We just finished up a meeting with the folks from Snapstick and came away surprisingly impressed with their foray into the increasingly cramped space of the connected living room. Snapstick’s concept isn’t that different from other mobile phone to TV systems we’ve seen, but it’s implementation is definitely more unique than most other solutions currently available. Read on past the break for a quick rundown of the tech that makes the Snapstick system work, as well as a video of the system in action. Gallery: Snapstick preview at CES 2011 Continue reading Snapstick preview and hands-on Filed under: Home Entertainment , Media PCs Snapstick preview and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So, here’s an interesting tale. That render that Ocosmos teased us with at the front-end of this week? The version with the slide-out QWERTY keyboard has been nixed, so those hoping and praying for a release date on that one can keep right on dreaming. But the other units are mighty real, and the company swears up and down it’s on track to ship ‘em both, despite not having a functioning unit here at CES. The OCS1U will be based on Intel’s Oak Trail platform (1.5GHz), and if all goes well, it’ll ship in the first half of this year. The device be based around Windows 7, and will be “priced competitively” compared to the iPad — so, in other words, around $500 or so. Other specifications will include 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS, a 5-inch capacitive touch panel (1024 x 600), a 32GB / 64GB SSD, microSD card slot, HDMI / USB ports, an inbuilt accelerometer and front (1.3 megapixel) / rear (3 megapixel) cameras. Furthermore, both of the joystick pads — which flank the screen on the left and right — will be totally customizable, so they can do one thing while in a game and another while handling Office duties. The OCS1E is a screen-only affair, with the same internal configuration. In order to add joysticks to this one, you’ll need either a magnetic dock or a folio case, both of which have Bluetooth joystick pads embedded. This guy’s expected to ship at the end of this year or in early 2012, but it’s obviously too early to estimate pricing. Take a closer look in the gallery below and the video just past the break. Gallery: Ocosmos showcases next-gen OCS1 Windows 7 handhelds at CES 2011 Continue reading Ocosmos showcases next-gen OCS1 Windows 7 handhelds at CES 2011 (video) Ocosmos showcases next-gen OCS1 Windows 7 handhelds at CES 2011 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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CES isn’t even over yet, but Samsung’s already looking forward to its next big event: Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. That show gets started on February 14th, but Sammy plans to get things going early with an announcement of dual-core smartphones and new tablets on February 13th. Such is the word straight from the company’s mobile biz president, JK Shin , who says Samsung is ” in a position to supply 4G smartphones and tablets to all the carriers in the US.” Naturally, this 4G strategy will include both LTE and WiMAX, while another major prong of the company’s future roadmap is to curtail its featurephone offering in favor of low-cost smartphone devices. Interesting times certainly lie ahead. Samsung promises dual-core smartphones, new tablets for MWC 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve seen plenty of data to show that Android is the hottest-selling smartphone OS among US buyers today , but now we have a stat point to show that it’s doing pretty well in cumulative terms as well. According to ComScore’s latest estimates, Android had 26 percent of all US smartphone subscribers in the quarter ending November 2010, bettering Apple’s iPhone for the first time. The major victim of Android’s ascendancy has actually been RIM’s BlackBerry, whose lead at the top contracted by 4.1 percentage points (nearly 11 percent less than the share it had in the previous quarter). Guess those Verizon iPhones and dual-core BBs had better start arriving pretty soon. ComScore: Android jumps ahead of iOS in total US smartphone subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve certainly seen our fair share of 4G devices in the Las Vegas sun (well, convention center) this year, but as you might have guessed, a recent study finds that increased awareness does not necessarily equal increased understanding. As the Nielsen Company recently discovered, the majority (54 percent) of consumers who know or care about 4G were relying on the old International Telecommunications Union definition of mobile data speeds over 100 Mb/s, even though carriers have sort of been making up their own rules (for instance, T-Mobile and AT&T are calling their HSPA+ networks 4G). And what to make of the large percentage of people who think that 4G somehow refers to the iPhone 4? That one’s a perpetual head-scratcher. But in the end, the study finds that none of that really matters: almost three in ten consumers are gearing up to buy a 4G device within the next twelve months. And that’s what really matters, right? 4G Shocker! Study finds consumers want what they fail to understand originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Geohot demos homebrew on ‘jailbroken’ PS3, Sony vows to ‘fix’ via software update (video)
