Apple rejects Sony Reader app, doesn’t want you buying content from others
February 1, 2011 No Comment
It’s been quite a while since Apple’s tight reins on the App Store were a subject worth discussing , but they’re back in the spotlight now following the company’s rejection of Sony’s Reader app for iOS. The reasons given to Sony were that Apple will no longer accept applications that permit in-app purchases of content that don’t go through Apple itself, and, moreover, will not tolerate apps that access content purchased through external content stores. So the Sony Reader Store is out — but wait, doesn’t the Kindle app do the exact same thing? No comment has been offered on the matter from either Apple or Amazon, while Sony’s Reader Store page (linked below) describes the situation as “an impasse” and promises to seek “other avenues to bring the Reader experience to Apple mobile devices.” In the mean time, you can get the Reader app for Android or just read your ebooks on a device dedicated to that task. Apple rejects Sony Reader app, doesn’t want you buying content from others originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Photoshop is hard . Hell, we’re just hacks ourselves, using the tool as a means to help convey a story. But we don’t have BAs in graphic design and we’re definitely not operating within Samsung’s multi-million-dollar advertising budget. So pardon us while we tease Sammy for failing to add a starburst to cover the reflection of its super-secret next-generation followup to its Galaxy S handset. The grab above comes at the 13 second mark of the official ” next Galaxy S ” teaser video (posted after the break) released in the runup to the big Mobile World Congress event. We guess some secrets really are meant to be shared. [Thanks, Shavar] Continue reading Samsung sucks at Photoshop: The next Galaxy S (video) Samsung sucks at Photoshop: The next Galaxy S (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 02:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony’s DSC-HX100V and HX9V superzooms get official, headed to shelves this April
February 1, 2011 No Comment
After being leaked just a few days ago, Sony’s high-end 16.2-megapixel HX100V and HX9V cameras are now official. According to the press release, the DSC-HX100V is the first of the Cyber-shot line to include a 27mm Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonar T lens with 30x optical zoom, while its smaller compact brother, the DSC-HX9V, is also the first to sport a 24mm Sony G lens with a 16x optical zoom. That’s certainly great news for lurkers or folks who like shooting from a far, especially when considering both cameras are capable of recording 1920 x 1080 60p HD video. Their new “Exmor R” back-illuminated CMOS sensor also is the first to support a so-called Intelligent Sweep Panorama HR mode, which lets users capture up to 42.9 megapixel scenes with a whopping 10480 x 4096 resolution. Speaking of panoramas, the new camera’s have also picked up the same 3D Sweep Panorama Mode, GPS, and Dual Recording functions found on other cyber shots announced back at CES. If you’re dying to get your hands on that crazy zoom action, their official release is set for April with pre-sales starting in February. Price wise, the DSC-HX100V and DSC-HX9V cameras will cost about $450 and $350 , respectively. For more details hit up the PR after the break or browse through the gallery below. Gallery: Sony Cyber-Shot HX100V and HX9V Continue reading Sony’s DSC-HX100V and HX9V superzooms get official, headed to shelves this April Sony’s DSC-HX100V and HX9V superzooms get official, headed to shelves this April originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 01:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Boxee delays Netflix integration again, cites security requirements as the culprit
February 1, 2011 No Comment
We hoped Boxee would surprise us at the eleventh hour and announce it had finally added Netflix to the service — technically making good on its end of January deadline . Instead, the company’s blog is now reporting that the service is “anticipated soon.” Apparently, the service is running fine on the device in the company’s offices — which, mind you they said back in November too, — but it still failed to satisfy Netflix’s security requirements. While that sounds like a big thing to miss in our books, a comment by Boxee’s VP of Marketing, Andrew Kippen, suggests the company just discovered the issue only an hour before midnight. This marks the second time users have been asked to re-adjust their expectations for when the big red box might pop up on their favorite media manager, but to Boxee’s credit, we were glad to see the company come right out with the situation instead of leaving us all on pins and needles. Now, let’s just hope this whole incident gets sorted out pronto, so we don’t have to break bad news to our watch instantly lovin’ hearts ever again. Boxee delays Netflix integration again, cites security requirements as the culprit originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 01:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Windows Phone 7 ‘phantom data’ leaker unmasked as Yahoo Mail, fix due in ‘coming weeks’
February 1, 2011 No Comment
