Dell: ‘Venue Pros are being reworked in the factories,’ ship schedule unclear
December 14, 2010 No Comment
The Venue Pro delay situation certainly isn’t getting any clearer with Dell’s latest update on its support forums, but we know this much for sure: the new kid on the smartphone block still has a few things to learn about shipping handsets. A post from a Dell moderator says the company is working directly with Microsoft to draft a battle plan and that current Venue Pro owners (those that got their devices early on from Microsoft stores, that is) “might require another hardware swap” to get their issues solved. The rep says that she’s hearing that some orders could still potentially ship this week, but she doesn’t know which ones, and that affected customers are welcome to cancel their orders if they wish. So yeah, kind of a good news / bad news situation there. We’re still clinging to hope that we’ll see these things on the streets before the end of 2010, but it certainly seems like an iffy proposition at this point. [Thanks, @steveymacjr ] Update: Dell’s posted a new blog entry on the matter, too, though it’s not much help — basically, you could get your phone before January 6th, but it’s anyone’s guess. They’re promising to keep people abreast of the situation as it develops. Dell: ‘Venue Pros are being reworked in the factories,’ ship schedule unclear originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Best Buy sees big drop in TV sales, eases pain with beefy mobile revenue
December 14, 2010 No Comment
Best Buy’s stock took a 14.8 percent beating today on news that it earned $217 million in the third quarter — a 4.4 percent decline year over year — and felt compelled to revise its fourth quarter forecast downwards. The reason? Seems folks are holding off on buying televisions in a big way: the company suffered a “low-double digit’ decline in boob tube sales, even worse than an industry average in the single digits, which would suggest that 2010′s 3D revolution hasn’t attracted the kind of consumer attention manufacturers (and content providers) would’ve liked. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that double digit increases in phone sales — combined with a single digit boost in tablets and related mobile devices (read: iPads ) — helped to offset the TV decline. Of course, we’re sure people will need new LCDs and plasmas eventually… but maybe it’s going to have to wait for 4K . Best Buy sees big drop in TV sales, eases pain with beefy mobile revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Broadcom announces dual-core BCM2157 processor, promises high-end features for cheap Android phones
December 14, 2010 No Comment
As you might have heard , 2011 is shaping up to be a big year for dual-core smartphones , and it looks like you can now officially count Broadcom in on the act. It’s just announced its new dual-core BCM2157 platform that provides both HSDPA modem connectivity and applications processing courtesy of some dual-core, 500MHz ARM11 processors. The platform as a whole is also designed to support features like HVGA multitouch displays, 5-megapixel cameras, and mobile hotspots, among other standard fare — all of which is specifically tailored for Android devices. That obviously doesn’t place the processor at the high-end of the dual-core spectrum, but Broadcom says it will allow companies to “deliver high-end smartphone features on more affordable 3G Android handsets,” and that’s surely a goal we can all get behind. Head on past the break for the complete press release. Continue reading Broadcom announces dual-core BCM2157 processor, promises high-end features for cheap Android phones Broadcom announces dual-core BCM2157 processor, promises high-end features for cheap Android phones originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Inevitable? Perhaps. But there’s still nothing like seeing Linux running on a device for the first time — especially when it involves such a seemingly hacker-friendly device as the Google Cr-48 laptop . As you might expect, however, that required a bit more effort than your usual Ubuntu installation (not to mention a flick of that carefully concealed developer switch), but it isn’t too far out of reach for the average user, and the complete process has thankfully already been explained in a thorough how-to guide. You can also, incidentally, keep Chrome OS around in a dual-boot config so as to not completely break Google’s heart. Head on past the break for a quick video of the end result, and hit up the source link below for all the necessary details to do it yourself — assuming you’re lucky enough to actually have a Cr-48, that is. Continue reading Ubuntu meets Google Cr-48 laptop, keeps Chrome along for the ride Ubuntu meets Google Cr-48 laptop, keeps Chrome along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sixth Circuit rules that the government needs a warrant to search your email
December 14, 2010 No Comment
