Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:24:00 EST
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Whoa, Nelly! Isn't this something?
Apple has just posted details on its
iPad battery replacement service, which is really not a battery replacement service at all. Check out the company's opening line:
'If your iPad requires service due to the battery's diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee.'
Now, let's compare that to the verbiage found in the
iPhone's battery replacement program details:
'If your iPhone requires service only because the battery's ability to hold an electrical charge has diminished, Apple will service your iPhone for a service fee.'
We can see the puzzled look on your face from here, and we're sharing in the same disbelief. Apple is actually saying that it won't bother cracking open your withered iPad, replacing the battery and sending it back your way; instead, you'll pay $105.95 (including shipping) for a completely different iPad, which certainly has its pros and cons. On one hand, you're getting a new (or potentially refurbished, actually) iPad in around 'one week,' but on the other, you'll be waving goodbye to every morsel of personal data on the device that you send in -- unless you backup beforehand, of course. Here's Apple's take on answering 'will the data on my iPad be preserved?'
'No. You will receive a replacement iPad that will not contain any of your personal data. Before you submit your iPad for service, it is important to sync your iPad with iTunes to back up your contacts, calendars, email account settings, bookmarks, apps, etc. Apple is not responsible for the loss of information when servicing your iPad.'
Lovely, don'tcha think? Head on past the break for the full text.
[Thanks, David]
Continue reading Dead iPad battery? Never mind replacing it, Apple just sends another iPad for $99
Dead iPad battery? Never mind replacing it, Apple just sends another iPad for $99 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:29:00 EST
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Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:23:00 EST
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That's right, you can now reserve your place in line to be the first to record four HD cable shows at once on your
Windows 7 Media Center. The bad news is that ship date for the
InfiniTV 4 is now May 31st.
Ceton wasn't willing to share a specific reason for the 60 day delay, but we suspect
CableLabs is to blame -- Ceton refuted this and insisted CableLabs has been very helpful, but we don't buy it. The other big news -- for those that were concerned with noise or fitment options -- is that the latest version of the PCI-E card pictured above no longer includes a fan. The InfiniTV name was the result of over 1000 submissions to Ceton's naming contest, of which Gary Petro came up with winner -- the name is not to be confused with
Comcast's XFINITY. Future tuners in the line will share a variation of the name, so the dual external tuner would be the InfiniTV ex2 -- for example. But Gary isn't the only one receiving a free tuner, as two more submitters were deemed worthy. Rus Sanchez submitted 94 different product names, while Charles Fraser earned his free card with the funniest submission; Wicked Super, Super Duper, and Super Duper Alleyoopder. The last bit of news out of
the Kirkland startup is a littler clarification in regards to the
network capabilities of the card. Although you can share the tuners with a small form factor PC on the network, the bad news is that it gets paired per CableCARD, so all four tuners have to go to the same PC. Ohh we almost forgot, the best news of all is that we received our review sample, so stay tunned for a full run down.
Ceton's quad CableCARD tuner for Media Center available for pre-order originally appeared on Engadget HD on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:42:00 EST
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Custom computer cases that look like spiders aren't generally the sort of thing that are available to public, but Lian Li's new PC-T1R case is one big exception to the rule, and it's now edged a bit closer to a release. Previously only seen in a
teaser video, a nearly final version of the case has now landed in the hands of the folks at
techPowerUp, who have provided us with our first hands-on look at it. What's more, the site also says that the case should sell for 'around €150' (or just over $200) when it's released, and that it will be available in black in addition to red. Of course, there will be some assembly required -- hit up the link below to see what's in store.
Lian Li's PC-T1R Spider case crawls towards a release originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:52:00 EST
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Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:28:00 EST
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While it's a crying shame that Sony's PlayStation Move
won't have full four-player support, at least the technology is efficient; our buddies at
Joystiq are reporting that the camera-and-wand based
motion control game system will only minimally impact game performance. Quizzing Sony's David Coombes, they found out that the advanced image processing required to make sense of your wild, flailing movements will take only 1-2 MB of RAM. Of course, when you consider that the PS3 has only 256MB of
fast XDR memory to begin with, that 2MB isn't as 'insignificant' as Sony would have you believe, but coupled with the company's claim that the whole shebang takes 'under a frame' of the Cell CPU's processing time, we're inclined to think it won't be much of an issue for the end user. Assuming they fix
that nasty lag, of course. Check out our
full PlayStation Move guide for more details.
PlayStation Move requires only 2MB of RAM, developers breathe sigh of relief originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:19:00 EST
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Huzzah! Yet another discovery for us to add to our
ever-expanding list of 'awesome things that'll never actually happen!' Ibrahim Abou Hamad and colleagues from
Mississippi State University have reportedly devised a method of charging
batteries that could hasten the process rather significantly, and better still, it could provide 'an increase in battery power densities' as well. The only problem? Lithium-ion batteries have been disappointing tech users for years, and so long as Energizer and Duracell are calling the shots, we kind of doubt a lot will be done to improve the longevity of 'em. Skepticism aside, the new method involves some fancy black magic surrounding molecular dynamics simulations, and researchers have found a way to boost charging time by 'simulating the intercalation of lithium ions into the battery's graphite anode.' We know we just went way over your heads on a Friday afternoon, but if techobabble's your thing, all you can handle is right there in the Source link.
Scientists discover method for rapid charging Li-ion batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:34:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:59:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:47:00 EST
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Maemo 5 didn't stand on its own for long before
being mashed together with Intel's Moblin, but Nokia's
N900 still stands as one of the best handhelds for web browsing. It's hardly the world-beater that Nokia (may have) hoped it to be, but that's not because the internals aren't impressive. We're guessing that only a handful of you made the effort to fork over wads of cash in order to pick an unlocked version up, but if you did, you no doubt have some opinions post-purchase. Is the display living up to your expectations? Are you and Maemo getting along alright? How's that keyboard? We're eager to know how you'd tweak the N900 if you had the keys to the design kingdom, and with MeeGo
already being announced, we're forbidding you from suggesting the obvious. Or you can, but we'll be plugging our ears, closing our eyes and humming annoyingly.
Filed under: Cellphones
How would you change Nokia's N900? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:41:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:45:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:01:00 EST
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You picked up an
Okoro media PC last month, didn't you? If you're nodding up and down in a worried fashion, you're probably better off ignoring everything else we'll say in this post. For the rest of you
HTPC hounds, the boutique outfit has something that's very likely to pique your interest (and kick that upgrade itch into high gear). Announced today, the company is adding Core i3 and Core i5 processors to its 2010 media center PC lineup, and as if the extra horsepower weren't enough, users will also find native bitstreaming of TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio on every system save for the
Q100. You'll also get a 64-bit copy of Windows 7, up to 8TB of internal storage space, optional Blu-ray playback, quad CableCARD support and the new holy grail of transfers,
USB 3.0. You can hit up the outfit's webstore now to configure your dream machine, and if you so desire, you can check out its dedicated trade-up program that'll last through May 31st.
Okoro Media Systems upgrades HTPC range with Core i3 / i5 CPUs, bitstreaming and USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:11:00 EST
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Zoom is kind of like
Mitsubishi -- it
sort of does it
all. Months after shipping one of the greatest
pocket audio recorders every known to man, the company is now hitting back with none other than a pair of guitar effects pedals. The G2Nu and G2.1Nu boards both feature 100 preset guitar sounds, 20 of which have purportedly been given the almighty thumbs-up from Steve Vai. If you're curious about differences, the latter adds a built-in expression pedal for additional control, but frankly, the expected capabilities aren't what we're interested in. Both devices sport integrated USB ports that enable them to operate as audio interfaces; in other words, axe slingers can record directly to their computer through this box, and the 1.9-inch display helps you keep track of what's going on. Regrettably, pricing and availability details have been conveniently omitted, but we suspect it'll be hitting Sam Ash, Sweetwater and the rest of the gang soonish.
Continue reading Zoom G2Nu and G2.1Nu guitar effects pedals offer direct USB recording
Zoom G2Nu and G2.1Nu guitar effects pedals offer direct USB recording originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:38:00 EST
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We hate to turn your entire world -- nay, your very
belief system -- on its end, but it's at least conceivable here that the so-called
Nokia Mystic with the portrait QWERTY keyboard may not be the upcoming C6 after all. Instead,
Tom's Guide is submitting this bright white exhibit as the device lucky enough to wear the C6 name, a phone that looks a whole hell of a lot like a
5230 with a QWERTY slider tacked on for good measure. That would make sense considering Nokia's goal of turning the freshly-introduced Cseries into a midrange, consumer-friendly brand; this phone could easily slot in below the
N97 Mini, for example, particularly in light of rumors that the phone will lack the N97's beefy internal storage. Word is the C6 is pegged for a European release by Summer, so start cleaning off those 5800s and 5230s for eBay right now, why don't you?
