Samsung: Galaxy Note II has sold 3 million units worldwide

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/01/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-3-million/

Just over a month removed from launching its latest phablet, Samsung is reporting the Galaxy Note II has already racked up sales of 3 million units. The 5.5-inch stylus-enabled smartphone is selling at more than three times the rate of the original Note, a figure which probably won't be hurt by rolling out on multiple carriers including Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and US Cellular in the US. This supersized device can't quite match the mainstream appeal of Samsung's own Galaxy S III -- which cracked 20 million just 100 days after its debut -- but it should quickly surpass its predecessor, last seen cresting the 10 million mark back in August. Still not sure if squeezing this one into your skinny jeans is a good idea? If our review wasn't convincing enough, Samsung has a few hands-on videos of its own to show off some of it's more unique capabilities, and is pushing the Note II with an ad campaign featuring LeBron James (insert joke about needing a 6' 8" basketball player to make it look normal here.)

Continue reading Samsung: Galaxy Note II has sold 3 million units worldwide

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung: Galaxy Note II has sold 3 million units worldwide originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US Cellular bringing LTE to 30 additional markets on November 5th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/us-cellular-lte-30-markets-on-november-5th/

US Cellular announced on Wednesday that it will increase its LTE network coverage by 30 new markets on November 5th. The first territories to be be summarily blessed are: Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. While this is great news for customers who call these states home, the carrier has yet to detail which cities will be making the jump to 4G. In the meantime, we'd advise keeping an eye on US Cellular's coverage map to see if your stomping grounds made the cut. For an encore, the carrier will light up Rockford, Illinois; Medford, Oregon; Yakima, Washington; and Knoxville, Tennessee at an undisclosed time. As for its LTE-ready smartphone roster, your current options are a trio of Samsung-made Android devices: Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II and the Galaxy Metrix. Hopefully, as America's eighth largest wireless carrier's LTE footprint increases, so will its stable of suitable handsets. Until then, US Cellular 4G hopefuls, we hope you like the taste of TouchWiz.

Continue reading US Cellular bringing LTE to 30 additional markets on November 5th

Filed under: Cellphones, Networking, Mobile

US Cellular bringing LTE to 30 additional markets on November 5th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stitcher keeps the news flowing for desktop users with new web-based app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/stitcher-introduces-web-app/

Stitcher is already a heavy hitter in the world of mobile apps, but users will now find their favorite radio shows and podcasts are accessible from the desktop. Today, the company announced an HTML5 version of its popular app that's optimized for all of the major browsers. Upon login, Stitcher users will discover their existing favorites for on-demand listening, playback controls at the bottom of the screen, along with Stitcher's discovery and sharing tools. While still in beta, the service is integrated between the desktop and mobile platforms, which lets users resume listening from wherever they left off, regardless of the device or platform. If you want to see more of what's in store, feel free to check the gallery below, or simply follow the source link to start listening for yourself.

Gallery: Stitcher introduces web-based app

Filed under: Software, Mobile

Stitcher keeps the news flowing for desktop users with new web-based app originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile says its Nexus 4 won't provide WiFi calling, makes a stronger case for going unlocked

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/t-mobile-says-its-nexus-4-wont-provide-wifi-calling/

T-Mobile has already made an odd pair of decisions around its approach to the Nexus 4, namely its choices to ask $200 on contract and $500 up-front for a smartphone that costs $349 unlocked. It might be time to add a third quirk to the list, if a forgivable (and not entirely surprising) one. The carrier has confirmed to TmoNews that it won't be offering WiFi calling through its edition of Google's flagship; if cost or coverage makes cellular voice a scarce resource, VoIP might be the only viable backup. We weren't assuming that T-Mobile would suddenly layer the Nexus 4 in custom features when the very point is to run an unspoiled Android 4.2, but the strategy leaves us even less of an incentive to submit to long-term commitments when a virtually identical, unfettered Google Play model beckons. November 13th is looking better every day.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google, LG, T-Mobile

T-Mobile says its Nexus 4 won't provide WiFi calling, makes a stronger case for going unlocked originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Belkin's NetCam Wi-Fi Camera with Night Vision keeps an eye out for ghosts while you're out, hooks up with iOS / Android

