At this point, the actual awards in question are irrelevant. The important thing is that Justin Bieber and Angry Birds always walk away winners. And that’s exactly how the 15th annual Webby Awards played out. Let’s get the formalities out of the way: The Webbys recognize Internet achievement, and are presented by the International Academy
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The FCC may be sticking with its target of 4Mbps broadband for everyone in the United States, but it looks like the CRTC thinks Canada can do one (megabit) better. The regulatory agency has just set its own target of 5Mbps download speeds and 1 Mbps upload speeds for all Canadians — a goal that it says must be met by 2015. Those speeds, the agency notes, must be actual speeds not advertised ones, although it’s not yet going as far as to declare internet access a basic service to ensure that happens. The CRTC says instead that it prefers to rely on “market forces” for the time being, rather than subsidies that would come with such a declaration. Of course, while 5Mbps is faster than the FCC’s target, it’s still well short of some of the more ambitious broadband goals of other countries around the world — Finland, for instance, has already declared that 1Mbps broadband a legal right and is promising to bring 100Mbps speeds to everyone by 2015. CRTC sets target of 5Mbps broadband for all Canadians by 2015 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 18:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Hearst Corp. signs on to sell its magazines through iTunes, bringing more O to the iPad
May 4, 2011 No Comment
Esquire , Popular Mechanics , and O are not just for your local bookstore’s magazine rack any more — assuming you still have a local bookstore and that it is still large enough to own a rack. Hearst Corporation, the force behind those printed ‘zines, has become the first major publisher to terms with Apple, so those very publications will soon be on iTunes . Starting with their July editions you can subscribe for a seemingly quite reasonable $1.99 monthly, though the annual option of $19.99 seems like less of a bargain. (You can get a year of Popular Mechanics on pulp for $12.) This is just a small sampling from Heart’s back catalog, but the company is promising more are coming soon, leaving us wondering just how we’re supposed to fill out our Cosmo quizzes without a pen. Hearst Corp. signs on to sell its magazines through iTunes, bringing more O to the iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 17:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Hearst Corp. signs on to sell its magazines through iTunes, bringing more O to the iPad
May 4, 2011 No Comment
Esquire , Popular Mechanics , and O are not just for your local bookstore’s magazine rack any more — assuming you still have a local bookstore and that it is still large enough to own a rack. Hearst Corporation, the force behind those printed ‘zines, has become the first major publisher to terms with Apple, so those very publications will soon be on iTunes . Starting with their July editions you can subscribe for a seemingly quite reasonable $1.99 monthly, though the annual option of $19.99 seems like less of a bargain. (You can get a year of Popular Mechanics on pulp for $12.) This is just a small sampling from Heart’s back catalog, but the company is promising more are coming soon, leaving us wondering just how we’re supposed to fill out our Cosmo quizzes without a pen. Hearst Corp. signs on to sell its magazines through iTunes, bringing more O to the iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 17:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When he first showed off the original iPad, Steve Jobs talked up the “fourth screen.” But is four really enough? We mean, really ? Could the fifth screen really have been on our wrists all along? Sure, we’ve seen plenty fall flat with smartwatches , including big names like Microsoft and Sony Ericsson , but that hasn’t stopped companies from trying. The Meta Watch certainly isn’t Fossil’s first connected wristwatch — nor is it the first watch SDK — but it does have a lot going for it, including a thumbs up from HP . The two models are built on Texas Instruments’ CC2560 Bluetooth platform, which allow them to receive push notifications from smartphones and tablets, so you can read e-mail, tweets, or Facebook updates — assuming the right developers get onboard. And since none of the apps actually live on the watches, they get solid battery life — seven full days on a charge, according to the company. You can pre-order the watches now, or wait until they officially go on sale in July for $200 a pop — make sure to set a reminder on your nano . Press release after the break. Continue reading Fossil Meta Watch shows you where you can put your fifth screen Fossil Meta Watch shows you where you can put your fifth screen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Intel has redesigned the switches on its chips so that computers can keep getting cheaper and more powerful. The technology gives Intel its best shot yet at cracking the growing markets for chips used in smartphones and tablet computers. (April 4)
