We’d heard Google Instant was quietly popping up in mobile form for a lucky few, but it’s officially widespread now — the query-while-you-type search technology’s just hit open beta on Android 2.2 and iOS 4. Just go to Google in your favorite mobile browser and press the “Turn on” link, and you’ll be able to rush into the arms of your favorite technology blog with four fewer clicks. We maintain that it’s nigh-useless on most standard-sized mobile devices, as you can only ever see the top result without scrolling up and down, but it won’t cost you a penny to pick up your handset and form an opinion for yourself. Video demo after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Google Instant for Mobile goes live on Android and iPhone (video) Google Instant for Mobile goes live on Android and iPhone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Click shouldtoday.com – to watch ‘Storm Chasers’ Star Matt Hughes Dead at 30 FREE Veteran meteorologist Matt Hughes, a star on Discovery Channel’s ‘Storm Chasers,’ was memorialized in his final episode on Nov. 3. He died on May 26 in Wichita, Kansas, at 30 years old. Many fans only learned of his death when the episode aired. The installment, titled ‘Dedication,’ detailed Hughes’ final storm chase. His cause of death has yet to be confirmed, but was “unrelated to his often dangerous hobby,”
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So, the mystery’s solved. If you’ll recall, we spotted ASUS’ Eee PC 1015T sittin’ pretty at Computex , but considering that the OS was wiped by the time we got to it, we were left to take the placard’s word for it when it came to specifications. Now, B&H has begun to offer this bad boy here in the States, with $349.99 nabbing you a 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB (5400RPM) hard drive, ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 4250, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit panel, inbuilt webcam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 Starter and a six-cell battery. All told, it rings up at 2.8 pounds and should last anywhere between three and six hours on a full charge, but we’re guessing real-world performance will swing towards the former. It’s available right now in blue, black and white, and if you’re looking for a way to stick it to Intel’s sluggish Atom line, here it is. ASUS Eee PC 1015T now on sale, complete with AMD V105 CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft Kinect ripped to pieces, found to contain chips on tiny green boards
November 5, 2010 No Comment
If you ever doubted that Microsoft’s Kinect was based on PrimeSense technology , you can leave those suspicions at the door — iFixit ‘s separated the twin-eye motion sensing camera into its constituent parts, and there’s definitely PrimeSense silicon on board. To be precise, there’s a PrimeSense processor that handles images from the color and infrared CMOS auto-focus imagers, a Marvell SoC to interface with those cameras, 512Mb of DDR2 memory and 8Mb of flash plus an accelerometer of all things. (Perhaps game developers intend to break the fourth wall when you inevitably knock the unit off your TV.) Filled with four different kinds of security screws and a fair bit of glue, Kinect’s a tough nut to crack. Seems like a small price to pay, however, when it’s so wonderfully robotic underneath. Oh, and speaking of the Kinect — don’t suppose you’ve read our full review ? Microsoft Kinect ripped to pieces, found to contain chips on tiny green boards originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Although Skyfire for iPhone is almost exactly like its Android counterpart, it’s still not available for download in the App Store due to server issues , so we thought you might want to see how it works. We’ve seen improvements on the Flash-to-HTML5 conversion servers in the past day or so, which makes watching videos a breeze. The app itself serves as a fully functional browser with the usual features you’d hope to find: bookmarking, a dedicated search bar, custom homepage, and even private browsing. Pages render rather quickly, although scrolling and pinching to zoom is a little rough around the edges. As for actually watching Flash videos, it couldn’t be easier — once you’ve navigated to a page embedded with a video, a popup window will appear and you’re good to go. Sadly, though, the browser lacks the ability to scrub videos. But hey, if you’ve been waiting three-plus years to play flash videos on your 3.5-inch display, Skyfire might ( or might not ) be the solution to your burning desire. Be sure to check out the browser in action after the break! Continue reading Skyfire for iPhone hands-on (video) Skyfire for iPhone hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …MacBook Air battery shown to last two hours longer when browsing the web sans Flash
November 4, 2010 No Comment
Let’s be honest, Apple’s claim that it neglected to preload Flash on the new MacBook Airs so that users themselves could download and install the latest (and safest) version was a bit of a red herring. Behind that thin veil of corporate courtesy, we’re now seeing a pretty potent cause for Apple’s dumping of Adobe’s wares. Ars Technica ‘s review of the 11-inch Air discovered that the machine could crank its way through six hours of web browsing when Flash was nowhere near it, but only four hours with Flash installed and giving it “the full web experience.” The primary culprit was Adobe’s penchant for using CPU cycles to display animated ads, which were typically replaced by static imagery in the absence of the requisite software. So yeah, it’s not a surprise that a “richer” web would require more resources, but it doesn’t speak well for Flash’s efficiency to find a laptop loses a third of its longevity when running it. MacBook Air battery shown to last two hours longer when browsing the web sans Flash originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung showcases 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED, may actually mass produce this one
November 4, 2010 No Comment
For all intents and purposes, every single flexible display we’ve seen over the past few years has eventually been filed in the “awesome things that’ll never materialize” drawer. There are exceptions to that rule, mind you, but we’ve largely been frustrated by how often these things pop up at trade shows and then vanish forever. Samsung Mobile Display, however, is hoping to change that. According to reports stemming from FPD International 2010, this here 4.5-incher is dangerously close to production, and given the lustworthy 800 x 480 resolution, we couldn’t be more excited about the possibilities. We’re told that Samsung is eschewing the traditional glass substrate in favor of a newfangled plastic version, and evidently it’s a heck of a lot easier to mass produce. After all, we’re still waiting for this thing , guys. Samsung showcases 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED, may actually mass produce this one originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Tablet sales affecting netbooks? Seems everyone’s been suggesting that lately, from Best Buy to ASUS , with much of the blame placed on Apple’s iPad for mining the gap , so to speak. Add Microsoft to that chorus — specifically GM for Windows Product Management Gavriella Schuster. Referencing the pink netbook sitting between her and Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s Nick Eaton, Schuster said, “These are definitely getting cannibalized… these are really a second device. But they are getting cannibalized” ( SPI’s emphasis, not ours). Given Windows’ dominance in the netbooks, she’s probably got some hush-hush numbers that color her opinion. Then again, speaking of color, perhaps she just doesn’t like pink. Netbooks are being ‘cannibalized,’ says Windows GM originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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At first glance, sitting all on its lonesome like that, the GF2 might forgivably be perceived as just another mundanely incremental upgrade on what was already a lauded predecessor in the Lumix GF1 . But, for once, our pessimism was not borne out by the facts — far from it. With the GF2, Panasonic has somehow managed to shrink its smallest Micro Four Thirds shooter even further, by a reported 19 percent, and the difference in handling is tangible. The Japanese giant has also lightened the load by seven percent, thrown in a new touchscreen-centric UI, and, predictably, upped the video ante to 720/60p or 1080/60i recording in AVCHD format. Join us after the break to see what we thought of this delicious new recipe for pseudo-pocketable large-sensor shooting. Please note: Panasonic has not yet finalized the GF2′s firmware, meaning that the sample images and video below may not necessarily be indicative of the quality you’ll get from the final product. Gallery: Panasonic GF2 hands-on Gallery: Panasonic GF2 sample images Continue reading Panasonic Lumix GF2 preview Panasonic Lumix GF2 preview originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There are a lot of futuristic things we’re still waiting on: jet packs for the entire family and self-driving cars, to name a few. But one new bit of technology has finally come to fruition, thanks to the folks at Microsoft. It’s called Kinect. (Nov. 4)
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