It goes without saying that funerals are a downer, but we all deserve a proper sendoff, — unfortunately for Palm.com, there will be no tearful goodbyes. We reported just a few months ago that Palm was on its way out, and now HP’s unceremoniously given the brand’s URL the boot. You can still find the Palm logo at a number of related URLs scattered about the internets — the brand’s support page, twitter account, and official blog are still up and running — but try typing Palm.com in your address bar, and you’ll be swiftly redirected to HPwebOS.com. And here we thought our aunt Pearl moved on quickly. Palm.com quietly replaced by HPwebOS.com, no wake to follow originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Pentax’s Optio WG-1 GPS point-and-shoot satisfied geotaggers out of the box, but owners of its K-5, K-r and 645D DSLRs have had to make do with third-party taggers like the PhotoTrackr or Eye-Fi . The new hotshoe-mounted O-GPS1 module fixes that oversight by recording latitude, longitude, altitude, Coordinated Universal Time and shooting angle. Everyday snappers might find an extra hotshoe attachment cumbersome, but astro-photography enthusiasts could well be enticed by the device’s interesting “ASTROTRACER” function. This helps you take clearer photos of celestial bodies by using the in-built sensors to calculate a star’s movement and then employing the camera’s shake reduction system to compensate. Sounds clever, but be advised: this module is only for Pentax DSLRs — and only for very specific models at that. You’ll get full functionality with the K-5 and K-r cameras, and geotagging (no ASTROTRACER) with the 645D. Oh, and you’ll need to make sure your camera’s firmware is up-to-date. Peer carefully through that lens and you’ll see the O-GPS1 heading for a July landing, priced at $250. [Thanks, Iddo] Pentax releases O-GPS1 add-on for DSLRs, appeals to astronomy nuts originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Apple itself has already confirmed the name, and now Apple Insider has snapped some early pictures at the Moscone Center that reveal the iCloud logo / icon. Shockingly, it’s a cloud. Apple iCloud logo revealed… it’s a cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Want to download the latest Engadget Show from the iTunes Store on your Mac or PC? Well, you probably can’t — right now, at least. That section appears to be down for most of us at the moment, with the Podcasts tab presenting a “not enough memory available” error message on each click. We’ve confirmed the error on iTunes 10.2.1 and 10.2.2.12 — the latest version — and aren’t able to get past the home page. We’re sure Cupertino is working on a fix, but you may need to put your podcast obsession on hold, or jump on your iOS device for all that tech talk in the meantime. [Thanks, Jeff] Update: We’re also unable to download apps from both the Mac and iOS App Stores. After clicking to download an app in iOS, it appears on the home screen briefly, then disappears. We’re also prompted to re-enter passwords with each attempt, so this may be related to an authentication issue. Jump past the break for the App Store error. Continue reading Podcasts down in iTunes desktop store (update: App Store too!) Podcasts down in iTunes desktop store (update: App Store too!) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …RiTdisplay begins producing inexpensive a-Si AMOLED displays for smartphone makers
June 2, 2011 No Comment
Sure, you’d expect to find an amorphous silicon backplane behind your LCD, but RiTdisplay has now begun producing a-Si AMOLED displays that, according to the company, are a world’s first. Developed in conjunction with Ignis Innovation, the 3.5-inch panel was first unveiled at last month’s SID Display Week, where it beamed images in 320 x 480 resolution. RiT says its a-Si-based AMOLED screens are relatively inexpensive to produce, potentially posing an alternative to its LTPS -backplaned brethren. The company has already begun manufacturing the displays for undisclosed smartphone makers, though there’s no word yet on when we can expect to see them pop up in commercial devices. But if the technology proves to be as cost-effective as RiT claims, it could go a long way toward patching up that AMOLED shortage — as long as you’re not too picky about resolution. Brief PR after the break. Continue reading RiTdisplay begins producing inexpensive a-Si AMOLED displays for smartphone makers RiTdisplay begins producing inexpensive a-Si AMOLED displays for smartphone makers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Garmin’s Astro 320 GPS handheld offers nine-mile coverage, keeps your hunting dogs in line
June 2, 2011 No Comment
