Hasta La Gadget!

The WebOS nuts at PreCentral have received an anonymous tip-off that HP’s imminent slate won’t be able to edit Office docs out of the box. As much as we’d like to dismiss this as a retaliatory rumor put out by BlackBerry, it emits an unfortunate whiff of truth. While HP has previously made a big deal of the TouchPad’s inclusion of the Quickoffice app, it has only said it’s “working with Quickoffice” to include document editing, and it has never demoed editing in action. The company has recently been trying to boost its app count, but perhaps it should have put more effort into securing core functionality instead. A glimmer of hope, though: the same tip-off also suggested that at least some editing capabilities will be introduced “via a downloadable update in Q3 2011”. Hey, what’s the rush?

HP TouchPad rumored to lack document editing at launch originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 19 Jun 2011 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not only does Lightbox for Android fill in the Instagram-sized hole in the Android Market with slick sharing of filterized pictures, it also does what iCloud does: beam the photos you take on your phone to your tablet and web browser instantly. More »

Sony didn’t make a big to do about the arrival of its Music Unlimited service on Android — perhaps it’s the fact that the market for streaming music on mobile devices is getting a bit crowded these days, with recent arrivals from Apple, Google, and Amazon. Or maybe it’s that the mention of Qriocity, the service that powers the offering, is still likely to leave a bad taste in the mouths of lots of folks, after the whole, well, you know. Whatever the case may be, the app is now available as a free download for those with Google’s dessert-based operating system on their handsets, plus either the $4 a month basic or $10 a month premium plan.

[Thanks, Archon810]

Sony Music Unlimited hits Android, hopes you don’t know why ‘Qriocity’ sounds so familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Sphero Golf app lets you control the Sphero robotic ball in a raucous game of nighttime golf

Remember Sphero? You will after you watch this awesome video showing it being used with the Sphero Golf app.

Sphero is a robotic, smartphone-controlled orb. We first saw Sphero back in December, and then got to see it in action at CES 2011. Measuring in at 2.9 inches in diameter, this omni-directional spherical roller-bot is Bluetooth-controlled, induction-charged, and compatible with both iOS and Android devices. Also cool: there’s an open API so developers can write their own apps that work with the nifty gadget.

It’s a little difficult to actually see Sphero Golf in action in the video since it’s shot at night, but the plethora of glow bracelets, glow glasses, and glow hats, paired with some seriously dance upbeat tunes, make it exciting nonetheless.

Sphero is set to be priced at $130, and a purchase will include the Sphero orb, Sphero Golf, and two other apps. A handful of other Sphero-based games will also be available at launch on the Apple App Store and Android Market.

Although it won’t be available for purchase until late 2011, if you already know you definitely want one of these Bluetooth-controlled balls, you can reserve one today.

Check out the video preview of the app, and Sphero, in action below.

The latest announcement at the 2011 Cable Show comes from the seemingly unlikely pairing of Comcast and Skype, who have arranged to enable video calls through the cable box. All it takes is a camera, adapter and ‘specially-designed remote’ to turn HDMI-equipped Comcast boxes into Skype-on-TV machines when they start trials in the next few months. Senior Comcast VP Cathy Avgiris tells the Seattle Times that video will max out at 720p to start but will be ugraded to 1080p eventually. The tie-in will also means Skype features for the Comcast Xfinity apps on tablets and phones, but according to Avgiris it won’t “necessarily be limited to triple-play” (TV, phone and internet) customers only. Skype has already partnered with several TV manufacturers for HD calling in the living room, but working through cable boxes means a much greater prospective installed base. Beyond the still-unanswered questions of pricing and release dates, we’ve already seen enough Cable Show demos that didn’t amount to much (*cough* tru2way) so this will goes on the shelf with the others until it’s spotted in the wild.

Continue reading Comcast invites Skype into its cable boxes, mobile apps

Comcast invites Skype into its cable boxes, mobile apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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