We told you it was only a matter of time and, honestly, it took a bit longer than expected. Verizon has officially filed an appeal to the FCC’s net neutrality rules, which are set to take effect on Novemeber 20th. It wasn’t until the regulations were published in the Federal Register on September 23rd that they became fair game for legal challenges — a technicality that resulted in Verizon’s previous attempt to block the rules being tossed out by the US Court of Appeals in April. While Verizon senior vice president and deputy general counsel, Michael E. Glover, assures netizens that the company is “fully committed to an open Internet,” it none-the-less takes issue with the FCC’s attempt to institute new “broad” and “sweeping” regulations on the telecommunications industry. We’re sure this is only the first of several cases that will be brought before the courts challenging the commission’s authority. Stayed tuned to see if and when MetroPCS re-enters the fray , and to find out the ultimate fate of net neutrality here in the US. Check out the brief statement from Verizon after the break. Continue reading Verizon appeals net neutrality rules, let the legal wrangling begin Verizon appeals net neutrality rules, let the legal wrangling begin originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Admit it, you’ve either owned or lusted after some sort of quirky Swatch in your lifetime. If not, its new Touch watch may be the one to finally give you a case of GAS . According to T3 , the timepiece sports a convex LCD touchscreen, used for swiping or tapping through settings. Aside from displaying the time and date in an eye-caching (nearly unreadable) manner, it features an alarm, a timer, chronograph functionality and keeps track of two timezones. The Swatch Touch is said to hit the UK scene on October 1st, in a choice of six colors for $100 (roughly $157). Looks like Tokyoflash just got itself a worthy foe. Swatch Touch watch reacts to your, well, you know originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Nikon may be generous with the paint colors for its more compact cameras , but it’s been a decidedly different story for its DSLRs (unlike some other camera makers ). There is one new non-DIY option available courtesy of Best Buy, however, which is now offering an exclusive red version of the Nikon D3100 . Unfortunately, while it has the same $650 list price as the regular D3100 (including an 18-55mm VR kit lens), it doesn’t have the same $100 discount that Best Buy’s currently offering on the standard black model. Red Nikon D3100 now available exclusively at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Here comes the second episode of a thrilling three-part saga. Not content with simply selling ten million units of the GT-I9100 — its flagship device — in the course of the last five months, Samsung’s ready to flood the good ol’ US of A with a healthy dose of the Galaxy S II, and it has three carriers — Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile — already signed up on the dotted line . The Epic 4G Touch has already made its way into stores (not to mention the hearts of customers), and Ma Bell’s next in line to appease the masses. This time, things are a smidge different. Whereas Sprint opted to enlarge the screen and add in a few other select design tweaks, it appears that AT&T wanted to keep its variant — appropriately named the Galaxy S II — as close to the international smash hit as possible, opting for the same display size, squared corners and battery (albeit, with a twist). As it turns out, the tweaks are much more subtle than they were on last year’s Samsung Captivate , which arguably looked almost nothing like the original Galaxy S. So does AT&T’s model fit in with its two close compadres? Was its design choice the right decision for this go-round? Follow us below to get the full scoop. Gallery: AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II gallery Continue reading AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II review AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s not often that a phone swings through the FCC with its carrier branding already in place, but here is the ZTE N860 with a nice big Sprint logo emblazoned across its regulatory label. Interestingly, it doesn’t appear that the N860 (which we hope picks up a catchier name on its way to market) packs a WiMAX radio. Instead this Android smartphone only has test entries for its EVDO connection, but we wouldn’t rule out a 4G hiding in some of the unreleased documents. In addition to its trip through the FCC, the handset also hit up the BlueTooth SIG and we can tell it sports A2DP capabilities – but, beyond that (even what particular version of Google’s mobile OS it’s running) this thing is still a mystery. ZTE N860 heading to Sprint, granted FCC and BlueTooth SIG approval originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We waited