Apple names April 30th, 5PM as date and time for 3G iPad retail launch

There was a bit of confusion with Apple’s online store update yesterday as to when the 3G version of its iPad will actually make its retail debut. Let that fog of ignorance be no more, as Cupertino has today named April 30th, a Friday, as the day the WiFi + 3G slate will arrive in stores. In American stores, that is, don’t get all excited if you live outside the 50 states. That’s also the date when early (read: before yesterday) pre-orders will be fulfilled. Deliveries for those were promised for “late April,” though clearly this date has more of the late and less of the April to it.

Apple names April 30th, 5PM as date and time for 3G iPad retail launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Popbox prepares for launch with preorders, SDK

Despite a delay from an originally intended launch in March the Popbox media streamer and its streamlined-for-mass appeal spin on the Popcorn Hour series is almost upon us. Now the focus is on courting content partners by promising easy porting of current Adobe Flash applications to its new all-Flash platform and display “virtually any multimedia file” on the TV. That strategy has already brought some internet content to the family of devices, and with a newly released SDK (more info after the break) promising compatibility across existing C-200 and A-200 hardware we’ll see if it induces others to join in.

[Thanks, Mike]

Continue reading Popbox prepares for launch with preorders, SDK

Popbox prepares for launch with preorders, SDK originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plantronics goes chrometastic with Explorer 395 Bluetooth headset

Who says Bluetooth headsets aren’t cool any more? Not Plantronics. Today, the California-based company released the Explorer 395 earpiece — a $49.95 earpiece in both black and bronze flavors, and aimed at first-time Bluetooth users. How so? You get dedicated buttons for volume, power and phone call, which puts the confusing single-button-operated headsets to shame. Being a budget line, there’s no fancy noise-cancellation technology offered here, although the 0.39-ounce weight and five-hour talk time (seven days of battery on standby) seem to give a good bang for the buck. Still, at the end of the day it’s all about real-life appearance and audio quality, so we’ll hold our judgement until we get a review unit later this week. Stay tuned.

Continue reading Plantronics goes chrometastic with Explorer 395 Bluetooth headset

Plantronics goes chrometastic with Explorer 395 Bluetooth headset originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leica V-Lux 20 compact with 12x superzoom is pure brand extortion

It’s out — the V-LUX 20 — what was rumor is now official courtesy of a Leica press release. The 12.1 megapixel superzoom with 25-300mm Leica DC-VARIO-ELMAR 4.1-49.2mm f/3.3-4.9 ASPH lens and integrated GPS is slated to ship to the UK in May for a suggested retail price of £495 (about $757, likely a bit less when priced Stateside). The matte-black finished compact sports a 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor, 720p/60fps Motion JPEG video recording, a 460,000 pixel 3-inch LCD, 11-point AF, SD/SDHC/SDXC storage, and plenty of options to drop into manual mode when you want a bit more control of the action. Nice huh? Just remember that the V-Lux 20 is a near exact replica (same lens, sensor, LCD, and GPS) of the DMC-ZS7 which lists for just $399, is smaller, and shoots HD video in the more sophisticated AVCHD Lite format. Yeah, we know.

Leica V-Lux 20 compact with 12x superzoom is pure brand extortion originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple Will Replace Your Junky iPod Shuffle Headphones

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If you have a third generation iPod Shuffle (and if you can still find it), you may be having some trouble with the earbuds. Like all Apple earbuds, those supplied with the tiny, almost-buttonless Shuffle are junk. Unlike the rest of the earbuds, though, Apple is admitting the problem, and will replace them for you up to two years from purchase. The symptoms:

Controls are non-responsive or work intermittently

Unexpected volume increase or decrease

Unexpected playing of voice feedback

The problem is especially annoying on the 3G Shuffle, as there is no way to control it other than through voice-control or the buttons on the inline remote, meaning that you need to buy yet another set of crappy Apple ‘buds when yours fail. To check if you are eligible for the recall, visit the support page and check your Shuffle’s serial number (from xx909xxxxxx to xx952xxxxxx to xx001xxxxxx to xx004xxxxxx) and send off the offending phones. Make sure you send the old ones back, though, or Apple will charge your credit card a “non-return fee”.

Apple Headphones with Remote Replacement Program [Apple via MacRumors]


NetZero Releases PrivatePhone Voicemail Service

This article was written on June 28, 2006 by CyberNet.

NetZero Releases PrivatePhone Voicemail Service
 

NetZero has released a voicemail service called PrivatePhone. This free service will give you a local phone number that has a voicemail capable of holding 10 messages. You can then hand out this phone number to people instead of giving out your real phone number. This is supposed to be a great solution for those people publishing their phone numbers in locations like the classified ads.

