Apr 21
Apr 21
Stocked with up-to-the-minute trivia questions (Charlie Sheen, anyone?) and hosted by the beloved Cookie, YDKJ makes a glorious iOS debut.
Originally posted at iPhone Atlas
Apr 21
Reuters: Apple set to launch cloud-based music service ahead of Google (update)
Posted in: amazon, Apple, cloud, itunes, Music, rumor, streaming, Today's Chili
It’s the rumor that wouldn’t die, and Reuters is now reporting that Apple is finally set to launch a cloud-based music service — presumably putting its massive North Carolina data center to some real work at long last. Details are still fairly light beyond that, but Reuters says that Apple’s service will actually launch ahead of Google’s similar cloud-based option, which it reports is now “stalled,” citing “several people familiar with both companies plans.” According to Reuters, the service will let folks store their music (and only music, apparently) on Apple’s servers and then access it on any device with an internet connection — and a copy of iTunes, we presume.
Update: Peter Kafka, over at All Things Digital, backs up Reuters’ claim with some additional detail. Unlike Amazon’s approach with Cloud Player, Apple is actively seeking to license the music for its streaming service before launching. According to Kafka’s sources, Apple has already secured deals with two of the big four labels and plans to launch “pretty soon.” The deal would allow Apple to store a single master copy of a track on its servers and then share that track with multiple users. As Kafka describes the service, “The idea is that Apple will let users store songs they’ve purchased from its iTunes store, as well as others songs stored on their hard drives, and listen to them on multiple devices.”
Reuters: Apple set to launch cloud-based music service ahead of Google (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 21
Report: Verizon Wireless Sold 2.2 Million iPhones in Two Months
Posted in: att, iPhone, Today's Chili, Verizon Wireless
Back when the iPhone 4 launched on Verizon Wireless, people wondered whether or not it would sell well, considering we were likely months away from an iPhone 5.
Then on launch day, reports of short lines and tepid response were metered against the fact that Apple and Verizon Wireless had stocked up in case demand was extremely heavy.
Now, in Verizon’s Q1 financial report, the company revealed that they sold over 2.2 million iPhones in the first two months they were available, and added over 1.8 million new wireless customers to its list of subscribers. Not a bad showing at all.
By contrast, AT&T announced that it activated 2.6 million new iPhones in the first quarter. Still, Since Verizon only got the iPhone in February, AT&T had a month or so headstart on the competition. The real test will come when the iPhone 5 is unveiled: then we’ll have the opportunity to see how many AT&T customers are patiently waiting for the new model to switch carriers.
[via All Things Digital]
Apr 21
Most companies that want to dispose of their hard drives in-house buy a degausser. Most people who want to dispose of a hard drive hit it with a hammer or take it to a recycling center, if they dispose of it at all. With the IDEAL 0101 HDP from Duplo, you don’t have to put the effort into wrecking your hard drive yourself: you can just pop it into a machine and watch as a hole is punched clean through your hard drive.
The IDEAL 0101 is designed to be a fast and efficient drive destruction device, and that it is: you just feed the drive into the slot at the top and stand back, making sure your hands are clear when the stake – ejected with up to 3 tons of force – comes out of the side and goes through the drive. The device then opens the bottom panel and spits the drive out into a collector at the bottom, ready to go to your local recycling center.
You’ll have to spend $3300 retail to get one of these, so it’s doubtful they’ll pop up in homes anytime soon. However, considering that well-built degaussers can be dozens of thousands of dollars, this might be a good alternative for small to medium sized businesses with a pile of old drives they want to destroy.
Apr 21
Samsung’s First Droid Smartphone to Drop on April 28
Posted in: Android, droid, Phones, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon
Samsung’s Droid Charge is the latest 4G phone slated for release on Verizon’s network. Photo courtesy of Verizon
First came Motorola’s Droid. HTC’s Droid Eris followed shortly thereafter. Finally, Samsung will add one of its devices to Verizon’s popular “Droid” brand with the Droid Charge, Samsung’s latest Android OS-powered smartphone.
In a release issued on Wednesday, Verizon and Samsung announced that the Droid Charge will be available in the U.S. on April 28 in Verizon retail stores.
