Apple patent application reveals an LCD with switchable, privacy-protecting viewing angles
May 22, 2011 No Comment
Don’t you hate it when the guy next to you on the subway is looking over your shoulder, watching you screw up in Fruit Ninja ? Well, Apple could have predicted your discomfort — back in November 2009, before the iPad was anything more than a unicorn , the company applied for a patent on an LCD display with adjustable viewing angles, explicitly designed to “shield the display away from unintended viewers.” According to the filing, the display would include steering modules made of liquid crystal material, which aim the so-called scattering modules that sit on top of them. The top layer then redirects the light, making it possible to narrow down and alter the viewing angle. The patent specifically calls out cellphones and laptops, paving the way for discreet displays on MacBooks and iPhones, though the broad phrase “other portable electronic devices” leaves plenty of room for iPads and iPod Touches. No word, of course, on when or if Apple will secure this patent and if so, what devices might incorporate such screens. We may just be seeing this concept go public now, but it seems consumers could use this even more today than they did back in the fall of ’09, when all they had to worry about was a stranger squinting at their 3GS’ 3.5-inch screen. Continue reading Apple patent application reveals an LCD with switchable, privacy-protecting viewing angles Apple patent application reveals an LCD with switchable, privacy-protecting viewing angles originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 05:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NC governor will let cable-backed bill restricting municipal broadband become law
May 22, 2011 No Comment
We’ve repeatedly hammered Time Warner Cable (and its big-cable cronies) for crying to the North Carolina legislature about municipal broadband . TWC claims it can’t compete with taxpayer-backed ISPs such as Wilson, NC’s Greenlight — and that it shouldn’t have to. In fact, Greenlight and four other municipal providers came about specifically because corporate players refused to provide inexpensive, fast broadband. And now that local governments have proven they can provide it, the cable companies have cried foul, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into select political pockets all the while. That’s the drama so far, and now a bill restricting municipal broadband — mandating that providers pay taxes similar to private companies, for example — has landed on the desk of Governor Bev Perdue. She won’t veto the bill, meaning it will soon become a law; for whatever it’s worth (read: not much), she also refuses to sign it. The reason? Here it is from the horse’s mouth: I will neither sign nor veto this bill. Instead, I call on the General Assembly to revisit this issue and adopt rules that not only promote fairness but also allow for the greatest number of high quality and affordable broadband options for consumers. The legislation strikes a blow against public ISPs in a country that ranks ninth in the world for broadband adoption and download speeds. And that, apparently, is what “fair competition” looks like in the US. [Image courtesy of IndyWeek] NC governor will let cable-backed bill restricting municipal broadband become law originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 02:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NC governor will let cable-backed bill restricting municipal broadband become law
May 22, 2011 No Comment
We’ve repeatedly hammered Time Warner Cable (and its big-cable cronies) for crying to the North Carolina legislature about municipal broadband . TWC claims it can’t compete with taxpayer-backed ISPs such as Wilson, NC’s Greenlight — and that it shouldn’t have to. In fact, Greenlight and four other municipal providers came about specifically because corporate players refused to provide inexpensive, fast broadband. And now that local governments have proven they can provide it, the cable companies have cried foul, pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into select political pockets all the while. That’s the drama so far, and now a bill restricting municipal broadband — mandating that providers pay taxes similar to private companies, for example — has landed on the desk of Governor Bev Perdue. She won’t veto the bill, meaning it will soon become a law; for whatever it’s worth (read: not much), she also refuses to sign it. The reason? Here it is from the horse’s mouth: I will neither sign nor veto this bill. Instead, I call on the General Assembly to revisit this issue and adopt rules that not only promote fairness but also allow for the greatest number of high quality and affordable broadband options for consumers. The legislation strikes a blow against public ISPs in a country that ranks ninth in the world for broadband adoption and download speeds. And that, apparently, is what “fair competition” looks like in the US. [Image courtesy of IndyWeek] NC governor will let cable-backed bill restricting municipal broadband become law originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 May 2011 02:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Much as we hate to admit it, we can’t all afford a fancy new car with Sync or Mini Connected inside — I mean, come on, we’re not made of money, people. Thankfully, it seems MP3Car has a pretty slick and affordable solution to the problem of fumbling with your iPhone when you should probably be focusing on the road and not crashing into things. Mimics is an in-car solution that transmits the contents of your handset to a touchscreen display in the vehicle’s dash, letting you listen to music, use GPS, take calls, and check email without having to deal directly with the phone. The system is available now for pre-order at $630 for the full version, $530 for people who have standard double DIN-sized radio openings in their cars, and $205 for hobbyists who want to put the thing together — here’s hoping they’re parked when they do. [Thanks, Sean] Continue reading Mimics helps you cope with your Sync-less existence (video) Mimics helps you cope with your Sync-less existence (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Oh, sure — Samsung’s Galaxy S II should be hitting American airwaves quicker than you can say “Where’d my weekend go?,” but we’re living in the here and now, aren’t we? Now that you’ve survived whatever scare was scheduled for today, it’s time to get back to what matters most: answering fictional questions. This week’s episode of HWYC involves the T-Mobile variant of Samsung’s heralded Galaxy S. Yeah, this one’s been around the block on other carriers before, but that makes our prodding all the more pertinent. If you had the power to overhaul T-Mob’s Galaxy S 4G, would you? And if so, how? Upgrade the battery? Change the construction material? Toss a fresher copy of Android on there? Feel free to let us know in comments below — you’ve managed to live another day. Won’t you do something worthwhile? How would you change Samsung’s Galaxy S 4G? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 22:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google is blocking Android Market movie rentals on rooted devices because of copy protection
