Hasta La Gadget!

I’ve argued this before: Apple needs to explore new iPhone materials because the current glass back sucks. It gets dirty too easily. It’s Russian-hooker naff. And it’s way too fragile. Thankfully, there’s a fix for that: JackBacks. More »

You probably wouldn’t pay $6 for an iPhone app that lets you browse through car models and pump stereo exhaust sounds directly to your drums. But a $6 Aston Martin Experience app that also displays speed and Gs as you film your drive from behind the wheel of a 2011 Rapide? We might be in love. The British automaker’s latest app can do all of the above, and also includes a list of “top roads” — most of which are in Europe. Our friends at Autoblog paired the app with a loaner Rapide (and we thought playing with cell phones was cool), driving up California’s Aston-approved Pacific Coast Highway. The reviewers may have spent more time focusing on the car than the app, but when you’re driving a $200,000, 477 horsepower aluminum beast for the first time, the iPhone easily becomes an afterthought. Aston claims that the Experience can be had with any other car, but if you’re looking to get the experience, be prepared to spend a little more than six bucks.

Aston Martin Experience could be the ultimate iPhone accessory, but you’re gonna want the car originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 02:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A US district judge this week handed Apple a victory in its ongoing legal battle with Samsung, denying the latter its reciprocal discovery request for a peek at prototypes of the upcoming versions of the iPhone and iPad. The request followed a similar one filed by Apple, in order to view Samsung products, including the Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 10.1, Infuse 4G, and Droid Charge. Samsung, for its part, argued that taking an early look at the Apple’s upcoming phone and tablet would be relevant to the legal ruling, seeing as how any changes made in those upcoming products would affect the trade dress (“total product image”) of the line, and thereby potentially alter the possibility of consumer confusion, an important factor in determining infringement with certain unregistered trademarks with the product.

The court denied Samsung’s motion on a number of grounds. For one thing, Apple’s initial complaint pertained to infringement of existing products, parameters deemed legit by the court. Also, the court took into account the fact that Apple tends to be far more tight-lipped about its product releases, whereas Samsung made a point of offering up information about forthcoming products into the public domain, including the release of 5,000 Galaxy Tab 10.1 units as samples to the public. That said, the judge was careful to note that Apple’s suggestion that court protection of its trade secrets was insufficient “is not well taken.” More details after the break.

Continue reading Samsung denied preview of iPad 3, iPhone 5 in ongoing Apple infringement suit

Samsung denied preview of iPad 3, iPhone 5 in ongoing Apple infringement suit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Sync has pushed Gmail messages, calendar updates, and contacts to iOS since its launch in 2009, but this half-baked solution previously lacked some key functionality. Beginning today, users can finally perform mail server searches and confirm appointment requests from their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. This means that you’ll be able to search for messages in your entire mailbox, not just for emails stored on your device — a feature that first appeared with iPhone OS 3, but without Google Sync support. You can also respond to calendar invites from within the Calendar app. Fancy that! A third update brings support for sending messages from other addresses listed in your Gmail account, though only the first two features worked when we took Sync for a spin this afternoon. (Curiously, Google omitted a “Send Mail as” screenshot on its blog, so this last update may not actually be available yet.) This latest trio of updates is available for both gratis and Google Apps accounts, so head to the source link for set up instructions and the full feature rundown.

Google Sync adds mail server search, appointment confirmation to native iOS apps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iOS is great at displaying content already on a device, but transferring documents from your computer to your iPhone or iPad has traditionally been a tedious, inefficient process. SugarSync’s new mobile device management sets out to help change that, allowing you to send files directly to your smartphone or tablet using a simple web interface. After selecting a connected device from the sidebar, you can click to upload content, booting it directly to your handheld. A push notification will appear, prompting you to download any or all of the files you uploaded, which will also remain in the cloud — so you’ll be able to access files synched with the SugarSync app from the Web, even when your device is offline. The feature is rolling out for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch this week, and will be available for Android and BlackBerry soon. It looks like the concept of emailing documents to yourself just to access them on the go is about to follow iTunes sync and tethered updates to a permanent group home in the sky.

Continue reading SugarSync adds mobile device management, lets you push digital delights directly to iOS (video)

SugarSync adds mobile device management, lets you push digital delights directly to iOS (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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