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Monday, May 09, 2011

Samsung's 75-inch D9500 3D TV announced for Korea, doubles as wind shield

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/09/samsungs-75-inch-d9500-3d-tv-announced-for-korea-doubles-as-wi/

3D is best served on a large plate, which is why Samsung's latest HDTV got us all dribbling over our TV munchies. This 75-inch platter, dubbed D9500, has stolen the short-lived crown off LG's 72-inch LZ9700 to become the world's largest LED-backlit 3D LCD HDTV, and obviously Samsung's still staying faithful to its active shutter 3D technology following its recent price drop on its glasses. The 240Hz display will also come with the usual Smart TV features, garnished by a QWERTY flip remote for your web-browsing and SNS needs on that large screen. Oddly enough, only an ex-factory price of a whooping ₩19,000,000 ($17,600) is quoted here, so customers will have to pay a bit more than that during the pre-sales at the end of the month. Alternatively, you can hold off your shopping spree until Samsung pushes out its 70-inch "Ultra Definition" 3DTV.

Samsung's 75-inch D9500 3D TV announced for Korea, doubles as wind shield originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 May 2011 01:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Akihabara News | source

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ASUS Sabertooth P67 motherboard sheds its skin, feels better without it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/09/asus-sabertooth-p67-motherboard-sheds-its-skin-feels-better-wit/

There's no denying the ASUS Sabertooth P67 motherboard looks fantastic, and The Tech Report didn't spare praise for its military-grade components or five-year warranty in a recent review, but the publication also reports that the standout feature -- that component-cooling "Tactical Jacket" -- may hurt more than it helps. The plastic shroud has been re-dubbed "Thermal Armor" since our last run-in, but that doesn't change the result: ASUS doesn't ship the primo slab with a dedicated cooling fan, so component temperatures can actually go up ten degrees Celsius when wearing the shroud with a system under heavy load. Of course, cooling depends on a number of factors, but we were hoping the Sabertooth's unique coat would be a positive one. Back to the drawing board.

ASUS Sabertooth P67 motherboard sheds its skin, feels better without it originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 May 2011 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday, May 08, 2011

Five Best Apps to Send Group Text Messages on the Cheap [Hive Five]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5799695/five-best-apps-to-send-group-text-messages-on-the-cheap

When you need to get the same message out to a lot of people immediately, you could send them an email, but that's hardly real-time communication. At these times, group texting apps are excellent tools for the job. Here's a look at five of the most popular group messaging apps or services that communicate with several people instantly.

On Thursday, we asked you which apps or services you turned to for group texting: those times when you have to change a meeting place at the last minute or you want to make a big announcement to all of your friends—and keep the real-time communication flowing between everyone without incurring massive texting fees. You weighed in, we collected the votes, and now we're back to review what you suggested.

GroupMe

Five Best Apps to Send Group Text Messages on the Cheap Available for the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and even non-smartphones, GroupMe is the Swiss Army knife of group texting and communication apps. Download the app, sign up for an account, and enjoy the ability to send texts to and start conference calls with multiple people in your contacts, or even from Twitter and Facebook. Plus, you can add your location or photos to any message you send. Plus, it's free.

Beluga

Five Best Apps to Send Group Text Messages on the Cheap Recently acquired by Facebook, Beluga offers free, dead simple group text messages to iPhone and Android users. Create your group from people you know, keep them completely private, and share your location and photos with them or just send them all a note to coordinate them as a group. Plus, you can send messages to your group from the Web if you don't feel like using your phone.

WhatsApp

Five Best Apps to Send Group Text Messages on the Cheap WhatsApp brings multimedia messaging to the mix, and allows you to send audio and video messages to your friends as well as texts and photos. Plus, the app supports international messages without charge. WhatsApp is available for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, and select Nokia S60 and Symbian devices. iPhone users buy the client for $0.99 and pay once. Everyone else pays $1.99/year to subscribe.

Google Voice

Five Best Apps to Send Group Text Messages on the Cheap Sometimes you don't need a fancy app to do what one of your favorite apps already does. A number of you reminded us that Google Voice allows you to send a text to up to five people at the same time, and that works just fine, thank you. Google Voice doesn't offer conversations (each response text is just to you and is a separate message) or location and media sharing, but for many of you, it gets the job done.

