Acer’s Liquid Metal spotted in the wild, chilling with two mystery friends
October 21, 2010 No Comment
The last we heard about Acer’s Liquid Metal smartphone, an Android 2.2 unit with a 3.6-inch display and a lovely aluminum exterior, it was getting ready for a UK launch at the end of October . There’s just a little over a week left to meet that date, and all we have to show are some decidedly unofficial photos from Droid Sans . The first pic, above, shows off a very smudged up looking Liquid Metal (or what is said to be a Liquid Metal at least), but after that are photos of two mystery devices. The first of those (pictured below) has the same… distinctively lengthy form factor of the GW990 , while the other device is a tablet that we’ve not laid eyes on before. It looks to be running Android 2.2 (or later) and is said to be “big enough to shift the iPad.” We’re not sure exactly how to parse that bit of auto-translation, but maybe it’s a coded reference to JT Wang’s prediction of doom for the iPad’s market share. Continue reading Acer’s Liquid Metal spotted in the wild, chilling with two mystery friends Acer’s Liquid Metal spotted in the wild, chilling with two mystery friends originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Students get their hands on Microsoft’s Adaptive Keyboard, adapt it to their nefarious ways (video)
October 21, 2010 No Comment
When Microsoft announced its Adaptive Keyboard , backed by an LCD not entirely unlike the Optimus Maximus and its dynamic ways, the company said it’d be hosting a contest to see which students could come up with the best way to use the thing. Now it’s time to look at some of the results. Highlights? One app, with the press of a button, replaces your keys with the icons on your desktop. Another brings Windows Media Player playlist control to your fingertips, and a third lets coders easily navigate namespace, class, and member variables. Oh, and then there’s the app that dynamically remaps your keys to frustrate keyloggers — and users. There are lots more, all presented by some generally uncomfortable looking students over the course of the video embedded after the break. Warning: it’s 24 minutes long, so you’d best get a refill before clicking “Play.” Continue reading Students get their hands on Microsoft’s Adaptive Keyboard, adapt it to their nefarious ways (video) Students get their hands on Microsoft’s Adaptive Keyboard, adapt it to their nefarious ways (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Lumigon T1 with ICEpower amplifiers officially unveiled, to arrive ‘by the very end of this year’
October 21, 2010 No Comment
Just as promised, Denmark-based Lumigon has finally lifted the curtains over its much hyped T1 Android handset. Specs include an 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 chipset with an optional Qualcomm HSDPA modem, along with a 3.5-inch 480 x 800 capacitive touchscreen LCD, 5 megapixel autofocus camera, A-GPS, Bluetooth and FM radio. What the Scandinavian company’s really selling here, though, is the phone’s multimedia features: not only does it have a FM transmitter , a HDMI dock and Bang & Olufsen’s renowned ICEpower audio amplifiers, but it also doubles up as an “innovative” universal remote control for your various AV devices — pretty unique for an Android device, we’ll give you that. Interestingly, the press release omits any mention of Froyo , so here’s a glimmer of hope that Lumigon will manage to skin whatever the latest version of Android will be in time for the launch — a few lucky outlets will receive the phones “by the very end of this year,” just in time for your Christmas refunds. Oh, and remember the sister handset S1 ? We’re now told that this T9 slider won’t be out until Q3 2011. Sometimes it’s better to take one step at a time, eh? Gallery: Lumigon T1 with Freescale processor unveiled, to arrive ‘by the very end of this year’ Continue reading Lumigon T1 with ICEpower amplifiers officially unveiled, to arrive ‘by the very end of this year’ Lumigon T1 with ICEpower amplifiers officially unveiled, to arrive ‘by the very end of this year’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Logitech may have it’s own set of accessories for its Revue Google TV box, but the best peripheral may just be that Android phone you already have, which can be turned into a full-fledged remote control with the Logitech Revue app that’s just hit the Android Market. Like other similar smartphone remote apps, it will give you both a trackpad and a keyboard in addition to the usual remote control buttons, and it’s thankfully free to download. Hit up Android Market to find it right now, or head on past the break if you’d prefer to download it QR code-style. Continue reading Remote control app for Logitech Revue hits the Android Market Remote control app for Logitech Revue hits the Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …PSA: FaceTime beta endangers your Apple ID password and security questions
October 21, 2010 No Comment
