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The Rationalizer system is aimed at serious traders, but we don't see why it couldn't be used by others as well.

(Credit:
Philips Electronics)

Has all that online stock trading landed you in trouble? Philips Design has come up with a product for frazzled day traders–and …

One of Apple’s many curious restrictions on iPhone apps has now been lifted. It used to be that, in order for developers to have microtransactions / in-app purchases, they had to charge something upfront for the software, essentially requiring consumers to pay at least twice, or not at all. Well, all that’s changed, as the company has sent word to its developer community that the restriction has been lifted, meaning those annoying “Lite” and “Full” versions cluttering the app store can now be one and the same, with folks downloading the demo and paying to upgrade from within the app itself, a model that’s worked to success in other software ecosystems like Xbox Live. Sure, there’s gonna be developers out there that abuse the newly-minted business model, but it’s not like anything was stopping them before when they charged $2 upfront only to get you again later. The mass email announcement is reprinted after the break. [Warning: read link requires iPhone developer account]

[Via Daring Fireball]

Continue reading Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases

Filed under: Cellphones

Free iPhone apps can now include in-app purchases originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been the story of the week. T-Mobile Sidekick customers were told that all of their data might be lost and warned not to turn off their devices to prevent losing what’s already on them. It’s about the worst case nightmare scenario for any vendor and it underscored the weakness and vulnerability of cloud-based computing with no other means of backup and storage.

The Sidekick story is complicated, and there’s much rumor and speculation as to what went wrong and how. To be clear, Sidekick is a T-Mobile branded-and-sold device and service, but the Sidekick technology comes from Danger, a former startup now owned by Microsoft, which T-Mobile pays to keep Sidekick going. Trust me, there’s going to be lots of finger pointing and perhaps a few class-action lawsuits before this all comes to an end. While finger pointing is fun, it’s not the issue. (And, as grandpa used to say, when you point your finger at someone else, three fingers point back at you.) Some argued with me last night that cloud computing is perfectly safe, it’s the company deploying that you need to look to. OK. I accept that. Only thing is that Danger’s been doing this pretty well since 2002 and at no point did I ever see a single warning from anyone that dealing with T-Mobile, Danger or Microsoft might be a bad idea when it comes to personal data solely living in the cloud.

Continue reading Entelligence: Cloud’s illusions I recall

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets

Entelligence: Cloud’s illusions I recall originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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(Credit:
Sarah Tew/CNET)

Prices on AV receivers range from as little as $100 up to several thousands, but most home theater buyers focus in on the “sweet spot,” where you get most of the important features and performance for the least amount of money. We tested the midrange models from nearly all the major AV receiver manufacturers to see how they stack up, and after completing our roundup we came away with some clear picks depending on what you need for your home theater.

The standout AV receiver is the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K, which we awarded the Editors’ Choice. The VSX-1019AH-K does just about everything right–it has four HDMI inputs, a graphical user interface, and outstanding sound quality. It can upconvert analog video signals to 1080p with average image quality, which is impressive because receivers at this price generally have poor image quality on upconverted sources.

The most unique feature is the VSX-1019AH-K’s iPod-compatible front-panel USB port, which allows you to browse and play back songs from your iPod using the receiver’s onscreen display. (Pioneer even throws in an iPod cable.) It’s a little more expensive than some of the other receivers we looked at, but you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth.

Next in line are the two Onkyo receivers. The trump card for these units is HDMI connectivity; the TX-SR607 has six HDMI inputs and the HT-RC160 has five (it lacks the front-panel HDMI input of the TX-SR607.) They also measure up well in terms of sound quality, which won’t surprise fans of the Onkyo brand. On the downside, both have poor upconverted image quality and surprisingly lack a multichannel analog input. Both receivers offer a lot of value, but the HT-RC160 is an incredible deal with its street price inching below $400. If you just need HDMI connectivity and powerful sound, the HT-RC160 is the way to go.

…

Props to Lenkeng for dressing up their otherwise anonymous VGA-to-HDMI converter box with a PSP-related angle — the LKV8000 comes with the necessary cables to take your PSP-2000 or above’s 480p video output and push out a 720p HDMI signal complete with stereo audio. Not a bad idea — except that we can’t think of an HDTV that lacks either component or VGA jacks and that doesn’t have a built-in scaler to do the same job. Maybe you’re just out of ports? In any event, this guy needs a Stateside distributor before we can tell you pricing or availability, so you’re stuck swapping cables for a while, Sparky.

[Via Oh Gizmo!]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio, Portable Video

PSP to HDMI, all with one giant converter box originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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