May 12

Sprint / Google Voice integration now available for discounted accounts, still AWOL in sunny Puerto Rico

Posted in: Features, Google, security, Sprint, Today's Chili, video


We’ve been keeping a close eye on Sprint’s Google Voice integration since its troubled release last month, and Sprint has confirmed that many more of you are now able to activate the feature. Previously, individual customers with discounted accounts were being grouped with corporate and government enterprise customers, but it appears that the issue has been resolved (though corporate and government accounts are still unable to activate). However, Sprint confirmed that readers in Puerto Rico remain unable to activate regardless of their account status, and was unable to provide as estimate as to when integration will be available there. That said, Google has been incredibly proactive in getting these issues resolved from day one, despite clearly having their hands full this week. It looks like Google and Sprint have managed to work out some of the major kinks, but let us know in the comments if you’re running into any other problems.

Sprint / Google Voice integration now available for discounted accounts, still AWOL in sunny Puerto Rico originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 May 2011 13:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGoogle Voice Forum  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
May 06

Google and Sprint respond to Google Voice integration issues

Posted in: Features, Google, security, Sprint, Today's Chili, video


You may recall from yesterday that early adopters were having a variety of issues after activating (or attempting to activate) Sprint’s new Google Voice integration feature. Well, a full day has passed, and we’ve had several calls with GV lead Vincent Paquet as well as Brian Smith, Sprint’s director of product development. Both executives have said that their respective companies have been hard at work on resolutions to each of the issues we outlined Thursday night, and some customers we spoke to yesterday are now back online. Jump past the break for a quick summary of what’s been fixed, and what remains on the to-do list.

Continue reading Google and Sprint respond to Google Voice integration issues

Google and Sprint respond to Google Voice integration issues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGoogle Voice Forum  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
May 06

App review: Planetary for iPad

Posted in: app, Apple, Features, ios, ipad, ipod, itunes, Music, review, slate, tablet, Today's Chili, video

The iPad’s music player hasn’t changed much since its debut, and unlike its desktop counterpart, it also lacks a built-in music visualizer for your mesmerization. Luckily, for the folks who are seeking ways to spice up their iPad music experience, you now have a new option: Planetary, by Bloom Studio. As you can tell by the name and the screenshot above, what we have here is a visually compelling app for exploring your tablet’s music library. It’s very straightforward: each artist or band is shown as a star, surrounded by albums in the form of orbiting planets, and then you have individual tracks displayed as moons orbiting each album.

During playback, each track leaves behind a trail on its orbit to indicate its play time, though you can hide the orbit lines (and labels) if you them too distracting. To choose other albums or artists, the good old pinch-to-zoom or the simple tapping on other 3D objects will move you between the moons and constellations, or you can just tap on the bottom-center button to jump straight to the letter selector for artists. Obviously, the former’s more fun within the first few hours, but after awhile we found ourselves preferring the quicker option to skip the mellow animation. Head past the break for our full impression and demo video.

Gallery: App review: Planetary for iPad

Continue reading App review: Planetary for iPad

App review: Planetary for iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 May 2011 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiTunes, Bloom Studio  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
May 05

Sprint / Google Voice integration has major issues, major lack of support (update: Sprint and Google respond)

Posted in: Features, Google, security, Sprint, Today's Chili, video

Have you tried Sprint’s new Google Voice integration? We know a lot of our readers have — and many of them have had problems, writing in to us to express their displeasure. We started investigating and found a hoard of complaints, and the deeper we looked, the more issues we found. To make matters worse, Sprint has instructed its representatives to refer all Google Voice-related questions to the Google Voice Forum, which for reasons that frustrate us as much as you, Google itself seems to have forgotten exists. Join us for a full investigation into the issues, including voicemail security holes, accounts accidentally crippled by Sprint, and calls overseas that’ll leave you swimming in usage fees.

Continue reading Sprint / Google Voice integration has major issues, major lack of support (update: Sprint and Google respond)

Sprint / Google Voice integration has major issues, major lack of support (update: Sprint and Google respond) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 18:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceGoogle Voice Help Forum  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags:
May 02

Droid Charge review

Posted in: Android, droid, feature, Features, froyo, review, samsung, Today's Chili, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, video, vzw

We’re still shaking our heads and sighing longingly at the performance of Samsung’s Galaxy S II, a phone that wowed us in Europe but likely won’t be coming to American shores for some time — and who knows what it’ll look like when it does. But don’t get too down, dear reader, because here comes another slice of Samsung and this slab has that same 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display tucked in there. It’s a little less slim, a little less classy, and a little less quick than Sammy’s latest world-conquering wunderphone, but the LTE-equipped Charge is a proper contender in its own right. Read on to see why.

Gallery: Samsung Droid Charge

Continue reading Droid Charge review

Droid Charge review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Apr 21

The iPhone tracking fiasco and what you can do about it

Posted in: Apple, feature, Features, gps, ios, ipad, iPhone, privacy, security, Today's Chili

By now you’ve no doubt heard about a certain iOS database file called consolidated.db. It made quite a splash yesterday when a pair of researchers, Alasdair Allan and Pete Warden, from O’Reilly Media announced the “iPhone tracking software” the duo had “discovered hidden on the phones.” Here’s the problem: they didn’t discover it, at least not originally. The file, known to hold large amounts of geolocation data collected from WiFi access points and cell-towers, has been probed by forensic experts ever since the retail launch of the iPhone 4 back in June of 2010. Hell, Sean Morrissey and Alex Levinson published a physical book on the topic back in December 2010, entire excerpts of which can easily be found on Google. So either the team from O’Reilly is being disingenuous with its claims or it’s being lazy.

