Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/gmail-for-ios-adds-option-to-save-photos/
Filed under: Cellphones, Software
Gmail for iOS adds option to save photos, becomes a smoother operator originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/energy-sistem-beefs-up-its-budget-i8-slate-with-ice-cream-sandwi/
Low-cost tablets are a dime a dozen in the Android world, what with no name offerings from Ainovo to budget stalwarts like Archos. But there's always room for more competition and Energy Sistem seems intent on elbowing its way to a prominent place at the bottom. A mild update to its existing slate lineup, the Energy Tablet i8 keeps the same 8-inch LCD display and 1,024 x 768 resolution (in 4:3 aspect ratio) of its Gingerbread-baked predecessors, but this time packages it with Ice Cream Sandwich onboard. The tab also comes equipped with an Arm Cortex A8 processor clocked at 1GHz, VGA front-facing / 2-megapixel rear camera setup, 8GB of storage (expandable to 64GB via microSD), 1GB RAM, HDMI-out, a 3,800mAh battery and support for WiFi b/g/n. It's up for pre-order now on the company's site, with an official release slated for this August 23rd. But at €185 (about $227), you might be better off saving up a few extra bills and shelling out for the more premium Nexus 7. Official PR after the break.
Continue reading Energy Sistem beefs up its budget i8 slate with Ice Cream Sandwich inside
Filed under: Tablet PCs
Energy Sistem beefs up its budget i8 slate with Ice Cream Sandwich inside originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/verizon-to-stop-blocking-tethering-apps-settles-with-fcc-for-1/
In May of last year, our free ride came to an end. US carriers started blocking third party tethering apps in the Android Market. Not long after, the built in feature was turned off on most phones. Our fortune may be reversing, however. The FCC has ruled that Verizon violated the rules governing the C Block of LTE spectrum by preventing consumers from using any application of their choice. The end result: Big Red will have to open up its airwaves and allow customers to circumvent its $20 a month tethering plan using apps from the Play store -- so long as you're on a "usage-based pricing plan." Though it's not explicitly stated, we assume that means those of you lucky enough to be grandfathered in to the unlimited data plans are left out. In addition to unblocking apps such as PdaNet and Barnacle, Verizon must pay a $1.25 million settlement to put an end to the investigation. For a few more details of the plan put in place to ensure compliance with the ruling, check out the PR after the break.
Continue reading Verizon to stop blocking tethering apps, settles with FCC for $1.25 million
Filed under: Wireless, Software
Verizon to stop blocking tethering apps, settles with FCC for $1.25 million originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/intonow-tv-music-sync-capit-chat/
At CES 2012 we were promised that Yahoo would integrate IntoNow's SoundPrint technology with its backend to pull up useful extra content about whatever TV program was being watched and now it's delivered that and more. IntoNow 3.0 for iOS (no upgrade yet for the Android version) enhances the app's TV companion experience in three key ways: TV / Music Sync, "CapIt" screengrabbing and finally Group Chat. The TV and music sync brings not only the associated info we'd heard about before, but also brings Shazam-style information about any music that might be playing. CapIt can pull screenshots from the cloud of any of the TV shows IntoNow's backend is monitoring, which adds up to about 13 million frames a day, then pops them up ready for meme creation and sharing. Group Chat does exactly what it sounds like, and lets you talk to friends or set up circles of fans around particular shows.
We gave the app a try and found it worked as advertised, quickly identifying what was playing whether live or on DVR and popping up episode info, cast listings and Wikipedia links. The CapIt feature (shown above) pulls frames with surprising speed and ease, even on live broadcasts, and allows users to scroll backwards or refresh for new freezes to grab just the right one. It doesn't monitor what you're watching live, but punching the green TV icon in the upper left corner causes it to sync right away, which also creates an entry of what w! as being watched and when.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablet PCs
Yahoo's IntoNow TV companion app for iOS adds screen grab, music recognition and chat features originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/twitter-adds-clickable-stock-symbols/
It might not pack the same thrill as the rumors of in-feed video, but Twitter has added clickable stock symbols on tweets. This now throws up search results for both the stock and the company, using a new 'cash' tag, like $FB, to differentiate from typical links and tags. As noted by TNW, it's bad news for the founder of StockTwits, a service that offered similar functionality to gather tweet-based financial nuggets. The new feature is live across Twitter's web client -- though it hasn't hit TweetDeck just yet -- and should make discovering exactly how many millions companies have made (or lost) all a bit faster.
Filed under: Internet
Twitter quietly adds clickable stock symbols originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkTechCrunch, TNW | Twitter | Email this | Comments
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/sapphire-ghz-edition-radeon-hd-7970/
The GHz Edition was supposed to deliver a significant mid-cycle performance bump to AMD's flagship 7970, without any attendant rise in cost. Instead, according to AnandTech, it looks like third-party vendors are looking to exploit the GE has a chance to max out every other spec in addition to the updated silicon and then charge a premium. Sapphire's new Toxic card is a case in point -- a 6GB double-helping of VRAM and a "Lethal" BIOS mode that takes base clock up to 1150MHz and memory clock to 6.4GHz (compared to 6GHz on the stock card). Those who can splutter up $699 will surely love it, but it's no substitute for the $499 upgrade that AMD originally intended.
