A little over two years ago, we opined on the lack of decent built-in nav systems, hopelessly waiting for Harman and Mercedes to make good on their promise of an easily upgradable in-dash setup . Well, the day has finally come, and the partners in automotive innovation are gearing up to introduce the Becker Map Pilot to the world at the Geneva Motor Show . As promised, the system combines the flexibility and features of a PND with the integration and good looks of a built-in setup — although the interface shows up on the auto’s central display panel and relays voice instructions over the car’s speakers, the main unit is stored in the glove compartment, where it’s easily removed and upgraded via the internet. If you can afford the mammoth price tag, Map Pilot will roll out in the new Mercedes-Benz SLK and C-Class, but if you don’t have an extra $50,000 lying around, we’ll still let you peep the PR after the break. Continue reading Harman-Mercedes Map Pilot modular built-in nav system becomes reality Harman-Mercedes Map Pilot modular built-in nav system becomes reality originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …T-Mobile getting ready to roll out new webConnect broadband plans, offer 20 percent discount
March 4, 2011 No Comment
Already a T-Mobile subscriber? Been thinking about adding a mobile broadband plan to go along with it? Hold on to that credit card for a little longer, as we’re hearing that the company is about to roll out new webConnect plans that will, at least in some cases, include a 20 percent discount for those who already have voice plans. The date March 13th is mentioned as something of a line in the sand between the current and new offerings, but really that’s about all we know at this point. Well, about these plans, anyway. We know lots of things about other stuff. T-Mobile getting ready to roll out new webConnect broadband plans, offer 20 percent discount originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Anyone who believes we’re nearing some sort of saturation point with the two hottest device classes of the moment — smartphones and tablets — ought to check out this latest data from investment bank RBC Capital Markets. It shows an estimated 394 million people already possess one of these newfangled gadgets, and — while we don’t consider the world’s population a relevant metric here — sets that number up against some other illustrative stats.The most important one for smartphone growth is the tally of mobile subscribers, which stands at just over five billion presently and dwarfs any inroads that smart mobile devices have made to this point. The total of nearly 1.3 billion PCs should also be encouraging for companies seeking a market for their tablets, as it quantifies the sheer volume of computers we use and need. So, next time anyone asks you if it’s “too late” for Nokia to right its smartphone strategy or HP to deliver its tablets , you can juice up your negatory response by dropping this statistical knowledge bomb. Smartphones and tablets still have a long way to grow originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Has it got the fourgees ? Well, if you’re talking about Apple’s iPhone and believe what you hear from China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou, it very soon will. Following in the well publicized footsteps of Verizon CEO Dan Mead, Mr. Jianzhou tells us that Steve Jobs himself “has expressed his interest in an LTE iPhone and is willing to start the development at an early date.” Of course, the crux of the issue will be in ascertaining how early “an early date” might be, but it’s not completely out of the realm of reason to believe that Apple may already be cranking away on an LTE-capable iPhone 5. We all know how much Steve loves to compare measurements with the competition and the iPhone’s lack of a fourth G will probably be driving him mad by the time the summer rolls around. Either way, we’ve now got two extremely senior dudes claiming LTE is on Apple’s roadmap. LTE iPhone noise builds steam with a grain of Wang originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Toshiba always likes to push the boundaries of TV technology — Cell TV , Media Center extender TVs and its more recent glasses free 3D efforts come to mind immediately — but there’s always room for more conventional HDTVs and it showed off a few in Japan recently. The Z2 series of LED lit LCDs ship later this month and utilize a dual-core ” CEVO (Cell Evolution) Engine ” processor that has the horsepower to run its super resolution video upconverting algorithms. It also claims a mere 0.7 frames of input lag in game mode thanks to First In First Out memory that matches the performance of screens used in arcade cabinets. Even if you don’t play Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on one of these, the company also announced it will release a version of its currently iOS-only Regza remote control / DLNA streaming app for Android and Windows PCs. So far the app is still a Japan-only thing, so while we wait for this tech to make it over to the US you can check out the specs for the TVs Toshiba actually did announce are coming to the States this year after the break. Continue reading Toshiba shows off dual-core-powered Z2 HDTVs, Regza app for Android Toshiba shows off dual-core-powered Z2 HDTVs, Regza app for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Apple working on unlimited downloads of purchased iTunes music, setting MobileMe free?