Worried about local hackers? Like leaving your laptop behind in the coffee shop while you take long, leisurely trips to the bathroom? We wouldn’t be so self-assured. Turns out there’s a gaping security hole in the FaceTime beta , which allows anyone with access to your computer to change your password without knowing it to begin with, as well as peep and edit your security questions and answers. It would be nice if signing out of FaceTime would protect you, but unfortunately the app seems to have a lock-tight memory on your password, so it’s easy for anyone to open the app and sign-in again. Hopefully Apple will fix these holes quickly, and until then we recommend uninstalling FaceTime or choosing your friends very wisely. PSA: FaceTime beta endangers your Apple ID password and security questions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you find the typical 16:9 display ratio to be too upsetting or distracting for the cubicle (kind of like the switch from black and white to color in The Wizard of Oz ), Samsung has announced a pair of TCO 5.0 certified 16:10 monitors featuring D-sub, DVI, and DisplayPort connectivity perfect for the office. The 22-inch SyncMaster 2243DW sports a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 5 millisecond response time, while the 24-inch SyncMaster 2443DW sports a dynamic contrast ratio of 70,000:1. Available for €269 ($378) and €329 ($460) respectively. Look for ‘em in Europe later this month, if you feel so inclined. Samsung’s new SyncMaster monitors: DisplayPort, 16:10, tres European originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Can you believe it’s only been a year since Windows 7 hit the market? So much has happened in the interim, we could swear it’s been a decade. Of course, Microsoft is celebrating Windows 7′s birthday the best way it knows how: sales numbers. Turns out the little OS has done pretty well for itself, with 240 million licenses sold, giving it a 17 percent global operating system market share, and making it a healthy chunk of the 1.2 billion Windows PCs out there. As for the slow-to-adopt businesses out there, Microsoft still has some work to do, but it says 90 percent of companies have upgraded or “started their move” to 7. So, we’ve got the cold hard facts out of the way, any precious, personal, heartfelt memories of your time with the OS you’d like to share? We’ve got dibs on Steve Ballmer dropping by the Engadget Show on launch week. Windows 7 moves 240 million copies in its first year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 11:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …ITU lays down law: WiMAX 2, LTE-Advanced are 4G, everyone else is a buster
October 21, 2010 No Comment
Fleshing out what constitutes a 3G versus a 4G wireless technology is like trying to objectively quantify whether Coke or Pepsi is the superior beverage — but for what it’s worth, the UN’s ITU is widely recognized as the closest thing we have to a final word (on the Gs, that is, not the colas). They’ve just issued a press release stating that of six technologies nominated for IMT-Advanced (the formal name for 4G) certification, just two have emerged victorious: 802.16m WiMAX 2 — also known as WirelessMAN-Advanced — and LTE-Advanced . That would leave Sprint, Verizon, and everyone else currently deploying WiMAX and LTE technically false in advertising their latest-generation services as “4G,” though with so many technologies crowding the 3G space, we can’t necessarily blame them; heck, even EDGE and CDMA2000 without EV-DO technically qualify as 3G in the eyes of the ITU, so yeah, the situation is really just as muddled as ever. For what it’s worth, neither 802.16m nor LTE-Advanced are live anywhere in the world — and they aren’t expected to be for some time — so whether you like it or not, the UN says you’re still living a 3G existence no matter where you’re located. So close! Follow the break for the ITU’s release. Continue reading ITU lays down law: WiMAX 2, LTE-Advanced are 4G, everyone else is a buster ITU lays down law: WiMAX 2, LTE-Advanced are 4G, everyone else is a buster originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung comes clean with Galaxy S Froyo upgrade dates: all carriers in November
October 21, 2010 No CommentThe Android 2.2 upgrade situation on the Galaxy S has been a veritable rollercoaster of emotions for owners recently, owing in no small part to the seemingly final firmwares that have been briefly posted and pulled from the company’s servers in parts of the world over the past couple weeks. Nordic countries have already sample the goods, but Sammy says that a “new” firmware update will be available in early November in the UK and should hit “all operator versions” of the phone (presumably including the Vibrant , Captivate , Epic 4G , and Fascinate ) by the end of November. YouMobile is reporting that existing regional updates have been pulled due to general not-awesomeness, so hopefully they’ll have a chance to get it right over the next couple weeks before it starts hitting again. Follow the break for Samsung’s press release. Continue reading Samsung comes clean with Galaxy S Froyo upgrade dates: all carriers in November Samsung comes clean with Galaxy S Froyo upgrade dates: all carriers in November originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A team of surgeons at McGill University, including the da Vinci robo-surgeon and a robot anesthesiologist named, of all things, McSleepy, recently removed some dude’s prostate during what is being billed as the world’s first all-robotic surgery. The device transmits hi-def 3D images to a nearby workstation, where it is controlled by surgeons “with a precision that cannot be provided by humans alone,” according to MUHC urologist-in-chief Dr. A. Aprikian. Of course, the robots are being kept on a tight leash by their human operators, with McGill’s Dr. Thomas Hemmerling pointing out that “[r]obots will not replace doctors but help them to perform to the highest standards.” Just tell that to all the other medical robots we’ve seen in this space, eh, doc? We’ve heard they have plans. Bad plans . Continue reading First all-robot surgery performed at McGill University First all-robot surgery performed at McGill University originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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