Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise?
February 25, 2011 No Comment
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Simon, who seems to be not-so-secretly hoping to drown out his entire office. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “I need a headset which can block out the background from a busy office. I’m talking repetitive noises such as drilling, background chatter, keyboard clattering, computer fan whirring and the endless static from our building’s air conditioner. I would love if this headset had a fair to good quality of sound for MP3s, and it would of course have to have a good microphone for IP phone telephony and Skype. If it didn’t look like something from Radio Shack that would be a bonus, and if the microphone was a bit discreet for street and airplane use that would be an added benefit. Lastly the connection to a workstation could be both USB and Bluetooth, with a preference for wireless. Thanks!” Bluetooth headsets have evolved quite a bit since the last time we had this discussion, so we’re curious what you’re currently using to make work a wee bit more bearable? No need in keeping secrets, right? Speak out in comments below! Ask Engadget: best (non-ugly) noise-cancelling Bluetooth headset for drowning out office noise? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …HTC Incredible S shipping this week in UK, will come with Froyo to start
February 25, 2011 No CommentThough it’d originally been pegged for the second quarter, it seems HTC’s bumping that up a smidge with the launch of its new flagship — the Incredible S — in the UK this week. Pre-orders are going on as we speak with shipments promised for tomorrow, but there’s a catch: rather than shipping with Gingerbread , the phones will come with Froyo to start with an upgrade to Gingerbread promised for the near future. Buyers, we’ve got a little homework for you: if you’re feeling adventurous and in a warranty-voiding mood, try to figure out what’s going on with those auto-rotating capacitive buttons , alright? HTC Incredible S shipping this week in UK, will come with Froyo to start originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Xtreamer Prodigy features AirPlay support, USB 3, and a GUI that will delight fans of Flash (and fans of GUIs)
February 25, 2011 No Comment
Looks like the folks at Xtreamer have a few tricks up their sleeves! Following hot on the heels of the company’s Ultra HTPC comes Xtreamer Prodigy, a Realtek 1185-based media player and streamer that sports USB 3.0 connectivity, 256MB RAM, 512MB NAND flash, HDMI, an integral IR remote control, a multi-card reader and a 3.5-inch HDD bay. But the real fun here (or so we’ve heard) is the Adobe Flash GUI, as well as support for such services as Apple AirPlay, Mediafly, Google Talk, Last FM, Pandora, Facebook, and more. The rumored price is €119, which will have to suffice until we find something more concrete (which should be about five days from now). Get a closer look below. Gallery: Xtreamer Prodigy Xtreamer Prodigy features AirPlay support, USB 3, and a GUI that will delight fans of Flash (and fans of GUIs) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Screen Grabs: Dr. Dre video for ‘I Need a Doctor’ features HP Touchpad, Pre 3, weird Dr. Dre floating in a glass tube
February 24, 2011 No Comment
If you have pleasant memories from your youth of a Dr. Dre in happier times, chilling with Snoop somewhere in LBC doing things we can’t discuss on a family-friendly site such as this… well, you’re in for a bit of a shock to the system with this latest video. The clip for I Need a Doctor — which is really more of a short film — features a brutally mangled Ferrari 360 Modena, Skylar Grey, and an angry Eminem (is there any other kind of Eminem?) yelling at Dr. Dre while suspended in some sort of creepy life-supporting fluid. Oh, but let us fast forward to the technology angle: Dre’s already hooked up with HP for Beats, and the trend continues here with the appearance of a Touchpad and Pre 3 doing a little Touch to Share action around the 4:20 mark. Follow the break for video. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Screen Grabs: Dr. Dre video for ‘I Need a Doctor’ features HP Touchpad, Pre 3, weird Dr. Dre floating in a glass tube Screen Grabs: Dr. Dre video for ‘I Need a Doctor’ features HP Touchpad, Pre 3, weird Dr. Dre floating in a glass tube originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Take that Mark Cuban. Everyone’s favorite HD network owning billionaire called 3D sports DOA after deciding there weren’t many people asking about a 3D Super Bowl, but now ESPN’s 3D network has queued up its second championship of the year, adding the NBA Finals to its previously scheduled slate of regular season and playoff broadcasts . ESPN 3D has been broadcasting around the clock for a few days now (unless you’re watching DirecTV ) but while repeats make for easy demo material, if 3D is going to go from an interesting sideshow to an in-demand feature it will take more high profile events like these. If the Mavericks manage to slide past the Lakers or Spurs for a deep playoff run, we’ll check back with our friend Mark to see how he’d watch the game if he didn’t already have a few seats permanently staked out in the arena. Continue reading ESPN 3D adds the NBA Finals to its broadcast schedule ESPN 3D adds the NBA Finals to its broadcast schedule originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
