Feb/100
Google’s Nexus One ‘equipment recovery fee’ slashed to $150, still a pain
So the good news here is that Google appears to have heard the cries for help, having taken a chainsaw to its brutal $350 “equipment recovery fee” that had been lumped on top of T-Mobile’s $200 ETF for subsidized Nexus One contracts canceled in the first 120 days. The bad news, though, is that it still exists at all — a hairy precedent for an industry being watched with eagle eyes by the FCC right now. The company has knocked $200 off the fee, bringing it down to $150; in other words, if you break your contract, you’ll pay the same ETF that Verizon now charges on its “advanced devices.” Whether that was a deliberate move to let ‘em say that they’re no more expensive than Verizon is unclear, but let’s be honest: $350 is extreme, $550 was highway robbery. At least we’re going in the right direction.
Google’s Nexus One ‘equipment recovery fee’ slashed to $150, still a pain originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping
There’s just no two ways about it: the integrated self-timer is easily one of the most amazing technologies to ever be invented. Yeah, we said it. Unfortunately, beeping for ten seconds while a shooter races to get in position isn’t always ideal or fun, and that’s where isharq comes in. His Arduino-based mod is amongst the most flexible out there for DSLRs, enabling it to morph from a basic laser trigger hack to something that senses heat, movement or sound (just to name a few) and then makes your camera react accordingly. As it stands, his setup triggers his DSLR to snap a shot whenever a laser beam is broken, and if you’re eager to see more, be sure to peek the in-action video just past the break. Oh, and the source link holds all the secrets to recreating something like this in your own laboratory.
[Thanks, Simon]
Continue reading DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping
DIY photog creates laser trigger for remote DSLR snapping originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
zoomMediaPlus’ zoomIt is the iPhone’s long overdue SD card reader
Sorry if we’re the sort of folks to look a gift SD card reader in the mouth, but while we’re oh-so-happy that Apple finally opened up application-enabled hardware development in iPhone OS 3.0, we really wish an accessory like this had been available for the iPhone right from the start. The new zoomIt SD card reader from zoomMediaPlus adds a bit of external, swappable memory to the iPhone and iPod touch at long last, giving you the ability to store your iPhone’s pictures on the card, or pull stuff off it onto your handset using the free zoomIt app. Interestingly, this is coming to light just a couple weeks after we saw Apple’s own similar solution for getting cameras into the iPad mix — the SD and USB-adapting iPad Camera Connection Kit, which will be a mere $30. There’s no word if Apple’s adapter will work with the iPhone (we doubt it) or if the zoomIt will work with the iPad (perhaps), but the $60 pricetag on the zoomIt is a bit of a turn off. Also, it won’t be shipping until April (though you can pre-order now for a $10 discount), so Apple may very well make up our minds for us by the time March rolls around.
zoomMediaPlus’ zoomIt is the iPhone’s long overdue SD card reader originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions
We don’t typically do a lot of coverage of music gear here at Engadget because, by and large, it’s an entire world unto itself — a universe of specialty products that require unique knowledge (and often, talent) to use, let alone review — and ultimately, we’re only writing for a limited subset of our readership. There are, of course, countless exceptions to the rule; mixing gear in particular has really come into its own, technologically, over the past several years as a whole new generation of would-be DJ superstars come into the fold. A skill once dominated by turntables is… well, still dominated by turntables, but everything surrounding the spinning vinyl is changing: nowadays, you’ve got a PC that can serve as a virtually bottomless pit of tracks, state-of-the-art software for synchronizing and manipulating those tracks, and dedicated external controllers to help you control the software. Once an art form, modern DJing is now half art, half science. It’s exciting, it’s cool, and even if you don’t know the difference between a crossfader and a high-pass filter, it’s a lot of fun to see how this stuff works.
To that end, today we’re taking a quick look at Native Instrument’s Kontrol X1 — the first official, dedicated controller for its Traktor series of apps, one of the world’s most widely-used DJ suites.
