There’s no question that cloud computing has hit the mainstream — even the US federal government, which isn’t typically a front-runner when it comes to tech adoption, has taken the plunge . Now, Taiwanese hardware maker Acer , the world’s second largest PC manufacturer, has just joined the ranks of the sky-high elite, purchasing Silicon Valley-based iGware for $320 million. Acer’s acquisition of the little-known cloud computing firm will reportedly allow it to launch a cloud product next year, and is seen as a long-term strategic move for the tech giant. Despite its limited name recognition, iGware provides services that support more than 100 million consumer devices, including Nintendo gaming systems — the two companies are reportedly in talks over potential cooperation after the acquisition is complete. iGware may be a major player in the cloud computing space, but its single-page Microsoft Publisher-designed website doesn’t exactly scream nine-figure acquisition — we hope the company at least tied a pair of mylar balloons to the mailbox before Acer came knocking at Suite 100. Acer buys iGware, makes a $320 million bet on the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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AT&T this morning offered up some earnings tidbits, and there’s some good news in there for the iPhone-wielding mobile network. In its best-ever second quarter for smartphone sales, the company moved more than 5.6 million of the devices. The Former Mrs. Bell also revealed that it is “confident” that, much to the chagrin of Sprint and others, its planned purchase of T-Mobile is set to be completed by the first quarter of 2012. AT&T will be offering up more financial details in an earnings call later today, including, no doubt, the much-rumored plans for magenta carpeting in its global headquarters. AT&T ‘confident’ T-Mobile deal to close in Q1 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 09:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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After plenty of hands-on time with SwiftKey X, we reckon it’s probably the best virtual keyboard you can get for Android phones. And, for the next 21 hours or so, it’s even better than that — because it’s free at Amazon’s Appstore. So, if you’re brandishing Android 2.1 or higher and you type in one of the 17 supported languages, then the source link below beckons. Come back quickly, though, or we’ll miss you terribly. (The tablet version of the app is still $4.99, mind — but there’s always tomorrow.) SwiftKey X keyboard app is free today on Amazon, be swift or pay $3.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 07:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia Q2 2011: ‘clearly disappointing’ results as challenges prove ‘greater than expected’
July 21, 2011 No Comment
With Nokia still yet to fully dive in to the Windows Phone swimming hole, you had to know it was going to be another ugly quarter’s worth of results. And it is. The company just posted its Q2 2011 numbers and there’s a definite downward trend. Operating profits declined 44 percent since Q1 , 391 million Euro compared to 704, and net sales of mobile devices are down 23 percent over the same period — 20 percent compared to Q2 last year. CEO Stephen Elop quite naturally tried to spin this thing in the right direction: The challenges we are facing during our strategic transformation manifested in a greater than expected way in Q2 2011. However, even within the quarter, I believe our actions to mitigate the impact of these challenges have started to have a positive impact on the underlying health of our business. Most importantly, we are making better-than expected progress toward our strategic goals. But, he can’t deny the obvious, calling the results “clearly disappointing.” Looking forward, Elop expects “competitive pressures to continue,” but indicates the company has a “clear strategy” to improve things. He says those who have seen the company’s early Windows Phone devices (really, who hasn’t ) are “very optimistic” about their potential and that they will launch this year with a “sequence of concentrated product launches. Very expensive launches , we hear. Nokia Q2 2011: ‘clearly disappointing’ results as challenges prove ‘greater than expected’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 06:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down in Florida, won’t be going back up again
July 21, 2011 No Comment
You already know how we feel about the Space Shuttle program coming to a close, but of course that was just a little premature. Now it’s all done except for the mothballing, with the Atlantis touching down successfully at runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center. Crewmembers Chris Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandy Magnus, and Rex Walheim are back on our planet and, traveling at speeds decidedly slower than escape velocity, can officially put a cap onto this historic series of space missions that we, at least, will never forget. In the words of NASA: “Job well done, America.” Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down in Florida, won’t be going back up again originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Rogers listens, bumps data caps, lets you stream a few extra Netflix movies a month
