Hasta La Gadget!

Maxthon has long since escaped the days when it was chiefly a customized version of Internet Explorer on the desktop, and nowhere is that more apparent than its just-launched version of the normally WebKit-based browser for the iPhone and iPod touch. All the core features of the app carry over from earlier Android and iPad versions, such as an Opera-like grid of favorite pages, a download manager and a unified address bar, but it’s arguably more useful than the iPad edition: conventional browser tabs aren’t coming to smaller-screened iOS devices in a future mobile Safari build anytime soon. Bookmark syncing and an optimized reading mode also persist to reduce the chance that Maxthon users drift back towards the official Apple browser, even after iOS 6 rolls around. With that all-important “free” price tag, there’s every reason to give it a try — let others know in the comments if Maxthon is enough to take precedence over comparable iOS alternatives like Chrome.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Maxthon web browser arrives in bite-sized form for iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some members of the Android crowd have been able to happily make gratis calls throughout the US and Canada with NetTalk’s app offering for a while now, and today the calling service is pushing out a new version in hopes of improving the all-around user experience. For starters, NetTalk’s stuffed a revamped UI inside v2.1.1, while there’s also the addition of a couple of in-app features that let folks buy credit to make international calls and sign-up for an account straight from within the application. As NetTalk’s CEO, Anastasios Kyriakides, assertively points out, the Android app’s “the perfect complement to the NetTalk DUO” — which, if you recall, touts itself as being the one to help you Fire Your Phone Company. All talking aside, the NetTalk freebies are yours to grab now from Google Play, link is just down below.

Continue reading NetTalk updates Android application with fresh UI, new in-app features

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

NetTalk updates Android application with fresh UI, new in-app features originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to the summer doldrums between the Olympics, and later in the fall when new shows premiere and the box office hits get their home releases. There are a few things to keep an eye out for with some premieres and finales, plus a series of Disney combo packs on Blu-ray. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.

WarGames

The 1983 hit starring Matthew Broderick as a young hacker who takes the US to the brink of World War III is finally here on Blu-ray. Judging by the descriptions we’re not seeing a lot in the way of extras above and beyond the 2008 25th Anniversary release on DVD, but we’ll take what we can get and hey, it’s currently on sale for less than $13.
($12.86 on Amazon)

The Newsroom

Already renewed for a second season, Aaron Sorkin’s drama about the daily life of a fictional cable news channel wraps up season one this week. Whether you think the show’s style is smug and self serving or witty and sophisticated, there’s at least been plenty of time in the ten episodes to make up your mind. Reportedly internet trolling will play a big part in the season finale, not that we’d at all be familiar with that phenomenon.
(August 26th, HBO, 10PM)

The Inbetweeners

Since Skins did so well in its transition from the UK to the US, MTV is apparently trying again with The Inbetweeners. A series focused on a group of high school boys making the transition to adulthood, it seems hard to see this following the path of The Office and not other ill fated shows. Of course, the US version of Being Human wasn’t all bad, so maybe there’s a chance?
(August 20th, MTV, 10:30PM)

Continue reading Must See HDTV (August 20th – 26th)

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Must See HDTV (August 20th – 26th) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 18:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The app devs over at Sky Sports are having a busy year, and after improving their iPad offering for the F1 season, they’re back with a “second screen” update for football (soccer) fans. Just in time for the start of the UK Premier League season, the new Football Match Centre adds a content bar alongside your chosen stream showing team and player info, in-depth stats of the match in progress and a hand-picked Twitter feed for related musings. You might think the devs deserve a break, but sadly there’s no time — next on the agenda is a similar update for the Champions League tournament, then they’re bringing the second screen to golf fans before the Ryder Cup starts next month.

Continue reading Football fans score additional content in Sky Sports for iPad update

Filed under: Software

Football fans score additional content in Sky Sports for iPad update originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new video has been compiled by Spaceflight101.com showing Curiosity’s final minutes of terror in glorious HD (though a dearth of frames and lack of stabilization make it a bit herky-jerky). It’s an assembly of all the high-res photos taken by the buggy on the way down to its now familiar perch, rolling at the not-exactly-HFR speed of 4 fps, but still trumping a previous low-res thumbnail version. It gives a much clearer, rover’s-eye-view of the journey, starting with the heat shield ejection and finishing with the dusty, butterfly-like touchdown. Check it out below the break to see the precarious descent — and don’t forget your Dramamine.

Continue reading Curiosity landing video assembled from high-res images (video)

Filed under: Science

Curiosity landing video assembled from high-res images (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Aug 2012 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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