Hasta La Gadget!

It’s anybody’s guess when we’re going to get this stuff in the G1, so we may as well torture ourselves in the meanwhile with some visuals, right? IntoMobile has posted a handful of Cupcake screen grabs, showing scintillating features like a task manager (minus the “manager” part since you can only see what’s running, not kill processes), a work-in-progress world clock, new controls for transition effects and visuals, and — of course — the all-important virtual keyboard. It’s good stuff all around, and realistically, it’s stuff that should’ve found its way into the shipping build.

On a related note, we got an official statement from T-Mobile regarding Cupcake’s release on the G1 today, and it’s every bit as vague and unhelpful as we’d expect it to be: “According to the Android team, ‘Cupcake,’ which is the code name for an Android software build, is still a work in progress that is considered to be a development branch and not for general availability. We will update you as T-Mobile G1 software updates are made available to T-Mobile customers.” In other words, this could be out tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year, but considering the totally varied completeness of different Cupcake features, we wouldn’t be surprised to see it doled out in bite-sized increments over multiple over-the-air updates.

[Via Talk Android]

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Android Cupcake in all its keyboard-having glory, T-Mobile plays dumb originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re actually having a hard time believing this ourselves, but word on the street has it that the Senate is “on the verge of passing a bill that would delay until June the date when TV stations must broadcast in all-digital format.” Without Congressional action, all TV stations will switch off their analog signals on February 17th — a date that has been blasted out to the general populace for years now. The issue is that millions of Americans are currently on a waiting list for one of those $40 vouchers, and evidently it’ll take a few more months to get additional funding and clear the backlog. It’s expected that the new switchover date will soon become June 12th, and you can find all the fine print just down there in the read link.

[Via TVWeek, thanks Vanbrothers]

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Digital TV transition postponement all but certain originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Arsenal English soccer team will offer live wireless streaming of game highlights to fans’ Sony PSP gaming systems by next year, a club official declared this week.   

The system has been tested over the last two seasons and it has received a good enough response that the team is going forward with the full implementation.

Sony has developed software that enables the gadget with multiple video replay options, as well as feeds of live stats from the game and around the league. It is also working on adding an in-game social networking angle. This will hopefully enable a fan to not only keep track of the game’s key moments but to crowdsource his way to find the nicest ladies in the house.         

For now, it’s not clear whether the team will offer PSPs for free or for rent, or whether they will be only available in certain sections of the Emirates Stadium. Another important question will be whether a Sony PSP owner will be allowed to bring in his own PSP or will be forced to use one provided by the team.

Taking into consideration the money-grubbing brazenness of big-time sports teams, with their status-conscious VIP areas and income disparity regulations, my guess is that Arsenal will force fans to use in-house PSPs. (Don’t get me started on this topic: Many NBA teams, for example, don’t allow you to bring in any food snacks, essentially forcing customers to buy their overpriced and under-nourishing ‘foods.’).         

The ‘Gunners‘ of England’s Premier League are one of the wealthiest teams in European soccer, so it isn’t a surprise that Sony would want to implement new tech in their modern Emirates Stadium.         

The stadium currently uses huge HD screens to help follow the action and its roof is laced with Sony SNC-RX550P cameras (right) that monitor every aspect of the field (as well as the stands). Those cameras are used along with a digital camera monitoring system called ‘ProZone’ to create up-to-the-minute game analysis sent to the coaches and security details. The data is pushed through a secure IP infrastructure controlled by stadium technicians.

But Arsenal isn’t the only major team working on in-game wireless feeds.

In late 2006, Cisco Systems announced a deal with Major League
Baseball’s Oakland Athletics to create a network supporting data,
voice, video and wireless services for their new stadium. Some of the
features expected include smart location-based services and live video feeds in wireless UMPCs. The gadget-software combo would
provide Cisco and the team with real-time personal insight
into consumer preferences and could eventually lead to additional
revenue services.

Of course, the Cisco-Athletics Stadium has yet to be built, so we can’t test the tech just yet.

But if Arsenal and Sony follow the plan set forth by Cisco and the
A’s, expect the neat experience of following the game on your
PlayStation portable to be accompanied by a few advertisements offering
expensive snacks available in the stands, like $15 beer.

Hey, you gotta
love sports right?

Photos: Arsenal, Pocket-Lint, Sony

Ever walk through a crowd with your headphones on, only to find your music drowned out by the uproar? A recent Apple patent proposes dynamic volume adjustment based on your local surroundings. According to the filing, a sound sensor would be used to detect ambient noise and adapt accordingly. It says user volume controls are accounted for, so passing by a construction site likely won’t cause your jams to be pumped up to an ear-shattering 11. Although it sounds more likely than some of the company’s other patents, don’t get your hopes up for seeing this any time soon. Hit up the read link for more details.

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Apple patents adaptive volume controls based on environment, not quality of your music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve had discussions surrounding those petite navigators that stay safely within the confines of your vehicle, but it’s about time we broke it back out for the argonauts in attendance. We’ll let Tyler take it from here:

“I’m an avid hiker, and I’m looking to get a new outdoor-centric navigator that can withstand the elements and last a good while without a charge. I’m particularly interested in getting one with extra features like a trip logger and multimedia player, but obviously I’m trying to spend the least amount while not sacrificing usability. Any other outdoorsy individuals have any advice?”

Once you’re back in from the tent, why not give this some thought and chime in? After that, feel free to send in a question of your own at ask at engadget dawt com.

Filed under: GPS

Ask Engadget: Best outdoor GPS device? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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