System Administrator Appreciation Day is here, show them some love (or suffer the consequences)
July 29, 2011 No Comment
Last year, on July 29th, we asked you to show a little love to your sysadmin because, without them, our world would probably come to a screeching halt. We suggested a card, or at least a polite nod in the hallway. Instead, you went all out and actually gave them a bit of raise. That doesn’t mean you can let System Administrator Appreciation Day slip by this year without acknowledgment, however. We’re not saying you’ve got to outdo yourselves and get them some sort of super yacht — a simple thanks will do. But, they probably wouldn’t mind a repeat of last year’s gift either. System Administrator Appreciation Day is here, show them some love (or suffer the consequences) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great
July 29, 2011 No Comment
AT&T today officially confirmed what so many had expected for some time now: the carrier will be throttling select users’ unlimited data plans. The move, which takes effect on October 1st, is a response to a “serious wireless spectrum crunch,” according to a message issued today. The changes will not affect most customers, according to the company, primarily targeting those who fall within the top five percent of heavy users in a given billing cycle. Once the new period begins, speeds will be restored. Even with this new plan in place, however, the company says that the spectrum problems still won’t be resolved — it does have a simple solution, however, explaining that “nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges.” Full text after the break. Continue reading AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Having trouble selecting those tiny links with your big, ol’ digits on that swanked-out slab? Don’t you worry, Google’s just made some slate-friendly improvements to its bread and butter search site, and it’s available for iPad and Honeycomb 3.1+ users. On deck for this UI refresh: a much simplified search results page, larger-sized buttons and text, and a quick access button located below the search box that skips you off to “Images, Videos, Places, Shopping and more.” There’s also been some visual tweaks made to its image search results, with enlarged previews, faster thumbnail loading and continuous scrolling. If you’re not seeing this overhauled layout just yet, sit tight — the update’s expected to roll out in the next few days. Google refines search experience for big-fingered tablet owners originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Softbank customers in Japan can simply get an NFC sticker to add some contact-less payments to their iPhone 4, but most folks don’t have it quite so easy just yet. There are some alternatives while you wait for Apple to hop on the NFC bandwagon, however, like this solution from Unplggd ‘s Vivian Kim. It uses one of the smaller NFC-equipped credit cards now available from some banks, which is apparently just small enough to fit under the back cover of an iPhone 4 (a clear one, in this case, to show off your cleverness). And, yes, it apparently still works just fine under there — even if you add a case on top of it. iPhone 4 gets upgraded for NFC payments the hard way originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market
July 29, 2011 No Comment
We were thoroughly infatuated with LauncherPro developer Federico Carnale’s then-unnamed music app the first time we saw it in beta , bringing Metro UI styled playback to our Android lifestyles. Now UberMusic v1.0 is available on the Android Market, flexing its customizable skills for the princely sum of $3.49. Don’t think this is just some ripoff however, while one of the skins (that can also be found on the Market) is a Zune lookalike, third parties can make it look however they might like, including the widgets. If you missed our demo the first time around you can check out the video after the break to see why we’re so excited, or hit the source link to purchase now. Allergic to spending money on apps? Don’t give up all hope, as the creator tweets an ad-supported free version may be on the way as well. Continue reading LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day — we dig deep into each topic’s history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com . My, how times have changed over the last eight months. At CES 2011 , we ecstatically witnessed the introduction of mobile devices with dual-core CPUs and drooled over the possibilities we’d soon have at our fingertips. Now, we look down at anything that doesn’t have more than one core — regardless of its performance. Not only are these new chips quickly becoming mainstream, Moore’s Law is in full effect with our handheld devices since tri-core and quad-core systems are just over the horizon. We can’t even fathom what’s in the pipeline for the year 2015 and beyond (we don’t think we’re too far away from that 3D shark seen in Back to the Future 2 ). Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here, however. After all, we first need to wrap our puny human minds around the idea of what this newfound power can do, and why it’s changing the entire landscape of smartphones and tablets. In this edition of Primed, we’ll focus on why multicore technology makes such a difference in the way we use our handheld devices, whether we should even consider purchasing a handset with a single-core chip inside, and why one-core tech is so 2010. Check out the whole enchilada after the break. Continue reading Engadget Primed: are multi-core chips worth the investment? Engadget Primed: are multi-core chips worth the investment? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow
July 29, 2011 No Comment
Well, the numbers are in and Q2′s proved to be a mixed bag for the mobile market. According to IDC , cellphone makers shipped a total of 365.4 million units last quarter, a year-over-year increase of 11.3 percent. Nokia, while still the world’s largest handset maker, suffered a significant blow, with shipments dropping from 111.1 million in Q2 2010 to 88.5 million; the company’s market share was similarly down, hitting 24.2 percent, compared to last year’s 33.8 percent. LG Electronics was the only other manufacturer to see a loss, with shipments dropping to 24.8 million from 30.6 million in 2010. Apple managed to maintain its recently acquired number four spot, with iPhone shipments hitting 20.3 million, up year-over-year from 8.4 million. RIM was conspicuously missing from the top five lineup, while ZTE landed the number five position. In news that shouldn’t surprise anyone with a pulse, the feature phone market saw a decline this year, surprisingly its first since Q3 2009. If you’re jonesing for more market share and shipping stats, hop on past the break for the full PR. Continue reading IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Oh, hi! How are you? It’s been so long! We know, we’ve been busy, but we’re going to be in town soon. Very soon! In less than a month we’ll be having a get-together for lots and lots (and lots) of our closest friends — and yes, you’re totally invited. We’ll be hosting the event on the evening of August 25th and it takes place at Guastavino’s , a top-shelf venue on 59th Street in New York City . It’ll be an all-ages gig where you and your friends can try out some of the hottest tech you’ve read about here, debate with the editors about Windows Phone vs. Android vs. iOS vs. RIM vs. whatever, and maybe go home with one of the many, many great prizes we’ll be giving away. We’ll have more posts with more details in the coming weeks as we get closer to the day in question, but if you’re a member of the media who would like to attend, an exhibitor who wants to show something off to the fans, or a sponsor who wants to be a part of the insanity, please e-mail us at meetup at engadget dot com . Until then! Engadget’s next reader meetup happens in NYC on August 25th! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We see countless laptops come and go through the seasons, but a rare few have built up something of a following. Make no mistake: the Sony VAIO Z , a skinny ultraportable brimming with cutting-edge technology and powerful innards, is that kind of gem. So when it disappeared from Sony’s online store earlier this year, more than a few techies took note. After all, the Z is part of a small fraternity of notebooks that combine an impossibly lightweight design with performance worthy of a larger system. People who missed out on the last-gen Z wondered when they’d next get the chance to buy, while some lucky folks out there with thousands to burn started itching for something thinner, something lighter, something… better . Well, it’s here. The 2011 VAIO Z is, indeed, thinner, lighter, and more powerful. It also might not be the Z you were expecting. Whereas the last generation combined it all, cramming in an optical drive and switchable graphics, this year’s model leaves much of that at the door — or, at least, in an external dock that ships with the laptop. This time around, the Z has no optical drive, and packs just an integrated Intel graphics card on board. (Don’t worry, it does squeeze in lots of other goodies, including standard-voltage Sandy Bridge processors and expanded solid-state storage.) If you want that Blu-ray burner or the stock AMD Radeon HD 6650M graphics card, you’ll have to plug into the Power Media Dock, an external peripheral that uses Intel’s Light Peak technology. That’s quite the gamble Sony is taking — after all, the company is essentially betting that you won’t need to do anything too intensive while you’re on the go. On the one hand, this inventive design is sure to intrigue the Z’s usual early adopter fanbase. But will it satisfy those who always liked the Z because of its no-compromise design? And then there’s the issue of that $1,969 starting price, a likely stumbling block for people trying to decide between this and an equally thin, less expensive ultraportable. What’s a well-heeled geek to do? Let’s find out. Gallery: Sony VAIO Z review (2011) Continue reading Sony VAIO Z review (2011) Sony VAIO Z review (2011) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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At $800, Leica’s D-Lux 5 is one of the company’s more affordable cameras, and it boasts the same trademark, understated style that you’d expect from some of its considerably pricier offerings. Colorware’s new custom D-Lux 5, on the other hand, costs $1,200 (or $400 if you send your own camera in), and it can range from somewhat subtle in appearance to downright garish depending on your color choices. Of course, there is also a happy, stylish medium, but you’ll have to decide for yourself if that’s worth the $400 premium — heck, that’s almost enough to buy a Colorware’d Dyson Air Multiplier . Leica D-Lux 5 gets the deluxe Colorware treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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