BlackBerry Messenger

Five Best Apps to Send Group Text Messages on the Cheap Blackberry Messenger is probably the original group texting app. It supports multimedia messages, like photos and videos, and works with your existing contacts. You're not restricted by character length, and you don't have to pay text messaging fees to use it. You don't get the benefit of conversations, but you can send the same message to multiple people. You can only use BlackBerry Messenger with a BlackBerry device right now, and the environment is still a closed one, but rumor has it that may change soon.

Now that you've seen your favorites, it's time to decide which one is the best.

What's The Best App for Group Textingsurvey software

The honorable mention this week goes to Kik Messenger, a newcomer to the genre that supports both Android and iPhones. Kik sports over 3 million members, 1 million if whom downloaded in the first 15 days. It supports conversations, photo sharing, and delivery confirmation. It's likely we'll hear more from them in the future.

Did we miss the app you prefer to use, or do you get the word out a different way? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

You can follow Alan Henry, the author of this post, on Twitter.

How News of bin Laden's Death Spread on Twitter [Visualizations]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5799593/how-news-of-bin-ladens-death-spread-on-twitter

The fact that the death of Osama bin Laden rocked the Twitterverse is very much common knowledge. Here, though, is a visualization showing just how far and fast the news spread in those first moments after the news leaked.

SocialFlow, a social media platform, did their analysis of the announcement that presents the major players, Keith Urbahn and Brian Stelter, as the epicenters of the explosion that would see 4,000 excited tweets a second. Pretty cool. [SocialFlow via Mashable]

Artist Turned Typewriter Into This Sculpture of Your Grandpa [Art]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5799585/artist-turned-typewriter-into-this-sculpture-of-your-grandpa

What with all the recent buzz about the death of the typewriter — that turned out to be super false — artist Jeremy Mayer went ahead and created this piece, Bust V (Grandfather), to comment on the hullabaloo.

Mayer is no stranger to repurposing typewriters for his decidedly badass sculptures. However, this piece in particular tries to embody the typewriter as a proud, if aged, medium.

The initial inspiration for the piece was that I wanted to create a self-portrait in my old age. I wanted to say something about aging, transition (particularly transition into new technology), and the place of the personal mechanical machine in modern society, all without making the piece look too "robotic". I wanted to convey a little human weakness, malaise, boredom, and pain, but with an underlying strength and pride.

So cheers, old man. The truth is, if you have to go out, you'll certainly do it with some style. [BoingBoing]

Tachyon launches OPS and OPS HD helmet cameras, not as durable but way more tiny

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/07/tachyon-launches-ops-and-ops-hd-helmet-cameras-not-as-durable-b/

Tachyon launches OPS and OPS HD helmet cameras, just as durable but way more tiny

We can't say we've ever been particularly impressed by the video quality delivered by the Tachyon line of helmet cameras, but they're a good choice for those who need a recorder that can take one heck of a beating -- if you don't mind some extra bulk. That fat has been banished in the new, slimmer OPS line which will be available in two flavors: a $90 VGA base unit and a slightly higher-end HD (720p) one for $140. If you're keeping track that's the same as the earlier XC and XC HD models, but these aren't waterproof like those. The SD model is less than an inch wide and 2.252-inches long, while the HD model looks to be roughly $0.25 longer. Each camera is square in profile, meaning it can be rotated in four orientations on its mount, or flipped around backward. And yes, just like the XC cameras, Tachyon will be releasing a range of mounts for all your extreme endeavors, including shotguns, picatinny rails, and one that looks like an overgrown tie clip. It should be perfect for when things get fancy down at the range.

Gallery: Tachyon OPS and OPS HD

Continue reading Tachyon launches OPS and OPS HD helmet cameras, not as durable but way more tiny

Tachyon launches OPS and OPS HD helmet cameras, not as durable but way more tiny originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 May 2011 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nearly half a million customers left T-Mobile in Q1 2011

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/08/nearly-half-a-million-contract-customers-left-t-mobile-in-q1-201/

Not even promises of a new Sidekick can keep T-Mobile from hemorrhaging customers, it seems, as the company reported significant losses in its Q1 statement for 2011. According to official Q1 financials, 471,000 contract customers either failed to re-up, or outright canceled their contracts. Stacked against a shortcoming growth of just 372,000 prepaid customers (including MVNO customers for sub-carriers), T-Mobile suffered a net loss of 99,000 users, a 29-percent increase in losses over the same period for the previous year. Ouch. The firm chalked its loss to increased "competitive pressures," which lends credence to AT&T's insistence that Sprint and Verizon are such fierce opponents that it has to acquire T-Mobile for the magenta-tinted carrier to stay in the game. You can judge the profits and pitfalls for yourself -- just hit the source link for the full financials.

