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Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Motorola Xoom sees Android 3.2 update, FCC-approved LTE module

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/motorola-xoom-sees-android-3-2-update-fcc-approved-lte-update/

Looks like a bona fide twofer when it comes to Xoom news this afternoon. Just as soon as we heard that Android 3.2 was rolling out to select Xoom WiFi tablets (as in, be patient if yours is still stuck on the current build), in flies an FCC approval for the long-awaited LTE module. As for the former, build number HTJ85B is bringing a new zoom feature to the world's first Honeycomb slate, and as for the latter... well, that one's pretty self-explanatory. We heard back in April that the update was delayed until an undisclosed time in the summer, and now it's looking like early adopters won't be waiting much longer. Do let us know in comments if you see either, won't you?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Motorola Xoom sees Android 3.2 update, FCC-approved LTE module originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 14:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Klipsch Mode noise-canceling headphones tweet highs, woof lows

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/klipsch-mode-noise-canceling-headphones-tweet-highs-woof-lows/

Klipsch Mode noise-canceling headphones

We've been worried about Klipsch's future since Audiovox joined the picture, but it looks like there isn't reason to fret just yet. Remember the company's first on-ear headphones, the Image One? Well, Klippy's back for round two evidently; its Mode active noise-canceling headphones have quietly popped up on its website with a whopping $350 price tag and a fall 2011 release. The collapsible earcups are padded in plushy leather and house a 40mm mid / low woofer with a 15mm tweeter for silky highs, crunchy mids, thumping lows. Also included are two detachable 3.5mm cables, one of which has an Apple-certified three-button inline remote / mic. Best of all, ANC can be enabled for up to 45 hours on a single battery to zone out any bustle around you. We'll have an ears-on with these very soon, but you'll find details now via the source link below.

Gallery: Klipsch Mode Active Noise-Canceling Headphones

Klipsch Mode noise-canceling headphones tweet highs, woof lows originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gizmodo, Ubergizmo, Le Journal Du Geek | source

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HP TouchPad 4G for AT&T hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/hp-touchpad-4g-for-atandt-hands-on-video/

Earlier today, AT&T announced that the HP TouchPad is coming to its 4G network, complete with a processor bump to 1.5GHz (up from 1.2GHz) and an HSPA+ radio. The carrier wasted no time getting its latest slate out in the public, showing it off at an event in NYC this afternoon. There aren't any cosmetic changes to speak of, but that faster connectivity and notable processor boost are certainly nothing to shrug at. We had a chance to see the tablet in action, and it performed fairly well, especially considering the poor connectivity environment AT&T selected to host its event. Jump past the break to see it in action in our hands-on video, or check out our full review of HP's slower, WiFi-only TouchPad.

Gallery: HP TouchPad 4G for AT&T hands-on

Continue reading HP TouchPad 4G for AT&T hands-on (video)

HP TouchPad 4G for AT&T hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ViviTouch haptic tech offers range of feedback, aims to reinvent the mobile gaming wheel

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/vivitouch-haptic-tech-offers-range-of-feedback-aims-to-reinvent/

When a company touts a product as being as revolutionary as the leap from black & white TV to color, it's either incredibly delusional or it has a damn good product on its hands. And judging by the buzz surrounding Artificial Muscle's ViviTouch tactile feedback technology and our own hands-on at CES, we're inclined to believe its braggart rights. Taking the "one-buzz-fits-all" approach and chucking it in the bin of 'ye olde tech of yesteryear,' the electroactive polymer tech creates a "spectrum of feeling" in the 50 - 300Hz range that registers with a user's hand in five milliseconds. We know what you're thinking -- haptic minutiae is fine and all, but what about my battery life? Well, if the company's CEO is to be believed, the vibrating touch interface drains 70 percent less juice than rival implementations -- so it's still hoggy, but not quite as hungry. If you're looking to get a feel of your own for these sensational claims, you'll have to wait for the Mophie Pulse to make its way to fourth generation iPod touch's later this year. Buzzwordy presser after the break.