July 21, 2011 No Comment
Rogers hasn’t exactly made a lot of fans with the rather draconian caps on its cable modem service. But the company wants you to know, it has heard your complaints and doesn’t want to cut you off from your precious, bandwidth-intensive Netflix streams. That’s why it’s raising the limits on its three top tier plans later this month. Extreme subscribers are getting a bump from 80GB to 100GB, Extreme Plus users from 125GB to 150GB, and Ultimate customers from 175GB to 250GB. The company is even boosting speeds, you know, to help you make more efficient use of that newly raised data ceiling — from 15Mbps to 24Mbps for the Extreme and 25Mbps to 32Mbps for Extreme Plus. It’s always nice to see a company listen to its customers, and come on, data caps aren’t all that bad. Continue reading Rogers listens, bumps data caps, lets you stream a few extra Netflix movies a month Rogers listens, bumps data caps, lets you stream a few extra Netflix movies a month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 05:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Word cloud hack connects to your TV, closed captioning provided by Arduino (video)
July 21, 2011 No Comment
Ever get the feeling that those TV talking heads are caught in an endless loop of mind-assaulting rhetoric? Now you can prove it with the aid of a trusty Arduino and an instantly updating word cloud. Nootropic Design rigged up a homebrew hack that connects your TV tuner’s composite feed to a Video Experimenter shield that decodes the closed captioned NTSC broadcast. A Processing sketch then takes over and builds an alphabetized, dynamic metadata cloud you can view on your computer’s screen. The program enlarges words according to frequency and omits those shorter than three letters. As you can see in the pic above, commerical time during NBC’s Nightly News skews slightly… older . Check out the video after the break for a Big Bang Theory version of this word-building project. Continue reading Word cloud hack connects to your TV, closed captioning provided by Arduino (video) Word cloud hack connects to your TV, closed captioning provided by Arduino (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Google Labs , that breeding ground for the wacky, sublime, and sometimes useful experiments that Mountain View’s scooter-loving employees are so fond of, is getting ready to “wind down.” The software giant announced today that the experimental forum for testing out potential features is being sidelined, in order for the company to focus on bigger picture ideas. Some of the more useful experimentation for properties like Calendar and Gmail will stick around, as will the Labs experiments that eventually made their way into the Android market. Google has promised to keep us all in the loop during the transition, so perhaps we can pick up a few secondhand test tubes for our own collections. Google ‘winding down’ Labs, likely due to meddling older sister originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 02:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sure, it’s been just a few months since the National Security Agency asked for a $900 million supercomputing complex – you know, to help out with all that internet wiretapping . But concern about deficit spending will mean shuttering 800 other federal data centers in the US, or 40 percent of total government capacity. The closures are part of a larger push toward greater efficiency and consolidation, with an estimated savings of $3 billion a year; moving services to the cloud will mean more savings in licensing fees and infrastructure. Single-digit savings might sound like chump change when you realize the federal information technology budget runs around $80 billion a year, but hey, it’s a start, right? US federal government to close 800 data centers, walk into the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hey Leaf owners — that’s right, all 4,000 of you — it looks like Nissan took your complaints feedback to heart and is making a few standard additions its EV auto line. Prospective owners of the yet-to-be delivered 2012 models can look forward to the inclusion of a DC fast charge port that’ll have your roadster 80 percent juiced in under 30 minutes and some cold weather features — like heated seats and a battery warmer. The Japanese carmaker also announced plans to expand availability of the auto to Illinois and parts of the southeastern US, and will open reservations to the general public once existing orders are fulfilled. So that’s the good, now are you ready for the bad? These electric hatchbacks are getting a new, higher MSRP that takes the SV trim level model to $35,200 and the SL to $37,250. It’s an entirely reasonable price to pay for warm buns and, hey, you’re saving the planet. Continue reading Nissan expands Leaf’s US availibility, makes seat warmers standard Nissan expands Leaf’s US availibility, makes seat warmers standard originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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