The Mini Connected app finally hit the App Store back in December , enabling those with suitably equipped little German/British autos to connect their iPhones and iPods and do what nature intended. Well, everything nature intended except for streaming Pandora . Now that solemn right is a possibility too, with the latest version of Pandora available in iTunes. Update that, plug your iPhone into your Mini, and you can get your stream on, just like we did at CES . However, if you’re more of a domestics guy or gal you don’t have to feel left out, because this new version supports Ford’s SYNC AppLink as well. And, yes, we had some quality hands-on time with that , too. Pandora for Mini Connected and SYNC AppLink now available for iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti: second-generation Fermi for the $250 mainstream
January 25, 2011 No Comment
Ah, NVIDIA, how far you’ve come. This time last year we were all wondering if your first Fermi GPUs would operate successfully without a nuclear reactor in our backyards, yet today you’re introducing a successor to one of the best value-for-money GPUs the PC gaming world has seen in ages. Yes, the GTX 560 Ti has mighty big shoes to fill, but it’s off to a good start with 384 CUDA cores running at 1645MHz, 1GB of GDDR5 RAM running at an effective rate of 4GHz, and an 822MHz graphics clock — each one a clear and pronounced upgrade over its GTX 460 predecessor. You’ll have to check out the reviews below for a detailed breakdown of what those numbers will mean on a game-by-game basis, but there’s another way in which this new card is proving its impact already. ATI AMD has (conveniently) chosen to cut the prices of its Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6950 cards today, while also outing an HD 6950 with just 1GB of onboard memory to serve as a direct competitor to NVIDIA’s latest. Competition, ladies and gentlemen, it’s an awesome thing. Read – HardOCP Read – PC Perspective Read – techPowerUp! Read – AnandTech Read – Bit-tech Read – TechSpot Read – TweakTown Read – Hot Hardware NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti: second-generation Fermi for the $250 mainstream originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Tennessee’s Webb School makes iPads mandatory, still looks down on note-passing
January 25, 2011 No Comment
We’ve seen the Kindle DX fail as a textbook alternative, but the iPad marches ever onward as a pioneer of wireless education. Or so it seems, anyway. This time the tablet has set its sights on a private school in Knoxville, TN, where all students from fourth to 12th grade will be required to carry iPads starting this August. Webb School students can either provide their own slate or lease a WiFi-only model for $20 a month. Just like administrators at Seton Hill University , the folks at Webb School see the iPad as an eventual replacement for traditional textbooks, as well as a tool for interactive learning. We’ve voiced our skepticism about the in-school iPad trend before , and while we still wonder just how effective the devices might be in the classroom, we’re interested to see how this thing turns out. You know, we love the Oregon Trail and everything, but don’t today’s students deserve to see more than pixelated trailblazers dying of digital diphtheria? [Thanks, Jordan] Tennessee’s Webb School makes iPads mandatory, still looks down on note-passing originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia’s leaked MeeGo device resembles dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500 reference platform
January 25, 2011 No Comment
Yesterday’s leaked image of a purported Nokia tablet device seems to have been more informative than we initially believed it to be. An eagle-eyed forum member over on mobile-review has spotted the similarity between it and a reference platform for ST-Ericsson’s U8500 system-on-chip. Last we heard, that little powerhouse was running a pair of 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 cores , so excuse us if we find the prospect of it driving Nokia’s next flagship a rather exciting one. You can see video of the reference device in question after the break — it ends on the delicious and unequivocal assertion from the ST-Ericsson rep that Nokia has signed up to deliver the U8500 in an upcoming device. Bear in mind, however, that the video is from November of last year and we still don’t know for sure that the Nokia slate above is its MeeGo progenitor or just a prototype. Either way, the U8500 is expected in smartphones at some point in the first half of this year, which kind of fits Nokia’s roadmap, no? [Image credit: Cor72z ] Continue reading Nokia’s leaked MeeGo device resembles dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500 reference platform Nokia’s leaked MeeGo device resembles dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500 reference platform originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Verizon ‘s quarterly report is in, and profits are nearly twice what they were this time last year: $4.65 billion compared to $2.37 billion a year ago. Additionally, VZW added 872,000 customers, a fair bit more than the 646,000 it was expected to gain. Great news, right? Not if you’re a Wall Street analyst, who wanted to see earnings per share of 55 cents. The actual figure was 54 cents, and so down Verizon’s shares go, a 1.3 percent drop so far. Nothing particularly shocking there, but this is the last quarterly report the company will have before VZW adds the iPhone to its stable, so we’ll be very curious to see what these numbers look like three months from