We were quite bedazzled by the HTC Incredible S after our hands-on at MWC , but it’s the auto-rotating icons for the capacitive buttons that left us most intrigued. So we went back to the HTC booth to try to make sense of it all. From what we were able to observe, there’s some optical trickery happening here: the icons appear to be glittering and shimmering depending on viewing angle as if lit through a prism, half-mirror or grate of some kind. We think that a pair of LED s are used to project the intended icon onto the glass surface via either a combination of prisms and half-mirrors, or via horizontally and vertically polarized grates. Watch our video after the break, and let us know in the comments how you think this actually works. Continue reading HTC Incredible S auto-rotating buttons explained? (video) HTC Incredible S auto-rotating buttons explained? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …The Engadget Show – 018: GM’s Micky Bly, Watson researcher David Gondek, EN-V demo, Atrix 4G
February 18, 2011 No Comment
Humans, allow us to present the latest episode of The Engadget Show — you won’t want to miss it. First up, Josh and Tim Stevens sit down with GM’s chief electrical engineer Micky Bly for a frank conversation on the future of automotive technology , chatting about everything from networked vehicles (with a surprise visit from the unmistakable EN-V prototype), electric cars, advancing smartphone integration, and a world without stoplights. Then, Micky announces and demos Chevy’s new MyLink infotainment system, in a world-first, Engadget Show-exclusive look at the new technology. Fresh off a resounding victory over mankind, IBM’s Watson researcher David Gondek joins Josh and Paul for a breakdown of Watson’s Jeopardy domination and an in-depth conversation about machine-learning, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and the meaning of love. Last up, Josh, Paul, and Nilay bust out the Motorola Atrix 4G and break down the week in news, including Nokia’s Windows Phone announcement , the rise of Honeycomb tablets , and everything worth talking about from Mobile World Congress . This is one you absolutely should not miss. What are you waiting for? Watch it now! Hit up the video stream after the break or download the show in HD below! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller Special guests: Micky Bly, David Gondek Produced and Directed by: Chad Mumm Executive Producer: Joshua Fruhlinger Edited by: Danny Madden Music by: Note! Visuals by: Batsly Adams Opening titles by: Julien Nantiec Taped live at SIR Stage37 Download the Show: The Engadget Show – 018 (HD) / The Engadget Show – 018 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show – 018 (Small) Subscribe to the Show: [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Show directly in iTunes (MP4). [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Show directly in the Zune Marketplace (MP4). [ RSS MP4 ] Add the Engadget Show feed (MP4) to your RSS aggregator and have it delivered automatically. [ HD RSS ] Get the Engadget Show delivered automatically in HD. [ iPad RSS ] Get the Engadget Show in iPad-friendly adaptive format. Continue reading The Engadget Show – 018: GM’s Micky Bly, Watson researcher David Gondek, EN-V demo, Atrix 4G The Engadget Show – 018: GM’s Micky Bly, Watson researcher David Gondek, EN-V demo, Atrix 4G originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …CE-Oh no he didn’t!: INQ chief says Android is too geeky for ‘pretty girls’
February 18, 2011 No Comment
Take one dose of improper generalization, mix it in with a heaping of condescension, and then add a pinch of good old sexism. What do you get? This quote, coming from Frank Meehan, CEO of the Android handset -making INQ : “If you go to a nightclub in any city in the world, the pretty girl has an iPhone or a BlackBerry. She doesn’t have an Android phone. She has no emotional attachment to an Android phone. It’s too complicated. It’s a geek device, it’s all wrong.” Now, before you go emailing him photos of the Android tattoo girl , there is undeniably some smidgen of truth to the man’s words. Android is a geek’s dream ecosystem and it’s not necessarily the most accessible platform in the world, but to completely write it off for the nightclub-going lady demographic doesn’t strike us — or Justin Timberlake , or Chad Ochocinco — as the most astute idea in the world. [Thanks, AC] CE-Oh no he didn’t!: INQ chief says Android is too geeky for ‘pretty girls’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Think the Atrix 4G might be a critical launch for Motorola right now? A fresh regulatory filing by Motorola today revealed that the company got a whopping 28 percent of its cash from Verizon last year — up from 17 percent in 2009 — a pretty powerful testament to the “Droid effect.” The company goes on to say that “the loss of, or a significant reduction in revenue from, one or more of these customers could have a negative impact on [its] business,” and it’s pretty clear that the launch of the iPhone on Verizon will have at least some impact this year. Question is, can they make up for the loss with a harder push on other carriers like AT&T? Motorola: 28 percent of 2010 revenue came from Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Welcome back to our annual tradition of speculating on just when and how Apple will freshen up its laptop range. AppleInsider