Twitter for iPhone now ready for iOS 4 multitasking

The official Twitter app is keeping up with the times by rolling out iOS 4 support in its latest build. With the program now able to run in the background, you’ll finally be able to send tweets while switching in and out of other applications. It also means you won’t have to relaunch the app every time you want to check up on the latest happenings, it’ll just keep your place like a good and loyal piece of software. Retina Display-friendly graphics are also part of the new package, along with “more secure” tweeting, if you ever felt insecure about the integrity of you shorthand missives. All it’s missing now are the millions of “sent from my iPhone 4” messages, a gap we’re sure you’ll be filling pronto.

Twitter for iPhone now ready for iOS 4 multitasking originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses

Oh, electric supercar, why do you tease us so? Mercedes is latest to throw up a prototype of what it expects future rubber burners to look like, and its SLS E-Cell doesn’t disappoint. Based on its petrol-guzzling SLS AMG model, this beast produces 526 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque, thanks to four motors (one for each wheel) allied to a battery array that can provide an industry-leading 480kW of juice. How fast does that get you to the magical 60mph marker? Try four seconds. There’s a handsome 10-inch infotainment panel in the center console, which you may see after the break, but the best news is that this prototype can be driven now and could well turn into a production Benz at some point in 2013.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses

Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PwnageTool 4.0 hacktivation is go for iOS 4

You waited patiently for the Dev-Team to pull together all the developer betas and now it’s time for your reward: PwnageTool 4.0 has been released. The latest hack from team jailbreak works with previously jailbroken iPhone 3GS devices with the old bootrom, all iPhone 3G models, and yes, the second generation iPod touch too. It doesn’t work with the original iPhone and other iPod touch models and, as always, there are plenty of caveats and bold print warnings to heed. But if you manage to weave your way into a jailbroken device (as we did with our iOS 4 iPhone 3G using redsn0w) then the latest copy of ultrasn0w will now unlock all basebands released since 04.26.08, including the updated version found in iOS 4. So get cracking kids, and remember, buckle up, back up, and be safe.

Update: 4.01 has already been released to fix an iBook issue.

PwnageTool 4.0 hacktivation is go for iOS 4 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 01:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Mini 100e gets official for the little kickers

We hate to crush your dreams of a World Cup-branded netbook — and we know that’s exactly what that looks like up there — but it’s really just an example of how schools can customize HP’s new 10.1-inch Mini 100e. Sorry to have killed everything you’ve ever had to live for, but doesn’t it make you happy to know that the kids can watch Justin Bieber NOVA videos on netbooks with different colors and designs? Rhetorical questions aside, HP’s finally sharing the details on the education-aimed laptop we spotted a few weeks ago at Computex, and as expected, it has the typical netbook internals, including an Intel Atom N455 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a choice of decently sized hard drives. HP will also have Windows 7 Starter, XP, and SuSE Linux operating system options. While we’re told the 3.2-pound netbook will start at under $299, HP won’t actually be selling units directly to consumers — instead it will only be taking bulk orders from schools. Still the 100e seems like a very worthy Classmate PC and Dell Latitude 2110 competitor, especially when you consider that it can be tricked out with a colorful keyboard, like the one in the gallery below. After you’re done crying that one of those will never be yours, feel free to hit the break for the full press release.

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HP Mini 100e gets official for the little kickers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gateway’s glowing ID laptops arrive along with new LT series netbooks

Oh sure, Acer may have spent the first half of the week convincing us that its newest laptops and netbooks were the sweetest systems around, but now it’s turning the attention to its Gateway brand only tempt us with equally as enticing options. The ID series has been on our radar ever since we saw its blue-glowing touchpad at Computex, and luckily both the 14-inch ID49 and 15.6-inch ID59 will hit US retailers for less than $800 in the coming weeks. The exact configurations are unclear, but they’ll have Core i3 / i5 CPU options as well as NVIDIA Optimus graphics. On the netbook front, Gateway’s bringing out the 10.1-inch LT23, which looks the same as the LT22 we caught a glimpse of a few weeks back. Powered by an Intel Atom N450 CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive, the netbook will start at a tempting $329. Check out the gallery below for some shiny press shots and the full press release after the break. Oh and Acer, we’re giving you permission to chill on the new laptops for a bit!

