Hasta La Gadget!

Want an early glimpse of ESPN for Xbox Live? How about an upgraded Netflix, Zune music, or some shiny new visuals? Just like last year, Microsoft’s resident Xbox 360 spokesman Major Nelson has made the call for sign-ups in the Update Preview Progam, which as the name suggests will get you on the list for potentially some early playtime with the upcoming Dashboard update. Just follow the instructions to get in the virtual queue, and sorry, this isn’t gonna get you any closer to Kinect. Productivity notwithstanding, what do you have to lose?

Xbox Live Update Preview Program sign-up sheet now accepting gamertags originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on November 29, 2007 by CyberNet.

Tutorial Thursday

Have you ever wondered how you can get more information on your laptop’s battery? That’s a question that many people wonder, especially when they start experiencing shortened battery life. There is a quick and free way for you to get all of this info and more!

Battery Status (or BattStat) is a small program that only takes a second to install. After the installation is done you’ll see a new icon in your System Tray, and double-clicking on that icon will open the door for mounds of information about your battery. You’ll even be able to find out the capacity of your battery compared to when it shipped out of the factory!

One of the most prominent features that Battery Status has is an adaptive battery life estimate. It will watch how you use your computer to more accurately estimate how much time you really have left on your computer. Check it all out…

–The Main Window–

The main Battery Status window provides a colorful chart with many of your system’s specs: runtime (battery life left), charge, power, CPU speed, CPU load, CPU temperature, and hard drive temperature:

Click to Enlarge

Aside from the pretty graphs, the main window provides a lot of critical functionality:

• In Vista you can switch power plans and XP/2000 you can change power schemes.
• You can set a keyboard shortcut (hotkey) that will turn off your monitor. This is really awesome, and can definitely save some power if you’re going to be away from your computer for a little while.
• A batch file can be created, and run each time the power status changes (a.k.a. switching from AC power to battery).

–Battery Toolbar–

Sometimes it is nice to have a condensed, yet more detailed view of how much battery power you have left on your computer. That’s why Battery Status provides a toolbar, which can be set to always be on top of other windows to serve as your floating information bank. Here’s what you’ll get with the toolbar:

–Battery Condition & Details–

One of the most informative areas of Battery Status is the detailed battery information it provides, which is shown by pressing the Batteries button on the main window. Towards the bottom of the screen it displays your battery’s capacity, which is the maximum amount that you’ll be able to charge it. Next to that value it also displays what the original maximum was, and it can therefore compute the “wear” on your battery. As seen below my battery has 8% wear, which means in the 6-months that I’ve owned my laptop, I’ve lost 8% of my battery’s capacity.

–Summary–

This is one of those programs that I believe everyone should tryout on their battery-powered computers. I found the battery estimates to be extremely accurate, and it was also nice being able to see my processor’s temperature as well as the wear on my battery. Remember, Battery Status is free and only takes a few seconds to install, so there really isn’t anything to lose.

Battery Status Homepage (currently in the Beta stage, but seems really stable)

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Man, we’re starting to think Google should just host an I/O event every month. As the search giant continues to roll out new innovations, today’s introduction involves none other than Android. Starting today, folks with Android phones using version 1.6 or greater have a pair of must-downloads to tackle: Walking Navigation (Beta) and Street View smart navigation. The former is bundled into Google Maps for Mobile 4.5, offering pedestrians a more robust routing option when using their own two feet to maneuver from place to place. It’s still in beta, obviously, but we’re definitely digging the “vibrate to turn” alert and the map’s ability to rotate with you as you turn the phone. Street View smart navigation is the same stuff you’re used to seeing on a bona fide desktop browser, but tailor made for operation on your smartphone. Finally, the new Google Maps search bar will make it even easier to find places you’re in need of finding, and if you need some visual stimulation while your downloads progress, hop on past the break and mash play.

Continue reading Google Walking Navigation beta and Street View now available for Android

Google Walking Navigation beta and Street View now available for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubuntu version 10.10 is about to come out on 10/10/2010 and score a perfect 10 out of 10 with reviewers. Or so the devs hope. The successor to April’s Lucid Lynx has this week shrugged off the alpha label and stridden bravely into the world of beta software. GUI modifications are of course apparent, along with performance tweaks promising even faster boot times, but on the whole it doesn’t look to be as big a leap as there was between the Lynx and Koala versions. The default photo management program is now Shotwell, replacing F-Spot, and there’s an update to the Software Center allowing you to purchase paid-for Linux programs in an App Store-ish sort of way. Nothing’s available to buy yet, but the plan is for that feature to go live with the final launch in October. The most intriguing thing about this Meerkat for us just might be the Unity desktop interface, which is now the default for Ubuntu Netbook Edition. If you’re unafraid of beta-stage bugs (and small furry mammals), you can hit the source link to try it out.

Continue reading Ubuntu 10.10 ‘Maverick Meerkat’ enters beta ahead of October 10 release

Ubuntu 10.10 ‘Maverick Meerkat’ enters beta ahead of October 10 release originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man, leakers don’t sleep! That hush-hush Kinect beta program is indeed in full effect, and while hardware is en route to giddy testers, the accompanying Xbox 360 Dashboard update has already been distributed — and promptly leaked. Joystiq has a gallery of screenshots from the new interface, including a revamped Avatar editor and some navigational alterations to account for using your body as the controller. We like this just for the humor value, including the note above instructing you to take a break if you get “sore” and the full-page list of prohibitions against talking about or showing the beta program’s interface. Ah well.

Kinect beta Dashboard update gets leaked as soon as it arrives, hardware kits are ‘being packed’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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