Hasta La Gadget!

The story of Office for the iPad has been something of a rollercoaster. Depending on who you’ve talked to this year, the mobile app has been on, then off, then on again… if it was ever real to start with. Imagine our surprise, then, when IHNED says Microsoft Czech Republic product manager Petr Bobek “confirmed” native Android and iOS ports of Office 2013 during a press conference. The Office division higher-up reportedly outlined a strategy where the productivity suite would reach Windows for large businesses and individuals in December and February respectively, but would reach “other platforms” later on through more than just mobile-optimized web versions. It sounds promising, but we have reason for skepticism — assuming the testimony is accurate, there’s still a history of employees at Microsoft and other companies overstepping their boundaries without direct guidance from the corporate mothership. We reached out to Microsoft ourselves, and a spokesperson gave us a relatively conservative answer. While the company reiterated statements that “Office Mobile will work across Windows Phones, Android phones and iOS,” it added that there was “nothing additional to announce” regarding Office’s retail availability. As much of a glimmer of hope that might represent for some Android and iOS fans, it doesn’t equate to a direct Office 2013 port with a release schedule.

[Image credit: The Daily]

Update: To underscore its point, Microsoft has issued a further statement that casts doubt on the very remarks in question. “The information shared by our Czech Republic subsidiary is not accurate,” a spokesperson told us. “We have nothing further to share.”

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Microsoft

Czech Microsoft manager claims Office 2013 will reach Android and iOS, rest of company is less certain (update: more direct denial) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After numerous rumors and leaks throughout August, Motorola finally announced and unveiled its new DROID RAZR lineup last month, which included the new DROID RAZR HD. However, they were a little shy on some details — mainly availability and pricing. However, Canadian wireless carrier Rogers just announced the device for use on their network, which means we may see the device jump over the border shortly.

The DROID RAZR HD comes packing with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core S4 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage. It also comes with an 8MP rear camera that offers zero shutter lag and burst mode. The phone sports the signature Kevlar design of other RAZR devices, making the phone lighter and more durable, while keeping it thin.

What makes the device really stand out, though, is its HD display that it touts in its name. It’s a quite remarkable 4.7-inch AMOLED HD display that has a 1280×720 HD resolution. The device also packs in 4G LTE and runs off of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but it’s expected to get a Jelly Bean update fairly soon.

Along with the DROID RAZR HD, we also might see its close brother, the DROID RAZR MAXX HD, hit Verizon around the same time. Obviously, we’re still not sure what the timeline is for an American launch of these devices, but in the meantime, check out our hands on of the DROID RAZR HD and the MAXX HD to get a better idea of the two phones.

The RAZR HD from Rogers is available today and pricing starts at $99.99 after a 3-year contract, or you can pay a full $599.99 for the device without a contract.

[via MobileSyrup]

Motorola RAZR HD Canada launch tips Verizon release is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Bluetooth portable speakers come in many styles and sizes, and some are just wonderful. But when audiophiles go aquatic, options become much more limited.

Enter the ECOXBT waterproof speaker. It’ll take you from the pool to the lake to the beach and back again with no trouble at all.

It floats speakers to the surface of the water, and just in case I wasn’t clear before, it’s entirely waterproof.

The speaker has standard audio input via a 3.5mm jack, along with Bluetooth, though the company didn’t specify the range. It shouldn’t be an issue floating by a boat or a dock, but brave ocean explorers may have issues if they venture far from shore.

Of course, this could be solved with a LifeProof iPhone case.

The ECOXBT has battery life for 10 hours of playback time, and has controls on top for power, pairing, and volume. As an added bonus, a waterproof mic is integrated into the speaker, for which there is also an “answer/end” button.

The launch date is somewhat questionable, considering that summer is over. Pick one of these up for $129 here.

Click to view slideshow.

Hammacher Schlemmer is a high priced purveyor of all sorts of oddities and cool gadgets. One of my all-time favorite weird items from the company is the 20-foot long animatronic triceratops. The company has unveiled a new product this week that is a bit more useful than a giant dinosaur toy. The new product is called the Wireless Smartphone Photo Printer.

This handy printer connects to iOS or Android smartphones using a free app. The app allows users to send photos wirelessly across a home or office Wi-Fi network directly to the printer. The printer also has the old-style Apple docking connector on top, presumably to allow you to print directly.

The printer doesn’t use ink cartridges, instead using a special patented photo paper that has yellow, magenta, and cyan dye crystals embedded. The printer can produce 4 x 6 borderless photos at a resolution of 300 dpi with up to 256 gradations and 16.7 million colors. The printer sells for $219.95(USD) with replacement cartridges selling for $24.95. The only real downside is that each cartridge is only good for 12 prints, making each print cost more than $2.

Pioneer has enjoyed a fairly tight grip on the upper-end of the DJ market, but if you step out of the professional DJ booth, and into the bars and bedrooms, the competition starts to heat up. So when we heard about the XDJ-Aero and its curious new WiFi functionality, we were interested to see how this $1,399 controller would be received. That’s not to say the DJ mainstay doesn’t hold its ground in this busier market — it does — but as the far more frequent product release schedule will attest, the industry standard crown is still up for grabs. There’s the other issue of software to consider, also. Pioneer has remained fairly neutral so far, releasing controllers for the big two platforms already, with the paint barely dry on its latest addition.

The XDJ-Aero, however, hints at a new approach. One where you don’t need to choose your software gang colors to be involved. This isn’t the first bit of kit that lets you play direct from USB drives or skip the laptop, but it’s the first from Pioneer that clearly heads out in its own direction. Ditch the Traktor, wean yourself of Serato, even forget CDs and just get on with the mixing. That seems to be what the XDJ-Aero is about, but does it hold its own? We popped a few of our favorite ditties on to find out.

Continue reading Pioneer XDJ-Aero review: a DJ controller that loves music, hates physical formats

Filed under: Misc

Pioneer XDJ-Aero review: a DJ controller that loves music, hates physical formats originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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