Continue reading Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions
Native Instruments Kontrol X1 impressions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Analyst: Apple to be ‘nimble’ on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse
Apple’s $499 starting iPad price tag is already lower than many people — and a few competitors — expected, but apparently Steve and company have left themselves a little wiggle room: Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope says that Apple told him it’ll remain “nimble” when it comes to iPad pricing, suggesting that the price could drop if sales don’t meet targets. That’s not a hugely surprising thing to say, considering Apple’s trying to be the first to achieve real success with a ‘tweener device and strong pressure from netbooks, laptops, and smartphones threatens to collapse the space entirely, but a lot of people are taking it to mean some kind of drop is a done deal — particularly since Apple cut the price of the first-gen iPhone by $200 just a few months after it launched and saw already-solid sales triple. We’re honestly not so sure, though: Apple always tells investors that it’s confident in how its products are priced but responsive to market changes, and it’s not like a smaller price cut boosted the Apple TV into hit product territory. We’ll see what happens after the iPad actually goes on sale — we doubt we’ll see any changes for another few months at least.
Analyst: Apple to be ‘nimble’ on iPad pricing, athletic on pommel horse originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Motorola Droid’s next update to be Android 2.1, includes multitouch browser
We’ve just gotten the inside line on the next Droid update that’s making the rounds through Verizon’s testing department from one of our trusted sources, and overall, it looks like this should take users 95 percent of the way to curing pangs of Nexus One envy. Here’s what we’ve got:
- It’s based on Android 2.1. The build currently being circulated is identified as 2.1 version 1, mirroring the update just pushed to the Nexus One last week.
- Google Goggles is now pre-installed (no matter how unhelpful it may be).
- The browser’s now multitouch enabled, just like Google Maps 3.4. Huzzah! No Flash, but then again, we weren’t really expecting that.
- Interestingly, the home screen’s still got the same look as 2.0.1, meaning it doesn’t adopt the Nexus One’s rotating 3D grid of app icons — it’s still got the pull-up drawer tab at the bottom.
- No active wallpapers. Bummer!
- The news and weather widgets introduced on the Nexus One are included. Maybe certain capabilities of 2.1 are going to be restricted to devices with minimum performance benchmarks?
There’s no word on timing, and for all our source knows, this build could still very well fail testing — goodness knows it’s happened with plenty of pre-production firmwares in Verizon’s past. We’ll keep our ear to the ground and you do the same.
Motorola Droid’s next update to be Android 2.1, includes multitouch browser originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
LG LU9400 Arena Max pictured hiding a 1GHz Snapdragon inside
Another day, another Snapdragon handset. It’s kind of fun to consider a phone with a thousand megahertz processor common these days, isn’t it? We already knew LG’s Arena Max would have built-in WiFi, but now we can put a face to the name as well as a few other select specs. Wireless connectivity will be augmented with Bluetooth and GPS modules, which will be cozying up to a 5 megapixel camera unit at the back and a 3.5-inch touchscreen up front. The Cyon branding tells us Korea will be the inevitable first destination, though the rest of the world is expected to follow swiftly. More will surely be known at MWC in a week’s time. A couple more images await after the break, including a side-by-side with the original Arena.
Continue reading LG LU9400 Arena Max pictured hiding a 1GHz Snapdragon inside
LG LU9400 Arena Max pictured hiding a 1GHz Snapdragon inside originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs
Wisair-based wireless display adapters head to Macs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Amazon job postings ask for display and wireless experts, hint at Kindle things to come?
So, we already assume Amazon’s thinking touch for the Kindle, what with that recent Touchco aquisition and word of similar behind-the-screen touch tech being on PVI’s roadmap. PVI owns E Ink, and is naturally bullish about its upcoming products, but what about E Ink in the new Kindle? If you’re into reading the tea leaves of job postings, Amazon might be telegraphing its intentions. It’s looking for a “Hardware Display Manager” who, among many other things, is supposed to have “Significant exposure to high volume manufacturing environments; you will know the LCD business and key players in the market.” That might have you thinking the next Kindle will go LCD, but the requirements also mention a “deep knowledge of current display technology and potential future technologies,” and nothing about the role seems exactly prescriptive of an LCD expertise — more of a general focus on displays and product design, whatever tech might come. Pixel Qi or Mirasol, anybody? Amazon’s also looking for all sorts of software expertise, including a “Software Design Engineer” who will be reponsible for radio stacks “including but limited to” 3G and WiFi. Again, these are requirements (among many) for a role, not necessarily implications of a Kindle 3 spec sheet, but there’s one thing clear: Amazon’s gearing up for something.