You are able to choose your state, city, and area code for your phone number. PrivatePhone also lets you choose if you want to be notified via email or text message when a new voicemail arrives. To retrieve your messages you can call the phone number or listen to them online. Their free service limits you to just 10 messages and call forwarding is not included with the free plan. They have two plans available that range from $3.95/month to $14.95/month if you wish to receive additional features.

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Navoto urges you to wait, buy a Skype GSM adapter instead of paying roaming fees

The Qool SkyQube² was apparently an idea ahead of its time. Four years ago, the small, rounded box promised to bridge the worlds of cheap VoIP telephony and pricy GSM roaming by automatically routing international calls through Skype, but after CES 2007, we never saw the device again. Until now, of course. Skype Journal reports that SkyQube has become the Navoto, and its original creator has built a firm called UGI Telecom to introduce it to market quite soon at an undisclosed price. Near as we can tell, the basic functionality is as complex as ever, requiring a SIM card swap and an always-on PC to do the heavy lifting, while the Navoto itself simply directs landline and 3G calls to SkypeOut. When that glorious day comes that all carriers let you do this on a smartphone, this device will quickly become obsolete, but for now we could see some falling for UGI’s ludicrous infomercials (videos after the break) to avoid receiving a gigantic roaming bill. Hit our more coverage links for the photos and diagrams required to understand how it all works.

Continue reading Navoto urges you to wait, buy a Skype GSM adapter instead of paying roaming fees

Navoto urges you to wait, buy a Skype GSM adapter instead of paying roaming fees originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DuKJug: MacGyver’s Water Bottle

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Pop quiz: What’s the most important tool in any toolbox? If you answered “duct-tape” or “gaffer-tape” you would be correct (if you said “gaffer’s” or “gaffers”, you’re still right, but need some practice when it comes to reading).

But even gaffer-tape can’t help if you don’t have it with you, which is why the Infinity DuKJug looks so good (it even has an odd distribution of capital letters in the name, the word-equivalent of MacGyver’s mullet). The polypropylene water-bottle has a slim waist covered in a silicone grip. Peel this grip back and you’ll find space to wind two-meters (6.5-feet) of the magic tape, enough for most emergency uses.

The bottle also has a sippy-lid, a cord retainer for the regular screw-top and weighs just five ounces. The bottle costs around $10, and you can choose from a delight of Bondi Blue iMac-era candy-colors. MacGyver would be so proud.

DuKJug [Amazon via Digital Story]


Synaptics extends multitouch Gesture Suite to Linux, Chrome OS included

Well, it had to happen at some point. After eons of watching Mac OS and Windows users swiping away nonchalantly on their touchpads, Linux laptop buyers can now also join the multitouch fray. Synaptics has announced official Gesture Suite support for a wide range of Linux-based OS flavors — Chrome OS, Fedora, Ubuntu, RedFlag, SuSE, and Xandros get name-dropped in the press release — which will all benefit from its set of multi-fingered touch and swipe responses. The infamous pinch-to-zoom is quite naturally included in the Suite, which will come bundled with new installations of those operating systems. We’re not seeing any mention of a downloadable update as yet, but we imagine that’ll be corrected in due course, whether by the company itself or the resourceful Linux community. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Synaptics extends multitouch Gesture Suite to Linux, Chrome OS included

Synaptics extends multitouch Gesture Suite to Linux, Chrome OS included originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 06:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The End is Nigh: Commercial Bike Polo Mallet Heads

mallet-polo

You know a sport is going mainstream when a market springs up to sell you gear that you don’t need. It happened with the skateboard (invented in 1955 by Marty McFly when he ripped the handlebar off a home-made scooter) and now it is happening with Hard Court Bike Polo.

The gear in question is this mallet-head from Milwaukee-based bike peddlers Eighth-Inch. Bike polo mallets are made from old ski-poles joined onto heads made from water or gas pipes found in the street. Add a single bolt, wrap the top with an inner-tube for grip and you’re done.

The Eighth-Inch polo mallet head is made from the same HDPE plastic as theose tough pipes, injection-molded into shape. The heads are 150mm long, with marked circles to guide any cutting-down to shorter lengths, and have a sleeve running through the center for the shaft to enter, adding strength. The best part, though, is the addition of end-caps, for more accurate shooting. These are notoriously hard to make and fit, or at least to make them strong enough not to break after a few whacks.

Here I should probably rant about the selling out of bike-polo, the home-made culture and so on. But who cares? These mallet heads look pretty good, and those end caps alone are worth the price of $20 (replacement caps cost $8 a pair). Nobody is going to stop making their own mallets any time soon, and the variety of home-made designs I see every time I play is huge, and impossible to copy. And if you haven’t tried bike polo yet, do. It’s the best combination of dangerous sport and beer out there.

Eighth-Inch Polo Mallet Head [Eighth-Inch via Corpus Fixie]

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