First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/panasonic-artificial-photosynthesis-system/
Greenery may fulfill a superficial need to improve the landscape aesthetic, but plants play a much more critical role in regular life function, converting carbon dioxide to oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Panasonic is among the companies attempting to replicate this natural procedure through artificial means, and it looks like the Japanese electronics maker is well on its way towards a viable solution. Presenting at the International Conference on the Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy this week, Panasonic announced the development of an Artificial Photosynthesis System, which uses a nitride semiconductor to convert water and carbon dioxide -- a byproduct of factories and power plants -- into an organic material called formic acid, which is used in the manufacturing of dyes and fragrances. Covering the planet in formic acid wouldn't necessarily represent progress, but assuming demand isn't exceeded, it certainly beats CO2. Best yet, Panasonic claims that the system converts the substances at plant-like efficiency rates, or 0.2 percent. Hit up the PR after the break for a more granular look at the company's creation.
Filed under: Science
Panasonic Photos! ynthesis System converts carbon dioxide to organic material with plant-like efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkThe Verge | Panasonic | Email this | Comments
Source: http://lifehacker.com/5929913/build-a-xbmc-media-center-with-a-35-raspberry-pi
Credit goes to The How-To Geek for putting it all together. Older PCs are typically used for XBMC rigs but they often come with a lot of fan noise. Another popular option is to purchase an Apple TV, jailbreak it, and install XBMC but in that case you still need to purchase a $99 Apple TV.
Combined with the Raspbmc media center distribution for XBMC on the Raspberry Pi you likely have most of, if not all the items you need to use with a $35 Raspberry Pi board to make a service home media center:
Except for the Raspberry Pi board case, I have all of this on hand. My Xbox 360 remote control works out of the box with this setup. The only tricky part is that since the Raspberry Pi is in such demand right now you'll have to wait 4-5 weeks to get the $35 board delivered. If you're in a hurry you can pay a few more bucks and get it now from eBay. Once you get the system setup you can use almost all of the standard XBMC tweaks and tricks.
The only downside is that due to licensing restrictions you can't play MPEG-2 videos on a Raspberry Pi, so if most of your video library is in that format this setup probably won't work for you.
For full details on how to setup your Raspberry Pi-based XMBC media system check out the source link at The How-To Geek below.
Build a $35 Media Center with Raspbmc and Raspberry Pi | The How-To Geek
Source: http://lifehacker.com/5930135/gmail-video-chat-is-getting-upgraded-to-hangouts
Google+ Hangouts is one of the best free group video chat apps we've ever seen, and now the collaborative, multi-person video calling is coming to all Gmail users.
In addition to chatting with up to 9 people at once, with Hangouts you can collaborate on Google documents, share your screen, and watch YouTube videos together. It's a full-featured web conferencing solution—now directly accessed in Gmail (it'll replace the previous video chat and is rolling out today and over the next few weeks).
One of the best features is you can reach others from Hangouts now whether they're using Gmail or are on Google+ in their browser or mobile phone.
Video chat face-to-face-to-face with Hangouts in Gmail | Official Gmail Blog
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/30/x-rhex-lite-robot-grows-a-tail/
By far the greatest challenge for robots with legs is staying upright when the going gets rough. A team at the University of Pennsylvania's Kod*lab has a hunch that we don't need extra smarts to make that happen -- just an extra appendage. The upgraded X-RHex Lite (XRL) carries a tail that will swing in the right direction to keep the robot upright if it's caught out by a fall, much like a cat. That's impressive for a nearly 18-pound robot (the previous Tailbot was 0.4 pounds), but we're pretty sure no feline has six springy legs; the XRL can crash to the ground and still get back up like it ain't no thing, which gives it a fudge factor others don't have. We don't know if the hexapod critter will lead to more than further experiments. If there are fewer stuck rovers on future exploration missions, though, we'll know who to thank.
Continue reading X-RHex Lite robot grows a tail, always lands on its feet (video)
X-RHex Lite robot grows a tail, always lands on its feet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkIEEE Spectrum | University of Pennsylvania | Email this | Comments
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/samsung-galaxy-s-duos-details-make-the-rounds/
Fans of Samsung's Duos phones wanting 2012 updates have had to make do with last year's looks so far. From what's surfacing through multiple Indian sites, though, Samsung must want to spread some of the Galaxy S III's modern, nature-influenced style to the Duos' twin-SIM audience. The Galaxy S Duos S7562 won't make its bigger sibling jealous with a 4-inch WVGA display, a 1GHz Snapdragon MSM7227A chip or 512MB of RAM, but they're not the point. As always, the highlight is that pair of SIM slots for carrying both home and work phone lines -- or simply mixing and matching prepaid plans. The rest of the hardware falls in line with what's likely to be a much less expensive smartphone, including a 5-megapixel back camera, a VGA front camera and 4GB of storage. Buyers will be glad to know that Android 4.0 should still be coming along for the ride in addition to that stone-inspired look. We've asked Samsung for more official details; there's talk of an Indian launch before the end of the summer, which (if true) could give the crowds in Bangalore and Mumbai more to look forward to in the fall than just cooler temperatures.