May 21, 2011 No Comment
Rooting your Motorola Xoom won’t stop you from getting an LTE hardware upgrade , but it will throw up a roadblock if you’re trying to watch movies rented from YouTube / Android Market . Android Central points out a Google support document that details the “Failed to fetch license for [movie title] (error 49)” message users will see when they try to play a movie on a rooted Android device. Only Xooms with Android 3.1 have access to the service right now, but once support rolls out to all Android 2.2 or higher devices in a couple of weeks some will have to choose between their superuser privileges and Google’s nascent movie offerings (at least until someone figures out a workaround anyway). So far rooting and jailbreaking hasn’t put a stop to other movie rental services for mobiles (iTunes, Netflix ) so even if Google blames the movie studios for the policy, it seems like an odd restriction for the company behind the “open” platform to have. Google is blocking Android Market movie rentals on rooted devices because of copy protection originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …US lags in broadband adoption and download speeds, still has the best rappers
May 21, 2011 No Comment
U, S, A! We’re number nine! Wait, nine ? At least according to a recent broadband survey by the FCC , yes. The good ol’ US of A ranked ninth (out of the 29 member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ) in fixed broadband penetration on a per capita basis, and 12th in terms of pure percentage — behind the UK, South Korea, Iceland, the Netherlands, and plenty of others. Though, granted, these nations lack the sprawling amber waves of grain that America must traverse with cables. The US also trailed in wireless broadband adoption, ranking ninth yet again, behind the likes of Ireland, Australia and Sweden. Worse still, even those with broadband reported slower connections than folks in other countries. Olympia, Washington had the highest average download speeds of any US city with 21Mbps (New York and Seattle tied for second with 11.7Mbps), but was easily topped by Helsinki, Paris, Berlin, and Seoul (35.8Mbps). Well, at least we beat Slovenia… if only just barely. US lags in broadband adoption and download speeds, still has the best rappers originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Although TiVo announced it would offer Hulu Plus back in September we’re still waiting for it to arrive on those Premiere DVRs. Twitter user @dlayphoto spotted these materials in their local Best Buy promising six months of the $7.99 / month service for free with the purchase of a new box — with a new price tag — although it’s hard to see if this will apply to existing users as well. The URL on the cards leads to a (now deactivated, but larger screenshots are over at Zatz Not Funny ) page where TiVo owners can input their serial number and email address to get access. Judging by the dates on the promotions, things should get rolling within the next month or so, but we’ll let you know when we hear something official. Hulu Plus on TiVo promos pop up in stores and online, suggest launch soon originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HP gives TouchSmart 610 a second crack, this time with Sandy Bridge CPU options
May 21, 2011 No Comment
HP may have announced its TouchSmart 610 all-in-one just a shade too soon for it to ship with Core 2011 processors, but that doesn’t mean the company was above pushing out a refresh just a few months later. Now, this 23-inch beast is on sale with a variety of quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge CPUs. To recap, what makes the 610 special is its rigid hinge, which allows the 1080p display to slide down so that it’s face-up, and nearly flat at a 60-degree angle — a more ergonomic position for poking ’round the TouchSmart software while standing. Like pretty much every other HP computer on the market, it comes standard with Beats Audio and, depending on how much money you’re willing to shell out, you can trick it out with up to 16GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and your choice of NVIDIA or ATI graphics with up to 2GB of video memory. Those Sandy Bridge models are available now starting at $1,100, though as always, you can get an entry-level configuration with quad-core AMD innards for $900 and up. Gallery: HP TouchSmart 610 HP gives TouchSmart 610 a second crack, this time with Sandy Bridge CPU options originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 14:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Thunderbolt (formerly known as Light Peak) may have been developed by Intel, but it’s Apple that’s been snatching up all the trademark glory. The company first filed in November of 2010 in Jamaica, then followed up in February of this year by securing the rights to the name in Canada, before registering similar claims in Europe, China, and now the US. This raised some interesting questions about Intel’s claim to be the exclusive trademark holder (see the more coverage link) and whether or not other companies would be able to use the Thunderbolt brand. Intrigued, we did a little digging and you’ll find what we uncovered after the break. Continue reading Why Apple is trademarking Thunderbolt and why Sony might be left out Why Apple is trademarking Thunderbolt and why Sony might be left out originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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