Nokia C6 is actually a 5230-ish landscape slider? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:15:00 EST
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GDC is winding down here in San Francisco, but Playcast Media is hoping to snag its 15 minutes by announcing new partnerships with Atari, Capcom, Codemasters and THQ (to name a few) for use in its 'console-free games-on-demand' service. 'Course, streaming games in through a set-top-box is
nothing new, but few operators in the States offer such a thing with any real substance behind it. Playcast's solution enables titles to be pushed through existing cable and telco STBs, and we're told that the US market is next in line to get gifted. We're not given any significant details beyond that, but we're pretty jazzed about big name publishers signing on to finally give this distribution method a bit of credence. Now, if only this Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300HD shipped with a SIXAXIS controller, we'd be golden.
Continue reading Playcast Media nabs support from big name publishers, aims to bring STB gaming to US
Playcast Media nabs support from big name publishers, aims to bring STB gaming to US originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:49:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:21:00 EST
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Solid state drives may be the fast-moving wave of the future in PC storage, but the technology for bigger and better magnetic media keeps on trucking. Only recently, that truck hit something of a pothole: the 4096-byte sector size that will allow
advanced format drives to have more usable space (and surpass the current 2TB capacity limit) doesn't play nice with the world's most popular OS -- Windows XP. While manufacturers like Western Digital have already introduced software that successfully combats the problem, the new drives
perform poorly in Win XP without it, and rival manufacturer Seagate told the BBC that even with software tricks, XP users should expect the occasional 5ms delay, or 10% speed reduction, during write times. Is this the end of Windows XP?
Hardly. Should you make sure to install the software that comes with your next hard drive? Absolutely.
Win XP needs some TLC to use next-gen hard drives originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:57:00 EST
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This doesn't come as much of a surprise, but
Android Central seems to have obtained a screen shot from a deep, dark, top-secret Verizon system that indicated that the upcoming CDMA version of the
Nexus One will be 'available only through www.Google.com/Phones.' That, of course, matches T-Mobile's strategy of quietly letting Google do its thing -- and Verizon's strategy of keeping its network 'open' -- so you'll just have to remember to not line up at your local store at 8PM the night before the launch, otherwise you're going to come away very, very disappointed. What's a whole lot stranger, though, is a mention that it runs HTC's
Sense UI, which means one of a few things: Google's allowing carriers and manufacturers to have their way with the Android builds sold directly through its own store, the Verizon-branded Nexus One
is the
Incredible, or the document is just sorely confused. The way we see it, there'd simply not be enough differentiation between the Nexus One and the Incredible for them to come to market as separate products if they were both running Sense -- and besides, isn't variety the spice of life?
Update: That was quick -- it seems Verizon has
already updated its specs to remove the reference to Sense and change the URL from google.com/phones to google.com/phone -- no plural. Thanks, ninjalex76!
Verizon's Nexus One to be sold only through Google, have Sense UI (or not) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:28:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:17:00 EST
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A pair of
iPads was just revealed in the FCC's system in perfect synchrony with that little
pre-order sitch with which you may or may not already be familiar. Apple, of course, has a track record of timing its FCC filings perfectly so that virtually nothing is revealed before Cupertino wants it to be, and frankly, you're not going to get much here that you didn't already know -- the photographs (both external and internal) and the user manual are all still under confidentiality. Both units were tested for WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth, while one -- model number A1337 -- adds in GSM 850 / 1900 and UMTS 850 / 1900, so it appears that Apple has bundled all of its 3G and non-3G models into just two filings regardless of storage capacity. We caught A1337 flipping through an old issue of 2600, so for all we know, it socially engineered its way to FCC approval -- whatever it takes to make that late-April launch window, right?
Apple iPad -- model A1337 -- phreaks the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:12:00 EST
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Lenovo may mostly be associated with laptops and all-business desktops these days, but it looks like the company's CEO hopes that won't be the case for too much longer. Speaking with the AP,
Yang Yuanqing dropped the somewhat surprising statement that he expects mobile internet products to account for between 70 and 80 percent of the company's sales 'within three to five years.' Of course, Yang didn't specify exactly what constitutes a 'mobile internet product' for Lenovo, but we'd assume it includes things like the company's new
IdeaPad S10-3t (and possibly even traditional laptops), or else it really has its work cut out for itself. He further went on to add that Lenovo is focused on a 'protect and attack' strategy over the longer term, noting that while China accounts for half of its global sales at the moment, it's now facing increased competition from the likes of Dell and HP both at home and abroad.