Filed under: Cellphones
Samsung Galaxy S Duos details make the rounds, bring Galaxy S III vibe to the dual-SIM world orig inally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
PermalinkGSMArena, Sammy Hub | MobilePhone.co.in, MySmartPrice | Email this | Comments
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5930244/this-is-as-close-to-pocketable-as-high-speed-video-cameras-get
At nine inches in length and weighing almost five pounds you're probably not going to be carrying the TS3 in your pocket all day long. But for remote shoots or extreme adventures where carrying larger and heavier gear is problematic, this is the perfect solution. At its full resolution of a non-16:9 1280 x 1024 the camera is able to capture 500 frames every second. But at lower resolutions it's supposedly capable of running as fast as 20,000 fps.
The camera is compatible with C-mount or Nikon F-mount lenses, but keep in mind that while its size makes it easier to travel with, in many situations you'll probably need additional lighting gear to compensate for the fast shutter speeds. Because the TS3 tops out at an ISO of just 1,600 when shooting in color. As for storage options, a built-in SSD drive up to 256GB in size is optional, but professional-grade video I/O connectors let you send the signal to another recording device when more capacity is needed. But is an epic YouTube channel worth its $14,000 to $25,000 price tag depending on how you configure it? Most definitely. [Fastec]
Lightweight, well-made, on-ear headphones.
You know those people who really like music? It's for them.
A steel band connects the matte black foam and pleather on-ear cups, and a leather inner band sits on top of your head. Plenty of cushion.
Designed to be used on the go, the Harman Kardon CLs are sensitive enough to deliver plenty of detail, clarity and bass from a smartphone, tablet or computer. But they also respond well to more power. When plugged into Audioengine's D1 DAC and headphone amp, 320 kbps tracks instantly sounded cleaner. Bass tightened, resolution improved, and highs sparkled. The low end frequencies were a bit too boomy, and the mids could be a bit more present, but nothing sounded bad. All in all, audio coming from the CLs is stellar.
Versatility. Use them at home or on the go. Use them with expensive gear or mass-market electronics. Shove 'em in a bag. Put them on display. There are few other headphones that work in as many situations.
To detach the cans from the headband, you turn the ear pieces outwards and remove them. If they get twisted too far in a bag, the earpieces come loose on their own. It's annoying to have to readjust the headphones, and you question how durable the wiring could be.
The CLs were actually louder when connected to an iPhone 4S than to a MacBook Pro.
Definitely. Are there better sounding headphones out there? Of course, but they're all likely bigger and bulkier, more expensive, or open-air.
When you compare them to other lightweight, closed-back $200 pairs of cans, there aren't many that can top the CLs. The P5s may have superior construction and better imaging, and the TMA-1s may feel more durable, but neither combines price, design, portability and sound quality in quite the same way the CLs do.
Real people aren't concerned with the extreme nuances of audio. But they're sure that $20 pair isn't quite cutting it. For them, these Harman Kardons are a very good pair of headphones.
• Design: Closed back, supra aural.
• Drivers: 40mm neodymium, dynamic
• Frequency Responce: 16Hz-20,000Hz
• Sensitivity: 119db
• Price: $200
• Gizrank: 4.0 stars
Source: http://gizmodo.com/5930255/put-a-wang-in-your-ear-hole
Unlike in-ear headphones that actually go inside your ear canal, Wang Buds rest just outside. From the point of view of sound quality and ergonomics, in-ear monitors are better headphones, but some people find them uncomfortable, and hey, some people just like buds. For $80, Fanny Wang gives you a colorful alternative to Apple's stock offering. They've got soft-gel silicon tips that are comfortable and should stay put better than most other buds. If this is your style, Wang Buds are probably worth a shot because Apple buds are garbage. [Fanny Wang]
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/30/atandts-eco-rating-makes-in-store-debut-alongside-pantech-renue/
In February, at Mobile World Congress, AT&T announced a new program that would rate its various devices on their environmental-friendliness. Now that system is finally getting its in-store debut alongside the impressively green Pantech Renue. The Eco-ratings, which grade devices based on their use of recycled materials and toxic metals such as mercury and lead will give those more concerned with protecting the Earth than having the latest and greatest tech an easy way to determine the device that's right for them. Pantech for its part hopes the Renue, with its 67-percent recycled components and Energy Star-compliant charger will draw at least a few interested parties who wander in to AT&Ts shops. The rugged messaging device doesn't rock Jelly Bean, or any other smartphone OS for that matter, but it does have a slide out QWERTY keyboard for SMS addicts. Check out the video and PR after the break for more details.
Continue reading AT&T's Eco-rating makes in-store debut alongside Pantech Renue
AT&T's Eco-rating makes in-store debut alongside Pantech Renue originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 18:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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