If you believe the good readers of Droid Life (and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t), Google has started sneaking out its Instant search option to Android phones in the USA. So far, reports include the original Motorola Droid, the Droid X, and HTC’s Droid Incredible. Lest you’ve been enjoying a lengthy holiday in the tropics, Google Instant throws up search results as you type your query, delivering either much faster results or a much more annoying search experience, depending on how you look at it. Reported operation so far aligns with our early hands-on , with Instant taking a bit of time to get its bearings, but the software is still at the beta stage, after all. Why not jump into your browser this morning and tell us if your Android’s answering your questions before you even hit the Enter key? Google Instant showing up on some Android devices in beta form? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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How do you celebrate half a decade as the world’s best loved and most efficient rechargeable battery? You throw a party, of course, which is exactly what Sanyo is doing with its Eneloop Tones Glitter limited edition set. Packs of eight technicolored AA and AAA Eneloops will go on sale in Japan on November 14, augmenting the brand’s signature longevity with a dash (hell, make it a heaping) of glamorous style. For the functionalists out there seeking an excuse to jump on board, each box contains one of each color, meaning you can claim you bought them to color-code your battery management operation. Yeah, we’ll believe you. Sanyo glams up Eneloop batteries for fifth anniversary originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Ah, there we go. Right around three months after we falsely suspected that El Goog had crossed the 100,000 mark in its Android Market, the company itself has today confirmed the passing of that line via Twitter. For those keeping count, it took but three months to go from 70,000 to 100,000 and seven months to go from 30,000 to this point . Of course, Apple’s still holding down the lead in terms of sheer numbers with close to 300,000, but there’s no question that the Android Market has nearly everything a boy (or girl, for that matter) could want. Except for a quote generator from Step Brothers . Oh, wait…. Android Market surpasses 100,000 apps: can’t stop, won’t stop growing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 03:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We were just getting used to HTC Knight when along comes more supposed details of the still-unconfirmed slider. Boy Genius Report has what it claims is a leaked accessories list from Sprint that reveals a case for the Knight is due on January 6th, 2011. Does that mean the phone itself is launching on the same date? Would that date have something to do with the start of CES ? Oh, and BGR also claims from a source the Knight is getting a new title. What do you think about the HTC Speedy — descriptive, eh? As far as we can tell, there isn’t really much else to go by at this point, so our jump to conclusion will just have to stay under the bed for now. HTC Speedy a Knight in Sprint armor coming January 6th? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …N900 can run unmodified webOS games, what can your Linux-based phone do?
October 26, 2010 No Comment
Ah, standards. Palm and Nokia know what we’re talking about, which is why they support similar methods of developing native Linux apps, namely SDL 1.2. Add on the hardware similarities between the Palm Pre and the N900 (OMAP3430, PowerVR SGX, Open GL ES 2.0 support) and you have a beautiful recipe for cross-platform gaming. Some hardcore Maemo users have taken this to heart and released a new “Preenv” package for the N900 that allows the phone to run unmodified webOS games. Of course, you’ll need to root your Pre to get at those games, and if you want to make a launch icon for the game on the N900 you’ll have to root it as well. Still, this is exciting beyond the potential for playing Need for Speed on much-lauded Nokia hardware: with easy portability between platforms, there’s all the more reason for a developer to be attracted to MeeGo and webOS in the future. [Thanks, Andy D.] N900 can run unmodified webOS games, what can your Linux-based phone do? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …iOS 4.1 glitch lets you bypass lock screen to access Phone app, photo album (video)
October 26, 2010 No Comment
Your iPhone’s passcode entry can’t block everything, it seems — at least not with iOS 4.1 . We’re hearing various reports that simply inputting a random number in the emergency call field and then promptly hitting the hardware lock button will take you to the Phone app, thereby granting you access to the call history, voicemail, and address book. We’ve tried this with iPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4, all with the same result. We can’t get out of the field without trying to place a call, and after that we’re still stuck back at the passcode screen. Additionally, selecting “share contact” and then the camera icon will give you access to the photo album. Pay mind that your particularly paranoid pals could probably use this to see if you really did stop calling your ex and delete all his or her pictures. We won’t judge, but they will. Video proof of concept after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading iOS 4.1 glitch lets you bypass lock screen to access Phone app, photo album (video) iOS 4.1 glitch lets you bypass lock screen to access Phone app, photo album (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 21:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We knew that Hulu Plus was making a beeline for Roku’s stable of media streaming boxes, but now owners have yet another avenue to grab online content: PlayOn . For those unaware, PlayOn delivers online material from Hulu, PBS, TBS, ESPN, CNN, MLB.tv and YouTube (among other places), but the catch is that there’s an annual fee for having access ($34.99 for the first year; $19.99 each year thereafter). Furthermore, you’ll need a PC on the same network as the Roku in order to fetch the content and send it over, but if you’re already setup, you can hit the source link for download and pricing details. PlayOn now available on Roku: more content for a price originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …That didn’t take long, did it? The promised beta of Windows Phone 7′s Mac-friendly companion app is now available, bringing basic media sync capability — notably with iTunes and iPhoto integration — to that shiny new Microsoft-powered phone of yours. In fact, Microsoft delivered the client so fast that it beat every single American WP7 device to market — so AT&T and T-Mobile folks, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll be Mac-compatible from day one. Notably, the so-called Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac lacks any Zune functionality; Microsoft has never written a true Zune client for Mac, unfortunately, but at least this is a critical first step that makes these things usable for Mac owners that aren’t tied to the iPhone. Let us know how the app treats you in comments, alright? Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac moves to public beta originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sure, you might have to be at Adobe’s MAX conference to actually hold a PlayBook in your hand… but RIM’s offering us all the next best thing by turning a beta version of its PlayBook simulator loose on devs way, way in advance of the tablet’s release — ostensibly in the hopes of drumming up a beefy third-party app catalog in time for retail. On that note, we’ve spent a few minutes playing with the simulator today, which is delivered in the form of an ISO that can be loaded as an operating system installer for a VMWare virtual machine on either Windows or Mac. There’s seriously very little to see here so far, but you can play with the on-screen landscape keyboard, confirm the presence of inertial scrolling in text areas, and get a quick look at how the status and app bars work. Speaking of apps, there aren’t any — not a single one — but it’s way early, and that’s obviously where RIM hopes you come into play with that million-dollar software idea of yours. Follow the break for a video walkthrough! Gallery: BlackBerry PlayBook Simulator Beta hands-on Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook Simulator Beta hands-on BlackBerry PlayBook Simulator Beta hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon’s Galaxy Tab won’t have Skype, NFL Mobile, or V Cast video apps at launch
October 25, 2010 No Comment
Looks like that plan to bring NFL content Verizon tablets is on hold, at least for now — we just got Big Red’s employee training materials for the Samsung Galaxy Tab , and they explicitly say that Skype Mobile, NFL Mobile, and V Cast Video won’t be available on the seven-inch tablet at launch. That’s disappointing for a variety of reasons — particularly the loss of Skype, which would have made up for the lack of voice calling ability — but we’re hoping the holdup is mostly due to app-compatibility issues and not corporate politics. We’ll find out, we suppose. Hit the gallery for the rest of the training docs. Gallery: Verizon Galaxy Tab training docs Verizon’s Galaxy Tab won’t have Skype, NFL Mobile, or V Cast video apps at launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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