Gee, I wonder why the Prez would move his big trip up two days: MOVED UP: Obama to embark on 10-day Asia trip two days after mid-terms… Washington will be a very unfriendly place for Obama on November 3rd. The town will be crawling with Democrats who will be returning to shutter their offices and lay off their staff. And almost every one of them, from former congressman to former staffer, will be blaming Obama for the loss. I’d get out of town too.
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We were able to peek Samsung’s NF310 netbook at the front-end of last month, but now that a ship date is drawing near, the firm is dishing out a few more details in hopes of regaining your attention. As we’d heard, this 10.1-incher will boast a dual-core Intel Atom N550 processor, but we’ve now learned that it’ll also arrive with 1GB of DDR3 memory, a 250GB hard drive, 1366 x 768 resolution display, an Earth-rattling three watt stereo speaker setup, 802.11b/g/n WiFi and a battery that’ll purportedly last over nine hours. The whole thing weighs in at 2.87 pounds, but the inclusion of Windows 7 Starter bums us out a bit. At any rate, it’ll be out and about this fall for $399, trying its best to showcase a spill-resistant keyboard, larger-than-average touchpad and an array of Sleep & Charge USB ports . Continue reading Samsung details 10.1-inch NF310 netbook, plans to ship this autumn Samsung details 10.1-inch NF310 netbook, plans to ship this autumn originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft creating its own software layer for Windows 7 tablets? Boy, we hope so
October 6, 2010 No Comment
It’s no secret that Microsoft has a slight tablet, err Slate PC problem on its hands: Windows 7 certainly works on a “pad,” but the user interface isn’t meant for strictly finger input. The makeshift solution has been, of course, for its partners to create software skins of their own — see HP TouchSmart UI , the ExoPC “Connect Four” skin, etc. — but according to Microsoft know-it-all Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet , the guys in Redmond may just be working on a layer of their own. Now, Foley says these are just recurring rumors at this point, but they happen to line up with similar whispers we’ve heard that Microsoft might develop its own optional “shell.” Foley actually believes that it could be based on Windows Media Center, and points to an article by UK blogger Mark Wilson in which Ballmer is quoted saying, “what you’ll see over the course of the next year is us doing more and more work with our hardware partners creating hardware-software optimisations with Windows 7 and with Windows 7 Media Center .” We don’t need to tell you, Mr. Ballmer, that we think that sounds like a glorious idea, and it’ll certainly buy you time until Windows 8 is ready in 2012 . Speaking of which, he also confirmed that it won’t be releasing another version of Windows in the interim as some may have suspected. We’ve similarly heard that Microsoft is heavily optimizing the new OS for slates, and is already prepping its partners with information on that front. Obviously all of this should be taken with a grain of salt at this point, but we sure are happy to hear that Microsoft’s starting to understand how important those UI layers are to consumer adoption and that the wheels may be in motion on finger-friendly interface improvements. Of course, for now we’ll be sitting here twiddling our thumbs until next week’s October 11 event to see if any elusive Microsoft slate announcements do in fact decide to make an appearance. Microsoft creating its own software layer for Windows 7 tablets? Boy, we hope so originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been a long road to the T-Mobile G2 (and this review). Just two years ago, Android made its entrance into the smartphone market with the G1 , a partnership with the fourth-place carrier, and a lot of promises about keeping things open. Since then we’ve seen the likes of the Droid family, Google’s Nexus One , and the powerhouses that are the Samsung Galaxy S line — to name a few. Yes, the Android landscape has become more than just a little crowded. But of those many, there are few who leap beyond what we’ve come to expect from the Google-backed enterprise into the realm of the top tier. For all the Android devices you can purchase, only a few rise above the noise. At a glance, the G2 looks like one of those handsets — designed and manufactured by HTC (and known as the Desire Z in Europe), outfitted with a (nearly) stock build of Android 2.2, and equipped with T-Mobile’s new HSPA+, which the carrier claims can offer network speeds nearly equivalent to 4G. So is the G2 the sum of its parts — The pure Android experience you’ve been waiting for — or does it fall short of the hype? Find out below in the full Engadget review! Gallery: T-Mobile G2 review Continue reading T-Mobile G2 review T-Mobile G2 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 18:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If this little puppy looks familiar, well, it should — it’s basically an Americanized version of the Optimus One announced earlier this year. In that regard, T-Mobile’s Optimus T is a bit of an anti- myTouch — a relatively low-end Android smartphone fit for the masses with a 3.2-inch HVGA display (touted as being fashioned of tempered glass), a 3 megapixel cam with video capture, Froyo , and Swype pre-installed. As you can see from the press shot up there, the UI isn’t quite stock — but happily, it doesn’t look like LG has done anything too egregious to muck it up. LG Optimus T budget Android phone comes to T-Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Logitech Revue and accessories hands-on! (Update: video of video calling!)