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/01/belkin-netcam-wifi-camera/

Out of town for Halloween and worried that your empty house is getting filled with ethereal catburglars? You can't even see what they're taking! Belkin's got a solution for you with its new Wi-Fi NetCam, feeding your iOS or Android device (iOS 4.2 and up; Android 2.2 and up) a streaming video of, well, anywhere you decide to puts its NetCam. Belkin thankfully doesn't expect you to leave on your house lights while out of town, which is why the NetCam comes equipped with night vision, "for clear viewing even in low or no light;" also -- as Ghost Hunters tell us -- for spotting apparitions on the spectral plane. And great for catching your 14-year-old before he walks out at midnight with a carton of eggs!

The Belkin Wi-Fi NetCam is available now for online order directly from Belkin or via Amazon at $130, and arrives at US retailers in the coming months -- the NetCam app is already available on the iOS App Store and Google Play. We can't help but think it'd be a great pairing with Belkin's WeMo Switch, especially considering it'll take you one step closer to the Back to the Future 2 future we were all promised.

Continue reading Belkin's NetCam Wi-Fi Camera with Night Vision keeps an eye out for ghosts while you're out, hooks up with iOS / Android

Filed under: Cameras, Household

Belkin's NetCam Wi-Fi ! Camera w ith Night Vision keeps an eye out for ghosts while you're out, hooks up with iOS / Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 01:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Radar Chart Tells You Everything You Need To Know About China's Bullish PMI Report

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-china-manufacturing-pmi-sub-indices-2012-10

China's official manufacturing PMI report climbed to 50.2 in October, up from 49.8 in September.  This suggests the industry is expanding again.

Obviously there are a lot of details behind those numbers.

Societe Generale's Wei Yao put all of the PMI sub-indices into one radar chart (see below), and compares them to the sub-indices from two months ago.  Ideally, you want the points of the new polygon to be outside of the points of the old polygon.

Such was the case for the latest PMI report.  Here's Yao:

Details of the official report showed improvement in eight out of the eleven sub-indices. The production index rose by 0.8 point to 52.1 in October; new orders climbed to 50.4, ending a five-month sting of below-50 readings; the input price index jumped to 54.3 from 51 in the previous month, indicating less upstream deflationary pressure. Finished goods inventory inched up to 48.1, pointing to continued destocking albeit at slower pace. Meanwhile, employment, new export orders and imports all increased but remained below 50.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Note II Smart Dock turns a big phone into an even bigger desktop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-smart-dock-turns-a-big-phone-into-a-desktop/

Many of us would already contend that the Galaxy Note II is more of a pocketable computer than a smartphone, so why not take the definition at face value? Samsung certainly is, as it just began selling a Smart Dock that transforms its phablet into a makeshift desktop. A trio of USB ports give the Note II options for a mouse, keyboard and even external storage -- and if the phone's 5.5-inch screen isn't already a large enough canvas, HDMI video (plus stereo audio out) should fill the gap. While there's no question that the Smart Dock's $100 price is relatively steep, it might be worthwhile for those still mourning the loss of Webtop.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung Galaxy Note II Smart Dock turns a big phone into an even bigger desktop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Archos adds the 80 Cobalt to its ICS tablet range: 8-inch screen, 1.6GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/archos-80-cobalt-tablet/

The FCC may have spoiled the surprise months ago, but Archos has taken to Facebook to officially reveal the new member of its Elements range -- the Archos 80 Cobalt. As you may have guessed from the familiar size codification, the WiFi-only slate sports an 8-inch capacitive screen filled with 1024 x 768 pixels, supporting 1080p video playback. The other sp! ecs you' ll want to know include the dual-core processor running at 1.6GHz, 1GB of RAM and 8 gigs of on-board storage, expandable with a microSD card of up to 64GB. Modest 2-megapixel and 0.3-megapixel shooters occupy the back and front of the 0.48-inch (12mm) thick tablet, respectively, which weighs in at a solid one pound (470g). There's no word on a release date or pricing for this ICS device, but we'd imagine the answers are "soon" and "under $200." Any more than that, and we can't see people choosing it over, say, a Nexus 7, even if it does have an extra inch on the competition.