March 4, 2011 No Comment
You know all that rumor and speculation about Apple launching a subscription-based streaming music service ? Forget it — at least until the next rumor comes along. Bloomberg is citing three people with knowledge of private talks between Apple, Universal Music, Sony Music, and Warner Music to make purchased music more easily accessible to iTunes users. Two sources claim that an agreement could be announced by midyear. Contrary to popular speculation aroused by Apple’s purchase of Lala , they’re not talking about streaming music from Apple’s new North Carolina data center scheduled to come online in the spring . According to Bloomberg ‘s sources, Apple is instead, planning to offer unlimited downloads to any device linked to the same iTunes account. So, purchase a track on your iPhone and download it again for free to your iPad without having to go back and tether the mobile device to your PC or Mac for a sync. Hard disk crash? No worries, there’s a permanent backup in the cloud. Of course, there’s nothing preventing Apple from providing unlimited downloads in parallel with a streaming service except for the labels and artists who prefer the higher revenues paid out by download services. Then again, if it was left to them we’d still be buying our music on $15 CDs. Incidentally, one Bloomberg source was also caught blabbing about Apple’s plans to overhaul the MobileMe service to store pictures, video, and other online content sometime this year. Better yet, it could drop from $99 per year to free — something already reported by the Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago. Apple working on unlimited downloads of purchased iTunes music, setting MobileMe free? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Samsung finds parts of Galaxy Tab 10.1 ‘inadequate’ compared to iPad 2, reconsiders pricing
March 4, 2011 No Comment
Whether you love or loathe Apple, you have to be happy with the company’s aggressive upgrade of the iPad. It has led to Samsung, purveyor of an Android 3.0 tablet by the name of Galaxy Tab 10.1 , to look more closely at its own hardware and pricing model and, according to executive VP Lee Don-Joo, “improve the parts that are inadequate.” We don’t know what those are, specifically, however he notes that “Apple made [the iPad 2 ] very thin” and also goes on to say that Samsung will be rethinking its pricing strategy with the Tab 10.1. It was originally going to cost more than the 7-inch Galaxy Tab , but in light of Apple’s new product, Samsung might have to cut into its profit margins… or maybe even forgo profits altogether to make its new Tab a success. Samsung finds parts of Galaxy Tab 10.1 ‘inadequate’ compared to iPad 2, reconsiders pricing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Give yourself a cookie if you can still remember as far back as August 29th of last year. That was the day when HP’s Phil McKinney teased the world with images of three new prototypes being developed in his company’s labs — there was a tablet, now known as the HP TouchPad , a smartphone that’s since taken on the name of Pre 3 , and something snaked around his wrist that looked suspiciously like a watch. Today, we learn more about this Metal Watch, as HP calls. It’s a continuation of the company’s overarching theme of mobile interconnectedness , however unlike its webOS devices, this connected watch is nowhere near ready for prime time (or maybe it’s just like them since none are actually shipping yet!). The new Metal fella is still a research project as much as anything else, but it’s seen as a key part of our future, acting as an easy-to-use information aggregator. It looks just like any old watch to us, but why not jump past the break and let HP’s CTO enlighten you on what makes it special? [Thanks, Obstacle-Man] Continue reading HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video) HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Give yourself a cookie if you can still remember as far back as August 29th of last year. That was the day when HP’s Phil McKinney teased the world with images of three new prototypes being developed in his company’s labs — there was a tablet, now known as the HP TouchPad , a smartphone that’s since taken on the name of Pre 3 , and something snaked around his wrist that looked suspiciously like a watch. Today, we learn more about this Metal Watch, as HP calls. It’s a continuation of the company’s overarching theme of mobile interconnectedness , however unlike its webOS devices, this connected watch is nowhere near ready for prime time (or maybe it’s just like them since none are actually shipping yet!). The new Metal fella is still a research project as much as anything else, but it’s seen as a key part of our future, acting as an easy-to-use information aggregator. It looks just like any old watch to us, but why not jump past the break and let HP’s CTO enlighten you on what makes it special? [Thanks, Obstacle-Man] Continue reading HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video) HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Give yourself a cookie if you can still remember as far back as August 29th of last year. That was the day when HP’s Phil McKinney teased the world with images of three new prototypes being developed in his company’s labs — there was a tablet, now known as the HP TouchPad , a smartphone that’s since taken on the name of Pre 3 , and something snaked around his wrist that looked suspiciously like a watch. Today, we learn more about this Metal Watch, as HP calls. It’s a continuation of the company’s overarching theme of mobile interconnectedness , however unlike its webOS devices, this connected watch is nowhere near ready for prime time (or maybe it’s just like them since none are actually shipping yet!). The new Metal fella is still a research project as much as anything else, but it’s seen as a key part of our future, acting as an easy-to-use information aggregator. It looks just like any old watch to us, but why not jump past the break and let HP’s CTO enlighten you on what makes it special? [Thanks, Obstacle-Man] Continue reading HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video) HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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