Got a knack for all things rugged, rubberized and orange? Then you’re undoubtedly familiar with LaCie’s robust line of drives , which the firm’s been pandering to abusive storage lovers since 2008 . Joining the family today are 500GB, 1TB, and (next month) 1.5TB miniaturized versions of Neil Poulton ‘s shock, drop, and rain-resistant baby. They also tote USB 3.0, making them perfect candidates for speedy transfers while you’re being hunted by some rare and soon-to-be extinct Amazonian jungle cat. Sound like your kind of shindig? PR and a video await you after the break. Continue reading LaCie’s Rugged Mini is rugged, also mini (video) LaCie’s Rugged Mini is rugged, also mini (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s already been rather unceremoniously leaked , but now the Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse is all sorts official. Granted, it’s kinda tough to get excited about a mouse, but Redmond’s latest pointer is actually pretty neat. It sports BlueTrack Technology for getting your double click on while using your jeans or carpet as a mouse pad, and a haptic scroll strip that lets you feel the speed at which you’re flicking through the web. Oh, and that strip lets you scroll both horizontally and vertically — not bad for $49.95. Microsoft even claims it can last 18-months on a single set of batteries, just long enough to forget this wireless mouse even has a set of DC cells inside. Check out the extraordinarily brief PR after the break and keep those purchasing fingers holstered for now — this bad boy wont be hitting shelves till September. Continue reading Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse coming in September for $49.95 Filed under: Peripherals Microsoft Explorer Touch Mouse coming in September for $49.95 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When it was unveiled back in January , the Story HD, iRiver’s first entry into the US e-reader market, boasted all manner of exciting technologies, including an “HD” display and a souped-up (in e-reader terms) processor. Things have changed in the past six months, thanks in part to new Nook and Kobo devices. The other week, however, iRiver pulled out a pre-release surprise that turned plenty of heads: a partnership with Google Books . Are these features enough to make the company competitive in an already crowded market dominated by the Kindle ? Find out the answer to all that and more in the review below. Continue reading iRiver Story HD review iRiver Story HD review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Google promised that iPhone users would soon be getting a Google+ app of their own, and it’s now here. Not surprisingly, it looks a lot like the Android app , including views of your main stream and nearby users, sharing via Circles, and support for the Huddle group messaging feature. It’s not a universal app, though, so iPad users are still left out for the time being, as are those with an iPod touch, for yet reasons unknown. Google+ app for iPhone now available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Not every smartphone needs to be a Samsung Galaxy S II. There’s plenty of room in the market for a reliable workhorse that delivers smooth productivity and media without maxing out your credit limit. The Xperia Neo aspires to precisely this grounded ambition, selling for
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Maybe, just maybe , this wireless technology in development at Fujitsu makes some sense. When you walk within range of an NFC sensor or GPS coordinate, the cloud-based system takes the liberty of pushing location-relevant apps to your phone or tablet. Enter a museum, for example, and you’ll automatically receive its tour guide app. Your device could even be made to work as a viral transmitter, spreading the app to other visitors’ handsets. Finally, when you leave, all the bloatware just magically disappears. Alternatively, the museum’s marketing department conveniently forgets to configure this last step, accidentally signs you up to its newsletter and grabs a donation from your PayPal account while it has the chance. We would obviously find this rather upsetting, unless the museum has dinosaurs . Fujitsu wants to push out location-based apps, pull them back again originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BlackBerry PlayBook update brings zip extraction, more storage options for attachments
July 19, 2011 No Comment
RIM sure is working fast to bring its 500,000-strong BlackBerry Playbooks up to functional par. The tablet’s been on the market for three short months and is already set to receive its fourth software update . This go ’round, RIM added the ability to save attachments to a removable SD card or your phone’s internal storage, extract zip files from email (although you’ll have to use Bridge and port from your BlackBerry smartphone), a pinch-to-zoom feature for video viewing and — winner of the duh award — portrait viewing for photos. Also, the software now supports 15 additional languages — great news if you speak Galician. If you’re planning on picking up this QNX tab, you’ll receive the v1.0.7 update as part of the setup process. Current owners can wait for an update notification, or just pull it manually. So, what are you waiting for? Get downloading. BlackBerry PlayBook update brings zip extraction, more storage options for attachments originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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CM Storm — Cooler Master’s gaming-centric spinoff — is best known for PC cases, precision mouse-pads, and PC gaming mice with catchy names like “Inferno,” and ” Sentinel .” There’s more to PC games than computer towers and input devices however, and CM Storm is ready to try its hand at the personal audio game. Enter the CM Storm Sirus, the outfit’s first foray into the world of gaming headsets, available today to the tune of $130. We strapped a pair of these ‘muffs to our noggin to give you our honest impressions, ears-on. Gallery: CM Storm Sirus headset hands-on Continue reading CM Storm Sirus gaming headset hands-on CM Storm Sirus gaming headset hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been a long road for the Xperia Pro , but the little sliding QWERTY phone from Sony Ericsson finally appears to be nearing release. After getting manhandled , posing for a few glamor shots , and going up for pre-order , the 900MHz and 2100MHz HSPA friendly handset has, months after its unveiling, glided through the FCC. Granted, those bands don’t do American fans of SE’s Android customizations much good but, on the plus side, the Pro now appears to be sporting ANT+ for all your fitness tracking needs. Unfortunately, the September delivery date still stands, so our friends across the pond will just have remain patient. Gallery: Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro Sony Ericcson Xperia Pro slides through the FCC, gets turned inside out originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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July is shaping up to be a pretty good month for Kodak. Just a few weeks after granting the camera-maker a second wind in its ongoing patent battle against Apple and RIM , the ITC has issued yet another decision in its favor, determining that a May ruling against Cupertino will stand. At issue is an Apple complaint, filed in April 2010, charging Kodak with infringement of two patents on image processing and power management. On May 12, ITC Judge Robert Rogers shot down Apple’s attack, ruling that the patents were not infringed and that one of them was invalid. The full Court had been scheduled to review Rogers’ decision later this year, but that won’t be happening, now that the ITC has decided to close the investigation (see the PDF, below). Kodak was understandably pleased with the result, though its focus will now turn to August 30th, when an administrative law judge is expected to weigh in on the company’s patent offensive against both RIM and Apple. ITC patent ruling against Apple will stand, Kodak nods approvingly originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jul 2011 05:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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