This may be of no consequence to those of you who frequent XDA Developers , but obviously, not all of us are comfortable rooting Asus’ EEE Pad Transformer just to get Netflix support . Now you might never have to, thanks to a build lovingly named HTJ85B.US_epad-8.6.5.9-20110816. In addition to enabling support for the streaming service, this Honeycomb update provides a choice of cursor icons, improves boot times and adds the ability to enable or disable the virtual keyboard while docked. Hitting the update? Let us know how you fare in the comments. [Thanks, Zack] EEE Pad Transformer gains official Netflix support, minor fixes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Nothing warms our hearts quite like the thought of corporate suits and government workers pumping out the tunes of Iris DeMent and Amy Martin as they scurry throughout their busy days. As we’ve previously speculated , a new service for BlackBerry Messenger — dubbed BBM Music — has now become real official. For $5 per month, users may keep up to 50 songs in their personal library, which is kinda reminiscent of the wistful days filled with 128MB MP3 players . Fortunately, it gets better. A social component allows you to add BBM Music friends, which gives you access to their current 50 songs, too — and serves as a real incentive to grow your social circle. Once you get bored of your jam selection, up to 25 songs per month can be swapped out for new ones, and your current library can be stored locally on the handset. The new service begins today in closed beta for residents of the US, Canada and the UK, but more countries will be added down the road. Curious if yours made the list? Just hop the break for the full PR to find out. Continue reading BBM Music gets official for BlackBerry owners lusting after Spotify BBM Music gets official for BlackBerry owners lusting after Spotify originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Mango teaches Windows Phone to share, probably still needs carrier permission
August 24, 2011 No Comment
Microsoft’s budding mobile OS is finally learning to share, just like the big kids . Windows Phone’s graduation to Mango comes not only with Twitter integration , SkyDrive music streaming , and multitasking , but with internet connection sharing as well. The new feature showed its toggle switch at WPCentral this week, riding in on a Microsoft flashed Focus running Mango build 7720.68. According to the tell-all image, Windows Phones running Mango will be able to share their cellular internet connection with up to 5 devices — reportedly draining its battery with unprecedented efficiency. ChevronWP7 collaborator Rafael Rivera confirmed over Twitter that the feature is baked into Mango, guessing that it would require a “carrier ‘update’ to enable.” Yeah, we wouldn’t be surprised. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Mango teaches Windows Phone to share, probably still needs carrier permission originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In case you were distracted by all the Sony fuss this morning , Nikon also chose today to announce a gaggle of fresh cameras . Most of the new models are incremental updates that will demand in-depth reviews when they’re released in September. In the meantime, however, two cameras stand out as warranting a bit of quick hands-on attention. Firstly, there’s the Coolpix S1200pj priced at $430, which is the third generation of Nikon’s line of projector cameras and appears to house some significant improvements. Next up, we have the $380 AW100, which represents Nikon’s first foray into the all-weather niche since the days of celluloid. It’s a rugged Rambo of a camera that is waterproof down to ear-stinging depths and is a heck of a lot more expensive than the Fuji FinePix XP30 we just took fishing. So, it was only proper that we harpoon pre-release versions of both these cameras in order to provide you with some initial impressions and videos, which you’ll find directly after the break. Gallery: Nikon S1200pj hands-on Gallery: Nikon AW100 hands-on Continue reading Nikon unveils S1200pj and AW100 cameras, we go hands-on Nikon unveils S1200pj and AW100 cameras, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We know… this can be something of a sad time. Seasons changing, vacations ending, schools opening, and days shortening. But don’t be down, dear reader, because we have a heck of a party planned, only a day away. The NYC Engadget Reader Meetup is tomorrow , it’s totally free, and you’re invited. We’ve lined up an array of exhibitors to show their latest and greatest toys, including AT&T, Samsung, HTC, RIM, and Motorola. We’ll also have an electric Mini Cooper to check out, a glasses-free 3D display from Magnetic 3D, a recharging lounge to refill your electronics, and snacks and desserts to refill your stomachs. AT&T will be bringing artist Matt Siren to do a live piece of art inspired by your stories , and we will of course have a massive pile of goodies to hand out from companies like iRobot, Western Digital, and Pioneer, plus a special giveaway you’ll need a QR reader to win — so don’t forget those smartphones. (Not that you would.) The party is at Guastavino’s , which is located at 59th Street in New York City . Things will kick off at 6:30pm that night and run until 10:30pm. It’s an all-ages event, but we can only manage 1,000 people in there at a time, and it’s first-come first-served, so don’t be late. Want to come? Just show up by 6:30! You don’t need to pre-register. We’ll have a boatload of Engadget editors on hand fielding questions, good friends from Joystiq and TUAW will be in attendance, and we’ll be doing a Q&A-focused live podcast (which we won’t be able to broadcast, but look for the recording later). If you’re a member of the media who would like to attend, please e-mail us at meetup at engadget dot com . Everybody else, get ready to party, and if you want to share with your friends the Facebook event is here . Continue reading Engadget’s NYC Reader Meetup happens tomorrow! Engadget’s NYC Reader Meetup happens tomorrow! