Hasta La Gadget!

If you’re the sort to get a little too adventurous with CyanogenMod 10 or other custom ROMs, Google just gave you a crutch. Android 4.1.1 factory images are now available for every Nexus device that can currently get a taste of Jelly Bean: the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and the expected Nexus 7. While it’s not a complete safety net, the gesture will let dedicated modders flash their phones and tablets knowing that they can almost always jump back to the pure OS if someone’s definition of “alpha build” is a little too rough. CDMA users are unfortunately left out of the loop; let’s just hope they’re brought up to speed before too long.

[Thanks, Vince]

Filed under: Cellphones

Google posts Android 4.1 Jelly Bean images for Nexus devices, modders rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kodak might be cleared to sell its patents, but it’s likely no fan of the companies lined up to make a deal. The Wall Street Journal‘s best friends, “people familiar with the matter,” assert that Apple and Google are part of separate coalitions hoping to buy the 1,100 patents up for grabs. Apple’s camp supposedly includes Microsoft and controversial patent holder Intellectual Ventures; Google’s team reads more like an Android Justice League, with HTC, LG, Samsung and “patent risk solutions” provider RPX all playing a part. Real or not, there’s still much that’s up in the air. Kodak’s not talking, and even the touted insiders warn both of new challengers and allegiances that could be in flux over the next few days. If there’s meat on this rumor bone, however, it could make the August 8th auction another patent war spectacle rather than a mere ticket back to solvency for Kodak. Break out the popcorn.

[Image credit: Pittaya Sroilong, Flickr]

Filed under: Cellphones, Digital Cameras

WSJ: Apple, Google reportedly in rival groups to buy Kodak patents originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Windows Phone 8 SDK has escaped to the wild, and some sifting through the device emulator has dug up elements that Microsoft either skipped or only touched on lightly during the big unveiling in June. The most important addition may be the one customers see the least: backup. A WP7.hu search has the new OS replicating apps, settings and SMS messages in the cloud to prevent disaster, and that new SD card support will let WP8 owners shuffle photos from internal storage to the removable kind for safekeeping. There’s also more work on Internet Explorer than we saw before, with MobileTechWorld noticing that DataSense provides an option for Opera-like remote compression to save that precious cellular bandwidth.

Media fans might have the most to gain. If we go by The Verge, both the Music/Video and Xbox hubs are getting fresh coats of paint — both to integrate new ventures like Xbox Music as well as to jive more closely with the SmartGlass visual theme. Shutterbugs will like the long-awaited options to crop and rotate their work, pick multiple photos, and unify third-party camera apps under a Lenses concept. There’s even more clever features in store, such as a Maps update that finds nearby WiFi hotspots, so head on over to the sources to get a full sense of where Microsoft will be going.

Filed under: Cellphones

Windows Phone 8 SDK leaks show quiet upgrades to backup, media and the kitchen sink originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rogers was the first with LTE in Canada. Its budget brand Fido has largely been left out of that 4G fiesta, but the gap is closing today with official plans to give the yellow doghouse some LTE of its own. The initial deployment this summer will largely overlap Rogers’ fledgling network, starting with benchmark cities Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, St. John’s, Toronto and Vancouver. Only a Fido Mobile Hotspot with 10-device sharing will kick off the hardware selection; if you’re impatient, though, any compatible and (usually) unlocked LTE device will do with a relevant SIM card. About 20 million Canucks will potentially have the high-speed option by the end of the year — and with Fido’s plan costs expected to stay the same, that coverage could make the provider a de facto choice for fast data in the Great White North. Click past the break for the official word and the full 2012 expansion list.

Continue reading Fido hops on the LTE bandwagon, gives Canadians frugal 4G this summer

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Fido hops on the LTE bandwagon, gives Canadians frugal 4G this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 03:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Not eager to hunt and peck on a keyboard? Google Handwrite is here: the search engine’s mobile pages will now let you draw letters on the page to conduct searches with the writing method you learned before this whole computer fad took hold. There’s no special plugin required — it’s just the flick of a settings switch. As long as you’ve got an Android 2.3 or later phone, an Android 4.0 tablet or an iOS 5 device of any sort, you can immediately remind yourself of just how much you’ve forgotten about handwriting since elementary school while you’re searching for the local sushi restaurant.

Continue reading Google Handwrite lets us scribble our way through mobile searches (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Internet

Google Handwrite lets us scribble our way through mobile searches (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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