J’accuse… ! Remember the unnamed third party that Microsoft had found to be abusing 3G data on Windows Phone 7 ? Secret’s out, and the culprit is none other than Yahoo Mail. According to a statement obtained by Microsoft guru Paul Thurrott, a fix is expected in the “coming weeks,” but in the interim, you can mitigate the pain by going into settings and choosing less taxing options for “Download new content” and “Download email from” — say, for example, “manually” and “the last 7 days,” respectively. At least now you know exactly at whom you should wag your finger. Windows Phone 7 ‘phantom data’ leaker unmasked as Yahoo Mail, fix due in ‘coming weeks’ originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Heard of APX Alarm Security Solution? Probably not. But that’s ok, it’s par for the course when discussing home automation, a market segment mostly ignored by the big boys of consumer electronics. Today APX is making a grand entrance into home automation thanks to a $443 million investment by Goldman Sachs. The company’s new lineup of Z-Wave-based automatic door locks, video surveillance, lighting and small appliance controls will be sold under the new Vivint identity. Better yet, the new Z-Wave modules are designed to work with the APX Go!control alarm panels already purchased by some 170,000 customers, according to APX. Look for products to be generally available on March 1st. Continue reading APX Alarm becomes Vivint as it expands into Z-Wave home automation APX Alarm becomes Vivint as it expands into Z-Wave home automation originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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“iOS Cellular Protocol SW Engineer-SH/BJ” doesn’t have the sex appeal of “chief designer” or anything, but someone is being sought for that very position, to work under the Haus of Apple . And what does the job entail? Among other duties, “Implementation, Integration, customization, enhancement and maintenance of L1-3 Protocols for one or more of the following air interface: GSM/UMTS, CDMA (1x/EVDO), LTE etc .” You read that right, LTE. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such the technology listed (hello there, since-removed ” Cellular Technology Software Manager ” job posting), but at the same time, it’s not surprising that Apple’s looking to the future. Just don’t get your hopes up for an LTE iPhone or iPad in the near future. Apple job posting calls for another LTE expert originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 22:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve had a feeling that LG was going to tackle 3D smartphones heads-on sometime in February , and after a spat of rumors today purported to be showing off the Optimus 3D (pictured above, via Phandroid ), the company’s flat-out confirmed its Mobile World Congress debut. The Optimus 3D sports a dual-lens 3D camera, a glasses-free LCD display, and HDMI / DLNA for sharing on whatever 3D sets you have. A live demo will be at Barcelona, but whether that means we’ll get to hold it in our own hands. Other specs? We’ll have to wait and find out. Press release after the break. Continue reading LG confirms Optimus 3D for MWC 2011: glasses-free screen and 3D camera LG confirms Optimus 3D for MWC 2011: glasses-free screen and 3D camera originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Clover SunBook offers ‘first sunlight ready netbook,’ questionable graphic design
February 1, 2011 No Comment
When we first made contact with Clover System’s SunBook , it was but a glimmer in Pixel Qi’s transflective eye, but today, the little guy is ready to step out on its own. Like Notion Ink’s Adam , the “the first sunlight-ready netbook ” packs dual lighting displays, allowing you to shut off LCD backlights while under direct sunlight and cut your power consumption in half. You can also leave both functions on for easy indoor-outdoor transitions. It’s sporting a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 10.1-inch display, 1024 x 600 screen resolution, USB 3.0 as well as WiFi and Ethernet capabilities. So basically, it’s a perfectly acceptable netbook (on paper, at least) and it’s packing a promising display, but we have to admit Clover’s marketing for SunBook leaves something to be desired. In fact, if we hadn’t seen this thing at CES we’d advise you to proceed with caution. Being that it’s got the Pixel Qi seal of approval, however, we’ll leave the decision up to you. You can purchase the sunlight-ready netbook for $795 via Clover’s website, handily linked below in the source. Clover SunBook offers ‘first sunlight ready netbook,’ questionable graphic design originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Let’s be honest, the original Dell Streak had a bit of an identity crisis. The 5-inch device wasn’t sure if it belonged in the tablet or smartphone world, and ultimately it was targeted at a pretty niche user. But its larger brother, the Streak 7 , is more self-aware. It’s a honest-to-goodness tablet meant for doing all those tablet-y things — surfing the web, reading e-books, watching video and more. Sure, the Streak 7 may just look like an enlarged version of the 5-inch version, but they differ in more than just screen size: the 7 packs a powerful 1GHz dual-core Tegra T20 processor, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, 5 megapixel lens on the rear, T-Mobile “4G” HSPA+ connectivity, and 16GB of internal memory. The tablet runs Android 2.2 with Dell’s Stage UI for now, but Dell promises an upgrade to Honeycomb once it’s ready. It sounds like one of the more well-rounded 7-inch tablets on the market right now and at just $200 on contract at T-Mobile (it’s $450 without), it’s actually quite well priced. However, there are quite a few things that are going to keep 7-inch tablet seekers from forking over the cash. What are those? We’ll tell all in our full review — read on for more! Gallery: Dell Streak 7 review Continue reading Dell Streak 7 review Dell Streak 7 review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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