Who’d have thought that adding extra grunt under the hood, a glasses-free 3D display up top, a wireless ” tag mode ,” and automatic wireless updates to the 3DS would serve to degrade battery life? Certainly not our naive souls. The same Q&A that informed us about Nintendo’s Spot Pass plans for the 3DS has been found to also contain some commentary on battery endurance from Satoru Iwata himself. The company chief says “it is inevitable that Nintendo 3DS will be a device which requires more frequent recharging than Nintendo DS” and notes that as a major reason why a charging cradle will be bundled into the new console’s retail package . With tongue firmly wedged in cheek, Iwata suggests that perhaps Nintendo ought to advise users to deposit the 3DS into its cradle as soon as they get home, but the overall point is as clear as it is obvious: your more powerful handheld will require more power. Shocker! Nintendo 3DS will have shorter battery life than DS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 03:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 starts shipping its outdated self around the world
October 8, 2010 No Comment
We’re not going to make any apologies. So long as Sony Ericsson continues to pretend like Android 2.x doesn’t exist and keeps kicking out new devices running Android 1.6, we’ll keep docking it points like the meanest of Russian judges. The 3-inch X8 is set to be Sony Ericsson’s most affordable Android handset — we were told it’ll cost south of $300 unlocked — to date, but then you get your money’s worth with a 600MHz processing core and a 3.2 megapixel fixed focus camera. Oh, even better news is that the X8 will get updated to Android 2.1 “a little later” than SE’s X10 line. If you want to avoid all this Android upgrade drama (and save a few more pennies), Sony Ericsson is also starting to ship out its no-frills Cedar candybar as well — perfect if you just want your phone to act like a phone and little more. Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 starts shipping its outdated self around the world Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 starts shipping its outdated self around the world originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s now little doubt that Amazon — for reasons that may or may not be borne of sound mind — is hard at work setting up its own app store ecosystem for Android devices. We’ve got a tiny bit more evidence of that today in the form of the complete welcome kit being sent out to prospective developers; there’s not anything too mind-boggling in here, but let’s break down some of the key points: From the wording, there’s no question that the system is exclusive to Android — at least initially. Amazon is already accepting submissions, but only of promotional materials and other non-app assets; presumably, they’re trying to make sure they’ve got critical mass before deploying. Oh, and here’s another reason they’re only taking non-app assets right now: the “App Packaging Tool” that binaries will need to be run through prior to submission isn’t yet ready. The nuts and bolts of the tool aren’t yet clear, but Amazon says that it will “ensure that the apps will install properly on customers’ devices and… enable the digital rights management (DRM) policies outlined in the developer agreement.” Speaking of DRM, turns out it’s not required. It’s up to the developer whether to enable it. Developer-submitted videos will be supported in the app product pages, which is kind of nice — neither the Android Market nor the iOS App Store support that. Naturally, it’s at Amazon’s sole discretion what will be allowed and disallowed in the store; “offensive content” won’t be permitted, and the company says that “what [it deems] offensive is probably about what you would expect.” Neither pornography nor “hard-core material” are cool. So there you have it — Amazon is expecting to ingest actual app binaries “in a few weeks,” so it looks like this will be ready in time for the holidays. App store fragmentation seems like the last thing any mobile platform needs right now, but we’re sure that these guys — with the huge opportunity for showcasing apps on a site network that gets tens of millions of views per day — would just love a slice of that multi-billion dollar pie. [Thanks, anonymous tipster] Gallery: Amazon sends ‘welcome packet’ to prospective app store devs Amazon sends ‘welcome packet’ to prospective app store devs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 02:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …PCD’s $99 wireless streaming adapter will beam iOS or older-gen iPod nano content onto your TV
October 8, 2010 No Comment
In case you’ve got some fundamental issue with Apple’s upcoming AirPlay , or just a fifth-gen iPod nano you’re unwilling to part with, here’s a handy little adapter for you. Produced by Cywee and likely to be sold for around $99 by PCD in the US, this RF streamer plugs straight into your iDevice’s dock connector and then beams video, pictures, games and the like over to its nearby base station, which in turn hooks up to your television by a set of RGB cables. Any app that utilizes Apple’s video output API is a candidate for having its visuals sent over, though resolution is unfortunately capped at 480p and you’ll need line of sight at a distance of no more than 15 feet for everything to work correctly. Just to make sure we’re all appropriately underwhelmed by its current product, Cywee promises an 802.11n WiFi variant that’ll handle 1080p and output via HDMI for next year. Great, we’ll just wait for that one, why don’t we? Continue reading PCD’s $99 wireless streaming adapter will beam iOS or older-gen iPod nano content onto your TV PCD’s $99 wireless streaming adapter will beam iOS or older-gen iPod nano content onto your TV originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …There and gone again: a Droid’s tale. Looks like Motorola ‘s website had a temporary hiccup on the site, and out its proverbial mouth came a listing and some specs for