That Android 3.1 update that Google announced during I/O is slowly rolling out to 3G Xoom owners as we speak. How’d we know such a thing? Why, it just landed on our in-house Xoom, of course! Most of the changes to Honeycomb are happening under the hood — better HTML5 support, faster performance, and USB host functionality for connecting peripherals like game controllers and mice — but there are some improvements that will be a lot more obvious to the user. Perhaps our favorite is the addition of resizable widgets. For the moment only the email and Gmail inbox, calendar and bookmarks widgets can be stretched or shrunk, but we’re sure others will follow. We’re particularly appreciative of the expandable calendar widget, which always felt a tad cramped. The task switcher also received a much requested upgrade and now lets you scroll through your last 18 launched apps, instead of just the five most recent. Lastly, the Android Market now offers movie rentals, alongside books and apps, which range in price from $1.99 to $4.99 for 24 hours of playback. There isn’t a ton of revolutionary stuff going on here, but it’s certainly a welcome and worthwhile update. Check out the video after the break to see Android 3.1 in action. Continue reading Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on (video) Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 19:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Is there anything you don’t know about Google’s blowout I/O 2011 developer conference? If you’ve read our recap of happenings over in San Francisco this week, you should be well on your way to becoming the most knowledgeable Google geek in your local data cluster, but if you’re looking for all the key info in a more digestible format like, say, video, Google’s taking care of you as well. Both of the company’s I/O keynotes have been posted to YouTube, where they can be consumed in up to 720p resolution, and we’ve done our bit too by embedding them for you after the break. So what are you waiting for, your Googlification awaits! Continue reading Google I/O 2011 keynotes now available on YouTube (video) Google I/O 2011 keynotes now available on YouTube (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 20:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A handful of iOS developers received letters this week from a patent holding firm claiming that their applications that offer in-app purchases infringe on the firm’s intellectual property (IP). The letter threatens legal action if developers don’t license the patent within 21 days. Lodsys, the firm in question, has apparently patented a system that collects usage data and facilitates feedback between a customer and vendor, though it doesn’t address financial transactions specifically. The allegedly infringing applications use Apple’s in-app purchase tool to encourage users to upgrade to a paid version after downloading a free app. Though it’s possible that Lodsys has sent a similar warning to Apple, only individual developers confirmed receiving the document. This makes us wonder if the company is skipping the well-armed big target in favor of the little guys. Several developers posted on Twitter after receiving the letters, including Patrick McCarron (Shanghai for iPad), James Thomson (PCalc), and Matt Braun (MASH). They’re understandably unwilling to share too many details at this point — even though Apple developed the framework, developers could still be liable. Lodsys appears to be in the business of launching suits referencing U.S. patent 7,222,078, having gone after Canon, HP, Samsung, and other giants earlier this year. As the developers that have come to light so far are independent, with limited budgets, some have reached out to Apple legal for assistance, and are awaiting response. We aren’t seeing the connection between the patent and in-app purchases, though that’s ultimately up to a federal court to determine, if the firm even files a lawsuit. Drama in its finest form, folks. Lodsys warns iOS devs, alleges in-app purchases infringe its patent originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A bucking bronco that can tell you’re scared, and a swing that goes crazy detecting your breath? The UK is upping their game with these new amusement rides courtesy of Nottingham University. A team from the UK-based University hooked up a bronco and a swing to adapted medical sensors that monitors a person’s breathing. Breathe
Continue reading …Screen Grabs: futuristic Nokia smartphone answers the product placement call in Real Steel
May 13, 2011 No Comment
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. In the futuristic world of the would-be summer blockbuster Real Steel , Rock ‘em Sock ‘em -esque robots have become participants in a very real sport and, it seems, Nokia is still going strong — although you probably knew that if you’ve seen the latest Star Trek movie . In fact, this device bears more than a small resemblance to the one used by a young James T. Kirk, with it boasting the same translucent shell that encases what’s still unmistakably a Nokia design. Head on past the break for the full trailer, and look for the phone to make an appearance around the 16 second mark — although we wouldn’t recommend taking this as a hint of what’s to come for Windows Phone . Continue reading Screen Grabs: futuristic Nokia smartphone answers the product placement call in Real Steel Screen Grabs: futuristic Nokia smartphone answers the product placement call in Real Steel originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already had some success getting Netflix for Android up and running on an officially unsupported phone (a Droid X ), but those not able to get it to work simply by transferring and installing the .APK now have another option. As some folks on Reddit have discovered, you can apparently just edit a few system settings to make your phone (or Nook Color, for that matter) think it’s actually an HTC G2, which is apparently all it takes to satisfy the Netflix app. It doesn’t work with every phone, of course, but quite a few seem to have had success with it. Unfortunately for some, you’ll also need to first root your phone in order to make those changes, but the steps are fairly simple once you’ve done that. Hit up the link below for all the details, and let us know how it worked out for you in the comments below. Just remember: when in doubt, back up. Workaround brings Netflix to more (rooted) Android users originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’re just getting into the swing of spring, flowers blooming and skeeters biting, but already it’s been a great year for Samsung — if we ignore the whole lawsuit thing . Just a few weeks ago the company delivered to us our highest scoring Android phone yet, the Galaxy S II and, while that handset has not appeared on American shores, we were graced with the Droid Charge , which offers LTE speed, strong battery life, and an on-contract price that slightly exceeds its design. Not so with the company’s latest assault on American carriers. It’s the Infuse 4G, it’s $199 on-contract, and it has a decidedly high-end feel. It even looks a little like the S II — if you squint. This is its own phone, though, a giant 4.5-inch screen screen setting it apart from its predecessors, and a giant battery inside giving it plenty of life. But is it really as good as it looks? Gallery: Samsung Infuse 4G Continue reading Samsung Infuse 4G review Samsung Infuse 4G review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google I/O gaffe: Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition won’t work with OS X, Windows usability is spotty
May 13, 2011 No Comment
You know what’s cool? Handing out 5,000 Android tablets to your most loyal developers at Google I/O . You know what’s not cool? Handing out 5,000 Android tablets that can’t have files loaded onto them. Believe or not, that’s exactly what happened at this week’s I/O conference, where hordes of developers were handed a Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition that cannot currently interface with OS X, and has a whale of a time doing so with Windows 7. During our initial preview of Music Beta , we noticed that our MacBook Pro (OS X 10.6) wouldn’t actually recognize the tablet, even after installing Android File Transfer. Given that we didn’t actually need that functionality for the purpose of said article, we threw it on the backburner. For those unaware, Android File Transfer is a small app that’s required to transfer content between OS X and Android 3.0. Avid users of Froyo and Gingerbread may be appalled that any Honeycomb device they buy will require a piece of software to interface with it, but hey — there it is. At any rate, it seems to us that the latest build of Android File Transfer doesn’t include the device ID for Samsung’s heretofore unreleased Tab 10.1; if you’ll recall, the standard edition of this thing isn’t slated to hit consumer hands until June 8th. Regardless of what tricks we tried (installing a Mac version of Kies Mini, for example), we couldn’t get a single Apple in our stable to recognize the thing. In one instance, a Mac viewed the device as a “Samsung Modem” within the Networking pane — that’s as close as we could come to getting the two to mingle. AllThingsD ‘s Ina Fried said her Tab 10.1 LE was merely recognized as a camera-like device within Aperture. Over on the Windows side, things are only marginally less awful. We’ve had a couple of Wintel boxes outright refuse to play nice with this “mysterious USB device,” while others required multiple reboots and driver searchers to finally mount it as an external storage device — and only with USB Debugging disabled. The upside is that those with patience (and a Windows 7 rig) can look forward to a single method of transfer, but it’s certainly less than ideal. We’re surmising that Google’s cooking up a new version of Android File Transfer as we speak that’ll take care of the compatibility issues, hopefully long before consumers start seeing these in early June. But for developers in the here and now? Stop wasting your afternoon trying to figure out why your Mac just won’t cooperate, and give that Win7 system a little love. Google I/O gaffe: Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition won’t work with OS X, Windows usability is spotty originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 15:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Do y’all like Google stuff? If you don’t, do you really hate Google stuff? Either way, good. We’ve got you covered. We’ll give you more reasons to gLove them or gHate them, because we’ve got almost a full hour of chatter about all the stuff they did this week: apps, upgrades, hardware, and a good old-fashioned smear campaign directed against them. There’s also some good news in the virtual hugging and kissing space, which we think you’ll find hard to hate. It’s your time to shine: click on that link. Host: Tim Stevens Guests: Myriam Joire, Brian Heater Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: You Give Love a Bad Name 00:00:55 – Netflix releases Android app for select HTC phones, Samsung Nexus S 00:09:00 – Facebook admits hiring PR firm to smear Google 00:12:21 – Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype for $8.5 billion becomes official 00:17:49 – Google Music Beta walkthrough: what it is and how it works (video) 00:21:00 – Google Music Beta versus the titans of the streaming music space: a chart 00:24:00 – Editorial: Engadget on Google Music and Movies for Android 00:27:00 – What stalled negotiations between Google and the music industry? (Hint: money) 00:31:05 – Google adding Netflix, Hulu support, offline Gmail, Calendar and Docs to Chrome OS this summer, prices hardware at $20 per month 00:36:48 – Official: Samsung reveals Chrome OS laptop — the Series 5 00:38:05 – Google unveils Acer Chromebook: $349, 11.6-inches with 6.5-hour battery 00:40:42 – Editorial: Google clarifies Chromebook subscriptions, might have just changed the industry 00:46:41 – Google announces Android 3.1, available on Verizon Xoom today 00:49:50 – Motorola Xoom WiFi to get Android 3.1 update within the ‘next several weeks’ (update: now) 00:50:03 – Google TV getting Android 3.1 and Market this summer; Sony, Vizio, Samsung and Logitech onboard 00:50:25 – Google Ice Cream Sandwich coming in Q4 2011 to smartphones and tablets alike 00:52:13 – Google announces Android@Home framework for home automation 00:54:00 – Editorial: Android@Home is the best worst thing that could happen to home automation 00:56:00 – Lighting Science demos Android @ Home bulbs, promises dead-simple home automation (hands-on) 00:58:09 – Apple iMac (spring 2011) review 01:01:02 – Nintendo launching 3DS eShop on June 7, sharing some E3 love with everyone 01:02:43 – Microsoft’s next major release of Windows Phone will be previewed on May 24th, and we’ll be there live! 01:03:03 – Purported seventh-gen iPod nano spotted, complete with 1.3 megapixel camera 01:04:04 – Tactile kiss transmission device finally makes it okay to smooch your computer (video) 01:05:55 – Listener questions Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast Send your questions to @tim_stevens . Twitter: @tim_stevens @bheater @tnkgrl Filed under: Podcasts Engadget Podcast 239 – 05.13.2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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