Score another baby step for digital democracy: the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the government must have a search warrant before it can obtain email from your provider. Specifically, the court held in U.S. v Warshak that “it would defy common sense to afford emails lesser Fourth Amendment protection” than traditional communications like phone calls and postal mail. Yes, you’d think that would be obvious, but the specific question had never actually been raised at the appellate level before, so the decision is critically important — it’s likely that other courts will take their cue from the Sixth Circuit when faced with similar issues. As the EFF points out, however, there are several legal exceptions to the warrant requirement in the Stored Communication Act that the organization is still fighting to have amended, but hey — we’ll take every little bit of progress we can. Sixth Circuit rules that the government needs a warrant to search your email originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Frankly speaking, the vast majority of knockoff gear is a giant leap backwards from the real-deal. This, friends, is one of those fringe cases where the opposite is true. The 3-in-1 iPad camera connection kit (available in black or white) is a single dock connecting apparatus with a trifecta of ports: USB, SD and microSD. In order of mention, you can offload photos from your camera onto your iPad via a direct USB connection, offload photos from your SD card and offload photos from your microSD card. It’s all pretty self explanatory, and and at just $29.90, there’s hardly a reason to even consider the official version . Hit the links below to get your order in, but don’t expect it to ship until early next year. Knockoff 3-in-1 iPad camera connection kit improves Apple’s own design originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Android boss Andy Rubin almost always makes for an entertaining interview, and his appearance at AllThingsD ‘s D: Dive Into Mobile conference in San Francisco last week was certainly no exception. The introduction of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and the Nexus S were the official news items of the day, but Rubin took the opportunity to showcase the next version of the platform — Honeycomb — running on a prototype Motorola tablet that no one had seen before. He also runs through a breakdown of Android’s business model (hint: it’s profitable), muses about video calling, and gives us a look at that crazy new 3D-capable Google Maps app. Follow the break for the footage. Continue reading Andy Rubin’s full D: Dive Into Mobile interview video posted Andy Rubin’s full D: Dive Into Mobile interview video posted originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Voyager 1 will exit solar system soon, is so close to the void it can taste it
December 14, 2010 No Comment
Endurance: it’s important in every race, including the space race, even though many pundits would argue that it kind of fizzled a long time ago. Thirty-three years prior to now, NASA ‘s Voyager 1 began its journey to check in on the outer planets. It accomplished that goal in 1989, and has since moved on to bigger and better things — you know, like leaving the solar system . Ten billion miles away, Voyager 1′s Low-Energy Charged Particle Instrument is spitting out “solid zeroes,” which means it’s not detecting any more outward movement from solar winds. The heliopause (read: the official edge of the solar system) is just a few short years away for the radioactive-powered spacecraft, which is frightening to think about regardless of your experience in Space Camp. What will happen once it enters interstellar space? We’re not sure, but we’re trying to set up radio comms with its earth-bound synthesizer progeny for some kind of freaky space jam. We’ll keep you posted. [Image courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech] Voyager 1 will exit solar system soon, is so close to the void it can taste it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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So, how exactly does a voice app work on devices without any cellular ties? Glad you asked! Google has just updated the iOS Google Voice app to include support for the iPod touch and iPad, but neither of them can make cellular calls directly. Instead, you can use the app to initiate GVoice calls with a nearby phone. The process is known as Click2Call — users simply click any ‘Call’ button within the app and then choose which of their phones they want to ring. It’s probably more time consuming than just grabbing your phone from the start, but hey, there it is. In other news, the app now disables text forwarding when you enable Push Notifications (to avoid double alerts), and there’s a new Do Not Disturb option in the Settings tab for those who’d prefer to disconnect. Hit the iTunes link below to get your download on, and let us know how things shake out in comments. Google Voice app now supports iPad and iPod touch, brings Click2Call originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …British government confirms nine EVs eligible for £5,000 rebates, but there’s really only six
December 14, 2010 No Comment
Buy an electric vehicle in the US, like the Nissan Leaf , and you can expect to get a nice boost to your tax refund: a $7,500 federal subsidy. Now the UK is getting in on the cash back game, with a programme program starting on January 1st to offer a 25 percent discount on EVs purchased — up to a maximum of
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