The price? A hefty 300 bucks, and that’s after being subsidized with a two-year contract.
From what we can see on the details released thus far, the Charge’s hardware makes the phone no slouch. It’s got a huge 4.3-inch super AMOLED screen, 1-GHz processor and both back and front facing cameras (8 megapixels and 1.3 megapixels, respectively). It’s not running the most recent version of Android, though — the phone comes with 2.2 (Froyo) instead of 2.3 (Gingerbread).
It’s the second 4G LTE-enabled smartphone release for Verizon in 2011, with the HTC Thunderbolt being Verizon’s flagship 4G device. Until the Charge’s release, Verizon lags behind in the number of 4G device choices that its competitors AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile are offering.
Motorola’s 4G Droid Bionic was supposed to launch in the spring as the second 4G device on Verizon’s network, but Motorola has delayed the phone’s release until late summer, as the company wants to rework the phone with “expanded features, functionality and an improved form factor,” according to a statement.
The Thunderbolt has done well for Verizon, with phone sales topping 260,000 in the two-week period between March 17 and the end of the company’s financial first quarter. Though the 4G Thunderbolts sales were dwarfed by those of the 3G iPhone released on Verizon’s network in February: the company boasted 2.2 million iPhone 4 activations in the first quarter.
Of course, there’s a laundry list of other Droid-branded phones from Motorola and HTC we haven’t mentioned (Droid 2, the Incredible, etc.), but it’s Samsung’s first. The Droid branding and initiative revitalized the once-ailing Motorola, and made popular the relatively young HTC corporation.
We’ll have to wait and see what — if anything — Droid does for Samsung.
Apr 21
iriver Story HD e-reader hits the FCC, US retailers next?
Posted in: e reader, e-book, e-books, e-readers, Today's Chili
We haven’t heard much about iriver’s Story HD e-reader since it quite literally landed in our laps at CES back in January, but it looks like it might now finally be nearing a US launch. The e-reader has just turned up at the FCC, where’s it’s been thoroughly tested and dissected (see the link below for some additional evidence). That’s not always a sure sign that a US launch is imminent, but it does seem likely in this case — especially considering that iriver has already lined up a number of US content partnerships for the device. As for the e-reader itself, it’s similar in size to the Kindle and packs a 6-inch 1024 x 768 display, along with an 800MHz Coretx A8 processor, 2GB of internal memory, an SD card slot for expansion, and WiFi connectivity. In other words, it remains unchanged from CES, which means our preview is just as relevant as ever.
iriver Story HD e-reader hits the FCC, US retailers next? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 21
The biggest Lego model you’ve probably ever seen is unveiled aboard the real, 30,000-plus ton aircraft carrier.
Apr 21
One Man’s Nearly Impossible Quest to Make a Toaster From Scratch [Video]
Posted in: Today's Chili, top
In 2008, designer Thomas Thwaites decided to build a toaster from scratch-and not the “from scratch” that would land him in Home Depot for a couple of hours. He was interested in the seemingly magical process that turns what we pull out of the earth into the stuff that litters our houses. So Thwaites decided to take on the toaster, and what followed was an adventure that illuminated just how far removed our everyday items are from the raw materials that go into them. More »
Apr 21
Acer’s Web Surf Station looks like a monitor, acts like an all-in-one
Posted in: 1080p, Displays, monitor, Today's Chili
We’d say we’re pretty well-covered when it comes to devices that turn on instantly to let you surf the web, scan your Facebook feed, and browse photos. But if you crave that immediacy and a larger, more comfortable viewing space, Acer’s DX241H Web Station might be the product you’re looking for. Available in wired and wireless models, this 24-inch monitor has a built-in browser, and can get online without being connected to a PC. While web surfing is clearly the marquee feature, you can also watch movies on its 1080p display by using Acer’s clear.fi software to stream video and other media from other devices on the network. Spec-wise, it also boasts DLNA compatibility, VGA and HDMI output, USB ports, and a memory card slot. People in the UK too impatient to wait for an all-in-one to boot up can snag the Web Station for £299 ($495) in May.
Continue reading Acer’s Web Surf Station looks like a monitor, acts like an all-in-one
Acer’s Web Surf Station looks like a monitor, acts like an all-in-one originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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