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Let there be no question: ours would be a very different industry, were it not for Steve Jobs. Few, if any individuals have had so profound an effect on their given spaces; a unprecedented track record that began in 1976 with the co-founding of Apple. In earliest incarnation, the company would prove the driving force of the personal computer explosion of the early ’80s, beginning with the Apple II — one of the industry’s first hugely popular microcomputers. The Macintosh shook things up yet again, a launch celebrated by the debut of the “1984″ ad during that year’s Superbowl. That line helped break both the graphical user interface and the mouse to a massive audience. Soon after, Jobs would resign , going on to form NeXT. The company never managed sales figures anywhere near the previous endeavor, but its products would prove highly influential, forming, among other things, the basis of Apple’s paradigm-shifting OS X operating system. While Steve Jobs was focused on NeXT and The Graphic Group — the company that would later morph into the far more familiar Pixar — Apple suffered a series of defeats. Gallery: Steve Jobs Continue reading Steve Jobs’s Apple: a timeline Steve Jobs’s Apple: a timeline originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If this is the same “T-Mobile Sonic” we saw a month back, it’s safe to assume Huawei took the Gingerbread slab back to the drawing board and away from a Magenta debut. Popping up, once again, over at the FCC, and bearing a different model number — U8652 — the new Sonic sports a similar rounded-edge design, although this current incarnation takes on a definite rectangular shape. Gone are both the formerly included NFC functionality and AWS bands, in favor of quadband GSM, UMTS 850 / 1900 / 2100 bands, 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera, WiFi and Bluetooth. The handset’s radios are tipping us in the direction of an AT&T destiny , but could also very likely indicate a bow on the networks to our north. Will this Sonic ever see the light of day, or will Huawei lob off more bands for an overseas-only birth? We’ll keep an eye out for any new developments, but in the meantime, jump past the break for a closer look. Continue reading Huawei Sonic reappears at the FCC, ditches AWS 3G and NFC functionality Huawei Sonic reappears at the FCC, ditches AWS 3G and NFC functionality originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A major development out of Cupertino: Apple CEO Steve Jobs has stepped down, the board naming Tim Cook as his replacement. The company said “Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company.” Steve himself published the following letter: I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee. As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple. I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you. Steve Apple has confirmed that Jobs will stay on as Chairman. Full details in the PR after the break. Continue reading Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung’s GT-19220 shows up in leaked photos, preps for battle with iPhone 5?
August 24, 2011 No Comment
If you’re a sucker for juicy handset rumors, then this one’s for you. A few months ago, a supposed Samsung roadmap leaked, revealing a slew of new Android, Bada and WP7 handsets on the horizon. Today, a picture purporting to be one of those phones, the GT-19220 (W43) surfaced, complete with some specs to further grease the rumor mill. Word on the web says that the Sammy will have a 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED Plus display that measures in at 5.29 inches diagonally — even bigger than the 5-inch Dell Streak tablet . If our observational geometry is right, we’d say that screen size is probably pretty accurate. Rather than taking tablet status like the Dell, however, it seems bound to be the Galaxy S II’s big brother, as sources claim it’s running Gingerbread with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and packs an 8 megapixel camera. Of course, these specs can’t be officially confirmed until the phone is launched, but it’s safe to say it’s likely a part of the Android army taking on the iPhone 5 this fall. Samsung’s GT-19220 shows up in leaked photos, preps for battle with iPhone 5? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ticketmaster’s interactive seat map brings Facebook stalking to concert venues
August 24, 2011 No Comment
You desperately want to attend Katy Perry’s raucous San Antonio concert, but your kid sister has absolutely zero interest in tagging along, and the mere thought of going stag strikes fear into your heart. All seems lost, but worry not — because Ticketmaster and Facebook have just joined forces to create a new feature that weds concert-going with social networking. As of today, users purchasing tickets to select events can easily find out whether any of their Facebook friends are also attending and where they’re seated. All you have to do is connect to Ticketmaster with your Facebook account, find your concert of choice and use the interactive venue map to tag your own seats, or to see those of online friends who’ve already tagged themselves. From there, you can buy tickets right next to your intended targets and act totally surprised when you bump into them at the show. For now, the feature is only available for 300 venues (encompassing some 9,000 events), but you can find more information in the video and press release after the break. Continue reading Ticketmaster’s interactive seat map brings Facebook stalking to concert venues Ticketmaster’s interactive seat map brings Facebook stalking to concert venues originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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