Sling’s had a SlingPlayer Mobile app available for Android for some time now , but it looks like Honeycomb users will soon have a version tailored just for them. While there’s still no word on an exact release date, Sling has just posted the demo video above, showing what seems to be a fairly polished app running on a Motorola Xoom. According to Sling, it’ll run the same $29.99 as its other mobile apps, and the company will gladly take your email address now if you’d like to be informed the moment it’s released (hit the source link below to sign up for that). Sling shows off SlingPlayer app for Honeycomb tablets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Contactless payments have been something of a curiosity in the credit card industry. MasterCard’s PayPass has been around for the better part of a decade, but merchants and banks alike seem hesitant to adopt the technology required to make the system work, and inconsistent implementation adds to the confusion — particularly for customers. Google’s new mobile phone-based Wallet service has the potential to transform the technology from its current status as a transaction turkey, to a future as a checkout champion. But will it work? We spent a week with a Wallet-enabled Nexus S 4G , using the device to pay whenever we encountered a MasterCard PayPass terminal. Unfortunately, that wasn’t often enough, limiting us to just a handful of transactions in the first week. Still, with Google just beginning to roll out the service and only a limited selection of launch partners ready to go, it’s impossible to deliver a complete verdict just yet. Jump past the break for an inside look at Google Wallet , including a video of the service in action, and a brief look at what the world of contactless payments may look like in the future. Gallery: Google Wallet hands-on Continue reading A week with Google Wallet (video) A week with Google Wallet (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It looks like the rumors are true, folks — the long-awaited update that brings Google Wallet to the Samsung Nexus S 4G on Sprint is indeed here, just two days shy of missing the “summer” deadline completely. We’re pretty scant on details at the moment, but the announcement has shown up on an official FAQ page on Samsung’s site informing us that build GWK74 is available. If you’re a proud owner of the now fully-functional device, you should receive a notification stating that an update is available to deliver the goods via an OTA refresh. We’re not sure how long it will take for this to get pushed out to everyone, so a bit of patience may need to be exercised here as you wait. Let us know if you’re one of the lucky recipients below. Samsung Nexus S 4G updated to support Google Wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Barely 24 hours after we told you about printing your own bones , the franken-science continues with the announcement that blood vessels are next on the body-parts-you-can-print list. Unsurprisingly, you’ll need more than just regular toner if you want to start printing your own at home, but pioneering work by application-oriented research organization Fraunhofer has claimed to have cracked it by adding some good old ‘two-photon polymerization’ into the mix — yeah, obvious once you know. The added photon special sauce is what makes the printed synthetic tubes biofunctionalized, which in turn enables living body cells to dock onto them — we’re guessing that’s important. Sounds cute, but how long until we can start printing whole people — Weird Science, anyone? Continue reading Print your own blood vessels, no need for red toner Print your own blood vessels, no need for red toner originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Fusion Micro mod weds PSP and GameCube hardware, but battery won’t last the honeymoon
September 19, 2011 No Comment
It may not be the first console we’ve seen modded and squeezed into portable clothing , but we’ve got to admire the sheer pluck of cramming all the GameCube’s goodnesss into PSP hardware. Modder Ashen, also responsible for the stockier GameCube Fusion , has managed just that, with some heavy-duty adjustments and modifications. The Fusion Micro is a fair bit chunkier than the original PSP, mainly due to the fan and heat sink behind all that busy hardware. Other modifications include an extra analog stick on the right to mimic the GameCube controller and two card slots for games and emulation. Despite this impressive engineering, however, it won’t stand up to extensive plays; this unholy union of Nintendo and Sony can only squeeze out about two hours of gaming from its 5000mAh battery. Click on after the break to see Zelda in action, alongside a full break-down of the controls and modifications. [Thanks Ashen.] Continue reading Fusion Micro mod weds PSP and GameCube hardware, but battery won’t last the honeymoon Fusion Micro mod weds PSP and GameCube