This time last year, HTC had two Android smartphones for the mainstream: the 3.7-inch Desire , outfitted with the latest and greatest, and the 3.2-inch Legend, which was humbler in specs but offered the novelty of an aluminum unibody construction . After seeing that strategy pay off handsomely, the company’s come back in 2011 with a similar proposition. The 4-inch Incredible S is now the higher-end device, while the 3.7-inch Desire S is the smaller, aluminum-shelled handset. What’s curious this time, however, is that the Desire S has exactly the same 1GHz Snapdragon inside it, the same graphics, same WVGA resolution, and the same 768MB of RAM as the Incredible S. Throw in the fact it comes with Gingerbread preloaded and a few new tweaks to the Sense UI and you’ve got to wonder if this might not be the more, um, desirable of HTC’s new Android duo. Only one way to find out, right? Full review after the break. Gallery: HTC Desire S review Gallery: HTC Desire S versus Desire and Incredible S Continue reading HTC Desire S review HTC Desire S review originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung to release two Bada 2.0 handsets with NFC in Q4, software update in July?
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Some of you Samsungers are probably anticipating the snazzy Wave 578 due out in May or June outside the US, but the sad news is it won’t be shipped with the upcoming Bada 2.0 OS. Fret not, though, as Russian blog Bada World claims to have obtained some juicy details that’ll cheer up Bada fanatics. The above slide — apparently sourced from a Samsung France conference from a few days ago — lists a pair of new but unnamed handsets that’ll pack the new software, along with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Bluetooth 3.0, and the seemingly trendsetting NFC . The difference between these two phones? One of them appears to be the flagship Bada 2.0 model, which expects a September launch with a 3.65-inch HVGA display, a 5 megapixel main camera, plus a VGA secondary camera. The second device will follow a month later, sporting a smaller 3.14-inch QVGA screen and just a 3 megapixel imager. In related news, TNW India reports that Bada 2.0 will be “first experienced in India” around July, though no hardware is mentioned here. This could imply that existing Bada users in India — where Samsung’s R&D develops 30 percent of Bada applications — may be one of the first to obtain the 2.0 update, and it shouldn’t be long before the rest of the world get their share of this piping hot pie. Anyhow, be rest assured that we’ll keep our eyes peeled open for more Bada 2.0 news — it’ll be interesting to see where Samsung’s next big push will take us. Samsung to release two Bada 2.0 handsets with NFC in Q4, software update in July? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 12:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …RIM betas BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing, allows your boss to join his / her own concalls
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Fresh to BlackBerry’s Beta Zone portal , RIM has introduced BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing, an app designed to take the (apparent) mystery out of joining a conference call — thus putting the jobs of many executive assistants in jeopardy. Scheduled telephonic meetings are pushed to an employee’s phone, automatically blocking out time in the calendar. When it’s collaboration time, all attendees are reminded with a handy ‘join now’ button that automatically dials into hosted conferences — complete with access codes and all. Should your call be dropped, dialing back in is just another click away. Yeah, we know you should already be the boss, but if yours can’t figure this one out, feel free to start arranging that corner office in the back of your mind. RIM betas BlackBerry Mobile Conferencing, allows your boss to join his / her own concalls originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony’s Move.me database used to create gesture-enabled mouse driver (video)
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Unless you’re into weird promotional mascots , video games, or measuring the rotation of the earth , the PlayStation Move probably hasn’t caught your eye. Here’s an idea: what if you could wave it about to control your PC? Earlier this week, electronics hobbyist Jacob Pennock used the Move.me C library to build a gesture-controlled mouse driver, and we’ve got the project’s tech demo after the break. Watch as Pennock launches Facebook by drawing an “F,” starts a video with a jaunty “V,” and closes a few items with a quick “X” motion over the offending windows. Control motions are loaded through the creator’s own gesture recognition library, called hyperglyph, which he claims can record motions with 98 percent accuracy. As Move.me is currently a closed beta, Pennock is keeping the source code under wraps, but he hopes to eventually put the driver to use controlling a gesture-based Linux media center. Pretty neat, but not quite enough to stave off our Kinect hack envy. [Thanks, Robert] Continue reading Sony’s Move.me database used to create gesture-enabled mouse driver (video) Sony’s Move.me database used to create gesture-enabled mouse driver (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Robotics merit badge gets official within Boy Scouts of America, Wall-E approves emphatically
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Yours truly knows exactly how determined one has to be to achieve the honor of Eagle Scout, but it’s getting a heck of a lot easier for the more modern offspring of this world. This month last year, we saw the Video Games merit badge sashay in to make all of the others seem inadequate, and now, there’s yet another that’ll likely have your nerd-of-a-child clamoring to suit up in blue or brown. The Robotics merit badge was just made official within the Boy Scouts of America, falling nicely into a sect that promotes science, technology, engineering and math. Officials are purportedly expecting some 10,000 or so of the nation’s 2.7 million Scouts to earn this badge within the next dozen months, with those who choose to do so required to “design and build a robot while learning about robot movement, sensors and programming.” Thankfully for aspiring Ben Heckendorns , we’re told that “even some video game controllers can be considered robots,” proving that we’re just one leap of faith away from a bona fide Hacking badge. Hey, they want us to Be Prepared, right? Robotics merit badge gets official within Boy Scouts of America, Wall-E approves emphatically originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s been almost eight months since we introduced you to Interpad’s Tegra 2-packing Android tablet, and now we’re hearing rumors that the thing might never make it to market. The tablet was originally slated for a December 2010 debut, but in August the slab’s maker, E-Noa, released a statement that said the tablet was on hold until January. Well, January’s come and gone, and with a slew of Tegra 2 tablets getting ready to hit the market, it looks like the Interpad might get left behind. Aside from a lack of updates to the company’s website, its Facebook page is devoid of any information, and according to the folks over at Tablet Guys , repeated calls to E-Noa’s office have gone unanswered. Basically, the Interpad’s nowhere to be found, and with Acer’s Iconia Tab slated for an April 24th release and Motorola’s Xoom already making the rounds, the Interpad’s once impressive specs just don’t seem so special anymore. E-Noa’s Interpad Android tablet is nowhere to be found originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’re not already running the Plex Media Server on one of the twenty-three beige boxes networked across your tiny domicile, you may be sorely tempted to install a copy this week, because the iOS app has just received a truly massive update. Where once the XBMC spinoff would have to transcode every video it delivered to your device across the ether, Plex claims it can now either bypass that CPU-intensive process or use an iOS-optimized technique, pumping H.264 video over the air far more efficiently. Second, it can deliver that content from iOS direct to your TV, via either a video-out cable or experimental support for AirPlay . Not bad, right? How’s universal search sound — the ability to type in a word and have the app reach out to local servers, remote servers, and online video services like YouTube and Vimeo too? Yeah, that $4.99 price tag is looking mighty affordable right about now, and there are plenty more improvements to peruse at the links below. Plex 1.1 for iOS improves streaming over 3G, pipes video to your TV originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 06:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …SparkFun intros IOIO for Android, a hack-free breakout box to get your mind spinning
April 10, 2011 No Comment
Meet any seasoned techie, and they’ll likely spin whimsical tales of computing’s early days, and the challenge of finding a practical use for a device with seemingly limitless potential (you know, like feeding your cat while you sleep). A new product from SparkFun promises to bring this old-school awesomeness into the smartphone age: introducing IOIO (pronounced yo-yo), a breakout box that enables any Android 1.5+ device to control electronic circuits from within Android’s applications. Designed in collaboration with Google, Spark’s PCB connects to your phone over USB, working its magic through a Java library that hooks into your apps. This DIY paradise will begin shipping in a few weeks, and can be yours for $49.95 on pre-order. We’ve already witnessed some clever mods with IOIO, and when it sent a real alarm clock ringing, we couldn’t help but smile. Crack one yourself after the break. Continue reading SparkFun intros IOIO for Android, a hack-free breakout box to get your mind spinning SparkFun intros IOIO for Android, a hack-free breakout box to get your mind spinning originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …RV parks offer EV owners respite from the road (and their range anxiety, too)
April 10, 2011 No Comment
EVs are pretty great for getting around major metropolitan areas, but many still feel some range anxiety when it comes time to leave the city limits. True, purpose-built charging stations are few and far between at the moment, but there’s another charging option for those who enjoy going green and crave the open road: campgrounds. Turns out the 50-amp, 240-volt RV hookups found in such places can do double duty as juice dispensers for the depleted batteries in your Volt , Leaf , or Tesla . All electric powered roadwarriors need is an adapter to plug in, a few bucks to pay for current, and a few hours of free time. It’s not as fast as fueling up the old fashioned way, but RV parks provide plenty of perks (swimming pools, lakes, and seniors who love poker, for example) not found at your average filling station. So, who’s up for an eco-friendly road trip? RV parks offer EV owners respite from the road (and their range anxiety, too) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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As fond as we are of the A-Class , it’s never been the best looking Benz in the bunch, but with the introduction of the new A-Class concept, it looks like that could soon change. One of the car’s designers describes it variously as sexy, expressive, and beautifully formed, and while we wouldn’t go quite that far, we have to say it’s not too shabby. The car sports some interesting looking LED headlights and an inverted mesh grill on the outside, and on the inside it’s packing a rather futuristic display, complete with a dash-mounted tablet and what looks to be an iPhone protruding from the center console. Now, there’s no guarantee that this thing will get the E-Cell treatment, or that all the bells and whistles will make it to production, but for now, it’s shaping up to be a rather stylish upgrade. For more Mercedes-Benz eye candy, check out the gallery below. Gallery: Mercedes-Benz A-Class Concept Mercedes-Benz debuts tablet-packing A-Class concept originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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