Okay, so we’ve got to be close to a release at this point, right? After posting a WiFi-patched GM last week, Apple’s back at it again with an iOS 4.2.1 build for its iPhone Developer Program members… and let’s hope this is the very last one before it hits iTunes installations across the land. Or, you know, you can get it now if you shell out some funds in Cupertino’s direction. Your call. [Thanks, Dave] Apple posts iOS 4.2.1 GM seed, iPads salivate in wait originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …$399 iPads, fondue sets appearing at TJ Maxx locations across the country
November 18, 2010 No Comment
Sure, we know where you guys go when you’re near a strip mall and have to pick up an irregularly sized Tommy Hilfiger shirt, or when you run out of Paco Rabanne cologne before a hot date, but we definitely did a double take when our tipster Aaron sent us these pics he took of a 16GB WiFi iPad that he found at a TJ Maxx in Vernon, NY — and not just because they’re going for a relatively reasonable $399. We made a couple phone calls and found some at stores in Ohio and New Jersey (including one who said they were holding their stock back for Black Friday ) while we struck out in other parts of the country. Still, if you’re looking to drop cash on one of these guys, we’d make a quick call to your local outlet before heading to the Apple Store. And when you’re done, don’t forget to swing by Half Price Books and pick up a remaindered copy of A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O’Reilly. Get a closer look after the break. [Thanks to Aaron and Jared] Continue reading $399 iPads, fondue sets appearing at TJ Maxx locations across the country $399 iPads, fondue sets appearing at TJ Maxx locations across the country originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Android landscape’s certainly getting crowded, isn’t it? We can still vividly remember the days when the T-Mobile G1 was the only game in town, and now here we are — just two years later — flush with options covering virtually every market segment from the ultra-high end to the ultra-low and everything in between. One niche market that’s usually underserved, though, is the beat-the-crap-out-of-your-phone market. You know who you are: you work hard, you play hard, or you’ve just got an incurable case of butterfingers — but whatever the case, you need a phone that you aren’t breaking, bricking, melting, freezing, or otherwise destroying every few weeks. It’s not that rugged phones haven’t existed, of course. Far from it: Nextel and Motorola practically invented (and thrived off of) the concept, and options like AT&T’s Samsung Rugby and Verizon’s Casio G’zOne series have been available for some time. By and large, though, it’s been a field devoid of smartphones — and these days, that’s just not going to cut it. The kinds of people that need a phone that can take a few knocks don’t necessarily want to buy them at the expense of power or capability anymore. On that note, Motorola’s new Android-powered Defy for T-Mobile USA (and other carriers abroad) is one of the few to take a shot at elegantly combining environmental resistance with a no-compromise smartphone experience, featuring Blur atop Android 2.1 with a 5 megapixel autofocus cam, LED flash, 800MHz TI OMAP3610 core, and a 3.7-inch 854 x 480 display. In other words, on paper, it’s no slouch — but can it hang? Let’s find out. Gallery: Motorola Defy review Continue reading Motorola Defy review Motorola Defy review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 14:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Exclusive: Woz misquoted! ‘Almost every app that I have is better on the iPhone’
November 18, 2010 No CommentSome comments attributed to Steve Wozniak caused quite a kerfuffle this morning — according to Dutch paper De Telegraaf , Woz said that “Android phones have more features,” which would help Google’s OS become the dominant smartphone platform. Obviously, a statement like that from Apple’s co-founder rocketed around the web, and it’s set off yet another round of furious Android-vs-iOS debate. There’s just one problem, though: Woz never said anything like that. Turns out Woz is an Engadget commenter just like you, and when we saw that he’d left a clarification on the post, we called him up for a quick chat to sort everything out. Woz says he gave the De Telegraaf reporter a lengthy demonstration of voice commands on iOS and Android, pointed out that Android offered the ability to say “Navigate to Joe’s Diner,” and suggested that Apple would catch up through its purchases of Siri and Poly9 . According to Steve, that’s about it — he says he’d “never” say that Android was better than iOS, and that “Almost every app I have is better on the iPhone.” Woz did say he lightly prognosticated that Android would become more popular “based on what I’ve read,” but that he expects Android “to be a lot like Windows… I’m not trying to put Android down, but I’m not suggesting it’s better than iOS by any stretch of the imagination. But it can get greater marketshare and still be crappy.” He’s not shy, that Woz — listen to him say it all for yourself after the break. Continue reading Exclusive: Woz misquoted! ‘Almost every app that I have is better on the iPhone’ Exclusive: Woz misquoted! ‘Almost every app that I have is better on the iPhone’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s something deep down inside of us that makes us want to believe Apple has some sort of app plan for Apple TV, and by “deep down inside” we mean ” jailbreaking .” Fire Core, the people