Hasta La Gadget!

Where would we be without Google? Well, we wouldn’t have pretty charts to gawk at, for starters! The Mountain View squad has pulled 10 years’ worth of fiscal data from the US Census Bureau and compiled it into some gorgeous, infinitely sortable, and re-organizable graphs. They inspire both our admiration and apprehension, as their lines illustrate most starkly the shrinkage that replaced US economic growth over the latter half of the last decade. We’ve only picked out a few of the big states here, but all 50 are in Google’s public database — why not hit the source link and check up on your local governors’ pecuniary (mis)management skills, eh?

Continue reading Visualized: Google charts the rise and fall of United States revenues

Visualized: Google charts the rise and fall of United States revenues originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Google Public Data Explorer  | Email this | Comments

American Express may have been lagging a bit behind the likes of Visa and Mastercard with digital payments over the years, but it’s making a pretty big play in the field today. It’s just announced its new “Serve” digital payment platform, which is more or less a straight-on competitor to PayPal. That means you’ll be able to transfer funds to your Serve account from your bank account or credit card, send money to others using either the website or mobile app (currently available for iOS and Android), and even link your account to a reloadable Serve card, which you can use at any retailer that accepts American Express credit cards. Nothing fancy like NFC payments just yet, but American Express is promising to “quickly evolve” the platform by adding new features and functionality, and it’s hoping to kick start things by waiving most of the consumer fees for the first six months. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and hit up the source link below if you’d like to sign up.

Continue reading American Express challenges PayPal with ‘Serve’ digital payment platform

American Express challenges PayPal with ‘Serve’ digital payment platform originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Serve  | Email this | Comments

Korean electronics manufacturer LG may be working on a Google-branded "Nexus" tablet.

Google is preparing its own hardware entry into the Android tablet market in collaboration with device manufacturer LG, according to a report circulating Monday morning.

The device will be an LG-made “Nexus” tablet, Google’s signature product name for its collaborations with independent hardware manufacturers, the report says.

The tablet could be complete by mid-summer to early autumn, according to speculation from tech site Mobile Review. The site did not disclose any further details or hardware specifications on the speculated device. One caveat: the LG-produced device could just be a prototype used internally by Google for development, as noted by The Boy Genius Report.

Google did not respond to our request for comment on the matter.

If a Google-branded tablet hits market, this wouldn’t be Google’s first entry into branding devices from outside manufacturers. Google’s previous Nexus devices include the HTC-manufactured Nexus One smartphone, which was widely regarded as a failure after lackluster sales and a lukewarm reception from the general public. The Samsung-produced Nexus S followed in late 2010, a phone that garnered much hype upon its initial release, but has been passed over by the myriad 2011 smartphone releases, which boast beefier hardware profiles and heftier ad campaigns.

A Google-branded Nexus tablet may have a better chance at success than its smartphone Nexus predecessors, however. Among other reasons, the Nexus One’s difficulties lay in AT&T’s and Verizon’s unwillingness to subsidize the handset — only T-Mobile (the carrier in last place in the U.S. in terms of adoption) backed the release.

While carrier subsidies can help sales, a new tablet’s popularity isn’t necessarily contingent on whether or not the major carriers are willing to play ball. Wi-Fi only versions of tablets like Apple’s iPad and the Motorola Xoom are sold at significantly lower prices than their 3G network-enabled counterparts, which means more potential sales without the headache of carrier choosing for customers.

But any new entry into the already crowded tablet market must take into account other factors, including a healthy media ecosystem and competitive pricing. Currently, the Android Market hosts over 200,000 apps for download, with many more available on independent, unofficial markets. Apple’s app store is home to double that amount at over 400,000. Recent improvements to Android’s payment system such as the launch of its web-based Android Market in February, however, could give Google more traction in developing its app environment.

LG is already producing its own Android-based tablet in collaboration with Google, the brevity-lacking “T-Mobile G-Slate with Google by LG.” The G-Slate will run Android version 3.0 (Honeycomb), and will be capable of playing and recording 3D and full HD video content.

See Also:

• LG Promises Two New Android Phones, Tablet
• LG’s Glasses-Free 3-D Phone is Pretty Impressive
• Gingerbread

The NY Times is flipping the switch on its digital paywall right now, and the Grey Lady don’t come cheap: $15/month for the website and the phone app, $20/month for the website and the iPad app, or a wallet-singeing $35 for web, phone, and iPad. But there are loopholes! And they are generous. Here’s your game plan. More »

The P500 has a lens so wide and long it’s likely to make other megazoom owners feel inadequate.