October 6, 2010 No Comment
We just got some serious hands-on time with the Logitech Revue Google TV box, and it’s all pretty slick, hardware-wise. The Keyboard and Mini Controller are just as well-done as you’d expect from Logitech, and the video calling features worked pretty seamlessly. We also managed to confirm that the Dish Network DVR integration is exclusive to Logitech — it won’t work on Sony Google TV devices, which is totally strange. We’re headed back for video and we’ll have some more in-depth impressions in a bit, but check out the pretty pictures in the galleries below for now. Update : Dish and Google have both chimed in to clarify the “exclusive” deal. While Dish will exclusively sell Logitech’s Google TV hardware, any other devices, including the ones from Sony, will pair with its DVRs in exactly the same way. Fragmentation (apparently) avoided — for now. Gallery: Logitech Revue Google TV box Gallery: Logitech Revue Video Camera hands-on! Gallery: Logitech Revue Mini Controller hands-on! Continue reading Logitech Revue and accessories hands-on! (Update: video of video calling!) Logitech Revue and accessories hands-on! (Update: video of video calling!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …At issue is the city’s quest for cutbacks in health and pension benefits in new labor contracts. Declaring that a “ruthless” City Hall has a awakened a “sleeping giant,” union leaders decried what they called bad faith in …. I would call an emergency meeting and re-do every city contract.Do it under the rules of an emergency spending bill like the Socialists in the Whitehouse do. Put the jobs online. Ok, you have the qualifications and will do it for half of what the …
Continue reading …Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra
October 6, 2010 No Comment
Logitech’s big Google TV reveal is still ongoing , but the product page is live and allowing for preorders of the $299 package ($179 if you’re on Dish Network ) set to ship by the end of this month. For all of that dough you’ll get the Revue with Google TV box, keyboard with integrated touch and directional pad, an HDMI cable, one IR blaster and a couple of AA batteries just for good measure. Also up for your browsing pleasure are a few screens of the free Logitech Harmony App for iPhone and Android. Other accessories have been announced and are available for preorder as well, a $149 webcam, and the Revue-specific version of the diNovo Mini controller for $129.99 the larger keyboard is available if you need a spare or buy a different brand of Google TV appliance for $99. The Logitech TV Cam, with Carl Zeiss autofocus lens and dual microphones, ties into a Logitech Vid HD app that communicates with other similarly equipped units plus PCs or Macs running the desktop version of the software. Beyond just the mobile apps, Logitech also showed off its own Media Player app that pulls in video from connected hard drives or DLNA sources. Check the gallery for a few pictures of the hardware and after the break for a couple quick video breaking down all the features of the Revue, and demonstrating video calling. A press release full of details is now also available after the break. Gallery: Logitech Revue with Google TV & TV Cam Continue reading Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra Logitech Revue with Google TV details: $299; free iOS, Android apps, accessories are extra originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Will MSNBC Take Action Against Lawrence O’Donnell for His Comment About Michael Steele?
October 6, 2010 No CommentExcerpt from: Will MSNBC Take Action Against Lawrence O’Donnell for His Comment About Michael Steele?
Continue reading …Standup comic and New York Times-bestselling author Sarah Silverman joked on Twitter that widows of the Sept. 11 attacks “give the best handjobs” on Oct. 6, attributing the quote to pseudonymous 19 th century author and satirist Mark Twain. “‘9/11 widows give the best hand jobs.’ -Mark Twain,” wrote Silverman, adding the hashtag, “#notcooltwain.” Later that day, the star of Comedy Central’s “Sarah Silverman Program,” appeared to amend her outlandish comment. “Have remorse about last tweet,” Silverman wrote on Twitter. “I’m sorry. Meant to be silly not mean. Should’ve quoted [Civil Rights activist and poet Maya] Angelou.” Silverman’s racy brand of humor and left-wing politics has often been a source of controversy. In 2001, the comedienne came under fire for using a racial slur for people of Chinese origin during an appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” The comic has also been an outspoken critic of the conservative movement. In her New York Times bestselling book, “The Bedwetter,” Silverman wrote that, “The entire Fox News Channel is a twenty-four-hour-a-day racism engine, but it’s all coded, all implied.” Silverman also headed up “The Great Schlep,” a campaign during the 2008 presidential election that was aimed at urging Jewish young adults to convince their Florida grandparents to vote for the then-Democratic candidate Barack Obama. “If you knew that visiting your grandparents could change the world, would you do it? Of course you would,” said Silverman, in a video for the campaign. “[S]chlep over to Florida and convince your grandparents to vote Obama.”
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