Nearly half a million customers left T-Mobile in Q1 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 May 2011 10:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AUO's 71-inch ultra-wide 3D LCD panel eyes-on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/08/auos-71-inch-ultra-wide-3d-lcd-panel-eyes-on/

While strolling around Shenzhen earlier today, we decided to stop by at the China Optoelectronics Display Expo to feast our eyes on AUO's "world's largest" 71-inch 21:9 3D LCD panel. Phew, what a mouthful, but this 240Hz ultrawidescreen is indeed larger than the sub-60-inch offerings from Vizio, JVC, and Philips. But is it any good? We put on our passive 3D glasses and found the experience to be surprisingly comfortable and effective (even at about 40 degrees from the center before we hit the wall), though the glossy screen's reflection of the neighboring booth was slightly off-putting. This would probably be less of a problem at your humble abode, anyhow.

In terms of availability, AUO told us that China-based TCL will be the first to pick up this beast of a panel, and the final product should be out in August. Apart from that, we couldn't squeeze out further info about other brands, so you best be writing to your nearest dealership to import this exotic cinema TV. More eyes-on pics in the gallery below.

Gallery: AUO's 71-inch Cinema Scope 3D LCD panel eyes-on

AUO's 71-inch ultra-wide 3D LCD panel eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 May 2011 13:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, May 06, 2011

Want a $25 Computer? [Gear]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5799287/want-a-25-computer

This skeletal computer absolutely WILL NOT run Crysis. However, it will (just barely) get you up and running on the internet, and is so small it can dangle from your keychain (though I don't recommend it).

Equipped with a 700 MHz ARM 11 processor, 128 MB of RAM, a USB port, and room to add a webcam or wi-fi module, the Raspberry Pi is a shrunken down version of that Gateway computer you had over a decade ago, except it's just a circuit board...nothing else. Aut that computer didn't run Ubuntu 9, which I'd definitely take over Windows ME (and probably Windows 2000 as well).

Creator David Braben plans to sell it for $25, but still has to finalize manufacturing. [Raspberry Pi via BBC via CrunchGear]

Jaguar will actually build million-dollar C-X75 hybrid supercar in 2013

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/06/jaguar-will-actually-build-million-dollar-c-x75-hybrid-supercar/

You know how we said that 780bhp electric pipe dream Jaguar had last year wasn't going to be anything more than a concept? Well, we were wrong. Sort of. You see, the British automaker has just announced its intention to produce a limited run of 250 C-X75 supercars in partnership with Formula 1 team Williams, however the retail model will eschew the craziest aspect of the original design -- the twin turbine engines at the back. Those will be replaced with a four-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine, which will aid the four electric motors (one attached to each wheel). Don't worry, though, this tweak has actually made the C-X75 accelerate even faster, as it's now rated to go from 0 to 60mph in under three seconds. 2013 is when the earliest production of this road-faring beast is expected to commence, with prices starting at £700,000 ($1.15 million), and there's even a glimmer of hope that a version with the gas turbines will also be built at some point down the line. Crazy, just crazy. Check the C-X75 out on video after the break, where Jay Leno gives you a tour around its dramatic design.

Continue reading Jaguar will actually build million-dollar C-X75 hybrid supercar in 2013

Jaguar will actually build million-dollar C-X75 hybrid supercar in 2013 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS: Eee Pad Transformer delays due to demand, not component shortages

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/06/asus-eee-pad-transformer-delays-due-to-demand-not-component-sh/

We're sure you heard the rumors when hanging out in your ASUS fanboy haunts, wearing your ASUS logo hats and medallions, talking your crazy ASUS lingo with your fellow ASUS scenesters. Or maybe you thought something was up when Amazon sold out immediately. Either way, there has been plenty of chatter in the gadgetsphere as of late about the Eee Pad Transformer. Why is it so hard to find? Are component shortages to blame? Quality control issues? We've heard plenty of speculation, and now ASUSTek spokesperson David Chang is weighing in on the matter. According to Netbook News, the company has seen overwhelming demand for the device, and is currently planning to put 100,000 units on the street in May, followed by an additional 200,000-plus in June. "If the demand continues to increase substantially," said Chan, "then we will have to continue to ramp up production in order to fulfill our customers' demand." You know, that's exactly what we would do if we were in that situation!

