Dec 12

iOS 5.1 beta 2 out of the oven, ready for developer consumption

Posted in: ios, ios 5, Ios5, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, iphone 4s, ipod touch, IpodTouch, Today's Chili

Ready to kick off Monday with some iOS flashing? Excellent, because Apple’s just released the second beta of iOS 5.1, lovingly christened 9B5127c. No Cupertino devices at Engadget HQ have taken the plunge, but as noted by MacRumors, the beta enables individual picture deletion from Photo Stream — which differs from the existing delete all or nothing implementation. Too early to tell if it’ll finally squash any lingering battery bugs once and for all, but you can hit Apple’s developer website to get your download on — just be ready for the next one in two weeks, cool?

[Thanks, Haseeb]

iOS 5.1 beta 2 out of the oven, ready for developer consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nov 02

Photograph and Track Your Food Habits With Eatery

Posted in: Software and Operating Systems, Today's Chili

Track your food and share the pictures. Just like Twitter, only people actually care

You know how people are always posting pictures of their meals on Twitter? Well, now there’s a (proper) app for that. It’s called Eatery, and it’s like a cross between Foursquare and Instagram, for food.

There are other apps for tracking your calorie intake, and that’s not really what Eatery is for. It works like this: You snap a photo of your latest snack, dinner or drink and rate its healthiness by dragging a slider. Zero stars for a deep-fried Mars Bar and 11 stars for a plate of celery, for instance.

And that’s it. Your pictures are shared friends who are following you, and they can rate an comment on your dietary choices. The app does most of the work behind the scenes, remembering when and where you ate, and then showing it all on handy graphs. You can see all of the dishes you ate at your pizza place, for instance, or see just how healthily you have been eating for the last week.

You can even while away some time rating photos other people have snapped, kind of like an anonymous Hot or Not. For food.

My only complaint is that you have to connect to Facebook to use the social aspects. Still, I’ll try it out for a week and see if I lose any weight. I have a feeling that posting a photo half a bottle of whisky every night might guilt me into drinking a little less, at least.

The Eatery is available now for the iPhone, and is free.

The Eatery [Massive Health]


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Oct 21

Georgia Tech spies on nearby keyboards with iPhone 4 accelerometer, creates spiPhone

Posted in: hacking, keyboard, Today's Chili

Ever plopped your cellular down next to your laptop? According Georgia Tech researchers, that common scenario could let hackers record almost every sentence you type, all thanks to your smartphone’s accelerometer. They’ve achieved the feat with an impressive 80 percent accuracy using an iPhone 4, and are dubbing the program they’ve developed, spiPhone. (Although the group initially had fledgling trials with an iPhone 3GS, they discovered the 4’s gyroscope aided in data reading.) If the software gets installed onto a mobile device it can use the accelerometer to sense vibrations within three-inches, in degrees of “near or far and left or right,” allowing it to statistically guess the words being written — so long as they have three or more letters. It does this by recording pairs of keystrokes, putting them against dictionaries with nearly 58,000 words to come up with the most likely results.

The group has also done the same with the phone’s mics (which they say samples data at a whopping 44,000 times per second vs. the accelerometer’s 100), but note that it’s a less likely option given the usual need for some form of user permission. Furthermore, they explained that the accelerometer data rate is already mighty slow, and if phone makers reduced it a bit more, spiPhone would have a hard time doin’ its thing. The good news? Considering the strict circumstances needed, these researchers think there’s a slim chance that this kind of malware could go into action easily. Looks like our iPhone and MacBook can still be close friends… For now. You’ll find more details at the links below.

Georgia Tech spies on nearby keyboards with iPhone 4 accelerometer, creates spiPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 16

Refresh Resource: week of October 10, 2011

Posted in: Android, Apple, att, firmware, firmware update, FirmwareUpdate, galaxy s ii, GalaxySIi, gingerbread, Google, honeycomb, ios, iPhone, iphone 4s, jailbreak, LG, minipost, motorola, ota, refresh, samsung, Software, software update, SoftwareUpdate, Sprint, streak, t-mobile, Today's Chili, touchpad, update, verizon, Verizon Wireless, VerizonWireless, vzw, xoom

Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

  • Motorola Xoom owners who swapped in their devices for one with LTE capability may have found an OTA enhancement waiting for them when the tablet arrived. It included a few minor changes, such as updates to Android Market and some additional browser security measures. The full changelog can be found at the link. [AndroidCentral]
  • The update to the Motorola Droid 2 Global was pulled last month due to an Exchange encryption issue, but we’re hearing reports that it’s once again resuming the rollout with that concern resolved. [Droid-Life]
  • Motorola’s Photon 4G on Sprint is on the receiving end of a minor bug fix update, which includes video chat capability for Google Talk. [PhoneArena]
  • The good news for unlocked Dell Streak 7 users: the official update to Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) is now rolling out and you should see it over the course of the next couple weeks. the coming weeks. [Dell]
  • The bad news for T-Mobile Dell Streak 7 users: Honeycomb isn’t coming to your tablet, for unknown reasons. [Android Community]
  • According to a tweet from LG, there’s a small refresh in the works for the Optimus 7 which will finally enable WiFi tethering. [WPCentral]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

  • A new piece of firmware for the AT&T Galaxy S II was leaked via RootzWiki, and includes a few bug fixes. Sadly, it adds some bugs as well. [Android Community]
  • Samsung’s officially released the kernel source for the Stratosphere, Transfix and Galaxy Y Pro. [Android Community]
  • And now for the best news for TouchPad owners: after several weeks of progress, it appears that CM7 is now ready to roll on the HP TouchPad. As always, download and install at your own risk — we have a feeling this may be a bit more involved than your typical Android custom ROM. [Redmond Pie]