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Modern society invests a lot of time and money attempting to drown out our surroundings, but the inability to hear ambient noise can rob one of a sense of place, which can be a very real concern amongst the deaf community. The Acoustic Poetry concept device from British designer Michail Vanis won’t miraculously cure the deaf, but it does promise to keep them a bit more in touch. The wooden box is used to capture sound and transmit it to an interpreter, who listens and translates it into text, coming out like something of a free form haiku. It’s a communication relay not entirely unlike ones we’ve seen from a number of other companies, and one that doesn’t really necessitate its own stand-alone device. Still, it’s nice to see text messaging that can actually keep people more in-touch with their surroundings, for a change — we still don’t recommend using it while driving , however. Video after the break. [Thanks, Ro] Continue reading Acoustic Poetry concept turns ambient noise into verse Acoustic Poetry concept turns ambient noise into verse originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Microsoft confirms WP7 handsets updated using ‘unofficial mechanisms’ cannot get latest update
May 4, 2011 No Comment
In case you were left unsure what a ” non-serviceable state ” meant when Microsoft warned users to avoid the ChevronWP7 updater, we now have further details. The company is in the process of rolling out a Windows Phone update charmingly called 7392, a post- NoDo improvement that does nothing other than fix some bogus security certificates on handsets. With no user-facing changes it’s not really something users would probably be pining for — except that many are now being told they can’t get it, and of course we always want those things we can’t have. Microsoft has confirmed that phones updated using “any unofficial mechanisms” to NoDo (which was 7390) will not be able to get 7392 via its very official mechanism: Zune. No big deal now, but it will be in six months when 7394 comes along and delivers the long-awaited addition of Microsoft Bob to the platform. No, Redmond’s brightest aren’t going to help you out of this mess you’ve created for yourself, but happily someone else is: the “clever bunch” who released the unofficial update in the first place. That bunch is said to be working on another unofficial tool that will help users get back onto the “officially supported path,” a route that is slow and meandering but is, at least, quite unlikely to hurt you along the way. Microsoft confirms WP7 handsets updated using ‘unofficial mechanisms’ cannot get latest update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 16:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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E-readers may not be good enough for Princeton’s hallowed halls , but students and professors at Oklahoma State University seem to have fallen head over heels for their iPads . Last fall, the school introduced the tablets in a handful of lecture halls and classrooms, as part of its iPad Pilot Program. Teachers involved in the study said they benefited from all the educational software available on Apple’s App Store, while students appreciated not having to spend their life savings on traditional textbooks. At the end of the pilot program, a full 75-percent of collegians said the iPad “greatly enhanced” their classroom experience, though we’re guessing that much of that enhancement came from their newfound ability to check TweetDeck between lecture notes. Opinion was noticeably more divided, however, on the device’s value as an e-reader. Some enjoyed having all their books in one place, whereas others were a bit disappointed with the experience, saying they didn’t use it to read as often as they expected to. Our former undergrad-slacker selves can totally relate. Video and PR await you, after the break. Continue reading Shocker! College kids like having iPads in the classroom Shocker! College kids like having iPads in the classroom originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nissan NV200 van named NYC’s ‘Taxi of Tomorrow,’ Travis Bickle cringes (video)
May 4, 2011 No Comment
New Yorkers, this is your “Taxi of Tomorrow.” After two years of deliberation, Nissan’s NV200 was chosen as the city’s exclusive taxi yesterday, edging out models from Ford Motor Co. and Turkish manufacturer Kasan. The four-passenger van is slated to hit New York’s streets in late 2013, after which it will be gradually phased in on a more widespread basis. With a manufacturer suggested retail price of around $29,000, the commodious NV200 boasts a 2.0L 4-cylinder powertrain, transparent roof panel, driver navigation system , overhead reading lights and a mobile charging unit, replete with a 12V outlet and two USB ports. Nissan also placed an emphasis on passenger and pedestrian safety, with front and rear-seat curtain airbags, standard traction control and an external lighting system designed to alert others when the NV200′s doors are opening. The van’s microbial seat fabric should help assuage the fears of many germophobes, while its “low-annoyance” horn promises to put a (probably miniscule) dent in the city’s noise pollution. Mayor Bloomberg definitely won’t realize his all-hybrid dreams by 2012, but Nissan has agreed to participate in a forthcoming EV pilot program, involving up to six of the company’s electric LEAFs. Until then, New Yorkers will have plenty of time to get used to the city’s new soccer mom approach to taxi transport. Cruise past the break for full PR and video. Continue reading Nissan NV200 van named NYC’s ‘Taxi of Tomorrow,’ Travis Bickle cringes (video) Nissan NV200 van named NYC’s ‘Taxi of Tomorrow,’ Travis Bickle cringes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 15:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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