Apr 27

T-Mobile G2x lacks quadband HSPA+, shatters dreams

Posted in: 4G, att, hspa, LG, t-mobile, Today's Chili

Ever since we first saw it at CTIA, T-Mobile’s been advertising its lovely G2x superphone as a quadband HSPA+ capable device. Based on the published specs in press releases and even on T-Mobile’s own website, there wasn’t any reason to believe that the G2x wasn’t compatible with AT&T’s 1900 / 850MHz 3G bands, in addition to supporting T-Mobile’s 1700MHz “4G” (AWS) flavor and Europe / Asia’s 2100MHz standard. This made perfect sense — especially in light of AT&T’s plans to acquire T-Mobile — until people started purchasing and unlocking the handset. Reports quickly came trickling in that the G2x was unable to connect to AT&T’s 3G network, something we verified after unlocking our review unit. That’s when we decided that perhaps this was a restriction in the baseband software rather than a hardware limitation, so we reached out to T-Mobile for comment, and received the following statement:

The T-Mobile G2x fact sheet, attached [PDF link], contains accurate information. The T-Mobile website is incorrect and we’re working to correct it. The G2x supports 850/900/1800/1900 MHz for 2G/GPRS only, and supports 3G/4G UMTS/HSPA+ bands I and IV. The G2x does not support AT&T’s 3G bands. This banding is hardware based.

This is obviously unfortunate news, and is clearly a major faux pas on behalf of T-Mobile. It’s particularly disturbing since we were so certain of the G2x’s quadband 3G support when we discussed it in our last mobile podcast. Oh well, you live and learn, eh?

T-Mobile G2x lacks quadband HSPA+, shatters dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 11:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

Samsung RF712 gaming laptop promises ultra-bright 3D, an end to dimness (video)

Posted in: AMD, korea, LCD, monitor, retail, samsung, screen, shipping, South Korea, SouthKorea, Today's Chili, video

Dell has already put 3D to good effect in its high-end Alienware models, but Samsung claims the screen on its new RF712 gaming laptop will have industry-leading brightness, helping it to overcome the dimming effect of wearing 3D glasses. The 17.3-inch screen will employ the same Super Bright Plus technology that stunned us in its Series 9 laptop, but this time at a higher Full HD resolution. The stated brightness is 400-nits — as much as double what you might to expect to find in an average LCD and perhaps even enough for a LAN party outdoors in the sunshine (ok, maybe not). Other specs include a second generation quad-core Intel CPU, 2GB-worth of AMD HD6650M graphics, 750GB hard drive and USB 3.0. The RF712 will start selling in South Korea on May 2nd for ₩2.6million (about $2,400), but it could be a while before it hits international shores. Until then, we will be standing here wearing our active Bluetooth 3D glasses and looking out for a 400-nit speck on the horizon.

You, on the other hand, can check out the RF712 on video after the break courtesy of Johnmichaels01.

Continue reading Samsung RF712 gaming laptop promises ultra-bright 3D, an end to dimness (video)

Samsung RF712 gaming laptop promises ultra-bright 3D, an end to dimness (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

RIM acquires Tungle, might soon bridge your calendar across platforms

Posted in: BlackBerry, blackberry playbook, BlackberryPlaybook, playbook, RIM, Today's Chili, video

The BlackBerry PlayBook may be noticeably lacking a calendar app of its own (at least for now), but it looks like RIM could soon have more scheduling options than ever — it’s just acquired fellow Canadian company Tungle, which specializes in syncing your calendar across platforms. At the moment, that’s done with either the company’s web application, or its iOS or BlackBerry app (an Android version has also been promised), which also let you share your calendar with folks inside or outside your company and, of course, tie it into your various social networks — so you can learn about the person you’re having a meeting with, for instance. As you might expect, however, RIM is staying mum on exactly what it has in mind for the company, and it also isn’t divulging any specific terms of the acquisition. Head on past the break for a video demonstrating how the current service works.

Continue reading RIM acquires Tungle, might soon bridge your calendar across platforms

RIM acquires Tungle, might soon bridge your calendar across platforms originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

Apple Promises Fix for Location-Gathering ‘Bug’ on iPhone

Posted in: Apple, ipad, iPhone, Phones, privacy, Today's Chili

An unencrypted file stored in iPhones and iPads constantly records location data. An open source application was used to plot the location data from an iPhone belonging to a Wired.com reporter.

Your iPhone isn’t stalking you, but some of its intrusive location-gathering techniques are the result of bugs that will be fixed soon, according to Apple.

Apple published a Q&A document on Wednesday to educate customers on how and why Apple is collecting location data, and the company admitted some of its techniques are flawed.

“Users are confused, partly because the creators of this new technology (including Apple) have not provided enough education about these issues to date,” Apple said in the statement.

Apple’s statement echoes Wired.com’s explanation of Apple’s location-gathering published last week, which was based on a letter Apple sent to Congressmen Ed Markey and Joe Barton in 2010 to disclose data-collection methods.

Apple’s Wednesday response comes nearly a week after two data scientists revealed that an unprotected file stored on iPhones and iPads was keeping a history of location data dating back to 10 months ago. Following that story, The Wall Street Journal discovered that the devices continue to store location data, even when location services are switched off.