January 7, 2011 No Comment
We just saw how you can now add an Install Package Files option to the PS3 using some custom firmware, but that darn hacker George ” Geohot ” Hotz has taken it a step further by demonstrating homebrew in a quick, Mr. Blurrycam-approved video. It’s a barebones app that only says “sup dawg, it’s geohot,” but in reality it’s a pretty huge step. Geohot’s provided the file on his website along with a copy of the METLDR root key that enables the homebrew. Sony, meanwhile, has issued a statement saying it’ll “fix the issues through network updates, but because this is a security issue, we are not able to provide you with any more details.” This runs counter to what pytey from fail0verflow (the famed group that kickstarted this new round of hacking) just told the BBC, “the only way to fix this is to issue new hardware… Sony will have to accept this.” Hey, at least you’ll be in good company , eh Sony? Check out geohot’s proof of concept video after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Geohot demos homebrew on ‘jailbroken’ PS3, Sony vows to ‘fix’ via software update (video) Geohot demos homebrew on ‘jailbroken’ PS3, Sony vows to ‘fix’ via software update (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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You may recall ThinkGeek’s pretty convincing April Fools’ prank last year: the iCade cabinet for the iPad . Now, thanks to the keen beans at Ion, the two companies held hands and turned this totally rad concept into reality (although they’re definitely not the first ). Come late spring, retro gaming enthusiasts will be able to pick up one of these well-built Bluetooth joystick kits for $99 direct from Ion, and eventually they’ll make it across the pond for about €99 and
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Launched back in October, Sprint ID is the carrier’s service for deeply skinning your Android device with a curated selection of wallpapers, ringtones, and apps — think of it as phone customization for people who don’t have the time (or patience) to find and install stuff they like. Currently available on three models — the LG Optimus S , Sanyo Zio , and Samsung Transform — we’d heard that the service would eventually be spreading to other phones and also to the Galaxy Tab , leading to the obvious question: how do the ID packs scale to the larger form factor and higher screen resolution? Well, the short answer is that they don’t — at least, not yet. At a Sprint event last evening we had a chance to play with a Tab that had received the Sprint ID firmware update early, and existing packs designed for phones that we tried produced a variety of results ranging from force close messages to weird-looking home screens. That’s not to say that the packs can’t be designed to support the Tab, of course — the one for Sprint employees that was pre-installed and designed specifically to take advantage of the extra screen real estate looks great — but the packs out there now don’t seem to play nice. This might explain why the update hasn’t been released yet, because Sprint either needs to make sure every pack works with every ID-enabled product or set up the pack store to block Tab owners from downloading incompatible packs. Check out the gallery! Gallery: Sprint ID for Samsung Galaxy Tab hands-on Sprint ID for Samsung Galaxy Tab hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Apple’s just announced that its freshly baked Mac App Store’s already hit the one million download mark on its launch day, with more than 1,000 titles — including both free and paid apps — up for grabs. Can’t say we’re surprised, really, especially with popular apps like Angry Birds, Flight Control, and Twitter presumably taking a good chunk out of the bandwidth. In case you’re still wondering what the deal is, feel free to take a look at our Mac App Store hands-on . Continue reading Mac App Store hits one million downloads on day one Mac App Store hits one million downloads on day one originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Jan 2011 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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A new version of Skype for Windows just launched with a few notable features. To start with, stability has been improved as has quality. Unfortunately, the group video calling feature is no longer free now that the version 5.1 software is out of beta. A day pass costs $4.99 / €3.49 /
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