Continue reading ViviTouch haptic tech offers range of feedback, aims to reinvent the mobile gaming wheel

ViviTouch haptic tech offers range of feedback, aims to reinvent the mobile gaming wheel originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey Look! It's a Watch-Sized iPhone Keyboard. Wait, Why Do I Want a Watch-Sized Keyboard? [Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820188/hey-look-its-a-watch+sized-iphone-keyboard-wait-why-do-i-want-a-watch+sized-keyboard

FlickKey, a note taking app for the iPhone, has the world's smallest virtual keyboard on the iPhone. The keyboard is no bigger than an inch in either direction and predictably, completely nutty to type on.

The way the keyboard works is that there's 9 letters on each mini-tile and tapping or swiping the tile in a certain direction gives you a different letter. For example, a upward swipe on the left tile brings W, an upward diagonal right swipe brings S and a simple tap on that same tile creates E. It makes some sense but I'm confused at the layout of the letters—I'm sure I use the letter 'S' much more than 'Y' but it's the same motion on a different tile. I think it could be more efficiently laid out.

The bigger promise for the app is more to show that a keyboard smaller than your pinky finger is possible. And granted this keyboard would make typing on a wristwatch-type device possible (hello iPod nano!) but keep this away from my iPhone. Try out the app to see how it works. [iTunes via Wired]

StumbleUpon iPad App Gets a Facelift [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820261/stumbleupon-ipad-app-gets-a-facelift

StumbleUpon is great for finding interesting stuff that is off the beaten path. A post here, a URL there and suddenly you find yourself reading some incredible content. The iPad is perfect for this type of browsing, but StumbleUpon's tablet app was woefully inadequate until now.

The online discovery service tossed aside its old iPad app and re-designed a new one from the ground up. The refreshed app lets you swipe to stumble upon new content and flick through new and existing content. It's a visually rich experience with images and videos taking center stage.

A new Social Bar is present on every page and gives you a peek at the person who submitted the content or someone who likes it. In the future, the Social Bar may include comments, tweets and other social features. The new StumbleUpon iPad app is available for free in the iOS App Store. [iTunes link via TechCrunch]

Google Photovine Lets You Create Social Photo Collections [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820265/google-photovine-lets-you-create-social-photo-collections

Google may be launching a new photosharing service called Photovine. The big G owns photovine.com and just launched a teaser page with an iPhone encircled by some lovely vines.

According to its FAQ, Photovine is apparently more about connecting with people than sharing photos with your friends. The service lets you build a photo collection around an idea or theme using photos submitted by other members of the social network. These collections are called vines and include a caption or theme like mountain hiking. The vine will grow when users begin adding their own photos that contribute to this theme.

It's "uber public" and meant for people to share their personal experiences freely so they can connect with others. Images will be moderated so this freedom of expression does have its limits (no Weiner-style crotch shots, fellas).

The service is being developed by Slide, a subsidiary of Google that is also behind Instagram wannabe Pool Party. [Photovine via Business Insider]

Google+ to surpass 10 million users? [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5820276/google%252B-to-surpass-10-million-users

Holy social networks, Batman! An estimate from Ancestry.com founder Paul Allen suggests Google+ may hit the 10 million member mark in the next 24 hours. If the invite button is left on, this number could climb to 20 million by the weekend.

Allen (not be confused with the Microsoft co-founder) uses a surname-based model to calculate these subscriber numbers. He's been using this model since he first joined and claims it is quite accurate. Judging by the amount of spam I already see in my stream, I would have to agree. [Paul Allen]

Acer AC700 WiFi goes on sale, is your $350 ticket to the Chromebook club

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/acer-ac700-wifi-goes-on-sale-is-your-350-ticket-to-the-chromeb/

Good niches don't come cheap, but while $350 isn't exactly a steal, Acer's new AC700 will, at the very least, get you into the wonderful cloud-based world of Chrome OS for a good deal less than, say, Samsung's Series 5. Of course, there are certain sacrifices to be made for the sake of affordability, namely the fact that the current version of Acer's entry into the space is WiFi-only -- a 3G version is set to hit later this summer for, one assumes, a noticeable price bump. The AC700 has an Atom N570 processor, 16GB of storage, and 2GB of RAM, and best of all, is available right this very moment.