Lenovo CEO says mobile internet products will soon account for '70 to 80 percent' of sales originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:49:00 EST
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AT&T hasn't been quite as forthcoming with the exact details of its next-gen network plans as T-Mobile and Verizon have been recently, but
FierceBroadbandWireless appears to have wrested a tidbit from wireless boss
Ralph de la Vega in a recent interview. Though the
standard HSPA 7.2Mbps deployment is still AT&T's short-term focus, HSPA+ -- which can theoretically take HSPA to 21Mbps
and beyond -- is clearly still on its radar prior to
LTE. 'We will also deploy HSPA+ in certain locations,' de la Vega said on no uncertain terms -- without revealing even a hint about where those 'certain locations' might be, unfortunately.
Speaking of LTE, the 4G tech still seems to be on AT&T's back burner for the moment with the first commercial markets not scheduled to light up until 2011, a strategy that seems pretty difficult to argue with considering HSPA's considerable room to grow from its current speeds and the lack of LTE devices in the pipeline. Of course, that could end up really hurting these guys a few years down the line when the first generation of LTE is in its prime and they've given Verizon about a year's head start, but -- and this is a huge 'but' -- if they can save up some cash by rolling cheaper HSPA upgrades now and really dump unheard-of levels of cash into the network when they're good and ready, it's conceivable that they'll be able to build out a big footprint in short order. Ralph, can we recommend you look to
Bell and
Telus for inspiration on how to pull that off?
AT&T's de la Vega: HSPA+ coming 'in certain locations' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:19:00 EST
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Is it an Android tablet? An e-reader? Just a sweet gadget with two screens? Truth is the Entourage Edge is a little bit of everything, and that's exactly why we've been so intrigued with the 'dualbook' since
we fondled it at CES. Finally ready to make its shipping debut, the $499 dual screen device is aimed at students, but really it's for anyone interested in a combination 9.7-inch E Ink reading / note-taking experience and a 10.1-inch Android web tablet. It's sounded very cool to us for quite a while, but there's always a difference between hype and reality. Does the Edge live up to its promise or attempt to do too much? The only place to find out is after the break in our full review.
Continue reading Entourage Edge review
Entourage Edge review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:57:00 EST
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How do we know we're years away from a final resolution to the Nokia / Apple patent lawsuit? It's been six months since Nokia
first filed its complaint, and the two parties are just now starting to argue about which specific substantive claims they're eventually going to argue about. Let's do a quick refresh: at the heart of the lawsuit is a
conflict over Nokia's wireless patents, some of which are almost certainly essential to how cell data and WiFi operate. As a member of the ETSI and the IEEE licensing groups which oversee GSM and WiFi, Nokia's required to license its patents to anyone who asks on fair terms, but those terms aren't set in stone -- Nokia can negotiate separate licenses as it sees fit, and it apparently wanted Apple to cross-license its touchscreen patents as part of the deal. Apple said no, and now we're all in court, with both sides alleging patent infringement in three
different lawsuits (one of which is
on hold) and Apple claiming that Nokia is also liable for breach of contract, because it promised fair licensing terms and didn't deliver. Got all that? Right.
So that brings us to yesterday, when Nokia asked the court to dismiss all of Apple's contract-related claims, saying that they're simply a distraction from the real issue, which is patents, and that its license offers aren't unfair simply because Apple doesn't like them. In short: Apple and Nokia's patent lawsuit is currently not really about patents at all, but about whether or not it should also be a fight about contract terms in addition to a fight about patents, and that question won't be resolved for months. And that's why
vigilante justice is the future of America's tarnished civilization something like 90 percent of patent cases eventually settle out of court.
P.S. Oh, and in case you're wondering, today Reuters reported that the first trial date
isn't expected until 2012. So, yeah.
Nokia asks court to dismiss part of Apple patent lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:34:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:12:00 EST
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It's almost too much to take in all at once. Sure, the $1,999
Cintiq 21UX pen display is priced out of reach for most of us mere mortals who 'don't draw good,' but the pure lustworthiness of this unit sure makes us try to forget that inconvenient fact. The expanded movability of Wacom's latest is commendable, the pen input is naturally great, the screen is beautiful, and even those new rear-mounted touchpads seem helpful. It would take someone much more familiar with professional draw-ist-ing to really speak to the more specific merits of the 21UX, but from a mere standpoint of inspiring irrational desire in our hearts, Wacom seems to have done a pretty good job this time out. Check out a video of the screen in action after the break.
