Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On , a column about consumer technology. At the launch of the new iPad – superior for video chat, group presentations, and cutting cake — Apple didn’t miss a few opportunities to rub salt in the open air vents of Microsoft’s tablet efforts. Apple noted that sales of the iPad have exceeded those of every other tablet PC ever sold, and that Microsoft (along with other competitors) were chasing doomed strategies that extended outmoded models. Microsoft has been clear that it will continue to use its “desktop” operating system – Windows – rather than its mobile operating system – the device-specifying Windows Phone 7 – as its operating system for tablets. Considering the critical importance of an intuitive touchscreen UI on tablet — where Windows Phone 7 excels and desktop Windows has struggled — this seems risky on its face. But it is important to remember from Microsoft’s perspective that the question is not whether Windows is the best choice for tablets but whether it is a better choice for Microsoft than Windows Phone. While the company faces an uphill battle regardless of which OS it chooses, its flagship could be the better answer for several reasons. Continue reading Switched On: Padded Windows Switched On: Padded Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Many moons ago, Atheros had a dream , of a future where a single device could simultaneously extend Ethernet, WiFi and powerline connectivity to any part of your home. Well, gents, the future is now, as D-Link has taken the idea (and presumably a presumably paid a hefty licensing fee) to bring just such a device to market. The $130 D-Link DHP-1320 does 802.11n WiFi at up to 300Mbps, sends up to 200Mbps through your house’s electrical system and sports three 10/100 LAN jacks as well. Oh, and never you mind that Netgear did something similar a couple months ago. PR after the break. Continue reading D-Link outs hybrid powerline / wired / wireless router, does Atheros proud D-Link outs hybrid powerline / wired / wireless router, does Atheros proud originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Plug In Launcher for Android makes things happen when you connect USB or headphones
March 6, 2011 No Comment
Plug In Launcher is a free Android app that does just one thing, and it does it well — it launches any app of your choice when it detects power or a connected pair of headphones. In fact, it can pair one app to your phone’s 3.5mm headphone jack and another to your USB port, letting it launch, say, a music player when you plug in headphones, and perhaps an alarm clock while you’re charging it overnight, saving you a button press (note: the “Would you like to launch” message is optional) each time. All it asks in return is a pair of running processes that eat up 5.7MB of memory (as of this writing) and the ability to restart itself when you reset your phone. Sure, the app’s a little limited compared to context-aware suites like Locale or Nokia Situations , but free is free, and this one’s useful. Plug In Launcher for Android makes things happen when you connect USB or headphones originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The media — yours truly included — has been trying to figure out why Sprint has booked an insane two-and-a-half hour slot at CTIA later this month. That’s not the kind of event you throw together just to rehash the devices you’ve introduced over the last half year — something’s up, and if our source is correct, they’re up to something big. First, we’re hearing that the carrier will launch the Nexus S 4G from Samsung, and judging from the name, the phone should be something akin to a Nexus S with WiMAX. It seems this one could be either the SPH-D600 or SPH-D720, both of which have recently received certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance, though the SPH-D720 is more likely; the D600 shows WPS support, which is available in TouchWiz-skinned devices but not in stock Gingerbread . You might recall that Sprint came very, very close to launching its own version of the Nexus One before dropping it in favor of the EVO 4G last year, so maybe they’re ready to do the deed this time. Next, a couple that we don’t have much detail on: the EVO 3D, which is… well, a 3D-capable EVO of some sort. 2011 is certainly shaping up to be the year of 3D phones and tablets , so that wouldn’t be much of a surprise. The other unit in the mix is the EVO View, a tablet that we’re guessing will shape up to be something of a CDMA-powered Flyer . If this all pans out, it’s looking like Sprint could own this show. CES was a bit of a dud for them, you might recall — the EVO Shift 4G was the only handset announcement there — so they’re overdue. [Thanks, anonymous tipster] Sprint announcing Nexus S 4G, EVO 3D, and EVO View tablet at CTIA? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 15:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sony Ericsson was named a Windows Phone 7 partner a year ago, but — like another we could name — seemingly scrapped plans to produce a device and chose another OS instead. Or did it? Pictures of what looks to be a Sony Ericsson prototype running Windows Phone 7 recently surfaced at Lizhecomb , and it could be that SE’s looking to try again… but probably not. You see, rumor had it that Sony Ericsson did produce a prototype sliding WP7 handset — the Julie — much like the one above, and this one certainly looks a little prototypical compared to contemporary designs. What it may add up to is Sony Ericsson and ASUS in the same boat — two WP7 launch partners that failed to launch, but each with hardware to show for it. Sony Ericsson Windows Phone 7 prototype caught in the wild? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 14:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When 21 rogue apps started siphoning off identifying information from Android phones and installing security holes, Google yanked the lot from Android Market , and called the authorities to boot. But what of the 50,000 copies already downloaded by unwitting users? That’s what Google’s dealing with this week, by utilizing Android’s remote kill switch to delete them over the air. But that’s not all, because this time the company isn’t just removing offending packages , but also installing new code. The “Android Market Security Tool March 2011″ will be remotely added to affected handsets to undo the exploit and keep it from sending your data out, as well as make you wonder just how much remote control Google has over our phones. Yes, we welcome our new Search Engine overlords and all that, so long as they’ve got our best interests at heart, but there’s a certain irony in Google removing a backdoor exploit by using a backdoor exploit of its own — even one that (in this case) will email you to report what it’s done. Google flips Android kill switch, destroys a batch of malicious apps originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …J.D. Power: Verizon has best call quality nationwide, T-Mobile consistently below average
March 6, 2011 No Comment
J.D. Power, that well known arbiter of human opinion in the United States, has just released its latest study on customer satisfaction with wireless carriers. It addresses such things as (the lack of) dropped calls, failures to connect, voice distortion, echoes, static, and late-arriving text messages, and ultimately churns out a rating out of five stars relative to the regional average and other carriers. In testing done between July and December last year, Verizon had the best or tied for the best satisfaction ratings in five of the six studied areas, while AT&T and Sprint traded blows for second and T-Mobile had to admit defeat as the laggard of the top four. US Cellular managed to score highest in the North Central region, but J.D. Power’s overall assessment isn’t very rosy for any of the carriers — the stats collector says growing smartphone usage, heavy texting and more indoor calls are collectively causing call quality to stagnate, and even warns that “increased adoption of smartphones and wireless tablets may continue to compromise the quality of network service.” Continue reading J.D. Power: Verizon has best call quality nationwide, T-Mobile consistently below average J.D. Power: Verizon has best call quality nationwide, T-Mobile consistently below average originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Okay, so maybe it’s just the natural evolution of things, but it seems as if the purveyors of the Keyport Slide have finally given owners of the $80 key vault a LED-tipped insert so they can more easily unlock poorly lit keyholes everywhere. For those wishing to obtain such convenient luminescence, its up for preorder on the company’s website for $9.99 (for the LED only of course), and if all goes well, it’ll ship on March 18th. Ten bucks is steep for a couple of measly LEDs, but it sure beats the flashlight-in-mouth method (on a number of fronts). Let there be light! Keyport Slide gets a LED insert originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Okay, so maybe it’s just the natural evolution of things, but it seems as if the purveyors of the Keyport Slide have finally given owners of the $80 key vault a LED-tipped insert so they can more easily unlock poorly lit keyholes everywhere. For those wishing to obtain such convenient luminescence, its up for preorder on the company’s website for $9.99 (for the LED only of course), and if all goes well, it’ll ship on March 18th. Ten bucks is steep for a couple of measly LEDs, but it sure beats the flashlight-in-mouth method (on a number of fronts). Let there be light! Keyport Slide gets a LED insert originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 10:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Adding WiFi to a cable set-top box is probably something every geek has thought would be a great idea, but we suspect you and AT&T aren’t on the same page. You were probably thinking it’d be cool to stream viral internet videos to the big screen without switching inputs, or maybe you thought it’d be cool to ditch the cable modem and WiFi access point and feed your laptop internet via the same box you deliver your HD with. Nope, AT&T and Cisco obviously don’t think those are worthy ideas, and instead, this new box simply works without a coax cable. We suppose there’s a market for this as only like 90 percent of TVs have coax running to them already — and no new house is built these days without ‘em — but we have tried to stream HD via WiFi and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that it doesn’t “just work.” Of course the fact that U-Verse’s H.264 streams are pitifully over-compressed should help, but even when you add that to the great performance of 802.11n, we suspect you’d still be better served by a good ol’ copper wire. Continue reading AT&T and Cisco have WiFi on the cable box backwards AT&T and Cisco have WiFi on the cable box backwards originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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