Living in the States, it’s easy to forget just how large a global presence Nokia has managed to maintain, in spite of some difficulties keeping up with the likes of iOS and Android. The company certainly had a presence at IFA this year, between its own booth and appearances in Vodafone’s show offerings. And despite what detractors might say about the Finnish hardware manufacturer, it’s hard to deny that the company has given us fine offerings on the hardware front. The 701 doesn’t have the most exciting build we’ve seen from the Nokia, but it certainly has a lot going for it, including a bright 3.5-inch display, steel backing, an eight megapixel camera and built-in NFC. On the software side, we’re of course looking at Symbian Belle, with its customizable home screens, which is managed quite nicely with the smartphone’s 1GHz processor. Check out a quick hands-on with the handset after the break. Gallery: Nokia 701 hands-on Continue reading Nokia 701 hands-on (video) Nokia 701 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Team-Touchdroid dual boots Android on TouchPad — touchscreen not included
September 3, 2011 No Comment
The race to get Android working on the now budget-friendly HP TouchPad is on. We’ve already heard rumors of the little green robot coming pre-installed on the ill-fated slate and we’ve seen the first CM7 boot , but no one’s gone all the way quite yet. While progress is slow, a team of dedicated TouchPad hackers, calling itself Team-Touchdroid, is now showing off a dual-boot configuration with Android 2.3.5. As with CM7, the touchscreen still doesn’t work, but the demo video is quite dramatic — that is until the credits stop rolling. If early-stage flip-flopping OSs are your thing, hop on past the break, but don’t say we didn’t warn you: it’s going to get weird. Continue reading Team-Touchdroid dual boots Android on TouchPad — touchscreen not included Team-Touchdroid dual boots Android on TouchPad — touchscreen not included originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Griffin announces ‘Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer,’ gives up on creative product names
September 3, 2011 No Comment
Multitasking business executives are going to love this. Whether you’re taking notes on your tablet , pointing out graphs in a presentation or just signing reports, Griffin’s new “Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer” should have you covered. As the name implies, it’s a three-in-one input device containing a red laser pointer , an “omni-directional” capacitive stylus and a refillable ball point pen. It certainly seems convenient, but with a $50 price tag you may want to think twice before ditching your Bic. Full PR past the break. Continue reading Griffin announces ‘Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer,’ gives up on creative product names Griffin announces ‘Stylus + Pen + Laser Pointer,’ gives up on creative product names originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video)
September 3, 2011 No Comment
There were lots of cool Apple-centric products to been seen around XtremeMac’s extremely orange booth at IFA this week, proving that there’s still interesting things to be done in the world of iPhone / iPad / iPod docks. At the top of the list is the Soma Stand, a pyramid-shaped dock that folds up for portability. The accessory is mostly speaker, which faces outward, so sound isn’t blocked when you’ve got an iPad on the thing. The Soma Stand should be hitting shelves around October, running around €100 here in Europe. The Soma Travel, meanwhile, works without the need batteries or wires, running directly off the power from your docked Apple device. XtremeMac claims that a docked iPhone 4 playing through the speakers will get about 34 hours of audio playback on a charge. As expected, the thing doesn’t get too loud, but it should do the trick for solo listening. The peripheral will run around €50 on its release. The Tango Bar is a style-conscious sound bar with a silver grill that fits in quite nicely with the current generation iMac. The speaker pulls both audio and power from a single USB cable and outputs audio at ten watts. Like the Soma Stand, the Tango Bar will run around €100. Check out video of the Soma Stand after the break. Gallery: XtremeMac IFA booth hands-on Continue reading XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video) XtremeMac showcases the Soma Stand, Soma Travel and more at IFA (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Dish reportedly launching Blockbuster movie streaming service next month
September 3, 2011 No Comment
Dish Network already has its DishOnline streaming service for its own paying customers, but it looks like it’s now set to take direct aim at Netflix with a standalone subscription service that will be open to everyone. According to Bloomberg , that will operate under the company’s recently acquired Blockbuster brand and, in what’s surely a bitter pill for Netflix to swallow, it’s said to include titles from Starz (which also handles movies from Disney and Sony). As you’ll recall from yesterday , it announced that it will be pulling all of its titles from Netflix in February of next year after it failed to reach an agreement with the company. Details on the service otherwise remain a bit light — including any word of a possible subscription price — although Bloomberg says it “may” also include on-demand Blockbuster movies that Dish customers will be able to watch on their TVs. Dish reportedly launching Blockbuster movie streaming service next month originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Have you been navigating that cross-country trip via the recently updated TomTom iPhone app while carrying along an iPad on the excursion as well? Soon, you’ll be able to find your way by slate alone, as the company has announced an iPad-optimized version of their