hardware, but battery won’t last the honeymoon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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See that above? That number in the scorecard? That’s the last one of those you’ll be seeing on Engadget. (The last one for a while, at least — “never say never” and all that.) Review scores were added to the Engadget way of doing things back in July of 2010 and, since then, they’ve had an overwhelming effect on how our reviews are read and perceived by you, our dear readers. We write our reviews and do our best to have the text within them speak to each and every one of you, but as we’ve learned those numbers truly only help very few of you. So, as you may have noticed, review scores on Engadget are dead. Join us as we explore why. Continue reading Review score review Review score review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’re on Australia’s Telstra network and you’re still clinging to hope of an OTA Gingerbread update for your beloved HTC Desire, then now it’s officially time to let go. For a while it looked like Telstra might opt for a smart workaround to the old handset’s lack of memory, but now the operator’s update page makes it clear that it has fallen in line with the wider HTC stance: Android 2.3 just isn’t viable on this device, unless you’re prepared to go off-piste with the developer build or an unofficial ROM . [Thanks, Jack] Game over: Telstra won’t be Gingerbreading the HTC Desire after all originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Arduino-modded stoplight makes the bestest server monitor you’ll see this week
September 19, 2011 No Comment
Keeping an eye on your server health isn’t the most romantic of pastimes. That’s what compelled modder mkanoap to build a computer-free monitoring system that was as cheerily simple as Xymon’s red-yellow-green symbols. His solution? Install an ethernet-enabled Arduino into a stoplight and mount it on the wall of the office. On one hand, the cubicle creativity factor just has to be commended, but on the other, we’re guessing it’s not an entirely selfless endeavor — it’s not exactly enthralling answering those system status calls, you know? Anyone who wants to follow in his footsteps can click our source link, which includes details of where to acquire a stoplight without a stealthy, nighttime, screwdriver-assisted jaunt to your nearest intersection. Arduino-modded stoplight makes the bestest server monitor you’ll see this week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pantech Breakout finally does just that, available from Verizon starting September 22nd
September 19, 2011 No Comment
Adding to Verizon’s ever-expanding selection of LTE phones, Pantech’s Breakout will be its first sub-$100 LTE handset, sneaking into the mix at $99.99 on a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. After an in-the-wild spot , the Breakout finally looks set to arrive on September 22nd — a date that may sound pretty familiar . For the price, it still packs that LTE punch, and the ability to act as a mobile hotspot for up to ten devices. Compared to its pricier Verizon stablemates, the Thunderbolt and the Droid Bionic , the Breakout has a smaller 4-inch screen, but runs on a respectable 1GHz processor. There’s also a 5 megapixel camera at the back capable of 720 HD video capture, and a VGA cam up front. LTE for less — it’s here. Continue reading Pantech Breakout finally does just that, available from Verizon starting September 22nd Pantech Breakout finally does just that, available from Verizon starting September 22nd originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 10:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The Electree: finally, a bonsai tree that uses solar power to charge your gadgets
September 19, 2011 No Comment
So you’re tres green chic with your solar-charging jacket , and that Ralph Lauren backpack keeps your gadgets energized even off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. But what about stylish photovoltaics for your home, dear earth-friendly aesthete? We humbly submit the Electree, by French designer Vivian Muller. Shaped like a bonsai tree, each of its 27 leaves is a solar panel that helps charge a 13,500mAh battery. A concealed USB connector and A/C outlet will feed your gadgets while minimizing unsightly wires, and rotatable branches let you customize the look. Muller’s looking for 400 presales to make the Electree a reality: for early birds, the price is €269 (about $370). If this sounds like the sort of thing you’d put on your windowsill, hit the source link to commence with the purchasing. Continue reading The Electree: finally, a bonsai tree that uses solar power to charge your gadgets The Electree: finally, a bonsai tree that uses solar power to charge your gadgets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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