Amazon job postings ask for display and wireless experts, hint at Kindle things to come? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Linus Torvalds is now a happy Nexus One owner, pinch to zoom put him over the edge
Linux originator Linus Torvalds isn’t really big on these “phone” things, but he’s finally caved to his Nexus One lust. In a recent blog post he explains how the G1 never did it for him, despite his love of the “concept” of having a Linux-based phone. He finds phones in general irritating, and cellphones “an opportunity to be irritated wherever you are,” but the Nexus One’s offer of car-friendly GPS navigation got him thinking he’d have a good excuse to bring it with him places, and the recent announcement of pinch-to-zoom capabilities somehow put him over the edge. He still says the phone part is “kind of secondary,” but we sure he’ll eventually be won over to the dark side and be just as annoying as the rest of us phone talkers at restaurants.
Linus Torvalds is now a happy Nexus One owner, pinch to zoom put him over the edge originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
ExoPC shows its touchscreen stuff on video
Twenty four hours after exposing the 8.9-inch tablet’s internals to the world, the guys at ExoPC decided that the Intel Atom-powered slate was ready for its video debut. You can watch the Win 7 Premium tablet in action after the break, but we do have to say that the “low-pressure resistive” touchscreen seems responsive enough for making selections and scrolling through your favorite technology website. And surprisingly, the viewing angles on the screen appear pretty decent. Still no sign of the touch-friendly software layer, but ExoPC assures us that will be shipping with the final units. Enough of the play-by-play from us — hit the break and see it all for yourself.
Continue reading ExoPC shows its touchscreen stuff on video
ExoPC shows its touchscreen stuff on video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Peratech’s QTC sensor technology headed to your next cellphone
We’ve always heard to strike while the iron’s hot, and that’s exactly what Peratech seems to be doing. Just weeks after we heard that the company’s pressure-sensitive touchscreen methodology was being seriously considered by the powers that be, along comes Samsung Electro-mechanics to take ‘em up on their offer. For those unaware, Samsung EM provides components to loads of leading phone makers, which could mean that Peratech’s pressure sensitive 5-way input device is on its way to your next mobile as we speak. These so-called Navikeys will supposedly provide a greater level of immersion when interacting with phones, and we get the feeling that those aging dome switches are feeling mighty frightened by all this encroachment. The best part? Paratech claims that a “Navikey using QTC from Samsung EM is already being used in a Tier 1 mobile phone,” so here’s hoping that we find out exactly what phone that is in the near future.
Peratech’s QTC sensor technology headed to your next cellphone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Qisda’s ultra high-res QCM-330 smartphone and more surface ahead of iF awards
Continue reading Qisda’s ultra high-res QCM-330 smartphone and more surface ahead of iF awards
Qisda’s ultra high-res QCM-330 smartphone and more surface ahead of iF awards originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
TomTom Ease arrives in limited edition red for Valentine’s Day
Funny that this special red edition of the TomTom Ease is actually beating the regular version to market, but hey, it’s Valentine’s Day. Nothing new here apart from the case color — you’re still looking at a 3.5-inch QVGA display, 2GB of internal memory preloaded with Tele-Atlas maps, Map Share / IQ Routes, an integrated battery, and a built-in Fold & Go mount. Amazon has the limited-edition red exclusively for $119 now, if you’re ready to commit — or you can wait and just be friends with the boring gray model, which should be out any day now.
TomTom Ease arrives in limited edition red for Valentine’s Day originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Locus OS concept video shows the future of computing… right now
While we’re sitting around complaining about the lack of innovative user interfaces and experiences in modern consumer electronics, a man named Barton Smith is actually doing something about it. In 2008 the industrial designer hatched a concept for an OS called Locus which completely upends many of the use paradigms we’re familiar with in current desktop or mobile operating environments. Besides looking absolutely beautiful, a major chunk of the Locus concept focuses around the idea of having separate, easily accessible workspaces for different settings, such as on a train, at home, while out with friends, etc. Each of those scenarios is stored in a set of “panels” which can change based on geolocation or by user choice, and has its own combination of desktop arrangement and application shortcuts. Locus also incorporates a Zune-like content browsing interface, and a project management UI based around real world interactions (something like BumpTop, but cleaner). The whole concept is slickly put together and well thought out… but it doesn’t just end with the software. Smith envisions this platform running on another concept of his: a portable computer called Stream. Stream would be a small, modular tablet / mobile device which can be docked in a variety of components, thus changing its functionality (along with Locus). It’s fascinating stuff, for sure, and doubly intriguing considering Barton began developing these concepts so long ago (though the video below is brand new). Now where is the super-rich partner this guy needs to make this thing a reality?
