Huawei IDEOS X3 and IDEOS S7 Slim tablet revealed en route to MWC launch
February 8, 2011 No Comment
Huawei, the company whose name rhymes with the typical response of ” who are they ,” has uploaded a few images to its Flickr page teasing new hardware bound for this year’s Mobile World Congress. First up is the IDEOS X3, an Android handset seemingly set to provide a more budget-oriented family mate to the X5 . It has two cameras, one on the front and one on the back, three Android buttons, and at least four different color options (red, blue, silver and black). The Barcelona event will see it joined by an IDEOS S7 Slim tablet, also running Google’s mobile OS, though our knowledge about that device doesn’t extend any further than noting it too has a front-facing camera. Check it out after the break. Continue reading Huawei IDEOS X3 and IDEOS S7 Slim tablet revealed en route to MWC launch Huawei IDEOS X3 and IDEOS S7 Slim tablet revealed en route to MWC launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Are you a sinner? Don’t worry, there’s an app for that. The Roman Catholic Church has approved a recent iTunes addition called Confession, a $1.99 app that bills itself as “the perfect aid for every penitent.” As you can see above, it lets you pick a commandment and tick off all your sins, keeping a running tally to bring into the confessional with you — a sort of anti-tasklist, if you will. Can’t find your particular misstep? No problem! You’re able to add your own, custom dastardly deeds, filling in those gaps the app’s authors didn’t think anyone would fill. Now all it needs is a random sin selector: shake the phone to instantly get a wicked suggestion. That certainly could make boring Thursday nights at the dormitory a little more exciting. iTunes salvation: Roman Catholic Church approves Confession app originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Uncanny valley, heard of it? No worries, you’re knee-deep in it right now. It’s the revulsion you feel to robots, prostheses, or zombies that try, but don’t quite duplicate their human models. As the robot becomes more humanlike, however, our emotional response becomes increasingly positive and empathetic. Unfortunately, the goal of Osaka University’s AFFETTO was to create a robot modeled after a young child that could produce realistic facial expressions in order to endear it to a human caregiver in a more natural way. Impressive, sure, but we’re not ready to let it suckle from our teat just yet. Continue reading Fake robot baby provokes real screams (video) Fake robot baby provokes real screams (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …LG Optimus 3D teased again, this time shows off its dual cameras (video)
February 8, 2011 No Comment
We really should send a message to phone manufacturers and stop covering these tiny little leaks of controlled information, but when it’s a phone with dual cameras and a 3D display we’re talking about, we can’t help it. Every minute detail must be digested and analyzed. There’s a fast-moving video awaiting your Sherlockian wits after the break, or you can hit the source link for a gallery of screen captures that highlight the construction details of LG’s upcoming Optimus 3D . Look for it to stop being a fancy render and become a corporeal entity at MWC early next week. Continue reading LG Optimus 3D teased again, this time shows off its dual cameras (video) LG Optimus 3D teased again, this time shows off its dual cameras (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Last.fm radio app goes ‘premium’ on home and mobile devices, web and desktop streaming remain free
February 8, 2011 No Comment
Last.fm has decided to tweak its offering on the app front, where it is now introducing a new subscription requirement for most mobile and home entertainment devices. From here on out, you’ll have to pay for the privilege of streaming music through the company’s software on devices like the iPhone and Squeezebox, though the blow is nicely cushioned by the news that there won’t be any ads to dilute your aural pleasure. Windows Phone 7 won’t be subject to the new fee for the remainder of 2011 in the US and UK, while Sonos devices will continue to stream freely until this summer, but eventually it seems like all these apps will cost a little bit of cash to use. And “little” is the operative word here, as Last.fm is asking for only $3 / €3 /
Continue reading …Myriad ‘Alien Dalvik’ runs Android apps on any phone… starting with MeeGo (video)
February 8, 2011 No Comment
You know that N900 you keep around, just because. The one that’s been hacked so many times you call it “leatherface?” Well, it’s about to get a lot more flexible. Built upon the app quickening Dalvik Turbo , OHA member Myriad just announced Alien Dalvik with the promise of running “the majority” of unmodified Android apps on non-Android platforms “without compromising performance.” A bold claim, no doubt. Myriad will be backing this up at Mobile World Congress starting next week with plans to release it later this year on MeeGo. But why wait until then? You can see it demonstrated right now running on a Nokia N900 in the video after the break (it’s running Google Maps in the picture above). Hey Mr. Elop, you want to build, catalyze or join a competitive ecosystem ? Maybe this is your solution. Continue reading Myriad ‘Alien Dalvik’ runs Android apps on any phone… starting with MeeGo (video) Myriad ‘Alien Dalvik’ runs Android apps on any phone… starting with MeeGo (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Dell Streak gets Honeycomb SDK port, starting to look like a real tablet
February 8, 2011 No Comment
Dell always told us the Streak was a tablet and not a phone, so it makes perfect sense to see Android’s latest version, the tablet-friendly Honeycomb , ported over to its 5-inch slate. As usual with these builds, we’re still at a very early stage, with the chap responsible for the hack noting that “no way is this close to release,” but it’s still rather exciting to see that brand new interface freshening up familiar pieces of kit. And hey, it’s not like Dell itself is going to be delivering Android 3.0 anytime soon either, right? Click the source link to keep yourself updated on how this community port progresses. [Thanks, Chris] Dell Streak gets Honeycomb SDK port, starting to look like a real tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The wonders you can find on YouTube , eh? LG’s G-Slate (to be known as the Optimus Pad outside the US) has made yet another appearance on Google’s video repository, this time giving us a whirl to show off its slender body and port and speaker arrangement. The integrated 3D cameras also get a demo, as you can see above, though we’re much more excited to be able to churn out 1080p video with this device thanks to the Tegra 2 SOC it’s built around. Its smartphone buddy the Optimus 2X delivered some very smooth output and we can’t see any reason why the G-Slate should do any worse. Make your way past the break for all the intimate video action. [Thanks, KC] Continue reading LG G-Slate handled on video, looks like a giant Optimus 2X LG G-Slate handled on video, looks like a giant Optimus 2X originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We heard last month when we got our first glimpse of a white Nexus S that it might be headed to Vodafone, and that’s now finally been confirmed by Vodafone itself. Details are still pretty light beyond that, but Vodafone says that the phone is “coming soon,” and that it will be the only carrier to offer the phone in white — in the UK, at least. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] White Nexus S confirmed to be ‘coming soon’ to Vodafone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Alcatel-Lucent’s lightRadio shoves a base station in a box, minimalists cheer
February 8, 2011 No Comment
They’ve been fashioned after palm trees, Christ on the cross , and what look to be Dyson Ball vacuum attachments . But now, Alcatel-Lucent is giving cellphone towers a makeover that might actually stick. The company’s new broadband base station solution, known as lightRadio, eliminates the need for cumbersome huts at the base of cellphone towers and packs antennas into a series of 2.5-inch boxes, while simultaneously improving capacity and reducing cost. These so-called radio cubes combine 2G, 3G, and LTE antennas with an SoC for processing, making them small enough to prop up on a lamp post. They’re firmware upgradable, and utilize beamforming to more efficiently connect to wireless devices; according to the company, groups of ‘em can not only increase broadband capacity by 30 percent, but also cut operation costs and CO2 emissions in half. Clearly, lightRadio makes a compelling case for narrowing the digital divide , but it won’t be available broadly until 2012, which means the creative cover ups will just keep on coming. Sorry, JC . [Thanks, Nathan] Alcatel-Lucent’s lightRadio shoves a base station in a box, minimalists cheer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 01:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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