6 Tools to Settle Any Argument for Good

The National Debt Ceiling debate has reached an unprecedented level of rancor recently with no end to the wrangling in sight. These 6 tools can help our glorious leaders reach an accord, or at least die trying. [top image via shutterstock.com] More »

LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market

We were thoroughly infatuated with LauncherPro developer Federico Carnale’s then-unnamed music app the first time we saw it in beta, bringing Metro UI styled playback to our Android lifestyles. Now UberMusic v1.0 is available on the Android Market, flexing its customizable skills for the princely sum of $3.49. Don’t think this is just some ripoff however, while one of the skins (that can also be found on the Market) is a Zune lookalike, third parties can make it look however they might like, including the widgets. If you missed our demo the first time around you can check out the video after the break to see why we’re so excited, or hit the source link to purchase now. Allergic to spending money on apps? Don’t give up all hope, as the creator tweets an ad-supported free version may be on the way as well.

Continue reading LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market

LauncherPro dev’s skinnable UberMusic player finally hits the Android Market originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 19:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink @fedecarnales (Twitter)  |  sourceAndroid Market, UberMusic.com, Metro Skin  | Email this | Comments

IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow

Well, the numbers are in and Q2’s proved to be a mixed bag for the mobile market. According to IDC, cellphone makers shipped a total of 365.4 million units last quarter, a year-over-year increase of 11.3 percent. Nokia, while still the world’s largest handset maker, suffered a significant blow, with shipments dropping from 111.1 million in Q2 2010 to 88.5 million; the company’s market share was similarly down, hitting 24.2 percent, compared to last year’s 33.8 percent. LG Electronics was the only other manufacturer to see a loss, with shipments dropping to 24.8 million from 30.6 million in 2010. Apple managed to maintain its recently acquired number four spot, with iPhone shipments hitting 20.3 million, up year-over-year from 8.4 million. RIM was conspicuously missing from the top five lineup, while ZTE landed the number five position. In news that shouldn’t surprise anyone with a pulse, the feature phone market saw a decline this year, surprisingly its first since Q3 2009. If you’re jonesing for more market share and shipping stats, hop on past the break for the full PR.

Continue reading IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow

IDC: Nokia, LG see significant Q2 shipping decline, Apple continues to grow originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AllThingsD  |  sourceIDC  | Email this | Comments

The New Essential Apps July 2011

iPhones. iPads. Android. Windows Phone 7. We’ve updated all of our essential apps lists to include a few forgotten favorites, some long awaited arrivals and, as always, even more amazing apps. Check them out! More »

Engadget’s next reader meetup happens in NYC on August 25th!

Engadget's next reader meetup happens in NYC on August 25th!

Oh, hi! How are you? It’s been so long! We know, we’ve been busy, but we’re going to be in town soon. Very soon! In less than a month we’ll be having a get-together for lots and lots (and lots) of our closest friends — and yes, you’re totally invited. We’ll be hosting the event on the evening of August 25th and it takes place at Guastavino’s, a top-shelf venue on 59th Street in New York City. It’ll be an all-ages gig where you and your friends can try out some of the hottest tech you’ve read about here, debate with the editors about Windows Phone vs. Android vs. iOS vs. RIM vs. whatever, and maybe go home with one of the many, many great prizes we’ll be giving away.

We’ll have more posts with more details in the coming weeks as we get closer to the day in question, but if you’re a member of the media who would like to attend, an exhibitor who wants to show something off to the fans, or a sponsor who wants to be a part of the insanity (readers, hold tight!), please e-mail us at meetup at engadget dot com. Until then!

Engadget’s next reader meetup happens in NYC on August 25th! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bose Acoustimass 6 Series III review: Tiny speakers that sound big, but pricey

The Bose Acoustimass 6 Series III speaker system delivers a big sound from exceptionally small speakers, but its high price keeps it from being a good value pick.

Engadget Primed: are multi-core chips worth the investment?

Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day — we dig deep into each topic’s history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.


My, how times have changed over the last eight months. At CES 2011, we ecstatically witnessed the introduction of mobile devices with dual-core CPUs and drooled over the possibilities we’d soon have at our fingertips. Now, we look down at anything that doesn’t have more than one core — regardless of its performance. Not only are these new chips quickly becoming mainstream, Moore’s Law is in full effect with our handheld devices since tri-core and quad-core systems are just over the horizon. We can’t even fathom what’s in the pipeline for the year 2015 and beyond (we don’t think we’re too far away from that 3D shark seen in Back to the Future 2).

Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves here, however. After all, we first need to wrap our puny human minds around the idea of what this newfound power can do, and why it’s changing the entire landscape of smartphones and tablets. In this edition of Primed, we’ll focus on why multicore technology makes such a difference in the way we use our handheld devices, whether we should even consider purchasing a handset with a single-core chip inside, and why one-core tech is so 2010. Check out the whole enchilada after the break.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: are multi-core chips worth the investment?

Engadget Primed: are multi-core chips worth the investment? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great

AT&T today officially confirmed what so many had expected for some time now: the carrier will be throttling select users’ unlimited data plans. The move, which takes effect on October 1st, is a response to a “serious wireless spectrum crunch,” according to a message issued today. The changes will not affect most customers, according to the company, primarily targeting those who fall within the top five percent of heavy users in a given billing cycle. Once the new period begins, speeds will be restored. Even with this new plan in place, however, the company says that the spectrum problems still won’t be resolved — it does have a simple solution, however, explaining that “nothing short of completing the T-Mobile merger will provide additional spectrum capacity to address these near term challenges.” Full text after the break.

Continue reading AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great

AT&T announces throttling plans, gently reminds us why the T-Mobile acquisition is so great originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell 1130n laser printer review: Outgunned by the competition

The Dell 1130n laser printer delivers basic functionality and a simple design, but it’s not enough in the face of competitive printers that offer more features for the same price.

Big screen 3D and Blu-ray in a very large laptop: Toshiba Qosmio X775-3DV78, reviewed

Toshiba’s top-of-the-line Qosmio costs $1899 and weighs a ton, but it’s packed full of impressive processing power and has a 3D display and glasses. Read on for our review.