Sprint’s Motorola Admiral quietly displayed on YouTube as America watches dancing cats
September 23, 2011 No Comment
It may not have quite as many views as Admiral Ackbar, but a chieftan of Sprint’s CDMA-based Direct Connect service was officially outed by the carrier via YouTube earlier. Our device in question, the Motorola Admiral , has now been given a speedy lookover despite the fact that the company hasn’t even seen fit to acknowledge its existence otherwise. ‘Course, we don’t imagine this was accidental in the slightest — the video of the rugged Android device has been up for several hours without getting pulled — but it’s still a curious way to introduce one of the first phones featuring a brand new service . Regardless, we now have the clearest shots of the portrait QWERTY smartphone that we’ve seen yet; the two-and-a-half minute teaser didn’t list off a lot of specs, but it did confirm the handset’s 3.1-inch display and five megapixel camera with LED flash. That should count for something, right? Still, it likely won’t be long before we get a real announcement with the full rundown, so just keep yourself entertained by watching the “related videos” section in the meantime. Check out the vid after the break. Continue reading Sprint’s Motorola Admiral quietly displayed on YouTube as America watches dancing cats Sprint’s Motorola Admiral quietly displayed on YouTube as America watches dancing cats originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 02:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you thought hitting up the local library was far too Web 1.0 for your avant-garde lifestyle, you may want to check out the Eau Claire public library in Wisconsin — it’s not only lending books, but also, iPads. Each one of the 44 available tablets will be stuffed to the digital gills with 1,000 books, ten audiobooks and various apps for your reading (or, not reading) pleasure. Although other houses of learning have launched similar programs , this is the first of note to go with Apple slates for its e-reading experiment. If you’re the proud owner of a library card and have less than $10 in fines, you too can get in line for one of the loaners. We wonder, does the old saying “you break it, you buy it” apply here? Wisconsin library loans iPads for at home e-reading originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …New York City braces for Tuesday’s arrival of mobile service on subway platforms
September 22, 2011 No Comment
It’s hardly a natural disaster, but the landscape of Manhattan is about to change once again with the arrival of cellular signal to a handful of the borough’s subway platforms. Both AT&T and T-Mobile are taking part in the pilot program , and the Metropolitan Transit Authority expects the service to begin rolling on Tuesday at several stations along the 14th Street corridor, including A, C, E, F, L and M, along with stops 1, 2 and 3. The 23rd Street line will also see part of the action, as coverage is expected for the C and E stations. Of course, straphangers are unlikely to receive signal once on-board the trains, as the tunnels themselves aren’t included in this rollout. Currently, the MTA expects all 277 underground platforms to be equipped for mobile chatter by 2016. Transit Wireless, the company responsible for the expansion, is said to be in talks with Sprint and Verizon for a similar introduction, although its customers must be content to listen in on the conversations other commuters for the time being. [Image from SeanPavonePhoto / Shutterstock ] New York City braces for Tuesday’s arrival of mobile service on subway platforms originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Seems like we can’t go a week without another patent infringement lawsuit being filed, and this one’s no different. Apparently, VIA Technologies, maker of fine computational processors , is mad as hell with Apple’s allegedly infringing ways, and it’s not gonna take it anymore. Filed in the US District Court in Delaware, VIA claims that Cupertino’s iThings and Apple TVs infringe patent numbers 6,253,312, 6,253,311 and 6,754,810, which cover various microprocessor functions. A complaint’s also been lodged with the ITC — in order to hasten the settlement talks, no doubt. So, all that’s left is the countdown until these two shake hands, exchange checks and go on about their business… preferably outside the courtroom. VIA Technologies sues Apple for patent infringement originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Card.io launches visual credit card scanner on Android, shares the mobile payment love
September 22, 2011 No Comment
