Engadget

We're still playing the wait-and-see game when it comes to Skype on webOS and Windows Phone 7, but it looks as if to-be iPhone 4 owners won't have to wait long before Skype-based video chatting becomes a reality... if Skype has its way, that is. According to someone on the inside quoted over at Pocket-Lint, Skype "would welcome the opportunity to work with Apple," specifically in reference to integrating FaceTime capabilities into the firm's own app. The mystery man also affirmed that Skype would "welcome the opportunity to work with Apple to bring mobile video calling not only to our many millions of Skype users on iPhone around the world, but also to the countless more making video calls on desktops, TVs and other connected devices." 'Course, there's no specific time frame given, and only Jobs knows if the two companies have said a word to one another about making this happen. One thing's for sure, though -- enabling FaceTime usage within Skype would suddenly made the iPhone 4's video calling abilities a whole lot more appealing. And by "appealing," we mean "useful."

Skype eager to work with Apple FaceTime, pretty much anyone else originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pulse News Reader -- a news aggregating app for the iPad -- got itself the ultimate stamp of approval yesterday by being featured in Steve Jobs' keynote speech. A few hours later, however, Apple had removed the application from its App Store, following a complaint by the New York Times that it was infringing on its rights. Although Pulse collates publicly available RSS feeds, the fact it costs $4 a pop is being interpreted as a "commercial use" of those feeds, and therefore a violation of the New York Times and Boston Globe's Terms of Use. Its makers have said they'll be getting in touch with Apple and stripping out the offending content, but it's certainly a head scratcher of a decision by the news company. We wonder if this signals the start of a crusade against all paid RSS readers or if Pulse has something peculiarly intolerable about it. Visit the source link to read the complaint in full.

Continue reading iPad Pulse Reader app goes from keynote hero to App Store zero thanks to NYT

iPad Pulse Reader app goes from keynote hero to App Store zero thanks to NYT originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 07:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We've just gotten some face time (ha ha!) with the new iPhone 4, and let's just say this: it's incredibly sexy. We'll hand it to Apple, the phone is so thin it's kind of mind-boggling. The 3GS by comparison looks bloated. Feast your eyes on the pics below, and check out the FaceTime video demo after the break! Oh, and special thanks to hand models Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg.

Some takeaways about the device:

• As we said, it's shockingly thin.
• The screen is truly outrageous -- you basically cannot see pixels on it. We're not being hyperbolic when we say it's easily the best looking mobile phone screen we've ever laid eyes on.
• The build quality is really solid. The home button feels much snappier, and on the whole it just feel like a tightly-packed device, but it's not heavy.
• The side buttons are really nice and clicky.
• iOS 4 is very familiar -- there's not a lot added to fit and finish.

Update: More pics! We've also thrown in a video demo of the iPhone 4 running its FaceTime video chat app. Check it out at the usual location.

Continue reading iPhone 4 first hands-on! (update: FaceTime video demo)

iPhone 4 first hands-on! (update: FaceTime video demo) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The root, the root, the root is on fire! Well, not quite, but you just got another pretty splendiferous reason to hack your EVO: android-wifi-tether, an app doing exactly what its name suggests, has now been confirmed to support HTC's 4G-capable phone. There were apparently some compatibility issues at first, but those have now been ironed out and superuser-empowered folks have been successfully pairing the free app and supersonic phone since. Might as well jump on board with this one -- Google has already said Froyo's native ability to do this might be circumscribed by carriers, meaning Sprint's likely to package any official firmware upgrades in such a way as to keep you paying for hotspot capabilities. And who wants to do that?

HTC EVO 4G gets unlimited WiFi hotspot skills, courtesy of root originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We get the feeling that there will be lots more details on this whole announcement during Hewlett-Packard's forthcoming press event, but for now, all we know is that HP's next generation of web connected printers will have something that no other consumer printer has had before: an email address to call their own. As the need for printing declines with the broadening availability of cloud access, HP is having to rethink its strategy in the business. According to a report over at the New York Times, the answer lies in giving each new connected printer a dedicated email addy, which would enable users to fire off an image snapped on their smartphone and have it waiting for them when they get back home. We're also told that printing from Google Documents and Spreadsheets will be easy enough, and we wouldn't be shocked to see Picasa integration as well. We're guessing that the new devices will have a robust security suite that'll filter who can and can't dictate the print function via email (but then again, HP does enjoy moving ink), and considering that they'll be priced from $99 to $400, just about everyone will be able to buy in. Conveniently missing from the story? Any mention whatsoever of webOS. Bollocks.

HP teams with Google to give connected printers their own email address originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Jun 2010 05:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WWDC's still a few hours away, but we're pretty sure of at least one thing: we're going to see the next iPhone revealed on stage tomorrow. What we don't know, however, is what that magical revolution will be called. We figured we take this one to the people and ask you -- feel free to hit us up with your own suggestions in the comments if we missed something, and don't forget to check out our live coverage of Steve Jobs' WWDC keynote tomorrow.

Poll: What's the next iPhone going to be called? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS EPad: like the EeePad, but with less ecstasy — Well, isn't this typical ASUS. Yet another Eee Pad, or this time an 'EPad' as the placard says, has shown up on the Computex show floor. While the company introduced two Eee Pads at its press conference earlier this week -- the 10-inch EP101TC with NVIDIA Tegra 2 / Windows Embedded Compact 7 and the 12-inch EP121 with Intel / Windows 7 -- this new 10-inch version has popped up running Windows 7 at the Intel booth. We'd be lying if we said we knew what was going on here, but to us it looks like ASUS shot out a working Windows 7 model -- perhaps just to have a functioning device to display on the show floor. There's no telling if it's being powered by Intel's Atom Moorestown platform or a current Menlow Z Series CPU, but the design looks very similar to that of the EP101TC. We've sent off an inquriy to ASUS' PR team, but you'll still want to check out the video after the break of a very slim slate and real live "booth babe."

Continue reading ASUS EPad: like the EeePad, but with less ecstasy

ASUS EPad: like the EeePad, but with less ecstasy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T warns customer that emailing the CEO will result in a cease and desist letter —

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This picture makes him look like Thad the overlord of Doom...whoever that is. EVIL?

Sure, Steve Jobs might be a one-man email PR machine, but his pal Randall Stephenson at AT&T doesn't appear to be quite as gregarious -- as reader Giorgio Galante found out today, sending AT&T's CEO two emails in two weeks results in a phone call from AT&T Executive Response Team and a warning that further emails will result in a cease and desist letter. What did Giorgio's emails say? The first was a request to bump up his iPhone eligibility date and a request for a tethering option, and today's outlined his displeasure with AT&T's new data rates and ultimate decision to switch to Sprint and the EVO 4G. That prompted Brent to call Giorgio back and thank him for the feedback, but also politely warn him that further emails would be met with legal action. Ouch. As you'd expect, AT&T just lost itself a customer. We've followed up with Ma Bell to find out exactly why they went the lawyer route instead of oh, say, filtering Randall's email -- we'll let you know what they say.

P.S.- Amusingly, Giorgio says he emailed both Randall Stephenson and Steve Jobs last year about offering tethering and actually got a response from Steve -- maybe these two CEOs need to talk about more than data rates and service quality the next time they meet up.

AT&T warns customer that emailing the CEO will result in a cease and desist letter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Jobs: Google TV Will Go the Way of TiVo and Roku —

The only way to innovate in the TV industry is to make consumers want to pay full price for set-top boxes versus the ones they get virtually free, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in an interview tonight at D8, as live-blogged by Engadget and All Things D. Ideally, this break-through product wouldn’t be yet another box, but part of the TV. And by those definitions, Jobs’ logic (and his new attitude towards his former ally) says the new Google TV is not innovative.

“The television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everyone a set-top box, and that pretty much undermines innovation in the sector. Ask TiVo, ask Roku, ask Google in a few months. The only way this is going to change is if you start from scratch, tear up the box, redesign and get it to the consumer in a way that they want to buy it. But right now, there’s no way to do that….The TV is going to lose until there’s a viable go-to-market strategy. That’s the fundamental problem with the industry. It’s not a problem with the technology, it’s a problem with the go-to-market strategy….I’m sure smarter people than us will figure this out, but that’s why we say Apple TV is a hobby.”

Jobs said Apple was unlikely to partner with a television provider as it partnered with carriers like AT&T to go to market. In other video-related comments from the session, he also said he expected the iPad to eventually be powerful enough to run video-editing software, and he reiterated his anti-Flash stance, saying HTML 5 video “looks better and it works better and you don’t need a plug-in to run it.”

Related content from GigaOM Pro (sub req’d):

Google TV: Overview and Strategic Analysis

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Entertainment media company BUZZMEDIA (formerly known as Buzznet) has just announced the addition of 6 music sites to its ever-growing list of properties, namely PureVolume, PopMatters, Gorilla vs. Bear, The Hype Machine, Concrete Loop and RCRD LBL.

The news was just released, but it looks like industry blog Hypebot.com jumped the gun, deeming the addition of the 6 sites an outright acquisition of the lot.

After contacting BUZZMEDIA we’ve learned that in reality, the deals with The Hypemachine, RCRD LBL and PopMatters are advertising partnerships while the others are straight-up purchases.

All sites will retain editorial control, we were also told.

Digging a bit deeper, it looks like the acquisition of The Hype Machine for one had been rumored for a while, based on the mentioning of BUZZMEDIA in the site’s footer. But the site’s founder, Anthony Volodkin, responded to blog posts spreading that rumor in comments, saying it needed correction because BUZZMEDIA does not own but merely sells advertising on The Hype Machine.

From what we can gather, there are similar arrangements in place with PopMatters and RCRD LBL, the site that was started as a joint venture between Downtown Music and Peter Rojas of Engadget, Gizmodo and GDGT Web fame.

BUZZMEDIA’s current music properties include Lyrics.com, Stereogum, Buzznet, Idolator, Absolute Punk and the official websites for Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities.

Together, these Web publications are said to reach more than 50 million pop culture, music and celebrity enthusiasts worldwide on a monthly basis, according to BUZZMEDIA’s website. Here’s how they pitch the portfolio on there:

Its influential and authentic social media properties afford brand advertisers unique access to impassioned and engaged audiences through a blend of professional editorial, expert opinion, user contributions and customized marketing solutions.

BUZZMEDIA says the addition of the aforementioned music sites cements its Music division as the largest independent publisher of music content on the Web, as measured by comScore Media Metrix last month.

The company provides a surprisingly low amount of details about its business on its corporate website, but from what we can gather they’ve raised over $35 million four rounds, from investors like Focus Ventures, Anthem Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Redpoint Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures. Earlier this month, the company put out a press release announcing the recruitment of four sales & advertising people, all relatively notable people with backgrounds at Yahoo, MySpace, Fanscape, Time Inc. and other familiar names.

Earlier press releases tout the appointments of former founding general manager of TMZ Alan Citron as President, Mike Porath, former AOL News Editor-in-Chief as SVP of Programming and Alex Blagg, founding editor of MSN Wonderwall and Best Week Ever as Executive Editor of portfolio site Celebuzz.

Top Chinese official calls for improved worker conditions in response to Foxconn deaths — The highest ranking official in the Guangdong province of China has called for improved conditions for workers in light of the recent slew of suicides at Hon Hai Precision Manufacturing, also known as Foxconn. Wang Yang, the provincial party secretary in the province where the suicides have taken place, said that the government must work together with the company to "take effective measures to prevent similar tragedies from happening again," While it's still not clear what is causing the deaths, Wang called for measures such as increasing sports and leisure activities for the workers, and improving communication between worker and employer. "Labor unions in private firms should be improved to facilitate better working conditions and more harmonious relations between workers and employers," he said, speaking at a conference in Shenzhen on Saturday, just about one day after Foxconn announced it would increase wages of workers up to 20 percent.

Top Chinese official calls for improved worker conditions in response to Foxconn deaths originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 May 2010 14:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

In a world of connected screens it's sometimes hard to classify what's what. I mean, what's a PC? We call smartphones "phones," but the reality is they're tiny PCs that go in our pocket. Similarly, the TV has undergone an evolution as well, and now Google is attempting to bring the PC and TV even closer together with the introduction of Google TV. What is it? Well there are three core elements: Android 2.2, the Chrome browser and the Android app marketplace. It's ambitious, but I'm skeptical. I feel like I've heard a lot of this before -- and in fact, I have. By no small coincidence, Android is headed by Andy Rubin, the man who was in charge of a product called WebTV before it was sold to Microsoft. And just as with WebTV, there's a lot of potential in the ideas behind GoogleTV, but I'm not sure Google has nailed it.

Continue reading Entelligence: Hello WebTV part II

Entelligence: Hello WebTV part II originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 30 May 2010 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumored $99 Apple TV to Bring Cloud Storage, iPhone OS —

After Google's announcement last week of their upcoming Google TV service, many speculated whether Apple would respond by refreshing its neglected Apple TV. Though Steve Jobs called the product a "hobby" at its launch, the rumor mill has begun to churn as reports point to an overhauled Apple TV with could storage and an attractive $99 price tag. According to gadget blog Engadget, a "a source very close to Apple" has confirmed speculation that a simplified version of the set-top box closely resembling the internals of the upcoming fourth generation iPhone is currently in development.

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The device has apparently been described as "an iPhone without a screen," says Engadget's Joshua Topolsky. The CPU (Apple's A4 chip), storage (estimated at 16 GB) and OS will mirror those found on an iPhone, but this new device will reportedly also include support for full 1080p HD video. Though storage is limited, users will be able to access other local storage devices (supposedly local systems and networked storage devices) via WiFi, as well as cloud storage.

With the current Apple TV selling at a hefty $229 with 160 GB of storage, this new product could be a significant pivot for Apple in the set-top box realm. The transition from local to cloud-based storage may have something to do with recent rumors that Apple's MobileMe service may soon be provided free to all users - a possible use for the new data farm the company is building in North Carolina.

The reported $99 price seems logical because the majority of the cost of the Apple TV goes toward 160 GB of storage. Additionally, by designing it to mimic the iPhone's specs, Apple can streamline the production of the product and remove the most expensive part of the phone - the screen. Topolsky says no mention was made of whether apps would be supported on the device, but he suggests that scaling up iPhone and iPad apps to a TV wouldn't look particularly attractive (not to mention the lack of a touch interface).

I wouldn't be surprised to see some integration with the upcoming iPhone OS release that would allow users to control and browse from content on their phones or iPads and watch it on their TVs. Jobs has been adamant about how "couch friendly" the iPad is, so it only makes sense that a refreshed Apple TV would interface with the company's existing handheld devices.

If the speculation is correct, Apple and Google are poised for a Web TV showdown - a competition between to fierce competitors that could lead to some great feature innovations for users. While this is all based on rumor and some reading of the tea leaves, many have speculated that Apple "leaks" information to the press intentionally to generate buzz or divert attention from other products. The timing of this information - a week following the Google TV announcement, and at the midpoint between iPad and assumed iPhone launches - seems a bit convenient for Apple, but whether that lends credibility to the reports is yet to be seen.

Through all of this, one thing is certain: it would be unwise to buy and iPhone or Apple TV any time soon.

Discuss

We don't know whether we should be terrified or overjoyed. We've just come across a video demo from the University of Pennsylvania's GRASP Lab that shows an autonomous quadrotor helicopter performing "precise aggressive maneuvers." And trust us when we say, nothing in the foregoing sentence is an overstatement -- the thing moves with the speed and grace of an angry bee, while accompanied by the perfectly menacing whine of its little engine. See this work of scientific art in motion after the break.

[Thanks, William]

Continue reading Autonomous quadrocopter flies through windows, straight into our hearts (video)

Autonomous quadrocopter flies through windows, straight into our hearts (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 04:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The next Apple TV will be based on the iPhone’s operating system and will sell for $99, according to a new report. Citing an anonymous tip which was confirmed by a source “very close to Apple,” Engadget reports that the next Apple TV will share its architecture with the fourth-generation iPhone, including an A4 CPU and a limited amount of storage—16GB, according to the report—while offering full 1080p HD output. The report…

Revealed: Next Apple TV will be $99, feature cloud storage —

Filed under: Apple TV

Well part the skies and let the doves descend. It looks like the Apple TV will evolve into a more desirable machine before too long.

Quoting a tip that was "confirmed by a source very close to Apple," Engadget reports that the next incarnation of Apple's set top box will feature cloud storage (awesome), the same internals as the upcoming iPhone (meaning an A4 processor!) and be capable of full 1080p HD. Be still our hearts.

They go on to describe it as tiny, "an iPhone without a screen," and costing only US$99. Yes, one hundred bucks. While cloud storage will be the machine's default, those who want to keep things local can use a Time Capsule as a storage component.

This thing sounds like the Apple TV I've personally been waiting for. How soon can we have it, Steve?

TUAWRevealed: Next Apple TV will be $99, feature cloud storage originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 28 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Reportedly Prepping Revamped Apple TV: iPhone OS, Cloud-Based Storage, $99 Price Point? —
Engadget's representation of an "iPhone-like" Apple TV
Engadget reports that it has received detailed information on a forthcoming revamp of the Apple TV, a major shift for the product that will reportedly see it resembling "an iPhone ...

Dave Winer on an Apple TV Without Local Storage —

Dave Winer:

I’ve said it before and it’s worth saying again. Apple is building the Disney computer network. All the streets are clean, and the entertainment too. There’s no porn here, and as long as there are no ports it’ll stay that way.

Decreasing the amount of storage inside the Apple TV is interesting, but sort of obvious once you think about it running iPhone OS. No iPhone OS device has ever supported hard disk drives, and I doubt they ever will. And solid state storage is expensive. It’s all about streaming and caching. You’ll get Apple-sanctioned content from the iTunes Store, but I’d wager you’ll be able to stream any H.264 content you want over the web, or from any Mac or PC on your home network. You won’t need USB ports to watch porn; you’ll just need Wi-Fi. You won’t be limited to iTunes Store content any more than you are with the existing Apple TV today.

Foxconn raising wages by about 20 percent as previously planned — After a string of highly localized suicides at Foxconn's manufacturing campus captured the world's attention -- again -- the company has decided to increase worker wages by about 20 percent. Foxconn says that the pay raise had been planned for some time but did not say when it would be implemented. Mind you, a 20% bump in the third quarter is not unusual as Foxconn ramps up production for the holidays. In fact, Foxconn has given raises by as much as 50% in the past according to Vincent Chen, analyst at Yuanta Securities in Taipei. At the moment, Foxconn entry-level line workers are paid 900 yuan (about $131.80) per month -- remuneration that exceeds the local minimum wage in the area. And that's before bonuses and that oh-so tempting overtime pay are factored in. It's also worth noting that Foxconn is said by a factory worker surnamed Wang, to pay 100,000 yuan (about 10 times a worker's annual base salary) to families of suicide victims -- a sum he says has tempted some to their death.

Foxconn raising wages by about 20 percent as previously planned originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 03:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A couple of weeks ago, Google released a video demonstrating the speed of its Chrome web browser. The video proved that rendering a web page in Chrome is faster than some random (though admittedly very quick) events, such as blasting a potato through a tube. And if you thought that’s quite silly, you’re not alone: Opera thinks so, too.

Opera’s answer to the Chrome Speed Test comes in the form of two very silly individuals, which are trying to determine whether loading a web page in Opera is faster than cooking a potato. We’re not going to tell you if Opera passed the test, but we do agree that fighting one another with fish is a great way to pass the time when you’ve got nothing better to do.

[via Engadget]

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30 million Windows Phone 7 devices sold by the end 2011? Microsoft says yes —

30 million Windows Phone 7 devices sold by the end 2011? Microsoft says yes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, the N900 might be sitting at the top of Nokia's handset pyramid in terms of capabilities, but as we've said all along, the N900 is not a mass-market device. Nokia's been very clear that the N900 was launched as a means to strengthen its Maemo development community (on the path to MeeGo we now know). And by all accounts, it's done just that while winning a rabid fanbase of nerds in the process. Nevertheless, Reuters uses Gartner's estimate of less than 100,000 units sold in the device's first five months as proof that Nokia can't mount a challenge to RIM and Apple. True the numbers are paltry compared to the 8.75 million iPhones Apple sold from January to March or even the oft noted Nexus One sales that reached just 135k units moved after 74 days. In its defense, Alberto Torres, head of Nokia's solutions business said that "Sales have substantially exceeded expectations." So yeah, Nokia has problems, but the N900 isn't wasn't one of them.

Nokia sells just 100,000 N900s after first five months: so? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The concept of overscan seems particularly difficult for geeks to comprehend -- normal people usually don't care to even understand it -- and some even get down right confrontational when they first learn that all TVs do it. But the fact is that even the latest LCDs and Plasmas don't show all 2 million pixels of a 1080p signal out of the box. Instead about 3 percent of 'em are cropped off the edges (as illustrated by the red line in the image above) and the remaining pixels are scaled to fill in all the pixels of your HDTV. The real kick in the head is that the reason isn't a good one, especially when you consider the advanced technology that's available today. So in this HD 101 we're going to cover what overscan is, why it's there, and finally how to "fix" it.

Other HD 101 goodness:
What is ATSC, PSIP, QAM, and 8-VSB?
How to use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with your PS3
Why there are black bars on HDTVs

Continue reading HD 101: Overscan and why all TVs do it

HD 101: Overscan and why all TVs do it originally appeared on Engadget HD on Thu, 27 May 2010 12:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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