Before you and your pooches head out to hunt innocent ducks this year, you might wanna check out Garmin ‘s new Astro 320 dog tracker — a handheld GPS device designed to help hunters keep even closer tabs on their four-legged sentries. The latest addition to the Astro family can simultaneously track up to ten hunting dogs per receiver, with a revamped antenna and three-axis electronic compass covering up to nine miles of flat terrain. Boasting a 20-hour battery life, the 1.7GB handheld can also tell hunters whether their canines are running or pointing, while its mapping capabilities provide their precise coordinates relative to powerlines, buildings, and individual trees. All this information is displayed on a 2.6-inch display, where users will be able to access 100k or 24k topographic and satellite maps. A keypad lock function, meanwhile, will make sure you don’t accidentally press any buttons while you’re in the thick of a hound-led hunt. The handheld will be available in July for $500, with the full system (including a DC 40 tracking collar) priced at $650. You can flip through the gallery below for images of some antenna-toting doggies, or head past the break for a more testosterone-laced pic and the full PR. Gallery: Garmin Astro 320 Continue reading Garmin’s Astro 320 GPS handheld offers nine-mile coverage, keeps your hunting dogs in line Garmin’s Astro 320 GPS handheld offers nine-mile coverage, keeps your hunting dogs in line originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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That Toshiba Thrive tablet that surfaced on J&R’s site last month? Turns out, someone got a little excited — the company just confirmed the listing went up prematurely and that the price was wrong. But, we just got word that the Thrive will indeed debut as Tosh’s first tablet for the US market with pre-orders beginning June 13th at Best Buy, along with the usual “office superstores” and “e-commerce players,” and a mid-July ship date (we’re hearing the 10th). The 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) tablet runs Android 3.1, and comes in three sizes: 8GB ($429), 16GB ($479), and 32GB ($579). Not bad, when you consider the 16GB model undercuts the Galaxy Tab 10.1 by $20. If you’ve been following along, you already know it’s powered by Tegra 2 and has WiFi, Bluetooth, full-sized USB and HDMI ports, an SD slot, a 2 MP front-facing camera, and a 5MP rear one. But the company also just unleashed a slew of other details. Head on past the break for a run-down, won’t you? Continue reading Toshiba Thrive tablet with Android 3.1 ships in July, starts at $429 Toshiba Thrive tablet with Android 3.1 ships in July, starts at $429 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Rumor has it that the HTC Doubleshot, aka the MyTouch 4G Slide , will be popping up in T-Mo shops across the country on July 6th . But, before consumers can turn in that paper they’ve been stackin’ for one, the handset has to make it by The Man. Well, the FCC just cleared an HTC phone with a QWERTY keypad and a 1700MHz radio inside, and there’s a good chance it just so happens to be that Sensed-up, dual-core Gingerbread slider we’ve been waiting for. Sadly, regulators don’t have any teardown pics for you to ogle but, hey, we’ve got an FCC tag — that’s gotta count for something… right? HTC Doubleshot slides through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Kogan , the Aussie company behind such gadgets as the fist-sized Bluetooth GPS watch and gesture-controlled IPTV , is adding a Chromium OS laptop to its family of Google-powered Agora products. The 11.6-inch computer has a spec list rivaling the midrange notebooks of 2006, including a 1.3 GHz Celeron processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 30GB SSD. That’s not a lot of oomph, but with cloud-based storage and Google’s open source Chromium running the show, this thin client laptop should be in decent shape. There’s also a 3.5-hour battery, SD card reader, webcam, Bluetooth, and an HDMI output. Like all Kogan products, the Agora is only available in Australia (AUD 349, about $372) and the UK (
Continue reading …T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart
June 2, 2011 No Comment
We’ve heard rumblings that Samsung’s Exhibit 4G would be making its way to T-Mob on June 8, but now the carrier has confirmed that the Gingerbread smartphone will be available sometime in June. The Exhibit will join Samsung’s Gravity Smart, both featuring grounded sub-$100 price tags (after $50 rebate) when they hit stores. T-Mob is displaying the Exhibit with violet and black finishes, and says you’ll see “theoretical” peak download speeds of 21Mbps on the HSPA + handset. As for the Smart, the carrier’s first Android-powered Gravity smartphone will launch with 2.2 Froyo, and includes a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, so you’ll be sending Group Texts to 50 of your closest friends with four rows of hardware keys. Both phones include 3 megapixel rear-facing cameras with flashes, while the Exhibit adds a front-facing cam as well, so that myTouch 4G girl may be hawking a new smartphone on your TV later this month. Continue reading T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart T-Mobile announces June availability for Samsung Exhibit 4G and Gravity Smart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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