Archive for May, 2010.
Think it’s only Apple faithful who are adding an iPad to their gadget cache? According to Chitika Research, that’s not true. The online advertising firm keeps a close eye on which platforms are downloading its ads the most, and it says that Mac computers accounted for 10.3 percent of wasted bandwidth in April. That’s up from 7.4 percent in the January – March timeframe (you know, the pre-iPad era), and Chitika Research Director Daniel Ruby says “90% of that increase was due to the iPad halo effect.” Meanwhile, NPD analyst Stephen Baker believes that the boost is instead thanks to the new MacBook Pro models that were released at the same time, and Technology Business Research analyst Ezra Gottheil says “early data on the iPad indicated that most buyers were already in the Apple club.” Who is right? Survey says… your guess is as good as ours, and any of theirs, apparently.
Feuding analysts argue about whether the iPad is boosting Mac sales originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 10:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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PosiMotion certainly announced this one well enough in advance (all the way back in December), but it looks like its Helix gaming grip for the iPhone and iPod touch is now finally available, and at Best Buy no less. In case your memory needs to be jogged a bit, this $20 contraption promises to be ideal for “virtually any game,” and let you use your iPhone or iPod touch in either portrait or landscape mode — it’ll also keep your headphones from getting tangled up for good measure. Still not convinced? Then perhaps the video after the break will change your mind — chains not included.
Continue reading PosiMotion Helix iPhone / iPod touch gaming grip now available at Best Buy
PosiMotion Helix iPhone / iPod touch gaming grip now available at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We’ve always been suckers for Minority Report tech, and Microsoft Research’s latest attempt is not to be missed. Thought pinch-to-zoom was quaint? Try pinching the sky in this geodesic dome. Though the cardboard-and-paper-clip structure isn’t all that (unless you’re the arts and crafts type), the inside houses a projectiondesign DLP unit with a custom infrared camera system that can turn simple hand gestures into virtual interstellar travel, 360-degree video teleconferencing and more. You’ll find a pair of videos demonstrating the concept after the break, but try not to get too attached — if you’re anything like us, your poor heart can’t handle another Courier axing.
Continue reading Microsoft Research toys with the cosmos… using forefinger and thumb (video)
Microsoft Research toys with the cosmos… using forefinger and thumb (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 10:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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There can be only one. Wait, wrong franchise — this here is a Netwalker showdown. In the left corner, we have the Sharp Netwalker PC-Z1, a 5-inch Ubuntu smartbook powered by the 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU, and at right, we have the Sharp Netwalker PC-T1, a 5-inch Ubuntu tablet with the exact same specs. Is the pen mightier than the keyboard? We won’t find out today — but Pocketables invite you to check out a bevy of fresh-squeezed T1 unboxing pics and comparison shots while they work on a review. See an EVO 4G make this tablet squirm at our source link, or check out our more coverage section if the juxtaposition of the words “Ubuntu” and “tablet” had you scrambling for your pocketbook three sentences ago.
Sharp Netwalker PC-T1 unboxed, now available originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple has just trotted out its latest sales milestone for the iPad: two million devices have now been sold since the slate’s launch on April 3. We promise we won’t bother you with sales figures every time another million gets rounded, but it’s notable that the company has managed to maintain the rapid pace it achieved with its hero tablet during its first month on the market. Of course, that big international launch just a couple of days ago would surely have had something to do with it as well. Ah well, good for them.
Continue reading Apple sells two million iPads, international launch likely the main culprit
Apple sells two million iPads, international launch likely the main culprit originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 08:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Last week, Apple passed Microsoft in market capitalization. Microsoft is still the most profitable company in the segment, and as Jobs himself would point out, it is all about profit. However the one saying I’ve made famous is that “perception is 100 percent of reality,” and the perception is that Apple did and continues to beat Microsoft. The executive Microsoft had positioned against Apple was Robbie Bach, who ran Microsoft’s entertainment and hardware division, and this got me thinking that Apple’s greatest strength may be its secret fifth column.
Put down that “rare” Transformers figurine, hide that box of “real” Japanese Anime, and don’t even think of showing us your Ninja Turtles costume: we’ve found the ticket to cool you’ve been looking for. CTA Digital, who has always excelled in building stunningly superfluous gaming accessories has outdone itself with the new Inflatable Racing Kart. The best news? It’ll support up to 300 of your hip-cool-guy pounds. Check out a video after the break in case you’re not convinced.