Continue reading Wacom Cintiq 21UX hands-on
Wacom Cintiq 21UX hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:43:00 EST
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We talk about the FCC a lot here, but usually the ways ye olde Commission affects our lives are indirect. A little
extra spectrum here, a nice
leaked image there, that kind of thing. Not this time, though, as the FCC is getting involved directly with its own Consumer Broadband Test app, designed to probe network latencies and download speeds on your home connection or mobile device. Part of the hallowed
National Broadband Plan, this will furnish the FCC will useful data to show the discrepancy between advertised and real world broadband speeds, and will also -- more importantly perhaps -- serve as a neat way for users to directly compare network performance in particular areas. It's available on the App Market and App Store right now, with versions for other operating systems coming up, so why not get with the program and give it a test drive?
FCC comes through with a Consumer Broadband Test app for iPhone, Android and the home originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:57:00 EST
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Call it an inexplicable fascination, or call it all-out geek lust over a screen with three digits in the 'diagonal screen size' specification field -- either way, we had little choice but to shuttle over to
HDI's nondescript Los Gatos, California headquarters in order to check out what even
Steve Wozniak has been quoted as saying is the best
3D solution out there. While stationed on the west coast this week for
GDC, we grabbed a camera and bolted down the 280 in order to get a sneak peek at the aforesaid firm, a tight-knit startup that currently has prototype displays in production and plans for far more. We've heard plenty through the grapevine, but we set out to get our questions answered directly, and possibly even provide some insight that has yet to be made available to the public thus far.
For those unaware, HDI's flagship product is a planned
103-inch 3D HDTV that uses a proprietary technology in order to showcase content in the third dimension (or 2D, if you'd like). We sat down with Chris Stuart (Director of Technology) and Edmund Sandberg (Chief Technology Officer) in order to get an overview of the tech, set the story straight in regard to pricing and availability, and dig in a little deeper on its plans for distribution and expansion. We also plopped down in front of the company's prototype 97-inch set and a
46-inch 3D LCD that has remained mostly a myth up until now, and we've certainly got plenty to share in terms of impressions. If you're eager to learn more (and take a behind-the-scenes look at a television R&D lab), give that 'Read More' link a gentle press.
Continue reading HDI headquarters walkthrough: details galore on the new face of in-home 3D
HDI headquarters walkthrough: details galore on the new face of in-home 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:34:00 EST
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Apple's pushing out a few more scraps of info about the
iPad in conjunction with the
launch of pre-orders. One of the quirkier details is that what was previously known as the mute switch on the iPad -- similar to the one on the iPhone -- is now known as the 'screen rotation lock' on Apple's website. We suppose it makes more sense for this sort of device, both due to the 'hold it any way you feel like' marketing push, and since it's less likely to start ringing in the middle of a
Remember Me screening than your iPhone is. In other news, it's been confirmed that iBooks will be able to sync free (non-DRM'd) ePub titles in from iTunes, which is good news for people who want to use an existing ePub stash of theirs with Apple's fancy page-flipping interface. Also on the books front, it was clarified today that the iPad can indeed use VoiceOver screen-reading for reading pages of books out loud -- we knew the screen reading tech
was on the iPad, but now it sounds as if it will be more directly integrated into iBooks. Apple also clarified today that folks who sign up for the 250MB iPad data plan will receive pop-up alerts when they're running short on data, similar to battery warnings, at the 20 percent, 10 percent and zero marks. There's an account management pane that lets you sign up for or cancel service, add another 250MB, or swap to an unlimited plan. But wait, there's more! Apple's also confirming a few more iPhone OS 3.2 features, like the addition of Google's 'Terrain' view in maps and a slightly revamped iPod app UI. 3.2 also brings some nice video tweaks like support for additional formats (AVI and MJPEG) and native uploads to Facebook -- further boosting the iPad's external camera friendliness.
iPad mute switch magicked into a 'screen rotation lock' overnight, a flurry of other tidbits emerge originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:17:00 EST
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It may not be illegal to tuck your kids into bed via iChat while taking advantage of United's
in-flight WiFi, but that didn't stop a flight attendant from ending John Battelle's (admittedly precious) use of the service during a flight two days ago. It seems that the airline has a policy that prohibits 'two-way devices' from communicating with the ground -- you know, in case some terrorists board the plane and try some shenanigans. Apparently a laptop with WiFi isn't considered a 'two-way device,' until you throw videoconferencing apps like Skype into the mix. Somehow, it seems, the company missed Apple iChat when blocking ports, thus enabling the whole affair. Let this be a lesson to those of you with children: save the chats for the hotel room or the airport lobby, eh?