Gallery: Archos 80 Cobalt Android tablet

Filed under: Tablets

Archos adds the 80 Cobalt to its ICS tablet range: 8-inch screen, 1.6GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM origin! ally app eared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC One X+ review: it's the One X, and then some (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/htc-one-x-plus-review/

A spec bump in the middle of a product cycle? All the cool cats do it these days, even if they risk alienating customers who just bought what they thought was this year's flagship device. HTC has actually played this game for a while, first with the Sensation XE, which acted as a mid-term replacement for the original Sensation and now, with the One X+ which treads all over the One X's toes. However, with this latest handset, the manufacturer has some justification: the One X+ comes with 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, whereas the global One X maxed out at 32GB and the AT&T version was only 16GB. Since there's no microSD expansion on these phones, it's possible to argue that the One X+ is a sensible addition, which caters specifically to storage-hungry power users and audiophiles. (Note: We'll be reviewing the HSPA+ UK version of this handset here, and comparing it mainly to the HSPA+ One X. We'll test the US-destined LTE variant very soon.)

More Info

• One X+ for AT&T hands-on
• European One X review
• One S review

There are other improvements aside from the bigger storage option, of course! . The NV IDIA Tegra 3 processor has had a speed bump to 1.7GHz -- perhaps in an effort to challenge the Galaxy S III's benchmarking might. There's a larger 2,100mAh battery to stay in step with that more power-hungry silicon; the front camera module has been replaced with a higher-res chip and better image processing; and, there's also some new audio circuitry to improve the speaker's sound quality. The One X+ also runs HTC's updated Sense 4+ skin, based on Jelly Bean, which will eventually arrive on older One-series phones as well. As for the rest of the spec sheet, all the good and not-so-good stuff from the One X has carried over -- the stunning 4.7-inch, 1,280 x 720 Super LCD2 display is still here, thank goodness, and so is the 8-megapixel f/2.0 rear camera. However, there's still only 1GB of RAM (LG and Samsung flagships boast double that). So, what's needed here is an upshot: if you haven't made the leap to a 2012 superphone just yet, how does the One X+ carry itself relative to its cheaper predecessor and the latest competition? Read on and we'll endeavor to find out.

Gallery: HTC One X+ review

Continue reading HTC One X+ review: it's the One X, and then some (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC

HTC One X+ review: it's the One X, and then some (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 4.2 camera, gallery ported to Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean 4.1.1

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/31/android-4-2-camera-gallery-ported-galaxy-nexus-4-1-1/

So, you're loving the new gallery and camera options we saw on Jelly Bean 4.2 and have no intention of waiting for that OS for your former flagship Galaxy Nexus? A certain dmmarck on Android Central's forums has sorted that, and you can now grab the camera app for your so-last-month 4.1.1 OS on that handset. Other than a Photo Sphere bug, it's apparently working like the factory version, but newbies beware -- the installation requires some Android hacking chops. You can grab it at the source.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung, Google

Android 4.2 camera, gallery ported to Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean 4.1.1 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gmail composer goes to a simple pop-up, gives multitaskers freedom to fly

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/gmail-composer-goes-to-a-simple-pop-up/

As much as Gmail shines when it's on the web, some of its most avid users stay in native apps for the multitasking; having to check a past message in the web client has usually meant putting the current draft on hold, or at least maintaining a near-photographic memory. Google wants to translate some of that desktop experience to the web through a new composition interface it's testing as of today. New messages start off in a shrinkable pop-up that lets us find old threads without having to put the new conversation on ice, even we're indecisive enough to leave multiple unfinished e-mail messages open. Other upgrades lurk in the background for the more focused among us, such as a pared-back composition interface, in-line photos and a reply box that dynamically adapts to the space it needs. Only those in the preview will see the Gmail update for now; Google is promising a wider launch in the months ahead that could save us all a few precious minutes each day.

