You know that front facing camera on Motorola’s LTE Droid Bionic ? Well, it looks like you will be able to use it to make Skype video calls very soon. We were hanging around the Motorola booth early this morning and while playing around with the new 4.3-inch phone we noticed a “Skype demo” application. One click on the application revealed that the video calling capability, which just became available for the iPhone , will be heading to Android soon. There wasn’t a working app, but the video demo clearly showed how easy it will be to log into Skype, pull up your contact list, and make a video call over Verizon’s next generation network. We’ve got a few pictures below and a short video is on the way. Now we just need Skype to make this official at its press conference in just a few hours… Gallery: Skype video calling demo on Droid Bionic Motorola Droid Bionic to make Skype video calls originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Well, that didn’t take long! Just one week after hacking collective (and chr0nic misspellers) fail0verflow revealed a hack that delivered the PS3′s private cryptography key on a platter, another hacker going by the MoNiKeR “KaKaRoToKS” has taken the next step, delivering tools that will convert your plain ol’ vanilla PS3 firmware (yup, even the latest security-minded 3.55 patch ) into a fancy new custom firmware. One capable of running signed and encrypted executable .PKG files … not unlike the ones that Sony itself uses to distribute PSN games. But this custom firmware isn’t all about piracy. KaKaRoToKS writes, “Since the kernel is left unmodified, this means that this custom firmware is really meant for future homebrew installation, and it will not allow piracy. I plan on keeping it that way.” We suspect that myriad other, less scrupulous hackers don’t share that sentiment. If you want an “Install Package Files” option the Game section of your XMB, PS3-hacks.com has a guide just for you. Peep a video of a custom firmware installation after the break. Continue reading PS3 custom firmware lets you ‘Install Package Files,’ piracy not allowed PS3 custom firmware lets you ‘Install Package Files,’ piracy not allowed originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Is this the Samsung SCH-i520 you’ve been waiting for wrapped in a protective case? We can pretty much bank on the fact that the HTC Thunderbolt is getting outed today and with this pic slapped up by Offwire — which looks suspiciously like an unbranded version of this Verizon set we saw — we may well be looking at another of Verizon’s suite of new LTE sets . Nothing much is known about this 4G slate, aside from the obvious forward facing camera, but Verizon’s press event starts in the next little while and we hope we’ll learn more. Is this the Samsung SCH-i520 headed to Verizon? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sanyo: we’ve shipped more than 150 million Eneloop rechargeable batteries
January 6, 2011 No Comment
Sanyo has announced that as of the end of 2010, it had officially shipped more than 150 million rechargeable Eneloop batteries. The company now ships the batteries — which can be recharged up to 1,500 times — to more than 60 countries. We reviewed Sanyo’s rechargeable offering alongside another battery a few months back, which you can check out if you’d like . Other than that: the full press release is after the break. Continue reading Sanyo: we’ve shipped more than 150 million Eneloop rechargeable batteries Sanyo: we’ve shipped more than 150 million Eneloop rechargeable batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
photo: Archana Pandey / Creative Commons It well may be the world’s most famous office building, at least it’s owners think so, but the Empire State Building is now also New York City’s largest commercial purchaser of renewable energy. Under a newly-signed contract with Green Mountain Energy , 100% of the building’s electricity, all 55 million kilowatt-hours of it, will come f… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …
You may have heard that amidst the craziness of CES , Apple decided to launch its Mac App Store on this fine January morning. We’ve gone ahead and updated our machines to 10.6.6, so we’re officially App Store ready. Read on past the break for a walkthrough of the basics, as well as a smattering of some early apps featured front and center. Continue reading Mac App Store hands-on Mac App Store hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Check out the latest rumored demo leak of Britney Spears’ new single “Hold It Against Me” off of her upcoming album, executive produced by hitmakers Max Martin and Dr. Luke. (It’s clearly not Britney singing on the track — but sounds like Ke$ha strangely enough.) “The next time you hear this song, the production, vocal and Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Just Jared Discovery Date : 06/01/2011 16:29 Number of articles : 8
Continue reading …
We were on-hand for a hands-on as LG threw itself a bash celebrating a couple swish Android sets: the Optimus 2X and the Optimus Black . We’ve seen plenty of the 2X already, but the Black is an entirely different creature. First off, the taper on the back that sees the set go from 9mm in the middle to 6mm on each side is both nice to look at and helps keep the set cradled in your hand. The 4-inch WVGA NOVA display is both bright — 700 nits, if you worry about that type of thing — and extremely legible in the glaring spotlights installed at the stand. LG was touting the addition of its Wi-Fi Direct feature — what at first sight seems like gimmickry — that allows direct file transfer between sets without the need for an access point, and hey, it worked — and might even be useful. We look forward to the Optimus Black crashing into our lives sometime in the first half of this year. Gallery: LG Optimus Black hands-on LG Optimus Black hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
We have to say, we’re pretty pumped about Eye-Fi’s new Direct Mode , and that’s not just because it’s free — CEO Jef Holove showed us how his wireless SD cards can fire snapshots from a point-and-shoot camera straight to a Samsung Galaxy Tab, and it looks like a breeze. Once the free update launches later this year, you’ll just need to download the Eye-Fi app, and select your Eye-Fi X2 card from a list to permanently pair them — much like Bluetooth or a WiFi access point — and then whenever you shoot within range, the pics will automatically spirit themselves to your Android, and can send them to Picasa or Eye-Fi View from there with an additional tap. See Direct Mode do its thing in the video above. Eye-Fi’s Direct Mode hands-on: from camera to tablet in seconds (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Not that there’s a shortage of venues for online bargain shopping, but here’s a new one that might interest TreeHuggers: GreenDeals, a recent initiative from Green America , one of the more reliable sources of information on environmentally-friendly and ethically-produced goods. GreenDeals offers deals around the country, and while the site design might not be as smooth as other Groupon sites, it has more promising options for people who want to make ethical buying choices but not … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …