Jan 19
Sure, you think your iPod sounds perfectly fine, but the TTVJ Portable Slim Headphone Amplifier will dramatically improve an iPod’s or any portable music player’s sound.
Originally posted at The Audiophiliac
Jan 19
According to the latest rumors, Sony is set to release not one, but two new major portable gaming devices in the coming weeks. First up is the long-awaited PSP2, which will apparently be announced on 27th. In February, the company will apparently be following up that major announcement with the unveiling of a hotly anticipated game-centric smartphone.
The rumors, which are said to come from “two people with knowledge of the plans,” shed some light on what has seemingly been a bit of conflation amongst rumor generations, combining the PSP sequel and the so-called PlayStation Phone into one gaming playing, call making hyper media device.
The phone side is said to fall under the Sony Ericsson side of the business (makes sense). It will apparently be released at Mobile World Congress, which is set for mid-February in Barcelona. According to most rumors, the device will run some form of Android. Sony, naturally, isn’t saying a thing about its plans–or lack thereof–on either front.
Jan 19
App review: AirView
Posted in: airplay, app, Apple, Features, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, itunes, review, streaming, Today's Chili, video
We just came across a neat little iOS app called AirView which, as you can probably tell from the name, transforms your iOS devices into AirPlay video receivers. And since iOS can also output video via AirPlay, this means you can use AirView to either grab AirPlay streams from your computer’s iTunes, or you can stream videos from one iOS device to another (provided that they are both running iOS 4.2 and above, of course). Theoretically, little work is required to get the ball rolling — just launch the app, then play your desired video clip from the source, and finally pick your client device using the AirPlay button.
We say theoretically, because it took us awhile to figure out that none of our purchased videos worked, even though AirPlay supports DRM content — the assumption is that AirView lacks the component for receiving authorization key. Alas, we stuck with our, ahem, homemade videos which actually worked very well over both iTunes-to-iOS and iOS-to-iOS connections, although sometimes we had to relaunch AirView and the iPod app to start a new stream. Perhaps some folks will have better luck than us, so feel free to give this app a go — it is free, after all. Video demo after the break.
Continue reading App review: AirView
App review: AirView originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink 
Wired | 
iTunes | Email this | Comments
Jan 19
Doodle 4 Google Contest
Posted in: Google, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili
Today is the start of the fourth annual Doodle 4 Google contest. This fun little contest was created by Google to get kids to use their imagination and creative abilities to think big and redesign Google’s homepage logo for millions to see.
The contest is open to K-12 students in the U.S., (Darn, I’m too old!) The theme this year is “What I’d like to do someday…” So, get out the crayons, pencils, markers, and paint and create whatever it is you want to do or be when you grow up. Just make sure it’s creative; only one doodle will be accepted per student. Then, Google employees and a panel of guest judges, including Whoopi Goldberg, gold medal ice skater Evan Lysacek and “Garfield” creator Jim Davis, will narrow down the submissions.
The national winner will not only have his or her doodle featured on the homepage, but will also receive a $15,000 scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for their schools. In addition, the top 40 regional finalists and the 3 national finalist will not receive a trip to New York City, a visit from Google in their hometown, a t-shirt with their design on it, and their artwork will be featured in a special exhibition in partnership with the Whitney Museum of American Art. The 3 national finalist will also receive a $5,00 educational grant and a Walcom design tablet. Not too shabby.
Make sure your students are registered by March 2, 2011 and their entries are postmarked by March 16, 2011. The winning doodle will appear on the homepage on May 20, 2011. Check out Doodle 4 Google for more details.
Jan 19
Get the latest details, including the price, release date, and launch lineup, for Nintendo’s 3DS handheld game system.
Jan 19
Nintendo 3DS Invades Your Eyeballs March 27 for $250 [Gaming]
Posted in: 3ds, gaming, nintendo, nintendo 3ds, Today's Chili, top
At last, the final key details for the Nintendo 3DS are here. It’s gonna be $250 when it comes out on March 27, with 30 games available right around launch. More »
Jan 19
Kinect support for Windows in the works, SDK release this summer?
Posted in: kinect, Microsoft, PC, rumor, rumors, sensor, steve ballmer, Today's Chili, Windows, windows 7, windows 8, Windows7, Windows8
WinRumors, citing anonymous sources, reports that the official software developers kit (SDK) for Kinect is currently in the works and will be released in beta some time in the next few months. Apparently, support for the device will become a part of Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio and also be integrated into Windows 8 in a big way. These details come hot on the heels of CEO Steve Ballmer’s statement at CES that the good folks in Redmond would eventually support the device’s use on computers, but he set no timetable for the SDKs release. We can’t confirm the story, but given the level of detail in the report and the author’s confidence in the info, we won’t be surprised if Microsoft gives all you Kinect hackers something to cheer about very soon.
Kinect support for Windows in the works, SDK release this summer? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Jan 19
Touch-n-Go: A Multi-Charger You May Actually Want
Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, Today's Chili
Phones, iPads, cameras, pico-projectors, Bluetooth speakers, Bluetooth headsets, backup phone batteries: Gotta charge ‘em all! And, unfortunately, gotta have a charger for ‘em all.
Or do you? Not if you have the Touch-n-go from The Joy Factory. The dimpled pad is a take on the inductive “splash” chargers which need no cables but require a custom case for each gadget. Instead, you have a handful of too-short-to-tangle adapters with a plug on one end and a Smartie-shaped bobble on the other. This bobble snaps magnetically onto the Touch-n-go pad, nestling into one of its smooth plastic craters.
You still have to plug in the cable, but you no longer have to disentangle it first, and you only take up one wall socket.
The Joy Factory has named neither price nor availability, but it is listed in a press document along with other peripherals in the $50 to $100 range. Even at the top end of that range, it might be worth it just to ease your frustrations.
Zip, Touch-n-go Multi-devices Charging System [The Joy Factory]
See Also:
- Chargers
- Clever Power Outlet Incorporates Dual USB Chargers
- Wireless Chargers Puff Up Their Green Credentials
- Electrocuting Battery Chargers Enter the UK
- Europeans Realize Dream of a Single Charger for All Cellphones …
Jan 19
I hate to be the one to utter the “f” word here, but it’s getting harder and harder to ignore the signs of fragmentation in the Android world these days. According to new numbers from the Android Developers blog, a mere 0.4 percent of Android device owners (handsets, tablets, et al.) have the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system–2.3, Gingerbread–installed.
That version’s predecessor–Android 2.2, Froyo–is far and away the most widely installed version of the operating system, at 51.8 percent. Due to hardware limitations, manufacturer delays, and other reasons, however, a full 35.2 percent of Android owners still have Android 2.1 installed. The number drops significantly for Android 1.6 and 1.5, at 7.9 and 4.7 percent, respectively.
The above numbers were arrived at by monitoring the devices that accessed the
Android during a two week period ending January 4th. Given the relative recent explosion of Android devices on the market, perhaps these numbers ought be regarded as something of a cautionary tale for Google and the manufacturers about the direction the operating system is going and where it ought to be headed.
Jan 19
Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video)
Posted in: 3ds, breaking news, BreakingNews, DS, feature, Features, nintendo, Today's Chili, video
We’ve known about the 3DS for what seems like ages but now, finally, we have US launch details, courtesy of dueling press events in New York and Amsterdam. The price for Americans is $249.99 and the release date is March 27, while Europeans will get it a few days earlier, on March 25th. European pricing, however, will be decided by retailers, which leaves us feeling a little bit unfulfilled. Courtesy of our chums at Joystiq and various retailers, it looks like £229.99 is the going rate in the UK, while the rest of Europe is looking at €249.99. (Curious how it sizes up with portable’s past? Joystiq’s got you covered.)
Nintendo is promising “30+” games to be available in the US during the launch window, more than 25 in Europe, with that window spanning between the actual launches in March and E3 in June. Sadly we’re still in the dark regarding which games exactly will be available when the system drops in March. Many games were discussed, including Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D, Dead or Alive Dimensions, Rabbids 3D, Resident Evil: Revelations, a new Paper Mario, and an obligatory Madden game too. There are plenty more mentioned in PR below. This is in addition to titles we already knew about, like Pilotwings Resort and Kid Icarus: Uprising. As for pricing, retailers are showing $40 to $50 per game, so yeah, that’s a We’re also told that remakes of classic GameBoy and GameBoy Color titles will be hitting the Virtual Console.
Meanwhile, European gamers are going to be getting a taste of exclusive 3D video content from a variety of partners, most notable being EuroSport, which will be serve up depth-enabled sports footage to portable consoles. We’re also told episodes of Shaun the Sheep, a new series from Wallace & Gromit creators Aardman, will be available as well. For now these deals look Europe-only, but here’s to hoping American folks will get something similar.
We have European and American press releases embedded below for your reading enjoyment, as well some video we shot from the New York.
Gallery: Nintendo 3DS press images
Nintendo 3DS coming to US March 27th for $249.99, Europe first on March 25th (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 10:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.