Jul 20
CNET Editor Jessica Dolcourt took dozens of photos with the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide to see just how good this smartphone camera really is.
Originally posted at Dialed In
Jul 20
Hitachi announces high-res 4.5-inch IPS display for smartphones with improved glasses-free 3D
Posted in: Today's Chili
There’s still no word as to when it might actually land in some phones, but it looks like glasses-free 3D could soon see some improvements courtesy of Hitachi’s latest 4.5-inch IPS display. Not only does it boast a high 1280 x 720 resolution, but it uses a less common lenticular lens approach instead of the parallax barrier method used by the likes of the Nintendo 3DS and HTC EVO 3D. According to Hitachi, that allows for some much 3D brighter images than other displays (470 cd/m2, specifically), and images that are actually brighter in 3D mode than in 2D mode. Here’s hoping Hitachi shows off a bit more than the image above before too long.
Hitachi announces high-res 4.5-inch IPS display for smartphones with improved glasses-free 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 20
Netflix app on Android updated to work on 24 models including Galaxy S, Droid 3 (update: tablets too!)
Posted in: Android, att, froyo, GalaxyS, Google, lenovo, netflix, samsung, Sprint, tablet, thunderbolt, Today's Chili, watch instantly, WatchInstantly
The number of Android devices officially compatible with the Netflix streaming app has more than doubled in v2.3, growing from 9 to 24. Last night the description was updated with a new list of devices but the actual updated APK only started pushing this afternoon, bringing Netflix not only to the Lenovo tablet announced last night but also to the Droid 3, HTC Thunderbolt, Motorola Atrix, several Galaxy S phones including the Epic 4G and Fascinate and more. Fragmentation is clearly still an issue for DRM’d apps like this and Hulu Plus, but at least now there’s a growing number of recent superphones supported instead of sitting on the sidelines. We’ve got the updated list of devices after the break, hit the source link to download the app from the Android Market.
Update: As multiple commenters have noted, sideloading the Netflix APK will still work for devices that haven’t yet made the list. We were able to confirm the app works fine on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Motorola Xoom, however we’re hearing it’s not up and running on the Tegra 2-based Transformer just yet. Itching for some Watch Instantly on your Honeycomb tablet? Check XDA-Developers for a download link.
Update 2: Alex wrote in to let us know that things are now operational on the Transformer, too. Check out xda-developers for the details.
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Netflix app on Android updated to work on 24 models including Galaxy S, Droid 3 (update: tablets too!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 20
Battlefield 3 will be the most socially oriented first-person shooter EA/DICE has ever created. Here’s why.
Jul 20
Garmin adds Darth Vader voice navigation to its GPS devices. Jedi Master Yoda is coming soon.
Jul 20
Songify for iPhone: I’m Going to Win a Freaking Grammy For This One
Posted in: Music, Today's Chili, top
What if I told you that you could be a singer if you just spoke into an app. Seriously, that’s all you have to do with Songify. The app autotunes your voice and stitches it against a song. YOU SOUND AWESOME. More »
Jul 20
T-Mobile Cuts Rates, Will Let You Buy Smartphones on Layaway
Posted in: att, Phones, Sprint, t-mobile, Today's Chili, verizon
The MyTouch 4G Slide is one of TMobile's most recent smartphones to hit the market. (Photo courtesy TMobile)
T-Mobile introduced on Wednesday a new financing plan for purchasing devices over an extended period, as well as a price reduction for one of its smartphone plans.
With T-Mobile’s new layaway plan, customers make an upfront down payment on a particular smartphone, with the amount varying depending on the model. Afterward, customers pay a monthly EIP — or equipment installment plan — typically anywhere between $5 and $15 monthly, again depending on the phone purchased.
Additionally, T-Mobile is expected to announce a $20 price drop for its mid-tier smartphone plans, according to information obtained by CNET. The plan includes unlimited monthly minutes, SMS messages and data, with escalating prices for larger caps on high-speed data access. If you exceed your monthly data amount, T-Mobile throttles your speed — essentially slowing your connection down — until the next billing cycle occurs. Unlike AT&T, however, the company doesn’t charge overage fees for exceeding your monthly data download limits.