United puts the kibosh on in-flight video chat, one family seriously 'bummed' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:54:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:33:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:11:00 EST
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We're pretty familiar with
iCub -- the
humanoid robot modeled on a two year old -- around here. Just because we know him well, though, doesn't really change the fact that we get the slightest chill running down our spine every time we're reminded of his existence. Well, iCub's getting an upgrade which includes newer, lighter legs which will be more impervious to damage, and smaller hands. That's right, the youngster, who is about toddler-sized, has had until now, the hands of an eight-year old: pretty embarrassing for the little fellow. The new hands are the right size, and have the correct dexterity as well. Regardless, he's still a little creepy, but as you'll see in the video after the break, impressive none the less.
Continue reading iCub gets upgraded with tinier hands, better legs
iCub gets upgraded with tinier hands, better legs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST
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So, we brought you along for
the big reveal and some
playtesting, and even presented you with
this handy guide just in case you had any more questions. You still haven't got enough of Sony's new motion controller? You're going to want to hop on over to Joystiq for an enjoyable interview with Sony Worldwide Studios VP Scott Rohde where he gets down to brass tacks and answers questions involving the ins and outs of Move game distro, whether the preponderance of 'shovelware' mini-game collections will help or hurt the platform, and the fate of the DualShock controller. It's a wild ride, indeed. So why are you still here?
Joystiq and Sony VP Scott Rohde talk PlayStation Move originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:24:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST
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Lazy humans, your dream has come true: a robot that could carry food and drink from the kitchen straight to your couch-borne position without you having to get up. It's the Toshiba Wheelie, a balancing bot that zips around on two wheels like an autonomous
Segway, but with the added bonus of retractable runners on the front and back to keep it from toppling should it ever suffer an abrupt power failure. It sports stereo cameras on top and a laser range finder as well, enabling it to find its way around (or under) obstacles. The demonstration video below shows it propping a plate of steak and mixed veggies on its head before taking them for a ride around a demonstration space -- impressive, but given it lacks the arms to pick up the plate in the first place we're thinking this one's usefulness is sadly rather limited. He also can't talk, which means rhyming is right out, but he is kinda cute.
Continue reading Toshiba's Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn't do burnouts (video)
Toshiba's Wheelie robot carries your dinner, doesn't do burnouts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:46:00 EST
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:23:00 EST
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The last time we heard anything about the
launch schedule for Google's
Chrome OS it was summer of last year. At that time we were told a rather vague 'second half of 2010' and, now that we're entering the second
quarter of the year, forgive us if we were starting to get a bit doubtful about that timeline. But, Google's Eric Schmidt is here to assuage our fears, speaking at the Abu Dhabi Media Summit and indicating the little OS is still on track for that same, rather vague release window. That we're still not getting a more specific date makes us think we're probably looking at a release toward the
end of the second half of this year, but just the same it seems like you shouldn't wipe that Chrome-powered netbook off your wishlist for this upcoming holiday season just yet.
Eric Schmidt confirms Chrome OS is on schedule, on target originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Published: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:54:00 EST
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And the intellectual property rollercoaster continues. Microsoft's second appeal of
that $240m judgment banning sales of Word with features infringing on i4i's XML-related patents has been rejected, leaving the Redmond giant with a huge fine to pay atop its undoubtedly sky-high lawyer bills. The appeals court held that Microsoft was explicitly aware of i4i's patents before implementing the relevant XML code into Word -- undoubtedly because i4i had been
selling an extremely popular XML plugin for years and had approached Microsoft about licensing it. Yeah, oops. Don't worry, though, there shouldn't be any consumer impact here: old versions of Word aren't affected, and current versions of Word 2007 and Office 2010 don't have the offending features. Still, Microsoft might be able to appeal yet again, depending on a panel ruling on the matter -- at this rate, we'd expect it.
Microsoft loses second Word patent appeal, on the hook for $240 million in damages originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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