Continue reading Gateway’s glowing ID laptops arrive along with new LT series netbooks

Gateway’s glowing ID laptops arrive along with new LT series netbooks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP debuts Mini 100e: you know, for kids

HP’s entry into the institutional educational laptop market is priced more aggressively than other similar products we’ve seen, but does that make it better?

iPhone 4 teardown: 512MB RAM confirmed (updated)

With nary hours since the reviews went live, the gang at iFixit — no doubt blessed by the hands of early deliveries — have procured an iPhone 4. And as is their modus operandi, they wasted no time tearing that sucker apart screw by screw. The teardown is still ongoing, but here’s what we got so far: 512MB RAM (confirming earlier rumors), a 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor (same as the Samsung Wave S8500, they say), and chemically-strengthened Gorilla Glass for a more torture-friendly front panel. Those two screws on the bottom of the phone can be removed to excise the real panel, but the site says the front glass “will likely be rather challenging [to remove].” The battery, looking rather large even in the pictures, is a whopping 1420mAh Li-Polymer — comparatively, the Nexus One is 1400mAh and the HTC Droid Incredible is 1300mAh. There’s no SIM eject tool with this phone, but a paper clip should work just fine. As for the much-ballyhooed side panel antennas, the phone apparently now “[utilizes] whichever network band is less congested or has the least interference for the best signal quality, regardless of actual signal strength” — in other words, better call reliability (hopefully). Also helping with overall voice quality is a dual microphone setup for suppressing background noise. Peruse on over if you’re interested in seeing a bare Apple device at its most beautiful.

Update: The teardown is complete with a few more interesting bits of information. First, the battery is very easy to remove (and thus, replace) after removing the two screws. The LCD panel is not, however, as it’s tighly glued to the glass and digitizer. So if you do manage to break the Gorilla Glass, you’ll have to replace it, the digitizer, and the LCD as a single unit. The new AGD1 3-axis gyroscope is thought to be made by ST Micro and Broadcom provides both the BCM4750IUB8 single-chip GPS receiver and BCM4329FKUBG receiver giving the iPhone 4 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and an FM radio.

iPhone 4 teardown: 512MB RAM confirmed (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 23:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter drinking with trendy girls

Apologies for two alcohol-related posts in as many days…

Sake Shochu brewery Takahashi Shuzou has a new web campaign for its Shiro drink that seeks to show that these beverages are not just for older men.

The “Cheers System” site has interactive elements where you can put yourself and your Twitter followers into a video. Even if you don’t feel like having a web “party” you can still just watch the commercial itself.

shiro-sake-japan-cheers-system-1

It’s pretty charming, featuring a group of young trendy ladies and a quasi-Rube Goldberg machine. Imagine NHK’s old PythagoraSwitch program mixed with the UNIQLOCK dancing girls from UNIQLO and you have the concept for this campaign.

shiro-sake-japan-cheers-system-2

Shiro surely hopes this becomes an internet meme and draws in the female consumers not normally targeted by liquor-makers. As we blogged in January last year on the “entry-level” sake bottles from Nihon Sakari, 75% of young women aged 20-30 hardly ever drink nihonshu and the brewers clearly want to change this for shochu.

architokyo-japan-tour-2
[Via Kokoku Kaigi.com]

Triple update for Google Maps for Android

Google adds three enhancements to its Maps app on Android smartphones, including help with public transportation, friends, and business reviews. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://www.cnet.com/8301-19736_1-20008525-251.html” class=”origPostedBlog”Android Atlas/a/p

Eigenharp Alpha’s biggest fan pens 11,000 word guide

Earlier this month, lucky musician Geert unboxed an Eigenharp Alpha for the whole world to see. Now he’s jotted down a few thoughts on the 132-key digital instrument… oh hell, let’s just call it a primer. Calling out years of musical study as proof he knows what he’s talking about, the man delves into enough detail about the mind-blowing multi-instrument machine to teach Eigenharp 101. If you want to know whether dropping £3,995 on the musical creature would be worth your while, you’ll find all you need to know at the source link, but be aware the sheer complexity here may serve to daunt some would-be casual learners. If you need to regain your enthusiasm afterwards though, there’s no quicker way than watching an Eigenharp jam session — we recorded one at the company’s London HQ, and you’ll find it after the break.

Continue reading Eigenharp Alpha’s biggest fan pens 11,000 word guide

Eigenharp Alpha’s biggest fan pens 11,000 word guide originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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