Hasta La Gadget!

Just in time for CES, eh? We knew it was happening at some point in January, and Motorola has just announced that it’ll formally be split into two companies as of January 4th, 2011. Actually, that’s not technically accurate: Motorola Mobility — the phone and set-top box guys — will be spun off into their own entity, while the parent company will change its name from Motorola to Motorola Solutions, responsible for the company’s infrastructure businesses. Shareholders of the current company as of December 21st will receive one share of Mobility for every eight shares they’ve got in their possession right now, while the remainder of the company will enact a 1-for-7 reverse split; as of the 4th, you’ll be looking at two stock symbols: MMI for Mobility and MSI for Solutions. So… who’s buying? Follow the break for the official press release.

Continue reading Motorola split wraps up on January 4th

Motorola split wraps up on January 4th originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

(Credit:
The 404/CNET)

Our apologies to the listeners who waited patiently for us to fix the live stream this morning–CNET Live has a brand new layout and we’re still working things out, so thanks for your patience and understanding!

Today’s topics include a new generation of Four Loko alternatives, social-networking shoes, and Wilson’s struggle to jam a big tip into a small ear canal.

New manufacturers are springing to life to fill the void left by Four Loko and Sparks, and one of them infuses alcohol into an aerosol spray of whipped cream. It’s called Whipped Lightning, and it’s the newest way to get alcohol poisoning thanks to its 30-proof, 15 percent alcohol content.

But if you really want to end up in a hospital, try whipping it onto a glass of 40-proof chocolate milk, the new newest Four Loko substitute coming soon to Minnesota, California, and Arizona.

Remember the Boba Fett Adidas sneakers we first saw on our buddy Peter Ha‘s feet back in September? Those looked pretty cool, but check out these new concept designs for a new pair of Adidas Superstars designed to look like Facebook and Twitter.

Luckily they’re only concepts (for now), but with fools paying more than $1,000 for an official Facebook hoodie, it’s not hard to imagine them arriving at Foot Locker in the near future. And while you’re there, be sure to look in the clearance bin for The 404 Adidas Superstars as well. Thanks for the image Ddawg!

Tune in after the break as we advise Wilson how to properly insert the tip of an in-ear headphone like the Monster Turbine into his tiny canals. Be afraid–it’s just as terrifying as it sounds.

Episode 718

Listen now:

Download today’s podcast

Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video

Originally posted at The 404 Podcast

Canada’s Bell appears to be taking advantage of Netgear’s partnership with Ericsson on this one, putting its 21Mbps HSPA+ network to good use. Not to say that phones aren’t a great use for high-speed data, of course, but that’s enough bandwidth to realistically replace a home internet connection or two — and that’s exactly what the so-called MBR 1210 Turbo Hub sets out to do, spreading an incoming Bell data signal over up to 15 devices connected via WiFi and Ethernet. Interestingly, it also allows users to use the HSPA+ hookup as an automatic fallback in case your primary connection (say, DSL or cable) fails — perfect for us “blog or die” types. You’ll pay CAD $149.95 (about $147) on a two-year deal to put a Turbo Hub on your shelf, or CAD $299.95 ($294) sans contract; plans, meanwhile, range from CAD $35 to $60 ($34 to $59) for between 3GB and 10GB of data (no metric / English conversion necessary there) with a $10 surcharge to gain access to the 21Mbps signal — you get 7.2Mbps otherwise. It’s a pretty creative plan structure, and we’re sure folks would appreciate an unlimited option… preferably without any extra speed fees. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading Bell Mobility launches Netgear Turbo Hub, sends juicy HSPA+ to your WiFi and Ethernet gear

Bell Mobility launches Netgear Turbo Hub, sends juicy HSPA+ to your WiFi and Ethernet gear originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Bell Mobility  | Email this | Comments

Seems Samsung still hasn’t solved the GPS woes on many of its Galaxy S models to the satisfaction of every user — complaints of inordinately long (or impossible) lock times continue to trickle into our inbox to this very day. To that end, folks might be interested in the news that Samsung Mobile is tweeting about a “GPS Restore Application” that it’s thrown together for wiping the GPS subsystem and making it factory-fresh. Now, we’ll be the first to admit — we don’t quite understand how “restoring” a screwed-up GPS to its original screwed-up state is doing any good, but we’ll leave it to Sammy’s confusing verbiage:

“During online surveillance, there is an abundance of GPS tweaks that impair GPS performance. Often times, no backup is performed to restore values prior to modifications. Samsung has released an application that restores GPS settings to recommended factory defaults for optinum [sic] performance.”

Right, then. It’s only compatible with the Captivate and Vibrant at the moment — no word on others like the Epic 4G, Mesmerize, or Fascinate, but folks on AT&T and T-Mobile should be able to nab it from the Market.

Samsung releases ‘GPS Restore’ app for Captivate and other Galaxy S models originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  @SamsungMobileUS (Twitter), Samsung  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft seems to be aiming to develop touch screens that can alter their surface, giving users the feeling that they’re touching an actual object.

Originally posted at News – Microsoft