Reports are trickling in that Google has begun shipping the CR-48 to eager testers who’ve thus far been empty-handed after signing up for the units back in December. Could it be? Is the plucky prototype Chrome OS laptop getting a stay of execution after being declared all dried up back in March? That’s pretty unlikely, given the impending release of the Samsung and Acer netbooks that we saw announced during Google I/O . It seems a lot more plausible that the company is just exhausting the supply, so if you signed up late last year and haven’t received one yet, we wouldn’t recommend holding your breath. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Google’s CR-48 apparently shipping again, doing the prototype death rattle originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HP has already rolled out a few new Sandy Bridge laptops this month, but it’s now back with yet another: the Pavilion g6s. Like the still-available g6t and g6x, this one packs a 15.6-inch display with a rather lowly 1,366 x 768 resolution, but you can now get that paired with your choice of Core i3, i5 or i7 Sandy Bridge processors. Otherwise, you’ll get some fairly respectable specs across the board, including up 6GB of RAM, up to a 750GB hard drive, and optional Radeon HD 6470M graphics — not to mention your choice of four different color options. Of course, cost is still the main concern with the g6 series, and this one keeps things in check with a starting price of $550. HP rolls out budget-minded Pavilion g6s laptop with Sandy Bridge originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 06:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …“What’s in a name?” We’d ask Toshiba, but the company hasn’t been able to give its upcoming 10.1-inch Honeycomb tablet one in five months — or has it? If you’ll recall, Toshiba registered the name Thrive for trademark and related domain names last month, and now evidence is mounting that all of that work wasn’t in vain. TabletCommunity learned days ago that a commercial for the device was in production via some chatty actors on Twitter; soon after, the site also uncovered a parking page for the slate on Toshiba’s website, albeit with little more than the aforesaid name categorized under “Tablets.” It’s a welcome update in light of the vapid titles “Antares” and “ANT300″ that had also seemed possible , and once word spills of US pricing and availability, perhaps we can focus on more pressing matters… you know, like benchmarks. [Thanks, Jakob] Product portal, tweets suggest ‘Thrive’ moniker for Toshiba’s Honeycomb tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 04:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ain’t like you’ll be reading ‘em anyway after today’s over. Google News Archives stops digitizing old newspapers, picks great day to do it originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 00:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …There’s just something about the phrase “built to strict U.S. military standards” that makes us want to go positively medieval on a rugged device . Sadly, the aforementioned qualifier doesn’t mean that Clickfree’s new C2 Rugged Back-up Drive is capable of withstanding, say, a hail of gunfire, but the rubberized disk will continue to work after being dropped from four feet. The peripheral also features the company’s Easy Run software, which will start automatically backing up your PC when you’re done showing that storage device who’s boss. The 500GB C2 is available now through Clickfree’s site for $140 — or $100, if you’re one of the lucky 100 first people to buy, so maybe buy two, in case you go a little overboard. Continue reading Clickfree C2 Rugged hard drive can fall down, backup Clickfree C2 Rugged hard drive can fall down, backup originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 02:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Bookeen has already taunted us with an E Ink Pearl display hacked to playback clips of chubby bunnies without so much as a hicup, now it’s showing off web browsing and scrolling on the same screen. It’s a little stuttery, as you can see in the video below, but considering this is the same tech found in the Kindle it’s quite impressive. The trick is accomplished using custom software and off the shelf hardware — in other words, nothing terribly fancy. So, while we sit here letting out exasperated sighs with every digital page turn, we’ll just keep hoping Bookeen gets this in something we can buy soon. Continue reading Bookeen does real time web browsing and scrolling on standard E Ink screen (video) Bookeen does real time web browsing and scrolling on standard E Ink screen (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 May 2011 02:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google’s already indicated that tablets and smartphones won’t be sharing the same Android build until Ice Cream Sandwich in Q4, though interestingly enough, it turns out that the tablet-friendly Honeycomb actually has Gingerbread’s interface quietly tucked underneath. According to modder Graffix0214 , all you need for making the jump is one simple tweak in a system file: assuming you already have root access, use your preferred method — Pocketables recommends the LCDDensity for Root app — to change the LCD density value to 170 or higher to emulate a smaller, denser display. After a reboot, you should then see some Gingerbread love as demoed by Graffix0214′s video after the break; and likewise, set the value to 160 or lower to roll back. It sure is nice to have an option, eh? Continue reading Android Honeycomb has hidden Gingerbread interface, enabled by higher LCD density Android Honeycomb has hidden Gingerbread interface, enabled by higher LCD density originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 04:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Chuck, who seems to be having an unusual level of difficulty getting his phone through an entire day on a single charge. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “I have the HTC Evo, which has terrible battery life. I’ve gone through many steps, including rooting it and using SetCPU, however I’m still not getting as much out of it as I would like. I am looking to buy an extended battery, but after researching them I have found prices and reviews to be all over the map. What brand / model has the best results? Thanks!” So, superphone users — which USB battery pack serves you best? Feel free to toss out Evo-specific solutions, but universal ones could help the masses. And it feels good to help the masses. Ask Engadget: best extended battery for power-hungry smartphones? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …