Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 11:15 pm by Engadget
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Sony Ericsson is looking to start a bromance with the McTwist-loving, Double-Cork-landing, A-Frame-riding masses jonesing for a new Android device. The handset maker has announced a "global strategic alliance" with Billabong to launch the Xperia Active Billabong Edition smartphone in select markets. The handset will come preloaded with exclusive content, including Billabong screen savers, and bundle several Billabong-branded games and applications. As the two companies tell it, the Xperia ABE is the "ideal smartphone for extreme sports enthusiasts." Accordingly, Sony Ericsson hardware is about to start making appearances at various "major" Billabong events. Unfortunately, this next bit is really going to harsh your mello: the hardware is identical to that of the Xperia Active announced back in June, complete with a single-core 1GHz processor, Gingerbread, a 3-inch Reality display and a five-megapixel shooter. Even with its no-so-extreme spec sheet, we give SE a gnar-lay for effort.Continue reading Sony Ericsson hangs ten, launches Xperia Active Billabong Edition
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:33 pm by Engadget
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Ok, so chances are you probably haven't thought about Dashwire much in the last couple of years. Last time we covered the service was back in the halycon days of Windows Mobile 6.0, early on in the modern smartphone revolution. In case you need a bit of a refresher, Dashwire was a cloud service that delivered many of the ammenities we now take for granted in mobile device -- visual voicemail, threaded SMS, automatic sycing of photos, and status updates. Earlier this year, HTC snatched up the company which last made news with the free, and appropriately-named, Awesome Drop for Android (which seems to be dying a quiet death in the market). Well, the actual Dashwire service has been languishing for sometime now, but the company has decided to finally discontinue it completely and, on February 15th, will be shutting down its servers and deleting all user content. So, if you've got anything still sitting up in its aging cloud, now is the time to reclaim it.
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:00 pm by Engadget
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The work of a non-profit advocacy group is never done. It seems like just yesterday that the Electronic Frontier Foundation was waging a battle to put jailbreaking rights into the hands of consumers, much to the chagrin of manufacturers intent on maintaining control over their devices after they leave store shelves. With the looming expiration of an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that has made such hacks legal, the organization is once again taking up the cause. And this time, it's added tablets and gaming consoles to its proposal. We sat down with EFF staff attorney Mitch Stoltz to discuss the state of the law and how users can help in the fight. Continue reading The Engadget Interview: the EFF's Mitch Stoltz talks the legality of jailbreaking
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:38 pm by Engadget
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Considering that Hugo was a flick capable of earning 4 out of 4 stars from noted 3D hater Roger Ebert, it will be interesting to see how it's received upon its home release February 28th. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards and currently rocking a 94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the fantasy tale of a boy who crosses paths with legendary filmmaker Georges Méliès in 1930s Paris may be the best example yet of how an artist can make use of the effect. The two hour six minute flick will be available in Blu-ray 3D combo pack, and 2D Blu-ray editions, with a 7.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack and special featurettes on the making of the film and the real magician/director who inspired the story.
The release date is two days after the Academy Awards, and if this flick can snag Best Picture or Best Director it could become a turning point for 3D. New 3D movies are already on deck from other high-profile directors like Ridley Scott (Alien prequel Prometheus) and Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby), while big budget conversions like Star Wars -- coming to theaters next week -- and already-sold-out-for-Valentines Day Titanic test the waters for older movies. Add in sports broadcasts planned including UFC 143 tonight and the London Olympics in the summer, and 2012 is shaping up to be an especially rough year for 3D haters -- you have our deepest sympathies. Those on the other side of the fence can check after the break for a press release with more details and (2D) theatrical trailer, it's currently available on Amazon for preorders at $27.99, 2D only is $21.99.Continue reading Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' Blu-ray 3D set for release February 28th -- 3D haters beware
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:28 pm by Engadget
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The BlackBerry PlayBook blues got you down? Fujitsu thinks you should consider riding the Android train to work. The company today announced the awkwardly named Stylistic M350/CA2 Android tablet, a seven-inch enterprise-focused slate aimed at folks looking for a sales terminal, catalog displayer or e-reader. The Stylistic has a WSVGA display and a battery that should give you around six hours on a charge. You can pick one of these guys up in mid-February, if you're in Japan. An equally exciting press release can be found after the jump.Continue reading Fujitsu announces Stylistic Android tablet for taking care of business, working overtime
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:13 am by Engadget
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Uh-oh. Looks like T-Mobile's Full Monty subscribers in the UK will be getting much less than they'd originally bargained for. T-Mo's British support unit recently confirmed that the carrier has capped speeds on its "all-in" unlimited plan at a rather dismal 1Mb/s -- in other words, this Full Monty act doesn't really go all the way. Perhaps T-Mobile representatives were too caught up in the moment at the launch event and merely forgot to reveal this little tidbit? Our Magic 8-Ball says, "Don't count on it." You'll find the confirmation tweet immortalized after the break.
Update: While it's immortalized below, the tweet's now been nixed and T-Mobile has added a fresh one, stating that it won't be capping mobile traffic speeds on the Full Monty Plan. Data addicts, breathe a sigh of relief.Continue reading T-Mobile confirms Full Monty subscribers are capped at 1Mb/s, risqué plan becomes tame (updated: no speed caps)
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:52 am by Engadget
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The Google TV update that rolled out to Sony units earlier this week (no word on the Revue, yet) brought tweaks to Chrome and support for Blu-ray 3D playback on the player, but that's not all. The bump to Android 3.2 also improved hooks for developers to access channel listings in their apps, enabled hardware acceleration and last but not least, improved support for HTTP Live Streaming. That last detail is particularly important to those streaming video from their PCs using Plex, since additional HLS tweaks were necessary to allow viewing of files transcoded from otherwise-Google TV unfriendly formats. Also supported as in the Plex update is selection of alternate audio streams, subtitles, more channels and a few other fixes. Check out a Google+ post from Les Vogel of the Google TV team for all the Honeycomb 3.2 (API Level 13) details you can stomach, the Plex blog for more info on its software, or just make sure you're running the latest updates and take a look around yourself.
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:37 am by Engadget
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 All of these wrist-mounted fitness gizmos are pretty nifty, but we always wonder how they get those rigid circuit boards into such an unsuitable form-factor. Well, thanks to those scalpel-happy boffins at the FCC's underground bunker, wonder no more. Nike's FuelBand was wheeled in on a trolley and torn (quite literally) to pieces, and we felt we just had to share the pictures with you. A long peruse of the user manual revealed that the two metal extender links (for bigger-wristed enthusiasts) have to be swapped out using a sizing tool -- but the manual notes that if one isn't to hand, a bent paperclip will suffice. The documents also revealed that it's using a TI CC2564 Bluetooth radio and a stack provided by Stonestreet One. The monopole antenna is etched directly into the substrate of the flexible circuit board -- ensuring it'll bend around your bones and still operate. We also learned that once connected to your cellphone, it'll sit in a low-power "sniff mode," for two minutes and if there's no further activity it'll shut down. Of course, what's interesting to you (and us, honestly) is all the pictures in the second gallery, so get looking! |
Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 2:44 am by Engadget
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Kicking up a fuss about Netflix hogging all your bandwidth? Perhaps the company's latest partnership could induce a rapid change of heart. The streaming service has paired up with eyeIO in hopes of keeping bandwidth usage during streams to a minimum, which they claim won't affect the content's overall quality. While the joint venture just became official, the startup's "ultra-low-bandwidth" encoding technology -- that allegedly can reduce usage on a 720p HD stream by more than 50 percent -- began its testing phase on the streaming-giant's offerings months ago. Although eyeIO's service has already been implemented by Netflix, it's worth mentioning this isn't an exclusive deal, thus it's possible for its competition to jump on the bandwidth conservation bandwagon in the future. More importantly, we're interested to find out if you have noticed any difference in your streams lately, so drop us a line in the comments below. Continue reading Netflix teams with eyeIO to lower bandwidth use on movie night
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:52 am by Engadget
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Usually, when passwords and personal information are exposed, it's because someone hacked a company's not-so-secure system. Motorola, however, managed to put people's info at risk without such malfeasance when it failed to wipe the memory of a batch of refurbished Xooms. The tablets in question were sold by Woot.com between October and December of last year, and Moto is claiming that it made the mistake on only small number of slates. Of course, we don't know exactly how many Xooms were shipped with previous owners' data onboard, but we do know that the company is actively attempting to make amends. Moto's offering two years of Experian identification protection services to those whose info was exposed and owners of affected Xooms are getting a little something too. Just send the device back to Motorola on the company's dime -- where it'll be properly reset and sent back to you, along with a $100 American Express gift card for your efforts. Wondering if you're among the unlucky? Hit the PR after the break for more info, and those with Wooted Xooms can plug in their slate's serial number at the source link below to find out for sure.
[Thanks, Scott]Continue reading Oops! Motorola sold refurbished Xooms without deleting previous owners' data
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 1:00 am by Shacknews
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Bluehole Studio's upcoming action-based MMO TERA is gearing up for its May 1 launch, and publisher En Masse Entertainment has revealed that those who pre-order the game will be granted access to its closed-beta testing period and "Head Start" early-access program. Details about the bonus items included in the game's "Collector's" and "Limited Collector's" editions were also shared.
The Collector's Edition of TERA--which will be available in both digital and physical flavors and retail for $59.99--will come with pre-order goodies, including "the Regal Frostlion Mount for in-game mounted travel, and two equippable items: the level 15 Velik's Bloodstone Necklace and the level 40 Shakan's Bloodstone Necklace." There will also be a Limited Edition Collector's Edition (retail box only) for $79.99, which will also include "collectable items such as a Letter of Marque, a canvas world map, a field guide, a Valkyon Federation-issued compass, and a game soundtrack." As mentioned, pre-ordering folks will also get access to TERA's closed-beta period, which takes place during various intervals from February through April. Additionally, those who pre-order will also get early-launch access the weekend before the official release, via a "Head Start" program. The schedule is as follows: - Closed Beta Test 1: February 10 â" 12
- Closed Beta Test 2: February 24 â" 26
- Closed Beta Test 3: March 9 â" 11
- Closed Beta Test 4: March 23 â" 25
- Closed Beta Test 5: April 6 â" 8
- Open Beta Test: April 19 â" 22
- Head Start: April 28 â" May 1
The Open Beta Test noted above will be open to the general public. If you're interested in pre-ordering TERA, you can do so from the official En Masse Entertainment website.
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:18 am by Engadget
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HP's Enyo framework is an essential ingredient for allowing new apps to work on webOS devices with different resolutions, but due to some sort of ethnocentric hiccup, v1.0 hasn't officially reached all international webOS phones and tablets. Fortunately, WebOS Internals has prepared a nice little Preware install package that anyone, anywhere can enjoy. At this point, adding Enyo will only provide access to a few extra apps, but at least the world will be reunited in its preparedness for a glistening future, right?
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Posted Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:15 am by Shacknews
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Nintendo 3DS owners get free wi-fi access at more than 29,000 "Nintendo Zone" locations. While you'll probably want to spend your time playing games online, Nintendo Zone will be enhanced with a number of new features. Starting next week, Nintendo Zone will offer much more content for 3DS owners to take advantage of. For example, there will be a dedicated Pokemon section that will feature full-length episodes of the Pokemon TV series. That should go perfectly with the smoothie you're drinking from McDonald's or Starbucks--both "Nintendo Zone" partners.
In addition to video content, the Nintendo Zone will offer playable demos of "select Nintendo 3DS video games," trivia games, and coupons that can be used at another Nintendo Zone partner, Best Buy. For example, if you go to Best Buy this weekend, you can get 50% off select 3DS games. "Nintendo 3DS is our most connected system ever, and Nintendo Zone offers a wealth of exclusive content to users who take their systems with them when they are away from home." To find a Nintendo Zone hotspot, visit Nintendo's website. To access the Nintendo Zone, just bring your 3DS system. An icon to access the service should automatically appear on your system.
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Posted Fri Feb 03, 2012 11:44 pm by Engadget
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 You know the saying, second place is the first loser? Well, it looks like AT&T, which recently saw its attempt to absorb T-Mobile thwarted, is living up to that adage by petitioning the FCC to impose an "overly aggressive buildout" of Dish's planned mobile network. In a recent filing to the Commission, the satco countered this request for "LightSquared-like" requirements, defining its operation as a strictly retail endeavor, one that faces entirely different hurdles than that of its wholesale competitor. If granted, however, these conditions could see the fledgling network rushed to the marketplace before the completion of an LTE-Advanced standard and widespread availability of compatible devices -- both key elements of the MVPD's service strategy. The company also goes on to contest interference issues surrounding its 700MHz holdings, stating that it has no current plans to repurpose the spectrum for mobile broadband use, despite AT&T's claims to that effect. We'll keep you posted as this wireless battle plays out. In the meantime, hit up the source below to peruse the dense legalese.
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