now. Verizon profits nearly double, but miss Wall Street expectations originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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When it comes to ColorWare , the surprise is never the choice of colors, it’s the price you’ll pay for exclusivity on a lime-green and suicide-orange paint job. This time its the already overpriced $300 Dyson Air Multiplier getting the $450 ColorWare treatment. For that absurd price you’ll be treated to a brand new “bladeless fan” personalized with the airfoil, base, and control colors of your choosing from a healthy palette of gloss and sofTouch finishes. Of course, there’s always the $150 option to send in your existing product for ColorWarezation, assuming you can go three weeks without habitually demonstrating the concepts of inducement and entrainment to baffled pets and family. ColorWare hits a lurid low with Dyson Air Multiplier originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …SSTL using Android handsets to control satellites, conquer the final frontier
January 25, 2011 No Comment
First, the Mavericks Civilian Space Foundation tested a Nexus One’s ability to deal with the stress of a rocket launch . Then, Google floated seven Nexi to the edge of space to see if the phones could cope with the void. Now, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is looking to launch a satellite into orbit and use a ‘droid — much smaller than the Astromech variety — to control said satellite. SSTL, who is helping build Galileo (and is acutely aware of its cost , no doubt), views smartphones as a way to democratize access to space because they are far less expensive than purpose-built control systems. The company hasn’t said which handset will be used in the satellite, but they chose Android because it allows engineers to easily modify the phone to do their bidding — from controlling pulse plasma thrusters to handling the advanced guidance and navigation systems of the foot long satellite. Additionally, the open source OS means that they “could get people to develop apps” for the satellite. We’ve seen plenty of Android apps , but we’re really hoping this venture is successful so we get to see apps… in space . [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] SSTL using Android handsets to control satellites, conquer the final frontier originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sigh . We don’t know whether to congratulate the enterprising spirit of this venture or to bemoan the sad state of a world where a 60-something-year old lady feels compelled to turn into an iPhone smuggler. Either way, Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport has given us a pretty good reason for the use of full body scanners , which revealed the woman in question was strapped with 44 iPhone 4s all around her body. Dressed in traditional Georgian attire, the lady had some struggles walking around, which raised suspicion and got the officials to run her through the machines. Guess this gives us a whole new definition to the phrase “stocking stuffer,” eh? [Original image credit: buystoreshelving.com ] Woman tries, fails to smuggle 44 iPhones into Israel originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 06:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Comodo console brings internet to Israeli autos, dares you to keep your eyes on the road
January 25, 2011 No Comment
Considering how far we’ve come with in-flight connectivity, internet for the automobile hasn’t gained an awful lot of traction. With the introduction of the 3G-connected Comodo console, Israeli start-up Iway Mobile and cellphone provider Cellcom are hoping to change that. The Comodo — for all intents and purposes — looks like an iPhone on a stick, and sports a 4.3-inch touchscreen, rear camera for easy reversing, GPS antenna and a cellular modem for consistent connections. Predictably, there’s also 3D navigation, an MP3 player, and functionality in 30 different languages. Drivers can access 80 total apps and receive, but not send e-mail — video functions are accessible only when the car is stationary. Comodo’s website features the device mysteriously shrouded in black satin, and provides no evidence of a spec sheet. According to Cellcom, the console costs 109 shekels (or $23.50) a month for 36 months and hits Israel in February. No word on when Comodo will make its US debut, but honestly, we’d be content to just strap our smart phone in and go to town. Comodo console brings internet to Israeli autos, dares you to keep your eyes on the road originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 05:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Staying true to its Galaxy S forefather , the Nexus S has shown up with a new white shell, which, just as with the Galaxy S, only extends to its rear portions, leaving the front end a familiar shade of noir. Just what’s keeping manufacturers from blanching their phones’ visage, we don’t know, but at least it’s looking like there’ll be some variation in the Nexus S’ palette. We did notice a ” Silver Black ” Nexus S sprouting up in European retailers’ listings a couple of weeks ago, which this could well be — it all depends on how loosely these companies define the word “silver.” There’s no knowledge on when or where this chromatically altered S will be on sale, but you’ll know more as soon as we do. Nexus S emerges in white attire, but it only covers its rear originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 05:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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