behind the aTV Flash software package for older Apple TVs, has just shown off its work on aTV Flash (black), a port of its hackery to the new Apple TV. Basically, aTV Flash converts your Apple TV into most of the interesting parts of the Boxee Box , and we’re particularly interested in the “Couch Surfer” browser aspect — at least as far as it can fend off encroaching jealousy for Boxee and Google TV. Unfortunately, the current version of aTV Flash costs $50, and while $50 + $100 is less than a Boxee Box, you don’t have to hack the Boxee to make it work. Hopefully Fire Core will reconsider that price by the time it launches aTV Flash (black), and in the meantime maybe some white knight hacker will get something like this working on Apple TVs gratis . Check out a video of the browser and Last.fm in action after the break. Continue reading Jailbroken Apple TVs getting Last.fm and a browser, for a price Jailbroken Apple TVs getting Last.fm and a browser, for a price originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Dell Inspiron Duo finally official, can be yours the first week of December for $549
November 18, 2010 No Comment
That’s right, just as we had heard , Dell is finally putting an end to the Inspiron Duo’s mysterious marketing videos and officially spinning its screen for the world to see! You won’t be able to hit the order button on the totally unique 10.1-inch tablet / netbook hybrid today, but according to Dell, it should go up for pre-order sometime soon and start shipping out the first week of December. As for pricing, the base model will start at $549 (
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iPod nano watchbands — they’re everywhere! Seriously, ever since Steve Jobs said that an unnamed Apple board member jokingly planned to wear the new nano as a watch, we’ve seen all shapes and sizes of wristbands designed to put the diminutive media player on your wrist, ranging from the super-basic to the super-silly to the super-amazing. But hold up — yes, we thought the new nano was a great little media player when we first reviewed it , but why hasn’t anyone talked about what it’s like to wear one as your watch? Is replacing your current timepiece with the nano’s 1.5-inch 240 x 240 multitouch display actually a good idea ? We took the nerd-bullet for you and wore one for a week to find out — read on! Gallery: iPod nano review — as a watch Continue reading iPod nano review — as a watch iPod nano review — as a watch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Yeah, we’re still hanging around playing Q*bert and waiting on folks to get those qubits a spinning. Meanwhile, researchers have found a new path to follow on the way to quantum enlightenment. A new, darker path, which entails the use of so-called dark excitons as quantum bits. While doubling as a great name for future robo-gigolos, a dark exciton is an electron-hole pair with parallel spins. The parallel spin, which makes this quasiparticle “dark,” also enables it to be long-lasting and, critically, to be excited with an electrical charge to set its state, a state that can then be read by looking for an emitted photon. Fascinating? Absolutely. Coming to a desktop near you? Not likely — not unless your desktop is kept at a temperature of 4.2 degrees K, anyway. [Image credit: Smite-Meister ] Dark excitons could light up your quantum computer, life originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Virgin Mobile USA partners with Walmart for Broadband2Go offer, $20 a month for 1GB
November 18, 2010 No Comment
If you took a gander at Virgin Mobile USA’s latest Broadband2Go plans you might have noticed a bit of a hole between $10 a month for 100MB and $40 a month for unlimited data. Consider it plugged, with a new $20 monthly 1GB plan that starts today. That’s quite a bit nicer than the previous $20 for 300MB plan, but of course there’s a catch: it’s available only at Walmart , and only to owners of a Novatel MiFi 2200 or Ovation MC720. We hate to say it, but this might just be worth putting aside your hate of all things Walton and making a run over to your local big box — though a trip to Walmart.com would certainly be easier. Virgin Mobile USA partners with Walmart for Broadband2Go offer, $20 a month for 1GB originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google’s spicy new Android Market to display high-res images, videos, be more tablet-friendly?
November 18, 2010 No Comment
We’re pretty sure that Gingerbread is to be Android 2.3 , but we’re still missing the official Google confirmation, and beyond that still waiting to hear exactly what the heck this point release will entail. It’s certainly looking like there’s a new Android Market in the works, though, with Google adding new fields to the submission that accept higher resolution icons, a high-res “feature graphic” measuring 1024 x 500, and an optional link to a YouTube-hosted promotional video. Google has also confirmed that up to eight screenshots will be able to be submitted in the near future, with a maximum resolution of 480 x 800. This could all be to make things rather more friendly for higher-res displays, like one would find on a tablet or a TV , or it could simply be the web-based interface that the Market so desperately needs. We’ll surely find out when Google dishes all the details on this next version, which should happen any day now. Any day now… Google’s spicy new Android Market to display high-res images, videos, be more tablet-friendly? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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