The Android world’s been a-buzz this last week over a few new Android Market URLS, including http://market.android.com/music/ and http://market.android.com/movies/ . In case you thought there was nothing to this tip, guess again: the third member of this trifecta ( http://market.android.com/books/ ) has gone live. That’s right, visitors to the Android Market can pick up Glenn Beck’s mile-a-minute thrill ride The Overton Window for a mere $9. We hope that takes some of the sting out of the fact that a Google Music launch wasn’t part of this month’s Honeycomb event — although if we had to wager a guess, we’d say that the company will have Music and Movie offerings soon enough. Android Market adds e-books; movies and music soon to come? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Intel refutes Apple exclusivity for Thunderbolt I/O, LaCie and Promise detail first Thunderbolt peripherals
February 24, 2011 No Comment
We can think of a pretty good reason why Apple might have a head-start when it comes to Thunderbolt -capable machines, but Apple doesn’t actually have a timed exclusive on the technology, at least according to Intel PR. The company told us that while it’s currently targeting an early 2012 launch for Thunderbolt with other OEMs — whereas the new MacBook Pro has Thunderbolt right now — there’s nothing stopping other manufacturers from launching machines with the 10Gbps interconnect a good bit earlier if they so desire. In related news, the first Thunderbolt peripherals have just been formally announced — the Promise Pegasus RAID array we saw spitting out 800MB / sec video streams , and the LaCie Little Big Disk. The former will come four-bay or six-bay variants, topping out at 12TB of magnetic storage when it arrives in Q2, and the latter will boast a pair of Intel 510 Series SSDs — which, by the way, have yet to be formally announced — in RAID 0 for 500GB of storage in total. PR after the break. Gallery: Intel Thunderbolt, Promise Pegasus and LaCie Little Big Disk close-up shots Continue reading Intel refutes Apple exclusivity for Thunderbolt I/O, LaCie and Promise detail first Thunderbolt peripherals Intel refutes Apple exclusivity for Thunderbolt I/O, LaCie and Promise detail first Thunderbolt peripherals originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Smartbooks may not have exactly caught on as the next big platform, but one of the more notable examples out there is now at least a bit more of an interesting option than it was before. That would be Toshiba’s Android-based AC100 , which has finally gotten the Froyo upgrade that was promised last fall. According to Carrypad , that upgrade brings with it a “noticeable performance boost,” not to mention Flash support, and access to Toshiba’s own application store, the Toshiba Market Place. What’s more, the site also notes that the smartbook has recently received a fairly significant price drop, with the WiFi-only version now available for around €200 (or about $275, 3G will cost you an extra $50 or so). Head on past the break for a video of the update process and results. Continue reading Toshiba AC100 smartbook gets Android 2.2 upgrade Toshiba AC100 smartbook gets Android 2.2 upgrade originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Official Android 2.3.3 updates for Nexus One and Nexus S unearthed, available to the impatient
February 24, 2011 No CommentWaiting sucks, doesn’t it? Yes, yes it does — which is why we’re delighted to see that direct links to the official, final updates to Android 2.3.3 for the Nexus One and Nexus S have both been turned loose. This is especially exciting news for Nexus One owners who’ve stayed on the straight and narrow and haven’t moved to a cooked Gingerbread ROM already, since they’re still on Froyo — but it’s also good news for developers working on NFC apps with the Nexus S and Android’s freshly-baked NFC API, since it means they’ll have real-world devices to start playing with. So go on, get to it — we know you’re not going to wait for the over-the-air notification anyway. [Thanks, Will] Official Android 2.3.3 updates for Nexus One and Nexus S unearthed, available to the impatient originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …
Need a bit more evidence that there’s some big changes coming to MobileMe ? Then you don’t need to look much further than Apple’s own stores, both online and off. The company has apparently now discontinued the boxed version of the software it sells at retail, and it seems that all traces of MobileMe have also been removed from Apple’s online store, though you are still able to sign up for a free trial through the MobileMe website. Apple Insider further reports that both single user and family packs of MobileMe have been declared “end of life” by Apple, and that the service will undergo some scheduled maintenance tonight that may leave its web-based applications inaccessible for half an hour. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Apple removes MobileMe from online store, discontinues retail boxes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …