Sony 3D Experience brings free on-demand movie trailers, sports clips to Bravia TVs
July 13, 2011 No Comment
HDTV manufacturers have used a variety of tactics to attract customers to the 3D segment, bundling free glasses , discounting Blu-ray players , and nearly eliminating unsightly bezels , but with content selection still incredibly limited, there’s been little incentive for consumers to shell out extra cash for a 3D set. Sony’s new 3D Experience sets out to expand those content offerings, streaming on-demand sports highlights and select movie trailers to Bravia LCD TVs, and eventually Blu-ray players and home theater systems. The Experience launches with just 30 clips in the US, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK today, but will eventually grow to include more movie, music, sports, and documentary titles. There’s no word on whether or not we can expect full-length films (or anything else we may actually be interested in watching) in the future, but with a commitment from Samsung to launch paid content later this year, we imagine Sony won’t follow too far behind. Sony 3D Experience brings free on-demand movie trailers, sports clips to Bravia TVs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Cowon D3 firmware update brings Android 2.3, now treats your fingers as well as your ears
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Hey there, high roller. If you splurged on Cowon ‘s beautiful, profoundly expensive D3 Plenue , you’ve probably wondered when you’d get an upgrade from Android 2.1. Well, that day is today, as the company’s released an updated, Gingerbread-based firmware. The new code adds some miscellaneous new features – a sleep timer for the music app, some more music search options, and VoIP – and ought to improve system stability. It also promises better touch responsiveness, which we hope alleviates the sluggishness that made the little PMP so difficult to use. If similar frustration with your D3 rendered it an elegant paperweight, glide over to the source link to see if the update soothes your pain. [Thanks, Stefan] Cowon D3 firmware update brings Android 2.3, now treats your fingers as well as your ears originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Yesterday Netflix did something pretty big: it cut the umbilical cord on its streaming video offerings. What was once a funny little niche offering, a rag-tag collection of canceled TV shows you never watched and ’80s movies you never rented, had grown into something big, something that still wasn’t quite great but was legitimately very good . As such, that service deserved its own plan, to stand tall and apart from the red envelopes that made the company famous. But there’s one problem: after cutting Instant loose, creating a new $7.99 streaming-only plan, Netflix stuck the dagger right in its own side by not re-thinking its disc-based rentals — plans that looked a lot more valuable before than they do now. Netflix has succeeded in making its on-demand offerings so good that those unlimited snail mail samplings can’t quite stand up on their own two feet anymore. At least, they can’t stand up tall enough to support their $7.99 and up prices. Maybe, Netflix, it’s time to go back to the fundamentals. Continue reading Editorial: Netflix was too cheap before, but now it’s just wrong Editorial: Netflix was too cheap before, but now it’s just wrong originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The IdeaPad K1′s long, crazy journey of near-availability looks to finally be at an end. Lenovo’s ethereal Honeycomb tablet has been popping up in online retail sites since May , teasing us with availability in June , and finally offering the promise of pre-order earlier this month. It seems that the plucky 10.1 inch Tegra 2 slate has taken the final step separating itself from the hands of consumers: getting sent out for shipment. One tipster passed along shipping confirmation from Office Depot that has the device lined up for delivery today — assuming, of course that the recipient is there to answer the door in the eight and a half hour delivery window provided. [Thanks, Dan] Lenovo IdeaPad K1 begins shipment odyssey, courtesy of Office Depot originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been a few months since Sony made its (tardy) entrance into the tablet market, and since then it hasn’t been sharing details so much as teasing them in whimsical, perplexing ads . Finally, the outfit’s ready to take specifics. We’re sitting at a roundtable with Sony executives, and just learned that its clamshell S2 tablet is headed to AT&T’s “4G” (read: HSPA+) network, confirming what we already suspected after peeping a tell-tale FCC report . Sony’s is quick to remind us that “S2″ is just a codename, so don’t be surprised if it surfaces with a completely different moniker. Otherwise, the company didn’t get too chatty: we still don’t know how when AT&T will begin selling it nor how much it will cost on contract. Also still MIA: details on when, where, and for how much you’ll be able to nab that folded magazine-inspired S1. Sony’s S2 tablet coming to AT&T, price and availability remain a mystery originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Haier’s HaiPad ships in August, to become the preferred tablet of lolcats everywhere
