Hasta La Gadget!

It never really occurred to us that Windows Phone 7 buyers wouldn’t be able to use their phones in tandem with Apple computers, but here’s the confirmation all spelled out: Microsoft’s Oded Ran recently tweeted that Zune will let Mac users sync WP7 phones, presumably using an OS X compatible version of the desktop software package. Of course, since the tweet was deleted shortly after it was written, it’s possible this was some sort of mistake, but if buyers find the twain incompatible come launch day, you’d best believe there’s going to be some consumer outrage. Here’s hoping that if the software does exist, it’ll sync good ol’ Zune media players as well.

Zune software headed to Mac, the better to sync your Windows Phone? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re not familiar with the Pogoplug, you’re missing out: the handy little gadget will set you back $99 USD, is available exclusively at Best Buy retail stores, and turns any four USB devices you plug into it into Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices as soon as you plug the Pogoplug into your home network. Just connect the Pogoplug to your router via wired Ethernet, and your USB drives are suddenly available to all of the computers in your home, not just one.

The new Pogoplug Pro makes the whole process a little easier by removing the need to plug in your Pogoplug via wired Ethernet. The “Pro” version adds Wi-Fi, and changes the Pogoplug’s former hot-pink exterior to a sleek black one. It still offers media streaming and network sharing, the same as the original, and even has mobile and desktop apps to help you access your files at home on the go.  The best part though is the price hasn’t changed, and both versions will run you $99 list.
 

Almost exactly two years after the first U.S. implantation, a DuraHeart Left Ventricular Assist Device has been implanted in a patient in Canada. pOriginally posted at a href=”http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-20019414-247.html” class=”origPostedBlog”News – Health Tech/a/p

Looks like Intel’s having its best quarter ever all over again: this time, the company’s reporting $3.0 billion in profit on a record $11.1 billion in revenue. Chipzilla attributes the surplus to three percent increases in laptop and server chips sales respectively, but none to Atom-based netbooks — sales of Atom chips actually decreased by four percent. That may be more than you needed or wanted to know about the booming processor business, but humanitarians will be pleased to know it’s not all about the silicon; Intel also hired 1,300 new flesh-and-blood employees last quarter to keep the machines running.

Intel reports record $11.1 billion revenue, brings home $3 billion in bacon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just laid our unworthy eyes on the new Sony Internet TV powered by Google TV (boy is that a mouthful) and it looks exactly the right sort of modern. We got a quick chance to play with the remote and it definitely appeals to the nerd within us — it’s nice to hold and use, although the optical mouse pad in the upper right corner was pretty wonky on the units we tried. (Sony chalked it up to RF interference, but we’ll have to investigate further.) We’ll be updating you with some video so stay tuned!

Update: The video is up. Plus we’ve got some thoughts for you to double your pleasure:

• It’s interesting how UI scales between the different TV sizes — the search bar looks comically large on the larger TV sizes, and just about right on the medium sizes.
• While you don’t have to switch inputs, as Sony and Google are so proud to point out, there is a distinct resolution switch that the TV is undergoing between live TV and the Google TV app UI — 1080i to 720p would be our guess.
• Something that could be a real issue for Google TV is the lack of UI consistency. You’re dealing with your DVR’s UI, the Google TV search and record experience, the Chrome browsing experience, and then whatever UI a particular media browsing app might have (all the ones we tried were vastly different from each other). You can also browse your recorded shows from the Google TV UI or your own DVR’s UI, which among other overlapping functionality might prove confusing when it’s not being convenient.
• The picture-in-picture function, which is a simple right click on the right d-pad, is probably going to be a well worn option for Google TV users — keeping a show going live while looking something up in the browser or in an app is sort of this machine’s bread and butter, and it’s nicely convenient to access.
• The Sony keyboard remote feels nice in the hand, but it’s pretty unintuitive. Although both of your thumbs rest naturally on the controls up top, you’re not supposed to use them at the same time — you can either arrow around the UI with the left thumb or control the mouse with the finicky optical pad under your right. The two things are totally separate, so you’re using the arrows and you accidentally click the right button, you end up selecting whatever’s under the mouse cursor and going off in a totally different direction. It’s weird, especially since it’s supposed to feel like a PS3 controller — a controller that generally uses both thumb controls together very effectively.
• Oh, and there are a million tiny buttons for everything, not all of which make a ton of sense in every configuration, and some of which are just totally mysterious — there’s no way you’re going to get what the star and Fn buttons do on the first go.

Continue reading Sony’s Internet TV (powered by Google TV) first hands-on! (update: video)

Sony’s Internet TV (powered by Google TV) first hands-on! (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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