Rhapsody on Android now works offline, but still goes online too (video)
November 8, 2010 No Comment
Rhapsody member on Android ? Your life just got a little sweeter. Following up on August’s iPhone update and in the footsteps of other downloadable streaming services like Slacker Radio , Rhapsody’s Android app now offers playlists that don’t turn into pauselists when you go offline. Subscribers paying the $10 per month can now make a list of whatever tracks they want (including full albums of content available on the service) and download those to the phone, where they can be played back even if there isn’t even a whiff of network connectivity in the air. Naturally we’re guessing the DRM is strong with these tracks and they’ll surely only be playable through the Rhapsody app itself, but if you have a long flight ahead and need a bunch of fresh tunes to come along you could certainly do worse. Continue reading Rhapsody on Android now works offline, but still goes online too (video) Rhapsody on Android now works offline, but still goes online too (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We can imagine that the wait’s been an excruciating one for wannabe E7 owners who’ve been restraining themselves from buying an N8 instead… but the good news is that the wait isn’t that much longer. Nokia has announced on Twitter today that the 4-inch tilting QWERTY handset — a phone Espoo has labeled the true successor to the storied Communicator series — will start shipping out on the 10th of next month, though exact availability dates and times will undoubtedly vary a bit from market to market. The company has been quick to note that today’s wild Symbian Foundation news has no effect on the existing range of Symbian^3 devices being launched as we close out the year, so the question is: who’s buying? Nokia E7 starts shipping December 10th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Continuing a fine tradition of large, high resolution prototype displays, Samsung Electronics picked today to show off its latest innovation, in the form of the world’s first 70-inch, “Ultra Definition” 240Hz 3DTV. That UD tag indicates a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels that puts your current HDTV and even larger projection 1080p 3D units to shame. The big deal in this version is the super high speed silicon Samsung has developed to drive all those pixels fast enough to support smooth motion and 3D viewing — glasses still required, of course. Continue reading Samsung shows off 70-inch ‘Ultra Definition’ 3DTV Samsung shows off 70-inch ‘Ultra Definition’ 3DTV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Will that fancy new smartphone you’re looking at buying run a version of Android that hasn’t even been announced yet? Or that Nokia 5800 — where’s the Symbian^3 upgrade? Has the lack of commitment on a launch date for the webOS 2.0 upgrade stopped you from buying a Pre on Sprint? The balance between the relative importance of hardware and software in the smartphone industry is definitely teetering toward the software side these days for a number of reasons: screens have no need to get any bigger or higher-resolution, processors likely can’t get much faster without a significant advance in battery technology, and we’re reaching a point where we’re all going to have HD camcorders in our pockets capable of taking still shots that’ll put even higher-end point-and-shoots to shame. So when you stabilize the hardware like that — that is, you get to the point where manufacturers are iterating essentially the same large slate over and over again with marginally better specs — the spotlight starts to fix squarely on the software underneath. That is to say, whether a phone receives “good” operating system builds (and receives them on a timely basis) really makes or breaks its retail success now more than ever before. All too often, the question isn’t whether a particular device is great, it’s whether the manufacturer and carrier have committed to upgrading it — quite often to a version of its operating system that hasn’t officially been announced. It’s a recipe for confusion and paralysis among consumers that really don’t have a great reason to be putting off their purchases — they just want a reasonable assurance that their new phones aren’t going to be regarded as “obsolete” in six or nine months. And why shouldn’t they? Continue reading Editorial: Should your next mobile OS update cost you? Editorial: Should your next mobile OS update cost you? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 12:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …OCZ RevoDrive X2 PCIe SSD reviewed: blisteringly fast in every conceivable way
November 8, 2010 No Comment