July 13, 2011 No Comment
We thought Haier’s HaiPad looked oddly familiar, and a quick trip down memory lane suggests we aren’t (completely) bonkers: it’s a rebranded Quanta we spied at CES. The 7-inch slate now sports a custom Froyo skin from DianXin , an 800MHz processor, 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, and a WCDMA radio. We’re told that last antenna provides the slate with phone and texting capabilities just like some versions of another 7-incher we know . Also present are “dual-cameras” (which we assume means one on each plane), availability in five “stylish” hues, and a vague August ship date. With less than a month to scrounge up 3,299 RMB (about $500) and train to fight off thousands of felines, you had better get cracking. [Thanks, Marco] Haier’s HaiPad ships in August, to become the preferred tablet of lolcats everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Virgin Mobile shuffles Beyond Talk pricing, saves BlackBerry owners duckets
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Virgin Mobile , the contract-free subsidiary of Sprint, is giving its Beyond Talk plans a pricing overhaul — with its cheaper choices getting a bit of a bump in the wrong direction. Sprint spokesperson Jayne Wallace confirmed to FierceWireless that this week its $25 unlimited text and data plan that comes packaged with 300 minutes will move to $35, while its 1,200 minute $40 option will become a $45 one. It’s not all bad news though — the unlimited everything $60 service tier is being cut to just $55 and the company is doing away with the $10 add-on fee for BlackBerries. So, try not think about it as a price hike, think about it as saving you $15 a month when the blessedly Blur-free Triumph hits. Virgin Mobile shuffles Beyond Talk pricing, saves BlackBerry owners duckets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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True to its promise of bringing 42Mbps service to 150 million Americans by mid-year, T-Mobile will double its 4G speed in 56 additional markets today — thereby surpassing its self-imposed goal (and leaving the door open for greater ambitions). Of course, the Category 20 Rocket 3.0 USB modem is currently the only way to experience this brisk performance, but the magenta-clad carrier seems intent to bring a 42Mbps HSDPA smartphone to market by year’s end, or much sooner . Cities such as Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Boise, Boston, Charlotte, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Washington D.C., may count themselves among the fortunate, where T-Mo-packing citizens should benefit from the network’s newly increased capacity and reliability, whether or not they’re wielding ZTE’s stick. A complete list of cities is included in the PR just beyond the break. Continue reading T-Mobile brings 42Mbps HSPA+ to 56 new markets, now tops 150 locales T-Mobile brings 42Mbps HSPA+ to 56 new markets, now tops 150 locales originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When the Xperia Pro first went up for pre-order back in June, we thought it would be available relatively soon. According to Sony Ericsson’s page, however, the handset won’t start shipping to UK customers until “late September.” A couple of friendly tipsters notified us about the change, though the SIM-free price, as you’ll notice, remains fixed at
Continue reading …USC computer scientist makes geo-immersion maps, leaves other maps feeling inferior
July 13, 2011 No Comment
Google’s Maps and Earth services provide us with 3D maps , the means to track St. Nick , and even tools to help us train to wear the maillot jaune . Real-time views of the world are not among Street View’s many powers, however. That’s why the director of USC’s Integrated Media Systems Center, Cyrus Shahabi, has one-upped El Goog by rendering the real world virtually using the concept of geo-immersion — which integrates real-time information and videos with digital maps. In one application, users can see the energy usage and floor plans of university buildings along with the current location of campus transit buses. Another uses live video feeds from security cameras and facial recognition technology to track ne’er-do-wells in a three dimensional model of a city. Itching to see what happens when real and virtual worlds collide? Check out the cutting-edge cartography in action after the break. Continue reading USC computer scientist makes geo-immersion maps, leaves other maps feeling inferior USC computer scientist makes geo-immersion maps, leaves other maps feeling inferior originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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