You Americans may not have a clue what Lovefilm means to Britons, but in short, it’s Netflix for the other side of the pond. To that end, we imagine quite a few UKers are giddy over a video that has since been pulled from Sony’s YouTube channel. We’ve embedded it after the break in case it revives itself in some magical, mystical fashion, but Everything PlayStation managed to grab the copy from underneath while it was still alive. It’s bruited that Lovefilm streaming will be coming to UK-based PS3 owners sometime this autumn, with a wealth of search options available and free trials promised for those who’ve yet to buy into the outfit’s services. We’re hoping to hear more from Sony (or Lovefilm) in short order, but for now, we’d encourage you to cross every finger you have that a dedicated disc won’t be required for everything to work. Continue reading Lovefilm looks to be headed to UK PlayStation 3 consoles Lovefilm looks to be headed to UK PlayStation 3 consoles originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Shocker: Chevy says Volt’s gas engine can power the wheels, it’s just a hybrid after all
October 11, 2010 No Comment
Interesting news from General Motors today that’s resulted in some puzzled expressions at Engadget HQ. We’ve learned that the Volt , which Chevrolet has been making quite a fuss about calling an “extended range electric vehicle,” is actually just a traditional hybrid with some… potentially misleading marketing behind it. Since the concept stage the company has been saying how the onboard internal combustion engine was just to charge the batteries, that only the electric motors (there are two) are actually connected to the drivetrain. Indeed that’s what we were told in person when we test drove the thing back in March. We’re now learning that is not the case, that the Volt’s gasoline engine can directly provide power to the wheels in concert with the electric motors. Is that a problem? In terms of efficiency the answer is “apparently not,” as we’re guessing the car would not have been designed this way if it weren’t the most frugal way to go. So, why all the deception? Why insist this isn’t just a hybrid when it apparently is? When the company went looking for a government bailout it was in part awarded one because of the innovation shown in the Volt. Now that we’re learning the Volt is basically just a plug-in hybrid with a bigger than average battery pack ( Popular Mechanics is finding 30-odd miles of purely electric range), we’re left wondering: where’s the innovation? Update : We’ve added some further details and analysis below. Continue reading Shocker: Chevy says Volt’s gas engine can power the wheels, it’s just a hybrid after all Shocker: Chevy says Volt’s gas engine can power the wheels, it’s just a hybrid after all originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We just got a look at U-verse Mobile running live on Windows Phone 7. It looks just like every other Windows Phone 7 app, of course, but it looks like AT&T isn’t cutting this thing off at the knees content-wise. From the phone you’ll have access to your entire DVR for scheduling and checking the program guide, and you’ll also be able to see any episodes you have recorded on your box. Within that view you can find a subset of shows that have been flagged by the content providers to allow streaming (free-for-all Sling this is not). Additionally, the phone can access a mobile version of U-verse’s on demand deals over 3G, which should hopefully be comparable to Zune or iTunes offerings — though we’ll have to see the specifics to find out for sure. The show we were shown buffered quickly over WiFi and was able to skip around within the episode even faster. Check out the video walkthrough after the break. Continue reading AT&T U-verse Mobile preview AT&T U-verse Mobile preview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pogoplug Pro enables remote access to four USB hard drives, adds inbuilt WiFi
October 11, 2010 No Comment
Hey, Cloud Engines — don’t say we never told you pink was a bad idea . The next generation Pogoplug has launched this afternoon, bringing with it a refreshing color change and a badly-needed WiFi module within. For all intents and purposes, the Pogoplug Pro (which, oddly enough, is a consumer device) has four USB ports and allows all four of ‘em to be accessed remotely so long as your ISP provides a suitable upload speed. Users can even access content on a variety of smartphones, with apps for the iPhone, Android, iPad, BlackBerry, and webOS being readily available. The inclusion of WiFi enables users to set this up wherever their hard drives are (rather than where their router is), and if you’re sold already, you can snag one today at Best Buy (in-store or online) for $99. Continue reading Pogoplug Pro enables remote access to four USB hard drives, adds inbuilt WiFi Pogoplug Pro enables remote access to four USB hard drives, adds inbuilt WiFi originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Samsung’s Omnia 7, ladies and gents. The only Super AMOLED in