Hard to say why OCZ Technology pushed out revision two of its RevoDrive so soon after the original launched , but it’s hard to complain with numbers like this. Just in time to shock the performance hound in your life with an outlandish Christmas gift comes the RevoDrive X2, and this here PCIe SSD solution has now been benchmarked to the hilt. The bottom line? It’s fast. Really fast. In fact, Hot Hardware calls it “simply one of the fastest PCI Express based SSD solutions” that they have tested, noting that it went toe-to-toe with Fusion-io’s ioXtreme while costing a good bit less. Critics over at Tweak Town echoed those thoughts, and while both teams felt the $680 asking price for a 240GB model was a touch pricey, neither felt that it wasn’t worth it if you’ve got the coin laying around. Hit the links below for more charts than you’d ever want to see as an eight grader. OCZ RevoDrive X2 PCIe SSD reviewed: blisteringly fast in every conceivable way originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Time Warner has been running trials of its Look Back service for a year or so in various markets, but it’s finally ready to bring it to the Real America. The feature lets good, honest folk go back and watch shows they’ve missed for up to three days after they’ve aired, with no need to set a DVR — it’s basically on demand content with a better name and no charge. Shows will be available to watch immediately after they’ve aired. Look for it to hit a coax cable near you very soon. Continue reading Time Warner Cable rolling out Look Back service to the masses Time Warner Cable rolling out Look Back service to the masses originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This one’s been talked about since the middle of last year (at least), but it looks as if the time for contemplating is over and done with. It’s bruited that the Israel Defense Forces will be moving forward on a plan to light up a new cellular system that will blast out SMS alerts to citizens if and when a missile is fired in the direction of Israel. Just over $7 million will be invested, with the application itself being jointly designed by eViglio and Ericsson. If all goes well, it’ll be operational in June of 2011, and it’s just one aspect of the country’s effort to consolidate all emergency alerts into one centralized system. We’re told that the blasts would be sent in a variety of languages, and there’s even potential to send ‘em to TVs, radios, websites and “billboards.” And unlike various other SMS emergency alert systems that have been implemented, these would actually differ based on how the threat was forecasted to affect different geographic regions. Something tells us eViglio’s going to become a multinational company in no time. Israel to activate SMS missile alert system next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Remember the FlyWire? Time to fuhgettaboutit it. While Belkin saw fit to kill the flagship wireless HDMI product of the last decade, a number of other firms have moved forward with similar ideas — thankfully for far less cheddar in many cases. Take this guy, for instance. Best Buy’s in-house Rocketfish label has just introduced a four-port WirelessHD kit, which consists of two separate pieces that work in unison to pipe 1080p content from up to four HDMI sources (one at a time, obviously) to a single HDMI-equipped display. It’s utilizing the same 60GHz WirelessHD protocol that’s been hanging around for years, and supposedly it can operate with around 33 feet of space between boxes. There’s support for 3D video, CEC remote functionality and surround sound, and it’ll even auto-sense which HDMI socket is active and change over to that one for you. At $299.99, it’s definitely one of the cheaper ways to cut an HDMI cable from your setup, but only time will tell if artifacting is an issue. In semi-related news, Rocketfish is also debuting a set of wireless cans at $119.99, with the full details on those waiting just after the break. Continue reading Rocketfish serves up 4-port WirelessHD kit, wireless headphones Rocketfish serves up 4-port WirelessHD kit, wireless headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …ASSET speed camera also checks your seatbelt, insurance, can call the police all by its lonesome
November 8, 2010 No Comment
Speed cameras have dubious legality in many places here in the States, but over in Europe they’re an ugly fact of life. Now they’re getting smarter, and the first is going into deployment in Finland. It’s called ASSET, the Advanced Safety and Driver Support for Essential Road Transport, which confusingly abbreviates to ASDSERT and is the product of
Continue reading …Open Handset Alliance member confirms Android 2.3 is Gingerbread, coming soon to Nexus One
November 8, 2010 No Comment
For an “Open” Handset Alliance , Google has been keeping its cards rather close to its chest when it comes to the oft-discussed Gingerbread flavor of Android , specifically whether it would be another point release or could it be spicy enough to knock us up to 3.0. Now it’s looking confirmed that Gingerbread is indeed 2.3, with Alvaro Fuentes Vasquez, member of the leadership team at the Open Handset Alliance (and who shall now be known as “The Gingerbread Man”), delivering this tweet: Prepare your Nexus One (Developer version) for Android OTA update 2.3 (Gingerbread) in the next few days 
That’s some good news for many N1 owners, and of course means it’s time for those who possess other Android handsets to start with the hoping and the waiting. Open Handset Alliance member confirms Android 2.3 is Gingerbread, coming soon to Nexus One originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 08:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink