Hasta La Gadget!

Google’s famous penchant for keeping things in beta doesn’t seem to have changed lately, as the company’s App Inventor for Android is still keeping its Greek lettering, but at least access has now been opened up for everyone to enjoy. The switch from private to public beta isn’t the most significant thing in the world — up until now you just had to ask for an invite to get one — but we’re sure amateur Android coders and experimenters will appreciate not having to go through that extra step. The App Inventor’s sitting in Google Labs right this minute, waiting for you to magic up (no coding skills required!) a finely crafted solution to modern living of your own. Hit the source link to get your mouse pointer dirty.

Google App Inventor opens up access to everyone, clings on to beta tag originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s flipped the switch on extending iTunes preview clips to the totally revolutionary length of 90 seconds. Only songs that last for two and a half minutes or longer and a limited number of artists are benefiting from this change — which seems to be of Apple’s unilateral doing — and it’s only effective in the US iTunes Store. Trust us, we checked our UK accounts and were met with those mediocre, entirely unsatisfying 30-second previews on everything. We reckon there’s still a little more intrigue left in this tale, particularly when it comes to propitiating the record labels and securing international deals, but we’ll leave those negotiations to the well shaven dudes in expensive suits — for you and us, there’s a whole load of Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West stuff to go and preview.

iTunes’ 90-second song previews go live, on select songs and US-only for now originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 02:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those wily shoppers at QVC have beaten the world once again in securing an exclusive on Pandigital’s 9-inch Novel tablet. You’ll recall that we weren’t exactly overwhelmed with joy after handling the 7-inch Novel, and sadly this new slate looks like nothing more than a growth spurt, bringing as it does the same resistive touchscreen, B&N ebook store access, 2GB of integrated storage, and 802.11b/g WiFi highlights. Admittedly, QVC throws in a 4GB microSD card and prices it at an affordable $214, but we’re always wary of Android devices that neglect to state which version of the OS they’re running. Hit up the source link if you’re more courageous — or if you just want to watch the longest infomercial of your life.

Pandigital’s 9-inch Novel now on sale… as a QVC exclusive originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get your SIMs ready, dear readers, for the unlocked GSM Pre 2 has made its promised debut on HP’s online outlet. In spite of looking all too similar to its predecessors, this 1GHz device is still the best (read: only) option for getting your webOS 2.0 action going, so if you simply must have that experience on your smartphone, it’s a no-brainer of a decision. HP will ship it to you in exchange for $450 and if all goes to plan, you could be swiping cards off your home screen in buttery smooth fashion by this time tomorrow.

[Thanks, Michael]

Update: Are you a dedicated webOS software developer? Then HP will kindly knock $200 off the price of the unlocked Pre 2 in order to facilitate the free flow of your creative juices. Thanks, Chieze O!

Palm Pre 2 available unlocked from HP for $450, ships within 24 hours (update: $200 off for devs) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll rarely be accused of being proper economists here, but we do have to question Hanvon’s calculations in throwing up a pre-order price for its brand new color e-reader of 3,500 Chinese Yuan. That’s the report coming out of DigiTimes this morning, placing the device at around the $530 mark in a market that’s not exactly known for its rampant consumption of tech luxuries. Then again, what we’re talking about here will indeed be the very first E Ink Triton-equipped device anywhere once deliveries commence in February, so there’s the cachet of short-term exclusivity to look forward to. Or it might be very long-term exclusivity if nobody thinks that color is worth paying that massive premium over more conventional e-readers. We shall wait and see.

Hanvon’s color e-reader up for pre-order in China — for just $530 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 05:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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