Hasta La Gadget!

A great gift item for yourself or someone you know, the MoGo Talk XD is an iPhone (3G/3GS) case with a stowaway Bluetooth headset. Kind of like James Bond would use!

Originally posted at iPhone Atlas

Fleshing out what constitutes a 3G versus a 4G wireless technology is like trying to objectively quantify whether Coke or Pepsi is the superior beverage — but for what it’s worth, the UN’s ITU is widely recognized as the closest thing we have to a final word (on the Gs, that is, not the colas). They’ve just issued a press release stating that of six technologies nominated for IMT-Advanced (the formal name for 4G) certification, just two have emerged victorious: 802.16m WiMAX 2 — also known as WirelessMAN-Advanced — and LTE-Advanced. That would leave Sprint, Verizon, and everyone else currently deploying WiMAX and LTE technically false in advertising their latest-generation services as “4G,” though with so many technologies crowding the 3G space, we can’t necessarily blame them; heck, even EDGE and CDMA2000 without EV-DO technically qualify as 3G in the eyes of the ITU, so yeah, the situation is really just as muddled as ever. For what it’s worth, neither 802.16m nor LTE-Advanced are live anywhere in the world — and they aren’t expected to be for some time — so whether you like it or not, the UN says you’re still living a 3G existence no matter where you’re located. So close! Follow the break for the ITU’s release.

Continue reading ITU lays down law: WiMAX 2, LTE-Advanced are 4G, everyone else is a buster

ITU lays down law: WiMAX 2, LTE-Advanced are 4G, everyone else is a buster originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Android 2.2 upgrade situation on the Galaxy S has been a veritable rollercoaster of emotions for owners recently, owing in no small part to the seemingly final firmwares that have been briefly posted and pulled from the company’s servers in parts of the world over the past couple weeks. Nordic countries have already sample the goods, but Sammy says that a “new” firmware update will be available in early November in the UK and should hit “all operator versions” of the phone (presumably including the Vibrant, Captivate, Epic 4G, and Fascinate) by the end of November. YouMobile is reporting that existing regional updates have been pulled due to general not-awesomeness, so hopefully they’ll have a chance to get it right over the next couple weeks before it starts hitting again. Follow the break for Samsung’s press release.

Continue reading Samsung comes clean with Galaxy S Froyo upgrade dates: all carriers in November

Samsung comes clean with Galaxy S Froyo upgrade dates: all carriers in November originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man, how impatient are we in our comfortable, high-tech palaces? It seems we can’t even wait for a lightbulb to fire up after we hit the switch. But don’t worry, you over-entitled fusspots, GE has you covered with its complicated new Hybrid Halogen-CFL light bulb.

The problem: CF, or compact-fluorescent bulbs take a while to get to full brightness. Depending on the model, they can take a large chunk of a minute to get up to speed. My parents, for instance, sit in the dark for what seems like forever when I Skype them and they turn on the light in the “computer room”. My CF lamps, though, are at full power almost instantly.

GE’s solution is to put a tiny halogen lamp inside the bulb, squeezed in alongside the elegantly looping CF-tube already coiled therein. If nothing else, this intricate device looks like a glass-blowers version of a Swiss watch movement, beautiful and impossible to fathom. When you flick the switch, the halogen bulb lights instantly. When the CF tube comes up to temperature, the halogen lamp blinks out.

I’m inclined to think that this is a solution to a first-world problem, something which only whiners would ever feel a need for. On the other hand, there are plenty of people who refuse to buy energy-saving bulbs because of this warm-up delay, preferring to selfishly burn the planet’s resources for a few seconds of added convenience. If GE’s hybrid bulb can get these self-important idiots to switch over, then I’m all for them.

The bulbs will be on sale in 2011.

GE Unveils Unique Hybrid Halogen-CFL Light Bulb [GE. Thanks, David!]

Press images: GE

See Also:

• Beautiful Sculpted Lightbulb Too Good for a Shade
• 'World's Only' Solar-Powered Light-Bulb
• World's First Liquid-Cooled Lightbulb: What's The Point?
• LED Lightbulb Lasts 19 Years, Claims Right to Vote
• Levitating, Wireless Lightbulb

Nintendo will be releasing its Wii Remote Plus controller stateside on November 7, either on its own for $39, or as part of a Red Super Mario Bros-themed console bundle for $199.

Nintendo’s once-red-hot Wii has had trouble keeping up its sales performance. While new controllers including Playstation’s Move and Xbox Kinect are matching much of its motion-capture novelty using different technologies, Remote Plus, price-cutting and Mario nostalgia are Nintendo’s best offers to gamers old and new this holiday season.

Wii Remote Plus combines the original Wii remote and the add-on MotionPlus accessory into a single unit. The MotionPlus gyroscope was released last year with Wii Sports Resort; it adds ability to capture more complex movements and has quickly become necessary for full functionality on most new games. Unfortunately, the extra piece is a touch awkward and managing it can be a pain — especially if, like me, you bought a rechargeable battery accessory that can’t be used with it attached.

The Remote Plus is packed with the Red Wii Bundle, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Nintendo classic Super Mario Bros. It also includes a red Wii Console and Nunchuck controller, Sports Resort and the multiplayer 2-D platformer New Super Mario Brothers Wii, not to be confused with the 3-D Super Mario Galaxy series. It’s a price match with current Wii bundles that don’t include the Mario game and offer the WiiMote and MotionPlus control as separate pieces.

Nintendo’s also offering a red anniversary bundle of its DSi XL handheld with the Mario Kart DS racing game for $179.99.

Nintendo Announces Red-Hot Bundles, New Wii Remote Plus Controller [Nintendo Press Release]

See Also:

• Nintendo Wii Gains Netflix Streaming
• Home-Made Ghostbusters Proton Pack for Nintendo Wii
• Nintendo's No-Transfer Policy Could Burn Wii's Biggest Fans …
• Dragon Training Demystified on the Nintendo Wii
• New 'Nintendo DSi' Can Download Games, Take Pics, Play Music …
• Nintendo Entering E-Books Market With DSi XL
• From E3: Microsoft Gives us a Reason to Kinect
• Microsoft Prices Kinect at $150, or $300 With New 4-GB Xbox 360 …
• Why PlayStation Move Could Give '3-D Games' a Whole New Meaning …
• PlayStation 'Move' Controller is Like a Smartphone Inside