is citing multiple sources today in support of its assertion that the MacBook Pro line will be getting upgraded by Apple, potentially as soon as next week. The Mac OS vendor is reportedly briefing folks to be ready for a “significant product launch” soon, which is narrowed down to its laptop division by a couple more pieces of circumstantial evidence. Apple’s Asian online stores have shifted their promised MBP delivery times from 24 hours to “one to five days,” indicating potentially lower stock quantities, while Italian blog iSpazio has dug up five new product SKUs that could be the markers for new laptop models. None of that sets anything in stone, of course, but we’re also hearing the expected upgrade to Sandy Bridge won’t afflict Apple’s new machines with that Cougar Point chipset flaw , so whenever Apple deigns to bring us this upgrade it should be nice and pristine. MacBook Pros may be in for an imminent refresh, about time too originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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USB microphones have come a long way in the past decade. We still remember our first experiences with them. Was it the 90′s? It was the 90′s, and it was a debacle: getting your drivers in line, wondering if the crappy plastic casing was going to snap off in your hand, and trying to figure out if you were going to be able to hear the audio through your Sound Blaster in the end anyway. We’re happy to live in a 2011 that has the Yeti Pro, a seriously serious smooth operator that’s likely to tickle grandma’s fancy just as much as it will a jaded studio engineer’s. Read on for the account of our engagement with the 3.4-pound beast. Continue reading Blue Microphones Yeti Pro review Blue Microphones Yeti Pro review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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By now you should be doubt-free that the Xperia Play exists and is coming to Verizon, but if not, let this clear things up. A well-trusted tipster has just sent us the above screen shot of the Sony R800X (the ‘x’ here indicating CDMA as opposed to the model R800i we’ve been seeing), better known as the Xperia Play, hanging out in Verizon’s system. We’re bummed to not have a release date or price, but we’re digging for more info. Head past the break for some exclusive product details straight from the depths of Verizon’s backend. Gallery: Xperia Play product info Xperia Play shows up in Verizon’s inventory originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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What if you could run Android apps on other platforms? That’s exactly the question Benoit Shillings and his team at Myriad asked themselves before setting out to create Alien Dalvik . The resulting software provides a host environment for the (mostly Java-based) Android apps to run pretty much anywhere. Alien Dalvik behaves a lot like Wine on Linux, which allows Windows programs to run inside Linux without installing Windows or using a virtual machine. We stopped by the Myriad booth at MWC this week where Benoit was kind enough to give us a demo of Alien Dalvik running on a Nokia N900 . Despite being in the early stages of development and still un-optimized, the software worked as expected. Benoit showed us Google Maps, a chess game, and the IMDb app all running as separate processes inside Maemo . This version of Alien Dalvik was written using Qt and should also be able to run on Symbian devices. You can’t buy the product as an end users, but Myriad wants to make the technology available to carriers and device manufacturers to help streamline the deployment of apps across platforms. Watch our video after the break. Continue reading Myriad Alien Dalvik hands-on (video) Myriad Alien Dalvik hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Current pre-orders appear to be looking at early March delivery, but AT&T has gone on record saying that folks that elected to pre-order the mighty Motorola Atrix 4G by the 17th will receive it on the 21st of February — next Monday — and if they chose to have their unit sent to a store, they’ll be able to get it there on the 21st as well. The rest of us will need to check out the store on the 22nd and hope for the best. We’ve gotten confirmation from a tipster that his pre-order has shipped with a scheduled delivery on Monday, so it’s looking like they’re on time. Who’s standing in line next Tuesday? [Thanks, Shaun C.] Motorola Atrix 4G pegged for February 21st pre-order delivery originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Weary Epic 4G owners, wonder no more about your phone’s long-overdue update to Android 2.2, because the rumors were true: it’s nearly here. Sprint has thrown up a support page detailing the build EB13 upgrade that will kick off on February 21st, saying that all customers “should” have it by the 25th through a phased over-the-air rollout. Besides the usual Android 2.2 goodies, the update promises “GPS enhancements,” which is something that pretty much every Galaxy S owner around the world is always on the lookout for with every new firmware version. Of course, we’ll believe this all when it actually starts happening — but it’s a good sign. Samsung Epic 4G officially signed up for Froyo starting February 21st originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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