Hasta La Gadget!

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Dustin, who wants to turn the humble iPod Touch into a cash register for live events. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“We currently have 10 credit card terminals we purchased three years ago, and we’re looking to replace them thanks to their horrific failure rate and replacement cost. We only use them for special events, but they account for $24 million of our credit card revenue. Ideally I’d like to replace them with iPod touches and a wireless printer, but I can’t seem to find a solution that offers printing — but it’s essential to what we do. Thanks for your help!”

We found that Square lets you connect to a Star Micronics receipt printer, and Intuit GoPayment accepts Bluetooth-enabled P25 Blue Bamboo printers — so those could work for you. Of course, Ask Engadget is about sourcing the opinion of our hive-mind, so if your business has already conquered this problem, why not share what you know?

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Portable Audio/Video

Ask Engadget: is iPod Touch and Wireless Printer-based credit card processing possible? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The pack-in earbuds for iPhones and iPods have been among the most recognizable of technology symbols for more than a decade… just not for their technical merits. They’re notorious for slipping out of wearers’ ears and having a mediocre sound next to just about anything else you can buy. If Tinhte‘s own discovery in Vietnam is authentic, Apple might be breaking with another one of its longstanding traditions this year by redesigning those earpieces for the better. Gone are the usual buds that only vaguely aim towards your ear canals. Instead, what’s on show has oval tips very loosely resembling those of the Klipsch Image S4 II, and slots in at an angle to fit more directly into the canals — not to mention more comfortably, based on early tests. We can’t guarantee that these headphones are more than just the products of an ambitious third-party manufacturer, but Tinhte has had a good track record for snagging pre-release Apple gear, and that “Designed by Apple in California Assembled in Vietnam” lettering would reduce the possibilities to either a good KIRF or the real thing. One way or the other, we could know the truth soon enough.

Continue reading Next Apple earbuds potentially sighted in Vietnam, may fix an iconic design (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio/Video

Next Apple earbuds potentially sighted in Vietnam, may fix an iconic design (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 21:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On a whim, I decided to watch John Carpenter’s The Thing last night and it proved to be an absolutely fantastic decision. At 30 years old, the film is no spring chicken, but it’s amazing how little that matters. More »

You know Facebook’s got dirt on you, it’s one of modern life’s unavoidable trade offs. Now though, thanks to Wolfram Alpha, you can data-mine yourself — something its creator has been doing for years — and get a true sense of exactly what the social network knows about you. You’ll first have to head over to the computational knowledge engine, then search “Facebook report.” Follow the prompts to give the app permission etc, and you’ll be rewarded with a detailed breakdown. The data shows information about your interactions, friends, most popular photos, most common demographics and more. For example, you might discover that you know someone in the Philippines, have a clutch of non-connected friends weirdly in the same location, or that you mom is your top post commenter. Though you probably knew that last part already. Paranoid or curious? Jump on the source link to get started.

Filed under: Internet

Wolfram Alpha lets you stalk yourself on Facebook, reminds you how noisy you are originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 20:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you thought the fabulous accessory lineup that came with the Samsung Galaxy S III was about to stop with the smartphone, you were wrong. There’s a whole load of Galaxy Note II covers, protectors, and pens you can grab for the next-generation Galaxy Note phablet, and they’re being shown off this week in Berlin at IFA 2012. This set of accessories pretty much replicates what’s already available for the Galaxy S III, but a couple more colors have been introduced – and of course they’ve got an spot so the S-Pen can exit the machine.

There’s a set of three pouches made of either leather or faux-leather that you can slide the Galaxy Note II into while it sits in your bag or pocket. There’s a collection of protective cases prepped for the device with a bumper around the edges to protect against drops, the back appearing to have a relatively thick plastic in the same set of colors currently revealed for the Note II – and there’s a lovely soft pink for you cuties out there. These cases protect the sides and the back of the device and include an S-Pen slot.

The Galaxy S III Flip Cover is back, this time large enough for the Samsung Galaxy Note II. These Flip Covers come in a wild variety of colors like blue, green, electric yellow, pink, another pink, mustard yellow, red, black and white – if you want to keep with the basic model color, of course. These flip covers replace the back of the device (the battery cover) and have a cover that swings around the front for front-facing protection. Amongst the Galaxy Note 10.1 cases shown at IFA 2012 are a set of vehicle docks for the Galaxy Note II as well – they’re stuck right up over there to the right.

A set of alternate S-Pen devices appear here not quite a size that’s made for docking, just a bit larger for larger-handed users. A set of battery chargers is here too, all of them ready for launch later this year. At the moment there’s no pricing or release information attached, but you can bet they’ll all be hitting the market right around the same time as the actual device.

Samsung Galaxy Note II accessories get colorful showing at IFA is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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