ASUS: Eee Pad Transformer delays due to demand, not component shortages originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Flyer stylus on sale at Best Buy for $80, because matching gadgets should cost more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/06/htc-flyer-stylus-on-sale-at-best-buy-for-80-because-matching-g/

If you ordered the HTC Flyer because you're keen on scribbling notes and doodling over screenshots (and already misplaced the stylus that came with it), well, today's your lucky day -- it's now on sale by itself for a cool $80. That's fairly outrageous, given that you can buy the HP Slate 500's for well under that tally, and the Fujitsu LifeBook T580's for roughly $22... that is, if you lose the one included in the box. Plus, although these pens won't complement your Flyer's aluminum chassis, they should still work, as all of these tablets use N-Trig's DuoSense pen / capacitive touch technology. And particularly with a dearth in apps that can take advantage of pen input, you'd better be the next J.K. Rowling if you're looking to get your money's worth.

HTC Flyer stylus on sale at Best Buy for $80, because matching gadgets should cost more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Android Central | source

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Best Apps for Group Texting? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5799092/best-apps-for-group-texting

Sending SMS messages doesn't have to be a one-on-one affair anymore, and it definitely doesn't have to be expensive. A whole new category of apps and services have come to the rescue, offering conversational text messaging at low rates. This week, we want to know which you use.

Most group texting apps work best when all parties are signed up for the service. Others let you bring outsiders in on the conversation. Still, the biggest benefit to group texting apps is you can send the same message to everyone at the same time, and everyone can respond like you're all having a conversation.

This week we want to know which group texting app works best for you. Whether it's iOS, Android, or cross-platform, which app do you turn to when you need to organize a group or break some news? Let us know in the comments.

Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: BEST GROUP TEXTING APP. Please don't include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.

About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get: "Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's Five Best Video Services for Ditching Cable Without Losing Your Favorite TV Shows. Photo by Bryan Gosline.

AT&T's Biggest (and Thinnest and Fastest) Phone [Smartphones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5799014/atts-biggest-and-thinnest-phone

The Infuse 4G doesn't feel quite as spectacular as I remember at CES—it's missing that feeling of heft, that feeling of quality construction, subbing in a less dense plastic—but the 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen is still a rich-hued stunner, and its 8.99mm of thinness effectively camouflages the serious size of the phone, which inches (literally) into mini-tablet territory.

It's all still powered by a single-core 1.2GHz processor, with an 8MP rear and 1.3MP front camera. The 4G on here is, um, more 4Ger than AT&T's other "4G" phones, with 21Mbps on the downstream, and HSUPA enabled from the get go, unlike the Atrix. On the downside, it's still running Android 2.2 with the older version of TouchWiz, same as the current Galaxy S variant on AT&T, the Captivate. But this thing massive thing's out May 15 for $200 w/ contract.

Expect more hands on time with this later. [AT&T]

Footprints Is an Energy-Saving Location Tracker for iOS [Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5799070/footprints-is-a-energy+saving-location-tracker-for-ios

Like Google Latitude (and other apps), Footprints tracks your location and shares it with others so you can find your friends or track your kids. What Footprints does better is provide easy sharing, less drain on your battery, and the ability to report your location to multiple sources.

While Footprints can eat up as much of your battery as Google Latitude (and others), it allows you to set the interval for when your location is reported so it reports less and therefore uses less of your battery. Sharing your location is also very simple, as you can sync up with Facebook or just select someone from your address book who's also using Footprints. The main downside is that they have to already be in your address book, as there doesn't seem to be an option to just add a contact, but chances are you're not going to want to share your location with someone you don't know so it's probably not a big deal. While Footprints is free to download, an in-app purchase is required to continue using it after the first three months. It's only $1 for three months, $3 for a year, and $5 for two years, so it's not terribly pricey but still obviously more expensive than its free competitors.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of location tracking apps and generally don't like to use them, but some people do and I do feel there are legitimate uses for them. If you're trying to meet up with people or want someone to know your location for safety (or other) purposes, Footprints is a good choice because it doesn't require much effort and you can share with just about anybody. It has a few drawbacks, but if you're sharing with other iOS users and want a low-battery, private option, it's a pretty good alternative to Google Latitude.

Footprints | iTunes App Store

You can follow Adam Dachis, the author of this post, on Twitter and Facebook. If you'd like to contact him, Twitter is the most effective means of doing so.

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