Woah, now here’s a juicy rumor to start your Thursday morning off with. BGR reports word from multiple trusted sources that RIM intends to take its BlackBerry Messenger outside the cozy confines of the BB ecosystem and straight into its competitors’ app stores. BBM is reputedly all set to make its debut as a messaging app on both iOS and Android, though the specifics of what it might cost you have yet to be ironed out. It’ll come in a stripped down version, you’ll still need to own a BlackBerry for the full-flavored BBM experience, but that should nonetheless be extremely welcome news for folks finding themselves torn between platforms . The Android version is expected this year, say the sources, while the iOS app may take a little while longer thanks to Apple’s more capricious approval requirements. RIM preparing to bring BBM to iOS and Android, change everything again? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto
March 3, 2011 No Comment
Month-to-month billing is a great way to go for those who aren’t going to be traveling with their tablets all the time. If you’ll be a more frequent mobile data user, but still don’t want to get stuck with a contract, AT&T is introducing new post-paid plans. They can be added to an existing wireless plan (single billing FTW) and will see you billed automatically every month, but now you can cancel whenever your heart desires. Initial pricing is on-par with the pre-paid plans, which means $14.99 for 250MB or $25 for 2GB. It’s only the overage charges that are different here, $10 per 1GB versus $25 for 2GB on the pre-paid option. Not a huge difference, that, so really this is more of a convenience thing. Continue reading AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto AT&T introduces new post-paid plan for tablets, for those who prefer paying ex post facto originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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By now you’ve seen Apple’s Smart Cover , right? The mind blowing cover (don’t call it a case) pretty much stole the show during yesterday’s iPad 2 press event, causing children to weep at the sight of our exploded bodies. Thing is, we’ve seen the design before. Oh sure, Apple improved upon it significantly, but there’s no mistaking its InCase Convertible Magazine Jacket heritage. See the two slug it out on video after the break in some kind of weird reverse KIRF cage match. We guess 2011 really is the year of the copycats . Continue reading Apple iPad 2 Smart Cover vs. InCase Convertible Magazine Jacket… Fight! Apple iPad 2 Smart Cover vs. InCase Convertible Magazine Jacket… Fight! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BBC iPlayer will cost ‘fewer than $10′ a month for international subscribers
March 3, 2011 No Comment
As you know, the BBC’s iPlayer online video catchup portal is about to strap its boots on and go international via the iPad some time this year, a subscription service which has now been priced at “fewer than $10″ per month. That’s the word direct from Mark Thompson, director general of the grand old corporation, who also assures us that the global launch is definitely coming in 2011. iPad and Android apps for the iPlayer were recently launched in the BBC’s homeland, so the technical requirements have already been fulfilled — now it’s probably just a matter of dotting some Is, crossing some Ts, and making sure Jeremy Clarkson doesn’t score you a lawsuit with his outspoken bravado. [Thanks, Nathan] BBC iPlayer will cost ‘fewer than $10′ a month for international subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 08:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Opera browser gets an over-17 rating in Mac App Store, reacts in good humor
March 3, 2011 No Comment
You might not yet be aware of this, but Apple’s policy towards web browsers is to treat the entire internet as their content. As a result, all browsers on the iOS App Store come with a minimum age requirement of 17 and the same rule will apply to them on the Mac App Store. Opera , the first non-native web explorer to make it in Apple’s new desktop app repository is taking a humorous approach to things, with VP Jan Standal saying he’s “not sure if, at that age, people are ready to use such an application. It’s very fast, you know, and it has a lot of features.” All that said, Opera’s willing to be reckless if you are, and will totally let you download its Mac software through its homepage — no age or credit card checks required, though you might want to ask for your parents’ permission first. [Thanks, Ian] Opera browser gets an over-17 rating in Mac App Store, reacts in good humor originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Ball-throwing robot seal finds a talent for basketball, embarrassing humans (video)
March 3, 2011 No Comment
You pick up your first tan leather roundball at the age of 9, you practice religiously for a decade before you can even feel worthy of calling yourself a basketball player , and then you find a video online of a robotic seal that can shoot better than you after just a few weeks in the lab. Yep, some Taiwanese know-it-alls have put together a robo-seal that converts 99 percent of shots (admittedly with a toy ball launched at a toy hoop) within a three-meter range. It’s basically just an articulating arm with stereo vision for some good old depth perception, but it’s sophisticated enough to maintain its killer accuracy even if the target is moved from its spot. That’s more lethal that Shaq or Karl Malone’s elbows ever were. Video’s after the break, skip to the 1:05 mark if you don’t care about the details of how it’s done. Continue reading Ball-throwing robot seal finds a talent for basketball, embarrassing humans (video) Ball-throwing robot seal finds a talent for basketball, embarrassing humans (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Toshiba’s TY-WSD9 wireless waterproof speaker gives Japanese shower singers an upgrade
March 3, 2011 No Comment
Bath-time belters rejoice, for the folks over at Toshiba have bestowed unto you a 21st century solution to the waterproof radio. Okay, so it’s not the first shower-ready speaker we’ve reported on, and the TY-WSD9 doesn’t come with a pale-skinned celebrity endorsement , but it does stream audio from your TV, DVD, iPod, or other sound-emitting device within a 25-meter radius. The system sports two 1.2W speakers, works a transmitter / receiver setup that looks something akin to a baby monitor, and will be available in Japan for about 13,000 yen (or $160) starting this March. So get those pipes ready, cause your wet and wild repertoire just got a whole lot bigger. Toshiba’s TY-WSD9 wireless waterproof speaker gives Japanese shower singers an upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 07:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Shortly after our first hands-on encounter with LG’s Optimus Pad , we came across a press release from the company announcing the price for its 8.9-inch Android Honeycomb tablet in Germany: €999 ($1,380). We rubbed our eyes and pinched our cheeks, but we weren’t dreaming — that’s LG’s recommended retail price, alright. Now Amazon has listed its pre-order page for the same slinky slate, though it’s sagely opted to chop €100 off and offer it up at €899. We still don’t know who exactly will be jumping at this opportunity, even with 32GB of onboard storage, a dual-core CPU and a dual-camera array on the back allowing for 3D video recording, when equally or more compelling products are about to hit the market at lower price points . At least shipping’s free. LG Optimus Pad listed on Amazon.de for a slightly less crazy €899 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 05:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Motorola Xoom 3G arrives in UK for £600, gets enigmatic listing on Amazon.de for €700
March 3, 2011 No Comment
Yesterday we saw the WiFi-only Xoom get its UK pricing straightened out at
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We’ve confirmed with our own sources what was almost an established fact already: there will be a version of Samsung’s 4.3-inch Galaxy S II Android smartphone relying on a dual-core Tegra 2 chip for its processing. The second-gen Galaxy S launched at MWC this year with Samsung’s own Exynos dual-core solution at its heart, but it seems that yields of that chip haven’t been good enough to sate the expected high demand for the handset. So, in steps NVIDIA with its soon-to-be-ubiquitous Tegra 2 — which runs at the same 1GHz as Exynos and offers comparable performance — to fill in the supply gap. The decision as to which part you’ll get in your next Samsung smartphone will depend on which territory you’re in, with Americans and Brits likely to get first bite at the Exynos cherry. [Thanks, Anshul] Confirmed: Tegra 2-equipped Samsung Galaxy S II is coming originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 04:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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