T-Mobile’s fluctuating pricing structures keep the company a competitive force in today’s wireless carrier landscape. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon all offer similar plans to T-Mobile’s, but at ten dollars more than T-Mobile’s supposedly forthcoming one. T-Mobile also takes the lead of many lower-cost cellular services like Metro PCS with its installment plan. It’s essentially a compromise for customers who don’t want to sign up for a plan, but also don’t want to pay for an unsubsidized phone at full price (usually upwards of $400 to $600 for today’s smartphones).
Of course, all of this is subject to change. In March, AT&T submitted its bid to buy Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile, which would make AT&T the largest wireless provider in the United States if the acquisition were to be approved by the FCC. Sprint is railing against the deal, which would place Verizon squarely in second place for nationwide wireless services, marginalizing Sprint’s market presence. If the deal goes through, one could potentially expect pricing plans to change dramatically.
T-Mobile breaks down savings on its new plan compared to that of its competitors below:
T-Mobile's data chart offers a breakdown of a sample plan, and savings compared to other carriers. (Photo courtesy TMobile)
T-Mobile’s new plans will launch on Sunday, July 24, for U.S. customers. The lower rate wireless plans will come with the usual stipulation of agreeing to a two-year contract.
Jul 20
Apple OS X Lion (10.7) review
Posted in: Apple, Features, ios, Mac, operating system, OperatingSystem, os, os x, OsX, review, Today's Chili
Never one to shy away from dramatic hyperbole, Steve Jobs declared ours a “post-PC world” about this time last year, acknowledging a move away from personal computers as smartphones and tablets become even more ubiquitous. And while Jobs might happily look on as iPhones and iPads become our primarily tie to the outside world, the question remains: what happens to the PC during this grand transition? To a large extent, the answer lies in the OS, which brings us to OS X Lion. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to post-PC computing.
In typically grandiose fashion, the company has declared OS X 10.7 “the world’s most advanced desktop operating system,” touting the addition of over 250 new features. The list is pretty uneven on the game-changing scale, with updates running the gamut from Airdrop (file-sharing over WiFi) to a full-screen version of the bundled chess game. If there’s one thing tying it all together, though, it’s something that Jobs touched on when he first unveiled the OS back in October: the unmistakable influence of iOS. Now it’s true, we already got a taste of that with gesture-based trackpads and the Mac App Store, but those were merely glimpses of things to come. Apple borrows so heavily from iOS that at times, cycling through features makes the whole thing feel like you’re merely operating an iPad with a keyboard attached.
There are plenty of welcome additions here, including aesthetic tweaks and attention to mounting privacy concerns. Like Snow Leopard before it, however, Lion is hardly an explosive upgrade. And like Snow Leopard, it comes in at a reasonable $29 (or a decidedly more pricey $69 as an upcoming flash drive install), making it a worthy upgrade for current Mac owners. But does a boatload of evolutionary features add up to a revolutionary upgrade? Let’s find out.
Gallery: Apple OS X Lion (10.7) review
Continue reading Apple OS X Lion (10.7) review
Apple OS X Lion (10.7) review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Jul 20
Google closed the doors on Google Labs today. The ongoing projects aren’t disappearing; they’ll be absorbed into other departments, and many have already “graduated” into full-fledged products. The spirit and mission of the initiative will live on, just in a decidedly less centralized way. More »
Jul 20
Intel delivers record earnings yet again in Q2 — let the boardroom bragging begin
Posted in: business, earnings, intel, Today's Chili
We know, you’ve heard it all before, but the chip maker’s once again reporting record revenues, reaching a whopping $13.1 billion in Q2 2011. If you’re keeping track, that’s up $2.3 billion, or 22 percent, from Q2 2010, and bests last quarter’s earnings of $12.9 billion by 2 percent. Net income was up 10 percent year-over-year, but down three percent from last quarter, ringing in at $3.2 billion. As Intel humbly points out, this is the outfit’s fifth consecutive quarter of record revenue. So, perhaps a little bit of gloating is in order.
Intel delivers record earnings yet again in Q2 — let the boardroom bragging begin originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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