nearly the entire summer for the Acer Iconia Tab A501 to break daylight. Now that it’s finally shone its uber-glossy face, we were anxious to see if the “4G” HSPA+ model is worth the extra coin (or two year ball-and-chain, should you go that route) over the standard A500 . If you have little fear of commitment, signing the dotted line will get you one 16GB slate for $330 — plus the added cost of a capped data allowance or a pay-as-you go plan. Not down to hitch up to the contract wagon? Cool with us… but you’ll pay $150 more to get your hands on one of these. So is settling down for two of the Earth’s rotations with the same tablet a wise move? Are you better off sticking with the WiFi-only model? Read on to see what we discovered when we took the A501 for a spin. Gallery: Acer Iconia Tab A501 for AT&T review Continue reading Acer Iconia Tab A501 for AT&T review Acer Iconia Tab A501 for AT&T review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung Galaxy W gets the FCC once over (again), appears ready for AT&T
September 30, 2011 No Comment
In a Samsung Galaxy soon coming your way, are a stable of alphabetically ranked handsets. Among these newly hatched Korean mobile offspring is the ‘W’ line — meant to imply wireless wonder . Well, wonder about its US bow no more because that handset — previously announced for the British Isles — is getting a double take at the FCC . The time ’round, the Commission’s filings reveal GSM / WCDMA 850MHz / 1900MHz bands, making this variant prime for Canada’s networks and our own AT&T — at speeds of 14.4Mbps down. We know from previous reports that this 3.7-incher sports a Super LCD display, in addition to a single-core 1.4GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera, 4GB of storage, WiFi and Bluetooth. Now, all we need to complete the picture is an official announcement and an offering in virgin white . Check out the source below if spectrum testing rings your bell. Samsung Galaxy W gets the FCC once over (again), appears ready for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Don’t you hate it when all of your iPads collectively run out of juice? Well, praise Griffin for announcing its first business centric iOS “accessory” in the shape of the Multidock. It has its own power connection for simultaneous charging of ten iPads, but it can be chain-linked to two other docks for syncing of up to 30 tablets with a single Mac. With each server-esque tower measuring up at 18.6 inches (47.2 cm) tall and priced even higher at $700, this one’s for IT pros and Scrabble aficionados only. Gallery: Griffin Multidock press shots Griffin’s Multidock system charges and syncs up to 30 iPads at once originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Rejoice, virtual keyboard aficionados! SwiftKey X 2.1 for Android tablets and smartphones just became available today, and brings a bunch of new features and bug fixes to your favorite touchscreen device. Since our hands-on with v2.0, TouchType has updated its on-screen keyboard using the feedback it gathered from its 25,000+ VIP members. The new version of SwiftKey X adds blog personalization, insights about your typing (shareable with friends), heat-map visualization (see screenshot above), localization / language enhancements, and an auto caps toggle. We’ve been using the final build of SwiftKey X 2.1 on our Nexus S for the past couple of days and noticed some improvements in terms of typing speed and accuracy. Pricing remains $4.99 for SwiftKey Tablet X and $3.99 for SwiftKey X. Full PR after the break. Continue reading SwiftKey X for Android hits v2.1, fingers party everywhere SwiftKey X for Android hits v2.1, fingers party everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Tiny ‘jumping robots’ have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5
September 30, 2011 No Comment
Perhaps calling an immobile plastic bug with explosives strapped to its underside a ” jumping robot ” is a bit of a stretch, but who are we to argue with the Army Research Laboratory and the University of Maryland. The two groups have collaborated to create a pair of “robots” that measure just a few millimeters in size but can jump several centimeters in the air. One uses a spring like mechanism (which an operator must press down with a pair of tweezers) to propel it, while the other uses a small rocket, which can be triggered either by current applied over wires or a phototransistor (for untethered flight). It all makes for a pretty neat video, which you can find after the break – even if your sister’s Furby was more robot than these tiny things. Continue reading Tiny ‘jumping robots’ have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5 Tiny ‘jumping robots’ have more in common with firecrackers than Johnny 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 01:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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