Regardless, the story laid dormant for months until the O’Reilly team was able to visualize the data in a very personal way. Running the team’s open-source iPhoneTracker software to see the detailed locations of our worldly travels is absolutely fascinating. Imagining the same data file in the hands of a stalker, misguided detective, or a jealous lover is downright creepy.

But how is it possible that an issue like this has avoided the tech community at large for more than a year? And more importantly, what can you do about it? Read on to find out.

Update: A timely discovery from Vishal — here’s a note from Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell [PDF] to Congressmen Edward Markey and Joe Barton, providing a detailed look at its privacy policy, presumably regarding this issue.

Continue reading The iPhone tracking fiasco and what you can do about it

The iPhone tracking fiasco and what you can do about it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 11:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceUntrackerd, Alex Levinson, GDGT  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: ,
Apr 18

T-Mobile G-Slate review

Posted in: Android, feature, Features, Google, honeycomb, LG, review, t-mobile, Today's Chili, video
The tablet wars are building, petty disputes that will soon lead to bloodshed. Products will be launched into battle only to be gunned down straight out of their boxes, crying for their fabricators as bigger, faster, better slates step over the stricken chassis of their predecessors, running on to their own brief bits of glory. At a high level it’s obviously Android vs. Apple vs. The Rest, but battle lines are forming as we consumers, caught in the middle, try to decide just what the right size is for a tablet.

Right now two camps seem to be getting the most supporters: seven-inchers, like the Streak 7 and BlackBerry PlayBook, and 10-inchers, like the Motorola Xoom and the Apple iPad. But, sometimes weapon systems need to be a little more specialized. Sometimes the templates don’t fit, and the $530 (after rebate, on-contract) T-Mobile G-Slate by LG isn’t fitting into those categories, slotting somewhere in between with its 8.9-inch display backed with Tegra 2 graphics, 4G HSPA+ wireless, and all the oomph you want in a modern Android device. It’s a little smaller and little lighter than the 10-inchers, bigger and meatier than the sevens and, by cutting down the middle, it hits almost all the right marks.

Gallery: T-Mobile G-Slate

Continue reading T-Mobile G-Slate review

T-Mobile G-Slate review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , ,
Apr 14

Ask Engadget: best Android smartphone with a physical keyboard?

Posted in: Android, AskEngadget, feature, Features, Google, GoogleAndroid, keyboard, qwerty, smartphone, Today's Chili

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Michael, who needs a physical keyboard with his next Android phone. Because she said so. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“My girlfriend is currently using the T-Mobile G1. Her contract is up soon, and she’s looking for a new Android smartphone. Her requirements are that it should be Android-based with a physical keyboard, good battery life and the hardware shouldn’t be too out of date. My own research resulted in the HTC Desire Z, but isn’t there something similar (or upcoming) with more improved hardware (Tegra 2, perhaps)? Thank you in anticipation.”

Alright, Android junkies — we know more than a handful of you rely heavily on a physical keyboard, so which one’s superior? Intelligent responses are encouraged in comments below.

Ask Engadget: best Android smartphone with a physical keyboard? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , , , , ,
Apr 13

BlackBerry PlayBook review

Posted in: 7-inch, BlackBerry, Features, playbook, review, RIM, tablet, texas instruments, ti, Today's Chili, video

The words “play” and “book” are a bit of an odd choice for RIM’s latest attempt at consumer relevance, a tablet that, at its core, runs one of the most hardcore and industry-friendly operating systems known to man. The OS is QNX and the hardware is, of course, the BlackBerry PlayBook. It’s an enterprise-friendly offering that’s also out to conquer the consumer tablet ecosphere, hoping to follow in the footsteps of the BlackBerry handsets that have filled the pockets of corporate executives and BBM addicts around the globe.

It’s something of a serious tablet when compared to the competition running software from Apple and Google and, while it certainly has games, its biggest strengths are rather more boring. It does a really great job at displaying PowerPoint presentations, for example, and has the security chops to keep last quarter’s dismal sales figures from falling into the wrong hands. Exciting stuff? No, but useful features for sure, and regardless of whether you find those intriguing or boring this is RIM’s seven-inch, Flash-having but 3G-lacking tablet clad in an unassuming but extremely sophisticated exterior. It’s what’s running behind the glass that disappoints.

Gallery: RIM BlackBerry PlayBook

Continue reading BlackBerry PlayBook review

BlackBerry PlayBook review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,
Apr 05

App review: SPB Shell 3D for Android

Posted in: Android, app, Features, review, Today's Chili, ui, video

As we all know, the beauty of Android stems from the fact that you get a wide variety of choices when it comes to devices and interface, though the latter can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Luckily, users who are fed up with their bloated Android UI but don’t want to (or can’t) mess around with ROMs now have another easy solution. Joining the handful of Android launchers is SPB’s Shell 3D app, which installs as a replacement (but removable) home screen that comes with some nifty widgets (radio switches, backlight dimmer, weather forecast with a 3D chart, clock with over 60 skins, world time with a 3D globe, etc.) and resizeable folders.

As you can see above, the highlight of the show here is a cool-looking 3D carousel for switching between up to 16 panels, and you can trigger it by either tapping or horizontally dragging the bottom-center button. Whilst in carousel mode, you can also rearrange the panels, change their colors, or flick away excess panels. All of this required no manual reading on our end, so it’s safe to say that this is a pretty intuitive app. Read on to see what the performance is like.

Gallery: App review: SPB Shell 3D for Android

Continue reading App review: SPB Shell 3D for Android

App review: SPB Shell 3D for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Market  | Email this | Comments

No Comments | Tags: , ,