Microsoft’s launch Windows Phone 7 stable, the Omnia 7 looks appropriately vibrant and richly saturated. To be perfectly fair, we didn’t note a major advantage in using its display relative to the other WP7 devices, but that’s more a mark of distinction on the other phones on show here. The hardware really is looking polished to perfection. The Omnia 7 isn’t really breaking with that trend, with a remarkably lightweight body that combines straight lines with a nicely curved back that sits well in the hand. The power/lock button is curiously positioned on the side of the device, but all points of input seemed to perform very nicely once you know where they are. The depressed Windows key is basically identical to the iPhone’s, dare we say it, iconic home button. As to performance, we’ve nothing to say that we haven’t said about the other WP7 launch devices, it’s blindingly, ridiculously, delightfully quick. Gallery: Samsung Omnia 7 hands-on Samsung Omnia 7 first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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With thousands of developers churning out thousands of apps, we’ve no doubt exploring the Marketplace is going to be a full-time job for at least a day or two after you nab your Windows Phone 7 device this fall — but with all the hullabaloo today, we thought this would be a good opportunity to highlight a few that Microsoft and its partners have been talking about recently. Dig in! Continue reading Windows Phone 7 launch day app roundup Windows Phone 7 launch day app roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Here they are. Are you impressed? From left to right we have: The Samsung Focus , HTC 7 Surround , and the LG Quantum . Indoors at least the Focus is easily winning the screen game, with the best blacks of the bunch thanks to AMOLED (and of course the requisite oversaturation), but the Surround and Quantum don’t slouch on LCDs. While the Surround speaker is fun, it really seems like HTC spent some serious thickness on what might be perceived by many as a gimmick. The Quantum is barely thicker but gives you a QWERTY keyboard for the trouble. So, where do you think your $200 US dollars are going come November? There’s a poll after the break. Gallery: Meet the new AT&T Windows Phone 7 family Continue reading Meet the new AT&T Windows Phone 7 family Meet the new AT&T Windows Phone 7 family originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Here’s yet another HTC handset from the WP7 launch today: the 7 Trophy . Features like the 3.8-inch WVGA LCD, 1GHz Snapdragon and the 5MP camera certainly sound familiar; even the phone’s battery cover has taken a design cue from the Desire — same peel-off method, and same matte texture. Not all that exciting, really, but the OS was running pretty smoothly except for the buggy HTC Hub and browser. For now, help yourselves with our hands-on shots below. Gallery: HTC Trophy first hands-on! HTC 7 Trophy first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’ve got enough time to breathe, you’re not doing it right. Our crazy tour through Windows Phone 7 land is continuing at full pelt with the LG Optimus 7 . We must admit we were very pleasantly surprised by this handset. The 3.8-inch display is a mere LCD and the construction seems to be wholly plastic, but both seem to be punching well above the weight of their constituent elements. It’s a well chiselled, handsome, and light phone, with a trio of physical buttons at the bottom. Whether you like those will really depend on personal preference, we tend to like the clicky tactile feedback of real buttons more than the stillness of touch-sensitive capacitive keys. LG has outfitted the handset with the bone stock WP7 interface, but has augmented the offering with its own apps, namely Play-To for getting friendly with your TV over DLNA and Voice-to-Text for easing your textual inputs. We’re definitely fancying the general build quality and design, tell us what you think after checking out the pics below! Update: Video now embedded after the break. Gallery: LG Optimus 7 first hands-on! Continue reading LG Optimus 7 first hands-on (update: video!) LG Optimus 7 first hands-on (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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And it’s Samsung’s Windows Phone 7 turn! We just got to check out the Samsung Focus (formerly known as the i917 Cetus ), and if you’re looking for the WP7 version of the Galaxy S, this is your guy. The curvy, glossy slate has a 4-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display, and feels a lot like the Samsung Vibrant. AT&T’s touting that the 9.9-millimeter / .3-inch device is the slimmest Windows Phone handset yet, and we do have to say it’s pretty darn slim. We’ll be going back for more soon, but feast your eyes on the gallery and video below… Gallery: Samsung Focus first hands-on! Continue reading Samsung Focus first hands-on! Samsung Focus first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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