Hasta La Gadget!

We already knew that RIM was readying a new version of its BlackBerry Enterprise Server to ship alongside the first BB10 devices in early 2013. Today, the company detailed the package, formally known as BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. The big story here is that already-existing IT tools like BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, BlackBerry Device Service and Universal Device Service will be accessible from a single web console. The company also clarified that BlackBerry Device Service and Universal Device Service can run off separate servers, or just one. Take note, though, that the older BES 5+ will still need its own server for the time being. As we previously reported, too, the newest version of BES will offer legacy support to older devices — specifically, it can support PlayBook tablets, phones running BlackBerry 7 OS or higher as well as iOS and Android devices.

Filed under: Software, Mobile

RIM details BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10: IT guys get a single web console for their various tools originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you can’t quite scrounge up the $200 it takes to buy a quality 7-inch slab these days, Amazon may have a solution for you: sell them your attention. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company plans to develop a ad-supported tablet that would display advertisements whenever the screen is turned on. Sound familiar? Like the ad-supported Kindle readers Amazon’s already dabbled with, subsided tablets would ring in at a lower price tag then their ad-free counterparts. WSJ sources also mentioned that some versions of the device would be WiFi only, potentially lowering the price even further. No word yet, if you’ll be able to buy yourself out of the ads later, of course.

Update: Care for a thicker plot? CNET is now reporting that Amazon will reveal two new Kindle Fire tablets next week — an all new 7-inch wonder and a slightly reworked version of the original. While a brand new slab could be an obvious contender for the 7-inch tablet crown, a refreshed version of Amazon’s original hardware could very well fit the ad-supported bill. Check out CNET’s full report at the source link below.

Filed under: Tablets

WSJ: Amazon is building an ad-supported tablet (Update: two Kindle Fire devices coming next week) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 16:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This week we’ve had the chance to catch up with the folks at iRobot who have let us in on several new robotic cleaning machines in their Scooba and Roomba lineups. In our interview with the group we started out with the iRobot Scooba 390, a device that works with a four-stage cleaning process for a scrub-tastic cleaning of your large flat floor – toss out your mops! We had a peek at the iRobot Scooba 290 next, made much tinier to make with the small bathroom cleaning – gotta get behind those porcelain thrones, after all.

The iRobot Scooba 390 uses a four-stage cleaning process that starts with preparation step, moves on to washing, follows up with a scub, and finishes it all off with some squeegee action. This unit is said by iRobot to remove up to 98% of your common household bacteria and is, in the end, the best item in your home to destroy your mop in a robot battle. You wont need a sweep with this device either, just set it down after you’ve added the necessary components inside (like clean water), and let it roll.

This interview filmed at Showstoppers during IFA 2012!

Next is the iRobot Scooba 230 which is, again, made much smaller to get in your smaller areas where the 390 never could. This unit is another floor washing robot that’s made to take the place of your mop. It’s able to clean around your toilet, under cabinets, and on tile, linoleum, or sealed hardwood floors. Like its bigger brother, the Scooba 230 uses a multi-stage cleaning process, this time just three required to take out 97% of common household bacteria. This time you DO have to sweep, mind you, but it’s just so cute!

The Scooba 230 will cost you $279.99 from iRobot’s online store, and the 390 will run you $499.99 USD – with free shipping, even! Also check the tail-end of the video out for the hero line of iRobot’s Roomba line – getting better all the time! Then make sure to head to our iRobot tag portal to see the rest of our iRobot coverage from the past and keep on picking up robots for your home!

iRobot Scooba 390 and 290 hands-on is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s an issue that’s plagued cellphone users for years now. You like the convenience a Bluetooth headset promises, but don’t want to look like a complete tool walking down the street. So as a happy medium, Hi-Fun has created this Bluetooth glove that lets you make and take calls like you’re pantomiming the ‘call me’ gesture. More »

Instapaper creator Marco Arment is reporting that he has discovered references to two new iPads in Instapaper’s device stats: iPad2,5 and iPad2,6. He’s never seen these devices before, and he’s thinking that they might be references to the long-rumored iPad Mini. Of course, he also points out that these entries could have been faked by hackers, but he doesn’t think that’s likely, and makes the case for the iPad Mini pretty well.

First, some background. Arment says that iPad2,1 to iPad2,3 are the three different versions of the regular iPad 2 – Wi-Fi, GSM, and CDMA. iPad2,4 is the die-shrunk iPad 2 that was released around the time of the third-gen iPad, bringing the price of the iPad 2 down as people were going crazy over the latest iteration. That brings us iPad 2,5 and iPad 2,6, which Arment admits could be GSM and CDMA version of the die-shrunk model, but he also says that releasing new iPad 2 models at this point in time would be “a pretty strange move.”

Instead, Arment has a feeling that these model references are for two versions of the iPad Mini – Wi-Fi and GSM. If that’s the case, then we just got a better of what the iPad Mini will be when it finally arrives. “This suggests that the iPad Mini is, effectively, an iPad 2,” Arment writes, “an A5 with 512 MB of RAM and enough GPU power to drive the Gruber Display, but not a Retina Display.”

He thinks that the iPad Mini will be a mishmash of new and old parts, potentially including the new iPhone’s LTE chip. This will allow Apple to offer a lower-cost tablet with the iPad Mini, and it’s expected to hit a sweet spot right around $249. Naturally, we can expect a premium of around $100 for an iPad Mini with LTE functionality, perhaps bringing that price up to $349. This is a very exciting new development, and with Apple’s rumored iPhone/iPad event coming up on September 12, we might not have much longer before we find out if Arment’s predictions were right on the money. Stay tuned.

[Image via Ciccaresedesign]

iPad Mini appears in Apple code as iPad 2 redux is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.