Already in use on iOS, Card.io offers a lightweight alternative to Google Wallet , using your phone’s camera to glean payment details; and it’s now winging its way to your Android phone. It may not have that phone-tapping appeal of Google’s contactless payment system, but the app SDK (available now) skips the laborious process of entering your details number-by-number, booting up your camera and delivering your precious banking details to third-party merchants. You can check the video after the break for a (really brief) walkthrough, or click on the source below to give the Android demo a go. Continue reading Card.io launches visual credit card scanner on Android, shares the mobile payment love Card.io launches visual credit card scanner on Android, shares the mobile payment love originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 23:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …PBS screens the cultural eye-candy early to Apple devices, ushers iOS users past the public velvet rope
September 22, 2011 No Comment
If you’re a fan of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, you’ll probably want to tune in to PBS’ new Prohibition-era doc — on your iOS device. That’s right, the federally-funded public station’s hip to our digital distributing times, and is giving an early access viewing window to users of its PBS app across Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The high-brow art’ll get its stream on September 23rd, with the full series to air on broadcast from October 2nd through the 4th. While the doc’s two subsequent episodes will also stream live day and date on PBS’ video hub , your mobile apps won’t get the visual goods until the day after air. Of course, if that bevy of options doesn’t jive with your busy schedule, you can always download the show direct from PBS or iTunes. Official PR awaits you after the break. Continue reading PBS screens the cultural eye-candy early to Apple devices, ushers iOS users past the public velvet rope PBS screens the cultural eye-candy early to Apple devices, ushers iOS users past the public velvet rope originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Xperia Play finally gets HD video capture, catches up with smartphone siblings
September 22, 2011 No Comment
The Xperia Play’s incoming Android 2.3.4 update appears to add an extra nugget of functional goodness in the form of high-definition video-recording. What, the Xperia Play didn’t do so already? Nope, Sony Ericsson neglected to add that functionality to the phone’s five megapixel shooter from the start. Fortunately, the new software update rectifies this, so when you’re not blasting those PlayStation hits of yesteryear , you’ll be able to chronicle your pet’s adventures in crystal clear 720p. Courtesy of XDA Developers , see proof of the Play’s new HD recording abilities after the break. Continue reading Xperia Play finally gets HD video capture, catches up with smartphone siblings Xperia Play finally gets HD video capture, catches up with smartphone siblings originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s almost the official end of summer and just as CEO Jason Kilar forecasted back in July , Hulu has signed up more than 1,000,000 paying Plus subscribers. He made the announcement at a Goldman Sachs investor conference while also mentioning plans to invest $375 million in content this year, even as the questions of who will buy Hulu (if its owners actually follow through with a sale ) and Kilar’s own fate as its head continue to hang in the air. Hitting the projected numbers, rolling out service internationally and popping up at the f8 Facebook event are all signs Hulu is still making plans for its future, even if we don’t know yet where that future will be. Hulu Plus cracks one million paying subscribers, but what’s next? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 17:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …KDDI may get iPhone 5, putting an end to Softbank’s exclusivity in Japan
September 22, 2011 No Comment
The walls of tyrannical exclusivity may soon come crashing down in Japan. According to Nikkei , “officials” in the know have indicated that KDDI is gearing up to release the iPhone 5 on its network, thus ending competitor SoftBank’s reign as the iconic device’s sole provider in the Land of the Rising Sun . As we’ve come to expect in the days leading up to official Apple announcements, the details are incredibly scant. SoftBank, the third-largest carrier in the country, has been inching closer and closer to second-place KDDI with very little breathing room left; it’s understandable, then, that the latter would be eagerly awaiting the end of iPhone exclusivity to make an agreement with Apple and boost its subscriber count. As it’s all hearsay for the time being, we’ll just have to wait a little while longer before we know every detail on the mystery device(s). KDDI may get iPhone 5, putting an end to Softbank’s exclusivity in Japan originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hewlett-Packard has turned to former eBay CEO Meg Whitman to run the technology giant. The HP board pushed aside Leo Apotheker after just 11 months on the job, having lost confidence in his ability to lead the company long-term. (Sept. 22)
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