the Droid 2 Global — which, as you might gather from a name like that, appears to be a Droid 2 with Quad Band antenna for world use ( sound familiar ?). The site also lists a 1.2GHz processor a redesigned QWERTY keyboard, and a host of key words for the business demographic. Or rather, it listed such things, past tense, as the information has now been pulled. No pictures were ever posted, but if we were betting folk, we’d wager a name like that and a call-out to “redesigned keyboard” means everything else is just as you’d expect. Droid 2 Global (and specs) make brief cameo on Motorola’s website originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 01:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Deepanshu, who is already beginning to understand why the term “money pit” follows” DSLR.” If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “I went out and got a Canon T2i, and now I am looking for a decent tripod, preferably one that travels well. I need one which is lightweight, with a price range of $75 to $125 or so. The main purpose of the tripod will be for HDR photography, night shots, etc. when I’m on-the-go. Thanks!” We’re guessing Joby’s Gorillapod Focus will get a nod somewhere down in comments, but how’s about any suggestions in the more conventional line of tripods? Got any that extend out nicely without killing your back (or forcing you to check it on an airplane)? Let us (and him) know! Ask Engadget: best travel-friendly / portable DSLR tripod? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 23:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Want to see a smartphone take a bath? Good, we thought so. At CTIA today we got the opportunity to submerge the Motorola Defy, a dust-proof, water and scratch-resistant Android device, and it came out completely unscathed. Since we’ve heard plenty about this hardware on the specs end , and even spotted it in the wild last month, we’ll just leave you to this video and let you own your way. Gallery: Motorola Defy defies water and lives happily ever after Motorola Defy defies water and lives happily ever after originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 22:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …After a healthy alpha (and pre-alpha ) period, Mozilla is taking the mobile version of Firefox 4 to beta on Android and Maemo this week, promising improvements in stability, performance, and functionality. Actually, this represents a shift in branding for Maemo, where Firefox 1.1 has already been gold for some time — but odds are good you’re going to want to upgrade in any event, since this new version nets you the so-called Layers framework that aims to improve scrolling and zooming responsiveness. As you might expect, you get built-in Firefox Sync — basically making this a superset of Firefox Home — and support for HTML5. Makes that ol’ N900 look a little shinier, doesn’t it? Follow the break for Mozilla’s announcement video. Continue reading Firefox 4 for mobile goes beta on Android and Maemo Firefox 4 for mobile goes beta on Android and Maemo originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Giant touchscreen vending machine at CEATEC stares us down, offers us a frosty beverage
October 8, 2010 No Comment
So we tracked down one of those crazy new touchscreen- and camera-enabled vending machines being deployed across Japan’s mass transit stations at CEATEC today; one of their claims to fame is that they’re WiMAX-enabled in order to receive ads and other high-bandwidth content, so local WiMAX provider UQ installed one of the units in its booth as a showcase of the kinds of wild and crazy things you can do with ludicrous speed. As much as we hate to admit it, we’re pretty sure we’d be consuming more overpriced juice, soda, tea, coffee, and water if we had one of these near our homes — seriously, how can you resist those cute rectangular eyes staring at you, slowly stealing your soul while asking you to “come by?” Of course, the scary part about that is that the machine really can see you — it’s got a camera right above the display that detects your presence, makes some snap judgments about you based on largely accurate stereotypes, and recommends certain beverages (though you’re still free to choose whatever you like). The machine supports Suica payments — a popular NFC system in these parts — using either a Suica card or your appropriately-enabled phone, which makes blowing hundreds of yen on cans of Georgia Vintage coffee frighteningly simple. Follow the break for some video of the machine in action… or if you’re planning a trip to Japan in the next couple years, expect to see these around town in some of the high-traffic train stations. Gallery: Giant touchscreen vending machine at CEATEC stares us down, offers us a frosty beverage Continue reading Giant touchscreen vending machine at CEATEC stares us down, offers us a frosty beverage Giant touchscreen vending machine at CEATEC stares us down, offers us a frosty beverage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Verizon rolls out FiOS on Demand app for Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile
October 7, 2010 No Comment
There’s still no word on that promised, live TV-enabled iPad app , but Verizon has just rolled out its FiOS on Demand app for Android, BlackBerry and Windows Mobile 6.5, which will let you buy, rent and watch so-called Flex View movies right on your phone. As we’d heard earlier, the number of officially supported devices is somewhat limited to start with — including the Droid X, Droid 2, and Storm 2, to name a couple — but Verizon notes that the list is expanding, and to check back often. Of course, you won’t simply be limited to watching the movies on your phone; you can also transfer them from your phone to your PC, and view them on any combination of up to four devices in addition to a FiOS TV set-top box. [Thanks, Nate] Verizon rolls out FiOS on Demand app for Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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