“Plant a photo, watch it grow.” Photovine’s tagline is just as catchy as the concept behind its launch — a mobile app-based picture sharing service that groups images together using common photo-driven themes. These groupings, called vines, let you connect with strangers while sharing photos of everyday items that you wouldn’t otherwise have any interest in photographing. You can have a vine focused on Swingline staplers, or magazine covers, or bottle caps. But as clever as this concept may seem, it’s difficult to ignore Piictu, which budded several months before the Google app. It’s certainly not uncommon for duplicate services to sprout, all based on the same underlying concept. But Photovine doesn’t stop there — the app’s design is also remarkably similar to Piictu, down to page layouts and even main category tabs. For Piictu’s “Following” tab, Photovine has “Watching.” Piictu’s “Latest” section is matched with “Fresh,” and Photovine didn’t even bother searching for a synonym for “Popular,” which you’ll find in both apps. Jump past the break for a deeper look, along with statements from the makers of both apps. Continue reading Did Google’s Photovine sprout from Piictu? Did Google’s Photovine sprout from Piictu? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Well BlackBerry fans, yet another variation of the Bold is now making the rounds on the internet: it’s the 9790, otherwise known as the Bellagio. Although the device was first leaked in late May — where we learned it would feature BlackBerry 7 OS , 8GB of internal memory, a touchscreen, and NFC — RIM’s latest QWERTY companion has remained below the radar ever since. Now, it’s reappeared in some official tutorials, which reveal a familiar user interface . Also, two other videos offer views of the handset’s exterior profile and a quick peek beneath the battery cover. Why are Lazaridis and Balsillie prepping this for sale when the Bold 9900 has yet to reach consumers? All we need is one, and the similar hardware and specs aren’t building a compelling argument. Sure, RIM said it would be releasing seven upcoming smartphones in the coming months, but haven’t its leaders learned that less is more? Follow the source for an extended peek at the redundancy. BlackBerry Bold 9790 Bellagio offers unsanctioned tutorial (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 06:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Look at the chart above and you’ll see two things happening. First, Apple has overtaken Symbian to become the top smartphone platform in the UK (with a 27 percent market share). And secondly, Android has grown 634 percent year-over-year to shoot into second place, with less than half a percentage point keeping it from the top spot (other reports already place it ahead). As you might expect, much of that growth isn’t coming from folks switching from one smartphone to the other, but from new smartphone users — Comscore found that 42 percent of all mobile users in the UK used a smartphone in May of this year, compared to just 27 percent a year ago. Of course, that also means that 58 percent of UK cellphone users are still potential smartphone users (to say nothing of those that still don’t have a cellphone at all), so there’s certainly still plenty up for grabs for all involved. Comscore: Android’s UK market share explodes as Apple overtakes Symbian originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 15:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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LG is apparently tired of this tiny OLED stuff. 15-inch TVs and 4-inch cellphones ? What is this, 2009? The company has decided it’s time to super-size the organically-powered panels and plans to introduce a 55-inch HDTV in mid 2012. We’ve got faith it can deliver too — last summer the Korean manufacturer was showing off a 31-inch model (above) and it sounds like it’s shifting focus completely towards larger sizes. CEO Kwon Young-soo has said that IPS technology is much better suited for the mobile space. Of course, LG has promised impressively-sized panels before and, even if such a set does make it to market, chances are you’ll have to take out a second mortgage to afford one. LG promises 55-inch OLED TV in 2012, just in time the next b’ak’tun originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Stop mourning wannabe rock stars — Guitar Hero is coming back. We heard the rumors of its demise were greatly exaggerated , but now word has come straight from Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick that the game is currently being reinvented for a modern, more demanding audience. As he told Forbes, “we’re going to take the products out of the market, and we’re not going to tell anybody what we’re doing for awhile… we’re going to use new studios and reinvent Guitar Hero. And so that’s what we’re doing with it now.” So there you go — Guitar Hero’s retirement was only temporary. Like any good performer it’ll be back before you’ve even had a chance to miss it. Looks like the franchise will keep rocking out well past its prime. What’s the console equivalent of playing a state fair? Guitar Hero to be resurrected, retooled, and launch reunion tour originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 03:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already heard plenty of talk about Nikon’s forthcoming entry into the world of mirrorless cameras, and it looks like we now have our first real peek at the actual goods. Unfortunately, it’s just a look at the mount, not the whole camera (said to be codenamed X810), but it does appear to be the real deal (and was apparently removed from the Chinese forum it surfaced on, Xitek , at Nikon’s request). Details on the camera itself are otherwise still fairly light, but it certainly sounds like Nikon has some grand plans for it — the company’s previously boasted that it wants to create a whole new market . Purported shot of Nikon’s mirrorless mount surfaces, camera remains shy originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Jul 2011 01:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG Thrill 4G up for pre-order today at Radio Shack, ahead of August 7th launch?
