Hasta La Gadget!

The new season of Doctor Who, staring Peter Capaldi as the twelfth Doctor, will air in August 2014, the BBC has confirmed today. Hotly-anticipated by Who fans on both sides … Continue reading

Nearly two years after releasing their Red Eye app for iOS users, the convenience enthusiasts over at ThinkFlood have now brought the universal remote control to the Android community, as well. The app, which was released in beta a few months ago, allows users to remotely control their non-networked home theater, lighting and air conditioning systems from the comfort of their tablets, laptops or smartphones. Version 2.7.0 also brings plenty of customizable graphics and layouts, for those looking to add a more personal touch to their lives of leisure. Compatible with any device running Android 1.6 or later (including tablets running Honeycomb), the app features a built-in TV program guide that can be used with any display, but in order to take advantage of its other home theater controls, you’ll have to purchase networked ThinkFlood hardware products like RedEye or RedEye Pro (it’s not compatible with RedEye mini). If you’re interested in downloading the tool for free, check out the source links below, or click past the break for more details, in the full PR.

Continue reading ThinkFlood releases RedEye remote control app for Android, makes it even easier to sit around

ThinkFlood releases RedEye remote control app for Android, makes it even easier to sit around originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Motorola Atrix is one of two phones with disabled HSUPA.

After Texas resident Keith Geissler noticed his new Motorola Atrix wasn’t offering the fast “4G” download and upload speeds that AT&T promised, he filed a complaint to the Better Business Bureau, asking the wireless company to “uncap” his data connection.

AT&T’s response was surprising. While the company assured Geissler it “has not capped the upload speeds on the Atrix,” it did admit that the phone’s HSUPA capability — a key feature in increasing upload speeds on the Atrix as well as the new HTC Inspire 4G smartphone — will not be enabled until a later date.

That means all upload speeds on the Atrix and the Inspire will max out at around 300 Kbps, far below that of the 5.5+ Mbps speeds that HSUPA is capable of uploading. (Geissler wasn’t happy to hear any of this, and posted the exchange to an online message board focused on smartphones.)

In other words, it’s not a hardware issue. It’s AT&T itself, which isn’t ready to flip the switch to turn on “4G” networks, even though it’s already selling 4G phones. Is anyone surprised?

“The concept of 4G is a joke now,” Gartner Research VP Phil Redman told Wired.com. “At the highest level, it’s supposed to be a technology standard, but it’s nothing but marketing now. If and when 4G-standardized technology is actually decided upon and released, we’ve been inundated with this jargon for so long we may not even recognize it.”

The term “4G speed” seems open to interpretation. Since the International Telecommunications Union — the global authority on telecommunications- and broadband-industry standardization – revised its ruling on what defines 4G network speeds in December 2010, carriers have jumped on the opportunity to market many new smartphones as 4G-enabled. Their definitions have been liberal, to say the least.

For AT&T, part of “4G” compatibility involves having HSUPA speeds. AT&T has been mostly evasive as to why HSUPA has been disabled in the Atrix and HTC Inspire 4G smartphones. The company claims it is performing “the testing and preparations necessary” for users to enjoy the HSUPA capabilities when the function is turned on by phone update.

To add insult to injury to Android users expecting 4G speeds, many iOS counterpart devices using AT&T’s 3G network are indeed HSUPA-enabled.

“Not to twist the dagger that’s already in our backs on this one,” said one forum user at XDA Developers, “as many know, the iPad 2 came out today and guess what … HSUPA enabled.”

Also HSUPA ready: the iPhone 4, a device using AT&T’s 3G network.

So when can we actually expect 4G upload speeds from these “4G” phones? AT&T gave Wired.com a rough street date of next month.

“We will be turning HSUPA upload speeds on via a software update to the Motorola ATRIX 4G and HTC Inspire 4G planned for April,” a spokesman said. He also added that “the Samsung Infuse 4G will launch with HSUPA.”

AT&T isn’t the first to fudge facts on its data practices. In the weeks before the iPhone’s release on the Verizon network in February, the carrier published a document that said the top 5 percent of data users on the network may have their data speeds reduced “to ensure high-quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand.”

As Wired.com’s Brian X. Chen reported, “One of Verizon’s selling points for its version of the iPhone is that it would come with an unlimited data plan — a marked contrast to AT&T, which eliminated its unlimited data plans last year.” But when a company’s shifty data-throttling practices are “disclosed” in unpublicized PDF files, Chen’s assertion that “you just can’t trust wireless carriers” proves accurate.

AT&T obviously hasn’t claimed the lack of HSUPA-enabling in the two phones to be a data-throttling technique. But until we hear reasons beyond “network testing and preparation,” we won’t be so quick to believe them.

See Also:

• Ahead of iPhone Release, Verizon Throttles Network Speeds
• FCC Delays Net Neutrality Over Mobile, ‘Managed’ Services
• Verizon iPhone Shows You Can’t Win: Carriers Hold the Cards
• T-Mobile to Throttle Data Speeds After 5 GB Use
• AT&T Says Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans Will Work on iPad 2
• AT&T’s Data Limits Rein In Cloud-Based Media Services
• What AT&T’s Limited Data Plans Mean for You
• AT&T’s Limited Data: Should You Care? Vote in Our Poll
• AT&T Adds iPhone Tethering, Kills Unlimited Data for iPad, Smartphones
• AT&T Exposes Data on 100000 iPad 3G Owners
• AT&T Puts Broadband Users on Monthly Allowance

The media streamer waters are awfully crowded, but Cirago’s paying no mind to that. The company has this month introduced its new CMC3200 media player, hailed as the only 1080p system to offer 2TB of built-in storage, a WiFi adapter and a full year of PlayOn goodness. It’s priced at $299.99 with the hard drive included, and it’ll sport all of the basic functions already found on the 500GB and 1TB CiragoTV Platinum devices. In related news, the outfit’s also dishing out its NUS2000 Link+ adapter, which provides remote access capabilities to up to four USB-connected storage devices. It’s a compact device that’s obviously set to rival Pogoplug’s stable of NAS enablers, boasting a $100 price point and a foursome of USB 2.0 sockets. Moving on, Cirago’s also announcing that its NUS1000 USB Network Storage Link features remote access, so there goes your excuse to upgrade. Hit the source link for the whole schpeel.

Continue reading Cirago launches CMC3200 media player, NUS2000 USB network storage link

Cirago launches CMC3200 media player, NUS2000 USB network storage link originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 07:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No one said that hobbies were easy to throw away, and it’s pretty clear that the Apple TV still holds a dear piece of Cupertino’s heart. In fact, we’d argue that the box’s streaming abilities now tie into Apple’s overall mission more than ever before, and with iOS 4.2.1 for the iPad (and the accompanying introduction of AirPlay), it’s feeling less like an afterthought and more like a focal point. That said, we’re curious to know if early adopters feel satisfied by their $99 box. Have you found it to function as-advertised? Still fuming over those output and / or color issues? If you were given the keys to the design kingdom, how would you turn the Apple TV into your perfect media streamer? Ditch the iTunes integration? Offer access to more content portals? Paint it pink and line it with LEDs? It only costs $0.02 to play, and the deposit slot’s just below.

How would you change the second-generation Apple TV? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 22:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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