Continue reading CTA Digital’s Inflatable Kart for the Wii: at last you can be the coolest kid on your block
CTA Digital’s Inflatable Kart for the Wii: at last you can be the coolest kid on your block originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 May 2010 18:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Plenty of other VoIP apps have managed to work in this functionality since Apple / AT&T started allowing it last year, but the official Skype app has been a notable holdout. Now, two months after Skype started doing 3G calls on Android with Verizon, there’s a 2.0 version of the app for iPhone that brings voice calls over 3G at last. Mobile iPhone calls are free until August, after which you’ll need a “mobile subscription.” We’re testing out the app as we write this and it seems to work about as well any other 3G VoIP app we’ve tried: passable, not revolutionary.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
New Skype 2.0 app for the iPhone allows voice calls over 3G originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 May 2010 17:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.
With each passing day it becomes less of an insult to say someone’s head is in the clouds, as more and more people begin to outright rely on web sites and applications like Facebook, Google Docs, Flickr, Farmville, YouTube and Hulu. Among these popular services are Slacker and Pandora, two internet radio services that have grown tremendously since becoming available as smartphone apps, and which have recently completed the three-screen trifecta by being offered on connected televisions. These services have always had plenty of online competition, including simulcast internet radio stations, streamed Sirius XM, and Rhapsody. But it appears as though the landscape of Internet music services in the US is preparing to accommodate two more game-changing newcomers from profoundly different backgrounds.
The first is a startup from Europe called Spotify, which has been winning fans across the continent in the five countries in which it is offered. Spotify’s Open service represents something of a holy grail for on-demand music from the cloud: you can play any song in its catalog as often as you like for up to 20 hours per month for free, and share songs with your friends. The service gets high marks for its responsiveness. Becoming a premium Spotify member essentially turns the service into something more akin to Rhapsody, with no ads, better audio quality, and offline listening. Spotify has begun offering a private preview of its U.S. service to a lucky few, and is expected to be rolling out more broadly this year.
Continue reading Switched On: Thunder in the cloud
Switched On: Thunder in the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 May 2010 17:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How many executives does it take to screw in a light bulb? Fewer than you would think! How many screens do you need to coordinate your digital life with the cloud? Less than 3, contrary to popular belief. How many Engadget Podcasteers need be present to convey the week’s news to you in a succinct 90-minute audio package? Less than five. How many Foxconn employees should consider suicide to bring you a $99 iPhone? That’s right, zero. This week, it’s all about reductionism on the Engadget Podcast. Let’s go on a trip together – to the clean, compact future.
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Music: Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Hear the podcast
00:04:15 – WSJ: Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division getting a ‘shakeup,’ J Allard expected to leave
00:04:35 – Microsoft’s Robbie Bach and J Allard leaving as part of broader shakeup; Xbox and Windows Phone teams now reporting directly to Ballmer
00:06:00 – Robbie Bach: Project Natal a ‘midlife kicker’ for Xbox 360, ‘absolutely confident’ Courier innovations will appear elsewhere
00:08:32 – Apple and Microsoft now neck and neck in market capitalization
00:08:55 – Ballmer downplays Microsoft’s shift in market value, says it’s a ‘long game’
00:30:23 – Windows Phone 7 pops up on a Samsung prototype device, plays Twin Blades
00:32:12 – webOS design mastermind Matias Duarte leaves Palm… and could be headed to Google
00:32:22 – Confirmed: Palm’s Matias Duarte joins Google as User Experience Director for Android
00:42:07 – Lenovo kills Skylight OS in favor of Android, U1 Hybrid and Skylight smartbook being shelved
00:51:32 – The next Apple TV revealed: cloud storage and iPhone OS on tap… and a $99 price tag
01:04:00 – Confirmed: Apple’s next iPhone will have video chat, feature to be shown in ads directed by Sam Mendes
01:09:53 – Foxconn raising wages, relocating 20 percent of Shenzhen workers closer to home (updated)
00:20:00 – Apple, Dell, and HP comment on suicides as Foxconn CEO shows off the pool
01:29:49 – Introducing Engadget Alt
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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Misc. Gadgets, Handhelds, Home Entertainment, Household, Media PCs, Podcasts, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Tablet PCs, Wireless, Storage, Internet
Engadget Podcast 198 – 05.29.2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 May 2010 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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