July 22, 2011 No Comment
The LG Thrill 4G was announced at CTIA four months ago , but wasn’t given its rightful time in the sun due to a much larger elephant in the room . Now the phone’s launch is quickly approaching, however, and the AT&T-branded Optimus 3D is ready to get some glory. We were sent not one, but two separate emails this morning from Radio Shack insiders with a few details about the retail chain’s rollout of the device. As it turns out, visitors to The Shack can be offered the opportunity to reserve a Thrill — supposedly gearing up for an August 7th launch — starting today with the purchase of a $50 gift card. According to the screenshots sent to us, the Thrill can be all yours for $80 with a two-year contract ($550 if you exhibit a fear of commitment). We’re hesitant to declare August 7th the official launch date, since history has shown that resellers don’t always get handsets at the same time as corporate outlets do. If you find any success reserving one today, however, we’ll be thrilled elated to hear about it. [Thanks, Anonymous] Continue reading LG Thrill 4G up for pre-order today at Radio Shack, ahead of August 7th launch? LG Thrill 4G up for pre-order today at Radio Shack, ahead of August 7th launch? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Charlie Miller finds MacBook battery security hole, plans to fill with Caulkgun
July 22, 2011 No Comment
Those batteries have probably met a worse fate than the white MacBook line they came from. According to Forbes , Charlie Miller’s managed to render seven of them useless after gaining total access to their micro-controllers’ firmware via a security hole. Evidently, the Li-on packs for the line of lappies — including Airs and Pros — are accessible with two passwords he dug up from an ’09 software update. Chuck mentions that someone could “use them to do something really bad,” including faulting charge-levels and thermal read-outs to possibly even making them explode . He also thinks hard-to-spot malware could be installed directly within the battery, repeatedly infecting a computer unless removed. Come August, he’ll reportedly be detailing the vulnerability at the Black Hat security conference along with a fix he’s dubbed Caulkgun, which only has the mild side-effect of locking-out updates by Apple. Worth being safe these days, though. Right? Full story in the links below. Charlie Miller finds MacBook battery security hole, plans to fill with Caulkgun originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Panasonic already took its UT-PB1 e-reader out for a step-and-repeat at the e-Book Expo Tokyo this year, but kept some important details under wraps. Now the tablet e-reader is ready for its official coming out party. The 7-inch, color touchscreen Raboo UT-PB1 is set to launch in Japan on August 10th, retailing at about
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How to honor the life’s work of an artist who has been dead for more than a quarter-century? Why, an HTML5 doodle on the Google homepage, of course. The search giant paid homage to Alexander Calder, the celebrated inventor of the mobile sculpture with its first doodle created entirely in HTML5 canvas. Those using a laptop with an accelerometer and an updated browser can move the coded sculpture around with their curser. Ironically, we had some difficulty playing around with the image on our mobile devices. Google celebrates Alexander Calder and spinning things with HTML5 doodle originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jul 2011 22:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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