Hasta La Gadget!

No huge surprise here, but the FCC just approved Comcast’s purchase of NBC Universal by a 4-1 vote. Details of the ruling aren’t out yet, but FCC chairman Julius Genachowski had been pushing for strong regulations forbidding Comcast from cutting itself sweetheart deals on NBC content or prioritizing its own video traffic on its pipes, so we’d assume that’s part of the agreement here. The only nay vote was from Commissioner Michael Copps, who said the deal “opens the door to the cable-ization of the open Internet.” Ouch. We’ll let you know when we find out exactly what the FCC’s actual conditions are — and keep in mind this deal won’t be wrapped until the Justice Department weighs in, which is expected to happen next week. Can we say it? Oh, we’re going to say it: stay tuned!

Update: That was fast, as Comcast/NBCU announced it’s received permission from the Justice Department as well. Check out the triumphant press release after the break or scour the official site for more details on what conditions may have applied. There will also be a conference call at 4 p.m. so let us know what else you may be interested in finding out before then. So far details include a promise of a “focused mechanism for online video providers to obtain access to certain NBC Universal content,” and that the newly formed entity will retain its economic stake in Hulu, while giving up its voting and board representation rights.

Continue reading FCC approves Comcast’s purchase of NBC (Update: Justice Department too, it’s done)

FCC approves Comcast’s purchase of NBC (Update: Justice Department too, it’s done) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That’s all we know for now, folks. Apple’s CEO is taking a medical leave from work, his second in as many years, with Tim Cook filling his role during that time. In an email to the Apple team, Steve Jobs says he’ll be on leave to “focus on [his] health,” though he will retain the position of CEO and will remain involved in the major strategic decisions — Tim Cook will be picking up the slack on day-to-day operations. No further details have been provided, save for Steve expressing his love for Apple and wish to return to his duties as soon as he can. See his email missive in full after the break.

Continue reading Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple, Tim Cook taking over daily operations in his absence

Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple, Tim Cook taking over daily operations in his absence originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You asked, and we’ve delivered! Once again, Engadget has teamed up with the brilliant eBoy to bring you a super-duper limited edition T-shirt which will wow and delight family and friends alike. As you can see from the image above, the new shirt is based on our CES / reader meetup graphic that’s been doing the rounds on the site, featuring nearly all of the Engadget crew toying with some real (and not-so-real) tech. The eBoy crew tells us this is their most color-heavy shirt ever produced (a 9+1 process), which is pretty nifty. We think it’s a nice companion to our CES 2011 coverage, and makes a wonderful addition to any fashion plate’s wardrobe. The shirts come in small, medium, large, and extra large, and can be had for $30US (plus $10 shipping) — but really, can you put a price on looking good? If you’d like to order, follow along after the break and use our fancy PayPal e-commerce system. Also, we ship WORLDWIDE!

Update: The last time we had shirts, they sold out in about 30 minutes. We have more this time, but still a very small quantity. If you want one, we suggest you get in fast.

Update 2: Extra large is sold out!

Update 3: We’re sold out of everything! If you didn’t find your size, there may still be some available on the eBoy site — check it out HERE!

Continue reading New super-limited edition eBoy / Engadget shirts now available! (update: SOLD OUT!)

New super-limited edition eBoy / Engadget shirts now available! (update: SOLD OUT!) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just got a look at the Verizon version of the iPhone 4. Guess what? It’s just like an iPhone 4! There’s no custom pre-loaded Verizon software (like VCAST or some such bloatware), just that mobile hotspot tweak in the settings menu. There’s also no Verizon branding on the phone, though that’s hardly a surprise given Apple’s hatred of all logos that aren’t its own. The only real physical difference we can find are those tweaked CDMA-compatible antennas running around the edge — four in all, placed symmetrically and bumping down the volume / mute buttons. Interestingly, the phone is running iOS version 4.2.5, so perhaps that mobile hotspot functionality will make its way over to other iPhones when they sync up on iOS updates. We did try a speed test, clearing the cache and loading various sites simultaneously on the Verizon phone and our AT&T device, and while there were variations in the load times, there were too many external factors to really make a judgment call just yet.

Continue reading Verizon iPhone first hands-on! (update: video)

Verizon iPhone first hands-on! (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve waited and waited, and now Apple and Verizon have made a million dreams come true: the iPhone is coming to Big Red. After talking up his new LTE network a bit, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed a CDMA (non-LTE) version of the iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon Wireless next month. Talks started way back in 2008, and the phone has been in testing for a year — it sounds like they wanted to get this one right. Current Verizon customers will be able to pre-order on Feburary 3rd for the standard $200 price for the 16GB model on a two year agreement, $300 for the 32GB version — everyone else can order on February 10th (see it compared with AT&T’s iPhone 4). Just to clarify and put any wild rumors to bed, the phone is Verizon 3G (EV-DO) only, no 4G data or GSM roaming. It’s not a world phone or an AT&T + Verizon phone, it’s just a Verizon phone.

Outside of Verizon connectivity, the phone is basically unchanged, although Verizon’s CDMA network doesn’t support simultaneous voice and data as with the GSM version. It does have the new antenna design we were hearing about last week, but that’s just because CMDA requires a different configuration of antennas. (Apple says they didn’t go LTE just yet because first-gen chipsets would force unwanted design decisions, and customers want a Verizon device now.) That slight modification also equates to a slight bump in where the volume buttons and mute switch — a new case might be required. Software-wise the big innovation is five user WiFi hotspot functionality, something that’s standard on Android phones, while Apple has kept the iPhone only able to tether directly to one computer.

Check out our full hands-on with the Verizon iPhone right here, and stay tuned — we’ve got lots more coming up.

Continue reading The Verizon iPhone

The Verizon iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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