standing anywhere within about 20 feet of the thing, but that's why it's designed for malls and big stores, places where its 1,200 nit brightness can shrug off ambient light. It was unveiled at ISE 2011 and there's a video of it doing its thing after the break, but surely it won't be long before they're all over Las Vegas.

Continue reading Mitsubishi creates giant curved OLED, probably won't fit in your living room (video)

Mitsubishi creates giant curved OLED, probably won't fit in your living room (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Storify Raises $2M From Khosla Ventures To Blend Social Media With Storytelling

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/03/storify-raises-2m-from-khosla-ventures-to-blend-social-media-with-storytelling/

Now more than ever, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are a integral part of real-time storytelling and journalism. Launched at TechCrunch Disrupt last fall, Storify debuted its content curation platform that brought together Tweets, Facebook Status Updates, videos and more from social networking sites to create a realtime view into a story or issue. Today, the startup is announcing that it has raised $2 million in new funding from Khosla Ventures.

Storify, which is still in private beta, allows you to build and embed a story around a gathering of Tweets, Flickr photos, Facebook status updates, YouTube videos and more (We should note that Twitter offers its own technology to embed Tweets). Within Storify’s platform, you can simple search and drag content into your Storify story. Once you create a story with all of this curated content, you can then embed the actual story in your blog or content management system via single like of Javascript.

It’s fairly simple and easy to read, as you can see from the sample embedded story we’ve placed in this post about Storify’s funding (here’s a Storify post about the recent protests in Egypt) Readers can also Tweet and share from Storify posts. And although in private beta, Storify has signed a number of high-profile partnerships with media organizations, including the Washington Post, Seattle Times, NPR, and Al Jazeera. Since last fall, 10,000 Storify stories have been created by partners, with the stories attracting 4.5 million views.

The new funding will be used to build out new capabilities and publishing options, says the company’s co-founder Burt Herman (who is actually a former journalist). Already, Storify is connected to blogging platforms Posterous and Tumblr, so users can publish stories directly in Storify to Posterous and Tumblr.

And for any journalists or media organizations who are interested in using Storify, the startup’s platform should be opened to the public in the next few months, says Herman.

Storify demo from Burt Herman on Vimeo.

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Storify

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The Best Travel Apps for iPhone [Ios]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5750431/the-best-travel-apps-for-iphone

Your iPhone is always with you, so it makes for a great travel companion when you need all kinds of information about the places your visit on your vacations. Here are our favorite travel apps to help make your vacations a breeze.

For the flip side of the smartphone travel app selection, check out the best travel apps for Android.

Kayak

While we really like Hipmunk for flight search, they have yet to release an iOS app. Kayak, on the other hand, is good alternative and has a really nice (and free) mobile app. While I've always found the Kayak web site a little cumbersome, I find the iOS app much easier to use. Everything is cleaner and simplified. It doesn't do much more than search for flights and provide your with your options, but what else do you really want?

Kayak | iTunes App Store

TripIt

TripIt is a really great webapp, and the iOS app is an excellent extension. TripIt can connect to your Gmail (or Google Apps) account to import trip data, or you can just forward itineraries you get from booking sites or airlines to TripIt and it'll parse the information into a more useful, readable format. The mobile app makes it easy to keep all your itineraries with you and keep on top of your flights and hotel bookings. While TripIt Pro (a subscription service, not a paid version of the app) offers additional features, we think you'll find regular TripIt useful enough and won't really need to upgrade.

TripIt (Free) | iTunes App Store

PackTM

You might wonder why you'd need an app to help you pack your bags, but just wait until a bad TSA worker steals something from your or your bag gets lost. Having an inventory will suddenly seem worth the trouble. PackTM is a very simple bag-packing app that'll let you put together your bag inventories for multiple trips. To avoid re-entering items, you have a master catalogue to keep track of the items you pack. While PackTM will cost you $2, if you only need to keep track of one trip at a time the free version (Pack Free) will work just fine.

Pack TM ($2) / Free | iTunes App Store

Travel #s

Travel #s is a free directory of business numbers that'll assist you in renting a car, booking or changing a flight, and getting a room at a hotel. While it's probably easier to just book your flight online most of the time, when you're actually on vacation you might need these numbers to change reservations or get information when you don't have the comfort of all your technology. There really isn't much else that Travel #s does, but it's free and a handy bit of information to keep with you when you're on vacation.