Acer AC700 WiFi goes on sale, is your $350 ticket to the Chromebook club originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/maingear-clutch-15-gets-upgraded-with-nvidia-optimus-graphics-sw/

It's been a while since we last laid eyes on Maingear's fine looking Clutch-15, and while it's still rocking that sexy exterior, the latest iteration has a little surprise for you under the hood. With the recent addition of NVIDIA's graphics switching Optimus technology, this portable's bringing the juice -- battery juice, that is. Aside from that, things look mostly the same, inside and out; you've still got your pick of Intel Core i3 or i5 CPUs, a 750GB HDD or 512GB SSD, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, and the same (still disappointing) WXGA display. This go 'round, however, the dedicated graphics have been bumped up a touch with NVIDIA's GeForce GT 525M GPU (1GB). If automated graphics switching is your thing, you can get your custom laptop on at the source link starting at $1,030. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching

Maingear Clutch-15 gets upgraded with NVIDIA Optimus graphics switching originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fossil won't ship the Meta Watch until August, Dick Tracy wannabes get antsy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/fossil-wont-ship-the-meta-watch-until-august-dick-tracy-wannab/

Some of you with a James Bond complex might have been waiting on Fossil's Meta Watches, a duo of wristpieces that use Texas Instrument's CC2560 Bluetooth radio to pull in emails, Facebook updates, weather forecasts, and more -- depending on what else developers cook up for it, that is. On top of that, the SDK allows Android smartphones and tablets to register button presses and receive sensor data from the watches, and then respond by sending text or triggering the vibration motor. If you already set aside $200 when they went up for pre-order two months back, you're going to have to twiddle your thumbs a bit longer. In response to a tweet from a curious customer, Bill Geiser, vice president of Fossil Watch Technology, said that thanks to some part delays, the two are now on track to ship in August, not July. If this is all new to you, that means you've got some time to ponder whether you'd rather have the analog / digital version or the fully digital one with a larger memory-in-pixel LCD. Decisions, decisions, folks.

[Thanks, Alex]

Fossil won't ship the Meta Watch until August, Dick Tracy wannabes get antsy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PROTECT IP Act called unconstitutional by bipartisan group of law professors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/11/protect-ip-act-called-unconstitutional-by-bipartisan-group-of-la/

Letter against PROTECT IP Act

Turns out Eric Schmidt is not alone in his vehement opposition to the PROTECT IP Act, and the resistance is hardly partisan. A group of over 100 law professors signed a letter (jointly authored by Mark Lemley, David Levine, and David Post) arguing that the legislation working its way through congress is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that speech can't be suppressed without the speaker being given an opportunity to defend his or her actions. Yet, under the bill being advocated for by the RIAA the MPAA, a judge can issue a temporary restraining order that will essentially shutdown a site based only on evidence presented by the government. The letter warns that, not only could overseas domain owners be cheated of the right to due process but, plenty of protected speech could be censored based a single piece of infringing material. As we warned, this can only get nastier and this nascent battle is still only just getting started. Check out the full letter at the source.

PROTECT IP Act called unconstitutional by bipartisan group of law professors originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jul 2011 22:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD announces the Radeon HD 6990M, has some pointed words for NVIDIA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/amd-announces-the-radeon-hd-6990m-has-some-pointed-words-for-nv/

Here are five words you've heard before: "the world's fastest notebook GPU." Why, NVIDIA made just that claim two weeks ago, when it touted the GeForce GTX 580M as the nimblest card this side of Pluto. Not so fast, says AMD. The outfit just unveiled the Radeon HD 6990M with DirectX11 and HD3D support, and it insists this is the speediest GPU on the block -- specifically, up to 25 percent faster than any other GPU that's been announced to the public. And yes, AMD's well aware of that 580M. Just like NVIDIA came out swinging, making pointed comparisons to the Radeon HD 6970M, AMD's got some fighting words of its own: the outfit says the 6990M can whip the 580M in the benchmark AvP and games such as Batman Arkham Asylum, Dragon Age 2, Shogun 2, BattleForge, Left 4 Dead, Metro2033, Wolfenstein MP, The Chronicles of Riddick, and E.T.: Quake Wars. We don't need to remind you that these numbers merely represent the story each company wants to tell. Still, you get the idea: these are the top-of-the-line cards each has to offer at the moment, and they'll likely be competing for space in your next gaming rig.