Two customers have already filed a lawsuit against Apple, accusing the company of violating computer fraud laws by secretly recording location data of iPhone and iPad users.

Apple admits in the Q&A statement that the file should not be storing so much data dating as far back as a year ago, and it should not be storing location data even after location services are turned off. The company said an upcoming, free software update would fix both these issues, plus, it would encrypt the database file.

It’s worth noting that although Apple claims the excessive location-data storage method is a bug, the company recently filed for a patent that describes a location-gathering method in which the iPhone’s database file does not remove location history entries until the location database becomes full.

In the Q&A statement, Apple explained that the iPhone is collecting information on nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi access points to help customers rapidly calculate and accurately find their location.

Apple calls this “crowdsourcing” location data, because millions of iPhones are collecting this data and transmitting it to Apple to build its comprehensive location database to assist with location services.

“Calculating a phone’s location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes,” Apple said. “iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data to quickly find GPS satellites, and even triangulate its location using just Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basements).”

Apple said the bug fixes would arrive with the next major iOS software update.

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Apr 27

Delayed by quake, iPad 2 coming to Japan

Posted in: Today's Chili

Apple’s tablet will be available in Japan tomorrow, followed by a launch in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and eight other countries on Friday.

Originally posted at The Digital Home

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Apr 27

Nikon D5100 impressions, head-to-head with D7000

Posted in: 1080p, camera, digital camera, DigitalCamera, hands-on, HandsOn, impressions, nikon, review, Today's Chili, unboxing, video

Nikon has stirred up the camera crowds once again with its newly released D5100, filling the industry with the buzz of a new high-resolution articulating screen. In terms of consumer DSLR options, the D5100 has taken on the role of the mid-range model in Nikon’s product line between the D3100 and the D7000 and we think it assumes the part rather nicely. In terms of price, the D5100 fits right in as well, fetching an MSRP of $900 (vs. $700 and $1600, respectively for the two aforementioned camera kits). Of course, the D7000 lands you the better 18-105 f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR lens, a larger and brighter viewfinder, built-in focus motor, weather-proof sealing, and a few other internal upgrades. But don’t judge too quickly, because we’ve had some time to play with Nikon’s latest creation and the D5100 can certainly shoot along with the big boys of consumer cameras — read on past the break for our impressions and comparisons with the D7000.

Gallery: Nikon D5100 impressions

Continue reading Nikon D5100 impressions, head-to-head with D7000

Nikon D5100 impressions, head-to-head with D7000 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

Apple confirms it’s working on a traffic service, moving away from Google Maps?

Posted in: Apple, Google, ios, iPhone, maps, navigation, Today's Chili

It wasn’t the main thrust of its “Q&A on Location Data” this morning, but Apple did also make a bit of news while it tried to ease those privacy concerns about how it’s handling your data. The company says it “is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database,” and that it’s hoping to provide iPhone users with an “improved traffic service in the next couple of years.” It didn’t divulge much more than that, unfortunately, but that little detail lines up with some other navigation-related developments out of the company as of late. It acquired web mapping firm Poly9 last July (in addition to Google Maps rival Placebase in late 2009), and just last month a couple of job postings revealed that it was looking for folks to “radically improve” the iOS Maps experience. Add all those together and it’s starting to look an awful lot like a shift away from Google Maps in favor of an all-Apple solution — much like how the company relied on Skyhook until it could roll its own WiFi geolocation service.

Apple confirms it’s working on a traffic service, moving away from Google Maps? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

Walmart offers custom gaming PCs from iBuyPower, tube socks still only L or XL

Posted in: AMD, CoreI5, CoreI7, intel, NVIDIA, radeon, sandy bridge, SandyBridge, Today's Chili, walmart
iBuyPower <3 Walmart

How’s this for unexpected: you can now pop over to Walmart.com and build yourself a custom gaming rig from iBuyPower. Systems start at $599 (though they’re currently on sale for $578), come in a choice of five different cases and can be equipped with up to 8GB of RAM and a 2TB hard drive. Both Intel and AMD fans will find CPUs to make them happy, including Core i5 and i7 K-series chips, which have unlocked multipliers for all you thrift-happy overclockers out there. You can also choose from nine different AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards, all the way up to a 1.5GB GeForce GTX480. You won’t find seriously heavy-duty hardware like Extreme Edition processors or three-way SLI setups, but you can pick up a pair of $3 flipflops to wear while you lounge around playing Portal 2.

[Thanks, Mark]

Continue reading Walmart offers custom gaming PCs from iBuyPower, tube socks still only L or XL

Walmart offers custom gaming PCs from iBuyPower, tube socks still only L or XL originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 09:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 27

White iPhone finally launching worldwide tomorrow

Posted in: Today's Chili

Apple’s long-awaited white iPhone will retail for $199 and $299 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively. The smartphone will be available to both AT&T and Verizon Wireless customers.

Originally posted at The Digital Home

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Apr 27

iSpy: Apple Will Fix the iPhone Location Problem [Privacy]

Posted in: iPhone, privacy, Today's Chili, top

Surprise! Apple’s broken their silence on the iPhone location tracking controversy with an amazingly self-contradictory Q&A press release. Most notable: they say the massive data cache goes too far, and will be fixed in an impending software update. More »

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