Travel #s (Free) | iTunes App Store

Help Call

While there have been multiple occasions where I've nearly been killed on vacation, I've never had the need to call an emergency number. Still, I may be the only person I know who hasn't. While we want our vacations to go well so they're fun and problem-free, you can't always avoid an accident or unexpected emergency. Help Call is a $1 app that will connect your iPhone with emergency numbers no matter where you are. You can even set a number to dial when you shake the phone in the event you can't press the button yourself. Help Call's interface is very simple and features just a set of four buttons: police, fire, ambulance, and friend. Hopefully you'll never need it, but it's good to have for peace of mind.

Help Call ($1) | iTunes App Store

FlightBoard

For some reason, flight-tracking apps are a little bit pricy on iOS. While not the cheapest, FlightBoard is certainly not the most expensive. $4 gets you what is one of the best flight tracking apps. It's frequently updated, has a nice and simple interface (it's based on the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris), and lets you get a lot of flight information at a glance. FlightBoard is a combo app, meaning you get a native version for both your iPhone and iPad. While there are certainly other ways to get flight information, FlightBoard is about as quick and easy as it gets.

FlightBoard ($4) | iTunes App Store

Last, as noted in the Android counterpart, Skype is a must to have on hand if you're traveling internationally and want to make cheap calls back home. Any great travel apps you think should've made the cut? Share 'em in the comments!

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You can contact Adam Dachis, the author of this post, at adachis@lifehacker.com. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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How Do I Block Unwanted Text Messages on My Cellphone? [Ask Lifehacker]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5750717/how-do-i-block-unwanted-text-messages-on-my-cellphone

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm getting stupid texts from people I don't even know and I can't get them to stop. It's costing me money! What can I do to block them from texting me?

Sincerely,
Terrified Texter

Dear Terrified Texter,

The easiest way to block text messages is to block them entirely, which you can do by calling your cellphone provider's customer support number. It'll actually save you a lot of money and probably improve your use of the English language. Here are some popular US cellphone provider contact numbers should you want to take this more extreme approach:

• AT&T: 1-800-331-0500
• Verizon: 1-800-922-0204 (and other numbers)
• Sprint: 1-888-211-4727
• T-Mobile: 1-877-453-1304 or chat online

But let's say you actually like texting with other people and would prefer to just ditch these weirdos who keep sending you bizarre messages. In that case, there are some other things you can try. Let's break this up between smartphone options and any phone options.

Smartphone Options

If you can/want to/do use Google Voice as your main phone number, you can block calls/texts and report them as spam. Google Voice gives you so many great options and so much control over how you use your phone that you don't get with your cellphone provider that it can really be worth the switch. You can even send messages from Chrome with the wonderful new Google Chrome browser extension. Then you can just cancel your cellphone text messaging plan and use Google Voice instead.

But Google Voice isn't for everyone, so what else can you do? Well, not much if you're not on an Android phone. There are a couple of exceptions, though. Jailbroken iPhone users can grab iBlackList), and Symbian and Windows Mobile users can grab Norton Smartphone Security. If you are running Android, you've got a couple of options:

• PrivacyStar ($3/month, or less if you prepay)
• Handcent SMS (Free)
• Anti SMS Bomber (Free)

There are quite a few more, but those should be enough to get you started.

Any Phone Options

If you don't have a smartphone, sometimes you can call your carrier and have them blacklist specific phone numbers. If you keep getting texts from new numbers, ignore them. When you reply to spam text messages they know they're reaching you and will keep trying. Your best defense other than blocking is to never reply.

Most spam text messages come from the internet, too. Whether you're aware of it or not, you're assigned an email address that will send SMS messages to your phone (like 4445551234@vtext.com). Generally spammers will just guess your number by trial and error (which is why replying can be so bad, because then they know you exist). Many carriers will offer you the option of creating an alias and use that instead of your phone number (so it could be myspamfreesmsportal@vtext.com instead, for example). That can often do away with most of the spam you'll run into, unless you you start posting that email address all over the web. David Pogue, over at the New York Times, elaborates on this process and provides specific carrier information to help you out.