Other platforms

  • Redsn0w 0.9.9b5 is here, giving you the go-ahead to jailbreak iOS5. Up for the task? Head to the link for all of the details on how to make it so. [Redmond Pie]
  • Some Windows Phone users have noticed a few bugs popping into their updated devices ever since they received Mango. The main concerns seem to be found in the keyboard and live tiles, though the reported issues are much more numerous. Have you experienced any of these on the list at the link? [WMPowerUser]

Refreshes we covered this week

Refresh Resource: week of October 10, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 13

Box rides on iCloud’s coattails, offers 50GB of free cloud storage to iOS users

Posted in: airplay, app, Apple, AppStore, cellphone, cloud, deal, free, ios, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobile, mobilepostcross, phone, tablet, Today's Chili
No, your eyes don’t deceive you — Box is offering 50GBs of free storage inside its cloud for iOS users — just like it did for TouchPad owners back in June. Anyone who downloads the latest version of Box’s app for iPad and iPhone will receive their massive lot for data storage after registering a personal account (existing accounts can join in on the fun as well). To make better use of that extra space, Box will also be bumping upload capacity from 25MB to 100MB per file and baking in AirPlay support. Look, Box is obviously skitching on iCloud’s tail, but it sure seems like a crazy good deal considering that space is yours “forever.” The promotion will last for 50 days, officially starting at 12AM on October 14th — although, we’re already seeing the update on our end. Full details in the source link.

Box rides on iCloud’s coattails, offers 50GB of free cloud storage to iOS users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 12

Poll: Have you upgraded to iOS 5?

Posted in: airplay, Apple, ios, ios 5, Ios5, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobilepostcross, review, Today's Chili, twitter

We’ve heard plenty of you are receiving various error messages while attempting to install iOS 5, and some of us haven’t had much luck either. But have you been able to upgrade? Let us know in the poll below, and jump past the break to sound off in the comments.

View Poll

Poll: Have you upgraded to iOS 5? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 12

iOS 5 review

Posted in: airplay, Apple, ios, ios 5, Ios5, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, iPhone, iphone 4s, review, Today's Chili, twitter

Now well into its fifth year of life, iOS has always been known for its exceptional polish — and also, its glaring feature holes. But, just like clockwork, each year since its 2007 debut, those shortcomings have been addressed one by one in a sweeping annual update. In 2008, the platform was opened up to developers giving us the App Store, 2009 saw the introduction of copy and paste — which we’d argue is still the best implementation to date — and last year “multitasking” finally made a presence. So what has Apple chosen to rectify in 2011? Well, for starters, notifications gets a complete overhaul with Notification Center, tethered syncing dies at the hands of iCloud and messaging gets a do-over with the birth of iMessage.

If you recall, we first got acquainted with iOS 5 in May after downloading the developer preview, but how does the final release stack up? And does it have the chops to compete with the latest from Mountain View and Redmond? After drudging through seven betas, we’re ready to conquer all that the final release has to offer, so join us, if you would, past the break.

Continue reading iOS 5 review

iOS 5 review originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 04

Apple’s iPhone 4S, iOS 5 and iPod roundup: details, specs and release dates

Posted in: Apple, att, ios, ios 5, Ios5, iphone 4s, itunes, keynote, live, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili

Phew, what a day! Apple’s done its fair share of introducing today, and now it’s on us to distill everything down into something understandable by folks who don’t have the time to pore over every single morsel of iPhone and iOS 5-related news oozing from Cupertino. You can relive our liveblog right here — for everything else, get schooled below.

iPhone 4S

iOS 5

iPod / Mac / other news

Apple’s iPhone 4S, iOS 5 and iPod roundup: details, specs and release dates originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 04

AppleCare+ debuts for $99, offers to cover accidental damage in addition to the standard fare

Posted in: Apple, iPhone, iphone 4s, mobilepostcross, Today's Chili
Once upon a time, the AppleCare Protection Plan was a service provided by Cupertino to extend out the life of your iPhone warranty for an extra year and enable Apple reps to help with additional customer service concerns. It still offers all of that, but now a Plus has been added to the title. The new plan was revealed as the cloak over the Apple Store lifted after today’s keynote, with the boxes shipping out the same day as the iPhone 4S. What’s so “plus” about it, you might ask? It’s plus $30, for one, getting a price bump from $70 to $100. The good news, though, is that it also now offers two instances of protection from accidental damage… for a $49 fee each time. It’s a fair deal less than shelling out full retail price for a fresh one, of course, but there doesn’t appear to be any other new features beyond what we’re already used to getting. Oh, except for “one more thing”: whereas its predecessor could be obtained and activated anytime within the first twelve months of your purchase, it appears that AppleCare+ has to be bought at the same time as the valuable treasure it’s protecting. We’re still sifting through the fine print, so we’ll holler if we come across any other changes. This raises the question: does the accidental damage handling justify the higher cost?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

AppleCare+ debuts for $99, offers to cover accidental damage in addition to the standard fare originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oct 04

Apple drops iPhone prices: 8GB 3GS free, iPhone 4 now $99

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, att, breaking news, iPhone, iphone 4s, keynote, live, LiveBlog, mobilepostcross, smartphone, Today's Chili

No big surprises here, but the iPhone 4S’ older siblings are getting drastic price reductions. An 8GB 3GS is now free on contract, while the iPhone 4 is now only $99 with a carrier agreement — that one bill gets you an 8GB iPhone 4. We’ve received no indication of cuts for other flavors of the old guard, but we suppose congratulations are in order for bargain hunters with limited iTunes libraries.

Update: According to the Apple Store, the iPhone 4 is also “coming soon” to Sprint.

Apple drops iPhone prices: 8GB 3GS free, iPhone 4 now $99 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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