Microsoft: we figured people would hack Windows Phone 7, would suggest that they don’t
November 26, 2010 1 Comment
Hot on the heels of the release of a utility for bypassing the Windows Marketplace and sideloading your own apps, Microsoft has released a brief statement on the state of the Windows Phone 7 hacking community… and we wouldn’t exactly say they’re too worked up about it: “We anticipated that people would attempt to unlock the phones and explore the underlying operating system. We encourage people to use their Windows Phone as supplied by the manufacturer to ensure the best possible user experience. Attempting to unlock a device could void the warranty, disable phone functionality, interrupt access to Windows Phone 7 services or render the phone permanently unusable.” So yeah, we’d say this is more or less a boilerplate quote: “we figured you’d hack this thing, we’d prefer it if you didn’t, and here’s a laundry list of things that could (but probably won’t) happen if you fail to heed our meek warning.” Over the long term, we wouldn’t be surprised if Redmond ended up playing an Apple-style cat-and-mouse game with these folks, breaking hacks with firmware updates only to have them re-hacked within a few days’ time. Considering the lack of spitfire in the statement here, we don’t see them coming down too hard unless legitimate, card-carrying, fee-paying developers throw a fit — and granted, ChevronWP7 stands to make loading pirated apps a breeze, so that could very well happen. Microsoft: we figured people would hack Windows Phone 7, would suggest that they don’t originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Jolicloud Jolibook . Oh yes, it’s sounded like a made-up device ever since the pictures of it started to leak out, but the netbook centered around the Jolicloud Linux operating system is indeed a real product. So real that we’ve been using the Atom N550-powered system over the past few days. Sure, we’ve gotten looks in public because its cartoon-covered lid, but the
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Apple’s new AirPlay video streaming functionality is great… unless you want to use it in a non-Apple app. For whatever reason, Apple is restricting AirPlay video to just its first party apps right now, and not even all of those (Safari is left out, for instance). Interestingly, Apple actually built the functionality in, it’s just not enabled. Thanks to some “spelunking” work by TUAW’s Erica Sadun, it was discovered that a single line of code is all that’s necessary to spread the feature to any app that relies on Apple’s MediaPlayer framework, including VLC, AirVideo, and even Safari. Now Zone-MR has built a hack called AirVideoEnabler and put it on Cydia, allowing you to bring this functionality to your own jailbroken iPad. For the hack-averse, let’s hope Apple catches up in functionality soon. Check out a video of AirVideoEnabler and Erica’s original hack in action after the break. AirVideoEnabler hack brings AirPlay video to the rest of your apps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide ! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today’s bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the holiday season. E-readers have really started to come into their own in the past few years, and there are now a bevy of options ranging from the utilitarian to the multi-tasking. If you’re thinking about getting a reader for a friend or loved one, look no further: we’ve got our best picks below. Stocking stuffers Nook (WiFi) Barnes and Noble’s massive library of books remains hard to beat, as does its easy buying experience. The updated firmware means the e-Ink screen refreshes are faster than ever and you get syncing across multiple devices when using the Nook apps. Key specs: WiFi only, e-Ink screen, secondary color touchscreen Price : $149 Another option… Kobo e-reader – $129 This one is a bit bare bones, but it’s light and comfortable in the hand, with apps for every platform. The newest version offers WiFi and a few color options, too. And another… Kindle (Wifi) – $139 Spec for spec this one is exactly the same as its cheaper, Wifi-only cousin, but with the added convenience of free 3G connectivity for grabbing books on the go. Oh, you shouldn’t have Kindle (3G) Spec for spec this one is exactly the same as its cheaper, Wifi-only cousin, but with the added convenience of free 3G connectivity for grabbing books on the go. The 6-inch E Ink screen has the fastest refresh of any reader we’ve seen and it’s extremely lightweight. Key specs: 6-inch E Ink screen, webkit browser, 3G, 8.7 ounces Price : $189 Another option… Sony Reader Touch Edition – $199 Sony’s lineup of readers offer colorful options, and the Touch Edition boasts a 6-inch full touchscreens, crisp E Ink display and a capacity of up to 50,000 books. And another… Nook Color – $199 The first non-E Ink reader we’re recommending boasts a full touchscreen LCD which makes reading magazines a pretty pleasurable experience. Barnes and Noble is also focusing on kids pretty heavily with this one, too. We can’t afford the rent now, can we? Apple iPad While the iPad is not primarily a reader, plenty of users do plenty of reading on the tablet. Apple’s iBooks store is not the largest, but it’s growing every day, and the reading experience the company has developed is very elegant. Key specs: 9.7-inch LCD, WiFi only and 3G options, up to 64GB storage Price : from $499 Another option… Spring Design Alex – $399 The Alex is built on the Android operating system, and its dual screen approach makes it stand out from many other readers. The top boasts a 6-inch e Ink screen while the lower portion of the reader has a 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD which you can use for things like web browsing on top of basic navigation. And another…. Kindle DX – $379 Amazon’s jumbo Kindle is undoubtedly too large for some, but it’s surprisingly light and the 9.7-inch E Ink display brings a pretty stellar reading experience with that size. Free 3G means you’ll be able to grab books wherever, and the DX is just about one-third of an inch thick. Engadget’s Holiday Gift Guide: E-readers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Remember that Kinect hack how-to ? A key figure in the story was the use of a USB analyzer that was plugged in-between the Kinect and the Xbox to pick up on USB traffic and pull out a log that could be used for hacking. Well, there’s a new ‘OpenVizsla’ project on KickStarter that’s aiming to build open source hardware that can put this typically expensive tech ($1,400+) in the hands of more hackers, who use the hardware for anything from jailbreaking locked-down devices to building Linux drivers for hardware. The project was actually started by hackers “bushing” and “pytey,” who have worked on hacking the Wii and the iPhone, respectively. They’ve already raised a good chunk of change for the project in pledges, with backing from folks like Stephen Fry and DVD Jon helping out the momentum, and hopefully we’ll be seeing the next generation of hacks enabled by OpenVizsla and its brood before too long. Continue reading OpenVizsla hopes to bring USB sniffing to the everyhacker OpenVizsla hopes to bring USB sniffing to the everyhacker originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The pico projector may have peaked a year or so ago, but AAXA Technologies is hoping to ride the coattails of success with the L1 v2. Predictably, this is the second generation L1 , and it’s being hailed as the world’s smallest 20 lumen pico projector at 4.2- x 2.1- x 1.2-inches. Other specs include a native 800 x 600 resolution, on-board gamma correction, an inbuilt media player capable of decoding a slew of file formats, an LCoS imager, a USB socket and an internal battery good for 1.5 hours of use. We’re told that it can blast images up to 50-inches in size, and while the $449 MSRP still stings, those who pre-order now can get in for $399. Not exactly a Black Friday special, but hey… Continue reading AAXA debuts L1 v2: world’s smallest 20 lumen pico projector Filed under: Displays AAXA debuts L1 v2: world’s smallest 20 lumen pico projector originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Next iPad likely to get a new screen, front-facing camera; USB port… not so likely
November 26, 2010 No CommentNew rumors are swirling about the iPad 2, and they’re a bit of a grab bag. The source is the same Economic Daily News paper that made one of the early calls on the first iPad, but also the one that reported in August that there was a 7-inch display being sourced for the iPad’s sequel (which Steve Jobs seems to differ with ). The new report says that the next iPad will be out in Q1 2011, will have dual cameras, a new display with new touch tech, and a USB port for working with third party devices. From our own information we know there were actually some last minute revisions on the first iPad that ended up killing the camera and nixing an extra dock connector , so the camera(s) seem a particularly natural “addition” for the iPad 2. We’ve also heard that a revised screen is happening, though it’s unclear if this will be a “Retina Display” or something more minor. On the USB plug front, which could mark a sort of adolescent transition of the iPad into “computer,” our source says it’s, sadly, very unlikely. We’re particularly interested in this mention of a new touchscreen technology from the EDN rumor (perhaps stylus support or pressure sensitivity?) but we don’t have anything else to go on there. Overall, it’s still hard to tell if the next iPad will be a small update or something more splashy, but it’s certainly going to be something. Next iPad likely to get a new screen, front-facing camera; USB port… not so likely originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Human-carrying (or human-assisting ) robots come in all shapes and sizes, but we haven’t seen anything quite like this so-called Land Crawler exTreme bot. Weighing in at just 27 pounds, the robot can apparently carry a person weighing up to 175 pounds (providing they have good balance), or it can simply amble around on its twelve legs all by itself. Practical? Maybe not. But it is quite a sight to behold — see for yourself after the break. Continue reading Land Crawler exTreme robot carries 175 pounds of human Land Crawler exTreme robot carries 175 pounds of human originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 11:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NoMute reclaims iPad orientation lock in iOS 4.2, but only if you jailbreak
November 26, 2010 No Comment
If you’ve yet to upgrade your iPad to iOS 4.2.1, and you’re head-over-heels with your orientation lock, you’ve got two options: upgrade and lose that functionality altogether, or upgrade / jailbreak and get it back. Naturally, we’d recommend the latter. In what can only be described as “so typically Apple,” the software engineers at Cupertino figured that they’d convert the perfectly acceptable orientation lock switch into a mute switch. We lamented this fact in our review of the update, but rather than Apple creating (non-fiddly) alternatives within its software, we’re left to look for a solution in the jailbreaker’s app store. NoMute has just emerged under the BigBoss repository in Cydia, promising to reclaim the switch you’ve already become accustomed to using. It’s available now for absolutely nothing, but users are encouraged to cast a wicked glare in Steve’s direction as the download ensues. NoMute reclaims iPad orientation lock in iOS 4.2, but only if you jailbreak originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Firstly, let’s be absolutely clear that we don’t know this is Nokia’s X7 , but given the polished, entertainment-centric design (it has four speakers, apparently), we’re inclined to believe that it’s the real deal. Its screen looks to be the same 4-inch affair as on Nokia’s E7 , it’s running the latest Symbian OS (formerly known as Symbian^3), and pictures of its rear reveal an 8 megapixel camera. The last detail of import, naturally, is the reassurance that comes from knowing that this supposed X7 can crunch through Need for Speed quite nicely. Jump past the break to see it on video. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: The video’s been thrown into private mode pretty quickly. Let us know if you find any copies of it floating about the interwebs. Continue reading Nokia X7-00 spotted feeding its Need for Speed in the wild (video) Nokia X7-00 spotted feeding its Need for Speed in the wild (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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