As you can imagine, the 6990M joins other Radeon HD cards in supporting the company's Eyefinity technology, as well as GPU app acceleration. Let it be known, too, that while the 6990M supplants the popular 6970M as far as performance claims go, AMD tells us the 6970M will still be available for the foreseeable future. Speaking of availability, the 6990M will be offered in the Alienware M18x -- right alongside NVIDIA's 580M. Additionally, you'll find it packed inside Clevo's P170HM and P150HM. And you didn't think we forgot about specs, did you? Head on past the break to find the full PR, along with a handful of technical details straight from the horse's mouth.

Continue reading AMD announces the Radeon HD 6990M, has some pointed words for NVIDIA

AMD announces the Radeon HD 6990M, has some pointed words for NVIDIA originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, July 11, 2011

Finding The Common Link: Commonred Wants To Take The Awkward Out Of Networking

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/11/finding-the-common-link-commonred-wants-to-take-the-awkward-out-of-networking/

Vaporware Labs, a software company that makes social, mobile, and web apps, like Steve Young Football for the iPad and iPhone, and MEETorDIE, an an online tool that tells you how much money your company is wasting by having meetings and how it might be spending that money more productively. (You can read our coverage of MEETorDIE here.) Today, Vaporware Labs is launching a new product called Commonred, which is putting a new spin on professional networking.

Commonred wants to be the place you go to find a common link (the name is a shortening of “common thread”) with just about anyone — though they’ll need some user adoption to ensure that last bit. Essentially, the startup wants to take the cold call/email/approach out of the networking process. Or, another way of looking at it: Commonred is an attempt meld the meetup and “new people” discovery space, inhabited by startups like Sonar, Meetup, and LetsLunch, with professional networking sites/apps like Branchout and Hashable.

Vaporware Labs, like many others, holds a monthly meetup (called Startup Grind) that allows entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley to meet each other, network, and share ideas. The motivation for Commonred was bred from these meetups and from the observation — that is endemic to all new meetup experiences — that giving entrepreneurs (and people in general) ways to more quickly find commonalities between themselves and the people they’re meeting leads to less awkwardness and a greater chance of building a strong(er) relationship.

According to Vaporware and Commonred Founder Derek Andersen, Commonred is an attempt to “streamline the serendipity of finding someone that you went to the same high school with or someone that has also lived in, say, New Zealand”. Since much of our personal information is scattered across the social networks, “or lives on our blog or Plancast profile”, he says, when one wants to build a working relationship with someone, the process can be akin to a scavenger hunt.

So, how does it work? Pretty simple. You connect all of your social profiles to Commonred, and the site takes your social graph data and builds a profile, taking a user’s social infrastructure and combining it with its own set of data. Commonred then presents its users with a snapshot of commonality they share with others — it’s not a fire hose of information, just the quick bullet points, like schools, places, hobbies, and companies, that help you quickly find things you have in common. You can compare your contacts to other individuals, which then appears in a tree-like view (which you can see to the right).

In turn, this makes you slightly less (or more, depending on how you look at it) creepy when you approach someone or email someone in hopes of networking.

Of course, the problem with this is that we all have a lot of collective contacts on Twitter, Facbook, LinkedIn, etc., but, in reality, we have 5 to 10 relationships that we value higher than the others — those people that we’d go to bat for in any circumstance. Commonred has created a “Board of Directors” feature that allows users to select their 10 most trusted (or most valued) contacts. This will not only allow other users to know how cool you are when Mark Zuckerberg shows up on your Board, but just another filter for finding commonality.

Commonred is offering 200 free invites to TechCrunch readers, which can be accessed here. Check it out and let us know what you think.

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An iPhone Gaming Thinger I Can Stand Behind

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/11/an-iphone-gaming-thinger-i-can-stand-behind/

This little designware project would be amazing if it were real. Essentially it’s a double case for the iPhone can adds a D-pad, buttons, and more hand-room to the standard iPhone. It doesn’t exist (and probably never will) but it’s pretty darn cool-looking could actually work if someone made it.

Alan Li designed it as a student project and I hope Thinkgeek or someone buys it from him ASAP.

via YankoDesign

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