Hasta La Gadget!

HTC’s Droid Incredible 4G LTE gave us a pleasant surprise by providing a capable Android phone that didn’t have to be supersized. It’s gone largely untouched since its mid-year introduction, though, which makes a new and imminent update all the more important. The upgrade’s biggest trick is support for Isis mobile payments that more officially throws Verizon’s hat into the NFC payment ring. Anyone living beyond Isis’ coverage will still want to check for the update when it’s ready — the patch switches on global roaming, allows remote technical support, makes Tango video chats useful and improves LTE connection quality. No matter what you’re looking for, Verizon’s tendency to start over-the-air updates within days of posting documentation leaves a likely short wait before the most recent Droid Incredible gets a breath of fresh air.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC, Verizon

HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE update to bring global roaming, Isis wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 16:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rogers and Canadian bank CIBC struck a deal for NFC-based mobile payments back in May, long enough ago that it was starting to fade out of the public consciousness. The alliance may be near refreshing our memory with a commercial launch in the cards. MobileSyrup has reportedly scored internal documents that has the two launching their e-commerce collaboration on October 15th under a slightly catchier Suretap name. Unfortunately, the text also suggests that the initial launch will require at least as much hoop-jumping from customers as for the original Google Wallet plans. Avoiding a traditional wallet will demand a BlackBerry Bold 9900 or Curve 9360 on Rogers, a CIBC MasterCard, nearby stores with PayPass terminals, a CIBC app and now a special NFC-enabled SIM card — a set of criteria that disqualifies almost everyone, especially when there’s supposedly a $50 ceiling on transactions. It remains a step forward for mobile payments in a country that has had very few options to start with, but we’d only anticipate widespread adoption once there’s a much wider selection of devices and banks.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, RIM

Rogers, CIBC may launch Suretap NFC-based payments on October 15th, require a unique SIM originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 12:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Robots come in many flavors. There’s the subservient kind, the virtual representative, the odd one with an artistic bent, and even robo-cattle. But, typically, they all hit the same roadblock: they can only do what they are programmed to do. Of course, there are those that posses some AI smarts, too, but Georgia Tech wants to take this to the next level, and build a ‘bot that can interact with its environment on the fly. The project hopes to give machines deployed in disaster situations the ability to find objects in their environment for use as tools, such as placing a chair to reach something high, or building bridges from debris. The idea builds on previous work where robots learned to moved objects out of their way, and developing an algorithm that allows them to identify items, and asses its usefulness as a tool. This would be backed up by some programming, to give the droids a basic understanding of rigid body mechanics, and how to construct motion plans. The Office of Navy Research‘s interest comes from potential future applications, working side-by-side with military personnel out on missions, which along with iRobot 110, forms the early foundations for the cyber army of our childhood imaginations.

Filed under: Robots, Alt

Georgia Tech receives $900,000 grant from Office of Naval Research to develop ‘MacGyver’ robot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the rest of us are chasing after dev phones and blurrycam shots, BlackBerry representatives in Mexico seem to be happy to wave honest-to-goodness L-Series handsets around on video. Website Hola Telcel filmed the sequence after the break, in which we’re given a shaky tour of BB10 — including the camera app’s interesting “best shot” feature — but with virtually no attention given to the hardware itself. Nevertheless, we can just about make out the previously-noted design, with the screen panel sandwiched between slightly rounded matte black plastic top and bottom parts, and a big silver BlackBerry logo emblazoned across the bottom. Also, unless we’re reading way too much into it, the way people hold the device suggests it could be nice and thin.

Continue reading BlackBerry rep shows off L-Series smartphone, forgets it’s meant to be a secret (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

BlackBerry rep shows off L-Series smartphone, forgets it’s meant to be a secret (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been desperate for new Gmail on your Android, a leaked APK obtained by Android Police — that may or may not have come from one of those LG E960 Mako (alleged) Nexus phones that it seems everyone has — is sporting some fresh tweaks. As seen in this demo video, the update adds pinch-to-zoom on individual messages, as well as swipe to delete or archive. The app itself is labeled as version 4.2, and while the APK isn’t widely available, the site reports that if it is released you’ll need to be rooted and running Android 4.0 or higher to get an early taste of the future.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google

Apparent Gmail for Android 4.2 leak shows off pinch-to-zoom, swipe features originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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