Those are your options! Also, if you ever start getting calls you don't want, here's how to block those as well. Hope that helps!

Love,
Lifehacker

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You can contact Adam Dachis, the author of this post, at adachis@lifehacker.com. You can also follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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There's a Hole in This Whiskey Glass [Design]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5750962/theres-a-hole-in-this-whiskey-glass

I butcher my whiskey with rocks. I know, I'm sorry. But! If I had this whiskey glass I probably wouldn't. Why? Because there's a freaking hole inside the glass. Apparently, the hole will make you appreciate whiskey more.

Called L'Art de la Dégustation, the glasses were designed by Kacper Hamilton (the guy behind the "deadly" wine glasses) and come with a metal base that fits perfectly inside the hole (in case you need to chill the whiskey a bit).

The idea behind the hole in the glass is to "create a more engaging experience when drinking whiskey". You're encouraged to circulate the whiskey around the hole and appreciate the color, smell and taste. I'm all for enjoying whiskey but I don't want to drink slow! More faster, more whiskey, more enjoyment. [Kacper Hamilton via The Awesomer]

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Esper Dominoes topple without touching, we fall all over ourselves (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/esper-dominoes-topple-without-touching-we-fall-all-over-ourselv/

Quick, what's wrong with this picture? Oh, that's right -- dominoes don't topple all by themselves, do they? But these aren't your average tiles. Constructed by Japanese interaction researchers in 2009, these "Esper Dominoes" each have ZigBee radios inside, and as each stone falls it wirelessly tells the next to follow suit, all down the line. Of course, knowing all that, why would you ever settle for a boring row of five? Hit the break to see what these bones are really capable of, and join us in praying that some entrepreneur mass produces these perfect stocking stuffers before another two years fly by.

Continue reading Esper Dominoes topple without touching, we fall all over ourselves (video)

Esper Dominoes topple without touching, we fall all over ourselves (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Make, Japan Trends  |  Jarashi Works & nbsp;| Email this | Comments

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Motorola's Atrix 4G coming to AT&T on March 6th for $200, bundled with Laptop Dock for $500

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/motorolas-atrix-4g-coming-to-atandt-on-march-6th-for-200-bundle/

Don't ever say Ma Bell lacks cahones. On the same day that existing Verizon customers began pre-ordering the CDMA'd iPhone 4, AT&T has come clean with what's next on America's largest GSM network. While announced at CES 2011, pricing and release information had eluded the luscious Atrix 4G... until now, that is. AT&T will begin pre-sales for the Froyo-powered Motorola Atrix 4G Android superphone on February 13th, with the standard $199.99 + two-year contract ($50 more than we were led to believe, mind you) getting one into your grubby mitts. We're told to expect general availability on March 6th "or earlier," putting it just about in line with the date we'd heard rumored. Moreover, those looking to buy will should have a difficult time laying off of the Laptop Dock bundle, which nets you an Atrix 4G as well as a $499.99 dock for the grand total of $499.99 on contract. You heard right -- those who opt to buy the dock at a later time will be asked to shell out five Benjamins, whereas that same tally on day one will also include the phone. It should be noted, however, that the bundle only applies if you also sign your name to a Data Pro plan and tethering add-on, so be sure you're down for that monthly hit before committing in haste. Oh, and just in case you simply can't stop spending, the carrier is also offering an Entertainment Access Kit for Atrix 4G customers which includes the Motorola HD Multimedia Dock, a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and a remote control for $189.99.

Continue reading Motorola's Atrix 4G coming to AT&T on March 6th for $200, bundled with Laptop Dock for $500

Motorola's Atrix 4G coming to AT&T on March 6th for $200, bundled with Laptop Dock for $500 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The Wall Street Journal, AT&T  | Email this | Comments

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Android in-app purchases hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/02/android-in-app-purchases-hands-on-video/

Today Google announced that Android in-app purchases are coming to the platform and we were able to get a demo by Paul Sebastien of Disney. He showed us how to buy a track pack (Far East Movement, for those who care) in Tap Tap Revenge 4 over 3G on a Nexus S, and using a fake credit card! It's interesting to note that the in-app purchase UI matches the look and feel of the new Android Market and developers can implement the functionality in a few simple steps. In-app purchases should start rolling out in various Android apps this spring. In the meantime, take a look at our video after the break.