Filed under: Internet, Google

Gmail composer goes to a simple pop-up, gives multitaskers freedom to fly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take that linear algebra to go: Intel's 48-core chip targeting smartphones and tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/intel-48-core-chip-smartphones-tablets/

Intel's taking its 48-core processor and applying it to a field beyond academia: the world of mobile electronics. The company this morning announced intentions to slip the 48-core bad boy into future tablets and smartphones (emphasis on future), with CTO Justin Rattner saying the mobile implementation could arrive "much sooner" than the 10-year window predicted by researchers.

Aside from the thrilling world of linear algebra and fluid dynamics that the chipset is currently used for, Intel says it could offload processor-intensive functions across several cores, effectively speeding up various functions (say, video streaming). The availability of so many cores also means faster multitasking possibilities than the current dual- or quad-core offerings in modern smartphones and tablets -- just imagine a world where two Angry Birds games can run simultaneously in the background without affecting the paradoxical game of Tiny Wings you decided to play instead. Hey, we understand -- it's just a better bird game. No big. Sadly, few software developers are crafting their wares (warez?) to take advantage of multi-core processing as is, so it's gonna take more than just the existence of Intel's 48-core chip to make its vision a reality.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Tablets, Mobile, Intel

Take that linear algebra to go: Intel's 48-core chip targeting smartphones and tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Search app for iOS updated with new voice search functionality, iPhone 5 compatibility (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/google-search-app-for-ios-updated-with-new-voice-search-function/

Google just released an updated version of its Search app for Android devices yesterday, and it's now (as promised) also delivered a fairly big update to iOS users. That brings with it iPhone 5 compatibility, but the bigger news is the expanded voice search functionality, which promises "faster and significantly improved voice recognition," with spoken responses à la Google Now provided alongside the search results. Those additions also extend to iPad users in addition to the iPhone and iPod touch -- hit the App Store or the link below to take it for a spin yourself.

Continue reading Google Search app for iOS updated with new voice search functionality, iPhone 5 compatibility (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google

Google Search app for iOS updated with new! voice s earch functionality, iPhone 5 compatibility (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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University of Tokyo turns real paper and ink into a display, could share doodles from a distance (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/university-of-tokyo-turns-real-paper-and-ink-into-a-display/

Forget e-paper: if the University of Tokyo's Naemura Lab has its way, we'll interact with the real thing. The division's new research has budding artists draw on photochromic paper with Frixion's heat-sensitive ink, turning the results into something a computer can manipulate. A laser 'erases' the ink to fix mistakes or add effects, and an ultraviolet projector overhead can copy any handiwork, fill in the gaps or print a new creation. The prototype is neither high resolution nor quick -- you won't be living out fantasies of a real-world A-Ha music video -- but the laser's accuracy (down to 0.0001 inches) has already led researchers to dream of paper-based, Google Docs-style collaboration where edits in one place affect a tangible document somewhere else. It's hard to see truly widespread adoption in an era where we're often trying to save trees instead of print to them, but there's an undeniable appeal to having a hard copy that isn't fixed in time.

Continue reading University of Tokyo turns real paper and ink into a display, could share doodles from a distance (video)

Filed under: Displays, Alt

University of Tokyo turns real paper and ink into a display, could share doodles from a distance (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/30/nexus-4-boasts-slimport-support/

A lot of the hubbub yesterday was around the Nexus 4's support of Miracast, courtesy of Android 4.2. If you don't want to spring for a dedicated TV box or invest in a whole new set of gadgets to supersize your mobile experience, then you may be excited to hear that the handset also supports SlimPort. We haven't heard much from the DisplayPort-based standard since January, but we're happy to report it finally appears to be ready for primetime. Analogix, the company behind the tech, already has its first adapter up for sale on Amazon (at the more coverage link), which takes the Nexus 4's micro-USB port and allows you to connect an HDMI cable to it -- so long as that proposition is worth $30 to you. Eventually DVI, VGA and DisplayPort will also be added to list of output options, potentially making the this handset's charging port the most versatile micro-USB jack in the smartphone market. For more, check out the PR after the break.

Continue reading Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Mobile, Google, LG

Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 18:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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