GPS app. To make things even better, if you already have the download, you can grab it for your Apple tab for free this Fall. Well played, TomTom… well played. Continue reading TomTom iOS app update invites iPads to the party, provides directions TomTom iOS app update invites iPads to the party, provides directions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 16:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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PocketBook , primarily known for its e-readers, introduced the A 10 this week at IFA — that’s “A” for Android and “10″ for 10-inches (well, 10.1 inches). The Android in this case is Gingerbread, nothing particularly exciting on that front, in a world that has largely moved on to Honeycomb in all its iterations, but at the very least, the company is doing some cool stuff on the design front in a world of infringingly lookalike devices. The body was reportedly inspired by an airplane wing, encased in white plastic that forms a wedge on the rear. The tablet’s a bit on the chunky side, with a row of actual physical buttons located on the bottom of the bezel. On the rear is a white plastic around a soft, rubbery back. The tablet is a bit less exciting on the inside, with 4GB of storage, a 1GHz TI OMAP 3621 processor, WiFi and optional 3G. Not surprisingly, given the company’s history, the device is reading-minded, with proprietary software built around the e-book experience and page buttons built in. The company is also looking to possibly position the device for the educational sector. The A 10 should be hitting Europe around October, with a price tag of less that €300. The company is also planning on US availability for the tablet but isn’t offering much in the way of specifics on that front. Gallery: Pocketbook A10 hands-on Continue reading Pocketbook A10 hands-on (video) Pocketbook A10 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …North American Eagle project pumps out WiFi, takes aim at land speed records
September 3, 2011 No Comment
Most folks would be content if their jet-powered vehicle did nothing but break land speed records, but not so with the team behind the North American Eagle project. They’ve gone and also stuffed some WiFi equipment inside the nose of the vehicle, which they hope will be able to transmit data back to an experimental mesh WiFi network set up around the dry lake bed while the vehicle is in the process of breaking the sound barrier. That hasn’t happened just yet, but the vehicle itself has already topped speeds of 400 miles per hour — which is only half of what the team eventually hopes to reach. North American Eagle project pumps out WiFi, takes aim at land speed records originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In an IFA galaxy far far away lives the China Pavilion. And on the far side of the outer ring of the China Pavilion, buried amongst a plethora of steamers, curling irons, and television mounts, you may stumble upon the S-Walker — though you’re just as likely to miss it. And what might an S-Walker be? Well, if we’re being precise, it’s a “Speed-Walker, Sky-Walker, whatever,” according to its German booth master. Luke would be proud. Lesser beings may recognize it as a KIRF Segway , designed in Germany and handmade in China, just a mere ten days ago. Its biggest strength lies in price — the thing is expected to retail for €2,500 (about $3,550) sometime in the middle of next year. We suppose this yet-to-be-released electric transporter is here to serve warehouse workers, couriers, and the millions of college students who every day dream of zooming across campus atop a pair of motorized wheels, but simply couldn’t justify spending an entire semester’s tuition on a Segway. We spent a few minutes riding the world’s first (and only) functional S-Walker around the rather deserted International Hall, and while very much still a prototype, the battery powered contraption felt peppy enough and responded accurately to commands, moving forward as we leaned to the front, and backing up as we shifted weight to the rear. You control direction using a small handlebar-mounted joystick, rather than by leaning from side-to-side as you would on a Segway. The designers capped speed at 10 kilometers per hour for the IFA demo, but production models will be boosted to 30 km/h, and it’s theoretically capable of reaching 100 km/h (but that’ll likely require some potentially-illegal hacking on your part). Roll on past the break to see the S-Walker in action. And may the force be with you. Gallery: S-Walker Electric Transporter hands-on Continue reading S-Walker Electric Transporter hands-on (video) S-Walker Electric Transporter hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 10:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Just two days after Samsung unveiled its Honeycomb-sporting Galaxy Tab 7.7 , the slate (along with all traces of its existence) has vanished from the IFA floor. All demo models have been yanked from Sammy’s booth, branding has disappeared, and even the large poster touting the slate has been covered up. The Korean company hasn’t been entirely forthcoming about the reason behind the removal, but a spokesperson did tell SlashGear that the move was voluntary. Given that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is already barred from sale in Germany (and some 7.7 units on display bore a sticker informing handlers it would also not make it to retail in Deutschland), speculation has led many to link the vanishing act to the ongoing legal battle with Apple. For now though, all we have to go on is Samsung’s confirmation that the tablet has been pulled, accompanied by a refusal to comment further. Galaxy Tab 7.7 disappears from IFA floor, not a trace left behind originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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