Update: As noted in comments, Microsoft branding is shown at the start of this video, but this is not a Microsoft product — it seems Barton added the name and logo for effect.
Continue reading Locus OS concept video shows the future of computing… right now
Locus OS concept video shows the future of computing… right now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
HTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprising
Using a cellphone to control a robot — or a pretty sweet helicopter — isn’t exactly a new idea, but there’s something about the combination of Android and Lego Mindstorms that promises to break the possibilities wide open. Swedish tech company Enea Linköping is one of the first we’ve seen to directly link an Android app to the Mindstorms brain over Bluetooth — they’re using an HTC Hero to control two simple rover bots. Unfortunately, since Android 1.5 doesn’t support the Bluetooth serial profile, there’s a hack involved: the phone actually sends out commands over WiFi,which are passed through a WiFi-Bluetooth tunneling app on laptop before hitting the bots. That means there’s a little lag involved, but now that Android 2.1 has serial Bluetooth support we’re hoping things get a little more streamlined in the future. Video after the break.
Continue reading HTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprising
HTC Hero-controlled Mindstorms bot hints at Android uprising originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Nook now in stock online and in stores, with new ‘More In Store’ content
Continue reading Nook now in stock online and in stores, with new ‘More In Store’ content
Nook now in stock online and in stores, with new ‘More In Store’ content originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
HTC Legend spotted just hanging out, playing it cool
Look familiar? Yep, this is precisely what we expected HTC’s rumored Legend to look like based on the renders we’d seen so far. We don’t have any information here other than the pictures themselves, but from what we can gather, it seems to carry over Sense as we know it today without a trace of that freshened look we’ve caught in recent months (not unlike its Incredible cousin). Maybe more importantly, the Legend looks like it might be kicking off a new styling direction for the company with a big, bold, chromed company logo around back and an aluminum shell that we suspect feels awesome in the hand — particularly if it’s pre-production aluminum. More on this one as we get it; in the meantime, check out a shot of the back after the break.
[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Continue reading HTC Legend spotted just hanging out, playing it cool
HTC Legend spotted just hanging out, playing it cool originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
Inbrics’ Android-based M1 slated to ship this year
We already caught a fair amount of play time with Inbrics’ Android-based M1 at CES, but it looks as if the company is fixing to “officially” reveal it next week at Mobile World Congress. We’re still debating whether or not this thing is a bona fide smartphone or yet another MID that’ll have a tough time gaining acceptance in this cruel, cruel world, but either way, it’s apparently on track for release later this year. According to details scooped up by Pocket-lint, the company is hoping that the M1 will double as a media controller for AV junkies, and if all goes well, Europeans could get their hands on it “in 2010 or early 2011.” Just as long as it’s prior to 2012, we’re cool.
Inbrics’ Android-based M1 slated to ship this year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Feb/100
InPhase out of business, assets seized for back taxes
It’s been something like five years that we’ve been eagerly waiting for InPhase to finally release that revolutionary holographic storage solution, and while there has been plenty of drama in the way of release dates promised and pushed back, and even some layoffs to keep things interesting, the company has been pretty, pretty quiet lately. As it turns out, this has been due to the fact that employees have been busy enough updating their resumes. “We were expecting it for a long time,” said one employee, among the sixty or so who picked up their final paychecks last week. “So it wasn’t a big surprise.” To put a finer point on things, it’s been announced that the Colorado Department of Revenue has seized the company’s assets for non-payment of taxes. According to The Register, the state has changed the locks and announced that everything on the premises will be auctioned off, down to the fixtures and furniture. This is certainly an ignominious end to a once great idea, but as you know every cloud has a silver lining: If you’re looking to get into the holographic storage business, drop us a line. We’ve heard that some equipment is becoming available soon — and at a great price.
InPhase out of business, assets seized for back taxes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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