Continue reading Android in-app purchases hands-on (video)

Android in-app purchases hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy SL drops AMOLED for Super Clear LCD, Hummingbird for OMAP3

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/02/samsung-galaxy-sl-drops-amoled-for-super-clear-lcd-hummingbird/

You're Samsung, and you want to make sure you have enough still-limited S-AMOLED displays for the upcoming Galaxy S 2, but you don't want to discontinue the original Galaxy S. What to do? Well, you could always take a cue from the Galaxy S-based Russian Nexus S and use an LCD instead-- and so here we have the Galaxy SL GT-i9003, which is destined to hit the Middle East and Asia with both a Super Clear LCD and a processor swap from Sammy's Humingbird to a 1GHz TI OMAP 3630, along with a bump in thickness and weight due to a slightly larger battery. Apart from that it's pretty much just a Galaxy S, all the way down to the maddening stagnation on Android 2.2 -- but hey, give us 2.3 (or even 3.0) on the Galaxy S 2 and we'll be all smiles and giggles.

Update: BestBoyz got a Vodafone price list that seems to indicate that the SL will hit Germany as well. Achtung, AMOLED fans!

Samsung Galaxy SL drops AMOLED for Super Clear LCD, Hummingbird for OMAP3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Seven airlines now offering free in-flight Facebook

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/02/seven-airlines-now-offering-free-in-flight-facebook/

Free and fast in-flight WiFi may be an unrealizable dream, but free in-flight Facebook? Wish no more. As of today, seven airlines are running a promotion with Gogo internet to bring your in air Facebook dreams to life. The airlines include Delta, AirTran, American, Virgin Atlantic, Alaska, US Airways, and United, who with Gogo now offer internet on 1,100 commercial and 5,000 private planes. It's unclear how long the promotion will last -- nothing good lasts forever -- but get in there while you can and do a few status updates, maybe check out your friends' awesome Groundhog Day 2011 links.

Seven airlines now offering free in-flight Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' can encrypt all your data, needs a full hour's charge

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/02/android-3-0-honeycomb-can-encrypt-all-your-data-needs-a-full/

Diving through the Motorola Xoom's sweet, sweet blend of Android 3.0, we found an interesting perk -- there's an "Encrypt Tablet" option buried in the settings page, intended to secure all your personal data with a password or PIN. While a handy Google rep couldn't tell us which cryptographic standards the OS uses, he did tell us the feature is part of Honeycomb as a whole, not a Motorola exclusive, so we're sure to see the option in other business-minded Android slates to come. Oh, and Google asks that all you sysadmins stay tuned, as the company's whipped up an API that lets you enforce policy restrictions upon your peons as far as encryption is concerned. Just make sure they remember to keep the tablet charged. See a close-up after the break.

Continue reading Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' can encrypt all your data, needs a full hour's charge

Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' can encrypt all your data, needs a full hour's charge originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dropcam app comes to Android, lets you monitor your security cameras from afar

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/03/dropcam-app-comes-to-android-lets-you-monitor-your-security-cam/

iPhone users have been able to keep watch on their Dropcam security cameras from the convenience of a dedicated app since the Dropcam Echo launched last summer, but Android users have unfortunately been left with no other option than to simply use the standard, less-than-mobile-friendly web interface. The company's now finally corrected that oversight, however, and released a full-fledged app for Android smartphones running Android 2.2 or higher. The key advantage with a Dropcam setup -- as we noted in our review of the camera itself -- is that it's entirely cloud-based, and doesn't need to be connected to your home computer to record or share video (unfortunately, that convenience comes at quite a cost). As for the Android app, it will let you receive things like motion and audio alerts, and of course let you check in on a live stream or access recordings -- those just looking try the service can also simply access some public webcams to test it out.

Continue reading Dropcam app comes to Android, lets you monitor your security cameras from afar

Dropcam app comes to Android, lets you monitor your security cameras from afar originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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